4-9-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter
You know a great place to start when you’re about to step into an emotionally charged subject? The facts.
Not my perception of the facts, not someone else’s interpretation of the facts, just the stated and verifiable truths.
- According to Derek Shelton, David Bednar is not injured. He just said it today, so it would seem unlikely a phantom IL trip is in his future.
- David has two MiLB options.
- Bednar has blown 3 of 4 save opportunities in 2024.
Not a ton, but those are important to put at the top of our discussion. These aren’t emotion based or guesses, they’re very simply what have happened, and what we know.
The issue does not appear to be stuff. The ball is spinning, the velocity is there, the release point and finish isn’t. You’d worry a lot more about this long term or even for the rest of this year if either of those two things on the stuff spectrum were missing. Yes, yes, results absolutely matter, keep your pants on, I’ll get there.
The seemingly universal reason given for his struggles from the studio guys like Steven Brault and Michael McKenry, to Derek Shelton, to just about anyone with a microphone, is the complete missing of Spring Training because of his Lat injury, which again they claim is completely healed now.
The Pirates admittedly had options as Spring Training came to a close, they could send David to the IL or they could start the season with him on a scheduled as part of his rehab off day for opening day. They chose the latter.
Hindsight is 20/20 but if they had to do it over again, I bet they’d choose the former. I’d also bet that the injuries to Carmen Mlodzinski and Colin Holderman played a role in this decision. David’s IL stint could have only been retroactive a few days and I’d imagine that their thinking was a working back in David would be better than whatever the alternative would be.
Before we dismiss this entirely, it feels like we should time travel in our minds back to Opening Day and how nervous we were that the bullpen had taken so many injury hits. We’d lost Dauri Moreta for the season, feared Carmen might suffer the same fate and Colin Holderman suffered serious health issues when he contracted the flu in Florida. I’m sure the team had faith in guys like Ortiz, Contreras, Ryan, and Stratton, but, c’mon, it’s not been that long, that sounded shaky to you and I’m sure it wasn’t appealing to them.
So I can understand the thought process, but facts are facts, it hasn’t worked. And that’s going to force the team to get creative. If we’re honest, they’ve already been minimizing him so my guess is they aren’t seeing a lot to like in his side sessions and bullpens either.
I think we’ll see them avoid him for a couple days and work with him on the side, either pop him in a blowout (in either direction) or if they think he looks good enough believe it or not, they could go right back to him in a closing situation. I think where they are right now is, they need to see some things in practice before they see it in a big inning again.
Let’s say they don’t use him for 3-4 days, and they don’t like what they’re seeing on the side, then, then you might see an IL trip, retroactive to the 10th, but they won’t just contradict themselves like tomorrow.
We also know that Ryder Ryan was optioned after the game to AAA and the corresponding move will be announced Thursday. My guess is this is Colin Holderman coming off the IL so there will be another good option for the back end.
To me, that’s kind of the David Bednar on the field story, unfortunately it spawned some side stories and we should deal with them too.
The Booing
People immediately take a side on this stuff, and it’s both predictable and sad at the same time.
First, you have the “I Pay Good Money” people, most of which didn’t pay any money because they weren’t there.
Then you see the “If I screw up my job I don’t get to cry about getting yelled at” which is funny because I think you’d be hard pressed to find many jobs that aren’t so focused on coddling employees now that yelling at you actually happens, and even if I’m off base there, you don’t have 8,000 people over your shoulder while you feverishly click on your mouse trying to fix your mistake.
You’re both right, you can do whatever you like at a game, I just don’t really buy your reasoning like it’s some kind of tit for tat.
You see the “you can’t boo anyone who’s on your team” crowd, and while I agree with this as it applies to my own behavior, most of the time, this only serves to set up the first two dumb comments.
How about this one, “They weren’t booing him they were booing Shelton”. OK, maybe, but why did you start before he could by MLB rule remove him from the game? Had to face 3 guys remember? And it took three batters to tie the game. Thing is, I’m sure some of you really were booing Shelton, but that’s not how it comes across to those on the field, or on TV. I’d suggest starting a SHELLLLLLLLLLTTTTTOOOONNN chant or something, that way the 2 or 3 hundred of you who actually were jeering Shelton could separate yourselves from those booing the guy you drove to Market District to shake hands with 3 months ago. Oh, you were mad he left him in after the game was tied? Well, think back, that entire sequence from walk to hit by pitch to single and error happened in about 5 minutes. They could stall and get someone up, but probably not for the next hitter, who was also plunked. I guess what I’m saying is, if it was Shelton, at least admit you just thought David was a bad choice period.
Then Rowdy Tellez had some thoughts before David could even talk after the game.
In case you don’t feel like listening.
I love this. I love it because in every way Rowdy Tellez has become a leader on this team and my guess is knows a thing or two about having a fanbase eat out of your hand (2022 35 HR in Milwaukee) and then have them happy to hear you’ve been replaced and even jeer when you’re in the lineup while you’re dealing with an injury plagued season. Live comes at you fast, and the experience some of these veterans have can be invaluable if only because he can see and feel what David is going through right in that moment and doesn’t need asked to take some of the weight for him.
If you think Rowdy is ignorant that some of you will be more mad he said you shouldn’t boo than you will be at David’s performance today, you’re selling him short.
Yup, he hasn’t been here long, but just as you have a right to boo, he has a right to tell you he thinks its BS. Especially for this guy. A guy that everyone who signs here or has been here knows never denies a request from the team to represent them at an event.
Wave the terrible towel David. OK
Yell Lets Go Pens at PPG Beddy. Alright
Show up at 412 Food Pantry and distribute for a couple hours. Sure
Sign here, speak there, camp up here, season ticket holder that. For sure.
All the while being the most consistent player on the Pittsburgh Pirates from the time you first stepped on a mound until this unfortunate start to the season.
To me, he’s earned some understanding, and a bit of grace. You don’t have to believe he’ll be great here for the next five years or even this year, but man, don’t you think he’s laid enough track here to think he might just figure it out?
Look, do you, if there’s anything clear it’s that more than a few people who paid for tickets today decided booing was the way to go, so it’s not like you don’t have company here, but the Pirates fan in me really wishes it didn’t happen.
I didn’t like it for Austin Hedges (yes it was Shelton people, I remember, it was about using him not him), and I didn’t like it today. Clearly it’s not a homer thing with me, meaning I don’t think it sucks for David and it’s ok for Hedges. For me it’s just not a reputation I want our fan base to have.
To be clear, David didn’t say anything about the booing, Rowdy stole that thunder on the slight chance he would have, but you could see the hurt in his eyes listening to Tellez firmly lift up his teammate. Being traded home and then becoming a star here probably feels like a fairy tale every day, well, today some fans showed him the Brothers Grimm side of this one.
For probably the first time in his life he was booed in an MLB game and it was at home, in his hometown, in front of his people, by his people. Things you don’t think about in the moment, but players you hope will contribute significantly to your team’s cause probably aren’t all that motivated by such things.
Again, your right, but to me, nah, I’d rather us be better than that too Rowdy.
It may not be what I want the fan base to be, but I wasn’t there to stop it, and honestly, how does one stop it, should we shout OOB instead like the reverse will cancel it out? Bottom line, if you’re a person who doesn’t like booing, your only way to combat it is to show up and be louder than they are. You know, as if you’d clap or cheer while the meltdown is happening. It isn’t going away, even if we wish it would. Just like farting in church, one bad egg hurts the reputation of the entire pew.
Aroldis Chapman Should be the Closer
Before I start, many of you know I’m hardly a proponent of a “closer” to begin with, I like the matchup game with a collection of back end arms. So from the jump, I don’t really care about this. I’d be more than happy if nobody was a closer ever again.
As we sit here, Chapman is one of 3 left handed bullpen options. And more than anything, Chapman is as close as you can get in this game to a guaranteed strikeout when you need one.
I love how they’ve used Chapman, and if the 9th is a save situation over the next however long it takes to get David right happens, of course he’s a great choice. The guy is going to be a Hall of Famer for a reason.
Here’s the thing though, if they name him as such, then we don’t get him in a key situation like we saw on Monday night where he came in and struck out two batters to keep the Pirates lead right where it was. A base hit there and that game maybe starts heading back the other direction. That strikeout skill set was the only way out of that inning and he did it. That’s not a save, but I’ll be damned if it didn’t probably save the game.
So, I personally don’t care if it’s the 9th, I just want Chapman when they need him most. When the situation is most dire. If that’s closing a game, cool, if it’s in the 7th, I’m ok with that too.
Naming a guy though, man it just creates a crap storm of stupid and starts debates that don’t need to exist.
Closing
The main takeaway is David Bednar probably shouldn’t be in that mix for a while, and that of course is going to have Chapman taking on more of those opportunities, but I’d be shocked to see the team name him a closer, and frankly, after what you’ve watched since Bednar got here, I’m kinda shocked so many of you are ready to make it permanent right now.
I will say, relievers are volatile, it’s part of why Aroldis Chapman is so incredible in the first place, but you’re watching exactly why extending a closer is a difficult and often unwise decision.
Pittsburgh, you’ve waited a long time for a winning team, and you probably have one taking shape right in front of you.
Many of you spent the entire offseason definitively saying Rowdy Tellez, Marco Gonzales, Martin Perez and Bailey Falter would be disasters. You spent much of the offseason predicting doom behind the plate and a horribly disfigured bullpen that went form a strength to a weakness on the backs of a few injuries and now 12 games into a season where your team is 9-3 and yes, could be 10-2 pretty easy, you’ve decided, let’s be big mad cause the first major thing to go wrong has cropped up.
That’s not how I want to live my life or follow this team. I watched a lot of crappy baseball on the way here, and I’m going to enjoy it now. Criticism and second guessing goes with all that, but man, I’m just not trying to get into the DFA him screaming and the immediate dismissals of 3 years of performance.
Calm down, this too shall pass, and if it doesn’t, David will find a new role, here or elsewhere. Maybe, if we can muster the maturity to allow it, he’ll be back when his playing days are over with a big old Yinzer smile for you.
When he gets that big cheer at next year’s home opener while most of the other non starters are announced and tips his cap, yes, I’m that confident he’ll be back and important this year, the sad thing is, he’ll know exactly how much that’s worth, and how long it lasts before it evaporates.
He’ll probably never forget that actually.
You paid good money though.
Steel City Pirates 
Wow Gary, that was a lot to absorb. I enjoy your perspective and in short, I firmly believe we have the tools to be a contender. As far as Bednar goes, I think he’s just a hair off and given time, he will be just fine.
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