New Players Fitting Into The Pirates' Clubhouse
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BRADENTON, Fla. (KDKA) -- With the departures of Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, new faces have arrived in the Pittsburgh Pirates' Spring Training clubhouse.
There's Colin Moran who came over from the Houston Astros, with his red hair and bushy red beard. A growth that gives him an intimidating look in the batter's box.
"I hope so. I'll roll with that if you think so," says Moran.
There is new dad, Corey Dickerson, who came over from the Tampa Bay Rays.
"We found out we got traded the same day we had him," Dickerson says of the new addition to the family.
And Joe Musgrove who won World Series Game 5 with Houston, and spent Monday at the White House celebrating with the Astros.
KDKA's John Shumway Reports:
Dickerson, who will hold down left field, knows that fans are going to see him as the replacement for McCutchen. He says he does not feel any pressure because, "I'm not going to try to be somebody else, or feel like I have to fill somebody else's shoes, 'cause I got my own shoes I have to put on every day."
Dickerson says he looks forward to playing in front of the left field looneys in PNC Park.
"Yeah, it's pretty cool, especially when they are on your side," he said.
Moran is settling in at third base, next to Jordy Mercer, and settling into the clubhouse.
"It's been awesome. Everybody's been great at bringing me in and making me comfortable," he says.
Moran had one of the scariest moments in the major leagues last July when he fouled a ball into his face. There were major concerns about his vision and his future in the game.
Moran says, "It could have been pretty bad with it being so close to the eye. I'm just grateful that there was no long-term damage."
Musgrove, the newest Pirates pitcher, is coming in with his World Series experience. And now he dons the pointed "P" and will likely be taking Cole's former spot in the starting rotation.
Pirate catcher Francisco Cervelli says, "The new guy, Musgrove, I'm very excited. I can't wait to see him because its not what he can do on the mound, it's his personality, and he's a leader."
Uncut Interview With Musgrove & Brault:
Musgrove says, "Its like the first day of school getting to meet new classmates and everything."
Two lockers away, Pirates pitcher Steven Brault pops up, "I took his sister to prom, and I make sure everybody knows that."
Brault isn't kidding. He and Musgrove are Grossmont High School Foothillers from El Cajon, near San Diego.
Musgrove: "We were teammates."
Brault: "I don't think we had any classes together. I was smart, he wasn't."
Musgrove: He was in the AP classes.
Brault: "Yeah, but he was a better baseball player, so it evens out."
As Foothillers, they saw playoff action almost every year, and like how it feels to win. Musgrove believes his World Series experience can help this young Pirates team.
"It's exciting. It's a young group of guys that are hungry and want to win, and I can, hopefully, share some of the knowledge I learned over there with some of the guys here," he said.
And along the way he looks forward to getting to know Pittsburgh.
"From what I've heard about Pittsburgh, it's a gorgeous city, and its got a good fanbase. Hopefully, we put a product on the field that gives them something to cheer for," he said.
