Pirates (30-53) Salvage Game from Brewers – Bryan Reynolds Named NL All Star for First Time

7-4-21 – By Gary Morgan

It’s been a tough season to be a Pirates fan, especially if you aren’t a fan that wants to worry about anything other than the MLB squad, but there have been bright spots. One of them, the freshly minted NL All Star Bryan Reynolds. Saying it was well deserved is an understatement probably, but let’s just say, not many teams with a record over 20 games under .500 are going to get a starter plus another player to the game, but that’s exactly where we are.

Another of those bright spots has been Tyler Anderson, now he hasn’t laid down an All Star worthy performance, but he’s been consistent and he’s also done exactly what the Pirates hoped he would. Provided innings, steadiness and arguably more important than anything else, trade value.

Today, Anderson would provide another service for a team badly in need, stopper. 7 strong innings of 3 hit ball followed by Bednar and Rodriguez for a badly needed shutout and a 2-0 victory.

Kevin Newman got the party started today.

Wilmer Difo knocked in the other run today, but arguably his biggest contribution came in the field.

For once, there just isn’t anything bad to report, from this game anyway.

Back at it tomorrow as the Braves come to town and send Max Fried to the mound to face Chase De Jong.

News & Notes

  • The Brewers acquired Kevin Kramer from the Pirates today for Left Hander Nathen Kirby, a AA pitcher who’s 27 years old and in 17 games this season has a 1.93 ERA and a 1.339 WHIP. Not one of the trades most of us have been thinking about but these types of moves will be needed too if for nothing else but clearing up space. I’d fully expect to see Rodolfo Castro or someone called up from AA soon.
  • Ben Cherington announced today that Roansy Contreras and Oneil Cruz are “a little bit sore” and will both be in Pittsburgh next week. Here’s hoping this isn’t anything major. The soreness is in their right forearms.
  • Baseball is my favorite sport. When I see the dream fully come together for players like Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds I of course get excited for both of them. What I think about most is how rare the combination of skill and dedication come together and add up to what they’ve both become. A hearty congratulations from everyone here at Inside the Bucs Basement.
  • Happy Independence Day! Our country isn’t perfect, but we sure do try. Celebrate safely my friends

Pirates Ship Continues To Take On Water As Record Falls to 29-53

7-3-21 By Craig W. Toth @BucsBasement on Twitter

Prior to the start of the season Cody Ponce was poised to at least compete for a spot in the rotation, or at the very least a place in the bullpen after his performance during 2020, where he was regularly used as the extra body in doubleheaders; starting in three of them. On the year he posted a 3.18 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 12 strikeouts versus 6 walks in 17.0 innings of work. At the time Pirates Fans were calling for him to be given a shot as starter for the remainder of the shortened season.

Unfortunately for Ponce, he was placed on the 10-Day IL with a forearm issue at the beginning of April, following only two short appearances in Spring Training. He would ultimately be assigned to the Alternate Site, and eventually the Indianapolis Indians to begin the season. Ponce would make a spot start at the end of May for the Pirates, but had spent the majority of his time with the Indians earning a 5.60 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP in seven starts with the AAA Club. That was until he was unceremoniously promoted back up to the Pirates in place of Max Kranick, who had tossed five perfect innings in his Major League Debut.

Originally slated for the bullpen by Derek Shelton on his arrival, Ponce got the start on Saturday and almost instantaneously imploded; giving up 5 runs on 6 hits, as he walked and struck out three a piece before being removed from the game with right arm soreness. Meanwhile, Kranick surrendered a grand slam in the first inning of his start in Indianapolis; but you just know it would have gone better for him at PNC Park because of that’s the preferred perspective. Sure you can argue that Kranick’s performance this past Sunday should have earned him at least one more start in MLB, however, you could also argue Ponce’s outings last year also made him deserving of a shot at cracking the roster more long term this time around.

In the end they both became almost moot points, as the Pirates offense, defense and parts of the remaining pitching staff allowed 6 additional runs and were able to only produce a couple in their 11-2 loss at the hands of the Brewers.

News and Notes

  • Prior to the game, the Pirates acquired first baseman John Nogowski from the Cardinals for cash considerations, and overall depth at the position. Now, not that depth isn’t important, this move makes little sense to me as you have Phillip Evans at the MLB level and Will Craig-who is batting .292 with 8 homers- in AAA; along with Christian Bethcourt, a catcher by trade, that is also doing pretty well with his .291 AVG and 4 homers. Nogowski on the other hand has batted .195 in AAA and .056 for the Cardinals this season.
  • In other moves Ka’ai Tom was placed on the 10-Day IL, Kyle Keller was recalled and Geoff Hartlieb was DFA’d.
  • Duane Underwood, Jr. has done some pretty good mop up work lately. In his past seven appearances Underwood, Jr. has a 3.07 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP across 14.2 innings.
  • Ke’Bryan Hayes is officially slumping. In his last 27 at bats he has a slash line of .111/.138/.148.
  • On days like these for the Pirates we often find ourselves looking to the Minor League Affiliates for hope and excitement. Mason Martin provided both of those by blasting three home runs in Altoona’s double against the Hartford Yard Goats. Martin now has 12 long balls on the year.

The Pirates and Brewers are back in action at 1:05 PM EST in an Independence Day Matinee, as Pittsburgh looks to avoid the four game sweep, and stop their current six game skid.

For your Buccos, Tyler Anderson (3-8, 4.75 ERA), the bullpen saver, takes the mound against Freddy Peralta (7-2, 2.17 ERA) for the Brew Crew, who are on currently on an 11 game tear.

What’s Right With Bryan Reynolds?

Last season I wrote a piece called “What’s Wrong with Bryan Reynolds?”.

I’m not here to apologize for it or anything, he struggled mightily in 2020, and while I sympathize with what everyone went through last year who played, it’s my literal job to analyze, diagnose, and describe things I see.

I also closed that piece with my belief that 2020 was not much more than an anomaly, but let’s face it, those were just words. Oh, they were based in a very real belief that a guy who never in his life hit below .300 would figure it out, but even so, I don’t think anyone honest saw his current pace coming.

Bryan didn’t just rebound this year, I think that was the easiest Pirates bet you could make, he’s on another level and I think we need to spend the same energy I did figuring out what was wrong to evaluate what he’s done to become one of the league’s best hitters in 2021.

We should also note, he’s doing this in an absolute abyss for protection in the lineup sans a month long stretch of Colin Moran, and believe it or not he’s in the process of making 2019 look like a stepping stone, rather than a goal to return to.

Let’s start with 2019 shall we? I always like to dig into how a player is being attacked, sometimes that shows more than you’d think. Scouting in the modern game is such that in the course of tracking something like this we can paint a picture of what the league thinks a player struggles with.

2019 Total Pitches – Zone

So we can see here from 2019 that pitchers liked to keep the ball down primarily or up and in when he hit lefty. Entirely unremarkable, when a guy is spraying the ball all over the ballpark of course this is going to be how you approach him. Now let’s look at 2021.

2021 Total Pitches – Zone

What I take from this is that pitchers have chosen to largely get away from up in the zone being effective against Reynolds. Now why would that be? I mean if it was working, why would they go away from it?

Well, Bryan adapted.

Here is 2019. Look at his batting averages per zone back then and again remember this was an incredibly good rookie campaign.

I mean, he wasn’t a sure out no matter where you pitched him but up and in had at least a modicum of success.

As before we of course need to see how that’s playing in 2021. Can you already guess from the earlier chart I showed you highlighting the pitchers preferences?

Haha, yeah. Ya boy crushed them up in the zone. He sacrificed a bit of protection down and in, so he could handle a bit higher.

Why would he do this? Why would pitchers continue to pitch him like that then right?

I mean, here’s the thing, they probably won’t all season. That’s the game within the game. The good hitters probably struggle for a month when the changes start taking place, the great hitters, as I believe Reynolds is, adjust to what’s happening quickly and get back on the train.

Last season in an effort to combat the bad actors in baseball a temporary rule was instituted that eliminated certain electronics from the dugout, like iPads. Watch Bryan in the dugout after every at bat, good or bad, he almost always reviews what happens in each at bat on the iPad, and last year minus that tool, adjustments took off the field diagnostics rather than in game amendments.

The iPad isn’t the solution for everyone, but when you know yourself, and know what your strengths and weaknesses are, it can really help.

Bryan is on pace for 30 homeruns and 90 RBI.

We’re no longer in hope he gets back to 2019 results mode, instead we’re watching a player go from very good to top tier talent in the game.

This brings two realities to my mind. One, it’s unfathomable he didn’t make the All Star Game, and I’m actively waiting for someone to bail on the game so he is named an alternate.

And much more importantly for the Pirates, if they’re going to extend him, they better get on their horse the way he has playing Center this year.

As we speak, Bryan Reynolds is the very best player on a very bad team, but he has potential to become the very best player on a very good team one day. I’d like that to be here in Pittsburgh.

Don’t play chicken on this one Mr. Cherington, he deserves the full Cutch treatment, and since that’s who he was traded for, perhaps it’s fitting that he take the mantle.

The fans deserve this, and so does the player.

Pirates Fall to Brewers Again, Both Sides of the Ball to Blame

7-2-21 – By Gary Morgan @garymo2007 on Twitter

JT Brubaker has been a bright spot on a team without many this season but tonight his approach wasn’t up to the task.

See JT is going to throw you strikes, all counts, all situations and all batters. If you wait him out and try to work a count before you blink you’re down 0-2 and in trouble. Be aggressive with him, and you’re going to get a pitch to hit. Tonight, that’s exactly what happened, a team that doesn’t typically enjoy waiting around, met their dream opponent.

Now as Brubaker evolves, he’ll learn how to utilize his stuff to sense this approach against him and take advantage of his control to exploit it. If he knows they’re swinging quick, he can start a slider on the plate and finish off the plate. If they’re the patient type then he’ll have to attack.

It’s a dance that all starting pitchers go through as they learn how to go from talented young pitcher to MLB starter. The further they get from remembering riding busses the better they get. Be excited about this kid, tonight was a hiccup, he’ll have more, it’s all part of learning, and the best part is he won’t be learning it when this team needs him to be what he’s becoming.

All that flowery positive stuff aside, this was batting practice early as the Brewers jumped on JT early for three solo shots and a two run blast before he finished his 6 innings of work tonight.

The Bucs got a small ball style run early on and then Reynolds hit his 15th blast of the season. Man, I really hope someone bails so he can get to Colorado.

That was really it. The Brewers added another couple runs off Kyle Crick but it hardly mattered. The sticks are just dormant right now.

The Series picks back up tomorrow at 4:05 as the Brewers send Eric Lauer to the mound to face what is now listed as TBD. Could it be Kranick for someone hitting the IL? A bullpen game?

News & Notes

  • After sitting 3 games in a row Gregory Polanco pinch hit and walked tonight. Chances are this means he’ll avoid the IL, but with the All Star Break it could be nothing worth noting as they wouldn’t care about the retro status.
  • On a team struggling to hit the baseball, when one of the non regulars starts swinging the bat, he needs to not sit. So when Polanco is healthy again, I don’t want to see Ben Gamel sit.
  • After the 8th inning, Jacob Stallings was hot. He laid into Kyle Crick in the dugout, walked away from a visibly shaken Crick, got a drink and proceeded to pound the bench. Couple things here, first, never ever think these guys don’t care, no matter how bad the team is, and second, this isn’t the first catcher I’ve seen lace into a healthy chunk of Kyle’s ass out there. Something he does is frustrating as hell, and it could be as simple as the stress of knowing even Crick doesn’t know where that slider is going. Sounded after the game like Shelton was frustrated with Crick’s inability to contain the running game. Maybe that was Jake’s issue too.
  • Don’t look now but Kevin Newman has been making better contact as of late, hitting more balls in the air. If he can just wind up a .250 hitter man, he’s not a bad player, even if bench is eventually his landing spot. The glove sure plays.
  • This is the 10th straight victory for the Brewers
  • Bryan Reynolds hit his 15th homerun tonight. He is unquestionably the best player on this baseball team right now. Never saw this kind of power potential. He’s on pace for 30. Doesn’t mean he’ll get there, but man, that’s not just some nice player, that’s a beast.

Frequently Asked Pirates Questions, Answered. 7-2-21

7-2-21 Gary Morgan

Well the first one of these I put together went over very well and spawned a new batch of questions, so let’s see if we can’t knock a couple more off the list and deliver some quicker satisfaction to folks asking.

Are the Pirates Going to be Better in 2022?

This is a question I’ve been asked, man, probably starting in Spring Training. It’s so hard to say. There are factors I just won’t have the answer for, such as do they sign a better class of free agent? Now, it’s the Pirates, so I suppose I have to admit I have a pretty good idea though don’t I?

It’s probably more interesting to look at it from the perspective of organic growth anyway. This is the goal right? Gathering prospects, developing them and supposing they add up to a better baseball team is the path we’ve all been told the club is on so let’s think about how they’re looking.

As we, and seemingly everyone else have chronicled repeatedly, AAA is really short on position players. Here is the list of what I see playing a role next season in Pittsburgh. Max Kranick, Miguel Yajure, Geoff Hartlieb, Cody Ponce, Travis Swaggerty, Mitch Keller and maybe Nick Mears. I’d add Jared Oliva but technically he’s in MLB as we speak.

The rotation might not be too bad. Heading into Spring with no additions mind you some combination of Brubaker, Yajure, Kranick, Keller, Brault, Kuhl, Crowe, De Jong and Ponce should be in the mix. Couple things here, one I don’t think the plan was for Kuhl and Brault to be here still come 2022, but a combination of injury and ineffectiveness would seem to pencil them back in. I could be wrong here, we haven’t seen anything from Brault, if he comes back in late July as planned and puts a couple months of solid starting on paper they could very well move him in the off season.

I mean, that’s a pretty deep group. Many of them middle of the road, almost all of them with question marks, but also not a bad mix by any stretch.

I expect Luis Oviedo to be demoted to AAA and stretched back out into a starter, they could even go with AA here to be honest, but I believe that to be the intent once they’ve fulfilled his Rule 5 status. Roansy Contreras should also be in AAA, honestly could be any day now if not should be. Being dominant at a level isn’t always an immediate call up but he’s simply not being challenged at this point. Injury has really hindered most of the other pitchers I saw as potential help for 2022, but I’ll hold out a tad of hope for Omar Cruz.

So it looks like they’ll pitch at least ok.

Position players are another thing. aside from Swaggerty and Oliva you really have to look to AA. Have to imagine Oneil Cruz is in the picture right? Overt optimism would have me list about 3 or 4 more but I’ll stick with who I really believe could get a promotion very soon and have a chance to get established before the end of the season. Cal Mitchell hits that mark and Rodolfo Castro as well. As I said there are others but none I’m comfortable putting forward with any real gusto. If you still want to believe in Cole Tucker, ok, then you better hope I’m right about Erik Gonzalez and wrong about Castro.

This off season we will probably hear rumblings about Colin Moran being moved, but I don’t think it’ll happen. I could see them not using Erik Gonzalez’ last year of arbitration. Ben Gamel has a year of arbitration, I could see them using that one because he’s the type of FA they’d seek anyhow.

So, without signings, better will be a stretch. They might pitch better, a little. But man I don’t see them hitting much better. Every season the real help gets closer and I should stress this is a WAY too early look at what we could see next season, but you asked. And yes, this is largely what I saw before this season started. Minus my belief that Keller wouldn’t be a giant question mark by then.

So When Does the Window Really Open?

I think this is a tougher question than it should be. Mostly because I don’t know how Ben Cherington will deploy his dollars (yes assuming he has them). For instance, when he’s gotten to the point where his real talent was on the doorstep in Boston, he brought them all up and augmented holes with pricy free agents, let’s be blunt here, that’s not going to be the formula here in Pittsburgh.

I feel like I don’t need to rehash 2022, you guys just read all that right? So clearly the window isn’t opening next year, but by the end of 2022, we’ll have a good idea of who’s close to making an impact on the 2023 club.

I think that’s the first year where many fans will really be able to look up and say “hey, this is starting to look better” and while I won’t go so far as to say they’ll be in the division hunt, I do think they should threaten the .500 mark and also get back to 10-15 draft position, firmly back in the middle of the road.

From there it’s really all about how quickly Greensboro guys fortify what the Altoona guys have started putting together. Some will be faster than others, in fact some of them will rocket like Max Kranick just did. I didn’t expect him to sniff the majors this year if I’m honest. That’s the fun, not knowing.

My best guess for when I’d bust open the doors and say watch out NL Central would be 2024.

That said, I think 2023 will be much more fun to watch and root for. The other thing that will make this fun is the fact that I see them getting to this point while still having invested very little in the MLB payroll and the system won’t be barren. We’re on the cusp of for instance adding another batch of talent via the draft and the trade of a couple more players.

That sets up well for a much longer window if not, gasp, consistent competitiveness.

The X factor is how they spend.

Could they lock up Reynolds and Hayes long term? Could they go get some real free agents? Will they?

Those are things people will ask of course but the answers on the record from this front office are sure to be very vague. I’ve built this entire timeline based on nothing but internal growth and development. If they do something not Piratey and bring in some real talent at the MLB level, shifting is possible. Before 2023 though, I can’t see them being able to bring in enough to really make a difference.

Even in 2024 I expect Quinn Priester, Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero and of course a few others to be Rookies, maybe even rookies with a cup of coffee under their belts, fortified with veterans like Hayes, Reynolds, Brubaker, Stallings, and some young guys like Castro, Swaggerty, Cruz and the like it should make for a diverse team with multiple players on spread out timelines. Meaning an overt teardown won’t be right around the corner either.

Thing is, I don’t even see this as a dream scenario where every single thing needs to go right. All the pitchers I listed as being factors for 2022 won’t be costly or nearing the end of team control. They have wiggle room and again, we haven’t even seen all the talent that they will continue to amass.

So, long way of saying, I’ll tell you when the window opens, 2024, but I won’t tell you when it closes because if they’re building what I think they are and the way I think they are we won’t be back to this process for a while.

Keep those questions coming everyone, this format allows me to really dig in and deliver the best answers I can. Nothing is too tough unless you think I have an X-ray machine that reads MLB franchise books.

The Pirates Become The Next Victim On The Brew Crew’s Current Nine Game Winning Streak

Currently the Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff is ranked 6th in all of MLB, with their starting rotation coming in 3rd; while the Pittsburgh Pirates rank 29th batting. So, what happened after the storms rolled through on Thursday evening was something that could almost be expected. Corbin Burnes ran through the Pirates lineup, allowing one run on fours hits and striking out five; needing only 94 pitches to do so in 7.1 innings of work.

As this was happening, my mind started to envision the Brewers as the new version of the St. Louis Cardinals, with their excellent pitching, average to above average hitting that just seems to manufacture runs and at least one random out of nowhere player in the form of Jace Peterson; although it would be more Cardinals–like if he was developed in their Farm System. Nonetheless, it just works, and has resulted in a 6.5 game lead in the NL Central.

The Pirates on the other hand run Ka’ai Tom, who is now hitting .139 with a .510 OPS, out to left field almost every day. In the bottom of the 7th. when Tom came to bat, the best case scenario I could come up with for the situation was a walk to load the bases; but even then, Kevin Newman with his .206 AVG would be coming to the plate, so honestly it probably would have ended the same either way.

In the end, the Brewers tagged on three additional runs in the top of the ninth off the usually reliable Richard Rodriguez-who pretty much only came in because he hadn’t pitched in six days-to give the Brewers a 7-2 win over the Pirates in the first of four.

News and Notes

  • Adam Frazier is officially your Starting Second Baseball for the National League in this year’s All-Star Game-and he got a bottle of bourbon. On the season Frazier is slashing .326/.393/.468 with 4 homers and 32 total extra base hits. Now, we have seen him go on hot streaks like this before, but never for this long.

  • Prior to the game Colin Moran was placed on the 10 Day IL, with Jared Oliva’s promotion being the corresponding move. I saw Moran’s injury referred to as a broken hand and a broken wrist, but it is actually a broken bone; the pisiform bone if we are getting specific.

  • Moran’s “replacement” Erik Gonzalez left the game with right side discomfort after legging out a single in the bottom of the 7th inning, leaving Phillip Evans and Ben Gamel as the lone options at the position on the roster currently.
  • Clay Holmes looked completely wild out there last night, and also got called for a balk, which ultimately resulted in an RBI single from Pirates Killer Keston Hiura. Over his last 15 games, Holmes is sporting a 6.23 ERA, a 2.00 WHIP and has walked more batters (15) than he has struck out (14).
  • Every time the Pirates go down early, I feel a deflation. Maybe it’s more internal, but it’s hard to imagine them coming back to win the game; even though I know it has happened a few times this year. Of course, it could be the result of injuries to some of the major players-and even some minor ones-that Gary and I are always talking with each other, as well as other Pirates Fans about.

Today at 7:05 PM EST-man do I really miss the the 6:35 starts, and I don’t really know why-the Pirates remain in the friendly confines of PNC Park, as JT Brubaker (4-7, 3.82 ERA) toes the rubber against Adrian Houser (4-5, 4.16 ERA); a pitcher that Pittsburgh has battled to a victory and a no-decision in his two starts versus the Pirates thus far this season.

The Quandary Surrounding Kevin Newman; And The Shortstop Position In General

As I have written, and spoke about multiple times before on Gary Morgan’s Fan Forum-DK Pittsburgh Sports, as well as my own Bucs In The Basement Podcast, I wasn’t completely fooled by Kevin Newman’s Spring Training explosion because of the sheer numbers. Obviously, posting a slash line of .606/.641/.788 with six doubles and zero strikeouts are eye popping statistics, but for me it was about the consistent approach at the plate, along with what seemed to be new and improved swing-where he kept his hands low as to provide elevation to a usually ground pounding approach.

Unfortunately for Newman, this pattern of success did not follow him into the regular season, at least as far as his hitting is concerned; even after he received a few days off in April to put in some batting cage work, in an attempt to get back on track. To date he has posted a .208 AVG, with 2 homers and a total of 10 extra base hits, while maintaining an astronomically low 6.5% strike out rate; as the type of contact, not actually making contact itself remains the problem.

For nearly 80 games now, his now common struggles have been in your face undeniable, and downright embarrassing at times; especially when Erik Gonzalez takes your normal leadoff spot against lefties, like he did on Adam Frazier’s day off to start the series with Rockies.

Luckily, to this point his play in the field has been the only thing that has made it somewhat bearable as his 6 OAA is good enough for a top five spot in all of Major League Baseball and his 3 DRS is a career best. Nevertheless, considering his overall value (-.1 WAR and 0.0 fWAR) and his performance at the plate-which is right in line with the likes of Phillip Evans, Michael Perez and Ka’ai Tom-it is hard to allow Newman a free pass, and a regular spot in the lineup, as we call for these players to be DFA’d; not that this is what I am suggesting for Newman. However, a decision is on the horizon with his first year of arbitration coming next season. Until then, what exactly are the Pirates, Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton supposed to do, and more importantly what how are they going to address the position in the future?

Well, for now, the aforementioned Young Freddy Galvis (AKA Erik Gonzalez) has a higher batting average (.231), but a lower overall value (-.4 WAR and -.6 fWAR), which clearly isn’t an upgrade. Then you have a conglomeration of Cole Tucker, Kevin Kramer and Wilmer Difo; none of whom are exactly lighting up Indianapolis, with Difo as the only one that had provided any consistency with the bat at Big League Level. Yet, once again his -.2 fWAR and -.5 WAR would not be an improvement over Newman; plus he hasn’t played shortstop consistently since 2017.

Next in line is the shortstop, 6’7 Oneil Cruz, that everyone immediately want to put into right field, because you know, Polanco; with the ultimate plan of Liover Pegeuro being the man who will fill the position for years to come. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…young, up and coming shortstop-or pick any position-is the future; always putting the emphasis on one guy at each position. How has that worked out? See Neal Huntingon’s tenure and the current state of the Pittsburgh Pirates at the MLB and AAA levels. Now don’t get me wrong, I really like Pegeuro, and his .282 AVG, .808 OPS and 5 homers at the age of 20 in High A. Still, it’s High A, and a lot can happen between now and then; additionally I really don’t see anyone harping on his 13 errors in 31 games, but Cruz’s 12 in 41 games in Altoona really seems to be a problem. Also, remember that tear Cruz was just on; he is now 2 for his last 17. So, maybe Cherington was right about those 300 at bats, and wasn’t really holding him back; but just waiting to see how he he would push back against another inevitable slump, because everybody has them.

So, please tell me where this can’t miss shortstop of the future is? Sure, it’s nice to have Nick Gonzales available along with Pegeuro in Greensboro, but also remember 2018 when Newman and Kramer were a force to be reckoned with in Indianapolis; both hitting above .300, as Kramer crushed 15 home runs on the year.

Now, before you question the choice of Kevin Newman at 19th overall in 2015-which is something I have seen circling social media again-think about a guy with back to back Cape Cod League batting titles, and a MVP to go with it. Wouldn’t you be happy to have that caliber of player in your system? If you recall, at the time we all were. That was, up until a few weeks ago; where the Pirates current state is having an array of soft hitting shortstops, who can field, their next best hope being worked out in the outfield and the supposed heir at the position a full three levels away.

So, please tell me again where there is actual depth at the position, and why we shouldn’t trade for or draft another shortstop. Honestly, I want to know.

Rockies Finish the Sweep of the Pirates (29-50)

The Pirates jumped on the Rockies early in this one, anxious to get the taste of the last two games out of their mouths, Adam Frazier led off the game with triple off the wall and Hayes drove him in with a sac fly to end the 22 inning shutout streak and put the Pirates on the board. Reynolds followed with a mammoth shot to right center to make it 2-0.

Chad Kuhl started for the Pirates this afternoon and he really looked good through four and he’s been on a little run of nice outings so this has been pleasant. In this contest he allowed one run through 4, but in the fifth he ran into a familiar foe, his mind.

Chad allowed a single and threw a routing pickoff throw to first that Phillip Evans failed to field. Now, it looks as though it went straight through the webbing in his mitt so I’ll let you decide if it was his fault or whatever, point is, Chad gets poor defense or poor outcomes and things snowball on him from time to time, this was one of those games, and honestly, if you’ve watched him for any length of time you know the exact look on his face I saw.

The bats were largely silent sans Frazier and Reynolds continuing to get on base and hit and be great players.

The Rockies were not content to sit on their 1 run lead and added 3 more to the final score of 6-2.

Back home after spoiling what could have been a very positive road trip after the Cardinals series to face the Brewers and Corbin Burnes. The Bucs will counter with Wil Crowe at 7:05 at PNC Park.

News & Notes

  • Adam Frazier recorded his 100th hit of the season today. Well on his way to a plausible 200 hit season. This is more than a hot start, and while I’m still fairly certain he’s on the move, it won’t feel good watching how his season finishes from afar if it comes to it.
  • Bryan Reynolds hit his 14th homerun today in the First inning extending his hitting streak to 14 and also marking his longest homerun of his career at 454 feet.
  • Tonight David Bednar’s brother Will is pitching for Mississippi State in game three of the College World Series against Kumar Rocker and the Vanderbilt juggernaut of a team. The Pirates have plenty of rooting interests here aside from familial relations, Bryan Reynolds is a proud Vandy alum while Adam Frazier is a Miss St. alum. Should be a fun flight home for the boys if they can swallow this series first.
  • The Pirates have reached the 50 loss mark. An ugly mile stick on the way to 100.
  • Bryan Reynolds was 2 for 2 with 2 walks today. On base all four times he came up.
  • Adam Frazier leads the NL in starting votes at second base for the All Star Game, he went 2 for 5 today with a triple to lead off the game that itself went 423 feet and the enormous ballpark held it.
  • Quinn Priester and Roansy Contreras were named to the All Stars Futures team for 2021. Congratulations to both young men, they’ve had really nice early seasons.
  • Apparently the secret sauce for Ka’ai Tom is the 9th inning. Last night he broke up the no hitter, tonight he doubled.
  • Here’s a Nugget that explains a lot.

Hope Can’t Spring Eternal, Especially When Spring Never Ends

I understand why the Pirates put together a Major League roster like this, and I understand the culture of competition they wanted to spawn. Bringing in hungry players who didn’t get much of a shot with a cup of coffee if they even got a sip makes sense when the top level of your farm system is weaker than wet toilet paper.

Coming into the season they had four players in Indianapolis anyone could really reasonably look to as “help on the way” or even competition. Travis Swaggerty, Cole Tucker, Wil Crowe and Miguel Yajure.

Yes, yes, I’m not mentioning everyone who has been here, nor am I mentioning everyone who has performed reasonably well but those are the four most people thought would push their way onto the team.

Now, I had questions about Swaggerty prior to his injury, but it’s hard to argue he’d absolutely be here or close to here by now given what we’ve watched play out in the outfield.

Watching Newman and Gonzalez hit this season, again, it’s almost hard to believe Cole Tucker can’t crack this roster. I wish I could actually make an argument the team is being stupid by keeping him down, but he is indeed that bad.

Yajure has pitched a couple spot starts and if he wasn’t shut down due to injury, again, it’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t be here on a more permanent basis by now. Instead Wil Crowe and Chase De Jong have taken more starts.

Fans are never going to find statements like the record doesn’t matter very well. Now, that’s not coming from the team at least not verbally, but it sure is reflected in their action. No, you’ve heard that from guys like me, because it truly doesn’t matter for the long term project, but at some point a left fielder hitting .151 after 100+ at bats like Ka’ai Tom just isn’t good enough and can’t reasonably be considered actual competition.

At some point, Phillip Evans has had enough time to prove other teams were wrong.

I didn’t expect a great season, but I think it’s fair to ask that we stop seeing Spring Training like usage and decision making.

In 2022, I fully expect AAA to look a whole lot more like AA does this year. A competitive team with players chomping at the bit, smelling the hot dogs and popcorn of PNC park just off in the distance. More importantly, I expect some guys who haven’t felt a bit of pressure to start keeping an extra close eye on their shadow.

The players I’m speaking to are Rodolfo Castro, Oneil Cruz, Mason Martin, Ji-hwan Bae, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Cal Mitchell and Brendt Citta.

The likelihood that all of them make MLB isn’t great in 2022, but each and every one of them is a damn near lock to make AAA. Being on the doorstep and actually being on the rise looks a lot better than being stale in AAA, waiting for the club to get desperate enough to look past your warts and give you a shot.

That’s what we’re watching right now.

The best you can say for almost anyone is “hey, they can’t be worse right?” and unfortunately the answer in most cases is yes, yes they actually could.

Neal Huntington didn’t leave the cupboard bare, there is talent in the system held over from his regime, but virtually none of it rests in the level of the farm that supplies push.

How can you have hope when you watch a player like Ka’ai Tom just live on the roster, hitting the way he does, not even being a standout on defense when you are waiting for absolutely nothing?

The Pirates aren’t at fault for Jared Oliva or Travis Swaggerty being injured, but let’s be blunt, Oliva isn’t a lock to be much better than Ben Gamel right now. Swaggerty is probably the best bet to make the club out of Spring Training next season and honestly I’d probably still want to see him put a solid month together in AAA first.

If you want hope, it’s really that next year when someone is underperforming, anywhere but catcher anyway) there will be someone on the rise in AAA at least making you think OK, someone is coming. They may not be the final answer but at least they might be one.

That’s a physical result of work and development, again, not Cherington’s fault that the talent was so far away but we should also address the usage of what is here and is close.

The fact that at any given time, and the stars align, and Colin Moran manages to not hit the baseball with his hands, the Pirates have no more than 5 competent hitters with which to fill out a lineup card isn’t Derek Shelton’s fault. Resting them one at a time and only deploying a full strength lineup 2 or 3 times a week if we’re lucky is.

I understand modern baseball is all about strategic rest. Like it or don’t we can’t turn back the clock, there will never again be a Cal Ripken Jr. This isn’t just an evolution of how modern athletes are handled, it’s an evolution in how modern athletes want handled by in large. Now, I can tell you, Adam Frazier and Bryan Reynolds would literally never sit if they had their druthers but the team and trainers feel sometimes players don’t know what’s best for them. If you don’t believe me look at their faces in the dugout as they watch their team get shut out two consecutive games in Colorado.

I’d love someone to explain why this one by one rest system is better than the old fashioned Sunday lineup. The way Shelton is handling this admittedly light roster is creating a team that struggles to compete a majority of games and I don’t like it.

His handling of the pitching staff smells a lot like Spring Training too. It seems unflinching at times that a guy is coming out regardless of performance, and determined at other times to keep a guy in again, regardless of performance.

I’m not a guy who has called for Shelton’s head. Mostly because I don’t know how much of his decision making is in his hands and even if the answer is 100%, they’re asking him to build the Hoover Dam with a sand shovel.

But as we look toward 2022, I think it’s critical we are able to judge Shelton’s performance with clear glasses. There will always be excuses, some will be valid, others will be manufactured. I’d like to think a whole lot of what we’ve watched this year up to and including the quick trigger moves to seemingly pick up every DFA’d player who comes available to the micromanaging of every arm on the roster not named Tyler Anderson can be partially blamed on the plan to help everyone get through the very real difficulties caused by COVID and the lost season.

At some point, I’d like to make sure we aren’t going to waste a season of competitiveness because we pretended all of Shelton’s errors were beyond his control.

2022 is a big year for all those reasons and more. First of all, it has a potential to be more competitive, but also because next season you’ll have to look the fan base in the eye and tell them someone hitting below the Mendoza line has to stay while simultaneously acknowledging a more viable option is actively pushing from AAA.

That list I provided of AA players I expect to be pushing from AAA next year isn’t even complete, Roansy Contreras could also be pushing for a shot. This is all good stuff, but let’s not let Ben Cherington completely off the hook either, how about bringing in some actual free agents who have played in MLB and aren’t trying to rebound from career lows?

Give me more than an over the hill third baseman who can’t field the position anymore. Give me more than a career curtain jerker who has no real track record that translates from AAA. More importantly, give your coach some options. Wilmer Difo isn’t great either but even as we sit here discussing 2022, on what planet is he AAA quality and Ka’ai Tom sits on the bench in MLB? I mean again it isn’t like benching Bryce Harper for Kevin Pillar but c’mon, let’s put the best we have on the roster shall we?

Pirates fans will deal with a lot, lord knows practice makes perfect, but it’s time to stop evaluating other people’s failed prospects and start burning through our own. Cut Ka’ai Tom and get me ANYONE. Get me Kevin Kramer, he used to be supposedly ok at baseball. Get Difo back up here. Drag Fowler’s corpse up here and give him a last chance. None of them matter, but leaving them in AAA while we actively watch some of the things we’ve seen makes little sense to me.

If this year must be like this for all the reasons I put forward, hey, what can we do, I get it. But don’t ask this fan base to again get on board with a 2022 filled with platitudes about competition while simultaneously not having anyone to compete.

2022 is time to start acting like a MLB club, after all if you ever want prospects to perform like MLB players, you might want to let them play with more than a handful of them.

Pirates Avoid No-Hitter, But Get Shutout For Second Straight Game

Before last night there was only one no-hitter thrown in the history of Coors Field, by Hideo Nomo of the Los Angeles Dodgers, back on September 17th, 1996. After last night, it remains as the only no-hitter in the history of Coors Field; although German Marquez did almost everything necessary to achieve something that no other Rockies has in the stadium’s 25 years in existence. He was in command in all of his pitches, didn’t allow much, if any, hard contact and was extremely efficient through his first eight innings of work; adding two doubles with the bat along the way-not that the outcome of this game was ever in question.

Then came the ninth inning, and the soft hitting Ka’ai Tom at the plate. With one swing of the bat, on an 0-1 pitch that hung up in the zone a little to much, history was erased.

He would go on to retire the next two batters, facing only 28 Pirates on the day, one over the minimum, thanks in part to Jacob Stallings hit by pitch in the bottom of second; providing the end of the story for most in Pittsburgh’s 49th loss of the season by a score of 8 to 0.

However, for some a debate arose, in the the immediate aftermath of the Pirates latest defeat, as to whether or not fans of the team should cheer when the no-hit bid was erased; which I am not actually sure is up for discussion. You never want your team to be on the receiving end of a no-hitter. Sure it’s cool to say you watched it, or were in attendance, after it’s all said and done; but does it honestly feel good? The answer is a resounding no; especially when your team is in the midst of a potential 100 loss season. But, if I am being candid, a shutout 1 hit loss doesn’t feel very good either.

News and Notes

  • When your team gets shutout, and almost no-hit, there are a lot of questions; and also tons of frustrations. However, the part that made me hang, and shake my head the most, was when Jacob Stallings “lobbed” the baseball to Phillip Evans on Charlie Blackmon’s bunt single in the bottom of the 5th, with 2 outs; which allowed Marquez to score, and subsequently gave Trevor Story the opportunity to hit an RBI double, to put the Pirates down 5-0. Some say he should have tried to tag Marquez as he was trying to score, but that is incorrect; you always take the “sure thing”. A close second was Chase De Jong “trying” to pick off Blackmon earlier in the game, no less than a hundred times, and ultimately throwing the ball away.
  • Without Stallings mental, and actually physical, lapse De Jong’s night looks a little better than 5 earned runs on 9 hits, with 3 strikeouts-would have only been 2 without the Stallings throw-and no walks.
  • Cody Ponce made it three full innings in relief, after giving up 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th; and to be truthful I still don’t completely understand the decision to bring up Ponce from AAA to be relegated to the bullpen, especially when he had been stretched out as a starter in AAA. That is unless being a reliever becomes his role for the rest of the year.
  • A no-hit bid doesn’t come without some great plays on defense. He’s Trevor Story climbing the ladder to rob Stallings.

  • Prior to the game, Austin Davis was optioned to AAA to make room on the active roster for Sam Howard, who was returning from his stint on the IL.

After a short layoff, the Pirates and Rockies finish off their three game series-and Pittsburgh tries to avoid the sweep-at 3:10 PM EST.

For the Pirates, Chad Kuhl (2-4, 5.05 ERA) looks to put together his third strong start in a row; which probably means I just jinxed him. And for Colorado, it’s Jon Gray (4-6, 3.97 ERA); who is coming off a strong start-10 strikeouts and no earned runs-of his own.