Cole Tucker Needs to Grab 2021 by the Throat and Not Let Go

The Pirates first round selection (24) in the 2014 MLB draft class has a litany of attractive and impressive attributes, but on this team, he’ll quickly find himself out of chances unless he can prove he and his thus far anemic bat belong.

Early this past October, Derek Shelton said he considers Cole Tucker to be an infielder. This struck me as funny, because Mr. Shelton almost exclusively played him in the outfield in 2020.

Here’s a kid who came up through the system with a stellar defensive reputation. Even his brief call up in 2019 he was electric at short stop but the Pirates still chose to give Erik Gonzalez far more reps.

Now, they didn’t have any real answers in center field, and Tucker’s arm is rated at 70, which is phenomenal. Couple that with his speed and overall go get it acumen and you could make an argument that it should have worked.

The problem is, it really didn’t, as it appears Derek seemed extremely comfortable admitting, like the day after the season ended.

We all know what this club has coming in the pipeline. Nick Gonzales, Liover Peguero, Rodolfo Castro, Oneil Cruz, and Ji-Hwan Bae will all push for middle infield spots in the very near future. Before you tell me Cruz is moving to right field, find me anyone in the organization that agrees. You can think it all you like, but until I see a sign that the club agrees, he’s a short stop or third baseman.

It actually troubles me that the Pirates preferred to watch Erik Gonzalez who has zero chance of impacting this club when and if they return to competitiveness handle a position that Kevin Newman or Cole Tucker should have patrolled.

Heading into 2021, Erik Gonzalez was one of the very first players to be resigned by the club, and as of now they’ve still been unable, or unwilling, to move Adam Frazier. We hear competition will decide who plays but we need to be honest with ourselves a bit here too. If Frazier is here, he has to play, because at some point, he has to be traded.

That leaves three players, Newman, Tucker and Gonzalez to battle for playing time at short and scrap time at second and third. In my mind, Gonzalez has no place in this battle.

Kevin Newman is a capable fielder, but on his best day he’s not as good as either at the position, but he also happens to be the only one of the three who ever actually hit. Now, of course I’ve heard his results don’t match his peripherals, but results matter too don’t they?

I’ll take results that don’t match up over the very real .215 average Tucker has posted during his stint with the Pirates or Erik Gonzalez and his hard hit rate that never amounts to more than at ’em balls.

Looking past this season, it’s hard to fathom any of these three being the short stop of the team that plays meaningful games in August.

Unless Cole Tucker steps up and grabs this year by the neck.

If the competition is a true one, meaning not weighted by who the team wanted to win it, or who should win it, Tucker needs to come out less like the always smiling and charming kid just enjoying the moment and instead show some willingness to fight for what’s his.

Play the great defense he always has, but he also has to make the bat matter. He needs to be more a threat to gap a ball than Steven Brault. Needs to show he has a bat that will at the very least, give the Pirates pause to move him from his position, if not move someone else.

That’s what is expected of a number one pick. It probably doesn’t sound fair, but in competitive sports, fairness is left for the rule book, not opportunity.

He has plenty of time from a control standpoint, and the kid is only 24, its not like he’s been rotting on the vine, but if you slow down to soak it in at this level, or stop improving year over year, you start to understand quickly that there is a new number one pick every season.

The Pirates have several on the club, some not their own. Colin Moran was chosen number 6 overall by the Miami Marlins just the year prior in 2013. He’s now on his third club and has still not reached his potential. He too will get a shot this year to fully bloom and show his pedigree is more than his draft slot.

For Cole Tucker the great Jonas Salk said it best “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.”

Time to earn the opportunity Cole, if you’d like to do more of course.

Pirates Spring Training Is Set To Begin

Even as snow continues to fall here in Western Pennsylvania, Spring is in the air; Spring Training that is. Just yesterday we all got one step closer to seeing our Pittsburgh Pirates take the field in their home away from home at LECOM Park in Bradenton, Florida; well, actually it will be at Ed Smith Stadium in neighboring Sarasota, but you get the point. As the equipment trucks continue their journey from PNC Park, pitchers and catchers get ready to report and the rest of the squad make last minute preparations, the official Spring Training schedule for the Pirates was released.

In some ways things are going to be a little different as games will begin almost a full week later, a limit of 75 players are able to participate in activities both at the ball park and down the street at Pirate City, team travel is being restricted as much as possible, with only the Pirates and Orioles playing the full gamete of games against clubs to the north and south and of course the reduced number of fans in the stands. However, when it push comes to shove, and the players get back on the field, I doubt many will even notice the changes; even though there will clearly be a ripple effect that is being felt by some already, or will be experienced by those who venture out to experience what is normally a little slice of heaven in the baseball community.

For the Minor League players in the organization who would normally pack the practice fields at Pirate City, and weren’t lucky enough to receive a non-roster invitation to big league camp; they are still at home just like they have been for almost a year, not knowing what the immediate future might hold. Sure there are some rumors that these guys could report as soon as the Major Leaguers and AAA/Taxi Squad players move north after their final Grapefruit League game on March 30th, but as of right now I haven’t heard anything that is set in stone; aside from the finalized realignments.

As far as fans are concerned one of the best experiences is walking amongst these young hopefuls as they move between drills, talk with family members, gather to get instructions from coaches and cheer each other on during intra-squad games. It truly is a one of kind occurrence; where you get a behind the scene look into the inner workings of your favorite team, usually reserved for those in the media or for the coaches and players themselves.

After you look past all of this, which isn’t always easy, what it comes down to is a Major League ball club preparing for a 162 game season; with a new approach concerning prospects participating earlier than usual, position battles that could potentially signify who moves on to PNC Park and who doesn’t, a rotation of pitchers trying to define who they are and a new group of players, acquired through the draft, Rule 5 and free agency; some of whom have the ability to contribute immediately.

To me this is all exciting. Not in the, my team is ready to compete for the division, pennant or championship type of way, but in the sense that for the most part they are all young and have room to grow; and even the ones that aren’t still have something to prove.

This is the time where everyone starts on the same plane, if even for a moment, and as always hope springs eternal.

Which Pirates Are on Trade Watch Heading into Spring Training?

This offseason, Pirates General Manager, Ben Cherington, has been busy unloading some of the Pirates’ best players for a total of 11 prospects. While this came to no surprise, as Cherington said “This probably won’t be the last of them” after the Josh Bell trade in December, it finally showed to the fanbase what direction the organization was heading. 

We have every reason to believe that more trades will be coming, and it seems that every time Cherington speaks after a press conference, he hints that more trades will be coming. With less than a week to go until Spring Training, it might benefit the Pirates to make a deal now, when all teams are working on finalizing rosters. Of course every player is susceptible to being traded at any point, even during spring, but there are a few players that come to mind when I think about the Pittsburgh Pirates and trades. 

Richard Rodriguez, who is presumably the closer for this season (although nothing is official), could and should be an intriguing trade option for contenders. Set to become 31 before the start of the season, Rodriguez is a cheap and very reliable back of the bullpen option that did close out a few games in 2020. He could be an intriguing add in a package with any of the other players I mention, if it means bringing back more value. With RichRod gone, it would open up a bullpen spot for either Wil Crowe, Miguel Yajure, Chasen Shreve, or others. Personally, this is a wait and see until the deadline type of situation, but I fully expect RichRod to be traded at some point in the near future.

An interesting one I wanted to include was Steven Brault, because he was mentioned in trade talks at a point much earlier in the offseason. In his case, Brault is less likely to be traded, the most important factor being the Musgrove and Taillon trades. Also, he has not been very consistent in the past. However, he is coming off a career year, with a 3.38 ERA, and this would probably be the perfect time to move him at what could be his peak value. I like the guy, but if the offer is on the table, take it and then put another rookie in there. There are options.

The most obvious and most talked about trade candidate for Pittsburgh would be Adam Frazier. The second baseman is in one of the most crowded infields, with Kevin Newman, Cole Tucker, and Erik Gonzalez all vying for playing time in the middle infield. Not to mention all of the prospects the Pirates have at those positions, including 2020 first-round pick Nick Gonzales, and if they keep him there, Oneil Cruz. The Frazier buzz seems to be dying down the closer we get to Spring Training, but the door is not completely shut for the multi-time Gold Glove Award Finalist. If he does not get traded before the start of the season, he will absolutely get traded coming into the Trade Deadline.

Lastly, the longshot of all longshots for me to get traded is Chad Kuhl. Although he was allegedly involved in very surface-level talks with the Blue Jays in a package with Steven Brault, the Pirates still need pitchers to fill a rotation. I would mention his Tommy John surgery history, but Ben Cherington was able to pull four quality prospects for a guy who hasn’t pitched since May of 2019. Whether Kuhl was piggybacking with Brault or getting his own game to start, he was pretty good, and he really does have some nasty stuff. His ERA is partially inflated due to one start where he allowed 9 earned runs, but otherwise Kuhl was good. Not great, but still good. If a team was still considering packaging him with Brault or even Adam Frazier, I would jump at that chance right away. 
I think you could probably name a handful of other people that could be traded at any time, maybe even most of the team, but I think I highlighted the main players that could be packing their things sometime soon, and maybe some are more likely than others. It will be very interesting to see moving forward here, so stay tuned.

Cherington Continues To Add Depth To The Roster

Over the past few days Pittsburgh General Manager Ben Cherington has inked three experienced Major League players to Minor League deals accompanied by invitations to Spring Training; beginning with relief pitcher Chasen Shreve on Sunday and eventually culminating in the back to back announcements of catcher Tony Wolters and outfielder Brian Goodwin each signing early in the day on Thursday. While I am guessing that none of these acquisitions were seen as ideal by many Pirates Fans, mostly based on the number of comments I read referring to warm bodies, they are the exact types of moves I would expect, and generally welcome, from the organization; especially since they are very similar to the pattern I have been noticing all around Major League Baseball.

Just in the past 24 hours my transaction timeline has started to fill up with players, who would traditionally be signed to Major League contracts, opting for, or being forced to go for, similar agreements as the ones that Shreve, Wolters and Goodwin just decided to take with the Pirates. Ben Gamel to the Cleveland Baseball Team, Jonathan Lucroy to the White Sox, Juan Lagares to the Angels, Renato Nunez to the Tigers, Jed Lowrie to the A’s and many others. Even Jake Marisnick’s 1 year $1.5 million deal, with $500K buyout in the second year, from the Cubs could end up being a fairly similar deal; except no immediate space on the 40 man roster has to be created with a Minor League contract, so I am actually happier with the choices the Pirates have made. In total I have seen at a minimum 10 to 12 players acquired in almost identical fashion to those of the Pirates last three.

Sure it would be nice to have that highly touted, or at the very least a mid tier free agent, come to Pittsburgh on more than just a trial basis, but I think we all know by now that this is somewhat unrealistic; particularly due to the current state of the team as it pertains to being competitive, as well as the fact that it seems like Cherington, Shelton and company are not done with evaluating exactly where some of the guys on the current roster fit into plans for the future, or if they do at all. Which begs the question; why would you bring in someone to fill a void that may not be a void at all, or that may be filled sooner rather than later?

As it currently stands Brian Goodwin could almost automatically slot in as the fourth outfielder, if not the potential starting centerfielder, come opening day, Tony Wolters is an apparent upgrade from Michael Perez, no matter how slight of one he may be and Chasen Streve is a solid relief option with the possibility of becoming a the lefty set up man for whoever the closer might be. Or they could all end up being nothing, which given the investment, really doesn’t matter all that much.

Over the past few seasons Goodwin has served as a reliable outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels before a late season collapse with the Cincinnati Reds in the last 20 games of the season. In 166 games, or just a little over a full season, and 567 plate appearances for the Halos, Goodwin slashed .252/.328/.467 with 21 homers. Defensively he is normally an average to above average fielder, who performs well at each outfield position. In 2019 he registered 5 OAA (Outs Above Average), which would have been the highest on the Pirates roster at the time; above both Bryan Reynolds and Starling Marte who each came in at 2. Currently Jason Martinez from Fangraphs has Goodwin listed as the is the latest non-roster invitee who he is currently projecting to make an Opening Day roster.

Tony Wolters on the other hand has been a little more inconsistent during the 2019 and 2020 seasons; at least in some defensive categories, where he had previously found success. In the last two years Wolters has seen his FRM drop from a near top 10 ranking of 21.3 from 2016 through 2018 to one of the worst in the league at -10 since that time. However, his blocking and arm, have allowed his run prevention to remain in the positive at 6 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved). In comparison, Michael Perez had a total of 3 DRS during that time and was ranked as 57th best catcher in the league, while Wolters came in at 48. With the bat he has struggled to the tune of a .238 batting average with 7 homers in five seasons with the Rockies, which makes me think it will be more of battle to be Stallings’ full time backup than some are projecting.

Last, but not necessarily least, is the first player signed in this short string, Chasen Shreve. The big number that sticks out in looking at Shreve is the 55.1% Whiff Rate on his splitter. Add in a fastball and you have the best two pitch combo for any left handed reliever who pitched more than 25 innings in 2020. Overall, the veteran lefty’s numbers have been fairly steady, aside from a disastrous three outings for the Cardinals in 2019, where his ERA ballooned to 9.00. In seven years and 228.2 innings pitched Shreve has posted a 3.74 ERA and a 1.351 WHIP with 268 strikeouts.

These moves, which are often described as being made purely for depth, and others like it that could, and should, come over the next few days and weeks leading up to the start of the regular season are much needed for a team such as the Pirates, who have experienced their fair share of injuries at nearly every position over the past couple of years. And if they work out, it could lead to Cherington having acquired a few guys that could actually contribute to the team in 2021 with little to no risk involved. Plus I am pretty certain that they move the needle slightly more than the acquisitions of Jarrod Dyson, Guillermo Heredia, JT Riddle and the like from last off-season; or at least they should.

Let’s Talk Pirates Starting Rotation

Sure, sure, they could still sign a guy. There are still options out there, but let’s be honest, even if they get one of them, it’s going to be a vet who at best slots in to the back of the rotation and eats some innings.

I think there’s a place for that, I can even get as far as believing it a need, but when I start laying out the options I start asking myself, where?

The Locks

Steven Brault, Chad Kuhl, Mitch Keller, JT Brubaker are virtual locks.

Mitch Keller is embarking on his third season in MLB and while typically that should mean he’s gotten all his ‘rookie’ out of him, he’s only pitched in 16 games spread out over that time.

He looked strong after returning from injury in 2020 but he walked more (18) than he struck out (16) in his five starts that amounted to all of 21 innings.

He’ll start because he’s supposed to and because he has the most pedigree. And don’t get me wrong, I don’t point out those numbers to suggest he isn’t any good, I point them out to illustrate he still has work to do.

Steven Brault has never been the first choice to fill a starting role for the club. Since making his debut in 2016 he’s pitched in 100 games, 45 of them being starts. Seemingly every spring since 2018 he’s gone in to Spring with a chance to compete for a spot in the rotation, and every season since he’s lost out to start in the pen only to wind up reclaiming the spot before the season got too old.

Want a lefty in the rotation? Well, Steven is the option. Want a guy who will eat 5 innings just about every night and keep you in the game, Steven is gonna do that most nights.

His stuff impresses nobody. Not scouts, not coaches, not fans. But when he’s on, he paints corners and frustrates the hell out of hitters who can’t pick up the fastball fading away or in.

He’ll get a shot this year because he, at 29 is as close to a veteran starter they have.

Long term, he probably isn’t a starter, the third time through the lineup has not been kind to the young man, but for this club, he’ll start in that role. And I bet he does well enough to draw trade interest at the deadline, he already did this off season.

Chad Kuhl was slow walked back into the rotation in 2020 after returning from TJ surgery. This made him part of a piggyback situation with Brault though it was short lived due to need caused by the injury decimation of the pitching staff.

Of everyone in the rotation, Chad has the most potential to really open some eyes. The fastball is top shelf velocity and the curveball is wicked, control is the game he hasn’t mastered.

Before his injury, getting lefties out was an absolute issue, but in his brief 2020 season he actually faced more lefties than righties, no doubt to take advantage of his weakness. Turned out though, he actually did better against them than his same handed opponents. The slider has really come along.

Chad is another guy who I wouldn’t be shocked to hear about come deadline time. There is something that has remained pretty true in baseball through the years, when teams talk in the off season about a player, they tend to not forget the conversation when they shop the next time.

JT Brubaker came out of relatively nowhere last season to become arguably the Pirates best option to start. Well, relatively nowhere to most. Some of you probably remember he was ahead of Mitch Keller on their way through the minors when injury and a bungled recovery plan stunted him. He has the pedigree and took full advantage of a terrible situation in 2020 to, at least in my mind, punch his ticket to start in the rotation and stick. Service time wise he’s right there with Keller and has every opportunity to prove we’ve all forgotten a name that could also still be here for the window.

Options for Number 5

Wil Crowe, recently acquired from Washington for Josh Bell has a brief cup of coffee under his belt, and, it didn’t go well to be kind. He’s also 26 so of course he’s getting a little old to be considered a prospect.

This doesn’t mean he’s a bust. His timing has been stunted by the simple fact Washington has been a serious World Series contender the past few seasons and when you’re in that position you tend to only use rookies in your rotation when it’s an emergency.

2020 was a three start situation and his 11.88 ERA tells most of the story. Look back to his minor league stats and you see a guy who pitched at three different levels in 2018 then logged 145 innings in AAA during the 2019 season.

Safe to say, last year wasn’t normal, and neither were the circumstances surrounding his call up. Point is, you can focus on his 3 games last season, or trust that he’s been better than that in the past.

Miguel Yajure was acquired from the Yankees for Jameson Taillon. This is not some throw in, Yajure might just end up being the fifth starter and it’ll be on merit if so.

His cup of coffee with the Yankees last season saw 7 innings spread over 3 games and more importantly for his entire career he has a 1.143 WHIP. That’s good for you non advanced stats folk. His stuff plays and if he has a weakness which just about everybody does it’s probably control. Not to say he’s wild, but he probably wants to reign in those walks a bit.

Not horrible in that department but walking 3 in 7 innings isn’t great either. That said, it really hasn’t been an issue on his way through the system so it could be a symptom of pitching differently from the pen.

Regardless, he is an intriguing option and even if he doesn’t get the spot out of Spring, he won’t be held back long.

Outside Shots at Factoring In

We’re going to rapid fire these because I just don’t see any of them having a realistic shot out of Spring.

Cody Ponce who I actually really like. I’d be more than comfortable putting him in the mix but I think the club might see him more as a long man at the moment. He looked poised and controlled during his few starts last season for the Pirates, in an environment that was anything but. A WHIP of 1.059 is not to be ignored. He did more than look passible.

Clay Holmes has unreal stuff, he just hasn’t up until now found a way to harness it. The Pirates chose not to tender him but resigned him quickly to a minor league deal. He could factor into the pen mix but he came up as a starter and the Pirates seem interested in getting him back to that. The Indianapolis Indians need a staff too you know. Big league stuff, with minor league control. That’s what will need to improve, but if it does, dark horse guy right here.

Again, I still think the Bucs will probably bring in a veteran to at least add to the competitive mix, but looking at this list it might not be the worst idea in the world to let it play out. I didn’t even mention Sean Poppen, or James Marvel, and nobody knows when Jose Soriano might be ready to return from TJ. Being a rule 5 pickup they’ll have no choice but to install him on the MLB roster or offer him back to the Angels.

The Pirates have been burned each of the past two seasons by lacking anything resembling depth on the mound, and at least right now, it looks like we might have a deeper room than previously. That’s good, even if the rotation itself isn’t where anyone wants it, there are pieces that could very well be involved in the turnaround.

How Can You Watch Such a Bad Pirates Baseball Team?

Of all the questions I’ve been asked since starting to cover the Pirates none is more frequent than “how can you watch this crappy team every night?” or “I feel bad for you”.

I never understand either of those questions or sentiments really. I should say, I understand what they mean, and why they’d ask. I just don’t see it as some chore. See, I don’t struggle to watch, and yes I know that makes me weird. I can find interest in just about any baseball game.

This doesn’t make me some super fan, or better than you or your neighbor who won’t watch until they get to the playoffs one day. This is the reality of fandom.

What it makes me is wired differently. The way I watch baseball, specifically bad baseball wouldn’t make sense or work for others but I think we understand each other best when we actually try to see things through their eyes.

There are different kinds of Pirates fans out there.

Ok, I’ll describe someone you definitely know. Like, for some people, they can just have a few things such as time, a sunny day, and a radio even if only to hear the sights and sounds of baseball for an afternoon. You don’t even need to have invested time in following the team per se, but in general you take in enough sports to get the idea they’re not good. This day they pulled out a 4-3 win in exciting fashion. You know they aren’t good, but that was fun, maybe you keep it to yourself but you look into the game story a bit. maybe check out who’s been decent.

That’s a fan.

That’s a person who will probably visit a message board at some point during the season and drop a comment that shows they don’t really “follow” the team. You know what I mean, something like “What happened to Jamo?”

Then the defenders of the room will descend on the intruder, immediately sensing his or her obvious “not real fan” qualities to punish them with keyboard haymakers.

That’s a realistic fan though. That’s the fan base by in large this team has earned.

You watch them no matter what! You’re currently yelling at my post. Great! Who else is going to read about this baseball team in the second week of February? I need ya! Sincerely though, you have to see you too are wired differently.

We love to pretend it’s about some people being smarter, or more hurt, or saw the 70’s, or so what they’ll be gone, but the reality is, it’s really just how you are wired for ingesting sports.

For me, as I said, I’m weird. I can watch a bad outing by a starting pitcher, be irked obviously that my team is going to lose because of it but still be happy with how he placed his fastball and slider. Maybe, ultimately he won’t be a starter and those two pitches would make him strong in the pen.

I think some of you might call that grasping at straws, and that’s fine, again, my way doesn’t have to work for you. For me, this is like watching the beginning of a movie like Ocean’s Eleven. You don’t know any of the players real well, but you also aren’t going to fast forward to the scene in the safe and experience the same emotion as those who allowed the story to unfold and the characters develop.

Sure, after the movie we both generally understand the story. One of us might just have more depth. One of us might better understand the holes in the story, or a clear way to do a decent sequel. Hey, maybe the people who wrote Ocean’s Eleven didn’t watch cause the sequels all stunk.

Point is, I like the entire story. I don’t mind watching a bad team so long as it’s on the way to no longer being one. And I gather confidence that it’s headed in the right direction by stepping back and taking in the entire picture.

This doesn’t make me smart and you stupid. It makes me different.

We need to realize at some point that when this team wins again, we won’t remember who was there the whole time, versus who jumped in late. We’ll all just be fans.

We won’t get bonus points for believing in Ben Cherington from the jump. We won’t be shunned at the gates for having questions or simply not believing Nutting would do anything he promised.

Essentially, if you find someone less plugged in than you but they seem genuinely interested in what’s going on with the team, don’t let that frustrate you, instead, understand that not everybody wants to see how the sausage is made, they just want to see it on their plate with breakfast.

A great for instance. Another thing I hear constantly is “well what good are all these prospects? We can’t develop players.”

I always start with, that has certainly been true, but literally every aspect of development and everyone involved with it has been replaced. Still have to do it, but…

You’d be shocked how many of those people will actually come back with a hearty “Thanks! I didn’t know” or even just follow up questions asking for more specifics.

When you’re immersed in it like me or many of you, it’s hard to fathom that still being a talking point because we all know there was no MiLB season in 2020 and they’ve changed all this stuff and hired all these new annalists and got all this new equipment and they’re moving players faster, plus Cherington’s history and….

Well, you see how quickly it can turn into word soup and seem mighty uninviting. If you want more people to start to open their mind on some of these concepts, first remember not everyone has been invested to the degree you are, and it doesn’t mean they’re bad fans just different

One day when we’re elbow to elbow again in the sun at PNC, we won’t wonder who was on the message boards typing Spend Nutting – Win Nutting for a story about an international signing for 2.25 million.

Because when the rubber hits the road, we’re all just fans.

MLB and MLBPA Agreed on 2021 Rules

These two sides aren’t going to agree on anything transformative with the CBA looming but certain realities can’t be ignored, even by these two selfish and unrelenting groups of human beings.

COVID spawned several changes to baseball last year and a couple of those will be making a return visit, while others step back to the sidelines waiting for the CBA to bring permanency.

7 Inning Double Headers

Well, they did it last year and the reasoning is steeped in trying to limit the stress on pitching staffs and assumes an increased volume of double headers due to COVID related postponements.

If I’m honest, I went into this in 2020 absolutely hating the idea, and came out of it much less phased by it. I still think it’s weird, but I have to admit, it was pretty cool being able to watch two ball games in less than 8 hours.

MLB already has an unbalanced schedule, meaning the Giants, even when everything is normal will still play a different mix of competition than the Pirates. What I’m getting at here is they have experience with not all schedules being created equal so in that regard this is nothing special. I’d also suspect (and kinda pray) that by July we’ll be through most of this so that it isn’t much of an issue.

Ghost Runner in Extras

Yup, this one is back too. I hate it.

I tried not to, I even allowed myself to enjoy it last season because it was a weird/special/insane season already, so what was one more thing.

Talking to younger fans though, man, by in large do they love this. It almost guarantees action or at the very least stress, but I don’t think it’s had the effect the league was hoping for which was shortening the games. I think we forgot we were making scoring a run more likely for both clubs, but it is what it is.

No DH in the NL

Yeah, but it’s a temporary reprieve. If you love National League baseball, enjoy it this season, because I see no way the DH avoids becoming universal after the CBA. Everybody on both sides are in favor of it and only not wanting to give things for free prevented it happening right now.

The funny thing is, of all the things MLB is doing to reportedly try to speed up the game, it would seem to me the DH will undo.

Is That it?

Maybe. We haven’t seen the actual agreement yet. Last time the league slipped in power for Rob Manfred that directly led to the 60 game season. The players are wary and its highly unlikely they allow something like that to happen again. So if they have a signed agreement I don’t expect to find out there are poison pills built in that trigger the league unilaterally making decisions on things that alter the course of the season.

I’d also say, the league won’t want to give up on the extended playoffs. They’ve already got an agreement in place with networks, so it’s hard to fathom they just shrug and walk away from it. That said, they quite literally can’t do it without the players agreeing. Don’t be shocked if they still talk about this one.

I think this is the last thing that had to happen before the season, and one thing I’m very interested in is seeing how, with COVID, they’ll handle call ups. There is no protocol in any league that would for instance have you say on Wednesday morning a guy who is in Indianapolis needs to get on a plane and be in Pittsburgh to be in a game by 7:05. Nothing about that scenario jives with any protocol even we non-athletes are living under, so I’m curious how this is dealt with. Taxi squads have been around for a long time but you can’t do that with guys who are still developing and need to play.

Five Pirates Thoughts at Five – 2-8-21

It’s cold, we’re expecting like four inches of snow tonight in Pittsburgh, the Super Bowl was last night, so…. baseball season right?

Well, maybe not yet, but we sure are close. As of this writing only 6 MLB teams have officially announced their dates for pitchers and catchers reporting, and the Pirates aren’t one. That said, everyone that has are slated for either the 16th or 17th. We’re close.

So, let’s have some fun talking Buccos!

1. Trevor Bauer Makes Lots of Money

That’s right, Trevor Bauer and his insufferable agent are rich. They did it, they achieved their Jerry Maguire moment, it’s a love story just like Taylor Swift sang.

His 40 million dollar salary as we sit here is larger than 3 teams in MLB, yup, the Pirates, Orioles, and Indians.

But there’s no problem.

The Dodgers starting rotation, that now has to choose between Dustin May and Urias to kick out of it, will make 88 million dollars this season.

Yet national coverage doesn’t consider for a moment that this is anything other than want to.

Does it? If you make 50K per year, can you get a Porsche? Sure you can, you’ll have to pinch elsewhere but you can do it. Now what if you make 300K? Do you ever even ask yourself the question “can I”?

I don’t hate the Dodgers for doing it, I even get the gluttony what with Kershaw needing rest each of the past 3 seasons. But c’mon, can we please stop pretending these teams are all equally capable of this?

And really, take off the Nutting laser beam on this one. He makes a bad situation worse, but don’t allow yourself to pretend that means there’s no situation.

Imagine being the Padres, totally decided there was never going to be a way past the Dodgers without drastic payroll increases. Went and got it, and just got trumped again, at least if you believe Bauer is that good. The difference is, the Padres won’t be able to sustain that level indefinitely.

2. What Do they do with Frazier?

What else can I say? Totally thought he’d be gone, and I suppose he still could be, the Super Bowl isn’t exactly the “end of the off-season” it used to be. But let’s just imagine life with him remaining.

He has to play. Let’s just get that out of the way. Left field, second base, whatever, he has to play. Either nobody offered enough, the Pirates want too much, or nobody is interested. The only way to address any of those is to play him.

Last season as it came to a close, Derek Shelton was asked if players like Polanco were capable of having bench roles. This was asked directly about Polanco but I’d be inclined to think the answer fits both as he said it was indeed possible, and competition will decide who plays.

I believe he believes that, I really do. But man, if either of those two players are on the bench by way of being outplayed, I’ll be shocked if the business side doesn’t win out. I’d also be really refreshed by it. Keep an eye on this one, we’ll learn a lot from how they handle situations like this.

3. Chasen Shreve, meh, OK

There isn’t much to get excited about here, but I get it. Need a lefty to compete with Sam Howard and Austin Davis, who they mush love as he is one of the few waiver claims that have survived all the 40-man purges of late. He smells a whole lot like a lefty arm that ultimately won’t survive the minimum batter rule, but we’ll see, certainly not going to complain about a lefty.

4. The Super Bowl Might Have an Effect on MLB

I know there were a bunch of cardboard cutouts and a lot of vaccinated members of the crowd last night in Tampa. But wish MLB luck in it’s continued endeavor to delay the season because it’s unsafe. It wasn’t full last night, but it sue did look like it could be done didn’t it?

Once they come to that realization and the season get’s going at the Spring sites, we’ll see them turn their attention to local and state governments for help getting fans back at games.

Now, how long before everyone feels safe going? Don’t know, it’s an individual choice. I’ve had it, I’d go tomorrow. Someone else might want to no longer see it on the news first.

5. Mitch Keller, Assassin in the Weeds

I was discussing Mitch Keller this season and it’s hard not to see him as the top pitcher in the rotation. At least the one that has the most expectation put on them. When the Pirates formulate their starting rotation, perhaps they should consider putting him in the three spot rather than number one. Not because he isn’t good enough, but maybe facing everybody’s top of the mountain out of the gate should be avoided. Let him have a better chance to experience success.

Give him a chance for some more run support, and after the All Star break if he’s done well re-slot if you think it matters for psyche.

Question of the Week

Well, Shannon I suggested a few before but my favorite is still on the board Ben Gamel. I think he could get done reasonably and his stats don’t pop him off the page. He’s used to a bench role so there wouldn’t be any locker room stuff. That’s my vote.

Anyone can read the list and pick the best, only a Pirates fan automatically skips down the list to something they can afford. Jake Marisnick, or Josh Reddick make a lot of sense and could get done.

But if I had one more flyer, I might go Nick Markakis. He’s 37, so I doubt he’s looking for much length, if any. Probably more than they’d spend but this team is so lacking in power it might be worth it. 0.0 WAR player here so spare me how much he’ll want paid.

Starting pitcher, I still like Julio Tehran or Mike Leake. That said, zero clue, haven’t so much as heard a murmur. Maybe a Tyson Ross could be a guy. Just need to eat innings, that’s requirement number one.

Good Stuff Sir.

Bonus Question

I already answered this to someone else on Twitter last week so figured, why not.

I’ll take a crack.
1. SS Tucker
2. LF Reynolds
3. 3B Hayes
4. 1B Moran
5. 2B Newman
6. RF Polanco
7. C Stallings
8. CF Alford
Right now, this is what I’d do. Not what I think they’ll do.

Now what do I think they’ll do?
1. 2B Frazier
2. LF Reynolds
3. 3B Hayes
4. 1B Moran
5. CF Alford.
6. RF Polanco
7. C Stallings
8. SS Gonzalez
Again, what they have right now, and what I think they’ll do. I also think he’ll change it almost every game except 2-4.

Non-Roster Invitees Show a Change in Direction of Development

The Pirates announced their up to date list of Non-roster invitees last week and it looks like it could really be a fun Spring as they’ve included a who’s who list of top prospects.

Here’s the thing that really struck me, this list makes total sense. Stick with me a bit here. See, the Pirates traditionally have flooded the NRI list with little more than free agents who have signed two ways deals not unlike Wilmer Difo or Guillermo Heredia last season. That’s fine, they need those too, but this time they’re pulling in prospects no matter where they are in the development pipeline. Getting MLB eyes on them now, getting MLB instruction to them now, getting at bats against real MLB pitchers or innings against MLB batters.

It’s such a simple concept that if you aren’t looking for it, you might just miss it in the excitement of seeing Nick Gonzales hit 3rd in a Spring game.

Think back though just a bit to 2019. Will Craig, Ke’Bryan Hayes and Bryan Reynolds were all invited. Craig was the only one who would really get a look however. Hayes did well, Reynolds barely got to dirty his cleats before being sent to the prospect camp.

That’s it though, no Cruz who was already on the radar. No Swaggerty to get a look see at the new top pick.

The Pirates have for years, and hopefully this is now officially in the rear view, avoided letting players who weren’t ready to make the jump get in on the experience that is Spring Training. And it’s been a huge mistake.

Now the other half of the story is how few truly special prospects they’ve had through the years. That said, they so feared starting the clock on some of these guys that they often refused to give them any real time in the Spring. Probably felt it would “make good young men” out of them, right Mr. Stark?

What it did was frustrate the hell out of guys who just wanted a taste.

Think back to your first job (official job, not teenage after school stuff), remember the first time you felt trusted or included in the plan? Even if it was short lived it gave you motivation. It gave you a picture of what those guys who sit two floors above you were thinking, looking for, wanting to see.

That’s all these guys want, a real chance to have interaction with the guys they hope to one day play with, and a chance to learn what constitutes MiLB good from MLB good. And before you joke they won’t find that from the Pirates roster, it’s so much more than that. It’s the guys they face, guys they grew up playing who have since made it, coaching from all levels coming together and helping to develop your plan.

The Pirates have for years struggled to get prospects from AAA to MLB, that last step just somehow seemed too big for many.

We can either believe that they simply picked just about all players with no MLB talent, or maybe we need to take our own advice and pay attention to how many of them did after they were eventually given up on.

Small things like this, inviting a Quinn Priester to Spring Training when he’s nowhere near cracking the league begins building the bridge he’ll eventually need to make that leap. He’ll remember how Vlad Jr. crushed his ‘untouchable’ curveball and he’ll learn it can’t be his only option.

If all this only means you get to have more fun watching big name prospects compete, hey, that’s fine. For me though, it’s the first tangible sign after being robbed of the privilege in 2020 of an actual change in the development ethos.

This is the type of thing that will make them better and it means so much more than being bussed on split squad days to be sacrificial lambs with guys they’ll play with anyway. The culture of competition starts here and I’m very excited to watch it play out.

Living In The Past: From Archer To Walker

Back on the evening of Halloween 2020, the Pirates declined Chris Archer’s $11 million option for 2021; choosing instead to buyout his contract for $250,000, immediately making him a free agent and seemingly bringing an end to the often criticized trade that sent Tyler Glasnow, Austin Meadows and Shane Baz to the Rays in exchange for Archer. Prior to this decision it appeared as if the majority of information and opinions I read sided with exercising the clause in his contract, rather than being on the hook for a player who missed the entire 2020 season after having surgery on June 2nd to relieve symptoms of neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS). Even many of the the people who were open to bringing Archer back wanted to so on a lower salary, more than likely a one year deal, after turning down the option.

Flash forward to this past Tuesday, February 2nd, when Chris Archer agreed to a 1 year deal worth $6.5 million with, you guessed it, the Tampa Bay Rays; and immediately almost everyone lost their minds. From the number of posts, articles and blogs about the sheer horror of the Rays still having control over three former top prospects from the Pirates, and now the man responsible for sending them there, it was apparently too much for some to bear.

The move by the Rays was described as a knife twisting in the Pirates, re-opening a wound or something that somehow made the trade worse. I also read that this brought the situation full circle, closed the book or produced an end to the disastrous trade.

First of all, I thought we all pretty much just agreed it was the best decision to not pick up the $11 option, so I am not sure why it matters who he signed with; especially since I rarely saw any number close to the $6.5 million he received from the Rays. Secondly, I am not sure how this trade could possibly get any worse, which had nothing to do with whether you agreed with it or condemned it from the beginning because we are way past that. Just look at the numbers from Archer and the players with potential, the kind Cherington is trying to get back now, we sent packing. It’s just that simple. It didn’t work out. And far as it being over, if Archer pitches at all this year, or even if he doesn’t, it will surely be brought back up. Like, for example, if he is unfortunately unable to pitch or performing terribly, does that make it better for the Pirates?

Then after all of this, as if we hadn’t already spent too much time living in the past, it was suggested that the Pirates bring hometown hero, Neil “The Pittsburgh Kid” Walker back. The reason for this acquisition was characterized as one that “…has less to do with actual baseball. It has everything to do with making things right now and healing what many view as a black eye on the franchise.” Reading over this statement for around the tenth time now, the premise behind it makes just as little sense as it did the first time. To me it directly implies the desire to appease a certain faction of fanbase that was upset by the December 2015 trade of Walker to the Mets; and I just have to say as a person who claimed Neil Walker as his favorite Pirate from 2010 through 2015, it would do absolutely nothing for me. On top of that if fans want Cherington to be more honest with them, make decisions that directly relate to improving the team or do things differently than previous regimes, please explain to me where any of this would fit in?

Next it was advised that Walker could help out with “The young, impressionable minds that will comprise the Pirates club house this season…” due to his amount of experience. You know who else could do that? Someone who is already on the payroll as a bench coach, former big leaguer Donnie Kelly. He also happens to be a local guy, so that checks off the other box, too.

Later it was proposed that Walker could attend Spring Training, as a player, to “…learn more about the young players he might soon cover…” just in case he decides to be a color commentator for the Pirates at some point. Sure he could get comfortable with the guys around the clubhouse, especially when they are hanging out in the dugout and during drills. However, to me it makes more sense for him to be able to observe from afar like a scout; watching pitchers in bullpens, hitters during live at bats and fielders talking flies and grounders, rather than getting to know some of the guys while trying to work on his own stuff. Besides, it might just be smarter to cut out the middle man and have AT&T Sportsnet give him a spot along with Michael McKenry, Matt Capps and Kevin Young to start the season, which would be totally up to them and him.

My familiarity with other fanbases runs pretty deep, but I don’t know all quirks and kinks concerning trades that didn’t go their way or thoughts about bringing fan favorites back to finish their careers where it all started, but I feel as Pirates fans we may have a little bit of an unhealthy obsession with such things. Why can’t we just let things go and allow the past be the past? I know it’s wishful thinking. Maybe one day.