Pirates Fans Pack the House, Pirates Bats Pack the Scoreboard Winning 13-9 in the Home Opener (5-2)

4-7-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Where do I begin?

Photo Courtesy of @PiratesDieHard (Nick) on Twitter

No seriously, how do I begin to describe everything I saw and felt today at PNC Park? No matter what, this was never going to be about one player’s performance, or the outcome on this one day, it was always going to be about this team, this ballpark, this city and the way they all fit together into one incredible thing that only Baseball can create.

It was Andrew McCutchen’s return to the city that loves him, almost as much as he loves it.

This was the return of the leader we all didn’t even know we wanted as Batman, AKA AJ Burnett returned to throw the first pitch to Russel Martin.

Before I get into this story too deep, let’s take a look at some sights and sounds from, well, many of you.

Yeah, Bucco fans everywhere, loving life long before they knew the outcome.

OK, so lots of pictures. Can’t even promise I’m done I have hundreds now.

But let’s get into what this game was.

Rich Hill was just never sharp in this game. He’d wind up surrendering 8 hits and 7 runs, but the story today was the Pirates offense. Because I’m telling you, it never felt for even five seconds that the Pirates were even in danger of losing this game. The bats brought thunder and just did a number on the already depleted pitching staff of the visiting White Sox.

Oneil Cruz was patient, Bryan Reynolds (pay him now btw) was just punishing, 3 for 5, 6 RBI, a 3 run shot, a bases clearing triple that he scored on due to an error. Connor Joe, Jason Delay, Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, Ji Hwan Bae, pick a player, and they had multiple hits or at least drew walks to get on multiple times.

Well, everyone but Jack Suwinski, who went 0-5 with 4 strikeouts.

The White Sox scored 9 runs in this one so you’d think immediately, the pitching was hot garbage, but really folks, most of this was on Hill. The bullpen was really strong after that and even Wil Crowe who gave up 2 runs, was trying to push through his 3rd inning to close out the contest.

Obviously this isn’t a recipe for winning a ton of games, but the chemistry of this team right now, well it just feels like when one thing doesn’t work, the other side will pick it up.

They’ve now won 4 straight, and I don’t wanna get you excited, but Lucas Giolito was probably the best White Sox starter we’ll see this series, and their bullpen is already into AAA depth.

The series continues tomorrow night and the way they’re playing, you might not have to wait ’til after the game or fireworks.

News & Notes

  • Connor Joe was phenomenal today. Not just good, phenomenal. 4 for 5 with a pair of doubles. He was on every pitch, taking everything that missed. He’s locked in. Maybe lets stop questioning why he’s getting playing time.
  • Rich Hill was brutal today. I’m not gonna lie, he’s going to have outings like this on occasion, but he’s never going to do anything different. Sometimes it’ll work, sometimes it won’t. Still, he’s not going to provide all that much resistance to being replaced when and if one of the AAA arms is ready. Funny thing is, if he keeps pitching like this, there’s a greater chance he’s here all year.
  • Not to harp, but Rich Hill and the long ball are an early story. His game is weak contact, and he’s not achieving that in any way shape or form. Time will tell.
  • Have to admit, I’ve not agreed with several Derek Shelton decisions in the early going here, and to his credit, he’s been resoundingly right in every single one of them.
  • Can’t believe how many of you recognized me and stopped by to say hi. Yark, James, Josh, Tina, Josh again, Thomas, Seth, Austin, Jennifer, Graves, Craig, Jim, and I’m sure I’m missing a few of you, many of you have been on this journey with us since we started this little site way back in 2020, and it’s become such a nice and growing family of Bucco fans. You’re all awesome people, and I’m glad to be finally writing about good baseball.
  • 5-2 is 5-2, it’s not a playoff berth. It doesn’t mean anything more than this team most of us expected to maybe win 70, 74, 79 games if a whole lot went right, has started out the gate winning. Now, if you want some hope, I don’t even think they’re playing as good as they can. The starting pitching has been spotty, bullpen has really been sparkling, bats have been getting the job done, really since they left Cincy, but they have room to be better.
  • Wow, is Jack Suwinski struggling. It’s not just striking out, it’s scarcely looking like he has an earthly idea that a pitch might be coming. Look, he’s a great kid, and I am nowhere near pulling the plug on him, it’s just too early, but let’s say he continues like this for a couple weeks and Travis Swaggerty keeps doing what he is in AAA, well, don’t be shocked.
  • Ji Hwan Bae has now done enough to show the team has to continue to give him at bats. He’s played just about every minute of every game at this point, and with good reason, he’s been noticeable in most appearances, outside a real bad outing against Nick Lodolo.
  • That’s great and all, but what to do about Castro. He does have wonderful power potential, but he’s not getting a lot of at bats, and when he does, he’s either hitting right handed which he already is better at, or sporadic left handed opportunities. I’m not sure he’s going to learn here. I’m also not sure they have another option at 3B, or short really.
  • Andrew McCutchen returning today is one of the most improbable local sports stories I’ve ever lived through. Mario returning from cancer. Mario returning from retirement. Mario rescuing the franchise. The ping pong ball that brought us Sidney Crosby. Incredible story, an emotional awakening for a fan base that has suffered far more than it has celebrated.
  • Bryan Reynolds has started this season absolutely on fire. 5 homeruns already in 7 games mind you, 16 RBI, I mean we’re talking player of the week stuff here folks. There is nothing the Pirates can do here, but to finalize this extension, even if they have to give the damn option right when his agent wants it. Renegotiate it in the offseason to see if you can do away with it by adding dollars, whatever. This is a miss they can’t afford with the fan base as engaged as they are, unless they don’t want them to stay that way.

Through The Prospect Porthole: Liover Pegeuro

4-6-23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasement on Twitter)

There is a little bit more pressure added to certain prospects, simply based on how they were acquired.

A first round draft pick carries more weight in the eyes of baseball fans-and is likely to be considered a bust if he doesn’t become a superstar-than a player selected in rounds two through 10. The same goes for someone who is part of a substantial trade, as opposed to being brought in for a guy that was just DFA’d; or even a first-half of the year flip-candidate.

These feelings and/or assessments are completely justified, however, they often take the onus off of management at times; leaving the player open to the brunt of criticism from the fans.

Naturally this changes over time, as successes or failure pile up on the Baseball Operations side of things; yet in the heat of the moment, it’s all about the player’s performance.

One such prospect that falls squarely into the substantial trade category; while also being the main part of the return in Ben Cherington’s first major transaction on January 27th of 2020, which sent Starling Marte to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

On the date he was acquired by the Pirates-along with Brennan Malone-Liover Peguero was only a recently turned 19 year-old young man; who at the time only had 249 plate appearances outside of the Dominican and Complex Leagues.

Sitting at #18 on the Diamondback’s list, he quickly rose to #5 on the Pirates; without ever taking an at bat. And, that’s where it all started…the hype train.

When Minor League Baseball finally returned in 2021, Peguero was given the advanced assignment of High-A Greensboro; where he was almost a full three years younger than the average player.

To his credit the young man from Higuey, in the Dominican Republic, performed well against his older competitors; slashing .270/.332/.444 with 14 homers, 35 total extra base hits and a 108 wRC+. He did struggle with strikeouts at times-to the tune of a 25.2% K-rate-and didn’t walk as much as you would want to balance that out-coming in at 7.9%; however, he didn’t fall into the home-road split trap that often trips up other members of the Greensboro Grasshoppers. Sure his OPS was about 100 points lower on the road, but believe me, I have seen much worse.

Due to his success in High-A, Peguero was ultimately rewarded with a promotion to Altoona to begin 2022. An opportunity he took full advantage of for the first two months of the season; batting .312 with a. 853 OPS, a 129 wRC+, 4 homers and 22 total extra base hits in only 180 plate appearances.

Then the Bowie Baysox-Baltimore’s Double-A Affiliate-came into town.

During my discussion for the Minor League News and Brews Podcast, Jon Mozes-Play-By-Play Broadcaster for the Curve-talked about how Bowie approached Peguero differently than any other team had that season; potentially not throwing him a fastball the entire series.

From that point on he never really looked the same, on a consistent basis.

Over his final 341 plate appearances, he slashed just .203/.286/.319 with a 67 wRC+; although he did start to turn it on again in September by posting a .791 OPS and a 118 wRC+ with a couple of homers.

Looking at all of last season, it’s hard to imagine exactly why people were surprised that he would start the year back in Altoona with the Curve.

Still barely 22-and likely to be at least 2 years younger than the average Double-A player-Peguero has some time to make the push needed to become a productive Major League Ballplayer. Sure, this is his second season on the 40-man-with an impending roster crunch conceivably continuing this November-so the need to have a strong showing could be ratcheted up slightly; yet, it may not affect the team’s plans for him as much as we think.

Nevertheless, it would obviously be better if he started out like he did last year, which might make the decisions concerning his future easier to make. Plus, it might just result in him getting his shot in the Majors sooner than expected.

Imagine, Rodolfo Castro continues to struggle, he or Ji-hwan Bae has to hit the IL, or maybe both, and Peguero is tearing up Altoona. We could potentially see a move like the one the Pirates made with Jack Suwinski last year. Which, is more likely to me than the suggestion to bring Nick Gonzales up from Triple-A, as Peguero is already on the 40-man.

Clearly this is dependent on him performing to a certain level in Double-A. On that front, we will just have to wait and see.

Dauri Moreta Has Been Money, Can He Continue on This Path?

4-6-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

This Winter, the Pirates made a move that I’m quite sure many fans saw as a salary dump. Moving Kevin Newman to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Dauri Moreta a right handed reliever who hadn’t found a way to stick.

From the jump, it didn’t sound like it would amount to much. The Reds aren’t good, and they don’t have a really good bullpen, so the assumption was man if they don’t see this young controllable arm as worthy of keeping, well, how could he possibly be good right?

The general Pirates fan knew what Kevin Newman was, so it was no shock we were moving a glove and many assumed whatever they got back was better than nothing which they easily could have gotten by simply non-tendering him.

Here we are 6 games into the 2023 campaign and Moreta has been the bullpen’s fireman, pitching in 3 contests. In 2.1 innings he’s struck out 5, walked 3 and in general become the emotional face of the Pirates Pen.

Now, we all know that sample size is the kryptonite of the baseball statistical analysis world, but its becoming hard to miss that this kid has earned the trust of his manager, and he’s got his fellow bullpen mates fired up with his emotional outbursts, money hand symbols and so far, solid performance.

So, who is this kid? I mean most of us ignored him when he was acquired, let’s talk about how he got here a bit and see if we can’t at least figure out why he was available, which in turn would probably inform us as to what we should look out for.

He’s been playing pro ball in the Cincy system since 2015 and he’s largely had success, even his walk to strikeout numbers are in line with what you’d want to see. 2020 much like a ton of other players was a lost year for him after wrapping his High A season in 2019 he’d reemerge in 2021 placed in AA.

He’d make it all the way to MLB and the Reds by the end of the season. 4 games that year, but all in all, no issues. 4K’s, 1BB, pretty encouraging.

In 2022, he was given a real shot with 35 games in the Bigs where he struck out 39 and walked 13. Too many for a reliever, but it hadn’t really been an issue before this. Problem is, the issue followed him during his demotions to AAA and the strikeouts fell off the table too.

I reached out to Jeff Carr from Locked on Reds and basically said, hey, give me the scouting report on Dauri.

“He was electric when the Reds first called him up, but he had trouble with the long ball. Without looking specifically at the numbers, I feel like his HR/FB ratio was unsustainable. But because of that, he was up and down between AAA and the Bigs and never felt like he got a real shot. Just the nastiest of stuff and he would sometimes strike out the side and make you think he was on to something. Then David Bell wouldn’t pitch him for days on end and it would seem to throw off his rhythm. I’ll always look at him as someone who was under utilized here”

So I head back to the stats and wow, yeah, in 38 innings pitched in MLB during 2022, 10 homeruns. Yikes.

Surely this has always been a problem right? Nope. The most homeruns he had ever given up prior to 2022 was 6 and that came in 57.1 innings. He posted a 2.35 ERA that season with High A.

2022 though, even in the minors the issue plagued him. 6 dingers in 27.1 innings is gross too.

I think we see why he was available.

So what happened? Dauri throws 3 pitches, a changeup, slider and 4-seam fastball, what got him into trouble is the placement of the slider and change.

The average launch angle for a homerun is about 29.5 degrees. On those two pitches in 2022, Dauri was surrendering 30+ launch angle outputs on both and the heat map below illustrates where they landed in the zone.

Ahh, yeah.

For a slider and changeup, you really want that heat map to look much more bottom heavy. Let’s be real honest here, this problem, it’s fast becoming Oscar Marin’s specialty to fix. A big reason the team (aside from being the right price) took a shot at Vince Velasquez.

Sometimes that has been by introducing a 2-seamer but Dauri’s 4-seam has played in the zone, up in the zone, even slightly out. The issue is his secondary pitches, and early on here, he’s not so much fixed the issue, as getting away with it.

Below you’ll see a heat map from 2023, I’ve highlighted the Slider and Changup and again, we’re only talking 46 pitches here folks.

Again, he’s had success, so maybe there is just better movement, or maybe he’s gotten lucky. His chase creation almost exclusively comes out of the zone, but for a guy who just struggled mightily with walks and homeruns you can understand why he’d prefer to just pound the zone.

This is where Marin will come into play. The longer they work together, the lower in the zone I expect to see those heat map hot zones creep because folks, this will get scouted, and good hitters when they have their bearings will do damage. Elevated changeups like that are like waving a beef tenderloin in front of a lion.

All in all, he has killer stuff, and I certainly hope they’re able to work with him to keep building on the success he’s had early on here. Sometimes the confidence of experiencing some success is key to unlocking the next evolution.

If the Pirates can get his precision to match his intensity, they might just have a reliable bullpen arm through the end of the decade.

Keller Shines As Pirates Sweep The Red Sox (4-2)

4/5/23- By Craig W. Toth – @BucsBasement on Twitter

Through the first six and two-thirds, Mitch Keller was on full cruise control before surrounding a double to Tristian Casas; immediately followed by a Christian Arroyo single to break the shutout.

Then after surrendering another single, pinch-hitter Reece McGuire-yes, the former Pirates Top Prospect-almost tied the game on 3-run homer, that luckily trailed foul; ultimately ending up as Keller’s seventh strikeout victim on the day.

Sure, we could second guess Shelton on what could have happened, but, I’m not sure this is a decision that will even be remembered in a month or so; especially if Keller continues to deal the way he did for the majority of this game.

For the Red Sox, veteran Corey Kluber went five-throwing 67 pitches after tossing 80 in his first start of the season. On the day he finished with a stat line of 5IP/3H/1ER/1BB/1HR.

Unfortunately for Boston their bullpen wasn’t able to keep the Pirates in check; allowing 3 additional runs on 5 hits.

When it was all said and done, Pittsburgh walked out of Fenway with a 4-1 victory; and a series sweep.

News & Notes

  • Last night Carlos Santana was robbed a homer in the top of the fifth. Today he made sure it went over the fence by aiming toward Pesky’s Pole.
  • Keller struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth on just 11 pitches. His final line was 7IP/4H/IER/2BB/7K.
  • Cruz was removed from the game in the top of the seventh after taking a Rafael Devers’ cleat to the face, while hustling on the base-paths the previous half-inning.
  • Even with the three-run homer Chase DeJong gave up in the Opening Series in Cincinnati, the Pirates bullpen has a 1.97 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and 20 Ks in 18.1 innings pitched.
  • Bryan Reynolds continues to make hard contact. In this particular game it only resulted in a double. On the season he is hitting .417 with an 1.444 OPS and 4 homers.
  • Rodolfo Castro has struggled mightily to begin the season. He is now 1 for 12 with 5 strikeouts and no walks.

Your Pirates are off tomorrow before arriving at PNC Park for the Home Opener on Friday at 4:12 PM. Currently the pitching matchup is scheduled to be Rich Hill (0-1, 5.40 ERA) for Pittsburgh, with Lucas Giolito (0-0, 3.60 ERA) set to go the White Sox.

Hump Day Pirates Q&A

4-5-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

The Pirates have pushed back in this series against the Red Sox after a disappointing opening series in Cincy. Nothing will help you take the pulse of a fan base by putting out an open call for questions. I love this feature for that reason, it tells me a ton about what you want to hear about as well as what you wonder about. Remember, these don’t just have to be questions, you can even just ask for me to talk about a subject you don’t feel has gotten enough coverage.

Let’s do this…

Question 1

Where will Bae see most of his playing time? And how much does that really matter? – Matt Christine (@MethodicalMatt)

Well Matt, I honestly think it matters less for Bae than some of the players he’s competing with for playing time. In the Spring the Pirates said they planned to have him focus on second base, putting him firmly in a competition with Tucupita Marcano and Rodolfo Castro. It’s hard to say anyone really won that competition outright, but he certainly hung in there.

Now, they’re using him primarily to make shuffling things around later in games. His ability to bounce to the outfield has allowed the team to pinch run or hit for others and it’s helped sure up the late inning defense.

Over time, I think he’ll settle in a bit more at a spot, but that probably won’t come in 2023, I think he’ll bounce all year and put together 400-500 at bats doing so. Jack Suwinski, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Rodolfo Castro and to a degree Travis Swaggerty probably have a say in how this plays out as well. If Castro fails to figure out what’s ailing him, Bae may be forced to just take over 2B. If all the outfield options force playing time he may end up fighting for time at 2B.

That’s a bunch of words to say, if he hits, he’s going to find at bats. If he keeps playing defense like he did last night in CF, he’s going to make it embarrassing to not start him there.

One thing is very clear, they want him to win something. He provides elements that this team doesn’t have, and quite frankly, while I’m not ready to declare him a “fixture” there isn’t a whole lot coming with his skill set. That has value. Good teams can beat you in a ton of ways, and having players like this who can do special things add to that tool box.

Question 2

Saw Jon Heyman was talking to 93.7 the fan about Oneil Cruz possibly seeing an extension from the Pirates. How will the Pirates keep him, Reynolds or other extension eligible players like Mitch Keller, or are the pirates finally going to start spending some $ and keep their core players? – Billy Tissue

Ahh Billy, you’re gonna get me going here.

Let’s start here, this cheap team did this when the last window opened. No, they didn’t sign any mega deals, but they also weren’t as common back then (not even ten years ago) as they are today. They extended Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Francisco Liriano, Josh Harrison, Charlie Morton, Francisco Cervelli, Ivan Nova, and at the end of the day, a few of them were mistakes, none of them were for the kind of money we’re talking about in today’s game, but for this club, they did keep some of their guys.

Much of this depends on the players. For instance, Bryan Reynolds (who yes, I do believe will get done) almost had to want to be here, more than the team wanted him to make this happen. Make no mistake, if he does sign this for the reported dollars, it’s a Pirates bargain. Adjusted for inflation, it’s very similar to the McCutchen extension back in the day.

Gerritt Cole wasn’t happy to make what rookies make in MLB, and was vocal about it. Hired Scott Boras as his agent and told the team he had no intention of signing a deal that gave the Pirates any of his free agency years. It ultimately led them to trade him in my mind early, and the bankrupt development system needed MLB ready or close to it talent in return.

To extend Oneil Cruz, logic would dictate you’d want to follow the path of other teams who have started trying to lock in exciting young talent early. But make no mistake, It’ll take something this team hasn’t even sniffed when it comes to a financial commitment. Julio Rodriguez in Seattle signed a 12 year 209.3 Million dollar deal with an AAV of 18 per and a club option to opt out when he’s 29 in 2030. With bonuses built in and should the team pick up the option this deal could be worth over 400 million.

By 2030, 18 million would be an absolute bargain for a player like this, but they’ve also given him astronomically more than he would have gotten in his rookie years and arbitration. That’s the hook you have as a team. You can say hey, we have you making say 45 million by the time you hit free agency, we’ll make sure that’s more like 90, but in exchange we want you to give us the next 4 after that for the same rate. It kinda evens out, but should be fair to everyone.

Cruz is older than Julio, so 12 years would be insane, he’d be almost 40 by the time it expired. So I’m not trying to make a 1 to 1 compare here, but if you shoot for 8-10 and try to hit that AAV, sure I could see it….but

Do I see it as possible? I guess, and I know for a fact they’ve already started opening the dialog, but I don’t think we’ll hear them jump right to that as the next thing they gotta get done. I’d also say thinking they could just fail on Reynolds and apply the money to Cruz isn’t thinking this through the way the team will. Each player is a percentage of payroll, and the number they’re comfortable with for any one player won’t change depending on who they fail or succeed to sign.

Keller is a guy they should absolutely try to get locked up, but he knows what pitchers are getting paid and he’s close enough to taste it. I will say, he knows how fortunate he is to have come up when he did, the Pirates were damn near forced to practice a saint’s worth of patience because they had no options. He’s looked like he has rounded the corner, but as of yet, it’d still be a bit of a bet on the Pirates part. I think he’s a key extension though, you can’t just start over and never lock in a rotation cornerstone. We know damn well they can’t buy a guy like that on the open market.

Roansy is also a guy I’d target.

Keep this in mind though. This team is probably going to top out around 140-150 million at their apex. If nothing changes financially to the system and this owner stays in place (he will), that is a realistic and hopeful target believe it or not. If that’s the case, we haven’t seen even 1 of Ben’s draft picks make the club. The chances you’re going to want guys like Gonzales, Davis, Endy, Priester, Burrows, Johnson, and whomever else you think will emerge to be locked up too is pretty high.

This is still the Pirates, and they’re still not going to do what the Braves have done. I’m not even sure we can 100% say that will work for them long term yet.

The best thing I can say here, they simply can’t and won’t keep everyone. They just need to make sure they keep the right ones when they do.

Question 3

I’ve been impressed with the three catchers the Bucs have utilized so far. When Hedges comes off IL in 7 days so you think they will send Delay out or Heineman? – Gary Buritto

Well Gary, beside having a super cool name it’s bold of you to say you’ve enjoyed the Pirates Catching room right out in the open on social media with no fear.

Full disclosure, I thought Heineman had earned the backup role out of Spring and was caught a bit off guard when they decided on Jason Delay. That said, Delay has been fine, he handles the pitchers well and has even chipped in offensively. Heineman has only had one start and he too contributed. OK, so he didn’t hit one over the Monster, but still got on base to score a late insurance run and did a great job working with Roansy.

This is super hard to answer though. First, that 7 days could turn into 20 for all we know and a lot can happen in that kind of time.

So let me put it this way, I hope when it’s decision time, they choose the guy they want, as opposed to choosing to DFA the one they think might squeak through waivers.

Question 4

Do you think the players are liking this series win a bit more than others, and hopefully it’s a sweep, after Eck’s hodgepodge of nothingness comment last year? Or more generally, does bulletin board stuff really go on and matter at this level? -Drew Caryll

I mean, THIS group in particular, well, they haven’t experienced any series aside from the Reds, so yes, I’m sure they do.

All joking aside, bulletin board stuff gets in the room, even if most of them won’t admit they hear or see what’s said. I will say, from a broadcaster I don’t think they take it on the field. I can say when Noah Syndergaard had his famous comments about the team, the players I spoke to were much more upset than anything I heard about Eck.

The thing is, that Hodgepodge, well, it kinda was right? I mean, it’s not like it was an untrue statement. Look how few opening day 2022 players are still here, which in and of itself is more reinforcement as to why to this group, it likely isn’t a thing.

Tonight I’ll be on a Boston Podcast and I guarantee I’ll spend a healthy amount of air time explaining how a rebuild works in a small market. See, the Red Sox as currently constructed are very much so in their minds in a rebuild. They know they aren’t really in the AL East race, they know they have to wait for the development system to provide, but they also have some big names locked up and they’ll add to that list the entire duration of their “build”. Teams like the Pirates, Reds, Nationals, Arizona, Baltimore, you know the characters, they all strip down to said hodgepodge and to big market fans, it looks like it’s all about that top pick. In reality, it’s about thinking not enough is the same as none. Fans disagree, but it’s just not the same game for everyone.

Long way of saying, I don’t get mad about comments like that because quite honestly it’s a bit true, and it comes from genuinely not understanding the thought process as opposed to spite. I’d imagine most of the players get that aspect too, if they remember it at all by in large.

Question 5

Is Roansy already our best pitcher? Keller might have the best stuff, but Contreras gets guys out most consistently. – Ed Fleming

I mean, we’re through 1 trip through the rotation at this point. Obviously we’re going to see as the season plays out.

That said, I can see that being our takeaway by season’s end. Roansy has yet to really have the league push back and I can count on one hand how often that happens. Think about how improbable Spencer Strider’s story in Atlanta is. Gets called up and just hasn’t looked back, hell the Braves didn’t even know this was what was going to happen.

Let’s start with health. If both are healthy all year, this team will have probably benefited from 60 starts from them combined, and while that’s not enough of the 162 to say the team is good, it’s starting to matter more as you consider adding even more to the room as the season rolls on.

Best thing I can say here is, both absolutely have the talent and pedigree to be the “best” they have, neither have put together a full season as of yet. I’ll put my check mark next to Keller’s name though, for the simple reason, he’s already fought through the league punching him in the face.

Reynold’s Extension Talk and Pirates Way Too Early Takeaways

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ynhys-13d513e

Craig and Chris talk about the Reynold’s Extension Situation-even though they don’t want to-and give their takeaways from the first few games of the season; as well as what to look for moving forward. 

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!

Contreras Strong Start Propels Pirates Over Red Sox 4-1: (3-2)

04/04/23 – By Ethan Smith (aka @mvp_ETHAN on Twitter

Gary is gonna start making me do these things everyday at this rate.

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not have the best opening weekend losing two of three to Cincinnati but they have bounced back in a big way taking the first two games and the series at Fenway Park.

Roansy Contreras got his first start of the season after representing the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, but not having the same Spring Training as his counterparts didn’t seem to phase him at all.

Contreras becomes the first Pirates starter to record a win this season, posting an outing consisting of 5 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 SO and blanking the Red Sox outside of Masataka Yoshida RBI in the first inning.

Dauri “Money” Moreta, Jose Hernandez, Colin Holderman and David Bednar would keep Boston off the board for the remainder of the game with Bednar picking up his third save in three chances.

Bryan Reynolds continued to torture the Reds Sox as well, going yard again at Fenway for his fourth of the season while adding a double and single.

Ji-hwan Bae also had an impressive outing, picking up his first big league home run as well as making a highlight catch off of Rafael Devers off the Green Monster to blank Devers in the hit column.

Andrew McCutchen continued his cycle of getting on base via the free pass, obtaining his sixth and seventh walks of the season.

The Pirates won in two very different ways against Boston in the first two games, moving to 3-2 on the season and looking for the series sweep at Fenway Park tomorrow afternoon with Mitch Keller facing Corey Kluber.

News & Notes

  • Bryan Reynolds became the third Pirates player since 1960 w/ 4 HRs in his first five games of the season, joining Reggie Sanders(2003) and Willie Stargell(1971) – ESPN Stats and Info
  • Ji-hwan Bae hits first big league HR to continue strong start to the season(also became just the fourth Korean born player to homer at Fenway Park)
  • Roansy Contreras has 5 2/3 IP debut in 2023, surrendering three hits, one earned run and striking out two
  • Dauri Moreta, Jose Hernandez, Colin Holderman and David Bednar blank the Red Sox in the final 4 1/3 innings
  • Pirates win their first series of 2023

Top 5 Pirates Prospects: Opening Weekend In Indianapolis

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

Whenever I went on social media after a jam packed weekend of watching the Pirates take on the Reds, and the Indians as they welcomed the Omaha Storm Chasers to The Vic, one particular comment caught my eye.

An obvious fan of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club questioned if people were really starting to live tweet Triple-A games.

First and foremost, the practice live tweeting games is not something I will ever understand. There are apps for both the Major and Minor Leagues, that can be used to follow along with your teams games in real time. You can even listen to the Indians, Curve, Grasshoppers and Marauders game’s absolutely free on the MiLB First Pitch app. If your not in the Pittsburgh area you can do the same for your beloved Pirates at a cost of only $2.99 a month.

Clearly this is not the same as watching the game with your own two eyes, but believe me, the broadcasters in the Pirates Organization are more than skilled enough to paint a mental picture of exactly what is going on in any ballgame you might be interested in.

Now, this overarching sentiment doesn’t apply to the ones out there showing actual game clips. Those are awesome; and everyone should truly appreciate your effort(s). Even while watching the games-which is what I did this past weekend-there may be highlights that need to be viewed a few more times beyond the customary replay.

Although this brings up another pet peeve of mine, that might actually be worse than tweeting, What A Great Catch, without any other context in the middle of a disjointed game summary; which is sharing someone else’s video, while giving the least amount of credit available to them on a social media platform.

If you don’t know what I am talking about just look at Jomboy Media’s Twitter account for like two seconds.

If you squint really hard, or pay close enough attention, you would know that this a video from a gentleman named Dillard Barnhart , who is an independent baseball content creator on YouTube.

Yes, I understand why people do this. There is an option to block retweets on Twitter, so their post wouldn’t be seen by as many viewers; even though they are essentially using the work of others to build their own content brand.

Sorry, I’ll get down off my soapbox. This was just some stuff that was on my mind as I was sitting down to write what I knew would be a recap of and/or impression(s) from the smallest of sample sizes.

I guess I should just be happy that there is a group of fans who find Minor League Baseball as fascinating as I do; and, some who choose to watch, follow or listen like me.

1) Tucupita Marcano-IF/OF

Ben Cherington liked the potential of Marcano so much that he made two attempts-the second of these being successful-to pry this young man away from the San Diego Padres.

Since arriving in the Pirates Organization, he has been seen as an underwhelming addition; tough he has performed fairly well in the Minors.

Over the past two seasons Marcano has posted a .265/.361/.389 slash line with 12 homers 40 total extra base hits, a 101 wRC+ and a 15.5% K to 13.3% BB-rate.

Unfortunately this has yet to transfer over to the Majors as he possesses a .206 AVG, a .562 OPS, a 57 wRC+ and a 24.9% K to 5.6% BB-rate across 177 plate appearances in Pittsburgh.

Given the opportunity to battle Ji-hwan Bae and Rodolfo Castro in Spring Training, Marcano was the one who ultimately ended up in Triple-A. Nevertheless, if one of them stumbles, he could be one of the next men up; granted he is performing well enough to justify it.

During the opening weekend, he went 4 for 9 with two doubles and a stolen base; all while playing a decent third and short.

2) Mike Burrows-RHP

This may not have been the start that most were hoping for from the Pirates Fans; especially after three decent outings in Spring Training, where he debuted his new slider. Yet, it clearly could have been worse if it wasn’t for Burrows ability to fight through not having his best stuff consistently.

Across 5 innings and 77 pitches-45 of them for strikes-Burrows allowed one run on 2 hits, with two free passes and one strikeout. He did generate 5 whiffs, mostly on his fastball; but, simply didn’t find the zone enough.

He will look to improve upon this when he likely takes the mound on, likely on Saturday in Louisville.

3) Chavez Young-OF

Young is definitely not the outfielder I would have expected to put on this list; even in the small sample size of one weekend, yet here we are. Sure he didn’t have the best series, but in all actuality none of them really did.

Travis Swaggerty struck out an astounding 50% of the time, Cal Mitchell got one hit-while walking 3 times-and Miguel Andujar struck out three times in 9 plate appearances.

Young has speed on his side and plays good defense, however, he’s going to have to hit better than he did in Buffalo last season; slashing .234/.331/.351 with 5 homers, 13 total extra base hits and a wRC+ of 86.

This past weekend he didn’t take much of a step in that direction by getting only 2 hits in 8 plate appearances; but he did get to show off his speed on a triple.

And, like I said before, he outperformed his counterparts.

4) Nick Gonzales-2B/3B

Each season Gonzales has seen his time cut short by injury; yet with every passing year he has been promoted up the Pirates Minor League Ranks one level at a time; landing in Indianapolis to start 2023, just a step away from the Majors.

Be that as it may, for me, Gonzales has to simply learn to hit or lay off the slow stuff. On Saturday I watched as he twice swung and missed at off-speed pitches that drifted out of the zone.

If you throw Gonzales fastballs, he hits. In his small sample size he got 3 hits in 13 at bats.,

He also looked very comfortable at multiple positions in the field.

5) Luis Ortiz-RHP

Much like Burrows, Ortiz didn’t have his best stuff going for him; plus he was actively trying to work his change up in. Unfortunately, it seemed as if he really didn’t know where it was going.

Lasting less than four innings, and throwing only 58 pitches-remember he is still getting built up from missing time due to participating in the World Baseball Classic-Ortiz struck out 4, but walked 3 and surrendered 3 hits as well.

As the season progresses-and the pitch count increases-I will be keeping a close eye on how polished his changeup becomes.

Honorable Non-Prospect Mention: Mark Mathias-IF/OF

Definitely not still a prospect-thanks to his 1.153 years of service time-Mathias was the most productive hitter for the Indians over the weekend; making the most of his 7 plate appearances by notching 5 hits.

Seen as a potential option to start the season with the Big League Club in a Super Utility Role, Mathias could continue to put pressure on Cherington to eventually make this move; much to the dismay of many Pirates Fans.

Conclusion

There you have it! My Top 5 Pirates Prospect Performers-plus one-for the first week of the year.

Now remember, let me know I missed, who your Top 5 is and be sure check back each and every Tuesday during Minor League Baseball Season!

As the weeks go on these posts will noticeably get more in-depth and cumulative based naturally on more statistics and trends beginning to emerge. And, they won’t all be from Indianapolis. Altoona is set to open the year on Thursday April 6th, with Greensboro and Bradenton right behind on Friday April 7th.

Pirates Break Out The Lumber, Out-Slug Red Sox 7-6: (2-2)

4/3/23 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on Twitter

Fireworks early and often in this game as the Bucs put up a 3 spot in the first inning against Boston starting pitcher Kutter Crawford (great baseball name!) and seemed to be ready to cruise. The Red Sox, however, were all over Johan Oviedo as they hammer 5 runs off 3 homers in the bottom of the first.

Last year, this would have made the Pirates roll over and likely given up 8 more runs. Not this season though. Bucs would plate 1 in the 2nd, 1 in the 3rd and 2 in the 4th. Crawford was chased after 4 innings, 8 hits, 7 runs, 2 walks and 6 strikeouts. Oviedo on the other hand would turn thing around, and last into the 5th:

Johan Oviedo: 4.2 innings, 94 pitches (54 strikes) 6 hits, 4 ER, 4 BB, 4 Ks (26% CSW)

The bullpen handled the Sox by holding them to only 1 run the rest of the way as Dauri Moreta, Rob Zastryzny, Duane Underwood Jr., Colin Holderman and David Bednar locked down the rest of the game: 4.1 innings, 4 hits, 1 run, 3 BBs and 6 Ks.

The story on both sides was the long ball. Rafael Devers, Masataka Yoshida and Triston Casas each hit home runs for the Red Sox in the first inning. Bryan Reynolds went deep twice, Jason Delay hit his second career home run.

Pirates pitching danced in and out of trouble as the Red Sox stranded 22 runners in the game, including a bases-loaded situation in both the 5th and 6th innings.

News & Notes

  • Team made Crawford labor early with 32 pitches in the first and were able to string together long at-bats, which helped chase him early and push Boston’s bullpen into action.
  • Ke’Bryan Hayes is still hitting the ball hard. He managed to get one hit out of it in the game but some bad luck too. Hit a ball 102.9MPH off the first base bag in the 1st, which could have been extra bases, hit into a fielder’s choice in the third that bounced off the pitcher’s mound at 89.9 MPH.
  • Canaan Smith-Njigba had some very solid at-bats but his big hit was in the first inning, with an RBI double off the Green Monster.

CSN RBI Double:

  • Bryan Reynolds isn’t letting the contract rumors get in his head with a 3-for-5 night, 2 solo home runs and 3 runs scored. He did have a costly error in the first inning as he and Suwinski appeared to have some communication issues in the field and the ball bounced off his glove.

Reynolds 1st HR:

Reynolds 2nd HR:

  • His buddy from Vanderbilt, Jason Delay, also notched a solo shot with a blast over the Monster – only the second home run of his career.

Delay HR:

  • Jack Suwinski looked more comfortable at the plate than we have seen him so far this year. Took a lot of pitches, managed a walk and a single, driving in a run. Plus, he made a spectacular play in the field.

Suwinski diving catch:

  • Pirates will send out Roansy Contreras tomorrow night against RHP Nick Pivetta. Game starts at 7:10PM.

Raise the Jolly Roger and Let’s Go Bucs!

Five Pirates Thoughts at Five

4-3-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

The Pirates have had one 3 game series so far, and if it was open to pedestrian traffic, I’d suggest sending extra law enforcement to the Clemente Bridge just to be safe.

Folks, if the Pirates had swept the Reds, I’d be saying largely the same thing. You don’t know much about this team yet. Neither do I, neither does anyone else. Baseball is not a sport that tells you much in 3 games.

Does that mean there isn’t anything worth noting? No. Does it mean you have to like everything you’ve seen? Oh, hell no.

And don’t get me wrong, fans are overreacting all over the country. Some see their 3-0 team and are completely convinced despite what they thought before the season started, they were wrong, and now the World Series is right there for them. Others are 0-3 looking to see who follows Dylan Crews for the top pick in the draft in 2024.

For this team though, even optimistic people thought they’d lose 85-90 games, so unless you thought they were going to start out with 70+ wins first, this was kinda always coming.

Now, let’s go.

1. This Lineup

Let’s start with facts shall we? I always like to start there.

First, Derek Shelton is probably never going to be a manager who leaves well enough alone. He likes to find spots for certain guys, special guys and he simply hasn’t had many of those.

Next up, statistically it has been proven that lineups don’t matter, but I’ve never once talked to an actual player who believes that. They’ll all say the right thing if their manager bounces them around, but I ask every single one I talk to and they’ll each tell me, they’d rather have a fairly consistent spot.

And still more, in today’s game, Baseball, not the actual on field action, and according to all analytics wonks, the very best hitter in your lineup should hit leadoff. Look around, almost everyone is not starting some speedy water bug, instead they’re starting off with guys like Cruz, or Acuna, even Schwarber. The theory being you want your best hitter to come to the plate more than anyone else and the only time the leadoff hitter is sure to actually lead off is the first inning. Like it or hate it, this is a truth in today’s game.

When talking about a lineup, it’s always smart to check out the opposing pitcher. For instance, on Sunday, Graham Ashcraft the Reds starter had some pretty stark reverse splits. Meaning this big right hander was easier to hit for right handed hitters.

All well and good right? Like we can agree all of those things are fair and true I hope.

Every single game a lineup will be posted, and every single day the same complaints will be registered. He’ll probably make 150 of them this year, and all 150 will have something someone doesn’t like, maybe even just playing Austin Hedges, lol.

To make good decisions with the roster, you have to know what you have, and that takes playing time. If you like your starters so much that the bench isn’t going to get much you don’t fill it with youngsters because they have to play.

That doesn’t mean anyone involved is smart enough to make good decisions with the information, but that’s the idea.

Can we please start having some better lineup discussions? Some of the complaints are just tired and boring at this point, and they simply won’t find a coach that doesn’t believe in most of this list of facts, because of the biggest fact of all, this is what the GM wants.

2. Playing Time Lessons

It’s only 3 games, but I’ll be completely honest with you, I’ve been shocked by a few things. Let’s go through them, let me know what you think the team is trying to accomplish.

Ji Hwan Bae – On the bingo card of what is this team doing, I didn’t have Ji Hwan playing every day, even against a tough lefty. He’s played 2B twice and CF once, pretty smooth at both of them, one ill advised play at second. Thursday he was the locomotive of the offense, Saturday and Sunday, he was really pretty bad, especially against Lodolo. Another oddity here, Cruz absolutely is more comfortable with Castro there, maybe that doesn’t matter, maybe it shouldn’t if it does, either way, just sayin’.

Rodolfo Castro – Feels like you can’t mention Bae without also talking about Castro. He’s for sure gotten the bench treatment in the early going. His swing and approach from the left side were being worked on this Spring, like they had him up on the lift in the shop trying to see what they can do mechanically to help this kid who topped a .900 OPS from the right side unlock something from the other side now. A right handed only platoon player is much less valuable than a power hitting switch hitter. Is it possible they are tinkering and just don’t want him trying it out in game at the moment?

Ji-man Choi – He’s appeared in 2 games, but one was a last at bat pinch hit, and the other he was a DH. Now, this one surprises me because he was in my mind a bench player, and I’m shocked that the team might agree. OR, is he just not quite recovered to the point they feel comfortable putting him in the field? Either way, Carlos Santana playing all 3 games of the first series in the field, not exactly what I thought would play out.

Canaan Smith Njigba – He doesn’t have to be a starter per se but if he’s not going to get at bats, just swap him with Mathias. Then again, maybe they think he can handle not getting regular at bats and this is the exact reason he was chosen over Swaggerty. I have no problem with Joe getting at bats, he’s done fine, but I’d like to see him find himself in the lineup a bit more. Sadly the next trip, to Boston isn’t a great park to showcase his skills anyway.

3. The Rotation Likely Won’t Hold Up

The more I think about this rotation minus JT Brubaker, the less I think they’re going to avoid some really messy situations. There are some names you want to see here that could buttress this rotation like Luis Ortiz or Michael Burrows of course, but hear me out.

Luis isn’t ready. He has a changeup, he’s working on it. It’s got good shape to it, but he doesn’t yet have the tunneling or command of the pitch. It’s a needed pitch for him, because while his slider is crazy good, and his fastball is equally impressive, they’re similar velocities. He must have a change of pace to keep people off the velo. I truly don’t believe his handling to be manipulation. And honestly if you wanted to, he could be right now one of their better bullpen arms, but if he can be a starter, wouldn’t you prefer that?

Burrows is mature, I think he could probably do well up here for a bit before he gets scouted, then good hitters are going to take advantage of him a bit. I think it’s fair to want to see him succeed a bit in AAA, but again, if they had to grab someone, he’d be my pick, so long as you don’t think he’s the type to get scarred by what’s eventually coming his way. I don’t believe him to be that fragile.

Priester probably shouldn’t be in this early season talk. He’s not a guy to rush. Sounds like the 5 pitches he used to tout “having” he now, well, has. It’s been a long road for him but it’s starting to look like it’s going to be worth it. Maybe we’ll revisit this though mid season and see how this changes.

Osvaldo Bido is one of the more seasoned options in AAA and he could be an option. After that, you really start to drop off. Again, I’m not talking overall talent in the system, I’m talking early need here folks. Come June, I can probably add some options here but early on, you’ve got to know what’s really there.

When I say it could create some uncomfortable moves, don’t be shocked if Caleb Smith would get a call before anyone I named here. If only because they could turn around and DFA him without “losing” anything they value.

Know what, let’s just hope they stay healthy. lol

4. Haines Hitting Philosophy Takes Too Much Expertise to Thrive Under

That headline right there, that’s how I look at the Andy Haines system. I think very good, very accomplished hitters, especially those with a really good eye at the plate can do fine under Haines, and execute his philosophy well.

See Daniel Vogelbach last year. He’s not a great hitter, but he’s a noted pitch seer. He takes a ton of pitches, and when he gets what he wants he puts a good swing on it. Andrew McCutchen this year has started out looing like this year’s poster boy for Haines philosophy.

Walks are of course a fine outcome for a good at bat, but if you don’t have that eye, the chances you strike out instead are just as high.

I swear folks, I’m not going to rail on this all season long, but Haines and the things he instructs are never going to work with youngsters by in large in my opinion. It robs them of aggressiveness, sets them up for hitting in pitchers counts and makes every offensive rally seemingly have to have a pitcher who can’t find the zone or an ump who is squeezing the pitcher.

It’s part of why I was happy to see them bring in so many vets. Good luck telling Carlos Santana to hit differently than he has on his way here ya know? More than that, I’m hoping over time here he pipes up to some of the youngsters that they don’t have to take that approach if its not working for them.

Don’t get me wrong, if Haines is as poor a coach as I believe him to be, it’s on the team for not recognizing it. But veterans know damn well how hard it is to have a long career, and they all know that being led in a direction at some point it’s up to you to buck. Push back and find what works for you.

When your team is younger, and going to get younger still, it doesn’t pay to have a hitting philosophy that requires the eye of a veteran at the plate to succeed.

I’m certainly not a hitting expert. I’m just a guy who watches baseball very closely, and I listen to the players. They’ll tell you what the plan is if you listen enough because they fall back on their mantras in interviews.

Patience. Waiting for my pitch. Swing with purpose. Do damage. All of that stuff can fall under baseball cliche but when you hear them almost in the same order you kinda know it’s coming from somewhere and I doubt it’s Crash Davis on the bus telling them to get out a note pad.

At this level, patience is of course important, but when everyone in the league knows your entire lineup is going to sit back and see what you have, you’re going to start 0-2 more often than not.

Another thing about his philosophy that bothers me, it prevents the offense from taking what’s right there in front of them. Runner at third with one out, yup, that next batter is still going to hunt a walk. I want that guy swinging. Your job is to get a ball in the air in that situation, but far too often it turns into hunting a walk which pitchers are far too happy to give to set up a double play.

This story isn’t going to go away until we see guys doing something as a unit offensively, if we do.

Sigh.

5. Not a Minor Deal

The collective-bargaining agreement for minor league players is officially ratified. The owners voted unanimously in favor of it, and players ratified it too. It carries a five year duration and more than double the players pay along with various other benefits.

This is a good thing folks.

I don’t talk to as many minor league players as Craig Toth does, but the stories these guys tell about real hardship just trying to live a dream are everywhere you look.

When you see parents at an MLB ballpark watching their kid throw their first pitch or get their first at bat and you see them instantly burst into tears, it’s usually got a lot more behind it than just being proud of your son, it’s also probably been 4, 5, maybe 7 years of helping to support them, worrying about them, watching them try to make sense of making less than most grocery store cashiers while trying to start a family.

Living in vans, not being able to even work in the offseason because of non paid training plans and expectations.

The list goes on. The trip from being drafted through actually making it to MLB should you be so fortunate is the single hardest trip in all of professional sports.

It’s become a barrier to entry when it comes to talent as well. If an athlete has a choice because they are just a really good athlete, baseball is very often not the choice.

Before you start in about the bonuses they make and how we shouldn’t cry for them, I’ll remind you, beyond the first or second rounds of the draft, these kids aren’t getting big signing deals. And even if they do, think of how stupid you were with money when you were 18, it doesn’t hold over and many spend a good chunk just trying to help their teammates at their first stop.

Being a minor league player still isn’t a career, they’ll never get rich from it, but at least now it’s not a risk that sets you up for being 40 before you recover and start your non athlete life.

This is good for minor league players, and good for baseball. Kudos to everyone involved for getting it done.