Shelton Assembles Promising 2023 Pirates Lineup

Spring training served its purpose. Now, manager Derek Shelton has the Pittsburgh Pirates ready for their 2023 162-game schedule.

As the Pirates left Bradenton this past Tuesday, after falling short in their final exhibition season game to the Minnesota Twins 7-5 at LECOM Park, their 26-man roster was completed.

Super utility player Connor Joe made the squad. Canaan Smith-Njigba is one of the five listed outfielders heading north for Opening Day. Ji Hwan Bae cracked the infielders’ group. Jason Delay will be the Pirates’ backup catcher to Austin Hedges. Perhaps most importantly, Bryan Reynolds wasn’t traded.

So, as the boys surely enjoyed their flight from SRQ to Cincinnati where the season opener was scheduled with the Reds on Thursday, so many memories were made for this first-time reporter at training camp.

After spending six weeks hanging around the Pirates, first, for two weeks at Pirate City, followed by one month at LECOM Park, it was easy to become a fan of the organization.

From media relations, Dan Hart made all covering the Pirates welcomed, well-informed, and important. Regardless of the size of the outlet reporters represented, Patrick Kurish (baseball communications) was always present to answer questions and solve any difficulties that may have popped up.

This past Tuesday, well before game 31 of the Grapefruit League schedule this spring, there was a level of sadness felt as I entered the clubhouse. Reporters had access on this final day of camp to the Pirates’ clubhouse from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. There were two reporters to witness the packing up of equipment and memories.

Chairs normally assigned to each locker stall were rounded up (16 at last count) and stationed in the center of the room. It seems, with recent roster moves, the once full locker room had noticeable vacancies. It seemed that every other stall had been cleaned out.

I stationed myself at the clubhouse entrance with an eye on infielder/outfielder Connor Joe’s stall, hoping to get his reactions on making the 26-man roster. I couldn't help but be distracted.

Clubhouse workers were wheeling laundry charts with well-folded uniform jerseys, no doubt to be packed for the club’s trip north. There are four large black bags with equally large Pirates logos on them being filled with bats. Lots of bats. With my eyes still on the lookout at Joe’s stall, there are at least a half dozen bats not yet packed.

Along with a packed suitcase, two pairs of cleats, and the six bats, these baseball essentials haven’t yet been stowed by Joe.

It’s 10:00 a.m., and the club’s skipper, Shelton passes the busy activity in the clubhouse and enters the adjoining cafeteria. He would exit shortly after offering a fist bump to one of his players entering while holding a beverage.

As I glance across the room, I see one of the new Pirates for this season Ji-Man Choi sitting alone. There are less than 10 players in the room. The music playing is at a noticeably lower decibel than when the Pirates moved into their LECOM Park digs on February 24. My first thought of Choi is of his entering the clubhouse at Pirate City, on his first day of reporting, greeting all with a hearty "Buenos Dias.“

Another new addition to this season’s Pirates' roster, but no stranger to Pittsburgh baseball fans, Andrew McCutchen sits comfortably at his stall. With his morning beverage in one hand and looking intently at his cell phone in the other hand, the 2013 National League MVP is a picture of confidence.

There was no formal on-field workout this morning. After collecting a 9-17 spring training record prior to the finale with Minnesota later in the day, it’s clear that the professionals are ready for the regular season to begin. These are exciting times for the Pirates organization and their fan base.

It’s also very easy to feel melancholy, from an observer’s standpoint. Good times usually seem to fly by.

Reading the posted schedules on who is pitching and when looking at the meal menus posted for staff, postings when haircuts would be available for those who wish to partake, and even a local clothier offering to make custom suits had a flyer posted for all to see.

The controlled chaos really is a beautiful thing to watch. The clubbies are proving to be excellent packagers and movers. Players who have been a familiar face each day, now are leaving for Pittsburgh, and many others have been reassigned to the club’s minor league complex.

As Joe returns to his stall and gets comfortable in his swivel chair, he speaks with great thought and answers all my questions, all without missing a beat in putting on his pre-game gear. He is a wonderful baseball and medical story all rolled up into one. This is a story that will be written in the coming weeks.

As I take one last glance at the clubhouse, the Pirates’ room, my first thought is that this is a club ready to embrace the 2023 season. They have done their work. The back-to-back 100-loss seasons are a distant memory. The clean slate that begins in Cincinnati represents exciting times for the Pirates.

Along with good luck, I want to say thank you to a group of players who represent themselves and MLB in the truest form of professionalism. See you next February.