BRADENTON, Fla. -- The final players have reported. Everybody who needs to be in Bradenton has made it here. After a week of mostly focusing on the pitchers, the Pirates will host their first full squad workout on Monday, meaning things are going to start to pick up.
"To get everybody out on the field for the first time, I'm ready for that," Derek Shelton told reporters.
Shelton doesn't wing much, so he has some basic points that he wants to give his team for his start-of-spring speech Monday.
"It's pretty standard to what we've talked about publicly, and thoughts of how we're gonna do it," Shelton said.
Shelton has talked often about creating a player-centric culture in Pittsburgh. It has been a message that has been well-received by the team thus far. Many players have talked about how the clubhouse feels better than it did a year ago, praising Shelton, pitching coach Oscar Marin and bench coach Don Kelly for helping make it possible.
"The thing it says to me is they've bought in," Shelton said. "I think the thing Ben [Cherington] and I have talked about since he got hired and I got hired is about building relationships and trying to get better everyday.
"I think that they bought in early on, and the energy's so good, is a credit to the players. I think we have a group that's hungry for that."
To continue reading, log into your account:
