Meet our new writer, Ethan Swierczewski

I must say that writing for Bucs Dugout is sort of a dream come true for a kid like me, which many of you may find strange. Allow me to explain, and in the process, share a bit about myself.

I grew up (and I guess am still growing up) in the dark ages of Pirates baseball. I watched an era where my favorite Bucco was Jason Bay and was almost brought to tears the day he was traded. I threw a no-hitter with Zach Duke in a baseball video game once and truly believed he was capable of doing that on the field. I even convinced myself at one point that Ronny Paulino would break out as a star.

My Pirates obsession started young and is owed in its entirety to my father. He pushed me to learn about the team’s prospects, sparked a curiosity in analytics, and made sure I knew that Sid Bream and the Braves were the greatest villains in baseball history.

He instilled in me the love of the sport; I pitched for some 14 odd years and planned on continuing into college until a labrum tear (hey there Michael Pineda!) derailed me at the end of my high school career. So, I resorted to baseball coverage as opposed to playing.

Hailing from the Allegheny Valley, I’m a current senior at the University of Dayton, majoring in English and working for the school paper’s sports section. I’ve covered everything from baseball to basketball, volleyball and soccer and hope to continue my writing by covering the team I have loved for so long here at Bucs Dugout. I’ve actually been a member of the site for many years now and only recently began to comment under a former username. In the words of Don Rickles, now I’m big, and I’ll be getting on your nerves.

I hope to offer our readers a new perspective. As a young adult who’s never seen the Pirates sustain success or make a legitimate run to the World Series, my cynicism is not as established as those who have seen the team win in the past. My expectations are consistently low, but my optimism remains, especially with the return of every spring training and Neal Huntington’s projections the new prospects that arrive.

All in all, I hope to meaningfully contribute analyses that generate conversation, be they centered around statistics, season prognostications, roster spots and position battles, or the inevitable rebuild. As a self-proclaimed writer and a college student nearing the end of his tenure, covering the team I love on a weekly basis on the site I have enjoyed for so long is a dream come true. I’m just happy to be aboard.