Hill ready to share 18 years of experience with young Bucs

PITTSBURGH -- When Rich Hill was younger and only beginning to find his footing in the Majors, he had a ton of support from a very experienced group of Cubs like Greg Maddux, Ryan Dempster, Glendon Rusch and more.

“There weren’t too many guys who had under 10 years [of service time],” Hill said.

That learning period for Hill began when he reached the Majors in 2005. Now 43, the left-hander is the veteran of all veterans, poised to be the oldest player on an Opening Day roster, and he’s excited to share his 18 years of experience with a young Pirates team.

Pittsburgh has endured four consecutive seasons below .500 and had 100 or more losses in each of the past two seasons. Many times when veteran pitchers sign a deal with a team in this situation, it’s for an opportunity to revitalize their career. But Hill doesn’t need much of a kick start.

Hill has produced a 3.92 ERA over the past three seasons while making 65 starts and one relief appearance. He owns a 3.85 ERA for his career. Hill said he had offers from multiple teams for one-year deals, but he chose the Pirates because he wants to provide the experienced starting pitching the club needs right now and the veteran influence to make a difference in turning around the team’s results in the coming seasons.

“That type of challenge is something that I’ve been looking forward to,” Hill said. “I believe there are a lot of positive things that are happening here and [the Pirates are] moving in the right direction for this season, to becoming a winning team again.”

Hill’s leadership approach is in part teaching by example, but he also wants to instill a good mindset in the Pirates’ starting staff, such as being resilient in the face of adversity and positioning oneself to be ready on the fifth day through intentional work the other four days.

Hill hopes that by giving his best every day, he can inspire others to do the same. Working to be at his sharpest while working to help the younger pitchers be their sharpest goes hand in hand.

“From my perspective, and what I see with any player -- young or old, accomplished [with] a trophy case full of trophies or just guys who are making it through the league -- is getting the most out of their career, I think that’s the biggest thing that everybody can respect,” Hill said. “If you come with that type of perspective and you come in with that mindset, and we’re all on the same ship to be able to move in the right direction, that’s good for everybody.”

As far as metaphorical ships, Hill has been on a lot of them; the Pirates are his 12th organization. Over the course of this journey, he’s learned a lot from others, but he’s also learned to listen to his body, which has been key to his success in his 40s and why teams keep seeking him out.

“As I'm getting older, and this has happened probably since I've been 39, I'm realizing those days [when I don’t have it] and saying, ‘OK, this might be a day just to tone things back a little bit,’” Hill said. “That doesn't mean you don't get work in and you don't put in the time and the effort, but you do it with a little bit more understanding of what a few days from today is going to [be like].”

And the 43-year-old has no intentions of slowing down. As long as Hill remains healthy and keeps retiring batters with his tumbling curveball and pinpoint fastball, he’s going to continue pitching. When his chapter eventually comes to a close in Pittsburgh, he doesn’t know what the future will hold, but he knows he’ll be eager to hold a baseball for some team, ready to give it his all.

“I love it. It’s something that I feel like the intensity and the competitiveness when you get out there to go and play it, it’s tough to match anywhere else,” Hill said. “I know there will be an end to this and understanding that the window of opportunity does close for everybody who puts on a uniform, but that hasn’t come yet. So I’ll continue to keep going."