Bucs Host Phils; Long Balls Drop Pirates 5-4; Notes

Today: Steven Brault will climb the hill against Philadelphia's Aaron Nola at LECOM Park at 1:05. George Kontos is also penciled in with other pitchers TBD. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet.

Yesterday: It was a nice outing by Cool Chad, who went 5-1/3 IP, giving up two runs (one earned) on five hits (one solo homer) with five K, tossing 84 pitches. In a bit more worrisome appearance, Felipe Rivero served up up a two-run shot to Bo Bichette; Josh Smoker surrendered a solo shot in the eighth and the Blue Jays rode their long balls to a 5-4 win. The other two Bucco hurlers were perfect as Dovy Neverauskas & Michael Feliz faced five batters and whiffed five batters. Colin Moran had three singles for the Bucs and Fran Cervelli added two more knocks. Colin scored once & brought home a run while Cervy drove in a pair with a double, the Pirates only extra-base hit.

Notes:

• Maybe the hardest-to-project man of the spring is Colin Moran. He's hitting .333 with a flip side - the projected big bopper has a sub-.400 slugging % with just three doubles and no homers in 48 at-bats.  
• Josh Smoker has given up four homers in nine+ IP, but it's part of the plan per Clint, who said they're seeing the growing pains resulting from a strategy of throwing more strikes and working on expanding the tool kit to get guys off his fastball. 
• The Pirates have re-signed Daniel Nava to a minor-league deal; no details available. He's expected to be back in the saddle sometime in June after undergoing back surgery.
• The Reds released 36-year-old Ollie Perez.
• Gregg Ritchie, coach at George Washington, was named as hitting coach of Team USA 18U squad. He was in the Pirates organization for seven years as a hitting coach, the last two with the big team in 2011-12 before leaving to take the GWU job.

3/23: Bunning TSN Cover Boy; HBD Frenchy, Mike, Lanny, Wendell, Johnny, Hooks, Slappy & Danny

• 1868 - OF/P Elmer “Mike” Smith was born in Pittsburgh’s North Side. Smith was a pitcher that was converted to the OF after his arm wore down. He played from 1892-97, then briefly again in 1901, for the Pirates. He was a good hitter with a .325 BA, .415 OBP and 136 OPS+ during his Bucco years. In 1893 he scored 121 runs and drove in 103 runs. He led the team in 1894 with a .357 BA and, in 1896, he hit .362 with a .454 OBP. Smith, converted to the OF by his Bucco time, also tossed for the Pirates in 1892, going 6-7/3.62. He remained a local boy after his 14-year career in MLB (he kept a North Side home on Madison Avenue) working as an inspector for the Pittsburgh Bureau of Highways. When he died, he was buried in North Side’s Union Dale Cemetery. 

Mike Smith Ars Longa Art Card

• 1885 - OF Danny Moeller was born in DeWitt, Iowa. Danny began his career playing 47 games in 1907-08 for Pittsburgh, batting .219. He sharpened his skills in the bushes afterward (and picking up the nickname “Rochester Rambler” for his time spent with that club), returning to the show in 1912 to begin a five-year run with Washington and a brief stint with Cleveland. He did start four years for the Senators, batting leadoff while sporting a fine glove and strong arm, tho he became the first MLB player to strike out 100 times in a season when he whiffed 112 times in 1912. Danny’s career was short-circuited by a chronic shoulder dislocation. 
• 1886 - RHP Cy “Slappy” Slapnicka was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He pitched pro ball from 1906-20, working 10 games in MLB. His last stint was with the 1918 Pirates, who bought his contract from Birmingham of the Southern Association in late June. Slappy, then 32, went 1-4/4.74 in seven outings (six starts) and was released. Though he did have a long and solid career in the bushes, Slapnicka made his name after he retired. He did a little administrating and minor league managing but was a big-time scout for the Indians, signing Bob “Rapid Robert” Feller, Roger Maris, Herb Score, Lou Boudreau, Bobby Avila and several other A-Listers. 
• 1893 - RHP Remy “Ray/Frenchy” Kremer was born in Oakland, California. Kremer pitched 10 seasons for the Pirates (1924-33), his only MLB club, and went 143-85/3.76, winning 20 games twice, leading the NL in ERA in 1926 and 1927 and claiming a pair of victories in the 1925 World Series. What's more amazing is that he didn't make his major league debut until he was 31 years old after spending nine campaigns in the Pacific Coast League! But he didn’t come with a senior discount; the Pirates, in battle with the Cubs for his services, sent pitchers George Boehler and Earl Kuntz, infielder Spencer Andrews, and a reported $20,000 to the Oaks in exchange for Kremer, who also got a little slice of the pie after he threatened to hold out after the deal. 

Ray Kremer 1933 Goudey Big League

• 1905 - OF Harold “Hooks” (he had noticeably bowed legs) Tinker was born in Birmingham, Alabama, but migrated to Pittsburgh with his family in 1917. He played sandlot for the Edgar Thompson team, then for the Pittsburgh Monarchs. Hooks joined the Pittsburgh Crawfords in 1928, playing center field and acting as assistant player-manager of the team, he was said to have discovered Josh Gibson. Tinker was on the team when it was sold to Gus Greenlee in 1931, but when faced with Greenlee's decree to "work or play," Tinker chose to leave the team and keep his mill job to support his family. Hooks answered to a second calling and became a highly respected reverend in the Hill District. 
• 1914 - Writer Wendell Smith was born in Detroit. He was the baseball writer and sports editor for the Pittsburgh Courier from 1937-47. Smith covered the Homestead Grays, Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Pirates. He chronicled the early days of Jackie Robinson and was reputed to be one of the industry insiders to recommend Jackie to Branch Rickey. Wendell also was a tireless advocate of baseball integration, pushing teams (including the Pirates) to try out Negro League players such as Josh Gibson. He was recognized by the BBWAA Spink’s Award in 1993. In a bit of irony, the group had turned down his membership application while he was with the Courier, though in 1948 they finally relented and admitted him as one of its earliest black members, behind only Sam Lacy. 
• 1926 - IF Johnny Logan was born in Endicott, NY. Logan spent the end of a productive 13-year career with the Pirates (1961-63) as a reserve, getting in 152 games and hitting .249. Playing mainly as a Brave, Logan batted .268 with 93 home runs, 547 runs batted in, 651 runs scored and 1,407 hits in 1,503 games. He was a four-time all-star, including three berths in a row from 1957-'59, and was on Milwaukee’s 1957 World Series-winning club. He finished his career in Japan, then did some broadcasting, scouting and took a gig building the Trans-Alaska pipeline. 

• 1948 - Pirate announcer Lanny Frattare was born in Rochester, NY. Lanny was the voice of the AAA Charleston Charlies in 1974-75, and got in the booth for a couple of Pirates games after the minor league season at Bob Prince’s invitation, getting to announce an inning or so. He was officially part of the Pirate broadcasting team from 1976-2008, starting out as Milo Hamilton’s color man, and announced over 5,000 Bucco games during those 33 seasons ("...and there was no doubt about it"), becoming the Pirates longest-tenured voice before moving on to academia. In 2008, he was nominated for the Ford Frick Award, given by the Baseball Hall of Fame for excellence in broadcasting. 
• 1968 - Jim Bunning was featured on the cover of The Sporting News for the story “Bucks In Pirate Bank.” The season didn’t work out quite as expected, though. Injuries to his groin, ankle and hip led Bunning to win just four games as he came in with his worst major league season to date with a 4-14 record and 3.88 ERA.

Bucs v Blue Jays Tonight on TV; Twins Win 3-1; Notes

Today: The Blue Jays come to LECOM Park for another night game beginning at 6:05. Starter Chad Kuhl, Felipe Rivero, Michael Feliz, Josh Smoker and Dovydas Neverauskas are climbing the hill today. AT&T SportsNet will televise the match with 93.7 The Fan doing the radio side.

Yesterday: Trevor Williams had a solid outing, going 5-1/3 IP, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits, two walks and an uncharacteristic eight K's while tossing 97 pitches. The pitching was fine, but the bats couldn't dent the Twin arms, which held the Bucs to four hits, and the Pirates fell 3-1. Pittsburgh committed two errors that allowed two unearned runs, and that was the diff. Kyle Crick and Richard Rodriguez closed out and were solid, with Crick giving up an unearned tally.

Notes:

• The bright spot in last night's loss was three stolen sacks, two by Starling Marte and the other by Gregory Polanco.  It was the first of the spring for El Coffee and the sixth for Marte. Ol' Bucco Zach Duke worked a frame for Minny with a walk and a whiff.
• Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan has an audio clip of several Pirates recalling their first MLB game. 
• The Pirates made official the signing of SS Ji-Hwan Bae for $1.25M, as first reported by @pirateprospects.
• Rajai Davis was signed by the Indians; Mike Napoli was released. 
• Great piece in The Sporting News by Dave Parker & Dave Jordan on the first camp after Roberto Clemente's death w/some insider tales by the Cobra.

3/22: Dann Signed; HBP Moose, Ike, Goldie, Beast, Ramon & Jason

• 1902 - Coach Goldie (his given first name was Golden) Holt was born in Enloe, Texas. Per his Wikipedia bio, Holt played 23 years of minor league ball, serving as a playing manager for six of those seasons. He finally reached the majors as a Pirates coach under manager Billy Meyer from 1948–50, then scouted and managed in the farm system for the Dodgers from 1951–58. He switched to the Cubs' organization as a member of its College of Coaches experiment from 1961–65 (a disastrous rotating coach gimmick conjured up by owner Phil Wrigley), then returned to the Dodgers as a scout through the early 1980s, where he was credited with teaching Charlie Hough how to throw a knuckleball.
• 1906 - OF Julius “Moose” Solters was born in Pittsburgh. He never played for the Pirates but was one of the better local ballplayers with one of baseball’s sadder stories. Moose (he was 6’1”, 190 lbs), the son of a Hungarian immigrant who worked at J&L Steel, went to Fifth Avenue HS. Solters played nine years in the AL for four clubs, slashing .289/89/559 and put up five double-digit homer seasons along with four 100+ RBI campaigns. In 1941, he was hit by a ball during pre-game fielding drills after he had turned to wave to his in-laws in the stands. Solters suffered headaches and double vision afterward, effectively ending his baseball career, and slowly began losing his vision. He returned to his native Beltzhoover and ran a bar. Solters was also a key figure, along with Frankie Gustine, in planning and fundraising for Frank Vittor’s 1955 Honus Wagner statue. He passed away in 1975 and is buried in Hazelwood’s Calvary Cemetery. 

Moose Solters 1938 Goudey Heads Up series

• 1968 - RHP Ramon Martinez was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He ended his 14-year career, spent primarily with the Dodgers, as a Pirate in 2001 with four largely forgettable outings before retiring. He won 135 games over that span but was bested for family honors by his little brother, Pedro. Ramon is now pitching coach for the Orioles, specializing in developing young Latino arms. 
• 1974 - RHP Jason Phillips was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Jason was drafted out of high school by Pittsburgh in 1992 and had 17 MLB outings over parts of three seasons. He made his debut with the Pirates in 1999 with six appearances and an 11.57 ERA. The Bucs released him in 2001 and he subsequently got a couple of stints with the Indians. He ended his pro career in 2004 after a couple of years of tossing in Japan. 
• 1982 - 1B Michael Morse was born in Fort Lauderdale. “The Beast” (he’s 6’5”, 245 lbs) was a third round selection of the White Sox out of high school in 2000 and the Pirates picked him up in 2015 in a trade with the Dodgers. The Pirates were the 11-year vet’s seventh team, counting LA, who flipped him before he ever played a game for them. He hit .275 in 2015 and after one outing in 2016 was released in April. He’s now a free agent; he lost most of the 2017 season with the Giants due to a freak concussion after he and Jeff Samardzija accidentally banged heads during a baseball brawl with the Nats in May. 

Dann Bilardello (photo Getty Images)

• 1987 - The Bucs purchased C Dann Bilardello from the Montreal Expos, and after a minor league stint at AAA Buffalo, he was sold back to Montreal in July. The Bucs then brought him back him back as a free agent signing in 1989 and he hit .225 as a bench guy. He was released after the year, signed again, and then released for good after the 1990 campaign when he hit just .054, spending both years mainly in AAA. In all, Dann played two seasons for Pittsburgh, appearing in 52 games and batting just .171. 
• 1987 - 1B Ike Davis was born in Edina, Minnesota. The Bucs were hoping that Ike, who they got from the Mets in mid-April for a couple of prospects, could plug the hole at first in 2014, but 10 homers/.235 BA in 94 starts with 397 plate appearances didn’t cut it. The Pirates sold his contract to Oakland after the season and announced that Pedro Alvarez would be their first baseman in 2015. After stints with the Athletics and Yankees, he spent 2017 pitching (he was a standout reliever at Arizona State) in the Dodger system and is now a free agent.

Pirates v Twins; BoSox Beat Up Bucs 12-6; Notes

Today: The Pirates travel to Fort Myers' Hammond Stadium to play the Twins at 6:05 tonight. Trevor Williams will start with Richard Rodriguez, Kyle Crick and Jordan Milbrath also slated. The starting outfield is penciled in; they're batting 1-2-3, with Joey O at the hot corner. The game will be aired on 93.7 The Fan.

Trevor Williams 2017 (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Yesterday: Not a very good outing by Joe Musgrove, who gave up six runs on eight hits in four frames with a pair of K. Double ditto for Kevin Siegrist, who went 2/3 IP and was rocked for four runs on three hits, with a walk and a whiff. Tyler Jones got dinged, too, as the Bucs fell 12-6. The Pirates got three solo homers from youngsters Jordan Luplow, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Bligh Madris. Jordy had two of the Buccos 10 hits.

Notes:

• Tom Prince will manage tonight's game; Clint is attending a funeral.
• As of now, the Bucco back end is closer Felipe Rivero (and he will close; Clint has no "high leverage" usage planned for him, although getting four or five outs may be in the cards) with George Kontos as the setup guy and Michael Feliz in the late inning mix. 
• The Pittsburgh rotation remains unchanged - Ivan Nova, Trevor Williams, Chad Kuhl, Jameson Taillon and Joe Musgrove - to date. The pitchers are lined up to work in that order.
• The Pirates have released OF Daniel Nava from his minor-league deal but hope to re-sign him.
• Jason Dill of the Bradenton Herald asked three young players what field they'd be working in if not for baseball.
• Alex Dickerson, who the Pirates traded to San Diego in 2013 for Jaff Decker and Miles Mikolas, will miss his second straight season with TJ surgery. He sat out last year with back problems after a solid 2016 campaign for the Friars.

3/21: PA Takes the Reins; Lefty, Ross Deals; Estaban Inked; HBD Manny, Shawon, Pablo, Bill & Mysterious

• 1884 - RHP Frederick Mitchell “Mysterious” Walker (his moniker came from pitching under a fake name for the San Francisco Seals) was born in Utica, Nebraska. He didn’t play much or well in Pittsburgh: in 1914, Walker pitched for the Pittsburgh Rebels of the outlaw Federal League and appeared in 35 games, tossing a career-high 169-1/3 innings with a record of 4–16 and a 4.33 ERA. He made more of a name for himself locally in football. He was Carnegie Tech’s head coach from 1912-13 and in 1914 served as an assistant football coach at W & J College. 

Mysterious Walker 1910 Spokane Press

• 1893 - The Pirates traded C Duke Farrell and $1500 to the Washington Nationals for LHP Frank “Lefty” Killen in a win-win deal for both clubs. Farrell banged heads with manager Al Buckenberger and after leaving Pittsburgh played 13 more years as one of baseball’s better hitting catchers, retiring in 1905 with a career .277 BA. Duke, just recovering from a broken leg, appeared against his old mates for Boston in the 1903 World Series as a pinch hitter. Killen tossed six seasons for the Bucs with an 112-82/3.71 line and set the team record for wins with 36 in 1893, one of two thirty-win seasons he spun for Pittsburgh. 
• 1915 - RHP Bill Brandt was born in Aurora, Indiana. Brandt spent his brief career (1941-43) as a Pirate, going 5-3 with a 3.57 ERA and getting just 80-⅔ IP over that time (he was a call-up for the first two campaigns, getting his only full season in 1943). He was effective as a minor leaguer, but after serving his country from 1944-45, Brandt never pitched above AAA ball again, topping out at Hollywood in the PCL. 
• 1944 - Pirate C Manny Sanguillen was born in Colon, Panama. In 12 years with the Bucs, he batted .299 and was on three All-Star teams, which was quite a feat during the Johnny Bench era. Manny hit .282 in two World Series and five NLCS bouts. Noted for never seeing a pitch he didn’t like, the free swinger’s lifetime batting average of .296 is in the Top ten for catchers in MLB history. Like many Buccos, he was dubbed by Bob Prince; his nickname was "The Road Runner" because of his surprising speed as a catcher. Manny is still a well known figure with a ballyard eatery and serves as a camp instructor during the spring. 

Manny Sanguillen 1981 Topps

• 1945 - SS/OF & scout Pablo Cruz was born in San Francisco de Macoris, Dominican Republic. Pablo never played for the MLB Bucs, although he spent all 14 years of his pro career (1965-’78) in the Pirates system. He was a good stick, so-so glove guy who had the bad luck to play during the Gene Alley era and then lost out to younger prospect Frank Taveras in the seventies. After his playing days, Cruz became a full-time scout for the Pirates and lassoed a corral full of Latino talent like Moisés Alou, Tony Peña, Aramis Ramírez, Félix Fermín, José Guillén, José Lind, Orlando Merced, José de León, Cecilio Guante, José Castillo, Ronny Paulino and Rafe Belliard. He scouted for several teams after the Bucs, and his son, Ismael, also became a Pirates bird dog for a spell. 
• 1963 - SS Shawon Dunston was born in Brooklyn, New York. Dunston was the Numero Uno selection in the June 1982 amateur draft and a 13-year vet when on August 31st, 1997, the Cubs sent him to Pirates, who lost two shortstops to injuries, Kevin Elster and Kevin Polcovich. He hit two long balls in his first game with the Bucs during that “Freak Show” season and did his part, hitting .394 with five homers and 16 RBI’s in 18 games though the club fell 3-½ games short of the flag. After his short stint, Dunston signed on with the Indians. He retired in 2002 and is now part of the Giants organization. 
• 1982 - The Pirates traded SS Vance Law and RHP Ernie Camacho to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for pitchers Ross Baumgarten and Butch Edge. Law, who was at the beginning of his career, played nine more MLB seasons, once as an All-Star, and Camacho pitched for eight more years. Baumgarten and Edge never panned out for the Bucs. Baumgarten got 10 starts, went 0-5, 6.55 and was released the following spring to end his MLB stay while Edge, who had pitched for Toronto in 1979 during his only big league campaign, never again escaped the minors. 

• 1986 - The Pittsburgh Associates, a coalition of 13 public and private investors, formally purchased the Pirates from the Galbreath family for $21.8M in a deal that had been essentially hammered out in the previous fall. The Associates were led by Mayor Richard S. Caliguiri along with Westinghouse, Alcoa, PPG, USS, PNC, Mellon, CMU and Ryan Homes. Private investors included Chicago real estate developer Harvey Walken, contractor Frank Schneider, businessman Frank Fuhrer and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette publisher William Block. It assured that the club would stay in Pittsburgh while a new long-term buyer could be found to keep the club in the city and out of the clutches of circling vultures like Denver, Portland and New Orleans. 
• 1991 - RHP Esteban Loaiza was signed as an undrafted FA by the Bucs as a 19-year-old pitching for the Mexico City Reds. He worked his first four seasons, from 1995-98, with Pittsburgh (27-28-1, 4.63) and had a 14-year career in MLB with a pair of All-Star selections and 126 wins. He apparently had problems keeping up with the Jones after his retirement; he was arrested in San Diego in 2018 for transporting 20 kilos of cocaine and heroin.

Notes: Bucs v Bosox; Bats Boom in 11-8 Twin Win; Cuts & Stuff

Today: The Bucs visit the Red Sox in Fort Meyers' JetBlue Stadium at 1:05. Joe Musgrove gets his second start of the spring; Kevin Siegrist, Tyler Jones and Edgar Santana are the likely trailers. The audio will be streamed by MLB.com.

Yesterday: After the sticks cooled off Sunday, they reignited yesterday as the Pirates beat the Twins, 11-8. Josh Bell, Jose Osuna and Chris Bostick went yard; Gregory Polanco went 3-for-4, Bostick 2-for-2, and Corey Dickerson & Erich Wood had 2-for-4 afternoons. Nick Kingham got beat up, giving up six runs and two homers in 3-2/3 frames. Micheal Feliz was solid during his two frames and Josh Smoker staggered through 1-2/3 IP, touched by three hits and two walks but only giving up a run.

Notes:

• Bag-packin' day: Nick Kingham, Max Moroff and Chris Bostick were sent to the Indianapolis roster today. Others re-assigned include Brett McKinney, Casey Sadler, John Stilson, Pablo Reyes, Erich Weiss, Eric Wood, Todd Cunningham and Jackson Williams. Max was the only surprise, but as he was batting .231 in camp, the suits apparently decided that he needed to show more consistency with the stick. 
• The Bucs are thinking of breaking camp with an extra pitcher as the opening three-day series is at Detroit and will feature a DH.
• Jose Osuna has played all four corner positions. He's looked leadfooted in the pasture and is a work in progress at third base, but he's at home at first, where Joey O made three very nice plays yesterday. 
• Clint told the beat guys that J-Bell at #4 and Jordy at #8 are the only two lineup slots he's determined so far; the other six spots are still fluid.
• From Ripleys: Pittsburgh has hit 38 home runs this spring, the most in the Grapefruit League.
• The MLB announced its special occasion unis/caps for this year. If you want a sneak peek, they're here.

3/20: Roberto in the Hall; Grays Get Josh & Judy; HBD Walter, Rick, Blas, Tom & Pete

• 1864 - 3B Pete McShannic was born in Pittsburgh. Fittingly, he played his only MLB season for the hometown Pittsburgh Alleghenys in 1888, batting .194, and closed out his career in 1890 in the minors. During his career and into retirement, McShannic was also a portrait and scenic artist. When his paintings failed to pay the rent (“starving artist” syndrome reared its ugly head), he began working in a glass works factory as his day job, but continued painting throughout his life. 
• 1882 - IF Tom Stankard was born in Waltham, Massachusetts. He played college football and baseball at Holy Cross, compiling a .412 BA for the baseball team while a gridiron captain who was named to Walter Camp’s All-America Team, the first A-A in Crusader history. In July of 1904, he appeared in two games in with the Pirates, going 0-for-2. It was his only MLB action, and he spent 11 seasons in the minors before hanging up his mitt. 

Walter Schmidt 1922 American Caramel

• 1887 - C Walter Schmidt was born in London, Arizona. He donned the tools of ignorance for Pittsburgh from 1916-24, hitting .257. In 1921 Walter led all NL catchers in fielding percentage with a .986 average in 111 games behind the plate. Schmidt went through the unusual transaction of buying his own release from the San Francisco Seals after the 1915 season for $3K and then negotiated a deal with the Bucs. He took that road because he suspected that the Seals had turned down previous offers for him made by MLB clubs and didn't want to miss the boat to the show. His older brother, “Boss” Schmidt, was also a big league catcher. 
• 1937 - The Homestead Grays added future Hall of Famers Josh Gibson and Judy Johnson for $2,500 in cash and a pair of journeymen after Pittsburgh Crawfords owner Gus Greenlee was forced to unload his stars as salary dumps. While the amount seems paltry now, the deal was thought to be the largest cash transaction in the history of the Negro Leagues. It wasn’t enough to save Gus. By the end of 1938, the Crawford’s Greenlee field was razed to give way to the Bedford Dwellings housing project, and Greenlee sold the Crawfords to Toledo businessmen, leaving the Grays as the only pro black team in town. 
• 1952 - RHP Rick Langford was born in Farmville Virginia. Signed by the Pirates in 1973 out of Florida State, he worked briefly for the club in 1976, getting in 12 games with an 0-1, 6.26 line before being shipped to the A’s as part of the Phil Garner trade in early 1977 (it was big - the Pirates traded Langford, Tony Armas, Doug Bair, Dave Giusti, Doc Medich and Mitchell Page to the Athletics for Phil Garner, Chris Batton, and Tommy Helms). He went on to have a solid 10-year career with Oakland, once winning 19 games and leading the AL in complete games in back-to-back seasons while tossing over 200 frames four times. In 1980, he threw 22 consecutive complete games while piling up over 290 innings, but an elbow injury in 1983 caused by a liner through the box ended his effective pitching days. He retired in 1988 and has been a pitching coach of varying titles with the Blues Jays since 1996, serving at the MLB level a couple of times. 

Blas Minor 1994 Pacific Crown

• 1966 - RHP Blas Minor was born in Merced, California. Working out of the Buc bullpen from 1992-94, he had an 8-7-3 record for Pittsburgh with a 4.76 ERA. Minor also pitched for the Houston Astros, New York Mets & Seattle Mariners, and got to live out every boy’s childhood fantasy - after being a major league ballplayer, he retired to become a fireman. 
• 1973 - In a special election held by the BBWAA‚ Roberto Clemente was voted into the Hall of Fame. The Board of Directors waived the five year eligibility period for Clemente, and he was inducted on August 6th as the first Hispanic player to enter Cooperstown, having posted a .317 lifetime BA and earned 12 All-Star nods. Roberto was a Latino trailblazer as the first Latin American/Caribbean player to win a World Series as a starter (1960), to receive a National League MVP Award (1966), and to receive a World Series MVP Award (1971).

Bucs v Twins; Pirates Drop Double-Dipper; Notes

Today: Nick Kingham tangles with the Twins at LECOM Park at 1:05. Michael Feliz and Josh Smoker are booked to follow. The new iteration of the Three Amigos - Corey Dickerson, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco - will also play together as a unit for the first time. The game will be on AT&T SportsNet with audio streamed by MLB.com.

Yesterday: Tyler Glasnow, Steven Brault and Mitch Keller looked good, but the Pirates sticks were quiet as the club was whupped twice in split-squad action.

Tyler stepped it up - Topps 2017 Rookie

Glasnow allowed Boston a run on five hits, two walks, and six Ks in 4-2/3 IP after 76 tosses, and two of those hits were of the soft serve variety. It was a well-pitched game on both sides, with the BoSox pulling out a 2-1 win. Keller made his spring debut by tossing two scoreless, one-hit frames with three K. Dovy Neverauskas and Kyle Crick put up zeroes; the winning run came on Andrew Bernintendi's solo shot off Brett McKinney's first pitch in relief of a gassed Tyler with two out in the fifth. The Bucs scattered eight hits, going 1-for-8 w/RISP.

Brault pitched four scoreless innings against the Blue Jays, with one hit, one walk and one whiff. It wasn't enough as the Bucs were dropped by the Jays 5-2. Richard Rodriguez and Jordan Milbrath followed with zippos, but Toronto got a pair off Johnny Stilson (a two-run shot by Justin Smoak) and three more off Casey Sadler in the last two frames to claim the W. Starling stayed hot with a solo homer while Kevin Kramer tripled and scored.

And Steven was sharp, too (photo Joe Guzy/Pirates)

Notes:

• Boston had Brock Holt and Ivan DeJesus Jr in the lineup, reminders of the Hanny-Mark the Shark deal, while Toronto tossed AJ Happ at the Bucs (he gave up a run and K'ed five in four IP) and later brought in Gift Ngoepe, who went 2-for-2.
• Ex-Pitt coach Kevin Stallings was at LECOM Park today to watch his son Jacob (1-for-4, two runners thrown out stealing) catch. Old Bucco announcer Tim Neverett was there too as a Boston radio booth guy, along with his son Matt, who will do the play-by-play for Bradenton.
• Dustin Dopirak of Baseball America has a short post on the Pirates 2017 draft class; so far, so good.

3/19: Bye Bill; Twins Signed; Hidden Player Trick; HBD Jose, David, Tom, Angel, Paul & Rab Roy

• 1910 - C Robert “Rab Roy” Gaston was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He played for the Homestead Grays from 1932 to 1949, mainly as a reserve. He was a starter for just two of those many years, serving as a caddy for Hall-of-Famers Double Duty Radcliffe and Josh Gibson. Rab Roy was one of six former local Negro league players who took part in the ceremony that unfurled championship banners recognizing the Grays and Crawfords at TRS in 1993. 

Paul Smith 1957 Topps

• 1931 - 1B/OF Paul Smith was born in New Castle and raised in Wilkinsburg. He was used sparingly in his Buc career though his stick was solid, hitting .275 for Pittsburgh. He was among the local boys such as Ron Kline, Ron Neccai, Tony Bartirome and Bobby Del Greco that Branch Rickey brought to camp to try out for a spot on the club in 1952 and cracked the roster the following season, hitting a career-best .283 in 110 games. Paul then spent three years on the farm, returning for the 1957-58 campaigns. He had a good eye for numbers, wearing a pair that were Hall-of-Fame worthy and eventually retired by the team. In 1953, he sported #21, made famous by Roberto Clemente, and when he came back from the minors in 1957, he wore #11, Paul “Big Poison” Waner’s number. 
• 1947 - OF Angel Mangual was born in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. The 19-year-old was signed in 1966 by Pittsburgh’s Puerto Rican scout, Francisco “Pancho” Coímbre and after a slow minor league start looked like a break out player. He sniffed the bigs in 1969 with the Pirates (1-for-4 in six games) and in 1970 was sent to the A’s in exchange for Mudcat Grant. Angel never became an everyday player (his lifetime BA was .245), but he spent six seasons as a bench member of the three-time World Series champion Oakland clubs, seeing action in 20 postseason games. 
• 1953 - The Pirates signed bonus baby twins Eddie and Johnny O’Brien, multi-talented basketball (they were both All-America hoopsters and led their team to a pair of tournaments, once even beating the Harlem Globetrotters!) and baseball stars at Seattle University for a reported $40,000 each. They could both pitch and play infield, but neither made much of a mark with the Bucs. 

The O'Brien twins (photos 1953 Pgh Press)

• 1964 - GM Joe Brown admitted that four pitchers they had signed in 1963 - Bill Rohr, Jerry Hinsley, Pete Wade and Harvey Chaffin - were held out of minor league play for the season in an effort to keep them from being lost in the First Year Player Draft, but drew the line at reports that he had told the hurlers to claim they had sore arms. The Bucs did lose three of the four - only Chaffin made it safely through the process - but it was ultimately much ado over nothing, as only Rohr and Hinsley made to the majors with 38 appearances between them. The rule was in effect from 1959-64 in an effort to offset bonus signings but was then modified when teams began losing too many prospects. 
• 1977 - C David Ross was born in Bainbridge, Georgia. After spending three years with LA, the Bucs bought Ross in 2005 to back up 35-year-old Raul Chavez. He got into 40 games, hitting .222, and was flipped at the deadline to San Diego for JJ Furmaniak. Ross never did hit much better - his lifetime BA is .229 - but he carved out a solid 15-year career on defense and the ability to handle a pitching staff. He retired after winning a ring with the Cubs in 2016 and has since been on “Dancing With the Stars,” ESPN, and working as a special assistant for the Cubbies. 
• 1978 - Scout Tom Gillespie was born in Iowa. He’s been a Buc scout since 2012, coming over from Oakland, and when you hear of an off-the-wall prospect signing, his hand is probably involved. He’s an international scout, focused on evaluating baseball talent in Europe, Africa, and Japan. Tom also is a director of a couple of baseball nonprofits that support international play. 

Jose Castillo 2007 Topps Heritage

• 1981 - 2B Jose Castillo was born in Las Mercedes, Venezuela. Signed by Pittsburgh in 1999 as a 16-year-old, he was considered the long-term answer at second (he was the Pirates top-rated prospect and played in the Futures game). The Bucs may have jumped the gun by promoting him straight from AA and awarding him the big league job in 2004, as after four years and a .256 BA, he was released, plagued by injury, weight and fielding problems, and replaced by Freddy Sanchez. He closed out his baseball career with gigs in Taiwan and Japan. 
• 1992 - The Pirates released RHP Bill Landrum, who had won 13 games and saved 56 more over the prior three seasons, tossing to a 2.39 ERA. He was due $1.7M, and by releasing him this early in camp, the Bucs were on the hook for just a quarter of his salary. That caused a bit of a media & fan kerfluffle, but Landrum only lasted two more years in the show after his release. Performance, along with wear & tear (he was pitching through shoulder and knee problems) also played into the decision to let him go.