Pirates Community Commitment Program rebounds in 2022

The Pirates have a long history of giving back to the community in meaningful ways -- decades upon decades worth. And back in 2008, Pittsburgh owner Bob Nutting’s desire to formally extend those efforts throughout the team’s Minor League system resulted in the launch of the Pirates Community Commitment Program (PCCP).

Since then, players throughout the Pirates’ farm system have put in more than 30,000 hours of community service. That’s despite the COVID pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the Minor League baseball season in 2020 and limited what could be done out in the community last year. The PCCP, however, returned in fine form in 2022.

“We were excited to get the guys back out into the community after two years of dealing with different COVID restrictions,” said Jacque Skowvron, executive director of Pirates Charities. “We looked at it as a nice year to ramp back up and get guys back in the habit of that part of being a Pirate. Part of what the players understand as they’re being developed through our system is that what they do off the field is very important, too. They know there’s an emphasis placed on that in the Pirates organization, from the top on down.”

As part of the program, every Minor League player must complete a minimum of 10 hours of community service in their respective affiliate's community each season. Of course, many of them go above and beyond what’s required and demonstrate dedication and leadership with community involvement.

Three players cited by the Pirates for their outstanding work in that regard this year were Jase Bowen, a 22-year-old outfielder, who spent four months with the Bradenton Marauders (Single-A) before being promoted to the Greensboro Grasshoppers (High-A) on Aug. 9; Brad Case, a 26-year-old pitcher, who was with the Altoona Curve (Double-A) for the majority of the season; and Jared Oliva, a 26-year-old outfielder, who spent the season with the Indianapolis Indians (Triple-A).

Oliva, Pittsburgh’s seventh-round pick in the 2017 Draft out of the University of Arizona, understands the importance of giving back to the community and the unique situation that players are in.

“When I first got to the Pirates organization, it was obvious that community involvement was a big staple, and I’ve always remembered that,” Oliva said. “This year, one event that stood out was the last couple weeks at Indy, when we had a kid named Michael come in from Make-A-Wish. He just wanted to be part of the team. That puts things in perspective.

“We get to play a game, and we sometimes take that for granted or it can get monotonous. Then Michael’s here, and his family has been battling different cancer diagnoses, and he’s such a young kid still. There are many families that face difficult battles on a day-to-day basis, and the young guys coming up through the organization need to realize that it’s really important for us to give back in any way that we can.”

John Baker, Pirates director of coaching and player development, is keenly aware the PCCP was established in the spirit of Roberto Clemente, the Hall of Fame outfielder who died 50 years ago on a mission to deliver relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

In fact, the former big league catcher was the Marlins’ nominee for Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award in 2010. Baker was always service-minded, and because he was injured for much of that year, he increased the amount of help that he provided to others. Among his efforts were assisting the homeless in the Miami area and traveling to Haiti -- again in the spirit of Clemente -- in the aftermath of an earthquake.

“Whether you work in baseball in Pittsburgh or other places, everybody thinks about Roberto Clemente and how powerful his story is,” Baker said. “It was tough in ’20 and ’21 not to have the opportunity to live out that part of the Pirates’ mission, to do good in the community and follow in Roberto’s footsteps. Not that anybody can ever fill those shoes, but it was great to get back to the spirit of what the Pirates want to do in the community as an organization this year.

“I spent seven years in the Minor Leagues and had wonderful experiences all over the country playing baseball. These cities give so much to the players on their journey to the Major Leagues, it’s easy for our players to respect and care about the community. It’s the same thing across the board. We all, throughout the organization, carry on that spirit.”