Alex Stumpf

On Friday, the Pirates made what was probably the most aggressive, win-now trade of the Ben Cherington era, sending Mike Burrows to Houston in exchange for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum and Mason Montgomery from the Rays. The trade scratched a couple itches. There was a desire to add a big

When you look at the top of the Pirates’ prospect rankings, what stands out the most is how close many of these players are to being contributors in Pittsburgh in 2026. Their top prospect Konnor Griffin will have a chance to break camp with the team or at least debut

Brandon Lowe has spent most of the home games in his career under the Tropicana Field roof. It’s practical for the Tampa weather, but it pales in comparison to the view of the Pittsburgh skyline PNC Park boasts. His new home ballpark also offers a shorter right field porch, an

Jake Mangum may have debuted in the Majors last year, but his statistical claim to fame is from the collegiate ranks, holding the all-time SEC hit record. Mangum loved his time at Mississippi State and didn’t want to leave, but he can now joke: “That record just means I stayed

The increasing complexity of marine operations has intensified the need for intelligent robotic systems to support ocean observation, exploration, and resource management. Underwater swarm robotics offers a promising framework that extends the capabilities of individual autonomous platforms through collective coordination. Inspired by natural systems, such as fish schools and insect colonies, bio-inspired swarm approaches enable distributed decision-making, adaptability, and resilience under challenging marine conditions. Yet research in this field remains fragmented, with limited integration across algorithmic, communication, and hardware design perspectives. This review synthesises bio-inspired coordination mechanisms, communication strategies, and system design considerations for underwater swarm robotics. It examines key marine-specific algorithms, including the Artificial Fish Swarm Algorithm, Whale Optimisation Algorithm, Coral Reef Optimisation, and Marine Predators Algorithm, highlighting their applications in formation control, task allocation, and environmental interaction. The review also analyses communication constraints unique to the underwater domain and emerging acoustic, optical, and hybrid solutions that support cooperative operation. Additionally, it examines hardware and system design advances that enhance system efficiency and scalability. A multi-dimensional classification framework evaluates existing approaches across communication dependency, environmental adaptability, energy efficiency, and swarm scalability. Through this integrated analysis, the review unifies bio-inspired coordination algorithms, communication modalities, and system design approaches. It also identifies converging trends, key challenges, and future research directions for real-world deployment of underwater swarm systems.

PITTSBURGH -- Expectations were high for Oneil Cruz in 2025. Positioned at the heart of the lineup, there were hopes he could take another step after a 20-20 campaign in 2024, especially since he was another year removed from his 2023 ankle injury.

Mason Montgomery’s first velocity spike came the traditional way. A Minor League starter since 2021 with the Rays, Tampa Bay moved him to the bullpen during the 2024 season while at Triple-A Durham, when his four-seam fastball was sitting at 91-92 mph just a year prior. It jumped to over

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On Thursday, the Pirates formally introduced Ryan O’Hearn – their first multiyear free-agent signing since 2016 and the proud new owner of the largest free-agent contract for a position player in franchise history. It has been a busier offseason for the Pirates, one that has included adding 2025 All-Star Brandon

You only get one chance to make a first impression. We often look at players through the lens of a career or a particular season, but for countless kids, scholastic players or Minor Leaguers, that Major League debut is still that first dream. Over 20,000 players have appeared in a