Over the off-season, the Pittsburgh Pirates made two big upgrades in Bradenton. One of the upgrades was a new clubhouse at McKechnie Field, which is currently being finalized on the inside. The other upgrade was a new Performance Center at Pirate City.
I had never been in the old performance center — it is off-limits to media, and I never really had a need to ask for a special tour — but after seeing the new one, I was able to check out the old one. The difference is amazing. The size of the new center is like the size of a gym. The size of the old one is like the size of a yoga studio at a gym. To give an idea of the size of the center, the tiny-looking TV on the wall in the image below is an 80-inch TV.
The new center is 12,240 square feet, and is designed for year-round usage. In the past, players would go to IMG Academy to work out. Now there is enough room that they can work out at Pirate City. Honestly, after looking at the old center, this was long overdue. Here are a few more images of the new center, and two of the old. You can see more of a comparison in the video below.
Old Performance Center
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