Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call: The dawn of a new era in Pirates baseball?

Pirates manager Clint Hurdle is likely the last person to say his team is throwing in the towel long before the 2018 season even begins. Even without the likes of Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole, the Pirates skipper still believes in his young core and the talent he has on his roster.

According to a story written by MLB.com‘s Adam Berry, Hurdle remains an optimist and believes this year provides “an opportunity for a new era of Pirates baseball.”

Whether that “new era” is one that involves success or another string of underachieving seasons, Hurdle is in for the long haul as he signed a four-year contract extension to remain the Pirates manager. Regardless of what the Pirates achieve this year and in years to come, Hurdle’s optimism and belief in the future of the club is encouraging.

Why is this encouraging? Well because, lets face it, a veteran baseball guy like Hurdle knows way more than most of us – including this 24-year-old scribe. So, based upon his level of experience and his tenure as Pirates manager, maybe we should put a little bit more trust in the man during this “new era.”

While many can criticize Hurdle for some of the decisions he makes, and I know in the past I have personally been one to dish out criticism of the veteran manager, there is no doubt he does what he believes is best for his team with the pieces that he has in his arsenal.

In my opinion, this new era of Pirates baseball may not be the most pleasant to watch. But Hurdle won’t share that viewpoint, and it’s a good thing that he doesn’t. If he did, then he wouldn’t be suited for the job of a manager. Hurdle will put out his best lineup day in and day out, while doing whatever he can to help lead the team to success.

Entering his eighth year as Pirates manager, Hurdle told Berry, “We believe we can win games. We’re here to win games.” Those wins may come few and far between, but the ‘battling bucs’ will certainly give it all they’ve got, win or lose, because that is what is expected of them.

This new era is full of unknowns, but one thing is for certain: with Hurdle at the helm, it’s realistic to believe that anything is possible.

Baseball talk on the web

• Tito Francona, the father of Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona, passed away at the age of 84 on Wednesday.
• A Kansas City Royals scout was kicked out of a camp that consisted of MLB free agents.
• CBS Sports highlights the most interesting non-roster invites for all 30 MLB teams.

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