BRADENTON, Fla. – The pitchers and catchers worked out on the field at Pirate City on Thursday under sunny skies. That came a day after the first workout of spring training was held primarily indoors because of rain.
“It was good to get outdoors and have everyone break a sweat,” Clint Hurdle said. “It was good to see a lot of guys moving around.”
The workout itself was nondescript as all the pitchers went through fielding and bunting drills.
Several pitchers threw bullpen sessions and one of the more intriguing ones to watch was left-hander Elvis Escobar. He certainly doesn’t look the part of a pitcher as he stands just 5-foot-8.
The Pirates converted Escobar from an outfielder during last season and he had a 2.08 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 15 relief appearances with Low-A West Virginia (Charleston). The 24-year-old followed with a fine winter-ball season in his native Venezuela, posting a 0.90 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 10 innings.
Hurdle saw Escobar pitch for first time last October during the Florida Instructional League and is intrigued.
“He’s a very interesting guy and I’m looking forward to watching him some more this spring,” Hurdle said. “Everybody who has played with him says he kind of gets your attention because of his stature. But he gets downhill angle and good velocity on his pitches. We’re going to see how it plays at this level this spring.”
The Pirates haven‘t had a pitcher that short in more than a half-century. ElRoy Face also stood 5-foot-8 and pitched for the Pirates from 1953-68, earning the nickname “Baron of the Bullpen”.
Escobar batted .265/.304/.362 with 20 home runs and 56 stolen bases in seven minor-league seasons but had just a .151/.174/.208 line in 42 games with Double-A Altoona last year before switching positions.
• One of the participants in bunting practice was Edgar Santana.
That was a little surprising considering the reliever is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss the season. While the chances of re-injuring the elbow while bunting seem slim, it also doesn’t make much sense to put him in position where it could happen.
Furthermore, Santana has yet to have a plate appearance in 88 career games.
For what it’s worth, Pirates pitchers had 20 sacrifice hits last season. Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl tied for the team lead with six each. Kuhl’s total is particularly impressive considering he missed the second half of the season after injuring his elbow and eventually having Tommy John surgery, as well.
• Neal Huntington and Hurdle were talking playoffs Wednesday after the initial workout as I reported in this story.
However, they aren’t the only ones in the organization who believe the Pirates can reach the postseason this year. Manny Sanguillen does, too.
“This is the year,” said Sanguillen, who is serving as a guest catching instructor. “We’ve got the pitching and the hitting is going to come around. We’ve got a lot of good players in the lineup and they’re going to hit better this year, you watch.”
Sanguillen knows something about championship teams, playing on the Pirates’ last two World Series winners in 1971 and 1979. In all, he was part of six postseason teams during his 12 years in Pittsburgh.
• Another guest instructor in camp is John Candelaria.
In 1985, it would have been hard to believe the Candy Man would ever be welcomed back to the organization. That was the season in which he demanded a trade and had a sticker of a clown with a diagonal line running through it that read “No Bozos” as a very public shot at then-general manager Harding “Pete” Peterson.
In July of that season, Candelaria got his wish and was dealt to the Angels with George Hendrick and Al Holland for Mike Brown, Pat Clements and Bob Kipper.
Candelaria and the Pirates long ago made peace. He returned to pitch for them in 1993 — the final season of his 19-year career — and has long been active in the team’s alumni association.
• Colin Moran became the latest position player to arrive early as he checked in Wednesday. Infielders and outfielders are not required to report until Sunday.
Though Moran was the Pirates’ primary third baseman as a rookie last season, he is expected to be pushed for the job by Jung Ho Kang this spring.
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