The Fall Instructional League (FIL) began on Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Pirates, eight days later than originally planned due to Hurricane Irma. The Pirates had very little damage at Pirate City, with a few trees down, some fencing down and water-logged fields. We will begin our coverage of the league on Monday and there will be a lot to cover.
We knew that the Pirates would have a large group of players in the FIL when we got word that 21 players were reporting from the Dominican. The FIL always includes all of the new draft picks, so that added another 37 players after a big signing class this year.