HISTORY
2009 - 2012
THE BLOGGING YEARS
2009
Pirates Prospects began in 2009 as BuccoFans.com. Tim Williams started the site while working for AccuScore.com. While it didn't have the Pirates Prospects name yet, the site was originally modeled after SoxProspects.com, aimed at giving Pirates fans the same resource to track the farm system. At the time, Williams lived 40 minutes from the Pirates' High-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats, who won the Carolina League championship that year. In addition to Alvarez, that team featured many future Pirates: Chase d'Arnaud, Eric Fryer, Jeff Locke, Starling Marte, Bryan Morris, Jordy Mercer, Matt Hague, Josh Harrison, Alex Presley, Tony Sanchez, and Justin Wilson. BuccoFans.com provided video and game reports all throughout the playoffs, leading to the idea of what Pirates Prospects could become in the future.
2010
Williams had been laid off in 2009 during the recession. He spent over a year trying to find work -- including working at a bakery for a year -- before going all-in on the idea of Pirates Prospects. While working as a courier for the US Census, Williams built up the daily content of the site and planned a book, with hopes to turn this into a full-time job. In July, BuccoFans.com became PiratesProspects.com. At the same time, the site was joined by John Dreker, Wilbur Miller, Kevin Creagh, and many other writers to follow. Pirates Prospects/Bucco Fans saw over one million page views in 2010, and the first Prospect Guide was being written by the end of the year.
2011
The 2011 Prospect Guide was released prior to Spring Training, with information on every prospect in the Pirates' system. This came at a time when it was starting to become obvious that the Pirates were finally putting a real focus on investing in their farm system -- something which would continue in a big way when the Pirates broke the draft that summer by drafting and signing Josh Bell. Pirates Prospects reported live from Spring Training and all four affiliates. Tim Williams received the site's first MLB credential at PNC Park to cover Chase d'Arnaud's MLB debut that summer -- d'Arnaud was the first player interviewed for the site in Lynchburg in 2009. Pirates Prospects saw over three million page views in 2011, and with sales from the Prospect Guide, was becoming a full-time job for Williams, though it would become more...
2012 - 2014
JOINING THE BEAT
2012
Pirates Prospects became the first independent, new media outlet to receive full-season credentials from the Pirates in 2012. Kristy Robinson joined the site as the MLB beat writer in Pittsburgh. Pirates Prospects covered the entirety of Spring Training for the first time in 2012, and had live coverage from every affiliate throughout the farm system. Other Pirates Prospects contributors during the 2012 season included Matt Bandi, Tom Bragg, Kevin Creagh, Randy Linville, and Nancy Zinni, who provided reports from Indianapolis since 2010.
2013
At the start of 2013, Williams moved to Bradenton, Florida, where he would provide year-round coverage from the southern home of the Pirates. Meanwhile, James Santelli joined the site, pairing with Tom Bragg on the MLB beat, with Bragg returning for a second year as the West Virginia correspondent. The site was also joined that year by Nate Barnes and Jamey Conlin. The Pirates broke their 20-year losing streak in 2013, and Pirates Prospects was there to cover it every stage of the way. That summer, James Santelli wrote an article titled "Pirates’ Defensive Shifts: The Hidden Secret Behind Baseball’s Best Team", which won a SABR award for his reporting on what was helping the Pirates to their winning season. Pirates Prospects had full coverage of the playoffs, including coverage from Santelli and Williams in St. Louis during the NLDS.
Click to read the full article!
