BRADENTON, Fla. — For Clint Hurdle, the process of spring training has not changed. The Pirates' 60-year-old manager, entering his eighth season with the club, spent the offseason assessing the successes and failures of 2017.
With those in mind, he constructed a plan for spring training, with an emphasis on addressing what ailed the Pirates during a second consecutive non-playoff season. However, the potential weaknesses of his club changed significantly last month when Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole were traded.
Both moves changed the dynamic of the Pirates' clubhouse and Hurdle's lineup card, but Hurdle emphasized to reporters that he has an "unwavering belief" that the franchise will bring another World Series to Pittsburgh.
"The place is going to explode when we win it all," Hurdle said Wednesday at Pirate City. "The place is going to explode. I still believe that. I look for the opportunity to stay and be a part of that. That’s unwavering belief and I get a lot of noise sometimes about my belief. That’s my belief. … If you’re valued where you are and you have a purpose and these guys make me feel like I have a purpose, you stay on top of the dugout. ... To stay and to be a small part of this thing — which I believe is going to move forward and we’re going to push through it and we’re going to win and we’re going to win further than we have in the past — because a world championship is why you tee this thing up every spring. And the belief in that clubhouse also excites me. And the belief in the conversations I had over the winter excites me. That’s why I chose to stay."
It was the first time Hurdle had spoken to reporters in person since both trades were executed last month, and he has spent the past three days evaluating how to account for the production lost both on the mound and in the field.
Hurdle told reporters that Joe Musgrove, one of four players acquired from the Astros for Cole, will be given a spot in the rotation. Additionally, Colin Moran, a 25-year-old former top draft pick, is penciled in as the starting third baseman.
Although the Pirates will not play a game until next Friday, Hurdle has begun constructing a few different lineups that he will experiment with throughout the spring. The analytics department has provided him with information that factored into those possible lineup cards, and Hurdle also watched newcomers such as Moran take batting practice to see any strengths or weaknesses that did not show up on scouting reports.
Hurdle, though, wanted to remind reporters that there is ample time for position battles to be sorted out and he made it clear that he's bullish on what this group can accomplish despite what was lost.
"The interesting concept is the last two years we had all the players we had and we didn’t make the playoffs," Hurdle added. "We won 78 games and we won 75 games. ... We believe we can win games. We’re here to win games. We’re also here to grow together. It’s an opportunity for a new era of Pirates baseball, as I’ve said, and that’s no disrespect. When Andrew walks out, it’s a new era. Nine years, we’ve seen so many wonderful things. Cole, what he was able to do. They’re gone. It’s a new era."
Despite that label, Hurdle turned the focus to the players he has back, beginning with Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. Hurdle and Neal Huntington made it clear to reporters at the Winter Meetings two months ago that the club was counting on both players to rebound in 2018.
Additionally, Francisco Cervelli, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison, Sean Rodriguez, Josh Bell, Ivan Nova and Felipe Rivero are back, complementing a young starting rotation that has emerged as a pillar of the franchise.
When Hurdle was hired by the Pirates following a 105-loss season in 2010, he inherited a roster that had prospects such as McCutchen on the horizon and Neil Walker, a potential star at second base, but the core was much smaller than it is now.
Despite the odds, McCutchen and Walker led the Pirates back to the postseason in 2013, and it's that sort of Cinderella story that has Hurdle energized at the start of this spring training. He's told the young players on the roster that it's up to them, not the pundits, to determine how far the club goes in 2018.
"I’ve seen some wonderful things happen in this game, and more often than not nobody writes the script," Hurdle said. "A lot of scripts are written in the spring. Not that many of them play out. A lot of predictions are made in the spring. Nobody pays attention to find out whether they were right or wrong. I just love the makeup of this [clubhouse], and I love the skillsets, because if you’re not good you can’t play well. That makes a difference. I believe we’re good, and we can play well."
On Sept. 5 of last season, with the Pirates 11 1/2 games back in the National League Central, the Pirates announced that both Hurdle and Huntington received four-year contract extensions. Hurdle called the Pirates' trust in him "humbling," and expressed a desire to be a part of helping bring a World Series back to Pittsburgh.
The trades of his best pitcher and best player seem to have done little to change his opinion.
"We’re focused on the people that are here," Hurdle said. "We honor the past of the men and the efforts they put in, but it’s time to move forward. It’s not fair to the men that are here to continue to talk about Gerrit not being here or Andrew not being here."
EXTRA BASES
• Hurdle called Harrison after the veteran infielder released a statement last month stating that he'd prefer to be traded if the Pirates did not intend to contend in 2018. Although Harrison is not among the position players to report early to spring training, Hurdle said he expects there to be no "collateral damage" stemming from the frustrations Harrison expressed.
"Josh has always been one to share his feelings," Hurdle said. "As I was asked after last season, do I need to tell the fans something? No, I don’t. I need to tell the fans how excited I am to manage the club. I’m not going to tell the fans how to react. I’m not going to tell Josh how to react. 'Let’s walk through this. So, we get to a point where spring training is real and you’re coming in to be a part [of this], what’s that look like and what are we going to do?' He’s going to show up here ready to play, and there have been multiple conversations about the men that we do have here on this club. How his role can play out on this club. Who can he impact, because he does bring a significant edge and energy. I don’t anticipate any type of collateral damage, backlash, backdraft, whatever you want to call it. When he shows here I expect to see a guy that loves to play the game and is going to go out and show people he’s a good ballplayer."
• Rodriguez, Adam Frazier and Jordan Luplow are currently the leading candidates to start in left field with McCutchen gone, although Hurdle did not rule out the possibility that Daniel Nava could earn a spot on the major league roster.
Hurdle added that Jose Osuna could possibly play left field in certain ballparks, but Osuna is more likely to see playing time at third base or as a backup to Polanco in right field in certain ballparks, including PNC Park.
Osuna, 25, arrived at Pirate City on Wednesday and alternated with Moran at third base during infield drills.
• Relief pitcher Daniel Hudson was unable to throw his scheduled bullpen session Wednesday because of a sprained right ankle he suffered while jogging. The 30-year-old was wearing a walking boot in the clubhouse following the workout.
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
Pirates spring training, Bradenton, Fla., Feb. 14, 2018. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS