By Kevin Gorman
February 14, 2018
(Chris Horner/Tribune-Review)
BRADENTON, Fla. — Clint Hurdle declared a new era for the Pirates on Wednesday, promising to own the present and create a future that will include a World Series championship.
Seriously.
The Pirates manager maintains unbridled optimism — or, as he calls it, unwavering belief — despite the franchise dealing away its ace (Gerrit Cole) and face (Andrew McCutchen) last month.
"Yeah, there's always going to be churn in the game and turnover," Hurdle said. "Fortunate to have been here for seven years, know the organization, know the players, know the city, know the fan base, humble to be a part of it.
"The place is going to explode when we win it all. The place is going to explode. I still believe that. I look forward to the opportunity to stand and be a part of that."
That was Hurdle's motivation to return for an eighth season, and why he signed a four-year contract extension through 2022.
From the outside looking in, it seems like self-inflicted torture, one that requires not unwavering belief but rather the willing suspension of disbelief.
Hurdle must crazy, right?
But he has the sense of purpose and pedigree to tackle a major makeover: Hurdle led the Colorado Rockies from 67 wins in 2005 to the '07 World Series. He took over the Pirates following a 57-win season in 2010 and led them to postseason berths from 2013-15.
"I love my job," Hurdle said. "So, to stay and be able to be a small part of this thing, which I believe is going to move forward and we're going to push through it and we're going to win and we're going to head further than we did in the past.
"A world championship is why you tee this thing up every spring. And the belief in that clubhouse also excites me, and the belief in the conversations I had over the winter excites me. That's why I chose to stay."
Pirates veteran Sean Rodriguez called Hurdle "one of the key pieces of the foundation in bringing this organization to that winning atmosphere again," and believes his return was important because of his winning philosophy and the sense of continuity it creates.
"It would have been a pretty big blow if he would have gone, too," Rodriguez said. "The fact that we've still got the same captain pointing the ship in the direction we need to go definitely helps tremendously."
Hurdle still speaks with the confidence of the manager who averaged 93 wins over three seasons, not the one who followed it with 78- and 75-win seasons the past two years.
"When you come in here and talk about winning, you get more eye rolls than you do people that lock into you," he said. "It excites me. I know the organization, and I know the fan base. The fan base is real and it's significant. I love the opportunity our men have to play on the North Shore in front of that fan base in that ballpark, and to watch the men continue to grow."
So, Hurdle wants to stop talking about Cutch and Cole but instead Josh Harrison, Starling Marte, Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco and pitchers Jameson Taillon, Ivan Nova and Felipe Rivero.
"I get excited from their excitement. I pick up energy from their energy," Hurdle said. "My job is to walk in the door and be a thermostat, not a thermometer, to help establish the climate in the room and not just report on it."
If that sounds like a hard sell to fans who feel betrayed by ownership and the front office for trading Cutch and Cole, Hurdle knows the only thing he can do to convince them otherwise is win.
He's promising not just a competitive team or a playoff- caliber team but delivering the first World Series championship since 1979.
"Our fans need to feel what our fans need to feel. They're human beings, and they'll work through it in their own time and their own way," Hurdle said. "I honor our fans. I will tell them how excited I am to manage this club and the excitement in this room is real and the skill set is real and we're going to go out and do everything we can to represent the name on the front of the jersey to bring a World Series championship to the city of Pittsburgh. That's what I will tell them."
What Hurdle can't tell them is a delivery date, as the Pirates' present appears focused on the future.
Kevin Gorman is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at kgorman@tribweb.com or via Twitter @KGorman_Trib.
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