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Searage excited to work with young Bucs
- Updated: December 15, 2016
PITTSBURGH — Scanning the list of pitchers who will be stretched out to start in Spring Training, one set of numbers stood out to Pirates pitching coach Ray Searage. Not their ERAs, not their Statcast™ spin rates, not even their ground-ball percentages.
What got Searage fired up as he spoke with reporters Sunday at PirateFest? Their ages. Aside from left-hander Wade LeBlanc, 32, all of the Pirates’ potential starters are between 23 and 26.
“That’s fresh, baby! That’s fresh,” Searage said, smiling. “That’s awesome. That’s really good. It’s going to be a busy time, but we’re going to have to be able to learn quickly and make adjustments accordingly. I’m excited.”
To review: Gerrit Cole, Drew Hutchison and Lisalverto Bonilla are 26. Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham are 25. Chad Kuhl, Steven Brault and Trevor Williams are 24. Tyler Glasnow and Clay Holmes are 23.
They won’t all start for Pittsburgh this season; LeBlanc and Bonilla may be bound for the bullpen, and Holmes was added to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. The Pirates are still on the lookout for a veteran starter, but it’s clear …
