THE BASICS
Home stadium: LECOM Park, 1611 9th St. West, Bradenton, FL 34205
Directions: From St. Petersburg — Take Sunshine Skyway Bridge to Exit 5 (U.S. 19 South), continue on U.S. 41 South (Bradenton/Sarasota), make a right onto 17th Avenue West. From Sarasota — Take U.S. 41 north to 17th Avenue West; make a right. From north or south on I-75 — Get on Route 64 (Exit 220 if traveling south, Exit 220B if traveling north); go west on 64 to 9th Street West.
Information: 941-747-3031; Pirates.com/spring
Prospect to watch: Mitch Keller, RHP. Keller, 23, started 11 games for Pittsburgh last year. His power stuff has good life and misses plenty of bats.
Is a blank slate what the Pirates need?
The Pirates fired their longtime manager, pitching coach, general manager and team president at the end of last season. The new regime led by former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington and new skipper Derek Shelton will attempt to turn around a team that finished last in the NL Central for the first time since 2010.
It won’t be easy after trading their best all-around player, center fielder Starling Marte, to the Arizona Diamondbacks. But perhaps the most important item on Shelton’s agenda is changing the culture after several altercations last year between players and coaches resulted in suspensions. In addition, All-Star closer Felipe Vazquez is currently on MLB’s restricted list and is facing two dozen felony charges stemming from an alleged relationship with an underage girl.
Can Archer be dominant again?
As new pitching coach Oscar Martin takes over from Ray Searage, his first priority could very well be getting righthander Chris Archer back on track.
Archer, 31, had three consecutive seasons of 230 or more strikeouts and was a two-time All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays before coming to Pittsburgh in an ill-fated trade for outfielder Austin Meadows and pitcher Tyler Glasnow.
In 1½ disappointing seasons with the
Pirates, Archer has six wins and a 4.92 ERA in 33 starts. However, a shoulder injury that bothered him last season is no longer an issue. Martin’s strength is in biomechanics and analysis. A few tweaks to Archer’s delivery may be their hope for recapturing his past success.
– Steve Gardner