Pirates Clinch Yet Another Series Victory

9-19-21 By Craig W. Toth (aka @bucsbasement on Twitter)

The Pittsburgh Pirates are 56-92 on the season. This equates to being a full 35 games back of the now playoff bound Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Their run differential of -204 run is second to only the Baltimore Orioles (-275) for the worst in the league. They are currently battling the Texas Rangers for the #3 Pick in the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft. The Pirates have also secured their fourth series victory in a row with a 6-3 victory over the Marlins in Miami on Saturday night.

Clearly, one of these things is not like the other. Sure, the competition has not always been top notch as three of the four teams they have bested are under .500 as well; with the Marlins and the Nationals only being a few games ahead of the Pirates in the standings, However, the same could be said about the Cubs, who swept them out of Wrigley; although each of the games were fairly close, and could have gone either way. Yet, they didn’t.

So, what does it all mean? Honestly, I’m not sure if it really implies anything beyond the Pirates being constructed of a group of professional ball players, that have made it this far in their careers by being competitive, and trying their best not to lose is what they do. I mean, I guess it could be that at least a few guys on the team are possibly playing for their respective baseball lives (ie. a spot on the 40-man next year or possibly showcasing their abilities for another team that would be interested in their services). Or maybe, Derek Shelton is just a good motivator,

Whatever the reason(s), the fact is the Pirates are winning, and that always feels better than losing. So, for now I will enjoy it for as long as it lasts, which won’t be that long either way as there are only 14 games left in the season.

News and Notes

  • Bryse Wilson looked solid all night; hitting his spots on all but one pitch that ran right up into Nick Fortes sweet spot for a 2-run homer. His final line: 5IP/4H/2R/0BB/2K
  • Hoy Park essentially put the game on ice with a 2 run triple in the 5th. Since being acquired from the Yankees, Park has seen a lot of action with the Pirates; totally nearly 100 MLB at bats, with sporadic success. He is batting .182 with 2 homers for Pittsburgh.

  • Cole Tucker is having what has to be the best overall series of his career. He is 4 for 8 with 2 RBI, which could have actually been slightly more if Colin Moran was a bit faster, which we all know he is not, and it’s not due to lack of effort. Dude is just slow. In his last 13 games Tucker has batted .239, which is slightly above his career average. With only 14 games to go, I’m not sure there is enough time to salvage his spot on the 40-man, unless the Pirates are seeing something I’m missing.
  • The Pirates bullpen has performed pretty well as of late. Chasen Shreve, who closed out the game, has allowed only 1 earned run in the month of September, in 9.1 innings pitched.
  • Anthony Alford is another player who is making a late case for the 40-Man; especially on a team with no real answers in the Outfield, aside from Bryan Reynolds and hopefully Ben Gamel. Since being called up from Indianapolis, Alford is batting .264 with 5 homers, in 99 at bats.

Yes, the Pittsburgh Pirates are going for their first sweep of the season, yet again, in what seems like their hundredth attempt this year if I had to guess by following the ongoing saga on social media.

For Pittsburgh, Max Kranick (1-3, 7.66 ERA) is set to start, with a move on the active roster due to come. Sandy Alcantara (9-13, 3.10 ERA) will take the bump for Miami.

So, What Should the Pirates Do in 2022?

9-17-21 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

It’s kind of a vague question isn’t it?

When covering a team you can sometimes get so caught up in what they probably will do that you forget you have your own mind and it’s time for the word should to creep in. Last year for instance I knew they would only bring in guys to compete for an outfield spot, but I also thought they should target a guy like Ben Gamel, and yes, I named him specifically.

Instead they trusted Polanco and Reynolds, ok batting .500 so far, and stuck with Alford as a possibility. They added Brian Goodwin on a veteran tryout contract that had a baked in out clause and picked up a waiver claim in the form of Dustin Fowler.

So on and so forth as the season progressed. Ka’ai Tom, Troy Stokes Jr., I’m almost positive I’m not thinking of everyone, not that I’m trying.

Point is, there’s a difference between telling you what I think they’ll do and telling you what I think they should do, and that’s what this is all about.

Must Have Additions

New Backup Catcher – The no passed ball record is cute, and the defense of Michael Perez at the plate has been admirable by the club, but .143 or whatever god awful figure it is after his dismal performance yesterday has no place on a club like this. Jacob Stallings will be back despite a whole bunch of you overthinking this thing, and while he’s not ancient, it’s a lot to ask to expect two straight seasons of no IL trips. To me this is a clear upgrade opportunity, and Carter Bins isn’t ready and quite frankly hasn’t shown he’s even on his way yet since being acquired.

This needs to be a guy who can comfortably play 50 games and hit .200. I’m not asking for Gary Carter here. Sorry at some point, Perez just isn’t good enough.

Corner Outfielder – Now this one is tricky. Bryan Reynolds is the only lock in the entire outfield, and next season the AAA picture will shift to more viable candidates working there way up. Travis Swaggerty in my mind has to play at least a little AAA before landing a gig. I’m not sure how you could go into next season thinking Alford is a lock.

Start by retaining Ben Gamel. He’s arbitration eligible, and exactly what you’d hope to find on the open market anyway. He also provides a low water mark for prospects, want to be a Pirates player, you must be at least this good to ride this ride.

See about retaining Yoshi Tsutsugo, I’d much prefer him as a DH option but he’s worked hard to improve in right field and honestly, his bat makes him look better out there.

If for some reason they can’t retain him, I’ll probably just write something about how silly it was to bring him in first of all, but in that case I’d strongly advise grabbing another, someone like Michael Taylor.

Another option is to take a flyer on someone who could really be fun. Cody Bellinger has stunk out loud for LA, and he’s not getting regular playing time. The former MVP and Rookie of the Year has been lost, but he has 2 years of arbitration left and I think could be acquired on the cheap. The Pirates need to clear some 40-man headaches anyhow so see if LA will take anyone off your hands and let Bellinger bring some of that Championship Swagger to a place that has none. If he is ultimately what he’s become, he’s Polanco, if he is what he was, the Pirates get a cheap star and a huge trade chip should they so choose. Win, win.

A Veteran Starter – I’m not naming names here, but someone not unlike Anderson was for the Bucs. Hey maybe I’ll name one, how about go and get Tyler Anderson again? Only this time give him 2 years.

He was steady, healthy, and absolutely solid as a bet to give you 5 innings every time out. That might price him out of town, but he seemed to genuinely like his role here and maybe he’d embrace it more if he knew he was going to get to settle in.

Bullpen Help – Has to happen. Either convert some starters like Crowe, Kranick, whatever, or find some guys in free agency, probably both, but they have to get better here.

Purge the Washouts

AAA must turn into a real training ground and members of the 40-man have to have a much more viable chance to help this club.

2022 isn’t going to start much different than it looks right now, the difference will be when they need an outfielder instead of pouring over the waiver wire they’ll be able to call up a Cal Mitchell, Travis Swaggerty, Canaan Smith-Njigba type and that’s what will make next season more fun.

In order to do that, the Pirates are going to have to say goodbye to quite a few guys that simply aren’t part of the plan. We should start to see some of this in December when the club has to protect a bunch of guys and to make room they’ll part ways with a whole bunch of dead weight. Some of this culling might even be premature, but bringing this much talent into the system has to go somewhere.

Some of these guys will wind up finding success elsewhere so if you’re one of the many fans who love to gloat every time the club makes a ‘mistake’ you’ll be plenty happy.

Coaching Needs

I know some of you are all done with Shelton, but the team isn’t, and honestly I’m not sure how you could be either, he hasn’t had much to work with, and he hasn’t really shown us how he’d handle a non COVID influenced pitching staff. It’s just too early.

That said, I think they need to bring in another dedicated pitching assistant, it’s time for another voice in the room.

Obviously they’ll need a hitting coach, and I’d recommend replacing the assistant as well. Time for a clean slate.

Be Realistic

This team isn’t going to be remarkably better in 2022, but youngsters will improve and by the end they’ll have real prospects getting their first taste. That to me sounds fun, but it might not show up in the win column. Again, I could blow smoke up your rear but this is how I see it going, and while I’d strategically add some pieces, I wouldn’t go insane, the pitching just won’t be there and looking at the Free agent board, I don’t even see it there if they spent 60 million acquiring it.

The Potential Shortstop Or Second Basemen, And Maybe Even Centerfielder Of The Future…Ji-hwan Bae

Nick Gonzales is the Second Baseman of the Future. Liover Pegeuro is the Shortstop of the Future. Declarations like these, or at least ones that are somewhat similar, abound day in and day out on almost every single Pittsburgh Pirates Fan Social Media Group, Account and Thread, or wherever you get your amateur insight on all things Pittsburgh Pirates. These statements are made with such certainty, and are often accompanied by Prospect List Rankings, statistics over the past week, month or the entire season and individual awards to back up their claim(s).

This is not to say that these proclamations are not rooted in facts or actual performance, and that these beliefs will never come to fruition. It’s just that by now we all know that success in the lower Minors, such as High-A Greensboro, or even Double-A Altoona or Triple-A Indianapolis for that matter, doesn’t always equate to a successful Major League Baseball Player; and most notably, one with a prosperous long term career. It also doesn’t guarantee, that even if they are the future anything, they will also be good.

I have seen more than a few future sure fire superstars, that turned out to be perennial Minor Leaguers, Replacement Level Major Leaguers, Journeyman, etc.; with other, and often less notable players, actually becoming the ones that lock down certain positions.

This practice of declaring that certain players will appear in the lineup, at each position, a couple of years or more into the future is one that I will never understand; and is one that myself and Gary have written about on more than one occasion.

It pigeonholes you into a certain preconceived outcome, doesn’t really allow for any deviation and often causes you to overlook any potential player that could fit into, and possibly be successful in, a given position.

An example of this is the Pittsburgh Pirates Own Ji-hwan Bae, who has gotten little to no attention from anyone outside of the Altoona Curve, in spite of his #22 rank on MLB Pipeline and near top ten spot, #11 on Fangraphs; as well as his .281/.363/.411 slash line with 6 homers in Double-A this season.

Initially signed by the Atlanta Braves for a reported $300,000 bonus, and compared by scouts to Trae Turner as far as potential was concerned, Bae reentered the international free agent talent pool as part of the sanctions filed against Atlanta for bypassing the rules during three consecutive international signing periods. With Bae back on the market and an additional $500,000 in bonus pool space acquired during the Pirates trade of Andrew McCutchen to the San Francisco Giants, then General Manager signed Bae to a bonus of $1.2 million on March 26th, 2018.

He would begin his professional career in the Gulf Coast League (renamed the Florida Complex League currently), playing in 35 games and accumulating 129 at bats. At only 18 years of age he would bat .271 with a 104 wRC+ and an almost equal K (10.5%) to BB (9.9%) rate.

Unfortunately for the Pirates, Bae would find himself in trouble after only five games with the Low-A Greensboro Grasshoppers in the following year as he was suspended 30 games for violating the Minor League Baseball Player Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. This infraction stemmed from an incident on New Year’s Eve in 2017 in Bae’s native South Korea, which resulted in him being found guilty in October 2019 of assaulting his then-girlfriend Seul-Gi Kim, who said Bae choked and kicked her that night. Prior to the suspension, Bae participated in and successfully completed a treatment program; resulting in his reinstatement on May 22nd, 2019.

Upon his his return, Bae proceeded to hit .323, win the South Atlantic Batting Title and get in some extra work in the Australian Baseball League in the off-season; where he would hit his first two professional homers, and catch the eye of the Pirates new General Manager Ben Cherington. So much so, that when Minor League Baseball was shutdown in 2020, Bae would be added to the Alternate Site Roster in Altoona; which is where he would stay for the current season as well.

For the Curve, Bae started off slow; batting only .200 in the month of May. He would eventually get back on track in the beginning of June as he was hitting .478. That was until he collided with left fielder Cal Mitchell; resulting in nearly a month on the shelf with an MCL sprain.

Once Bae did return, it didn’t take long for him to get back on track, even bringing a little bit of power along with him.

After having only three homers in his entire professional career-one in the Pirates Farm System-covering 722 plate appearances, Bae has hit six in 239 since returning to Altoona; while batting .284 and playing multiple positions, including centerfield, due to the injection of Oneil Cruz and Rodolfo Castro back into the Curve lineup. This change in position(s) falls right in line with the Pirates Organization-wide philosophy on versatility, although you can’t really make an argument that he doesn’t play a very solid middle infield when given the opportunity.

So, why has Bae been given much attention as far as the big picture is concerned? Well, two reasons , one of them very large at 6’7”, stick out right away in Altoona’s infield. Another could be the two prospects mentioned at the beginning of this article. Whereas, the final one might be the fact that he still has a full year before he is Rule 5 eligible, which seems to be a hot button topic nowadays.

Whatever the reason(s), Bae will continue to force the issue, and the conversation, if he continues to play like he has at every level in the Pirates Farm System thus far.

The Pirates Win 2-1, Pitching & Defense Shine

9-18-21 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Don’t look now, but the Pirates are playing some good baseball lately. 7-3 in their last 10 and they’ve done it with timely offense and solid pitching. It’s far too late for it to matter against the overall record, but there is something to be said for learning to win.

Wil Crowe got back on the wagon with a really nice start, and he could have gone longer than his 5 innings of 1 run ball, but Derek Shelton was looking for offense holding a 2-1 lead when his spot in the lineup came.

Then the ragtag group of bullpen arms, specifically Banda, Mears, Kuhl and Stratton, combined for 4 innings of 7 strikeout, shutout baseball.

Sometimes there just isn’t much more than that. I mean, Bryan Reynolds hit a double.

News & Notes

  • Going 7-3 in their last 10 has set up a possibility. With 15 games left they need to win 7 of them to avoid 100 losses. It means nothing, but hey, nobody wants to be part of a 100 loss team.
  • Chris Stratton has done well taking on a back of the pen role, they’ve quietly steadied the ship. I still don’t see the mix here as good enough heading into next season but it’s encouraging seeing some of the younger arms come through.
  • Cole Tucker probably won’t survive the 40-man purge post season, but he’s starting to at least do some positive things including his big sac fly to give the Bucs the lead. Probably would have had another RBI if Colin Moran wasn’t slower than Moses in January.

Michael Burrows Is Often Left Out Of The Rotation Of Future Conversations

On July 7th of this year, right-handed pitcher and Pirates Prospect, Michael Burrows took the mound for the Greensboro Grasshoppers at First National Bank Field as they faced off against the Asheville Tourists on a fairly hot and steamy Wednesday afternoon. In 5.1 innings of work and on 86 pitches, Burrows would strike out 10 Houston Astros Minor Leaguers, walk two and allow only one earn run on one hit in the course of what would be by far his best start of season to date; lowering his ERA and his WHIP back down to 2.30 and .88 respectively.

Unfortunately, it was during his next start, only six days later when Burrow would be removed from the game after only 1 inning and 10 pitches; ultimately being placed on the IL with a left oblique injury, and missing out on almost two full months of the season.

Surprisingly, at the time, and even up until couple of days ago when Alex Stumpf, Pirates Beat Reporter, from DK Pittsburgh Sports wrote about him for the second time-with his first article on the 21 year old righty coming back in November of 2020-Burrows name is not one that has been on the tip of everyone’s tongue when it comes pitchers on the Grasshoppers’ roster.

Usually, it starts with Quinn Priester, moves on to Carmen Mlodzinski and goes down a little bit further to Tahnaj Thomas or sometimes even Braxton Ashcroft, before finally settling on Michael Burrows; which is somewhat understandable. Priester is the 1st Round Pick from the 2019 MLB Draft and is the pretty much the consensus #2 Prospect in the Pirates Organization, Moldzinki is also a 1st Rounder (Comp Round A/31st Overall) from only a year ago and ranks any where from #10 to #18 depending on what site you favor, Thomas has been highly touted since coming over in the Luplow/Gonzalez Trade with Cleveland during the 2018-19 off-season, along with being placed as high as #4 by Fangraphs in 2020, and Ashcraft, prior to this season and his season ending Tommy John surgery, regularly ranked from around #12 to #24; while Burrows on the other hand, generally found himself right at #30 or just off the list.

Selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th Round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Waterford High School in Connecticut, Burrows benefited from the Pirates inability to sign their Comp Round A Pick Gunner Hogland by receiving a $500,000 bonus ($375,000 over slot); resulting in him forgoing his original commitment to UCONN, and immediately beginning his professional career in the Gulf Coast League. In minimal work, only 4 appearances and 14.2 innings, the 18 year old right-hander didn’t allow a single earned run.

He then followed this up with a full season in the New York-Penn League with the West Virginia Black Bears, where he earned a 4.33 in 43.2 innings and across 11 starts. At the time, the main and really only knock on Burrows was the lack of a third pitch. With a fastball, that sat between 90 to 94 and a high 70’s to low 80’s curveball, he could easily make hitters swing and miss due to his unbelievably high spin rate; yet, there was some concern as to whether or not this would translate as he made his way up through the system in a starting role.

Insert the 2020 MiLB Shutdown here, and enter a changeup into the conversation, along with an uptick on his fastball from 90-94 to 93-96, but still with the same spin and movement; conclusively resulting in a 2.20 ERA, a .90 WHIP and 66 strikeouts in 49.0 innings.

These satisfying adjustments, and the results that have come along with them, have also culminated in some additional attention from some prospect experts; moving up from 24 to 10 on Baseball America’s Top 30 Pirates Prospects, and from 30 to 14 according to MLB Pipeline. Currently, he is listed at 32 on Fangraphs, but is teetering on a bump from a 40 to a 40+ FV on the site; which could eventually lead to as high as a Top 15 to 20 ranking.

Now, rankings and future values aside, it is likely that Burrows will get an actual bump from Greensboro to Altoona to begin the 2022 season; especially if he continues to perform in the playoffs for the Grasshoppers.

The Pirates Bullpen Dominates, But It Wasn’t Enough For The Win

9-16-21 By Craig W. Toth (aka @bucsbasement on Twitter)

Alright, let’s get this over with. As the Pirates fell to Reds this afternoon by a score of 1 to 0, they also failed to get a sweep for the first time this season. They are now 0-14 in sweep attempts, which actually shouldn’t be all that surprising given their record of 54-92. What should actually be surprising is that they had 14 chances to accomplish this feat, and that three of these four chances have come over the last week and a half; after being swept out of Chicago by the White Sox and the Cubs in six games.

Yeah, today wasn’t a great game by any stretch of the imagination. The bats, that gotten it going as of late, got shut down and shut out; managing just six hits on the afternoon. However, the Pirates bullpen, which has struggled recently, allowed only one run on five hits, while striking out seven and walking three. Sure, it was a planned bullpen game; still, how many of you could have predicted that the combination of Connor Overton, Sam Howard, Cody Ponce, Chasen Shreve and Shelby Miller could have pulled this off? Not me, that’s for certain. Yet, they did.

Obviously, Pittsburgh didn’t get the win, or the sweep, but I really don’t think we should focus on that. There is much more at stake for many of the players in a Pirates uniform than breaking out the brooms against the Cincinnati Reds, or any team for the matter over the last 16 games of the season.

News and Notes

  • Connor Overton took the ball, as the “opener” and did his job. The former Toronto Blue Jay, Independent League Ballplayer, San Francisco Giant, Washington National Miami Marlin and 2014, 15th Round Draft Pick made his first major start this afternoon; striking out three, walking one and not allowing a run on two hits. That’s pretty cool.
  • Ke’Bryan Hayes bounced back from an 0 for 5 night to go 2 for 4 with two singles in the leadoff spot. He is now slashing .333/.356/.357 in that position in the batting order. It’s probably not a long term solution, but for now it’s helping with some of Ke’Bryan’s last season struggles.
  • Ben Gamel is simply put, a ballplayer. Sounds simple and probably redundant, but to those who know what I am talking about, it just makes sense. Last off-season and for the better part of the first few months the Ben Cherington took ever opportunity he could to find a 4th, but realistically a 2nd or 3rd outfielder. He shouldn’t have to do that t as much this off-season. Gamel is arbitration eligible for one more year. Just get it done.
  • Michael Perez has two hits over his last 15 games. He has 25 total hits on the entire season; 7 of them homers and 15 total for extra bases. He has a -.5 bWAR and a -.4 fWAR. He is entering his 1st year of arbitration, and is quickly become a no-doubt non-tender candidate. There are bound to be some cheap options due to be on the market, or in Indianapolis…enter Christian Bethancourt into the conversation; although it should be noted he just went on the 7-Day IL.
  • The Pirates have 16 games remaining, and need to go 9-7 to avoid 100 losses. They are 7-9 over their last 16. It’s at least within the realm of possibilities.

Tomorrow the Pirates take a long trip down the coast for a three game set with Miami, then over to Cincinnati and over to Philadelphia before returning home for the rest of the season on Tuesday the 28th.

Wil Crowe (3-7, 5.97 ERA) is set to toe the rubber against Elieser Hernandez 1-1, 4.14,ERA) at 7:10 PM EST of the Marlins from loanDepot Park.

Jack Suwinski Has Unlocked Some Additional Power This Season

Whenever Pittsburgh Pirates Fans are targeting prospects from other teams, and especially when they actually trade for them, the player’s performance is often looked at through a lens that emphasizes the strengths, positive projections and of course the prospect ranking that portrays them in the most favorable light. It’s an almost exhausting never ending exercise of give and mostly take that serves only one purpose, which is to make it seem as if the Pirates won the trade.

And, if it eventually doesn’t work out in the Pirates favor, the goal posts are ultimately moved by making statements that are often contradictory to each other-such as saying trades can’t be judged by the end results concerning how the players involved produced during their respective careers or it was a good trade at the time based on some perceived future value-depending on the point that is trying to be made.

Although, it should be noted that there are amateur or professional prognosticators that make these statements from the get-go, and actually stick to them. Therefore, the negative connotations implied do not pertain to them. Just the flip floppers.

During this most trade season their were plenty of rumors, predictions and consequential evaluations (both positive and negative) based on actual transactions that took place involving the Pittsburgh Pirates, that could inherently be judged by the reactions they received from Pirates Fans; especially when there were strong feelings either way concerning a player that was acquired by the Pirates.

One such player, that was recognized for his propensity to exhibit power during the current Minor League Season, was Jack Suwinski; acquired by the Pirates from the San Diego Padres as a part of the much anticipated Adam Frazier Trade. Immediately following his addition to the Pirates Organization praise was bestowed on General Manager Ben Cherington for continuing to add power to a system that lacked such prospects; particularly since he was going to be assigned to the Altoona Curve, where their most well known power bat in the form of Mason Martin also resided.

On the season, for the Double-A San Antonio Missions, Suwinski slashed a career best .269/.398/.551 with 15 homers and 27 total extra base hits. And of course, right out of the gate Suwinki lived up to the hype; in essence punctuating these initial feelings and expectations by launching a home run into the Altoona night in his first game with the team.

However, this has not always been, and still really isn’t, as large of a part of Suwinski’s game as many would believe. Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 15th Round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Taft High School in Chicago, Illinois, he began his professional career at only 17 years old in the Arizona League; almost a full three years younger than his average competitor. Playing in 30 games he batted .241 and didn’t hit for a whole lot of power (.287 SLG), but showed an advanced approach at the plate with his 19K to 12 BB ratio; ultimately earning a promotion to Low A; which at the time entailed skipping at least one level of Advanced Rookie Ball.

Over the next two years Suwinski would spend his summers in Fort Wayne with the TinCaps, raising his average from .227 to .255 and his wRC+ from 92 to 108, while dropping his K rate from 26.1% to 20.2%. However, the next season in 2019 would find him scuffling off and on to adjust to High-A Ball in Lake Elsinore with the Storm. On the year he belted a then career high 12 home runs, but saw his average fall to .208 and his K rate ballon to nearly 30%. At that point it seemed as if a possible reset was needed with either another repeat in Lake Elsinore or a demotion back to Fort Wayne; neither of which would be viewed as too detrimental to his development as he just turned only 21 years old.

Nevertheless, it subsequently wouldn’t matter as 2020 was a lost season of development overall for many in Minor League Baseball; including Suwinski, and bringing us pretty much up to speed on his current breakout season. Yet, if you remember it hasn’t totally been about the additional power; although his Pull Rate has been the highest of his career at 51.4 %, he is truly not selling out as much as he had been in the seasons were he has struggled. His K rate has dropped every so slightly to 27.5%, as his BB has risen to its peak at 15.75%; often taking what is given to him.

He has also matured, and become more comfortable in the field; playing all three outfield positions with a natural feel for the game, and displaying increased range.

Since, joining the Curve, Suwinski has slashed .254/.368/.396 with 4 homers; a slight decline in his general production. Still, I can’t help but look at his age, as he just turned 23.

Currently a 35+ FV according to Fangraphs, as well as being eligible for the Rule 5 Draft for the second year in a row, it seems unlikely that any team would take the risk at keeping him on their MLB 26-Man Roster for an entire season; but, if it were up to me, I would add him to the Triple-A reserve list in the off-season to provide him with at least some level of protection.

Pirates Walk Off Reds in Nine 5-4, Difo Scores with Clemente Like Hustle

9-15-21 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Before I type one word about the game tonight, Roberto Clemente Night is at the very least something that appears to be sticking around, and I love it. The images, the quotes, the highlights, and all that pales to the human stories about the man and his legacy. We’ve been truly blessed in this city to have all time great players who happened to be great men too. Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Lynn Swann, Mel Blount, Rod Woodson, Troy Polamalu, Willie Stargell, and of course the Great One himself.

Thing is, I probably left off someone you think of in that light too. We spend a lot of time talking about what our sports franchises in this town don’t accomplish, but on a night like this I feel it appropriate to just take a moment and respect, honor and cherish the special person it takes to be everything to everyone, AND be one of the very best to ever do it in their chosen profession.

That’s what these men have been, nothing short of exemplary examples of people who wore the uniform with pride, treated the fans and themselves with respect and never forgot why they were there in the first place. Rare is the combination of all these talents, when they do it in your town, make sure they know you appreciate them doing it for your city, caring about your neighborhood, loving your colors, hating your rivals, being your neighbor, with grace. In some cases, with more grace than what was given. Some in a time when their talents weren’t accepted by everyone even while rooting for them.

I wrote this last year about Roberto on Clemente Day. Have a look if you’re looking to hear from the man himself.

Now onto today’s game.

The Pirates sent Mitch Keller to the mound and he needed a bounce back. The first inning he provided little hope, and the Reds took advantage to score 2 runs. The second had a scare or two, but didn’t clear the fence. Then he settled in and locked it down through 5.

The Bucs got to work, scoring 4 runs to take a two run lead which Mitch handed over after his own muscle through 5th inning.

The bullpen would leak the lead away as Chad Kuhl allowed one and Sam Howard gave up a short porch dinger in the 8th before Stratton tossed a scoreless 9th.

With one out Wilmer Difo doubled on a botched play in left. Reynolds was intentionally walked, and Moran grounded to 1st where Votto slightly mishandled it. And then Wilmer did this…

5-4 Pirates. Man, beautiful way to represent 21.

News & Notes

  • “I think Clemente is proud tonight because this is how he played” Wilmer Difo post game. Think these guys don’t care? Take a look at Difo and Gamel together after the winning run crossed the plate.
  • Mitch Keller looked better tonight, all in all I’d call it a positive night but he’ll need to stack a couple before I take it as real progress.
  • First time since 2019 the Pirates have beaten the Reds in consecutive games.
  • Yoshi Tsutsugo is batting.313 as a Pirate. Just sayin’, I hope they have a plan.
  • Hayes went 0-5 tonight, but overall he’s been hot. Actually nice that one of the big guns can have an off night and the team still scores some runs. Don’t look now but the offense has really started to show up most nights. FAR too early to credit the firing of the hitting coach, but finish the season like this and I think you can make a case.
  • Shelton makes a lot of moves many disagree with, myself included, but you can’t question how these guys play for him.

Stay Calm and Keep Growing

9-15-21 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

You know, it was just about a month ago that my timeline was filed to the brim with proposed lineups that had Hoy Jun Park as an absolute lock to start at second base and bat leadoff. A week or so later it was Michael Chavis and Hoy suddenly was in trouble for a 40-man spot.

Three months ago JT Brubaker was a lock in everyone’s rotation, now Dillon Peters and his whopping five starts is poised to have a strangle hold on one himself. Anthony Alford was completely written off, hey I did too, now he’s back up, still striking out at an alarming rate but when he does connect the ball is going a long way, so of course it stands to reason he’s back in the picture for many.

The point is, chill.

Last night, the mere suggestion that Dillon Peters still has much to prove with the remainder of 2021 and Spring Training sent some folks into a complete tizzy that I’d have to be blind to not see he’s better than Keller or Brubaker who both stink and won’t be back. Literally.

What Dillon Peters has done since coming to Pittsburgh has been encouraging to say the least, he doesn’t have wipeout stuff, instead relying on a really good changeup and pinpoint control. He can be successful, certainly, but let’s make sure we’re being honest with ourselves here too, this isn’t an easy path. He doesn’t have the kind of stuff that allows him to have an off night with release point.

He doesn’t have one of those curveballs that is going to get swings if he misses his spot. No, what he can be depends almost entirely on how consistently he can reach that point in his game where 80% of his pitches go where he wants them to go.

Again, he can do this, but for every control artist there are 5 guys with stuff waiting to step in.

This isn’t about slapping down guys I don’t believe in, it’s not about building up guys I think are better, it’s more about keeping an open mind.

When you enter an off season with zero committed dollars, it stands to reason you’re not exactly ‘built’. I mean, that’s hardly a controversial statement right?

There are open spots everywhere, yet somehow there aren’t.

Take Kevin Newman, all in all, pretty bad season with the bat, excellent season with the glove. Finally got the bat going enough to creep into positive WAR status and let’s be honest, he isn’t getting pushed aside for Tucker or Park. So is the position open? Well, sure, but let’s just say it’ll take some doing. At the very least more doing than most seem to think.

What about Mitch Keller? He’s stunk out loud this year, surely he’s out next year! I mean, probably not. There comes a point where you have to trust evaluation and maybe more importantly, trust that you’ve given the best coaching, and opportunity to fairly do so. For all the couch experts that whole process probably took fewer than 3 starts this year, for an actual baseball franchise, yeah, not so quick.

You have to understand, if this team was in a position where they’re trying to onboard a youngster to go along with four other well established starters and fighting for a playoff spot, yes, Mitch is done and in AAA ‘learning’ right now. That said, they probably aren’t on their 39th arm of the season either.

We constantly preach about small sample size and the dangers of player evaluation based on it, but it applies for good or bad. I mean, is Ke’Bryan Hayes Ted Williams reincarnate or a guy who is a 3 WAR player even if he doesn’t hit because of his glove? Reality, somewhere in the middle is likely and over time that’ll even out. He’ll push back against the push back and we’ll start to see what he really is, but if some of those couch scouts were the GM he’d be signed to a Tatis deal right now.

There are far more reasons to practice patience at this stage than the obvious. It’s certainly not because patience will eventually lead to all of these guys turning out, but it is in many ways about not waiting 4 or 5 years to give a guy a shot only to turn around and pretend 3 weeks or 5 starts was enough to make your final call.

It’s also not about constantly quoting that this or that guy can’t get past the 5th when organizationally the Pirates have done everything short of spray painting it in red on the River Walk that this is how they want to handle the staff. Want to have that argument? I’m happy to, I just brought up my displeasure in the Five Thoughts piece on Monday. That said, it’s like blaming Najee Harris for not getting more rushing yards and ignoring he didn’t call the plays and the offensive line wasn’t exactly blowing people off the ball.

Youth requires time. It’s a simple formula that baseball largely follows. As with most formulas, there are of course variables and special players who break the mold. Fact is, it’s just not the norm.

It’s ugly sometimes, but necessary. I think I wrote for the first time back in 2019 if you need to look away and come back later, I completely get it, but just because you don’t want to know how the sewage plant works, doesn’t mean you’ll refuse the clean water at the end of the process.

The Pirates Pen Stumbles, But Holds On For The Win

9-15-21 By Craig W. Toth (aka @bucsbasement on Twitter)

In every other Major League Baseball season, prior to the pandemic shortened one in 2020, September games seemed like they were filled with overflowing bullpens-lined with arms eager to prove themselves after having spent all summer on buses traveling all over God’s Green Earth-and batters on the dugout steps, anxiously waiting for the manager to give them a nod to grab a bat, glove or even just a helmet to pinch run. This was back when the Minor League regular season ended at the turn of the month, and rosters had the ability to expand to anyone that was on the team’s 40-Man Roster; although it was still probably only a handful of guys or so who would end up getting the promotion. However, a handful of guys is sure a heck of a lot better than the extra two they are permitted under the new roster restrictions; at least as far as player availability is concerned.

For the Pirates these two additional players has equaled arms to replace injuries arms; consisting 30 year reclamation project and a consistent churning of pitchers with options back and forth between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh, as well as waiver wire additions that instantaneously find themselves on the Big League Club. As the roster currently stands, the Pirates have four that are designated as starters, with a ridiculous twelve man bullpen. Of these sixteen pitchers, practically none have provided this team with consistently solid performances while on the active roster; yet the decision needs to be made of the most effective one to use in each given situation that arises during a given game; also taking into account some circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control.

Last night the Pirates started a stretch of thirteen games in thirteen days with this motley crew of pitchers; including a couple that were recently acquired straight from the waiver wire, two starters that are on a hard pitch count, a Rule 5 Draft Pick that they have worked all season to hide, a once touted ace that either throws a gem or is pulled after a couple of innings and a mix of veterans and inexperienced arms to round out the bunch.

Luckily for the Pirates, discarded starter Dillon Peters was able continue his new found success by tossing five scoreless on 80 pitches; because as you remember Peters just recently returned from a 10 day stint on the IL with a lower back strain. Sure, you could get all analytical and look at Peters limited stats when facing the order the third time through, but honestly it is just easier to look at a pitch count that no one other than the showcased trade piece Tyler Anderson was regularly allowed to exceed a predetermined ceiling.

Enter Nick Mears to pitch the top of the 6th, with a 6-0 cushion.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned , as it pertained to maintaining a comfortable lead. However, how are we as fans to know exactly what the plan was for the young reliever entering the game, while still keeping in mind the four inning left in this game; plus the minimum of 98 innings still to come in the next two weeks before they get a break. Sometimes pitchers are told that this is their inning; even taking into consideration that things may not go well; which in the case of Mears they didn’t.

In the top of the 6th Mears faced nine Cincinnati Reds, threw 32 pitches and gave up four runs. Obviously not ideal. Yet, did any of you see him laboring at any point, was he struggling to find the strike zone or being hit extremely hard? Of course you didn’t, because none of these things happened. The Reds dinked, dunked and grounded out, on their way to these four runs. However to some, Manager Derek Shelton was actively trying to lose the game.

To me, I would legitimately want to know how anyone would have handled this situation differently; giving every other detail already mentioned about the limited expanded roster, the tossed together bullpen and the number of innings that have to be covered in the upcoming days equal attention.

Certainly, some of you will get your wish to have Mears jettisoned of the roster due to his performance, or maybe even Derek Shelton fired at some point before the Pirates hopefully become competitive; nevertheless, the former is more likely to happen, not because of a bad outing, but due to him having Minor League options. The later, well that has yet to be determined. Let’s say we revisit that conversation when he starts to have that competitive team.

News and Notes

  • Dillon Peters had his pitches really working for him; generating ten whiffs on his changeup alone. Obviously an extreme small sample size, but a 2.66 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in five starts with the Pirates has been a welcome surprise.
  • Prior to Chasen Shreve entering the game, I saw what has become a pretty normal reaction on Pirates Social media, about not really wanting to see this guy anymore. Huh, that’s fairly surprising for a guy that has a 2.77 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in 49 appearances.
  • Prior to the game Rookie “Closer” David Bednar was placed on the 10-Day IL (retroactive to September 11th) with a right oblique strain. Curious to see if any Pirates Fans want to take back their comments about realistically wanting to overwork Bednar in meaningless games.
  • The Pirates singled, and in Jacob Stallings’ case doubled their way to six runs off of Reds starter Wade Miley. 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position hasn’t been the norm, yet it was nice to see.
  • Kevin Newman is currently on a seven game hitting streak, but more importantly is slashing .263/.293/.442 over his last 30 games. I get that this isn’t overly impressive; however, with his new found defensive prowess, this has the possibilities of making him a productive player for the Pirates for at least a couple more years.

The Pirates and Reds will be back at it from PNC Park at 6:35 PM EST tonight.

For Pittsburgh, Mitch Keller (4-11, 6.29 ERA) will take the mound against Vladimir Guitierrez (9-6, 4.05 ERA) for Cincinnati.