If there is a strength of this Pirates Draft, it’s that they were able to acquire a wide net of talented players that extended to the later rounds. “I think some of the things we prioritized were athleticism, chance for impact talent up and down the board and high character

Throughout the leadup to the Draft, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington and amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz insisted they were going to select the best players available. In the first two rounds, their draft board led them to three of the top high school talents: Shortstops Konnor Griffin and Wyatt

Leading up to Sunday, both general manager Ben Cherington and amateur scouting director Justin Horowitz agreed that collegiate position players may be the deepest pool of players in this year’s Draft. But the Pirates chose not to wade into those waters Sunday. Instead, they emerged with three of the top

Konnor Griffin’s Sunday started with going to church with his family and then to train with his dad. One last session before he could call himself a professional. Around the time the White Sox made their selection at No. 5 in the 2024 MLB Draft on Sunday night, the Pirates

PHOENIX -- In 2012 on a Little League diamond in Clinton, Miss., a 6-year-old slugged the first home run of his life and ran around the bases with his arms and body pantomiming an airplane. Since then, Konnor Griffin has emerged into becoming the highest-picked high school player in the

He was the top high school Draft prospect in the country, and for good reason. With the physical frame of a Major League slugger, the speed of a player who could steal 30 bases at the big league level and an arm that brings 96 mph from the mound, there's

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf’s Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

As the season continues on, Bubba Chandler continues to fire away on the mound. MLB's No. 64 prospect piled up a career-best 10 strikeouts en route to Double-A Altoona’s 5-0 victory over Bowie at Prince George’s Stadium on Friday night. Chandler allowed just three baserunners via two hits and a

PITTSBURGH -- At this time last year, as Paul Skenes was amid his astronomical rise to becoming one of the top pitching prospects in recent memory, so much of the excitement was around two pitches in particular: his triple-digit fastball and his wipeout slider. He had more pitches at his

This story was excerpted from Alex Stumpf's Pirates Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

PITTSBURGH -- Wednesday night at PNC Park promised to be a matchup of phenoms, when Paul Skenes and the Pirates took on Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers. And did it ever deliver. While the Bucs would go on to win 10-6, thanks in large part to a seven-run second inning,

PITTSBURGH -- Paul Skenes was there for Shohei Ohtani’s first home start in America. It was April 8, 2018, Ohtani’s second Major League start and his first at Angel Stadium, and the El Toro high school baseball team, located in Lake Forest, Calif., were given free tickets to attend. Ohtani

PITTSBURGH -- Jared Jones’ summers were spent at Dodger Stadium. The Pirates rookie grew up in La Mirada, Calif., his high school being only 23 miles southeast of his hometown team’s stomping grounds. He remembers Yasmani Grandal homering from both sides of the plate in one game there, one of

The future outlook is increasingly looking brighter for the Pirates, with much of that optimism surrounding their starting rotation. Top pitching prospect Paul Skenes has burst onto the scene with a 2.45 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 22 innings across his first four starts. Joining Skenes is Jared Jones (MLB

PITTSBURGH -- For the second straight game, the Pirates had a solid pathway to a win, getting a quality start from a rookie starter and a grand slam on offense. And again, they lost, this time squandering six strong innings from No. 2 overall prospect Paul Skenes with another bullpen

Baseball fans can rejoice, it’s almost that time of the week again: Skenes Time! Reigning No. 1 overall Draft pick Paul Skenes was one of the most highly anticipated players to arrive to MLB in the sport’s history, and to say he’s lived up to the hype would be an

There's been a lot of fluctuation on the rookie front in the past 30 days or so. Not all of the Top 100 prospect debuts made some noise, and as a result, some others with more notable performances over the last four weeks played themselves back into contention for the

Armed Forces Weekend has a particularly special meaning for Pirates phenom Paul Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect. Before deciding to follow his baseball dreams at LSU, Skenes was on a path toward a military career, attending the

CHICAGO -- While most of the baseball world was in awe of Paul Skenes’ Major League debut last Saturday, Yasmani Grandal had seen him pitch better when he was on his rehab assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis. Sure, seven strikeouts and 17 triple-digit fastballs was eye-opening, but he felt the rookie

Just two starts into his MLB career, Pirates phenom Paul Skenes is already making history. Skenes, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 Draft and MLB Pipeline’s current No. 2 overall prospect, was electric Friday afternoon against the Cubs at Wrigley Field in his second career start. The flamethrowing

CHICAGO -- Paul Skenes made his first Major League start on Saturday, perhaps the most anticipated debut for a pitching prospect in Pirates history. So what’s on deck for his second start? Skenes will be facing the Cubs again, but this time it will be held at the historic Wrigley

Paul Skenes' Major League debut, which came less than a year after he was selected first overall by the Pirates in the 2023 Draft, showcased why he is the top pitching prospect in baseball. The right-hander used his triple-digit fastball, mid-80s slider and electric splinker to strike out seven Cubs