Bucco Ball

The Art of Fielding Photo by daveynin. My favorite piece of baseball writing — the thing I return to whenever my enthusiasm for the sport is flagging, or when I seem incapable of sitting down in front of my laptop to …

In memory of Bill Mazeroski, an artist with the glove buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/t...

The Art of Fielding Photo by daveynin. My favorite piece of baseball writing — the thing I return to whenever my enthusiasm for the sport is flagging, or when I seem incapable of sitting down in front of my laptop to …

In memory of Bill Mazeroski, a ballplayer who cared about his art buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/24/t...

Disappointed to report that it is NOT a cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers song

Suddenly I’m hungry for a 4000 calorie milkshake

Last weekend, Bill Mazeroski passed away at the age of 89. Maz will forever be a Pirates legend because of his 1960 home run, but I wrote about what really made him special.

Bucco Ball’s Guide to the 2026 Non-Roster Invitees The current weather in Pittsburgh is disgusting. The air is cold, but all that seems to fall is rain; the skies are permanently gray, and dark piles of snow are slowly shrinking into storm grates a…

The Spring Training schedule started this weekend. Did you see a few faces out there you didn't recognize? If so, I probably wrote about them in my guide to this year's non-roster invitees: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/18/b...

It is with a heavy heart that we relay the news of the passing of legendary Pirates and National Baseball Hall of Famer, Bill Mazeroski.
Maz was a 7-time All-Star who hit the greatest home run in baseball history. He was a beloved member of the Pirates family and he will be deeply missed.

Bucco Ball’s Guide to the 2026 Non-Roster Invitees The current weather in Pittsburgh is disgusting. The air is cold, but all that seems to fall is rain; the skies are permanently gray, and dark piles of snow are slowly shrinking into storm grates a…

There are 22 players in camp right now who are hoping a good spring might get them added to the 40-man roster and a ticket to Pittsburgh. I wrote about this year's non-roster invites to Bradenton and who might reach the majors this summer: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/18/b...

“I guess you could say that Crosby got ‘Czech-ed,’” I whisper into the mic before the crowd rushes the stage and starts beating me,

With Spring Training underway and the Grapefruit League schedule starting this weekend, I took stock of the 22 non-roster invitees in Bradenton and their odds of reaching Pittsburgh this summer:

Bucs continue lineup overhaul with Marcell Ozuna Photo by Ian D’Andrea. After adding Brandon Lowe via trade and Ryan O’Hearn through a multi-year free agent signing, the Pirates had taken two promising steps toward overhauling one of …

Exactly a week ago, the news broke that the Pirates were signing Marcell Ozuna. Here were my thoughts: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/10/b...

Bucs continue lineup overhaul with Marcell Ozuna Photo by Ian D’Andrea. After adding Brandon Lowe via trade and Ryan O’Hearn through a multi-year free agent signing, the Pirates had taken two promising steps toward overhauling one of …

The Pirates appeared to put a capstone on their offseason with the signing of Marcell Ozuna. I have some thoughts: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/10/b...

Bucs continue lineup overhaul with Marcell Ozuna Photo by Ian D’Andrea. After adding Brandon Lowe via trade and Ryan O’Hearn through a multi-year free agent signing, the Pirates had taken two promising steps toward overhauling one of …

Marcell Ozuna was the best bat available on the free agent market — but I have mixed feelings about him joining the Pirates buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/10/b...

Jack Suwinski you will love Sugarland

The Pirates added a potentially big bat on Monday in Marcell Ozuna. But it's an uncomfortable fit for the roster in more ways than one.

- domestic violence charges
- offense dropped off massively last year
- makes the team worse defensively
- ends Cutch’s Pirates career

Bucs add José Urquidy on what is technically a MLB deal No, I can’t be bothered to find a photo of Urquidy. Photo by Dan Gaken. I have a general rule that I do not write blog posts about minor-league signings. This is a rule I have broken from tim…

The Pirates finally made a move last week, but I think fans were hoping for something bigger buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/06/b...

We Showed the Super Bowl Ads to Don Draper and He Killed Himself

Alright, I'll write about José Urquidy. Damn.

A good winter versus a great one Photo by the Pittsburgh Pirates. “We’re looking in 2026 to make the playoffs. Period. Full stop. We did not want to veer from that. We’re pushing it all in to make sure we’r…

The Pirates needed a great offseason to become a playoff contender. So far it's been merely good, and the Bucs are running out of time to change that: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/a...

A good winter versus a great one Photo by the Pittsburgh Pirates. “We’re looking in 2026 to make the playoffs. Period. Full stop. We did not want to veer from that. We’re pushing it all in to make sure we’r…

The Pirates have gotten better — but if the goal for 2026 is playoffs or bust, they still haven't reached that level. And the opportunity to add that final bat who would have put them over the edge appears to have passed buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/02/03/a...

Overall, it's been a good offseason for the Bucs. But if the team wanted to go from 71 wins to a true postseason contender, they needed to have a great one.

Yes

Pirates fare a little better here than in the ZiPS projected standings released last week:

Ranking the Pirates’ trade options Last week, I made an unorthodox trade proposal: the Pirates should try to acquire Anthony Santander from the Blue Jays, for either a couple of prospects or salary relief (or both). Santander, I wro…

The Pirates did not land Eugenio Suárez. If they're serious about upgrading the lineup, they'll now have to turn to the trade market. I have some ideas, but the pickings are slim: buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/01/21/r...

Probably the worst possible outcome

I, too, wish I could relive senior year of college

The reason people are nostalgic for 2016 is that they miss being young. Also maybe Rihanna

Dan McQuade, 1983–2026 | Defector Dan McQuade, our friend and colleague, died this week at the age of 43. He is survived by his wife and young son. At the end of 2024, Dan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer. The news of his diag...

Rest in peace to one of the great bloggers and the de facto mayor of Philadelphia. It was my honor and pleasure to work with him. defector.com/dan-mcquade-...

It would be nice to bring back Andrew McCutchen Yes, I know this is an old photo. Photo by Blackngold29. Another PiratesFest has come and gone, and this year the Pirates avoided the embarrassments that have plagued this event of late. There was …

What are the Bucs to do about Andrew McCutchen? buccoball.wordpress.com/2026/01/27/i...