7-14-25 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X
Lets Go!
1. Day One of the Draft
The Pittsburgh Pirates made four selections on Day One of the 2025 MLB Draft, focusing on a mix of high-upside pitching talent and promising college bats. Here’s a quick breakdown of their picks:
Round 1, Pick 6: RHP Seth Hernandez (California H.S.)
- Grade: A
- Hernandez, the reigning National Gatorade Player of the Year, is widely regarded as one of the best high school pitching prospects in recent memory. He boasts at least three plus pitches and a polished delivery for his age. With elite athleticism and a high ceiling, he projects as a potential top-of-the-rotation starter. The pick carries some risk, as with any prep pitcher, but the upside is immense 1.
Round 2, Pick 50: RHP Angel Cervantes (California H.S.)
- Grade: B+
- Another high school righty from California, Cervantes features a strong pitch mix highlighted by a standout changeup. Though younger and more raw than Hernandez, his projectability and potential for added velocity make him an intriguing developmental arm. He’s seen as a long-term investment with considerable upside 1.
Comp Round B, Pick 73: 3B Murf Gray (Fresno State)
- Grade: B-
- Gray brings serious power potential, having slugged 18 home runs with a .639 SLG in his junior year. At 6’4″, 230 lbs, he’s a physical presence, but questions remain about his speed and defensive fit. This pick may have been a slight reach, possibly to save bonus pool money for other signings 1.
Round 3, Pick 82: C Easton Carmichael (Oklahoma)
A steady, well-rounded catcher, Carmichael impressed in the SEC and the Cape Cod League. While he may not have standout tools, his athleticism, defensive skills, and consistent performance give him a high floor. He’s a safer pick compared to the earlier high-risk arms.
Grade: B+
So, listen, here’s the thing. I think the feelings about this GM are interfering with your ability to see the good here. Seth was the top talent on the board, and man, you just have to take it when it’s there. This team has done very well at developing pitching, and this guy is a player I think fits what they like to do and coach well. It’s a good pick, even if the guy who gave the final thumbs up isn’t the person you wanted to be in charge.
2. Paul Skenes Starts All Star Game…Again
Paul Skenes has etched his name into MLB history by becoming the first pitcher ever to start the All-Star Game in each of his first two seasons in the majors
1. This remarkable feat underscores not only his elite talent but also his immediate impact on the league since debuting with the Pittsburgh Pirates in May 2024.
Historic Context
- In 2024, Skenes became the first rookie pitcher to start the All-Star Game since Hideo Nomo in 1995.
- In 2025, he repeated the honor, making him the only pitcher in MLB history to start the Midsummer Classic in both his rookie and sophomore seasons.
- He joins an elite group of just five players to start All-Star Games in each of their first two seasons, alongside:
- Joe DiMaggio (7 straight starts, 1936–42)
- Ichiro Suzuki (4 straight, 2001–04)
- Rod Carew (3 straight, 1967–69)
- Frank Robinson (2 straight, 1956–57)
Performance Highlights
Despite a 4–8 record in 2025, Skenes has been dominant:
- ERA: 2.01 (lowest in MLB)
- WHIP: 0.93 (tied for 5th)
- Opposing BA: .189 (4th)
- Strikeouts: 131 in 121 innings
His win-loss record is misleading, as the Pirates have provided four or fewer runs of support in 16 of his 20 starts
Pirates Franchise Legacy
Skenes is one of just five Pirates pitchers to start an All-Star Game, joining:
- Bob Friend (1956, 1960)
- Jerry Reuss (1975)
- Dock Ellis (1971)
- Rip Sewell (1943, 1944, 1946)
He’s also the first Pirates pitcher to earn back-to-back All-Star selections since reliever David Bednar (2022–23).
3. Historical Lack of Power
Since the year 2000, eight different Pittsburgh Pirates players have hit 30 or more home runs in a single season. Here’s a breakdown of those players and their respective seasons:
Pirates Players with 30+ HR Seasons Since 2000
| Player | Home Runs | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Brian Giles | 35 | 2000 |
| Brian Giles | 37 | 2001 |
| Aramis Ramírez | 34 | 2001 |
| Brian Giles | 38 | 2002 |
| Jason Bay | 32 | 2005 |
| Jason Bay | 35 | 2006 |
| Pedro Alvarez | 36 | 2013 |
| Andrew McCutchen | 31 | 2012 |
| Josh Bell | 37 | 2019 |
Some players, like Brian Giles and Jason Bay, achieved the feat in multiple seasons.
Cincinnati Reds
- At least 10 players have done it, including:
- Adam Dunn (multiple seasons)
- Ken Griffey Jr., Joey Votto, Eugenio Suárez, Jay Bruce
Milwaukee Brewers
- At least 11 players, with several repeat seasons:
- Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Richie Sexson, Christian Yelich, Chris Carter, Rowdy Tellez
Chicago Cubs
- At least 12 players have hit 30+ HRs in a season:
- Sammy Sosa, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramírez, Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber
St. Louis Cardinals
- At least 10 players:
- Albert Pujols (dominant stretch with multiple 30+ HR seasons)
- Jim Edmonds, Scott Rolen, Matt Carpenter, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado
The Pirates trail the rest of the division in both total and unique 30-HR seasons, reflecting a more pitching- or contact-oriented roster construction over the past two decades, purposeful or not.
As Oneil Cruz participates in the Homerun Derby tonight, I hope it ignites a fire in him to get at least 14 more this season and crack that 30 homerun ceiling. We haven’t had many here in Pittsburgh this CENTURY!!! So I’d really like to see this kid get the mark even while not playing his best. I think that would give me some hope for his progression.
Adding another guy capable of hitting 30 would give me a lot more.
4. Will the Bucs Make a Roster Move Before the Break Ends?
Let’s just think through some things…
I’d think they’d want to get a reliever up here, but I’m not sure whom it’d be. Part of me thinks it could be Bubba with a Burrows move to the pen, but that might be hasty on Burrows part, he’s just had the one poor outing. I can’t see them pulling a Heaney trade before the break ends, so that’s not going to make room either.
Needs to be a reliever, doesn’t sound like they feel Holderman or Moreta are there yet. Nicolas has just not worked all year really. They have that new Darrell-Hicks guy, I guess that’s a dude. But yeah, I dunno, I wouldn’t want to run it short until Borucki, Mayza or Lawrence are ready.
To get a right handed first baseman, you have to think Billy Cook or Nick Yorke would get consideration. Can’t imagine they’d think Nunez. Endy isn’t ready. So if it’s Cook, he kinda just started hitting, but he can do a lot of things, which they kinda need with the Triolo demotion.
Yorke can do a lot of things too, but not as much in the outfield. Even first base is kinda based on seeing him try it in Spring, I don’t believe they’ve had him play there in AAA. That said, the team does need someone to help at third, unless they think Gonzales can do that, in which case you’d need a 2B which I suppose could be Frazier too, but you get it.
Now if one of them is called up, then someone here has to go. And I’d think it would have to be an outfielder. Canario who has no options so he’d have to be DFA’d, or Suwinski who could be optioned, but it feels like they’re in the middle of trying to give him another look. That’s up to you to defend or hate on or whatever, I’m just saying what I see. Canario got a shot, a pretty nice one actually and I’m not sure it really showed up. I saw some better at bats, but really, his magic trick was that out of this entire lineup, he was the only one who was going to take 3 swings just about every at bat and by shear volume of how many more times he swung he hit more than the rest of them.
OK, maybe I made that part up a bit, but I guess I’m asking, are you willing to move on from Canario for Yorke or Cook to get a chance?
Just some things to think about, there are some players making a case for a chance down there.
5. Did the Players Give Up?
I have felt this watching them play during stretches this year. You just feel like you see it on their faces, or at least that’s what it feels like from your arm chair or your seats behind the dugout.
But no, they haven’t given up. Frustration is a destructive virus that infects every aspect of a team and I think that’s a lot of what we’re seeing. More than that, I think it’s been building since last year’s trade deadline.
The Pirates traded for 4 hitters at the deadline. One was injured and came back late after not playing the game for way too long in Isiah Kiner-Falefa. Bryan De La Cruz was acquired to I guess be a right handed Jack Suwinski, and his main reason for being an attractive acquisition was that you could keep him for a few more years, yes, more than the recent evidence about his offensive performance.
Of course they also got Cook and Yorke. So when you add all that up, everything screamed all of these moves are really about 2026.
Well, then they weren’t. One of them was a bomb out. The two prospects came up and looked hungry in September only to show up this Spring blocked by future Hall of famer Tommy Pham and Adam Frazier.
Now I’m writing 3 or 4 paragraphs trying to find a spot for them to get a peek.
They have a lot of the same types of bits and pieces for sale this deadline, and I bet we should expect similar. That’s just kinda what’s going to be there unless you get lucky with Bednar or part ways with Keller.
I feel like at the end of the day, we shouldn’t expect anything big really this deadline. But then again, look at last year, that’s probably his definition of big, so…
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