BRADENTON, Fla. — If the Pirates are to defy expectations in 2018, their young pitching staff, which has question marks and upside in equal measure, will have to carry the team. The Pirates bullpen lacks what general manager Neal Huntington called “long backs of baseball cards,” while their starting rotation has one veteran and nobody named Gerrit Cole. They have talent and stuff, but the results don’t always translate.
Pitching coach Ray Searage, always prone to a sunny disposition, says he’s impressed with what he’s seen from the group so far this spring. In wide-ranging and often hilarious remarks Wednesday, Searage offering a positive assessment of his players while acknowledging where they have room to grow.