In 2013, the Pittsburgh Pirates received a boost during their playoff run when they called up then-rookie pitcher Gerrit Cole. Next season, the Pirates may get a similar impact from several different prospects. With the recent promotions of first baseman and arguably top hitting prospect Josh Bell and top pitching prospect Tyler Glasnow to Triple-A Indianapolis, both are now in a position to arrive in Pittsburgh sometime in 2016 barring injury. Of course, this is under the assumption ... Read More
Archives for August 2015
2015 Fantasy Football Outlook: Le’Veon Bell
Yesterday I started my 2015 Pittsburgh Steelers Fantasy Football preview by looking at Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Today I shift the focus to the backfield and look at running back Le’Veon Bell. Bell is an easy guy to analyze, especially after a 2014 season in which he was the Fantasy Football MVP. I for one rode Bell to more than one title a season ago. But there are some complications entering the 2015 campaign as Bell won’t be immediately available, serving a two-game ... Read More
Herbie wins: Pirates bullpen catcher still has passion for the game
Jared Hughes and Rob Scahill spent a few minutes on a Sunday morning discussing their bullpen catcher Heberto "Herbie" Andrade and what he meant to the team. Immediately, the two together said the same two words, "Herbie wins." Andrade's competitiveness has allowed him to persevere and make a difference at the major league level for the past 12 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. Andrade played a game as a young child in Venezuela where he substituted bottle caps for balls ... Read More
Pitt suspends Boyd, Blair for opener
University of Pittsburgh head football coach Pat Narduzzi has suspended junior wide receiver Tyler Boyd and sophomore defensive lineman Rori Blair for the team’s season opener on September 5 against Youngstown State. The one-game suspensions are a result of separate off-the-field incidents this offseason. “In addition to their game suspensions, Tyler and Rori have been, and will continue to be, subject to internal discipline and accountability,” Narduzzi said in a press release. “The ... Read More
Kang named NL Rookie of the Month
Prior to Monday's Pittsburgh Pirates game it was revealed that Jung Ho Kang was named National League Rookie of the Month. Kang batted .379 in July with an OPS of 1.064. He batted .379 with 33 hits and a .443 on-base percentage. The voting for this category took place over the weekend. Gerrit Cole [Sept. 2013] was the last Pirates player to accomplish this feat and Pedro Alvarez [Sept. 2010] was the most recent position player. He has continued this hot streak into August as he has ... Read More
Pirates pregame 8/3: Pirates return home; face Cubs in game with wild card implications
Following a four-game split against the Cincinnati Reds, the Pittsburgh Pirates return home for six games first with a National League Central series against the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs come in tied for second place with the San Francisco Giants in the NL Wild Card race and four games behind the Pirates for first. “We’ve been playing some really good baseball lately and I think we have a really good shot," Kris Bryant said. "Our team has really good chemistry and overall we’re excited about ... Read More
Senquez Golson’s season in jeopardy
Coming into the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were desperate for a playmaker in their struggling secondary. They thought they had that guy with 2015 second-round draft pick Senquez Golson. Now it looks as if they may have to wait a lot while longer to find out if Golson is going to be the playmaker that they think he is. Golson has been on the PUP list with a shoulder injury since the beginning of training camp and now, according to the Post Gazette's Ed Bouchette, Golson's season ... Read More
Adding Brandon Boykin fills a crucial need for Steelers
You simply can't have enough good cornerbacks in today's NFL. Seems simple enough, but considering how passing offenses have dominated the league in recent years, it seems to be more the case every season. After all, in four of last six seasons alone, at least 10 starting QB's have surpassed 4,000 passing yards. It does not seem like that long ago surpassing the 4,000-yard plateau was a rarity achieved by the likes of Dan Marino, Joe Montana and John Elway. Today we are seeing players ... Read More
Burnett season, career not over
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher A.J. Burnett will not see his career cut short by injury. Jon Morosi of Fox Sports has reported that the right-handed pitcher has a strained flexor tendon and his UCL is intact. “Anytime you’re not on the field it’s frustrating, but of all of the news that came this was the most positive," Burnett said. "I did a PRP shot today after the MRI and we’ll go from there. It’s a matter of resting and healing. We’re shooting for four weeks and waiting for the pain to go ... Read More
2015 Fantasy Football Outlook: Ben Roethlisberger
This is the first in a series looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers and how they will fare not just on the field, but more importantly what type of fantasy football value they will offer during the 2015 season. I will start with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. I usually play in 10-plus larger leagues a season along with having a lot of DFS action and Roethlisberger was one guy I targeted a season ago. I had a ninth-round value placed on him, but was willing to grab him in the eighth ... Read More