BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — Eager to put another dismal season behind them, the Pittsburgh Pirates have wasted no time in getting started in spring training.
All 62 players had reported to camp by Friday, a day before the deadline, and the team assembled Saturday morning for a talk with president Frank Coonelly and general manager Neal Huntington before beginning the first official full-squad practices.
Manager Clint Hurdle was hired in November to turn around a team that lost 105 games last season and has finished last in the NL Central the past four years.
The Pirates were minor players this past offseason in the free-agent market.
They tried to shore up one of the league’s worst starting rotations by signing right-hander Kevin Correia to a two-year, $8 million contract.
