Author Archives: buccofeverpodcast

Over the past 30 years or so, closers have become the professional wrestler of baseball. The scoreboard lights up with a video montage and the stadium’s PA system blasts the player’s selected entrance music. It’s entertaining, but is it necessary? Is it good for a team to have a Mariano Rivera or Trevor Hoffman waitingContinue reading “Closers”

The first week of Spring Training games is in the books. It is too early to make a call on some of the position battles, but there are definitely front runners making their presence known. Shortstop Going into the start of Spring Training, there were 3-4 guys in the mix for playing time at short.Continue reading “Week in Review 3/7/21”

If you’re reading this article and expect me to tell you that the Pirates are going to surprise the world and win it all, you’re not going to see any of that here. Is it impossible? No, but it’s not very likely. The Pirates are rebuilding and already started acquiring young prospects for their veterans.Continue reading “Why Should I Care About the Pirates in 2021?”

The Pirates outfield is pretty set. There’s a little competition for center, but we know who will play the corners and who will fill out the roster out there. What kind of production comes from these guys is the question? Gregory Polanco is an enigma. He can look like different guys at any point duringContinue reading “Spring Training Preview: Outfield”

There’s a lot going on here. There’s a lot that could go on here. There’s a lot of variables to consider when looking at the infield. There’s some veterans and some rookies. There’s a lot. Let’s take a look. First Base This position could have an interesting platoon situation. Colin Moran has shown flashes ofContinue reading “Spring Training Preview: Infield”

The Pirates don’t have a lot of variety to choose from in the catching category. It’s a position they failed miserably in developing and stocking with potential Major League starters in recent years. Instead they have a bunch of guys who are essentially the same light-hitting, defense only guy. With that said, it’s not theContinue reading “Spring Training Preview: Catchers”

The Pirates have plenty of options available to them in order to construct a workable bullpen. Last season, the bullpen was in a constant state of flux due to an array of injuries. The benefit of that was that the Pirates got to look at some guys that they may not have otherwise and someContinue reading “Spring Training Preview: Bullpen”

Pitchers and catchers reported this week, so spring has officially sprung. The Pirates have several position battles going on with this group. Let’s take a look how the rotation is shaping up. The starting rotation looks different from the past couple of years. Trevor Williams was released with Jameson Taillon and Joe Musgrove were tradedContinue reading “Spring Training Preview: Starting Pitchers”

In my last two articles, I talked about how I thought the Pirates got to this point where they’re staring down a rebuild and where they are now. So what’s next? Where could this team go in the future? My answer is that it’s anyone’s guess. If Ben Cherington’s development team can turn potential intoContinue reading “Now What?”

The Pirates are in full rebuild mode. Their focus is to stockpile young and projectable talent. This is the strategy that they need to have. Ben Cherington recognized that and set out on the thankless journey of dismantling the Major League roster. Gone are the mainstays like Josh Bell, Jameson Taillon, Joe Musgrove, and TrevorContinue reading “Where the Pirates are now?”