Pirates’ Sports Medicine Team On-Call 24/7

Within the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization, there’s a fascinating team that tends to the players’ physical and mental well-being.

It’s pretty simple.

Manager Derek Shelton fills out the lineup card, his coaches work on specific parts of a player’s game, and, overall, those on the 26-man roster concentrate on winning as many ball games as possible to thrill Pirates’ fans.

Spring training finished up this past Monday, with the Pirates on the road in Fort Myers, playing the Minnesota Twins. This Thursday, MLB games count for real in the standings. Pittsburgh begins their 162-game schedule in Miami and runs through September 28th, with a road game against the Atlanta Braves.

Between March 27 and September 28, players will require some level of medical care. Naturally, the less will be best for the club’s overall performance on the field. But when injuries happen or ongoing monitoring or counseling is needed, the Pirates have the right people in place to make the right decisions.
The point person of the sports medicine team is Todd Tomczyk.

Tomczyk and the team members with whom he coordinates are well-educated and experienced in approaching any physical difficulties that may arise during the season, at any time of day or night.

When Tomczyk briefs media members with updates on players’ physical challenges, he does so with fact. Now in his 14th season with the Pirates, Tomczyk spent his first six seasons as the club’s head trainer. Eight seasons now as the Director of Sports Medicine, Tomczyk approaches his work with always having the players’ best interest at heart.

Armed with a staff that is of one mind to advance the club’s performance, from a medical, nutritional, and mental approach, the results of Tomczyk and his team to the average fan largely go unnoticed.

There are two well-educated and well-experienced trainers in the clubhouse and dugout for Pirates to utilize. Head Trainer Rafael Freitas, now in his fifth season with the club, has a bachelor’s degree in athletic training and a master’s degree in sports and fitness. He is also a certified strength and conditioning coach.
Tony Leo, the Pirates’ assistant athletic trainer, also in his fifth season, is well qualified to help with the healing process or work on preventing physical issues that may be of concern to any player. Like Freitas, from the classroom, Leo is well-educated in the science of sports medicine. He received a bachelor’s degree in sports management with an emphasis on athletic training. Considering his more than 25 years working in baseball as an athletic trainer, there is likely not a request that could arise that he couldn’t tend to.

From the trainers, Tomczyk also speaks highly of the club’s dietitian – Hillary Ake. With the coaching staff working on pitch counts and players’ swings, the club’s Major League dietitian is responsible for educating and counseling them when it comes to eating and drinking well.

The snacks and beverages placed in the Pirates’ dugout prior to a game or that are available in the clubhouse are done so after great thought. Fuel, refuel, and monitor. The best interest in a player’s health is always paramount.

Terence Brannic heads up the strength and conditioning staff for the Pirates. Before games, Brannic can be seen on the field putting the club through stretching and running drills. Brannic, too, is well educated and experienced in what he does to assure that the Pirates are in the best physical condition when the home plate umpire bellows - “Play Ball.”

Add to Tomczyk’s team a physical therapist, a director of sports performance, and massage therapist, it’s clear that the club is in good hands for gameday.

When injuries do happen, particularly when testing and surgeries are required, the Pirates are well covered. Dr. Patrick DeMeo heads the medical team, which includes orthopedics, pain medicine, and primary care.

Does a player need an MRI or CT? Where do these tests take place, and how fast can they be completed? What’s the player’s diagnosis and prognosis? There are many delicate and private directions to take in the overall well-being of a player. Getting the correct answers and knowing who to ask these questions to is a well-trained skill.

When Pirates’ center fielder Oneil Cruz was injured in a collision with a White Sox catcher in April 2023 and required immediate surgery to repair his left ankle and fibula, this is when the sports medicine team was at its best. Monitoring first-year Pirate Spencer Horwitz’s progress from having wrist surgery last month also falls under the sports medicine team’s scope.

Mild discomfort, to flat out pain, and all issues in-between, whatever the hour of day, Tomczyk and his team are at the ready.

Knowing where to go to get the proper answers in the quickest time from the most knowledgeable people is every bit as valuable to the Pirates as posting a win on the field. Keeping players healthy is a path that can know no shortcuts. As the 2025 season begins in less than one week, the Pirates are well prepared, from a medical standpoint and Shelton’s guidance, for the 162-game grind.