Pirates fans come out in full force at Winter Caravan
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Kalyn Lutton, 10, who traveled with her family from Cumberland, Maryland, wearing her Neil Walker jersey, gets her chance to meet the Pirates’ second baseman (right) during the Pirates’ Winter Caravan visit to the Uniontown Mall Thursday evening.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Liam Lohr (right), 7, of Carmichaels has his baseball signed by Pirate third baseman Pedro Alvarez Thursday when Pirates’ Winter Caravan made a stop at Uniontown Mall.
John F. Brothers | Herald-Standard
Pirates pitcher Brian Morris (left) autographs a baseball for Jacob Rakas, 9, of McClellandtown when the team’s Winter Caravan visited Uniontown Mall Thursday. With Morris is second baseman Neil Walker.
Fans had the opportunity to meet some of the Pirates’ biggest stars, a potential rising star and a legendary pitcher at the Pirates Winter Caravan Wednesday at the Uniontown Mall.
Pittsburgh second baseman Neil Walker and third baseman Pedro Alvarez entered the mall to cheers. Right-handed pitcher Byran Morris, who was a September call-up from Indianapolis, joined his teammates.
Former Pirate World Series hero Steve Blass, who remains with the organization as an announcer, was on hand. Blass spent his entire career with Pittsburgh as a pitcher.
Walker was impressed with the turnout, not just in Uniontown, but throughout the caravan thus far.
“The reception has been awesome,” Walker said. “It is nice to come out and see all these people. I am from Gibsonia and grew up rooting for this team and now I play for them.”
Walker, who hit .280 last season with 14 home runs and 69 RBIs, is eager to get back to playing baseball.
“We had a lot of positives last year,” Walker said. “We believe in ourselves and expect to be better. It was exciting to have all those fans come out last season. There is nothing better than a summer night at PNC Park.”
Blass echoed Walker’s statements regarding the fans coming out to support the Pirates.
“The turnout in Uniontown has always been great,” Blass said. “This is our chance to give back to the fans. There is a massive line waiting out there and we love the personal time we get with the fans. It is really nice to see how much they love their Buccos.
Alvarez comes into the 2013 as the team’s leading power hitter and is a mainstay at third base after hitting 30 home runs and driving in 85 runs last season.
“I am really looking forward to this year,” Alvarez said. “I want to be more consistent and try my best to help the team. We take pride in what we do and want to give these fans something to cheer about.”
Morris enters this season after making his MLB debut as a minor league call-up and relished the opportunity to meet some of the fans.
“This is a very exciting experience,” Morris said. “Pittsburgh is definitely a sports-minded city. We had a great start last year. We want to hopefully make the playoffs.”
Possibly serving as the team’s unofficial spokesperson for the event, Blass summarized the event and the Pirates’ chances in 2013.
“They brought two of the bigger stars on the club in Neil and Pedro,” Blass said. “I am excited about the young guys coming up, but it all comes down to the pitching. You need a solid rotation of five and usually more because of injuries. They have three guys in AJ Burnett, James McDonald and Wandy Rodriguez and we will find out who will fill those spots in spring training.”