Pittsburgh Pirates fans will get their first glimpse of the team’s newest additions — including former All-Stars Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn and Gregory Soto — but PiratesFest will be shorter on star power because of notable absences at the annual fan festival this weekend.
That includes their biggest draw, as two-time All-Star right-hander Paul Skenes will be in New York to accept his National League Cy Young Award from the Baseball Writers Association of America at the 101st New York Baseball Writers’ Gala.
Rookie right-hander Bubba Chandler, who made his major-league debut last August, is closing on the purchase of a home. The No. 1 prospect in baseball, 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, got married last weekend and is on his honeymoon. And franchise icon Andrew McCutchen, who spent the past three seasons as their designated hitter, is a free agent.
The Pirates are billing the one-day event as “the ultimate baseball playground for fans of all ages,” with live stage programming, free autograph sessions for kids 14 and under and interactive games, prizes and the opportunity to meet players, alumni and broadcasters.
Among the Pirates players scheduled to appear are pitchers Braxton Ashcraft, Hunter Barco, Jared Jones, Justin Lawrence, Isaac Mattson, Kyle Nicolas, Cam Sanders, Dennis Santana and Evan Sisk; catchers Joey Bart, Rafael Flores Jr. and Endy Rodriguez; outfielders Billy Cook, Oneil Cruz, Jhostynxon Garcia, Jake Mangum, Bryan Reynolds and Esmerlyn Valdez; and infielders Lowe, O’Hearn, Spencer Horwitz, Termarr Johnson, Jared Triolo, Enmanuel Valdez and Nick Yorke.
The Pirates alums will feature a pair of Cy Young winners in Doug Drabek and Vernon Law, along with former All-Stars John Candelaria, Matt Capps, Jason Grilli, Kent Tekulve and Bob Walk, who is joined by fellow broadcasters Michael McKenry, Neil Walker and Kevin Young.
The fan festival will be held from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Saturday at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, with doors opening an hour early for season ticket holders. Admission is free to all fans who reserve tickets at pirates.com/piratesfest.