3/24: Slugger Stamp; Kiner Patch; Jeter Reclaimed; RIP Mace; HBD Al, Mike, George, Pat, Gus, Corey & Chris

• 1869 - RHP Al Lawson was born in London, England. His MLB career consisted of three 1890 starts, two with the Alleghenys. He wasn’t exactly a poster boy for Brit baseball; he went 0-2, giving up 20 runs (10 earned) in 10 IP on 15 hits and 10 walks. Al played pro ball from 1888-95 and then managed in the minors from 1905 to 1907. In 1908 he started a new baseball league known as the Union Professional League, which quickly floundered (His brother George founded the United States League in 1910, which also died a rapid death). But he had a second career as an aviation advocate, publishing air industry magazines, founding Lawson Aircraft, and credited by some as the guy who came up with the idea of commercial airliners. Moving on, he later wrote books, developed an out-there philosophy known as “Lawsonomy” and founded his own religion, all of which were fairly popular for a spell in the Upper Midwest. 

Mike Mowrey pennant 1914

• 1884 - 3B Harry “Mike” Mowrey was born in Brown's Mill, Pennsylvania. Mike had a 13 year MLB career, spending a pair of seasons in Pittsburgh. He hit .254 as a Pirate in 1914 and .280 for the Federation League’s Pittsburgh Rebels the following year. Mowrey’s forte was as a defender; he was considered the most accomplished hot corner fielder in baseball and especially sharp against the bunt, a major offensive tool during the dead ball era. Mike’s real first name was Harry; he became Mike thanks to his brother. Mowrey’s dad was sheriff and ran the jail; vagrants were often housed in the cells overnight. Young Harry was friendly with one of his dad’s guests named Mike and so his brother called Harry “Mike the Hobo” after his incarcerated bud from that time forward.
• 1893 - “Gentleman George” Sisler was born in Manchester, Ohio. After a Hall-of-Fame career at 1B mainly w/the St. Louis Browns, he joined the Dodgers in 1942 as a coach & evaluator. When Branch Rickey moved to the Pirates in 1951, Sisler tagged along. He helped several hitters, notably Roberto Clemente, whom he counseled to keep his head quiet and to use a heavier bat. Sisler stayed on with the Pirates after Rickey left as a roving hitting instructor. His sons, Dick & Dave Sisler, were MLB’ers. Dick spent eight years in the show and later managed the Cincinnati Reds while Dave had a seven-year career as a pitcher. George got his nicknames of “Gentleman” and “Gorgeous” because of his demeanor and looks; he was also known to a lesser degree as “Sizzler” and “The Picture Player.” 
• 1906 - C Art “Pat” (Patrick was his middle name) Veltman was born in Mobile, Alabama. Veltman had a six-year MLB career that consisted of coffee klatches; he played just 23 games over that span, his final dozen as a Pirate in 1934, going 3-for-28 (.107). He was released in midseason to return to the Pacific Coast League Oakland Oaks (the team the Pirates drafted him from after the 1933 campaign), where he finished out the season as manager. He played three more years in the PCL and Western Association afterward and then retired from baseball. 
• 1907 - 1B/OF Augustine “Gus” Dugas was born in St. Jean de Matha, Quebec. The reserve hit .250 in 1930 & 1932 (he broke his jaw in 1931) as a Bucco before he was sent to Philly as part of the Freddie Lindstrom trade. “Lefty” (his threw and hit from the left side), along with fellow Quebec-born major leaguers Tim Harkness, Raymond Daviault, Georges Maranda, Ron Piché, Claude Raymond, and Jean-Pierre Roy, threw the ceremonial first pitch before the inaugural Montreal Expos game at Olympic Stadium on April 15th, 1977. 

Johnny Jeter 1970 Topps

• 1965 - OF Johnny Jeter was selected off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles; he had originally been signed by the Pirates in 1964 out of Grambling and had been lost to the Birds in November. Johnny was unfortunately a guy who was easily exposed. Playing two years for the Bucs and six overall in the show, during the three seasons that he batted fewer than 100 times, he hit over .300, but in the three campaigns with 100+ at bats, he never hit higher than .240. 
• 1982 - 1B/OF Corey Hart was born in Bowling Green, Kentucky. The Pirates signed Hart to a one-year/$2.5M contract for the 2015 campaign, taking a risk that he would recover from microsurgery on his knee and fill a hole at first base. The club rolled snake eyes; Corey got into just 35 games battling shoulder & knee injuries, batted .222, and retired prior to the 2016 season. The two-time All-Star is now a minor league hitting coach for Toronto.
• 1993 - Utilityman Chris Bostick was born in Rochester, New York. A well-traveled minor league depth guy, Pittsburgh became his fourth organization in 2017 and after some good stick work at Indy, he got his first call to the show for a May cup of coffee, then a longer September look, batting .296 overall in 20 games for the Pirates. He got a couple of more tastes in ‘18 before going to Miami; he's now with the Orioles. 
• 2002 - RHP Mace Brown passed away in North Carolina at the age of 92. Brown was one of the earliest dedicated relievers for the Pirates, appearing 207 times from the bullpen from 1935-41. He also started 55 games over that span and ended up credited retroactively with 29 saves as a Pirate (a closer wouldn’t be a thing for several more decades; a save wasn’t even kept as a stat until 1969) to go with 18 complete games and two shutouts. 

Mace Brown Vintage Cut

• 2006 - At Mickey Mantle's Restaurant & Sports Bar in New York City, the U.S. Postal Service unveiled the "Baseball Sluggers" postage stamps which were issued on July 15th at Yankee Stadium prior to the game against the White Sox. The four Hall of Famers featured in the set had roots in New York with Mickey Mantle (Yankees), Mel Ott (Giants) and Roy Campanella (Dodgers) playing their entire careers in the Big Apple, and the fourth, Hank Greenberg, had set schoolboy records at James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Greenberg spent his final season (1947) in Pittsburgh where he mentored slugger Ralph Kiner. 
• 2014 - The Pirates announced that the team would wear #4 patches all season to commemorate slugger Ralph Kiner, who died on February 6th. Kiner led the NL in home runs for seven straight years (1946-52) and led MLB in long balls for six consecutive seasons (1947-52), both records. He was selected for the All-Star Game in six straight seasons, 1948-53.

Split City Saturday: Phils Here, Boston There, Lineups & Pitchers; Frankie & Melky Make Roster; Yesterday's Recap & Notes

Game: The Bucs and Phillies mix it up in Bradenton, with a 1:05 game time for the Pirates last home game of the spring. It will be aired by AT&T SportsNet. Game #2 of the day is against the Red Sox at Fenway South in Fort Myers. It's also a 1:05 first pitch and will be carried by 93.7 The Fan. Both games are on tape delay on MLB Network (Boston 4PM, Philly 6AM Sunday).

Lineups: Philly - Pablo Reyes 2B, JB Shuck CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Fran Cervelli C, Will Craig 31B, Lonnie Chisenhall RF, Pat Kivlehan 3B, Oneil Cruz SS, Jordan Lyles 1P. Patchwork infield, with Cruz being a surprise starter today.
BoSox - Kevin Newman 2B, Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B, Colin Moran 1B, Steven Baron C, Bryan Reynolds LF, Jared Oliva CF, Lucas Tancas DH, Bligh Madris RF, Alfredo Reyes SS (Jameson Taillon P). Looks more like a back field lineup for the roadtrip.

Ke'Bryan Hayes - minor league camp,major league lineup; go figure (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Pitchers: Philly - RHP Jordan Lyles v RHP Zach Eflin, followed by Felipe Vázquez, Keone Kela, Kyle Crick and Richard Rodríguez. Lyles could be fighting for the fifth starting spot today as Nick Kingham has been coming on lately.
BoSox - RHP Jameson Taillon v RHP Nathan Eovaldi, with Rookie Davis and Tyler Lyons on deck.

Roster News: The Pirates announced that Francisco Liriano and Melky Cabrera have made the team. They have to add them both to the 40-man roster, which is full. They can slide Edgar Santana to the 60 day IL and a bubble guy has to go.

Yesterday's Game: The comeback kids ran out of rallies yesterday. Falling behind 3-0, they put up runs in the seventh and ninth on RBI knocks by Steve Baron and Pablo Reyes, but fell short, 3-2, to Minnesota. The pitching wasn't very sharp as Bucco hurlers gave up nine hits and eight walks, but the Twinkies weren't much in the clutch, stranding 13. Frankie gave up a run on three hits, three walks and three whiffs in 1-2/3 IP in his last outing before rug-cutting time. Jung Ho Kang (who handled his three chances at short flawlessly) and Reyes, who is scrapping for a final roster spot, led the Buc batters with a pair of raps, with each banging out a double.

Notes:

• JHK got his first single of the spring, to go with two doubles and six homers. He's hitting .231.
• The extensions continue - Chris Sale signed a five-year deal with Boston, while Justin Verlander is reported to be ironing out a two-year agreement.

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

• 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

• 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. 

Remy Kremer 1927 W560 Playing Card

• 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 Smith’s 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. 
• 1979 - Coach Don Osborn, 71, passed away in Torrance, California. After a minor league pitching career and some managing on the farm for the Cubs and Phils, he joined the Pirates in 1957 as a roving minor league consultant. In 1963, Osborn was named pitching coach of the Pirates, and he served three stints in that post (1963–64, 1970–72, and 1974–76) mostly under Danny Murtaugh, with minor league duties in between big league gigs. Osborn was named pitching coach once again after the 1978 season by Chuck Tanner, but bad health led to his resignation, and he died a year later.

Friday: Bucs Visit Rays, Lineup & Pitchers; Yesterday's Recap & Notes

Game: The Bucs visit Tampa Bay at Charlotte Sports Park in Port Charlotte. The match starts at 1:05 and will be on MLB Gameday.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Jung Ho Kang SS, Lonnie Chisenhall RF, Josh Bell 1B, Colin Moran 3B, Pablo Reyes CF, Erik Gonzalez DH, Pat Kivlehan LF, Steve Baron C (Brandon Wadell P). JHK at short isn't a thing; Clint wanted a look at him there as an "emergency" option.

And playing shortstop... (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Pitching: LHP Brandon Waddell gets the start against RHP Wilmer Font. Frankie Liriano, who Clint was considering starting today, will also go along with Brandon Maurer and Geoff Hartlieb.

Cuts: RHP Jake Barrett twas sent to Indy and utilityman Alfredo Reyes was assigned to minor league camp.There are 36 guys left.

Yesterday's Game: The Bucs used three solo homers, two by last-minute Class A sub Jonah Davis and another by Cervy, to counter the Orioles three-run, fourth-inning uprising against Archie (and it was ugly - a homer, two doubles, three walks, and a wild pitch in 2/3IP) to leave the game knotted at threes going into the ninth. Since it was tied, the inning started with a runner on second and two singles sandwiched around a roller gave the Birds a 5-3 lead. The Pirates got their free runner, followed by a walk and bopped batter. JHK then launched one into the seats to walk it off, providing another ninth-inning comeback by the it-ain't-over-til-it's-over gang. As for the runner-on-second rule, well, to us it's fixing something that isn't broken.

Notes:

• JHK also doubled on a chalk-kisser; it was his first non-homer hit of the spring.
• Jeff Hathhorn of 93.7 The Fan looks at a handful of positional Bucco bubble guys.
• Clay Holmes was sent to Indy; Clint said they plan to work him out of the bullpen there. It makes sense; we thought his potential was akin to a Jared Hughes role than rotation filler.
• Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline checked out the Bucs farm; another wave of players will be looking to join Pittsburgh by next season.
• The Giants traded for former Bucco prospect Connor Joe, a corner IF/OF guy with a strong hit tool. He had bumped around the minors with Atlanta (the Bucs sent him there for S-Rod), LA and Cincy. It's an interesting move as he's a Rule 5 pick so he has to stick on the roster, and also that he went to SF, which seems to recycle every old Bucco through its system at some time or another.
• Ichiro announced his retirement after Seattle's two-game set in Japan, picking a best of both worlds scenario to hang 'em up. 
• A quartet who think the grass is greener where they're at: Paul Goldschmidt and Blake Snell signed five-year extensions with the Cards and Rays while Alex Bregman and Elroy Jimenez inked six-year deals with Houston and the White Sox. Free agency ain't what it used to be.

3/22: Dann Joins; Ump Show; HBD Ike, Beast, Jason, Ramon, Moose, Goldie & Jimmy

• 1882 - RF Jimmy Sebring was born in Liberty, PA, near Williamsport. He played for Pittsburgh from 1902-04, hitting .261, and in 1903 became the first MLB player to homer in a World Series game when he legged out an inside-the-park four-bagger against Cy Young while hitting .333 against Boston in that first WS. The talented OF’er (he was an early “can’t miss” prospect) had a rift with the team over a couple of different incidents and was traded. He then played with a series of outlaw teams, sidetracking his promising career. Sebring was on the comeback trail when he passed away from kidney disease in 1910 at the age of 27. 

Jimmy Sebring 2003 Fleer Postseason Glory

• 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. 
• 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. 

Jason Phillips 1999 Skybox

• 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. 
• 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. 

Ike Davis 2015 Topps

• 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. 
• 1990 - The umpires announced a boycott, sore that they weren’t consulted over MLB schedule changes made after the lockout (yeah, rough year; the new CBA wasn’t hammered out until March 19th). They returned to work on April 1st while pay, schedule consultation, and other related issues were being resolved through binding arbitration.

Thursday: O's Visit Bradenton, Lineup & Pitchers; Yetserday's Game & Notes

Game: Pittsburgh entertains Baltimore at LECOM Park today. The 1:05 game will be on AT&T SportsNet; no radio today.

Lineup: Adam Frazier (L) 2B, Jonah Davis CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Josh Bell 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Melky Cabrera RF, Erik Gonzalez SS, Chris Archer P. Starling was a late scratch today; his back was tight.

Pitchers: RHP Chris Archer takes the mound v RHP David Hess. Kyle Crick and Tyler Lyons are next up.

Archie on the hill (photo Pittsburgh Pirates)

Cuts: The Pirates optioned RHP's Clay Holmes and Michael Feliz to Indy.

Yesterday's Game: An odd outing for Big Joe. He tossed three innings surrendering just one hit, but gave up seven raps and three runs in the other two, with 6-of-7 knocks coming with two outs, something that happened a lot today. Michael Feliz gave up another dinger and two runs in his two frames, and the Pirates, held to just three hits of their own, were down 5-0 going into the eighth against the Twins. Then the boys rallied: three singles, two walks, a wild pitch and a sac fly plated four runs to cut the gap to one. Then with two gone and the bases empty in the ninth, four straight singles by Zack Kone, Pablo Reyes, Logan Hill and Colin Moran pushed two more runs across, and Brandon Mauer tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to save the win for Clay Holmes. Nick Burdi continued his strong spring with a zero before that pair while Pablo had three hits, two runs & a RBI and Moran had two rips, a walk & two runs chased home to lead the Bucco batsmen. Nice win for the B-Team.

Notes:

• Jason Rollison of Bucs Dugout looks at the difference between the Bucs projection of SS Erik Gonzalez and the stats (which he caveats as small sample) and sees two different players.
• Good news on the injury front: Gregory should see some minor league game action next week, per MLB.com's Adam Berry, with quick reports on the other wounded Pirates. Nubyjas Wilborn of the Post Gazette writes that the club wants Gregory to shorten his throwing motion to emphasize accuracy over velocity.
• Matt Joyce, 34, recently released by Cleveland, signed a minor-league deal with the Giants.

3/21: PA Buys Bucs; Baumgarten, Killen Deals; Loaiza Inked; Trade Rumors; HBD Manny, Shawon, Mysterious, Pablo & Bill

• 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 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 $1,500 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 30-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 1993 Ambassadors

• 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. 
• 1950 - A visit by scout Ted McGrew to the Phillies camp launched a rumor that the Bucs were sniffing for a deal, reportedly with Philadelphia asking for OF Wally Westlake and C Ed Fitz Gerald in exchange for C Ed Seminick and 1B Dick Sisler. Pittsburgh was thought to have interest in Seminick, but considered Westlake too valuable to include. Wally played through the 1950 season and hit .285 with 95 RBI, then was dealt to the Cards in June of 1951 in a six-man swap for pitching rather than catching. 
• 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 escaped from the minors. 

Ross Baumgarten 1993 Topps

• 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. The Bucs also sent IF Tommy Shields to the O’s for IF Tony Beasley. Shields had a couple of brief MLB visits, while Beasley spent his time in the Pirates minors, eventually managing for the Bucs farm system and topping out with a four-year run as a coach for John Russell. He’s also coached for the Nats and now is with the Rangers.

Wednesday: Pirates v Twins, Lineup & Pitchers; Yesterday's Game & Notes

Game: Pittsburgh visits the Twins for a 1:05 match at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. The game will be carried by MLB Gameday.

Lineup: Pablo Reyes SS, JB Shuck CF, Colin Moran 1B, Jose Osuna RF, Kevin Newman 2B, Pat Kivlehan 3B, Jake Stallings C, Lolo Sanchez LF & Joe Musgrove P. The mix 'n' match away lineup. The Twins are home and using a DH; Clint opted to let Big Joe get a swing or two in.

Pitchers: RHP Joe Musgrove faces RHP Michael Pineda w/Nick Burdi, Michael Feliz and Brandon Maurer finishing up.

Watch the Burdi... 2019 Topps

Yesterday's Game: Steven Brault was wild - three walks in 3-2/3 IP - but effective, giving up no runs on two hits with four fans. Felipe carried on, whiffing three of the four batters he faced, leaving the Bucs up 2-0, with one run scoring on a DP ball and another on a Melky Cabrera knock as the Pirates blew a couple shots at big frames with twin killings after runners were on first and third, thx to Starling's GIDP and Melky getting doubled up off first. The Pirates added another tally after two-out, fifth-inning double by Starling, followed by a stolen sack/muffed catch, to manufacture a gift run. Keone Kela and Frankie added zeroes before the Tigers scored in the ninth off Rookie Davis, but it was too little, too late for the Twins. A strikeout looking finished off the 3-1 win. Fraze, Corey D and J-Bell each had two hits while JHK whiffed three times on the other side of the coin.

Notes:

• The Opening Day pitchers will be Jamo for the Bucs and Luis Castillo for the Reds on March 28th at GABP.
• Tony Clark of the MLBPA met with the Bucs yesterday, and his concerns, not too surprisingly, are mostly centered on payroll per 93.7 The Fan.
• The Arizona Fall League will start in mid-September and expand the pool of eligible players, per Baseball America. The league says it's to shorten the season for AFL players; we suspect it's a sop to allow MiLB guys who lose out to the 28-man September rosters beginning in 2020 an extended look.
• Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels reportedly agreed on a record-setting 12-year contract worth more than $430M, per Jeff Passan of ESPN. Who needs free agency? 
• Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw won’t be ready for opening day; he's worked eight straingt Openers for LA,but shoulder inflammation has slowed down his spring work.

3/20: Roberto HoF; McDonald Added; Grays Add Josh & Judy; Butcher Released; RIP Jughandle; HBD Blas, Rick, Walter, 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 even in those days), 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 (photo 7/16/1922 Pgh Press)

• 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. 
• 1946 - The Pirates released 35-year-old RHP Max Butcher. After a so-so five-year career with Brooklyn and Philly, the Pirates got him during the 1939 campaign for Gus Suhr. Max gave them seven pretty good years, slashing 67-60-5/3.34. But age and the end of the war, which freed up a mob of ballplayers from the service, did him in. He finished the year in the minors and his pro career came to an end. 

Rick Langford 1976 Topps

• 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. 
• 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. 
• 1966 - “Jughandle Johnny” Morrison passed away at age 80; he was diabetic and died of kidney failure. Morrison picked up his nickname because it was said that his curveball hooked like a jughandle. He spent from 1920-27 with the Bucs and was a member of two World Series squads, the victorious 1925 nine (no decisions w/2.89 ERA in three outings) and runnerup 1927 club (he said he was hurt, left the team and got suspended for the year in July, effectively ending his Pirates career). Jughandle led the NL in shutouts twice as a Bucco, in 1921-22. In his eight Pittsburgh campaigns, he slashed 89-71-14/3.52 before closing out his career in Brooklyn. 

Roberto Clemente 2019 Topps Hobby

• 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). 
• 2013 - The Pirates got IF John McDonald, 38, from Arizona on a conditional deal. It wasn’t much of a deal; he went 2-for-31 as a Bucco, was shipped to Cleveland, then Philly and finally to Boston, all by the deadline. He finished out his career the next year with the Angels of Anaheim.

Tuesday: Motown Visits, Lineup & Notes; Yesterday's Game & Notes

Game: The Pirates tango with the Detroit Tigers at 1:05 at LECOM Park. The game's on AT&T SportsNet, 93.7 The Fan and the MLB Network for out-of-market fans.

Lineup: Adam Frazier 2B, Starling Marte CF, Corey Dickerson LF, Josh Bell 1B, Fran Cervelli C, Jung Ho Kang 3B, Melky Cabrera DH, Lonnie Chisenhall RF, Erik Gonzalez SS (Steven Brault P). Home game, A-Lineup.

Pitchers: Steven Brault goes against Matthew Boyd in a battle of southpaws. Felipe Vazquez, Frankie Liriano and Rookie Davis are slated to follow.

Rookie Davis gets another look (photo Dave Arrigo/Pirates)

Yesterday's Game: Nick Kingham (two hits, two walks, five K) put on a show for five innings, leaving with a 2-0 lead thanks to JB Shuck's seeing eye, two-run single in the sixth.The teams traded runs after that, with Jake Stallings and Pablo Reyes chasing home teammates, while Kyle Crick and Jake Barrett were both nicked for a tally. Stallings went 1-for-2 with two walks, two runs scored and an RBI; Alfredo Reyes had two raps w/a walk and run, while Shuck had two hits and two runs sent home.

Notes:

• No rocking the boat; both Colin Moran and Kevin Newman took their freshly-announced bench roles well, at least publicly. Jung Ho Kang and Erik Gonzalez won the spots largely on their glovework. All four guys will have to look over their shoulders after the solid camp that Ke'Bryan Hayes and Cole Tucker put together.
• Kevin Kramer will get some OF time, per Neal Huntington. He said they don't plan on turning him into a utility guy but are just looking to improve his MLB chances; NH thinks his bat can play even in the pasture.
• Chris Archer, along with Pirates Charities and Good Sports, donated $20,000 in baseball and softball equipment to Bayshore HS in Bradenton.