BRADENTON, Fla. -- In a camp fueled by recent additions and buzz, perhaps the most telling sign of commitment to results lies hidden among the flurry of activity.
Talk to any athlete, and they’ll tell you Spring Training is a time to knock off the offseason rust, re-embrace routines and log reps while either experimenting with new approaches or addressing past performance issues.
Yes, the Pirates will start playing baseball games on Feb. 21, but Grapefruit League records don’t mean a thing, so spring is a good time to pursue individual goals (like, say, a roster spot).
But when groups of player-spectators began reappearing on the fields together after their morning workouts were complete, many were encouraged by what that meant, too.
“As a catcher, you're kind of busy, so you don't get to see a whole lot, but I do try to stick around and watch some guys,” Joey Bart said. “We’ve got a great mix.”
And so, during a time when a lot of focus is on “me,” what better excuse than Valentine’s Day to discuss the significance of the Bucs’ early bond?
On Saturday, Paul Skenes hung out in the back of the bullpen as Mitch Keller, Chris Devenski, Jared Jones and Michael Darrell-Hicks worked through a side session. The tower in the middle of the back fields at Pirate City became crowded, too, as players used the vantage point to watch activity on the four surrounding fields, simultaneously.
Sometimes, these observations lead to constructive conversations back in the clubhouse. Other times, it’s enough just to provide an audience. Whatever the situation, it’s certainly a continuation of the good-vibes camp Pittsburgh has trotted out this year.
“All the guys came,” manager Don Kelly said. “They're coming back out to watch the live BPs, to watch their fellow teammates go out and compete. They were, yesterday, in the dugouts, watching, and it's just that team camaraderie, the guys coming back out to watch, to pull for each other and to continue to learn.
“I think it's something that's really special when you get that type of energy going; when it's a bunch of guys doing the same thing for a common goal.”
Position battles will inevitably heat up as non-roster invitees, veterans, prospects and the rest all do what they can to make room for themselves on the roster. That being said, the Bucs’ early chemistry is strong enough that they’re also visibly supporting each other despite that competition, building a brotherhood that will certainly come in handy during the 162-game regular-season stretch ahead.
"There's nothing stopping us from being -- call it whatever you want -- the best group we can be, the best group in baseball, whatever," Skenes said. "The only thing that's going to get in our way is ourselves. So it's fun to get back to work with them."
Cruz getting after it
Oneil Cruz hit Spring Training at a sprint and hasn’t stopped since. Sure, the center fielder is working on all the usual preseason activities such as defensive work, hitting the weight room and spending time in the batting cages, but he’s also uber focused on improving his at-bats against lefties.
The 27-year-old is a career .172 hitter against southpaws, including a career-low .102 (11-for-108) in 2025, so this spring, Cruz has requested to face lefties specifically.
When he’s lucky (or not, depending on how you view it), this arrangement pits Cruz in the box against two-time All-Star and new Pirates reliever Gregory Soto.
“[Cruz is] challenging himself; he wants to get better,” Kelly said. “He worked hard all offseason to do that. That’s something that is intentional on his part that he's working his tail off every day: outfield, hitting, everything to be better.”
Soto’s wipeout slider is nasty, and his fastball touches the high 90s, so there’s really no better-equipped teammate to help Cruz even out his splits.
“He’s embracing the challenge,” Kelly added. “... It's not easy to get better. It is challenging, and for him to dive into that and ask for it, and to go through the offseason to face left-handers in live ABs, he's committed to getting better.”
He said it
“Almost an intimidation factor up there. Like, you just see this large human being, and it's throwing 99, 100 miles an hour. It can be pretty intimidating. Just the way he's able to locate pitches. He dotted three fastballs on me, and it's just unbelievable to be in the box against a guy like that.” -- MLB’s top prospect Konnor Griffin, on taking batting practice against the Cy Young Award-winning Skenes