You Don’t Need Permission to Enjoy these Pirates

4/22/23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

The Pirates are a better team in 2023.

That shouldn’t be a controversial statement, shouldn’t feel like a bold call, in fact feeling the need to even say it speaks to a fanbase that was so beaten down by losing they stopped paying attention to what was actually happening long ago.

There are absolutely going to be hard times ahead, along with more good, but in 162 games, you simply aren’t going to just be one thing. Players will come in and out, guys will catch fire and go cold, arms will get tired, others will step in and you’ll wonder how they got by without them.

That’s baseball.

I expected this team in 2023 to flirt with .500, and that’s still what I expect.

See, I can say that, knowing the team is completely outpacing what I thought, just like you can get past whatever you predicted and enjoy what the actual team is doing.

It doesn’t matter if you liked trading for Connor Joe. Who cares if you railed at the team on social media for their “Our Guy Vinnie” meme. Nobody gives a crap if you assumed Chris Owings was going to be this year’s Josh VanMeter. Cutch was too old and signing him was a total PR move right?

Who cares.

All of that only matters if you let it. All of that only matters to the people who are here just to make sure everyone knows who was wrong, well, you know, unless it was them of course.

Waste time worrying what a few bad eggs will have to say if you dared to let this team raise your expectations if you like. Spend your energy concerned about being wrong, man, I can’t think of an easier way to waste your life and miss some really nice vibes this particular mix of players is providing.

The funny thing is, when this team does get back to the playoffs, whether that’s this year or not, the stands will be filled with all the idiots that called you stupid for paying attention at all these past few seasons. They’ll turn around and high five you, scream about that Connor Joe kid they believed in all along.

All of the cheers will sound the same. Even that one dude who blames Nutting for things like dudes missing the urinal in the restroom, he’ll be there too, cheering his ass off, completely ignoring that you were someone he constantly called a bootlicker.

This isn’t the Freak Show team though people, this team has already survived, hell, thrived, through some things that would have sent the teams from the past few seasons into the tank.

After Oneil Cruz went on the IL, tell me you didn’t see them falling off a cliff. Further, tell me you thought they could take that, and Reynolds cooling off at the same time. C’mon, no you didn’t.

They went straight from that, to fight through another one against the White Sox, then take on the defending Champs, go toe to toe with their nemesis the Cardinals, destroy a team that actually is in the running for 100 losses, and now back home wrapping up 17 consecutive games with no day off, clearly tired, yet still taking care of business against the scrappy Reds.

Is this for real?

Is it sustainable?

I can’t tell you the answer to those questions. All I can tell you is right now, this is a good team.

They have a solid lineup, with a solid bench, in fact, they have players who I really want to see more of, who can’t get 10 at bats a week.

The bullpen has been really good. You can pick apart the performances of a few here and there of course, but name a team you couldn’t. Maybe Houston last year in the playoffs? OK, you win, they aren’t there yet. That said, you get this team to the 7th with a lead, I like their chances.

The Starters, my goodness, what more can you say? 11 straight quality starts. The easiest answer to any question ever is can they keep this up. NOOOOOO. No starting rotation can keep this up. It’s only happened in all of baseball 5 times in the past 8 years.

Should we expect them all to be All Stars? No, of course not, but Keller looks every bit a top of the rotation guy. Roansy and Oviedo, young, hungry, sick stuff, determined to learn from and excel with their leadership.

Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez, exactly what you’d like. Veterans doing what the team needs them to do. How long will it last? Nobody could possibly know.

All in all though, it’s a good roster. Let’s worry about which prospects come up when later, but lets also not forget they’re there. Because as good as this has all been, as much fun as it’s been watching and feeling, those prospects are still coming, and when they do for whatever reason they get here, some of this story will change.

You aren’t crazy for liking what you see.

And if anyone tells you to wait and see, proudly puff out your chest and tell them, you friggin’ plan to.

Your Pirates are making you proud, for once, let yourself stop worrying about how they got there, where it might go, who did or said what on the way. Let the trolls have their moments that are sure to come, it won’t overshadow the times you’ve been enjoying.

You know, if you don’t let them have power, they don’t have any.

Lets Go Bucs!

Minor League News and Brews: Meet Me In St. Louis-Take Two

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pijwz-13eb504

Craig talks about the statistics/metrics that he looks for at each level of the Pirates Minor League System, provides some player profiles to drive his point home, and as always, reviews some delicious beers. 

Craig Toth covers the Pirates for Inside The Bucs Basement, and is a huge Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Fan; especially when it comes to the Farm System. Listen. Subscribe. Share. We are “For Fans, By Fans & All Pirates Talk.” THE Pirates Fan Minor League Podcast found EVERYWHERE podcasts can be found and always at BucsInTheBasement.com!

Pirates Stay Sharp, Muscle Past Tough Reds Pitching Performance; Win 4-2 (14-7)

4-21-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

How many times do you hear it’s all about the pitching? You know, like, you’re only as good as your next day’s starter.

It’s cliche for sure but 11 straight games the rotation has provided a quality start. By definition, that’s 3 runs or fewer, and 6 innings at a minimum.

The bullpen, has largely made that hold up too, sure it’s shakier than you want some nights but in the end, they’re more good than not.

The bats, we’ll they are just on fire. I mean folks right this second three or four Dodgers nerds are pouring over data trying to plan for their upcoming 3 game set to somehow stop Connor Joe.

I’m kidding, but maybe not.

What can you say, beside, um…are they actually, like good? Were we all crazy? Well, not you folks who always start at 162-0 and work your way backward. Yinz got the right idea.

Seriously though, how real is it?

I suspect we’ll have to wait and see truthfully, but let’s take note of a few things that make it ok to believe at least a little.

They worked through a devastating loss of Cruz, and all the other big name injuries too, and they just keep playing ball.

The pitching struggled early and the bats came to the rescue, now the pitching makes every run they score count.

More than all that, look, we can at least say now that Cherington seems to have an eye for how pieces fit together right? Hard to argue this team has a really nice chemistry, and even if it’s just the 2023 team, the carryover of the culture being built here is starting to look good.

Honestly folks, stop questioning if it’s ok to believe, of course it is. This is a good baseball team.

That’s five wins in a row now, and they did it death by a thousand cuts style.

Defense is part of Joe’s game too.

In the 5th inning, Mitch Keller found himself in trouble. He surrendered the 2 run lead he’d been holding while he shoved for the first 4 frames. He righted the ship, got a bit unlucky too, but no boo-boo face, came right back out there the next inning and pushed through allowing the offense an opportunity to retake the lead.

Agin small ball was the way along with a helpful error. Marhias to tht point had knocked in all three runs.

In the next inning with two outs, Cutch worked a walk. Vets love showing kids why you never think 2 outs means a rally has no shot, so Carlos did this…

Stephenson, Holderman and Bednar slammed the door shut.

They’ve got a winning recipe people, and here’s why they’re winning, they have a recipe versatile enough to change ingredients and still get a great result.

Early in this game, I’ll just say it, Musgrove is the last Pirates Starter I’ve seen look that dominant. Keller is for real. Having 6 or 7 pitches, that’s real too. And that’s like, real special. If they aren’t thinking extension, they should be.

Just another well played ballgame.

News & Notes

  • Mitch Keller allowed 2 runs through 6 innings tonight which makes 11 straight quality starts by this rotation. This is now
  • Connor Joe, is on a heater. 3-3 tonight. Nobody knows what to do with him he’s covering the whole zone and patient at the same time.
  • Mark Mathias had another nice night, responsible for knocking in 3 runs.
  • Robert Stephenson seems to be the choice for the 7th, emerging to at least split the role with Underwood. It’s clear Shelton trusts him.
  • Hayes had his first error since August of last year. I could see it getting changed though, it hit Santana’s glove, he should have had it.
  • The 1992 Pirates started 15-6, your 2023 Pirates are now 14-7, the best start to a season since.
  • Colin Holderman and David Bednar have been incredible, and Bednar’s 7th save puts him in the league lead
  • Keller’s 4th consecutive Quality Start
  • Ethan Smith who covers games for our site, is 6-0 on his scheduled days. Well, I’m undefeated too, 3-0. Game on.

Contreras Strong Start, Hot First Inning Propel Pirates 4-3 Over Reds: (13-7)

04/20/23 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_Ethan on Twitter

What do myself and the Pittsburgh Steelers have in common? We have both six.

Pittsburgh continued the good vibes against the Reds, winning 4-3 on Thursday night and extending their win streak to four games and bringing the season series even against their NL Central rivals.

The Pirates once again kicked off the scoring in the first, something that has become a trend as of late, with Connor Joe launching a three-run home run and Jack Suwinski hitting his fourth homer in four games to give Pittsburgh an early 4-0 advantage.

Roansy Contreras continued the Pirates streak of six-plus innings pitched to 10, their most in a row since August 3rd through August 12th of 2017, finishing with 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB. His ERA dropped to 4.57 after being above 8.00 before Thursday’s game.

His counterpart, Luke Weaver, making his season debut, managed to go deep after a tough first inning, finishing with 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB.

After the first inning, things slowed down offensively, with the Reds adding a run in the top of the seventh from Jason Vosler that chased Contreras.

The top of the eighth would come for Colin Holderman, and although he would give up two earned runs, he struck out Tyler Stephenson to strand a runner at third to retain a 4-3 Pirates lead.

David Bednar would enter in the ninth, picking up his sixth save in seven opportunities.

The Pirates move to 13-7 on the season, picking up their fourth straight victory.

Game two of the series will feature Mitch Keller vs Graham Ashcraft on Friday evening.

News & Notes

  • New members of the Pittsburgh Pirates Hall of Fame were announced pregame: Kent Tekulve, Dick Groat, Elroy Face and Bob Friend headlined the 2023 group of Pirates Hall of Famers
  • Roansy Contreras final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB
  • Luke Weaver final line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB
  • Contreras continued streak of quality starts to 10

Through The Prospect Porthole: Assessing Farm System Depth After Early Season Injuries

4-20-23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasement on Twitter)

Prior to official start of the Pittsburgh Pirates 2023 Season there were some assumptions that could be made concerning what roles certain players were going to be asked to perform throughout the year.

JT Brubaker seemed to be a locked into backend of the rotation, Jarlin Garcia was acquired to be the late-inning lefty option out of the bullpen and Jared Triolo possibly had the inside track to fill in at Third and Shortstop if needed.

Now JT is out for 14 to 16 months following Tommy John, Garcia still can’t grip a baseball and Triolo is on the IL after undergoing hamate bone surgery; which can actually have season long effects at the plate, even when he does return.

Add in the obvious loss of Oneil Cruz-who was set to be the everyday shortstop-for around 4 months with a broken fibula, Ji-Man hitting the shelf with an Achilles Strain and Mike Burrows being out for an extended-but as of yet unknown-period of time with an ominous elbow injury.

Plus you have a bullpen that appears to have guys jumping off and on the 15-Day every time you turn around.

Sure, some of these may have not been asked to play majors roles; but, all will challenge the overall depth toward the top of the Pirates Farm System that had been touted all off-season.

Undoubtedly a few of these early season injuries have led directly to opportunities for a few guys, that might have otherwise had to wait their turn to show what kind of player they are. Johan Oviedo leaps off the page in this category due to his 2.22 ERA and 1.151 WHIP through 4 starts in Brubaker’s absence. Another example of taking advantage of an unexpected opening would have to be Rodolfo Castro. Going from platoon split second baseman to starting shortstop has led to a .319/.418/.511 slash line with 2 homers across 55 plate appearances. Even Andrew McCutchen could be seen as benefiting from the lack of competition at DH, with there not being a need to shuffle Choi and Santana to the role as well.

Then you have Mark Mathias, Tucupita Marcano and Yohan Ramirez, who have gotten quicker than expected call-ups.

Still, I can’t help but wonder what the long term effects of these injuries could be, the pressure they could put on other players to perform and decisions that could be forced if there are anymore at the Major or Minor League Levels.

For example, Luis Ortiz and Quinn Priester have more eyes looking to them to meet or exceed expectations with the loss of Burrows. Although, this has inadvertently allowed Osvaldo Bido to emerge as an option as well.

Another instance involves the possibility of speeding up the timelines for Nick Gonzales, Malcom Nunez and/or Liover Peguero.

Will these guys be Major League ready, if or when they are are called upon?

Is there as much depth at the outfield positions, as was assumed with the Spring Training battle between Canaan Smith-Njigba and Travis Swaggerty; as well as Cal Mitchell to a lesser degree?

Honestly, I guess only time will tell.

Nevertheless, I will have to say I worry less about the starting rotation-at least to a certain degree-because we have seen Ortiz have success at the Major League Level; albeit in a small sample size. And, I am definitely not worried at all about a position that I haven’t even mentioned yet…catcher. I mean, who truthfully believes that Endy won’t perform well-particularly with the bat-when he arrives in Pittsburgh? My assumption would be not many, if any.

Clearly we are only a few weeks into the season, so I am not sure why I am even thinking about all of this. Maybe, it’s better to just enjoy baseball being back, and my favorite team being 12-7.

We’ll let this all be future Craig’s problem.

Pirates Bats Explode Again In Sweep Of Rockies: (12-7)

4/19/23- By Craig W. Toth – @BucsBasement on Twitter

Before Johan Oviedo could even toe the rubber-to see if he could continue his dominance on the mound-the Pirates put up a 5 spot on Rockies Starter, lefty Austin Gomber. They then proceeded to stack another 4 on top of that in the second; ultimately chasing Gomber from the game.

Of those 9 runs, one of them was a home run off the bat of Andrew McCutchen; his 4th of this young season.

Too his credit, Oviedo took the early lead an ran with it; staying focused on the mound, rather than letting the situation make him the negative version of comfortable.

Oviedo would end the day with a pitching line of 6IP/3H/1ER/3BB/6K. On the season he improved to 2-1 with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.

After he exited the the game, Colorado would get two more runs-one each off of Yohan Ramirez and Dauri Moreta; but, with Pittsburgh not letting off the gas, these barely were barely a blip on the radar in a 14-3 victory for your Pirates.

News & Notes

  • The Pittsburgh Rotation now has a Quality Start Streak of 9 games. This has allowed the Pirates the opportunity to remain competitive in each and every game; as well as to save their bullpen to a certain degree.
  • Andrew McCutchen has started to climb the Pirates Historical Lists, on his way toward his own career milestones. On the day he tied Dave Parker for 7th on the All-Time doubles list with 296, and passed Arky Vaughan for Total Bases.
  • Bryan Reynolds was ejected after this at bat. Yes, the 5th pitch was a strike; but 2 and 4 were not. His reaction was completely justified. However, more importantly, Shelton came out of the dugout to Reynold; which, is something that we didn’t see last year.
  • Going along with Reynolds’ frustration today, is the fact that this has been growing over about the past week. Ever since he started the year slashing .405/.415/.919 with 5 homers and a 235 wRC+ through the first 9 games of the season, Reynolds has slashed .229/.243/.257 with no homers, only one extra base hit and a 32 wRC+ leading up to this contest with the Rockies.
  • Speaking of things going in the opposite direction; how about Mark Mathias’ general approach at the plate? Since going hitless over his first 10 plate appearances-while striking out 5 times-he now has 7 hits over his last 17; and has only struck out once.
  • Rodolfo Castro is on a heater of his own; reaching base safely in 10 out his last 11 games, hitting a pair of homers along the way and raising his season average and OPS to .319 and .929 respectively.
  • On the day, 7 Pirates hitters notched 2 or more hits; including Hayes, McCutchen, Santana, Joe (3), Castro, Mathias, and Delay. Only Reynolds and Suwinski were held hitless; although Suwinski did walk twice and hit a sac fly.

The Pirates are back in action tomorrow-at home-against the Cincinnati Reds. For Pittsburgh Roansy Contreras (1-1/6.00 ERA/1.73 WHIP) toes the rubber, while Luke Weaver makes his first start of the season for the Redlegs. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 PM.

Hump Day Pirates Q&A

4-19-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

When you do a feature like this every week, it’s inevitable the questions will start to overlap, or get repetitive. To your credit, it hasn’t happened a whole lot here. You keep challenging me with interesting topics, I’ll keep happily doing this piece. Deal?

Seriously though, thank you all for thinking beyond the owner to ask real questions with meat on the bone.

Lets Go…

Question 1

How long before our first Indy starter call up (even if it’s not a blue chip)? – 21inRight (@springportchoir)

I have to make an assumption here right off the top, I think you’re talking specifically to starting pitching. I’ll also toss out, they’ve now had 7 straight quality starts, which just doesn’t happen in MLB, anywhere.

So, safe to say, no time soon if you manage to hold off more injury right?

Realistically the Pirates have 2 guys they could call up in the near term here, Luis Ortiz and Osvaldo Bido. Ortiz has done well, but he’s had a few issues and still hasn’t really mastered that third pitch.

Bido, well, he’s an older prospect, but he’s also one of the very few who have already gone through an entire AAA season. He has good stuff, and has a good chance to be useful.

As to specifically WHEN, I’m not really sure how to answer that. Believe it or not, neither of these guys is in AAA to manipulate them, and currently, hard to pick someone in the rotation you’d replace. Let’s revisit this in June if we’re so fortunate to avoid injury that long.

Question 2

How big does the sample set have to get on Velasquez before he becomes Matt Morris? – Wilbert Matthews

Well Wilbert, at 30 years old I’m not sure there’s much more to learn about what Vinny is. He’s on a hot streak right now, but it’s assuredly not going to last. I don’t even mean that as a slap in his face, I just mean he doesn’t have a history of consistent 5-6 inning outings, let alone 5-6 inning efforts where he doesn’t give up a bunch of runs.

Honestly, as with question 1, maybe just enjoy what you’re getting a bit right now instead of worrying about when your assumptions will be fulfilled.

Question 3

Do the Pirates trade a MIF prospect for a established bullpen arm? – Mark (@fike_mark)

I mean, they could, but the fact they just acquired another right before the season started should probably inform your thinking here a bit. They don’t seem to feel the same pressure to make room for all these super great options that fans do.

Let’s go through the guys you could be talking to here. Rodolfo Castro, Ji Hwan Bae, Tucapita Marcano, Mark Mathias, Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero, and I guess Jared Triolo. I could go further down to Alvarez but let’s just stick with the familiar.

For now, the Pirates have 4 of these guys on their 26 man, all getting playing time, all being productive, some making themselves hard to sit. So skip down to the others who could be “moveable”. Nick Gonzales isn’t going to get traded yet, he’s Ben’s first number 1 pick. Peguero is the system’s top SS prospect at the moment, and considering that Castro is holding it down at the moment, he isn’t likely to stick there, especially when Cruz returns. Triolo is on the IL.

Bottom line, I don’t think anyone you’d want to move is established enough to bring back much value.

I see a need for a veteran reliever though, I just don’t see this position group as the congested mess many seem to. Mostly because I assume 2-3 of them will wind up washing out and most of them aren’t tied to middle infield as a position anyway.

Question 4

With our early success and losing two starters to Tommy John is there anyone out there to sign or trade for another like #5 starter ?? Priester isn’t ready yet – Wilbert Matthews

Never say never, but hear me out.

There aren’t many teams in the league who have anything worth trading that would be willing to say they’re ready to trade off MLB assets at the moment. It’s just too early in the season. Keep in mind, even if a team like the Rockies were to look at their record, the division they’re in and say F it, lets move Freeland (every bit a 4th or 5th starter type mind you), well, the Rockies are no different than any other team, if they have some stud they could call up, they won’t want to do it before June ya know?

I’m not discounting there is probably a need there, but let’s be real honest, by the time teams are starting to consider trades, the Pirates might have one on the block themselves and be prepared to call up Ortiz.

As to the free agent market, I’ll make this real easy. It’s April 19th, if they aren’t signed after all the injuries you’ve seen around the league, all the NRIs this Spring, there’s a reason bro.

Question 5

Will concerns over future signability (ie his second contract) prevent the Buccos from picking Crews? – Jerry Wertz (@wertzjerry56)

As plainly as I can possibly state this, no. The Pirates don’t exactly have a long history of extending guys to begin with, there’d be no reason to expect that now they suddenly are so focused on getting one done with a draft pick who as good as he looks is no guarantee to be a successful MLB player.

There was a time when teams would avoid picking a guy based on signability, and it still happens to a degree but slotting has all but eliminated it from the thinking, most recently Kumar Rocker who plummeted down the board because of his murky health concerns and his team’s insistence that he get an above slot signing bonus, sticks out as a rarity.

A guy like Crews wasn’t available when the Pirates selected Henry Davis. Davis was in the conversation for top overall pick, but it was hardly consensus. He was chosen partially based on need, catcher was a mostly barren wasteland in the system, but he was also a guy who would sign for below slot allowing the Pirates to sway some other picks later on into signing above slot deals. This year, again, Crews is probably going to wind up being pretty clear cut the best available choice.

I expect them to make that choice.

Will they be able to extend him? Well, let me ask this, is it a guarantee they’ll want to? NEVER.

Question 6

Your silence on Bae’s past is all I need to know about you. – Don986542

Umm, ok.

Here’s my stand on this. We (this site) and I (personally) have covered what he did as a teenager in Korea. It’s been in several write ups we did on him as he was coming through the system, it’s been randomly mentioned even in conjecture about why he didn’t get a call up earlier last year, point is, we’ve covered it.

Now, he’s here, and what I’m gonna guess Don here wants from me is to tweet something like “Ji Hwan Bae hits a 3 run home run to win the game, don’t get too happy because he did something really bad in the past!”

I’m not going to do it.

Martha from Bloomfield who just saw an exciting young player hit a homerun may not be aware of what he did, and bluntly, that’s not my problem.

And making sure everyone who isn’t aware is “educated” so they can be great people and take appropriate measures to ensure he only gets liked so much simply isn’t something I’m interested in doing. We’re talking about something that happened 5 years ago now. He was convicted, paid his penalty in the Korean system, served his suspension in MiLB and went through a treatment program before being reinstated, and by all accounts, been a model citizen since.

As he does better, the story will come up more and more because his visibility will increase. The stain will follow him, all on its own, and needs no help from me or anyone else to bubble back to the top of the news cycle.

From a societal standpoint, nobody should ever just shrug like what he did was fine, but I believe in the ability of humanity to turn ones life around. Does that mean I’d be excited he was dating my daughter, no, but it does mean that I’m going to tweet he stole a base without following it with a crack about his past.

You Sir, are free to do that all you like, and you may infer whatever you choose from what I say and don’t say about anything. That’s kinda part of the gig doing this stuff, but I’ll not be playing social engineering games with my coverage, and I’m certainly not going to scour the internet looking for anyone who may not know they’re rooting for someone who did something awful.

I don’t talk about it for the same reason I don’t tweet “Oneil Cruz, who didn’t actually get drunk and kill a family in the Dominican a couple years back, just set a Stat Cast record with that throw!” Again, it’s not my concern that the facts in that case have escaped you or anyone else, it’s been covered, and in the moment, the coverage is about the record, not the past.

Get it? Hope so, but honestly, if you truly formed an opinion about my moral compass based on something I didn’t say at a certain time, I couldn’t care less anyway.

Question 7

I have a question about the rule 5 draft. This year the Reds took Blake Sabel and traded him to the Giants. If the Giants wanted to offer him back do they offer him to the Pirates or the Reds? – Don Jacobson

Great question Don, one few have a good grasp on.

First, before a player is “offered back” to anyone, they must clear waivers, meaning every team in the league would have to pass on taking the player before he could be offered back to his original team.

So, if he were to be removed from the 26-man roster of the Giants, he’d go on waivers. Every team would have to pass including the Reds, then they could offer him back to the Pirates. Any team who selects someone in this draft pays 100K to the club they selected him from, when the player is offered back, the original club would have to pay 50K to take him back, and the 26-man requirement is voided.

Should the original club not want him the new club (Giants in this case) could assign him to AAA.

One wrinkle here that few exercise is the selecting team, again the Giants even though they traded for his rights are now by rule the selecting team, could trade the Pirates to acquire his full rights, which would allow them to option him like a normal player.

Bottom line, if the Reds want him back, all they have to do is claim him via waivers, much like the Pirates did with Dustin Fowler and Ka’ai Tom, not to give you nightmares. That said, the Reds would get no bite at the apple after the waiver process, that right only would extend to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Breakout Watch: Is Johan Oviedo A Dude?

4-19-23 – By Corey Shrader – @CoreyShrader on Twitter

Since his acquisition last season Johan Oviedo has been a textbook study on watching a team take a pitcher with some very enticing raw materials & trying to figure out what the hell to do with them. When he was acquired by Pittsburgh in 2022 he had just been moved to a bullpen role in St. Louis where he enjoyed some success pitching to a line of 2.70 ERA, 23.5% K, 4.4% BB in 10 relief appearances. Post trade deadline, the Pirates immediately set about converting him back to a starter role. 

At AAA Ovideo cruised to a 0.79 era, 0.97 whip, 28.9% K, 6.7% BB in 11.1 IP. In September the Pirates gave him the call and in 30.2 IP he showed some real promise, but there were a few things that were evident. He has a hellacious pair of breaking balls and some serious juice to his fastball. Unfortunately, it was also evident that something wasn’t quite clicking. Why was a pitcher that could rack up whiffs with a standout slider & pump some serious heat having a hard time getting whiffs and getting hit?

I need to say here that Oviedo did not pitch poorly! What I am aiming to try to understand is how a pitcher can “level up.” Oviedo is a great example because his “stuff” is obvious to anyone that watches him pitch. He possesses some really special characteristics; elite extension (7.1 feet), below MLB average launch angle allowed, below MLB average exit velocity allowed, well above average velocity. You may be asking yourself, “what does a pitcher with all these positives even have to improve anyway?” 

The answer to this question is complex and there are many ways for organizations and pitchers to go about this. Some prime examples most hear about in the offseason are pitchers going to places like Driveline or TREAD Athletics. These facilities specialize in aiding pitchers in things like reworking their arsenal with pitch modeling, adding velocity, developing a new offering, etc. Sometimes these changes occur in-house at the organization itself. One way teams can experiment is as simple as what we might be seeing with Oviedo; changing his pitch mix and usage.

So what is different in 2023? 

Below is Oviedo’s usage from 2022 and so far in 2023:

The major changes with the overall mix as seen above being a large reduction in four seam fastball usage & an increase in usage of his curveball by equal measure. Drilling down further by handedness we see the most radical shift in the way Oviedo is using his fastball and the development of his curveball. 

First and foremost let me say that I have been harping on the use of Oviedo’s fastball since he was acquired last season. Also in the linked piece you can see me hint at both the increased use of the slider AND lobbying for the quality of his curveball. So you can imagine my excitement to see that we are getting a lot of these things. Just take a look at his breakdown from his fantastic start against the Cardinals:

This approach allows him to deploy his best offerings more often and it also could go on to allow his fastball to play better. In this start Oviedo only threw his fastball six times to RHH! Six! Now, this might have been due to his slider being just so darn good – but It was a great departure from his previous starts. In addition to this we must note that he is commanding his curveball SIGNIFICANTLY better in 2023 so far with a zone % of 65.6, up 17% from 2022. And it is good, because the fastball command is cratering at the same time. However, since he does not have to throw it as often, it may prove to be more effective given those attractive qualities the pitch possesses as discussed previously.

It is my current thought that Oviedo may be able to make his current mix work without having to tinker with a new fastball (though it would not hurt). 

Needless to say, his next start coming in the imposing confines of Coors Field, will be must watch baseball. Will this pitch mix continue? Can his curveball command be sustained? Does his four seamer play up with more limited usage? Can the four seam command tick up? I urge you all to take any start in an extreme hitters park with a grain of salt, things could go very poorly for even the best of pitchers in that environment, but there needs to be great excitement for each start for Oviedo henceforth. Without question Johan Oviedo looks like a Guy and the blueprint may just be there for him to become a Dude.

Pirates Starting Pitching And The Overall Differences From Last Year

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ftd7f-13e7c78

Craig and Chris weigh the positive and negatives concerning the Pirates Starting Rotation, and get into the expectations we had for this season, how they are playing out and differences between this team and the one we watched play last season.  

Brought to you by ShopYinzz.com! Craig Toth covers the Pirates for Inside The Bucs Basement, and joins his buddy Chris at a 9-foot homemade oak bar to talk Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball. Listen. Subscribe. Share. We are “For Fans, By Fans & All Pirates Talk.” THE Pirates Fan Podcast found EVERYWHERE podcasts can be found and always at BucsInTheBasement.com!

Suwinski Home Runs Lead Pirates Over Rockies 5-3: (11-7)

04/18/23 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_Ethan on Twitter

In the words of Luniz and Michael Marshall, “I got 5 On It”.

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their strong start on the road this season with another victory at Coors Field on Tuesday night, defeating the Colorado Rockies 5-3 to secure a series victory.

Three runs from Colorado would start the scoring, matching their game total from Monday, with Kris Bryant going yard along with former Bucco Elias Diaz scoirng CJ Cron and Ryan McMahon with a double.

Jack Suwinski would kick off the scoring for the Pirates in the second with an opposite field homer in the second, a much needed bounce back from a rough first inning for the Buccos.

The fourth inning was where the fun got started for Pittsburgh. After the first three innings only saw one hit, which happened to be the first of two homers for Suwinski, Connor Joe, Carlos Santana, Tucupita Marcano and Suwinski would combine for the cycle to give the Pirates a 5-3 lead after four.

Vince Velasquez struggled in the first inning, giving up four hits and three runs, but he would settle in nicely, pitching six innings while adding seven strikeouts and only allowing one more hit outside of the opening frame. With Velasquez going six innings, he extended the Pirates streak of a starting pitcher going six innings or more to eight straight games.

His counterpart Jose Urena wouldn’t see similar success, getting blown up in the fourth as mentioned before and not getting out of the fifth, allowing seven hits and five earned runs.

Duane Underwood Jr would kick off the relief effort for Velasquez with a scoreless seventh with his only real threat coming from a Charlie Blackmon double.

If you wanted a late night workout sweat? No need. Robert Stephenson tight roped his way through a scoreless eighth, stranding runners on first and third with no one out with help from key defensive plays from Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds.

David Bednar would come on for the ninth and had a scary moment after taking a line drive off of his side against Jurickson Profar while still managing to get the first out of the inning. He would allow a double to Blackmon but made quick work of Cron picking up the save and the 11th victory of the season.

Pittsburgh will look for a series sweep on Wednesday with RHP Johan Oviedo(2.45 ERA) matching up against LHP Austin Gomber(8.16 ERA).

News & Notes

  • Vince Velasquez records 800th career strikeout
  • Bryan Reynolds records 100th career double
  • Pirates as a team hit for the cycle in the fourth inning, Jack Suwinski hits three HRs in three straight ABs for second time in career
  • Jose Urena line: 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO
  • Vince Velasquez line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO
  • When Jack swatted his 2nd home run tonight, it was the third consecutive at bat he’d Homered.