6-5-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter
Let’s start where the hubbub began.
“We think we’re better than we were at this point last year,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan recently. “Whatever the record is, whatever the standings were, we think we’re a deeper team, we think will continue to get better over the course of 2024.” – Ben Cherington
I heard him say this and I had to agree. The Pirates finished 2023 strong, but I can’t sit here and tell you I expected one win that wasn’t started by Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo. This year I kinda think about the fifth spot in the rotation a bit, but feeling like 4 out of 5 games you at least have a comparable pitcher going if not the far superior, it’s hard for me to not feel like the team is better.
That’s how I took it. I thought so little about it that I didn’t even consider it could be taken any other way. I mean, it was that objectively true a statement to me.
I then jumped on social media later in the evening and saw somehow I was the only one who didn’t take this as a direct comparison to this exact point in the 2024 season to this exact point, and their record in 2023.
Man, I didn’t take it that way at all, but then again, it’s not like I panicked and tried to pull back my pre-season prediction of 84 wins either. I really think that’s kinda all that’s being said here, we think this is going to be a better team in 2024, but most people stopped listening after “We think we’re better than we were at this point last year,” and I guess I get that, because objectively, that’s not a true statement.
The context of the remaining statement clarify that, but I suppose I could see why you might be yelling rather than listening to the rest of what he had to say.
I’ll put it this way.
I think they have fewer gaping holes than they did in 2023 at any point right now. Not places there could upgrade, that’s a different conversation, I’m talking straight up missing holes that they simply have no answer for.
I think their starting pitching is among the top 10 in all of baseball, top 5 if they manage to have someone cement the 5th spot, even if it’s a healthy Perez. I’d say 5 right now if I was more confident this group will have enough innings to give to 2024.
The bullpen has been much leakier and if these guys don’t start to find their groove they’ll have no choice but to add.
They must get more lefty production and power. That could be Jack Suwinski, Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds, hey, they quietly keep Canaan Smith-Njigba on their 40-man, who knows. I won’t even suggest Tellez, I’m sure the team would. They need it, and if they don’t get it from any of, or maybe even two of these, they better go get it.
Honestly though, record aside, which most of you called a mirage start anyway in 2023, yeah, I see it as a better baseball team. I go into far more ballgames feeling like they have a good chance to win than I did in 2023.
In fact, as I talk this out, I probably come out of it feeling like they’re largely underachieving as a unit.
That of course points to coaching.
And when your GM publicly says things like this, best believe he’s laying out the same expectations I just did. Guess who he’ll point to if they don’t get there?
The more quotes I hear, the more it becomes clear to me anyway Ben Cherington believes he’s provided enough talent to be in the conversation for a Wild Card in 2024, and more than that, he expects his players and coaching staff to deliver it.
If they do, I’ll point this back at him. If they manage to have themselves in this thing as we approach the deadline, he owes it to them to provide some extra oomph.
Right now, I agree with him. But if this team proves him right and he does nothing to support them to ensure it’s more than just a chance, the underachiever won’t wear a uniform, it’ll wear a Pirates security lanyard.
Steel City Pirates 