Why a leaner Crowe is hungry for new season with Bucs

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Wil Crowe is hungry.

It wasn’t the offseason regime that saw Crowe up his cardio, monitor his diet and shave off 25 pounds -- although he said that’s done wonders for his energy levels. It’s the fact that when the 26-year-old looks around the Pirates’ clubhouse, he sees potential down every row of lockers.

That makes Crowe eager for the season ahead and ready to do his part to help the team continue to move toward contention.

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“Our core is very solid,” Crowe said. “And then when you add a Rich Hill, and you add an Andrew McCutchen, and you add a Ji-Man Choi, and you add a Carlos Santana, and you add some guys who have some time and pedigree and volume and some voice, it helps bring out the best in everyone, I think.

“No matter what anyone says, we know what we can do, and we know what we’re capable of, and we know that the last two years, we were in a different mode, and we’re no longer in that mode. And that’s from the top all the way down."

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Crowe did his part to contribute to the core by strengthening his own. This offseason, he changed his workout routine to focus on things like explosiveness and cardio. He logged countless hours of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), a type of exercise that helps to decrease body fat while increasing strength and endurance.

Crowe also became more mindful of what he ate, an area he said he slacked on a bit last year, and something he said fed into his “breaking down” toward the end of the season. Crowe’s numbers reflect his battle: The reliever posted a 3.31 ERA in the first half and a 6.66 ERA in the second, and opposing hitters slashed .202/.298/.271 against him before the All-Star break vs. .297/.388/.515 afterward.

It was an experience Crowe cares not to repeat, so the righty remained focused throughout the winter. While there might physically be less of Crowe this spring, his appetite for success has only grown.

“He invested in himself, [and] that’s what you want to see from your guys,” Pirates pitching coach Oscar Marin said. “He knew exactly what happened throughout the year. To be able to do that, invest in himself and get him to the point where he was really, really good, that’s what he looks like [now].”

It’s not just the numbers that Crowe’s looking to boost. The 2023 season will mark just his third with the Bucs, but in that time, he’s also established himself as a “glue guy,” taking a lot of pride in being both approachable and available in the young clubhouse. It’s a trait that won’t show up in a stat line, but it's one that goes a long way toward team chemistry and culture, something manager Derek Shelton has preached early and often as a key to Pittsburgh’s success moving forward.

“He’s a gregarious guy,” Shelton added. “He likes to interact with people, so I think the more that he gets time, the respect will come with that.”

Though he’ll have a leg up on the competition due to his experience, performance and even the aforementioned intangibles, Crowe is right in the thick of a deep bullpen competition this spring, with about a dozen guys competing for eight spots.

That in itself, Crowe said, is a sign that times are a-changing in Pittsburgh. He relishes being a part of it all.

“The last few years, we were in a different mode, and now, we're no longer,” Crowe said. “… If some of the young guys keep making those steps and some of the old guys come in and show us, like, ‘Hey, this is how we can do it,’ it's like the perfect storm.

“And on the other side of it, I think just the group collectively is ready, and everyone is hungry for it. And I think you can't take that away from the team. You know they're hungry, and they want it bad enough.