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'So much stuff that will help you:' How the Pirates are building a database to help pitcher development

BRADENTON, Fla. – The heart of the Pirates’ player development has been individualized coaching and a more player-centric approach. Applying that throughout the system can be easier said than done.

During the shutdown in 2020, new minor-league pitching coach Vic Black started to work on a OneDrive database for coaches. The goal was to give them a resource so everyone has better access to what each pitcher is doing at this point in their development.

“But then we realized,” Black, now the minor-league pattern and throwing coordinator, said at Pirate City Monday, “Since most of us our ex-players, or at least a lot of us, that we liked to see video of ourselves doing things.