The Allegheny Pirates recently wrapped up their 14th season. Fred Albert, an associate scout with the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been at the helm for all 14 seasons. The Pirates were formed in the late 1980s when two fathers of players (Tom Walker, Neil’s father, and Don Rea) approached the Pittsburgh Pirates about sponsoring a fall team and then asked Fred Albert to manage the team. Fred had been coaching at North Allegheny High School and also coaching a summer and fall North Allegheny Palomino team. As Fred says, “When they left the following year I asked the Pirates to continue the team and here we are 15 years later”.
The name of the game for a prospect in baseball recruiting is to get noticed by college coaches. While there are lots of showcases and summer teams that do a pretty good job of providing opportunities for local prospects, the Pirates clearly are the proverbial 800 pound gorilla when it comes to local area fall teams. This year’s team played on eight weekends including travel to George Mason University, the University of Maryland, West Virginia, Penn State and Kent State where they competed against other high level fall teams and in front of plenty of college coaches and pro scouts.
The Pirates’ track record speaks for itself. Going into this year’s fall season, 220 former Allegheny Pirates had played college baseball, with 175 receiving Division 1 scholarships. In addition, 45 players have been drafted and 19 alumni are still active in professional baseball, including Neil Walker.
There were 13 seniors on this year’s fall roster and 10 have already signed with college teams:
· Justin Bianco, Peters Township Pitt
· Drew Bryan, Phillipsburg VMI
· Adam Dian, Vincentian Temple
· Cody Gaertner, North Allegheny Ohio University
· Brett Hoffman, Moon SE Louisiana
· Zac Laneve, Pine-Richland North Carolina
· John Leonard, Connellsville North Carolina State
· Chris Miller, Serra Akron
· Brice Nikithser, North Allegheny Ohio University
· Matt Rubino, Hopewell Pitt
The remaining three (Nick DiBartolomeo from Hickory, Matt Fraudin from Upper St Clair and GJ Senchak from New Castle) are also likely to end up at Division 1 schools when the spring signing period rolls around.
Playing for the Allegheny Pirates is by invitation only. While the large majority of players are from WPIAL schools, the roster also typically includes players from Central Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio.
Selecting players for the team is one of Mr. Albert’s major challenges. He is bombarded with recommendations from players, parents, coaches and scouts. There are no tryouts and the team is hand-picked by Albert in the spring and summer. As I can personally attest, Fred scouts possible players for his team and is a fixture at local games and showcases. The majority of his roster is made up of seniors and juniors, with a smattering of sophomores. Freshman players are rare but it does occasionally happen.
Fred’s second major challenge is distributing playing time. With 29 players on the roster, all of whom are used to being the star player, playing time is an issue. Playing time is split pretty evenly among the players and playing for the Pirates is such an honor that players don’t seem to mind the part-time duty.
There is no question that playing for the Pirates is both a great experience and a great way to get on the radar screen of college coaches and pro scouts. Daryl Hixenbaugh, Kiski Area’s head baseball coach and a scout with the Yankees told me, “Fred and the Allegheny Pirates have done a yeoman’s job in promoting local baseball players to college coaches and professional scouts over the years. As a professional scout and high school coach, all involved in promoting and scouting the baseball talent in Western Pennsylvania are indebted to him for his efforts.”
To learn more about the Allegheny Pirates visit their website at www.alleghenypirates.com.