Page 6 - Rick Eckstein News Today

April 16, 2021 Nick Yorke was among the more intriguing — some might say confounding — picks in the 2020 amateur draft. Selected 17th overall by Boston out of a San Jose high school, the right-handed-hitting infielder wasn’t expected to go in the first round. Moreover, MLB Pipeline didn’t even rank him as a Top-100 draft prospect. Eyebrows were raised throughout the industry when Yorke’s name was announced on Day One. Red Sox scouts obviously liked what they saw from the sweet-swingi...

Polanco hits early HR off Musgrove, Pirates beat Padres 5-1 By JOHN PERROTTOApril 15, 2021 GMT PITTSBURGH (AP) — Gregory Polanco homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Wednesday night, beating Joe Musgrove in his first start since throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history. Polanco hit a solo shot into the right-field stands in the second inning. That ended a 32-inning scoreless streak by Musgrove that dated to last season when he was still with the Pir...

Polanco hits early HR off Musgrove, Pirates beat Padres Gregory Polanco homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Wednesday night, beating Joe Musgrove in his first start since throwing the first no-hitter in franchise history. The Canadian Press VIDEO SIGN OUT PITTSBURGH — Gregory Polanco homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the San Diego Padres 5-1 on Wednesday night, beating Joe Musgrove in his first start since throwing the first no-hitter in franchise...

February 23, 2021 “Already a physical presence as a teenager, Veen has big power potential and a pretty left-handed swing to go with a plus arm that should serve him well in right field.” Those words, written by Eric Longenhagen, lead Zac Veen’s profile in our recently-released 2021 Top 100 Prospects list. The 19-year-old outfielder came in at No. 70, which is especially impressive when you consider that he’s yet to play a game — Fall Instructional League notwithstanding — at the pr...

Michael Lorenzen was never a full-time pitcher until he did it professionally upon being drafted by the Reds in 2013. When Lorenzen reached the big leagues in '15, he made 21 starts before becoming a reliever. But Lorenzen never gave up his desire to be in a starting rotation. He

January 29, 2021 The Texas Rangers brought a promising young hitter on board when they took Justin Foscue with the 14th-overall pick of last summer’s draft. A 21-year-old second baseman, Foscue put up a .958 OPS in his sophomore season at Mississippi State University, and he followed that up by slashing 321/.464/.509 in last year’s truncated collegiate campaign. Moreover, he displayed exemplary plate discipline and bat-to-ball skills. Foscue had 69 plate appearances with the Bulldogs in 202...

The Pittsburgh Pirates made two changes to their coaching staff yesterday. Adam Berry of MLB.com reports that the Bucs have named Christian Marrero as...

January 21, 2021 Dave Magadan was a productive big-league hitter — he logged a 117 wRC+ from 1986 to 2001 — and he’s followed up his playing career with several stints as a hitting coach. In that role with the Colorado Rockies for each of the past two seasons, Magadan previously plied his trade with the San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, and Arizona Diamondbacks. His current situation is arguably the most challenging he’s faced. Having Coors Field as a home venue is a mixe...

share-square-1008065 PITTSBURGH -- Derek Shelton learned an important lesson during his Major League managerial debut: Make plans all you want, but don’t set anything in stone. Shelton’s first season in Pittsburgh didnt adhere to anyones expectations. The COVID-19 pandemic shortened Spring Training, cut the regular season down to 60 games and canceled the Minor League season. The health and safety protocols necessary to play during a pandemic led to empty ballparks and dramatically altered ...

December 17, 2020 The fact that Andy Haines has been coaching for close to two decades doesn’t make him unique among his contemporaries. But his background does differ. Two years into his tenure as the hitting coach of the Milwaukee Brewers, Haines is just 43 years old. He’s either been coaching or managing for basically his entire adult life. Haines earned a master’s degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and since that time he’s tutored players in independent ball, at every le...