Pittsburg, PA
Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects 2023 Recap: Justin Meis Benefits From Move to the Bullpen
With the first pick in the 10th round of the 2021 MLB Draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected a local product. With this pick, the Pirates selected right-handed pitcher Justin Meis. Meis was drafted out of Eastern Michigan University and is a product of Bethel Park High School.
Meis spent the entire 2023 season with the Double-A Altoona Curve. This was the first time in his professional career that Meis reached the Double-A level. On the surface, it appeared that things did not go well for Meis. However, it was a tale of two seasons.
With the Curve, Meis pitched in 29 games with 10 being starts. Across these 29 games Meis pitched 83.0 innings, posting a 4.55 ERA and a 5.34 FIP. He walked batters at a 12.7% clip, struck out 20.9% of opposing batters, and allowed 13 home runs (1.41 HR/9).
Meis started for the Curve in his first 6 appearances of the season. After posting a 6.86 ERA and a 5.70 FIP in these 6 starts, Meis moved to a relief role with the Curve. This was a move that would benefit Meis.
Meis pitched 62.0 innings in his final 23 appearances of the season, with only 4 of these 23 appearances being starts. In these 62.0 innings pitched Meis posted a 3.77 ERA, 12.3% walk rate, and a 23.0% strikeout rate. He allowed 10 home runs (1.45 HR/9) and limited opposing batters to a .216 batting average.
In the 4 starts Meis made after coming out of the rotation, he pitched 4 innings twice, 3.0 innings once, and 3.1 innings once. So, Meis was not being used as a true starter but instead as an opener/piggyback arm.
The success Meis found after moving out of a full-time starting pitcher role makes it clear where his long-term home should be. Moving forward, Meis should be pitching in relief in the Pirate farm system. If he starts, it should only be as an opener/piggyback arm.
When the 2024 season begins Meis will likely be back with Double-A Altoona. This time, however, it should be in a relief role. If Meis pitches well, the 24-year-old should then find himself in the bullpen at Triple-A Indianapolis before the season ends. He could then put himself in a position to enter the 2025 season close to he majors.
Next. bounce back SP prospects. 3 Pitching Prospects Looking to Bounce Back. dark
The 24-year-old Skenes joins Rip
Noah Kahan is appropriating Will Toledo’s culture. The viral folk star’s eventful Great Divide tour happened to stop by Pittsburgh last night while the furry convention was in town, and he was for some reason very excited about that, welcoming the furries and even trying on the head of an audience member’s furry costume.
“Pittsburgh: if you are caught between attending the worlds largest furry convention or my show tonight then please know you are welcome to combine the two,” Kahan wrote on X before the show. Responding to a poster who asked what his fursona would be, he posted “Squid man.”
“Furries are welcome. All the animal kingdom is welcome tonight,” Kahan then said onstage at PNC Park. “I don’t see any so far but I will be looking and asking a lot of questions after the show.” At the prop payphone booth that’s been a part of his show setup, he took a phone call from the “National Center For Furry Awareness” and learned furries do not necessarily have sex in their suits.
“The National Center For Furry Awareness? Oh, they don’t have sex… not necessarily? Okay, well that’s good to know.”
“If there are any furries in the crowd, say, ‘Hell yeah,’” he added to a mostly furryless crowd. Watch below.
Ohio black bears
A third sighting of 2026 confirms black bears are back for good in Ohio.
If you see a black bear near Pittsburgh, give it space, and don’t let your pet bother it.
That’s the advice Allegheny County’s parks department gave locals after a bear was spotted in a lake north of Pittsburgh, with the department issuing a warning in partnership with Allegheny County Police Department on June 16.
Here’s what to know about the bear sighting and bears around the Pittsburgh area.
When, where was black bear spotted near Pittsburgh?
A black bear was spotted in North Park Lake in McCandless Township in Allegheny County just north of Pittsburgh.
Allegheny County Parks didn’t say when the bear was seen, but they posted about the sighting on Facebook on June 16, saying the Pennsylvania Game Commission had been notified and was monitoring the situation.
What should you do if you spot a black bear in Pittsburgh area?
After a black bear was spotted in North Park Lake, Allegheny County Parks and Allegheny County Police Department put out a joint statement warning residents not to bother bears.
If you see a bear, you should use caution and give it “plenty of space,” according to the county parks department. Don’t approach it, and don’t try to interact with it. If you have a pet with you, keep them controlled on a leash.
“The best thing you can do is view wildlife from a safe distance and allow it to move through the area undisturbed,” the parks department said.
The state also bans residents from feeding bears.
How common are black bears in Pittsburgh area?
Bears inhabit forested areas across more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania, though they’ve been spotted in every county, according to the state game commission. The bears seen in large urban centers and agricultural areas, like the southeastern corners of the state and parts of the western border, are generally transient, as those areas don’t have enough woods to create a good habitat.
The population of bears statewide is estimated to be about 19,000 and is managed through regulated hunting to reduce the risk of more frequent human-bear conflicts. Hunters harvested 2,873 black bears in 2026, with Tioga County reporting the most harvests. Allegheny did not rank among the counties with the top 10 most bears harvested.
Black bears are also not uncommon across the border in Ohio. The state set a record with more than 500 sightings in 2025, according to a report from the Ohio Department of National Resources, with the department finding “consistent evidence” that female black bears live in the northeast corner of the state.
Finch Walker is the Pittsburgh Connect Reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Walker at FWalker@usatodayco.com. Instagram: @finchwalker_. X: @_finchwalker.
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