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Pirates of the Caribbean: Part scout, part savior
Pirates of the Caribbean: Part scout, part savior
BOCA CHICA, Dominican Republic -- Rene Gayo is a mountain of a man in many ways, big as Santa Claus and, to some, no less generous. As the Pirates' director of Latin American scouting, he is empowered to dramatically change people's lives -- exponentially, almost unimaginably -- with a mere ...
Pirates of the Caribbean: Brick by brick
Pirates of the Caribbean: Brick by brick
post-gazette.com — GUERRA, Dominican Republic -- Perhaps it is designed to make Pittsburgh seem real to the youngsters who will play here. The arched-crown facades of the two building frames, which will dominate the Pirates' new $5 million Latin American Academy, ... (more) Pirates of the Caribbean: Brick by brick
We Are Now Pirates!!!
We Are Now Pirates!!!
themilliondollararm.com — Special blog from both Rinku and Dinesh… On November 24, 2008, Rinku Singh and Dinesh Kumar Patel made Indian Sports History becoming the first athletes from that country to sign professional sports contracts here in the USA. Monday our ... (more) We Are Now Pirates!!!
Pirates in the Caribbean: Mining for diamonds
Pirates in the Caribbean: Mining for diamonds
post-gazette.com — SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- It is 9 a.m., and the November sun is searing this walled-off urban minefield of a baseball diamond, where Sadid Frias has filed into a fidgeting line of 17 hopeful teenagers. The tryout is about to begin, and the ... (more) Pirates in the Caribbean: Mining for diamonds
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Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? — For reasons that will become shortly apparent, I've been working on cleaning/updating the sidebar links. That means that I've got some new links to add to the sidebar, as well as some other things for your general perusal. ...

Link Roundup: Latin America and the Minors
Bucs Dugout — ... Meanwhile, this is an interesting piece on Gayo himself, who sounds like the kind of guy who could write an amazing autobiography. ...

More Rumors, Anyone?
Raise the Jolly Roger — You guessed it, Jack Wilson. [The Detroit Free Press] says the talks are "ongoing" and that "there appears to be genuine interest on both sides." Although the Pirates aren't going to get great value for Wilson, the Detroit system is [not exactly chalk-full of prospects], so this is something to keep an eye ...

Kovacevic: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Part scout, part savior
BBTF's Baseball Primer Newsblog — Kovacevic: Pirates Of The Caribbean: Part scout, part savior Part 3 of 3 in Dejan’s series about Pittsburgh’s Dominican academy profiles Latin American scouting director Rene Gayo. He bounced from the Texas Rangers to Cleveland, and his turning point came in 1998 when the Indians were eliminated by the New York Yankees and Cuban pitcher Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez. John Hart, the Indians’ general manager, fumed and assigned Gayo to study the team’s operations in Latin America. By 2000, Gayo had the title of scouting director for that region and soon would sign a remarkable total of 11 players who have made it to Cleveland or ...

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Pirates in the Caribbean: Mining for diamonds
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The Pittsburgh Pirates signed two athletes from India. - MLB - SI.com
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How did the Pirates do at the Winter Meetings?
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Mientkiewicz giving Pirates 'the final say'
post-gazette.com 12/4/2008 — Doug Mientkiewicz has told the Pirates they will have "the final say" on where he plays in 2009. The team's popular utilityman and clubhouse leader is a free agent and has drawn some early interest in what he hopes will result in a chance to return to ...
House, Tupman finalize Minors dealsMajor League Baseball News 11/30/2008
The Royals have signed catcher J.R. House, once a top prospect for the Pittsburgh Pirates, to a Minor League contract. The Royals also have re-signed catcher Matt Tupman to a Minor League contract.
Bucs to take patient Meetings approachMajor League Baseball News 12/2/2008
With the Winter Meetings kicking off from Dec. 8-11 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, maybe it's appropriate that Pirates management is heading West with the anticipation of letting the cards fall where they may.
Davis' future with Pirates undecidedMajor League Baseball News 12/3/2008
The Pirates' have fairly easy decisions in regard to offering arbitration to their remaining eligible players, but what they wan to do with Jason Davis is unclear.
Tigers back on the prowl for WilsonMajor League Baseball News 12/4/2008
The Tigers have had their eyes on Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson for the past two years, and it appears that talks between the teams are again heating up.
Wilson willing to revisit no-trade clauseMajor League Baseball News 12/4/2008
With rumors swirling early Thursday that Jack Wilson was headed to Detroit, the Bucs shortstop was in position to squash a deal before it started.