Through The Prospect Porthole: Expectations For Endy

3-2-23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasement on Twitter)

Mention Endy Rodriguez in a room full of Pirates Fans, and I can almost guarantee you that the majority would join together in mass to scream about how he should start behind the plate in the Majors; in spite of the fact that most have probably never seen him play, beyond video clips on social media.

In the minds of many the entire decision is based around service manipulation, and honestly I can’t blame them for thinking this way/believing this to be true.

It’s almost been ingrained in the subconscious of every person who cheers for the Pirates; ultimately causing some of the most visceral reactions I have ever witnessed.

Just the thought that something like this is happening again makes the ground around PNC Park start to shake with the stampede of angry Pittsburgers, as the march down to 115 Federal Street to air their grievances.

Not really, most just tweet about incessantly. But, they are really upset. And, each year they get a new sacrificial lamb-real or somewhat imagined-to lay at the feet of the Pirate faithful.

In 2020 it was Ke’Bryan Hayes, last season it was Oneil Cruz and Roansy Contreras, and this year it will be/already is Endy Rodriguez; with Luis Ortiz as another option, to a slightly lesser degree. 

Obviously this is nothing new. I can remember the same outcry for a young outfielder, turned first baseman, who was batting near .300, while racking up the extra base hits in the Circle City back in 2016. Or, think back to right before the team ended their record breaking winless streak; when a potential superstar centerfielder needed just a few more at bats in Triple-A, in spite of the fact that he had accumulated 590 plate appearances during the previous season. 

The names change, but the reactions remain the same; even if every instance is not necessarily created equal. 

Do I think Endy’s bat could play in the Majors right now? Probably.

Sure he could experience the normal regression that often comes when the league adjusts to a young batter. Yet, I would fully expect him to punch back at Major League pitchers; like he has done at every level.

His bat has never been in question.

He doesn’t strike out a whole lot.-18% in his entire time in the Minors. And he walks a decent amount-11.8% of his plate appearances. His effortless power has only increased at every stop throughout the Pirates Farm System; going from a .218 ISO in Bradenton last season to a .322 during his time with the Curve. And, as I wrote earlier this week, the kid can do all of this from both sides of the plate.

To me the real challenge has always been his ability to handle a Major League Staff, with only 645 innings behind the dish above Low-A, with only about 210 of them coming from his time in Altoona and Indianapolis.

Sure, he’s got a cannon for an arm-as evidenced by his 31% Caught Stealing Rate in 2022-and can play multiple positions; but, even when you look at those numbers, it’s only 147 innings at second base, 102 in the outfield and 27 at first. Yeah, he has the potential. I just think we need to see it put into practice more; and, simply get him some more reps.

Speaking of reps, that seems to be exactly what Endy has been doing during his time in Bradenton thus far this Spring Training.

After watching this video by Jordan Comadena-Bullpen Catcher/Catching Coach-I reached out to him to gather some specifics as to exactly what Endy is working on.

He’s done a nice job with some subtle postural changes, glove timing and angles with his body.

In the mean time, he has also been taking fungos at 1st and 2nd; recently getting the nod at 1st in a Grapefruit League Game against the Tigers, that no one got to see. Nevertheless, it gave me another reason to reach out to Comadena to inquire as to Endy’s ability to stick behind the plate.

Endy is a special kid.. extremely talented, athletic. Can play a number of positions on the field. Can really hit.. his projected offensive impact at the catcher position is one reason why he’ll stick back there.

Undoubtedly, much of what I just wrote will be brushed aside by the service manipulation crowd; as they focus on each sweet swing from Endy this spring, while pointing out every strike out and soft contact stroke from the light hitting Austin Hedges.

Like I said before, I totally get it; and, can’t really blame anyone for thinking this way. We’ve seen it too many times before.

Still, I can’t see the harm in having him develop as a professional backstop with battery mates like Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows, Luis Ortiz, etc.; particularly since he will more than likely be catching offering from each of them over the next few years, at the very least.

To me, it would be much more detrimental to his development, to put him in situations that he isn’t fully prepared for. Although, Comadena didn’t completely agree; putting emphasis on the types of pitchers Endy needs to work with.

Just needs to keep playing, keep catching high level arms.

I guess maybe I need to be a little more aggressive in my assessments; leaning more towards iron sharpens iron, rather than my old go to.

Better safe than sorry, I always say; or was it Saul Goodman that said it best.

A giant thank you to Jordan for responding to my multiple inquiries concerning Endy.

For those who don’t, give Jordan a follow on Twitter-@funky2414-and on Instagram-funky24-to catch videos of and insights on the Pirates backstops.

Luis Ortiz: The Young Flamethrower

3-1-23 – By Michael Castrignano – @412DoublePlay on Twitter

On September 16, 2021, Luis Ortiz had just finished his last outing of the regular season for the Bradenton Marauders, pitching 4 innings, 3 hits, 3 runs (all unearned), 1 walk and 5 strikeouts. It was a pretty good end to the season as he posted a 3.09 ERA with a 5-3 record over 19 starts. The then 22-year-old flame-throwing Ortiz likely would not have guessed he would be making his major league debut less than one year later.

With a fastball that touches 100 with movement and a slider which cuts through the zone like a knife, Ortiz would make one more start for the Marauders that year – game 2 of the Southeast Low-A Championship Series – posting 6 innings of 1 run ball off 4 hits, 2 walks and 9 strikeouts. This was part of a series which Bradenton swept, including the 6-1 winner behind Ortiz.

His final start of 2022 wasn’t quite so memorable – at least not in a positive sense – as he only recorded two outs while allowing 6 runs off 3 hits and 3 walks. 

He hung a slider to Albert Pujols. Hung another one to Corey Dickerson. Left a few fastballs over a big part of the plate. Professional hitters will capitalize on these mistakes.

There’s growing pains in the game of baseball and Ortiz came out of the outing having gained some valuable experience for just how opponents adjust.

“Those two outings at the end of the season gave me an idea of how the big leagues really are,” Ortiz said. “I had Pujols at two strikes and threw a slider — I thought it was a good slider — and he ended up getting a hit, anyway.” 

Across three levels of professional ball last season, Ortiz posted a 4.56 ERA with 155 strikeouts in 140.1 innings. His ascent through the system, bypassing High-A Greensboro, and arriving in Pittsburgh was unprecedented. 

Signing for $25,000 as an international free agent in 2018, Ortiz was a 19-year-old pitcher in the Dominican Republic, shading on the older side for international signings. A fastball/slider pitcher, he shot up through the ranks collecting some notable moments in the season following his championship in Bradenton. 

Skips High-A entirely.

Two immaculate innings pitched while at Altoona.

Six innings of no-hit ball in Indianapolis.

Debuts in the major leagues with remarkable initial success.

What comes next?

Ortiz is technically in competition this spring for a rotation spot, all but assured a few months ago, but less likely now with the off-season additions of free agents Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez. Throwing a triple-digit fastball and slicing slider, a big step this off-season was building on his change-up, which he threw just 5.1% of the time last year.

I talked with MLB.com beat writer for the Pirates, Justice delos Santos, about his work on the pitch this off-season. “When you have a fastball that can touch 100MPH and, you know, it’s a fastball with some life to it, that’s a valuable weapon to have,” Justice told me. He went on to say that the pitch is almost a necessity for a pitcher to have in the event one of the other pitches isn’t working on a given day. 

Using the fastball to set up an off-speed pitch is typical but it will help to have another pitch to go to when one of your other pitches aren’t working on a given day. We’ve seen a number of pitchers coming into spring training this year having added or modified pitches to try to fool opposing hitters. It’s a constant game of cat-and-mouse. 

Ortiz made his Spring Training debut looking sharp using mostly his fastball and slider: 2 innings, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 walks and 1 strikeout. The lone strikeout came on his second change-up of the game: a 90-MPH pitch that dropped low in the zone.

I was able to watch him working in the bullpen prior to his start and he was throwing the change-up (as best I could tell from 10 feet above him) but seemed to be focused on his main fastball/slider stuff yesterday in his first outing. I would expect he expands a bit more in future starts this spring.

The addition of the change-up and the ability to use it as a weapon specifically against left-handed hitters will determine whether or not he can be a future ace in this rotation. He will likely return to Indianapolis to open the year but it won’t be long before he’s back in Pittsburgh reaching triple digits and doing some special stuff.

Hump Day Pittsburgh Pirates Q&A

3-1-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Ton of great questions this week, honestly, some of them are flattering that you’d think I could even attempt to answer, but I’ll give ’em a swing.

Lets Go…..

Question 1

Why are some Pirates allowed to play in the World Baseball Classic and others aren’t? – David Jonserz

This one is actually easy, so I won’t complicate it. The only reason we hear about this is because the Pirates protested Ji-man Choi participating in the WBC. This was not a personal decision, or because he cost too much, it was because Choi had elbow surgery and is actively in a recovery plan. The Pirates simply didn’t want to have another entity oversee that for him. Also, he should be ready to play as the event is taking place, but not likely before, so they’d like to have him in camp to get his ABs with them. That’s really it. Aside from that, if the international team wanted a player and the player wanted to participate, done.

Question 2

I just drafted a slew of Pirates in my first dynasty draft. Thoughts on playing time for Bae? CSN? -Phil Chaplin

First, I don’t do fantasy sports. So if there’s some milestone that makes a guy a good pickup vs poor, I don’t know it. That said, I think Bae is going to get plenty of playing time this season. He’s versatile, and even if he doesn’t make the team out of camp, he has first call up written all over him. Think about it, if there is injury or poor performance at 2B or the OF he’s the dude, if Hayes were to get hurt, Castro would move over to 3B, meaning Bae, to 2B. I think he can easily get 350-400 ABs without ever being named the starting anything.

CSN is a bit tougher. I can honestly say, the team would love him to emerge, they like a lot about him. Cal Mitchell got a little over 200 ABs last year on a very part time basis, that sounds like a good target for Canaan. The problem here is they have so very many of these type of guys, we’ll just have to see who emerges, and on top of that Bae himself will play a role in that competition.

Hope that helps, and here’s to winning your league Phil.

Question 3

Hi Gary! Thanks for the insight! Say, is it possible E Rodriguez or Davis see any catching duties this yr. So much positive news on Rod, just wondering what ya think here – Scott Chase

Hi Scott! I’d be shocked if Endy didn’t catch. Just yesterday on the broadcast Ben Cherington said they “really believe he can catch”. When he is called up, he’ll be primarily seen as a catching prospect but his versatility will really come into play when and if Henry Davis makes his way to the league. I don’t believe that will be significant in 2023. Davis could certainly make his debut, but lets be real, we’re talking September, dude has barely played.

I will say, if Henry has anything to say about it, he’ll be the Pirates Starting catcher for his entire career. There is no telling how they handle these two as we move forward. Davis could be the starting catcher, Endy would be the “backup” but plays a starter’s load because he can also play elsewhere, and they potentially carry 3 “catchers”. I literally mean this, they could do about 15 different things, and we’re all going to have to watch it play out. This year though, Endy is your guy.

Question 4

With an experienced gm like Cherington agreeing to oversee this organization. Do you think with his resume and experience that he got some kind of assurances from Nutting on salary. Maybe not particular numbers but maybe a ranking like between 20-23 – Todd Kemmerer

Well, I’ll start here Todd, I’ve been told he told Nutting what he thought he’d need and Nutting agreed to provide it. Nobody is going to give direct numbers, and a little secret, nobody cares about where they rank in the league when it comes to payroll.

You wouldn’t either if you really think about it. They have a ton of prospects, if a bunch of them work out and they manage to put together a team that only has a couple big contracts, hey, nobody is gonna get sweaty if the payroll is 27th. The highest they’ve been in recent times was 16th during the wild card run in the 2010’s, but the water level has significantly raised since then.

I’d further add in here, one of Cherington’s biggest motivations for coming here was the opportunity to completely restructure and rebuild a team’s entire system, and he knew it was going to take time. Something he watched and assisted with in Boston and Toronto, but he wanted to put his mark on a franchise and Bob handed him the keys.

I’d also say, in a moment of honesty, I’d bet he’s been a little cheap even for Bob. I’ll wait for the laughter to subside. This isn’t intended to be a joke though, Bob has now gotten involved in 3 things when it comes to players. Reynolds last year with the Arbitration case, he stepped in because he didn’t want Bryan going through that process, Cherington clearly didn’t mind it playing out. Andrew McCutchen coming back, I can honestly say his relationship with Nutting made this happen, and I hear Cherington wasn’t looking for another outfielder, at least not earnestly. Lastly, Nutting again is involved with the Reynolds situation, and openly opined he hasn’t liked how it’s gone. So if anything, Cherington in my mind is holding the purse strings tighter than Bob at the moment. Which makes sense if you think he believes he he’ll have the resources he needs when he wants them.

Question 5

What’s your take on Brubaker? His inconsistencies has bothered me over the years, is his development a year behind Keller’s? Or is what we see what you think we will get? Which is either a backend of the rotation starter or a long reliever. He showed glimpses of a middle of a rotation player last year at times, then at other times it was head scratching on whether he needed to be moved out of the starting rotation this season if some of the Triple A players you named did blossom and are ready by July. – Paul Swan

Let’s start here Paul, no matter what I say here on JT, half the readers will fervently disagree. He’s polarizing, and he’s that because like so many before him, he has the stuff, he has the number of pitches, he just hasn’t ever really put it all together.

Think about the differences of two other pitchers to help understand why we feel the way we do about Brubaker. Trevor Williams and Chad Kuhl. Trevor had clearly the better go of it here in Pittsburgh, but Chad is almost universally seen as the better pitcher. That’s because Trevor did a lot of things well, but to be successful, he had to do ALL those things well ALL at the same time. Kuhl had incredible stuff, he too wasn’t consistent, but he needed less of his “package” to come together to have success.

If those two had a child, it might be JT Brubaker. He has really good stuff, but he needs things to come together to succeed.

As of right now, he’ll be in the rotation, but after Velasquez and Hill, he has to be low man on the totem pole right? Well, even if he is, you’re now supposing 3 of the starting prospects are supplanting members of a rotation most think will be at least better this year.

I do believe Brubaker is a middle to back end of the rotation pitcher, and he has shown a proclivity for delivering innings. That’s incredibly valuable in today’s game, and I mean this sincerely, should the Pirates choose to do so, he’d have a trade market that would dwarf Hill or Velasquez.

Now, in relation to Keller. There was a time when he was actually ahead of Keller in the system before being injured, but Keller was always the higher prospect ceiling. That said, Brubaker contributed positively for 2 years while Keller only stuck in the rotation because the team was so embarrassingly light on options. Just because Keller turned his game around in 2022, well, it doesn’t discount how much good Brubaker did on the way there.

Brubaker’s biggest issue to me is getting settled in. If I were his coach (first of all he’d be out of the game lol) I’d have him alter his warmup routine and do it with that night’s starting catcher. Just knowing what is and isn’t working before the game would help him avoid those early game blowups that seem to precede his inevitable 5 scoreless that follow it.

Could he wind up in the pen someday? Sure. But that last paragraph is why I fear that move. It takes him time to settle in, and that my friend looks awful coming out of the pen.

Question 6

I’ll start here Elliot, overall, I like it. I wrote a little about this in Five Thoughts Monday but promised I’d expand here because of your question.

I think the clock, if MLB and broadcasters handle it properly, will really kinda slip our minds most of the time. I’m only 46, but I can honestly say when I was a child the game looked a lot more like what I’ve seen early on this Spring than what it had become.

I mean, watch this play out….

It’s crazy right?

You want to know how I know this was a real problem? During games I’d have people consistently reading my articles. We can see how many are on our site, and when in real time and during games, those numbers always tick up. Because people are thinking about baseball right then, and they have plenty of time on their hands.

Now, we don’t write small pieces typically. It takes a minute to really read and the time on page says they’re reading. You shouldn’t feel you have time to read like that during a game. I already see less tweeting during the game too. In other words, this pitch clock and hitter clock really, we should be honest it’s for both, is making the game something you can’t take your eyes from.

Now, I see it causing issues late in games. Not because I think we’ll see a ton of games ending on a dumb call, but because the drama of baseball late in games or the playoffs is just different, and honestly, part of why we love it so much.

In other words, I can see what people are concerned about, but we have to remember Baseball has a youth problem, and this Instagram and TikTok generation, well, they don’t have the attention span that you or I had. Think of it like this, When I was a kid, Microwaves existed, but not in most homes. They were a gadget that rich people had and if you simply got to use one you were wowed by how fast you could heat something. Once they became universally affordable, almost everyone’s mom wound up trying to cook WAY too much in them and you probably found yourself realizing faster didn’t always equal better. Now put yourself in a position where you literally don’t have a memory of not having one, and for the most part, you used it for leftovers or Hot Pockets. It’s just part of life to you, and you can’t imagine waiting 40 minutes to make a pot pie.

One more way to look at it. I have adult kids, but they will never know what life was like before the internet. I can absolutely say it’s ruined parts of life. Nobody can wait for anything, everything needs to be known instantly, judgements must be immediate. That said, there’s no going back, and nobody can survive in a world increasingly reliant on it. Well, baseball is trying to relate to a new generation that had started preferring to watch highlight packages (not unlike NFL Redzone) than an actual game.

Point is, even if you don’t like it, it’s hard to argue the game needed to do something.

Question 7

Good to see so much potential with the 2023 Pirates. Do you think the pitch clock makes it more important for pitchers to be decent shape? – Mark Graham

I mean, it’s always important for athletes to stay in decent shape, but for pitchers it’s all about the arm. I spoke to Eric Minshall, former pitching coach in the Pirates organization and his take was pretty low key on this subject. The repeatability shouldn’t be an issue in his mind.

Now, is a guy like Verlander or Hill going to tire over 6-7-8 innings of firing a ball every 15 seconds? Maybe, but it’s hard to say until someone acknowledges it. In the minors starters are rarely going coast to coast and they’re considerably younger, so it’s not exactly apples to apples.

If I had to guess, even if it effects someone, we aren’t likely to hear about it, but as with most things in sports, if it involves strength, agility, or stamina, age will adversely effect it.

Question 8

His early fielding scouting reports were based on him being a SS, and it was even suggested within that he’d be a much better 2B. That said, he does read the ball off the bat well, has grade 70 speed and his range is terrific. Where he lacks is the arm, relatively pedestrian grade of 45 on that tool which would seem to limit how effective he could be out there.

Without having the benefit of seeing him do it much all I can say is he’s fast enough, reads balls well enough but unless he has worked on the arm, probably not a perfect long term fit.

All that being said, the bat will tell the story. If he hits the way some think he can, they’ll find a place for him to play, and it may very well have to be in the OF.

He won’t be a gold glover out there, primarily because of his arm, but he’ll get to and glove just about everything he should and he’s pretty smart, he’ll hit his cutoff guys and make good decisions.

Again, has to hit to make them deal with what probably isn’t best for the defensive unit.

Keep sending in great questions all week long, I appreciate the participation so far!

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training Battles

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-32cj8-13a3cb0

Craig and Chris speak to yet another financial failure by Pirates Owner, Bob Nutting; and then get into some discussions about the most interesting Spring Training Battles for Pittsburgh in the Grapefruit League.  

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!

Top 5 Pirates Prospects: Spring Training Impact

2-28-23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasement on Twitter)

Many times, when a prospect enters Spring Training there is little to no chance that they will come north with the Big League Club; often taking the detour along I-70 West, on their way to Indianapolis.

In some cases this decision is made before anyone even arrives in Bradenton.

Then there is the rare instance, when a player leaves a lasting impression/makes an impact, that can’t be ignored; a la Diego Castillo.

Obviously things didn’t work out for Castillo in Pittsburgh, as he slashed .206/.251/.382 with 11 homers and a 26.5% K to 4.9% BB-rate; and, was ultimately DFA’d, then traded to Arizona this off-season.

Still, it’s not like anyone can really argue that he didn’t deserve his shot.

Now, when it comes to this latest crop of prospects, most would argue that the pedigree, potential and overall talent level exceeds that of a Diego Castillo; and in the majority of cases they would probably be right.

So in turn, fans could probably argue that a solid spring from one of the following would most likely mean more for the individual, as well as for the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

1) Luis Ortiz-RHP

It’s safe to say that the majority of Pirates Fans were unaware of Ortiz’s existence prior to his call-up to Pittsburgh on September 13th last season.

Now, after seeing him for four starts, he is one of the more polarizing players on the 40-Man -along with Endy Rodriguez-as fans are pushing for the newly minted 24 year-old to make the Opening Day Roster; a topic that I have already addressed in two articles this off-season: Arms, Arms, Arms and Next Men Up.

Due to this, I am not sure exactly how much more I can say about the young man.

His stuff is electric, when it’s on. He’s working on a third pitch; a change-up that Pitching Coach Oscar Marin has reported is ahead of one being developed by Roansy Contreras. If it isn’t fully developed, there’s a chance he could be destined for a spot in the bullpen; a topic I recently discussed with Matt Capps on an episode of the Bucs In The Basement podcast.

Obviously this wouldn’t be ideal, but it also wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Earlier today we got our initial look at Ortiz: and, although it was only 30 pitches, we got to see the first glimpse at the changeup, which did produce a swing and miss for a K. All in all a nice outing for our Triple-A Opening Day Starter.

2) Endy Rodriguez-C/2B/OF

When you don’t have the most appealing options-at least with the bat-at the catching position in the Majors, it’s pretty natural to start to look down the depth chart. Luckily For Pirates Fans they don’t have to scroll down the page too far to find the name, Endy Rodriguez.

Aside from being the Pittsburgh’s Top Catching Prospect, and a player that can potentially man second base, first base and left field, Rodriguez is also a switch hitter; a fact that is sometimes overlooked when experts and amateurs alike provide a scouting report for him.

During the most recent Minor League Season-one that saw him rocket from Greensboro to Indianapolis-Endy slashed .325/.410/.592 with 19 homers and 34 double from the left side of the plate versus a .316/.396/.579 slash line with 6 homers and 5 doubles-in over 300 less plate appearances-from the right.

Needless to say I’m kind of indifferent-to a degree-concerning where he lands on the field; because it looks like the bat will play.

3) Colin Selby-RHP

Speaking of not knowing that a player existed.

Prior to November 15th, when his name started getting mentioned throughout the day as a player that could potentially be added to the 40-Man to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, Selby was not on many people’s radar.

Sure, he was on mine ; however, it wasn’t until he started balling out in the Arizona Fall League that I decided he was going to be protected.

His upper-90’s fastball misses bats, as does his high-80’s slider and curveball; with all them of the being plus pitches. And, even when he doesn’t miss bats, most of the balls end up on the ground; as he only allowed 2 homers in his 35+ innings of work.

Picked by many-now-to head north with the Big League Club, Selby looks to add depth to an already deep pitching staff; even if he ends up going to Indianapolis instead.

4) Jared Triolo-3B/OF/1B

In my mind Triolo was the most surprising of the additions to the 40-Man this past November; not that it wasn’t justified.

When people first look at Triolo, it’s his glove that stands out the most; not that his bat is lacking. In 2022-all with Altoona-Triolo put up a respectable .282/.376/.419 slash line, with 9 homers and 35 total extra base hits.

And, now he’s playing first base; on top of his regular third base, occasional shortstop and developing outfield work.

To me he is potentially the most likely prospect to come to Pittsburgh at the start the season, because of this position versatility.

5) Nick Gonzales-2B

As Cherington’s initial first round pick, there is some extra pressure; mostly from the outside.

Since being drafted by the Pirates in the midst of the 2020 Pandemic Season, Gonzales didn’t get to play in his first professional game until the following year.

When he actually was able to get on the field in 2021 and 2022 his seasons were shortened by injuries; first breaking his pinky in Greensboro, followed by a torn plantar fascia in his heal while with the Curve.

Luckily each year he was healthy enough to get in some extra at bats in the Arizona Fall League, where he excelled in these small sample sizes; posting an .850 OPS this year and an 1.032 OPS during the last.

For him, the other downfall-on top of his injuries-has been his strikeout rate; totaling 27.8% across his first 696 plate appearances. Clearly this isn’t awful, but it’s also not what you want to see from someone who is supposed to be one of the better contact hitters in the organization.

Honorable Mention: Malcom Nunez-1B/3B

If I had to guess, the Pirates will more than likely be looking for a full-time first baseman following this season’s trade deadline; with both Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi inked to one year-flip candidate-deals. Add in the fact that no other prospect has separated themselves from the pack for the position, and you have a path of opportunity for Nunez.

Nevertheless, like all of the prospects listed-with the exception Selby-the bat will have to play; which based on my previous assessment of his power potential, I believe it will.

Conclusion

The next four weeks or so will not decide the future for these six prospects-as well as others; still, it wouldn’t hurt to see each of them perform well, when given the opportunity.

No matter what happens, I will say that it is good to be writing about and watching real baseball again. Rather than than trying to consider all the what-ifs.

Five Pirates Thoughts at Five

2-27-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Well, by the time you read this the Pirates will have played two games, but as I sit down to write it, I’ve got the knowledge that comes with one. In other words, don’t expect a pitch by pitch examination of the roster and what it’s done so far.

As bad as Miguel Andujar and Nick Gonzales looked in their first game, nobody is making a decision on anything quite yet. I will say, for players like these who were already on the outside looking in, games like this certainly aren’t going to make the view any clearer.

Spring is here, baseball is back, let’s go….

1. Accepting the Rule Changes

MLB changed quite a few things this year, and I’m sure I’ll expand on my thought regarding some of them soon. In fact I know I will in this week’s Q&A on Wednesday, but something struck me watching the first Spring game on Saturday.

The presentation on TV is going to be almost as important as the rule changes themselves. If you watched, the camera view was set back a bit, allowing you to see a pitch clock on both sides of the home plate area. To me, if you want this to just become “normal” or at least accepted, you probably don’t want to have that pasted on the screen in every shot.

They can add it to the little box score graphic or whatever, but I’ve watched a lot of baseball, if I’m struggling to focus on the actual at bat, I have to imagine others find themselves staring at these running clocks instead as well. To me, for this rule to really work, I kinda just want to see the results of the rule, not the ticking clock all game long.

Cause I’ll be honest, if you take those clocks away, it just looks more like the game I grew up with. Get the ball, throw the ball. Take a swing, get back in your stance. You know, just baseball.

I think all in all, in the regular season, we simply won’t see many of the controversial things people are super scared of like the out call on a hitter not being ready, or the free ball repeatedly. A month to get ready should be fine to work out the kinks.

As a fan, I think we’ll notice this most in high drama situations. Bottom of the 9th, 2 guys on, 2 outs, pitcher staring in, hitter gripping the handle, I can see that seeming, well, less emotional than what we’re accustomed to. There just isn’t time for it.

More on this Wednesday, I promise, I just feel it’s not fair to really hammer it after seeing it once, especially since universally my MiLB contacts, have told me it worked quite well down there after they got going.

It also might help if the announcers didn’t act like it was destroying their ability to tell their silly stories, or have time to mess around with interviews in game. I mean a simple change they could make is to do the lineups and defensive alignment information before first pitch instead of trying to force it in as the first batter is hitting. Maybe more split screen stuff would help. The gimmicks baseball broadcasts employ will take a real hit here, arguably more than the game itself.

2. Your First Look at Jared Triolo

Some of you probably watch some minor league ball, especially those of you who live close to one of the affiliates, but for the vast majority, seeing Jared Triolo in his first Spring action on Saturday was the first time you really saw him.

I have watched him, but not enough to claim I’m all in on him or know what he’ll be. His teammates though, man, they’re out here making comps like Kris Bryant, and when you see him step up to the plate, damn, I can see it ya know?

I’ve never seen him having that type of power, still don’t, but I’m also not going to argue with Bryan Reynolds here. After all, he’s the one who called out last year AA Jack Suwinski was his pick to click.

Making this team is probably not likely, but his glove is more than ready, if he starts hitting like his frame says he should, my goodness. I’m legitimately excited to see him get some more opportunity.

3. David Bednar’s Struggles

Look, before I start here, the two homeruns David gave up in the first Spring game aren’t remotely effecting this concern for me. Those of you who REALLY watch Spring Training baseball, well you all know it’s not the same as a regular season game. Bednar for instance threw all fastballs, and he didn’t have his signature velocity for the entire outing at that.

In other words, he was tasked with working on a pitch, as opposed to all his pitches, and while I’m quite sure he’d prefer those lead to K’s or weak fly balls, a couple got ripped.

The concern for David’s health and performance goes back to last year. Everyone in camp is saying the right things about Bednar’s back, but I need to see more. This guy hasn’t looked right since his 50 pitch outing in LA last year, and just because he’s a local guy and we all love his personality shouldn’t mean we just scratch his name in as closer and stop observing the issues.

For a team trying to show improvement to their record in 2023, the last thing they need to do is ignore what’s not going right with a guy and waste a few trying to not hurt feelings. This club has options for the closer role, none bigger than Colin Holderman who has his own history with the IL.

David is 28 years old, he’ll turn 29 this season. He reaches arbitration next year and becomes a free agent in 2027. I simply don’t see him as an extension consideration if I’m honest. Even if he were dominant for the next 4 years, it’s really hard to pretend you could go much more than a couple years of FA with a 33 year old closer once he gets there. And I’m not sure closer is where I’d have them spend their dollars.

Fans tend to talk about him like he’s a save or two short of Josh Hader (who also fell off the table at some point) but the fact is he’s got all of 22 saves in this league and this team is in no position to anoint anyone.

I hope this whole thought is wasted energy, it’d be great to see him round back into form and deliver, but if he doesn’t, I also really hope sentimentality doesn’t stop them from making a change.

From his debut to now, he’s relied on his 4-seam fastball and curveball, while decreasing the use of his split finger. We’ll see how that plays out this year, but there’s no denying, the league went from slugging his heater in 2021 to the tune of .350 all the way to .415 in 2022. And the spin was up, so it’s not like he changed the pitch drastically.

No matter what, try to take off the yinzer glasses and really watch him. I for one remain concerned until proven otherwise.

4. Not a Great Start for the Offense

Oh I know, they scored 7 runs, that’s awesome, but 16 strikeouts, man a bit too much Déjà vu for me. This team struck out far too often last year, and to see them come out in game one and lay down 16 of them, man.

That’s just not encouraging. I acknowledge it’s the first game, I acknowledge pitchers are almost always ahead of hitters this time of year, Zach Thompson not withstanding, but I’d like to see strikeouts at least come from a competitive at bat, and I simply didn’t see enough of those.

Every team in the league knows putting the ball in play more often is going to be important with the rule changes, so if this team winds up in the top third of the league again in K’s, well, let’s just say the record they produce shouldn’t surprise us.

There are some positives here. Jack Suwinski who was a strikeout machine in 2022 had two good at bats and didn’t whiff once. That said, he was a bright spot in the middle of what was a pretty sloppy looking offensive attack.

It needs cleaned up this year, and yes, it’s squarely on the shoulders of Andy Haines. As I said last year, we’re coming off a historically poor offensive season, and while it’s early, I can’t imagine his leash is all that long.

It’s too early for trends, or pretending it means more than a bunch of guys getting 1 or 2 at bats, against 1 or 2 pitchers, but let’s just say, what I’m quite sure was a priority entering the season, well, it didn’t start out how anyone would like.

5. Some Things Falling into Place

It would seem the Pirates have decided Bryan Reynolds should be a left fielder, and to be blunt, the analytics community had him back over there more than a season ago. It’s not that he’s a poor fielder, but he’s better in left and even with the open contract situation taking place, they’ve made the switch. I’m fairly certain he’ll still get some games there, but I’m equally not sold on Jack Suwinski being the CF. Let’s see how they handle it.

Henry Davis has loudly only brought one glove to camp, a catcher’s mitt, while Endy Rodriguez has been practicing at 1B, 2B and C. Austin Hedges has spent considerable time with both youngsters. Davis in particular might as well be wearing one of those toddler leashes you see at Disney World. He’s 2 steps behind him all day every day. That’s what you wanna see out of the vets.

Carlos Santana has started right out the gate at 1B as it would appear Ji-man Choi isn’t fully ready yet, which shouldn’t be a shock to anyone, it’s why the Pirates protested him playing in the WBC.

Andrew McCutchen in Right field is a thing, and he acknowledged as much on the broadcast today. I don’t think they can hope to maximize what he can provide if they try to play him in the field at a starter’s level, so I’d think he’s still pegged for DH more often than not.

If you see Connor Joe as fringy, I think you might want to reevaluate. He’s as close to a lock as just about anyone. He’s got a couple seasons of experience, and at least until someone shows they’re pushing, I see no reason to think he won’t be on the roster when they go North.

Minor League News and Brews: Bradenton Marauders Preview

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-9g2bv-139d4e0

In this bonus episode of the podcast, Craig is joined by the new Voice of the Bradenton Marauders-Ben Pokorny-to discuss prospects that could potential be in Bradenton to start the season, how promotions and assignments in the levels above affect how decisions are made, depth at the catcher position and much more! 

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!

The Pirates Spring Baseball Schedule Begins Tomorrow – Rinse & Repeat, Right?

2-24-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Ahh Rinse & Repeat, one of my very favorite comments from the plethora of people who don’t read anything more than a headline. It’s the same old Buccos don’t ya know? Nothing has changed, they’ll just trade all these guys for prospects!!!! Angry face emoji!!

Fans have every right to be angry about this franchise. The owner isn’t investing enough, the team communicates like we’re still on the tin can and string system, and yes, as usual, they have a bunch of veterans on one year deals who will likely at least get shopped at the deadline.

All that being acknowledged and accepted, don’t you think you might actually want that this time? I mean what makes these comments frustrating is the juicy slice of truth in it.

Lets walk through those rinse and repeat guys a bit shall we?

First Base/DH

Ji-man Choi and Carlos Santana were both brought in here to provide some veteran competency to first base, and DH options. Both are one year deals, both could easily be back out the door by August. R&R right? Well, the Pirates have Malcom Nunez, Mason Martin and now Matt Gorski at the AAA level trying to take charge of one or both of those positions. Those three all have big power, Gorski and Martin have shown big strikeout numbers as well. At the MLB level, they also have Connor Joe to fill the role.

Now, if none of those prospects look like they’re ready to make a jump, a very real possibility, the Pirates still have an issue over at first base heading into 2024, one that they’ll have to address in the offseason one way or another. That could be simply retaining and re-signing a Santana, but he’ll be 38 next year, and Choi, well, he’s just above average as it is. Wouldn’t you want them to move on here? I those prospects aren’t ready, chances are they won’t be. So to me, at this position the Pirates have bought a one year grace period for this position to backfill.

I can and have argued they should have done this last year too, but we all saw how they handled it.

Keep all this within the prism of Rinse and Repeat. Is it the same? Is trading these guys away bad for the club? I’ll say this, much like Quintana in 2022, trading isn’t the issue, as much as not having anyone ready to replace his production. So to me, this all boils down to this.

If they aren’t ready to replace both with prospects or Joe, for the sake of this season, and all the prospects they do have here trying to win, maybe only move one.

Catcher

Austin Hedges is a defensive specialist, literally one of the best in the game and he’ll pay dividends with the pitching staff, even while he hasn’t and probably won’t hit. This plan sounds a whole lot like what the Pirates tried to do in 2022 with Roberto Perez and before his injury very early on, we were seeing many of the same things Hedges is already drawing praise for in Spring Camp.

I know they have other guys and NRIs but Hedges is THE guy. He’ll be the starter, and all the competition is for backup.

We all know where this position is headed, it’s one or both of Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez. Endy has a good chance to be up here by July, Davis probably is a cup of coffee candidate come September.

Now at this spot, the Pirates likely aren’t going to want to move their one year veteran. They’re going to want him to stick around and help teach.

Not to mention, while the Pirates value his defensive prowess, there won’t be a ton of deadline buyers looking to add a defense ONLY guy. At least not one who makes real money, and even if they’d take the salary because it’s no sweat off their books, they aren’t going to send anything back of much value, surely not the value the Pirates could get from having him stick around and help teach their stud prospect how to at least become defensively above average.

I like this set up, almost as much as I hated it last year.

I know, makes no sense right? Well, hear me out. Last year, they had no prospects on the doorstep, so best case scenario, a veteran (Perez) would play more games in 2022 than he managed to play in years, and then in the offseason they’d be right back where they were except with prospects a step closer. This year, there is an actual reason for a one year signing for the simple fact, he really should get eclipsed.

Rinse, & of course repeat, right? Kinda, but not really. And did you want them to sign a veteran to a 3 or 4 year deal with those two coming?

Maybe you do want that, but man, I don’t think that’s where I’d have wanted to see them put their dollars this year. Last year a 2 year deal would have made sense, but looking back, probably best they didn’t give Perez that.

Outfield/DH

Connor Joe and of course Andrew McCutchen.

Now let’s start with Joe, he’s had a meh career so far, not horrible, nothing too awfully exciting either, but he’s not a rental. He doesn’t reach free agency until 2028 and he still has two minor league options. Meaning if they so choose, he’s nothing but depth. Depth with some MLB experience and a measure of success.

Andrew is of course a one year deal, with a wink and a nod that he wants to finish his career as a Pirates player. Not necessarily this year, but soon, and it would appear moving him at the deadline would be unlikely.

The Pirates have a ton of outfield prospects, but not many who have forced the team to consider them as starters out of Spring.

So the team insulated the position.

Yes, yes, bringing Cutch back has plenty of PR benefits too, but he and the team think he can still play too. I say this because bringing a former star back is good for PR, but if he stinks and you ultimately have to bench him and or move on like the Brewers did with Lorenzo Cain, it ultimately damages things more than it helps. Point being, if either side thought this might ruin his legacy, I doubt either are interested.

While they don’t have a ton of prospects knocking the door down to get here yet, they have some reason to believe someone will emerge. If the rumblings I hear are correct the team is really big on Canaan Smith-Njigba in particular, but no matter, point is they have a lot of guys and they hope someone emerges. This could even be filled by moving a guy, like Bae, or Gonzales, maybe even Peguero, god forbid maybe even Cruz.

Point is, the only way to know is to see, and in this regard the Pirates had two ways to go. One, go get an MLB outfielder on a 3-4 year deal, and trust that what you see in AAA will be enough to make informed decisions on your glut of prospects. Two, go get some FA who can play this year, and hope as the season plays out you audition enough and one sticks.

While I personally think the team will wind up extending Reynolds, and I like the potential of Jack Suwinski, the Pirates need more, probably 2 more, 3 if you think Jack is going to require a platoon which its far too early to say with definitive tone.

This year, those two more are Joe and McCutchen, and the prospects.

Same old same old? If you go back far enough I’m sure you’ll find a similar setup, but since this rebuild started, it’s the first time they have 4 MLB players on the roster to play outfield, I can honestly say that.

Starting Pitching

The Pirates have Johan Oviedo, Luis Ortiz, Mike Burrows, Carmen Mlodzinski, Quinn Priester, and Cody Bolton with a side dish of recovering from TJS Max Kranick all slated for AAA Indianapolis. Let’s start there, because more than any other factor, that list right there is why they handled their pitching acquisitions the way they did.

Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker, and Roansy Contreras were already here. So rather than start the season with those 3 and trust the short sample sizes they have on Oviedo or Ortiz the team rightly went out and got some veteran help.

That happened to be Rich Hill and Vince Velasquez.

Now, you want to argue they could have done better, even on one year deals, I won’t fight you, I think they could have too. I also think, they kinda want these two to get beaten out and or render themselves movable because some of that young group emerged.

Now, the Pirates could be dead wrong, every single one of these guys I listed in AAA could ultimately bomb out. Think back, Mitch Keller was a higher ranked prospect than anyone I mentioned and look how long it took him to finally make his mark. Then on the polar opposite side you have Roansy who jumped on the mound and looked like a top end starter almost immediately.

So why take the risk? Go get a guy for a few years, make this rotation at least 4 deep with guys you trust and get the ship turned right.

Because whether you blame Bob Nutting or you blame MLB, or maybe both, it’s hard to argue the Pirates aren’t a team that is going to buy a young MLB front line starting pitcher.

That’s why they have to develop it, and as they develop it, it stands to reason they have to leave it in a state where they can actually find a place to land.

So they sign an old starter who has a history of missing time with minor injuries, and a bullpen pitcher who wants a shot at starting. Both won’t block anyone who shows themselves deserving, neither will hurt the team in the process most likely.

So will they trade one or both of these guys? Is it fair to say hopefully?

Is that Rinse and Repeat? I guess.

Conclusion

All in all, the cycle that everyone seems to want the Pirates to pull out of, it isn’t going anywhere. Even as we start to think about where Nick Gonzales might play when he gets here, the Pirates have 3-4 more guys working in the minors to ultimately get here and if everything goes great, and by great I mean a completely ideal event here, Nick gives the Pirates 4-5 good years and is either beaten out by Termarr Johnson or another prospect. Maybe by that point they’ve decided to extend Gonzales and he has to change positions, maybe he’s been around a 3 WAR player and it’s reasonable to move on and let the next generation take over.

That would very much so be Rinse and Repeat would it not?

Thing is, sometimes, it makes perfect sense.

What you’re watching this year has happened before, and not just here. If every trade is going to send you crying to message boards that it’s Rinse and Repeat, I’m sorry, it’s just lazy.

The beauty though, you probably didn’t read this either, so here’s hoping it at least makes a few of you who did smirk when you inevitably see it all over the place when the Pirates trade one of these veterans this year.

Through The Prospect Porthole: Hunter Barco

2-23-23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasement on Twitter)

At the time of the 2022 MLB Draft there were eight pitchers within baseball writer Keith Law’s Top 100 Prospects, who were in the process of recovering from Tommy John Surgery; with six of them once being considered first round draft picks. Of the later grouping, University of Florida lefty Hunter Barco was toward the front of the pack.

For Barco this wasn’t the first time he was on radar of Major League Teams. Back in 2019 he was the best high school left-hander in the nation; listed at #34 on MLB Pipelines Top 100 Draft Prospects. He would eventually be taken in the 24th Round because of his strong commitment to Florida; which is exactly where he would end up.

As a freshman the Jacksonville native would make 5 appearances, and pitch 19.1 innings. In this extremely small sample size he posted a 1.40 ERA and a 0.879 WHIP.

Then during the shutdown he pitched in the Texas Collegiate League to stay sharp, but only was able to pitch in 3 games for a total of 11 innings. That’s just slightly over 30 innings in two years. Due to this it was no surprise that he was a little rusty the next time he took the mound at Condron Family Ballpark in Gainesville.

As a member of the Gators’ rotation, Barco would make 16 starts, pitch 83 innings and post a 4.01 ERA with an 1.241 WHIP. During the season strikeouts weren’t much of an issue, as he sat down 94 batters; and, neither were walks really, as he gave up only 26 free passes. It was regular contact; or really hard contact to be more specific. In the aforementioned 83 innings he allowed 77 hits, with 9 of them being homers.

Coming off a somewhat down year in 2021, the now 21 year old lefty came out firing bullets. Over nine starts, across 50.1 innings, Barco struck out 69 while walking only 11; good for a 2.50 ERA and a .894 WHIP.

During his final start of the season he lasted only two innings before being removed from the game with elbow discomfort; ultimately announcing he had undergone TJ surgery a few weeks later.

While watching the MLB Network Draft Coverage, I remember Jonathan Mayo speaking about the positives, and potential negatives of Barco’s crossfire delivery as something the Pirates might need to address; which worries me to a degree.

If the deceptive delivery is the reason for the success of what is seen as an average low-90’s fastball, how could an adjustment affect this? Will he be able to shape his mid-80’s slider in the same manner, in order to miss as many as bats he has in the past? Can he use the same arm action to disguise his changeup?

Unfortunately the answers to these only lead to more questions at the moment.

Like where is Barco in his rehab process? On average recovery time for Tommy John is around 9 months to a year-with some athletes taking as much as 2 years to get back to their previous ability level. Well, he’s at between 9 and 10 months right now; and all we know is that he started playing catch back at the end of October.

The next question would be, where does he start his professional career? The FCL? Bradenton? Maybe Greensboro? Additionally how aggressive will they be with potential future promotions?

And finally, is he going to be given a chance to start? Or, will they be cautious with his recovery by making a move to the bullpen?

To these questions, I didn’t have any answers; that was until I heard from the man himself.

Here’s what Hunter had to say:

I am almost 10 months out of surgery, and everything has gone extremely well to this point. Lots of credit to the Pirates training staff because my arm and body feels better and stronger than it ever has before. My throwing program has gone smoothly and I threw off a slope for the first time (only about 60% effort) on Tuesday the 14th. If everything continues to go according to plan, I will be game ready some time between June-July

Obviously some questions are still left unanswered; and may remain that way, until we are closer to the current June-July timeline.

So for now, we wait.

A giant thank you to Hunter himself for not only being open to this post being published, but also for providing direct input on his rehab progress.

Please follow him on his main social-Instagram -and show your support to this young man as he continues his rehab.

Five Fearless Pirates Predictions for 2023

2-22-23 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

I like doing these every year. Some of them get us talking, some come true, some turn into freezing cold takes, but it’s nice to take a crack at calling your shot sometimes.

Lets have some fun and I’d love you to give me your predictions too!

1. Bryan Reynolds & the Pirates Will Get an Extension Done

Hey, start big right?

These two aren’t nearly as far apart as we think. Yes, yes, 50 million dollars, but his side also wanted 2 more years than were offered. That means when it comes to AAV, it’s not nearly that bad.

I’ll call it now. 7 years, 108 Million dollars with a mutual option for an 8th year.

There’s just too much agreement here, too many open mentions of how much they both want to get it done. The team will quickly put their hurt feelings about Bryan’s rep behind them, and Bryan will move past feeling slighted.

2. Colin Selby Will be a Back of the Bullpen Fixture by Season’s End

The Bucs have a lot of relievers to use this year, but the one I’m most excited to see is Colin Selby. Flamethrower, and this year I think he’ll see about 40 innings in the Bigs and will post a WHIP of 1.25 or under.

There’s a lot to like about this bullpen, but one of the things I like the best is the young options they have who probably won’t even make it out of Spring. That depth will serve them well, and if I’m right here, some of that depth will help fill out the bullpen in 2024.

3. The Pirates Will Trade JT Brubaker at the Deadline

With two years of arbitration left, and what I see as enough of a track record to prove he’s a back end of the rotation MLB pitcher, JT will have value on the market, and teams already started inquiring last year.

Up and comers like Johan Oviedo, Mike Burrows, and Luis Ortiz will all push for a place to pitch, and they might be pushed by Priester, Mlodzinski and Kranick. At some point, JT is either going to get pushed to the pen, which also has a healthy number of players competing, or get squeezed out of the picture.

Perhaps the deadline this year would be premature as they could also look to move Velasquez and Hill, but Brubaker might actually return something of value.

I’m a JT fan, love his stuff, but looking at the landscape, it just feels inevitable he’s going to get pushed aside, so I think they’ll be proactive here, especially since they’ve ridden him hard for 3 years now.

4. Ke’Bryan Hayes Will Win the Gold Glove this Year

Yes, I know Nolan Arenado is still alive. And yes, I know this is probably cheating since Hayes already put up Gold Glove numbers last year, by any measurable statistic. Here’s the thing though, he’ll be doing it on a better team this year, I believe he’ll cut down the error number, and, take a deep breath, I think he’ll hit.

Hitting shouldn’t have much to do with this award, but we all know it does. Ke’Bryan will at least hit better enough to get over the hump and take home the hardware this time.

I’ll go even further, it’ll be the first of many. If Gold Glove voters love one thing it’s putting a player on a pedestal and making it damn near impossible to knock him off. I think we’ll see Hayes reach that starting this year.

5. Rodolfo Castro Will Hit 20 Homeruns

There were plenty of growing pains last year with Castro, from the phone on the field, to simply choosing to throw to the wrong base situationally. From free swinging, to not swinging enough. But overall, Rodolfo laid a foundation that will make him one of the more exciting development success stories the Pirates have had.

His defense will improve at 2B, and regular at bats will lead to consistency at the plate. He’s going to hit for power, and he’ll do it from both sides of the plate, allowing him to take advantage of ballpark dimensions all over the league as well as at home.

In fact, I think Castro will do enough to have some wondering what Nick Gonzales might have to do to make this team and stick, more importantly, where he might have to move.