The baseball world is mourning the loss of former Pirates great Bill Virdon, who passed away yesterday at the age of 90.
Virdon played 12 seasons in the Major Leagues, the final 11 of them as a Pirate. He was the centerfielder of the 1960 World Series champion Bucs. After winning the NL Rookie of the year award with the Cardinals in 1955, he fell into a slump early the next season and was traded to the Pirates, where he rebounded to finish the season with a .319 average, second in the league to Hank Aaron. The Gold Glove-winning Virdon retired in 1965.
Nicknamed “The Quail” by Pirates’ broadcaster Bob Prince, Virdon later managed the Pirates, Yankees, Astros, and Expos and finished his career with 995 wins, 74 games over .500. He was an annual fixture as a Pirates outfield instructor every year in Spring Training.
TEAM NEWS
The Pirates have reportedly agreed to terms with former Brewers hitting coach Andy Haines to take over the same role with the Bucs. Haines spent three seasons in Milwaukee and worked previously in the Cubs and Marlins organizations.
Baseball America released its top ten lists of prospects for each MLB team yesterday, and shortstop Oneil Cruz landed at the top spot for the Pirates. 2021’s number one overall draft choice, catcher Henry Davis is second, followed by 2020 top pick second baseman Nick Gonzalez, pitcher Roansy Contreras, shortstop Liover Peguero, pitcher Quinn Priester, catcher Endy Rodriguez, and right-handed pitchers Michael Burrows, Jared Jones, and Carmen Mlodzinkski.
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