Matt Hague Excited to Coach Pittsburgh Pirates’ Stars

Newly hired Pittsburgh Pirates coach Matt Hague has his work cut out for him as he tries to turn around an offense that has been among the league’s worst in recent years.

While it’s not easy to get more from mostly the same roster, Pittsburgh is not short of talented hitters. Switch-hitting outfielder Bryan Reynolds and left-handed-hitting center fielder Oneil Cruz paced the offense in 2024, and they are two of the players Hague he is most looking forward to coaching.

“It’s an exciting group because they’re very strong, athletic guys and we want to use that to our advantage.” Hague said in a Q&A session with Jim Lachimia of MLB.com:. “You look at Bryan Reynolds, who’s been doing this for a long time at a very high level. His teammates say very positive things about him and how he does his job. And then Oneil Cruz has physicality and athleticism. He’s a guy who hits the ball extremely hard. Looking at the roster, Athleticism and physicality come to the fore.”

Reynolds has been one of the game’s most underrated hitters, with at least 24 home runs in four straight seasons and 84 RBIs in three of the last four seasons. He made the second All-Star team of his career in 2024, hitting .275/.344/.447 with 24 home runs and 88 RBIs.

In Cruz’s first season pittsburghHe hit .259/.324/.449 while setting career highs with 21 home runs, 76 RBIs and 22 stolen bases.

Cruz and Reynolds are a solid duo though pittsburgh To build on that, he’ll need more from players like right-handed third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and right-handed hitter Joey Bart to continue last year’s success all season long. Hague also touted the team’s physical abilities and how he plans to use them to help each player reach their full potential.

“When we look at the squad, athleticism and physicality come to the fore,” Hague said. “So the important thing is to bring them together to where they can grow. The important thing is to put the puzzles together one by one. No matter what stage of their career they are at, they all want to take the next step, they all want to win.” , and they will do whatever it takes. That’s a very positive perspective that all these guys are looking at, and I want to help shape that and bring it together.

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