While the Pittsburgh Pirates will have to show fans that they’re a better team than they’ve been for a lot of the past decades, there's also reason to like a lot of things that players have said, including newly required left-handed hitter Ryan O'Hearn.
The new Pirates first baseman had plenty to say, and it should have Pirates fans fired up about what’s to come.
“Yeah, I’m gonna get after it,” O'Hearn said, per Dominic Campbell. “I don’t like to strike out. I like to play hard. Fans may see a very serious face. I’m gonna smile when I do something good, but I’m going to be locked in. I like to get after it. I don’t like to strike out. I want to play great defense. Just really leave it all out there.
“I’m obsessed with baseball. I love it and I’m 32, every year that I get to continue playing this game, I fall more in love with it. I’m more obsessed with it. I feel like I’m getting better. I’ve always kind of been a late bloomer. I feel like I’m still getting better. So, fans, expect me to play hard and call me out if I’m not. I’m gonna hustle, I’m gonna get after and do whatever I can to help win a ball game every day.”
O’Hearn isn’t coming to Pittsburgh as a savior or a guy who will hit 40 home runs. He’s coming as someone who knows exactly who he is at this stage of his career, and he's coming off the best season of his entire career, especially prior to being traded to the San Diego Padres by the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline.
Inviting fans to call you out if you’re not hustling isn’t something you hear often, maybe not ever, but I like the attitude.
Something else I really like about this is the fact that O’Hearn is saying these things when all offseason, we wanted the Pirates to go out and add some proven veterans. Having guys who have accountability is a real step in the right direction.
That doesn't mean the Pirates will win every game on the field, but it's a nice sign.