BRADENTON, Fla. -- All the higher-ups in the Pirates’ organization were at Pirate City on Monday for the first full-squad workout of spring training, including Bob Nutting and Frank Coonelly.
However, they left the talking to Clint Hurdle during a pre-workout team meeting. Nutting did not address the team as he normally does every spring.
Nutting also did not speak to the media as he normally does upon his arrival in camp, though he is expected to at some point before leaving Friday.
Following the workout, Hurdle gave a synopsis of his message.
“One of the aspects we want to continue to focus on is getting our daily work in, pushing everything into the workouts, into the games and being the best team that we can possibly be,” Hurdle said. “I touched on the fact that the team-first mentality is for real and I especially wanted to convey that to the guys from the outside just coming in. We all have the same goal. There needs to be conversation, needs to be connection. We need to stay hungry.”
Hurdle, who said the first full-squad workout marks his favorite day of spring training, concluded his address rather succinctly.
“You hope that there’s more done than said because there’s usually more said than done,” Hurdle said. “They heard enough from me. Now they have to go out and get it done.”
• Jung Ho Kang went through his first official spring training workout since 2016. He missed the entire 2017 season and all of camp last year while attempting to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea following his third DUI arrest.
Hurdle said it will take some time to evaluate the third baseman.
“We’ll just watch and monitor his workload,” Hurdle said. “He’s working. He’s not missing anything. He’s involved in everything. It will be interesting when game speed gets into play, defensive and offensively.”
The Pirates open exhibition play Saturday when they face the Phillies at Clearwater, Fla.
• The celebrities keep dropping by Pirate City as World Wrestling Entertainment’s Rinku Singh watched the workout and visited with some of his former minor-league teammates.
Singh was one of two pitchers signed from India by the Pirates prior to the 2009 season despite having never played baseball. The left-hander topped out at the low-Class A level and he made a brief comeback in 2016 after missing three seasons while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Singh wrestles in NXT, the WWE’s development program and the equivalent of Triple-A in baseball. He made his professional debut last May 31.
Singh’s visit came a day after famed ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale was in attendance for a workout. And, of course, country music superstar Garth Brooks will remain in camp through Thursday, working out with the Pirates.
• A player being in the best shape of his life has become spring training’s most-used cliché.
However, it applies in the case of Will Craig. The first-base prospect looked noticeably slimmer and toned as he went through drills.
The Pirates’ first-round draft pick in 2016 is likely to begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis and could push Josh Bell for the starting first baseman’s job next spring.
• Former Pirates center-fielder Omar Moreno is in camp as a special assistant to baseball operations. Despite last playing in the major leagues in 1986, Moreno is still in good shape.
Remembering back to when he stole a club-record 96 stolen bases for the Pirates in 1980, I couldn’t resist asking Moreno if he thought he could still swipe a bag or two.
“No,” The Antelope said with a smile. “Those days are gone.”
