Pirates' Jake Mangum Names Favorite Thing About Pittsburgh
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates recently acquired an outfielder who can't get enough of his new city.
Jake Mangum joined the Pirates from the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team trade on Dec. 19. which saw the Pirates also land home run-hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe and left-handed relief pitcher Mason Montgomery, sending right-handed pitcher Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros, who then sent two top prospects to the Rays.
Mangum has only just begun his MLB career, but will turn 30 years old and has the veteran experience and outfield versatility the Pirates need for 2026.
Having to move cities is a tough part of a professional baseball player, but Mangum has taken it in stride and then some.
Jake Mangum Praises the City of Pittsburgh
Mangum hasn't ever visited Pittsburgh before, but he's got an idea of what the city is, who the fans are and what he should expect from it.
One of the things he loves the most is that all the professional teams share the same black and gold colors. This includes the Pirates, the Steelers (NFL), the Penguins (NHL) and even the soccer team in the Riverhounds, who just won a USL Championship.
"Well, for starters, I think my favorite thing about Pittsburgh before I get there is that every professional team has the same colors," Mangum said. "I think that is the freaking coolest thing ever. So the whole city can just wear black and yellow and just fit in at every single game. I think that's the best thing. I think every major city should do that. That’s something that immediately I was like, 'that's the coolest thing ever’"
Mangum is also just ecstatic to join the Pirates and be in Pittsburgh playing baseball, his life's passion. He thanked the fans for giving him a big welcome, plus noting how he'll need to become a 'Yinzer' and eat more sandwiches at Primanti's.
He also noted that the Pirates fans want a winner and while he can't promise any production level, he did promise effort and a desire for bringing winning baseball to Pittsburgh.
"...Next, I just wanted to say how excited I am to be with Pittsburgh," Mangum said. "This is what I do for a living. I love the game of baseball. I don't know what else I would do if I didn't play baseball. I would be in the game of baseball to some capacity. And my initial reaction was like, 'man, these fans really responded to this and wanted to make sure that I was welcomed, and kind of gave me tips around some things.' I can't say y'all anymore, I have to say yinz. So there's a dialogue I need to work on. There's a sandwich with french fries on it, and they all want a winner.
"They all want a team that makes the city proud. I can't promise I'm going to go in and hit .350 with a 900 OPS, but what I can promise is I'm going to do everything I possibly can to be the best version of myself and help the team win baseball games. From what I can see, the fans are really, really wanting that, and a big thank you to the Pirates for believing in me to help that cause.”
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.