Hump Day Pirates Q&A

7-26-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Good questions as always everyone. Lots of frustration out there as we all should feel at times, appreciate the thoughtful questions that see through it.

Question 1

Correct me if I’m wrong and explain why, but is it not the goal of a team to win games? Providing innings is half the battle. If Hill is traded wins will be a challenge. If he’s not, wins for this ball club will continue to be elusive. I get the bullpen will be taxed. But does it matter? At this juncture of the season? Where the team currently stands? After Priester’s last start it looks like he has the “stuff” to be that innings eater Pirates need should Cherington trade Hill. – Teddy BagODonuts

First, there isn’t a “wrong” here, it’s opinion. The Pirates are 11.5 games back in the division, unless they go on another 20-8 run, we’re talking more about how much they improve over 2022 as opposed to making a playoff spot.

Innings and who gives them especially when you’re at a point where it truly isn’t about winning a playoff berth anymore changes. To use your example, Quinn Priester could and probably will give them plenty of innings, but he’s already here, so it’s kind of silly to believe he’s replacing someone who also is currently here.

Jared Jones is looking good, but do you really want to start his clock this year? And that in and of itself isn’t entirely genuine. His stuff plays, but is he “ready”? Maybe.

All I can really say here is, if I don’t think they’ll get much in return for Hill (I don’t), I’d rather just abuse him and not have to force anything.

Question 2

What’s his [Jared Jones] upside long term in your opinion? Front of the rotation potential possibly? – KalebL

His stuff is truly elite Kaleb, but he is still improving. I honestly think he has the arm, makeup, pedigree and stuff to over time become a top of the rotation guy. Now, this is going to sound weird, but maybe not on this team.

No, I don’t mean they’re going to trade him, I mean on a team that could have Skenes and Keller headlining, Jones will at least early on slot in more toward the middle.

Question 3

Ideally what would you like to find out from all of these young Bucs that are getting called before the season ends? -JGOR492

For most of them John, I just want them to get all the ‘welcome to the league rook’ crap out of their systems. On the mound, just keep progressing, keep seeing new situations, learning how the stuff plays, how it doesn’t, and be prepared to make offseason adjustments and tweaks.

The position players, really I’d just like to see them just continue to get acclimated. I’d prefer that happen with a new hitting coach, but since there’s nothing they can do about that, I’ll settle for seeing them see the ball and make good progress toward being seen as an incumbent as opposed to and endless deli counter taking numbers one after the other.

In other words, I want guys to grab positions and hold them.

Question 4

Do you think Cruz moves off of SS in the near future with the other options they have currently playing the position? – David Wald

Let’s take his health out of the equation, none of us can know what effect that has. If it’s just normal Oneil Cruz, I think the only player I’ve seen truly look the part is Peguero. He has an exciting bat, but I’m not sure he can compete with Cruz for impact.

They have options as you said, but I’m not sure they have any that rise to the level of what I, and many others feel Cruz ultimately can reach.

ALL that being said, it’s hard for me to fathom he stays at SS through his entire career. That’s an awful lot of body and as he bulks, I think he’ll slow a bit, at least the twitchy speed that is needed to field a middle of the diamond spot.

Question 5

What if… Oneil Cruz had never broken his ankle? Where would the team be in the standings? Who might still be in the minors? What would his stats be? – Brian Croasman

Liover Peguero is fairly obvious, but going even farther back, I wonder what that would have done to Castro, who probably should have never been asked to try and play the position. Marcano may have spent more time in AAA.

As to the record, probably a bit better, maybe 5-7 games, but not just because of him, more because of what he would have done to the rest of the lineup. Hard to say on stats, that’s part of what was so exciting about 2023, we were finally going to see what a full season could bring. Would the league figure out the code for just avoiding his bat? Maybe.

Question 6

Who do you think is the long term guy for 1B? I love Santana and Choi, but Santana seems more likely to be a deadline piece and while Choi can be a good fit, his recent injury has me worried. Do you think we flip someone internal to 1st or try and grab someone in the offseason? – JWELDON19

Santana and Choi aren’t likely answers for next year. Neither are under team control. I have doubts Santana will even play another year, let alone here.

Truth be told, I don’t think we have anyone I’m ready to label as 1B, and certainly not “long term”. They have plenty who can play there, but I’m not sure that’s the best use of their talents. Triolo, Endy, Joe, and they could probably decide to teach Davis to play there if they so chose. My answer here is probably both. I think they bring one in, and I think they move a bat they like over there too.

Question 7

What is happening with Shim hasn’t pitched in a month and no news has been posted. – MZlylinski

He had an ankle concern early on before making his debut. Considering he went 4 in his first start and 1.1 in the next it stands to reason something happened. That said, the FCL, his current league has no obligation to report injury detail, but it sounds like he was pulled from that game after trainers visited the mound and it would appear to be some sort of pec concern. I’d imagine not severe or he’d be on the IL.

Question 8

In a season now defined by needing to see young players develop at the big league level why not have Suwinski take as many at bats as possible against left handed pitching? Does situational hitting even get taught in this system? – Robert Hagelin Jr.

The only “situation” taught is to work counts. Now, Jack, all I can say is much like Castro earlier in the year, there was a period of time where they ignored all splits and just had them try it out.

For Jack, I think eventually it became worth it, he learned to spit on a whole bunch of pitches and drew a ton of walks.

I agree with you, I’d just play him right now and see what he can do, but they could very well have identified something they have in the lab they think could help him do better than just be pesky against lefties, and they may not be ready to have him test it in games.

Just a guess, it could just as easily be that they simply didn’t see him hitting or even threatening to hit a guy like Snell.

I don’t believe the plan moving forward is to make Jack a platoon player though, maybe just not a guy who starts against Kershaw, Snell, or pick your left handed poison.

Question 9

The young kids have shown up ready to swing when they step to the plate. Strikeouts are down to single digits on a nightly basis. Are we seeing a change in philosophy, some accountability on the hitting side or is it simply better talent? – Voice From the Graves

Well, as I mentioned on the Pirates Fan Forum this week, I’m hearing some players are requesting their own help from outside, that usually doesn’t bode well for the internal options.

For one thing Graves, a bunch of these kids kinda had the reputation of being free swinging, and thankfully, they haven’t beaten it out of them.

I’m also sure it’s at least partially better talent, for instance, Henry Davis I don’t believe is a guy who is ever going to have a hitting coach adversely effect him, he simply knows what he wants to do up there already, and it’s hard to say it’s not effective.

Change of philosophy, no, I’m afraid not. The organizational philosophy (as we’ll see again in the next question) is to work counts, get the starter out of the game at all costs. Far too often that leads to a smart starter attacking the zone, dispatching of guys quickly and handing it to a bullpen late enough that the plan has entirely backfired.

I don’t believe that philosophy to be trademarked by Andy Haines. Until it changes though, this offense will always have a faux cap on their ceiling.

I’d also suggest, when they face strikeout pitchers, they’re still striking out a ton. What their philosophy does is create strikeout pitchers out of pitch to contact guys.

Question 10

Why do the Bucs force the “organizational philosophy” for all? It seems more logical that players would be coached according to their strengths. – Kevin Conforti

This is oversimplified, but still largely true.

I think it’s fair to say all MLB teams have some overriding philosophies they like to instill on their players. For the Yankees, it’s swing big, swing often, and swing only at what you think you can pound. It’s the classic walk, walk, dinger philosophy. For the Cardinals it’s literally, stay ready, stay in shape, stay hungry.

When this is discussed for the Pirates, it tends to be about the hitting, but they have it for the pitchers too.

It’s not always bad. Ray Miller, the former Pirates pitching coach famously said “work fast, throw strikes and change speeds” and that worked quite well, even if they had some pitchers who simply weren’t capable of that sort of thing.

I could argue Oscar Marin is more like, and this is my interpretation, Throw strikes, trust your stuff, tunnel your pitch mix.

At the plate, it’s really simple. They have one main goal, get the opposing starter out of the game. What they preach to get that done in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but the success is so tied to how well that pitcher does, or more accurately how well they control their pitches it takes the power to impact the game away from the bats collectively.

They aren’t teaching Ji-Hwan Bae to hit just like Jack Suwinski. They’re teaching both of them to approach the at bat the same way in so far as trying to have a long at bat, but they aren’t trying to get Bae to hammer a down and in slider 455 feet.

What this philosophy does when applied equally is put almost every batter in the same situation. Standing there with 2 strikes on them, forced to hit what’s pitched. It simply doesn’t work for everyone.

Again, if you asked them, no they don’t teach all these hitters to do the same things, but the situation that their overall approach creates puts hitters in a place where they’re fighting for their lives more often than looking for that pitch they want to hammer.