Pittsburgh Pirates Grapefruit League: Rich Hill Set for Spring Debut

Saturday afternoon the Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to Clearwater to play the Philadelphia Phillies as veteran lefty Rich Hill makes his Grapefruit League debut

After tying to Baltimore Orioles 1-1 in Sarasota on Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates will travel to Clearwater on Saturday afternoon to battle the Philadelphia Phillies. When the 1-4-2 Pirates take the field, they will be led by veteran starting pitcher Rich Hill.

Hill, who will turn 43 next week, joined the Pittsburgh Pirates on a one-yea, $8 million deal in free agency. Saturday afternoon will be his first start of the spring, marking the veteran lefty's first appearance in a Pirate uniform.

Despite his age Hill is still an above average starting pitcher. In 26 starts with the Boston Red Sox last season Hill pitched 124.1 innings, posting a 4.27 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 7.0% walk rate, 20.7% strikout rate, and he allowed 15 home runs (1.09 HR/9).

While this will be the first time that Hill takes the ball for the Pittsburgh Pirates his impact on the team has already been felt. Throughout the spring Hill has been seen working closely with young Pirate pitchers, helping them with pitching grips and working through how to pitch during at-bats. These types of interactions alone will make Hill invaluable for the 2023 Pirates.

The Pirate lineup on Saturday is one that will not have very many regulars. Ke'Bryan Hayes will stat at third base and bat second, while Ji Man Choi will be at first base and batting third. Connor Joe, who will likely make the Opening Day roster, will bat clean up and DH. The rest of Saturday's lineup can be seen below.

First pitch from BayCare Ballpark is scheduled for 1:05 PM ET. You can listen to the game on the Pirate Radio Network, and watch/listen to the game on MLB.tv this afternoon as well.