Five Thoughts At Five: Moments In Time

Over the last few months my feelings toward Major League Baseball have gone through what feels like a journey through the 5 Stages of Grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. With what appears to be no end in sight to the negotiations between MLB and the MLBPA, I look back on the last month and the moments that stick out to me, which have ultimately have led me to where I currently stand as it pertains to my favorite pastime.

1. One Month Ago: This was the last time that there was any talk about the heath protocols, when the MLBPA responded to the 67 page medical and safety protocol, originally presented them by MLB a week earlier. Since this time there has been no comment on steps that have been taken to address the concerns that the players had concerning the original draft. I also haven’t heard a peep from anyone on either side and a minimal murmur from a few people on the media side I follow on Twitter. Why is this? Shouldn’t you address whether or not it is reasonable to expect you can play and keep everyone safe before squabbling over money?

2. One Week Ago: The MLB Draft took place and everything felt kind of normal, even if it was just for a short time. Heck even Rob Manfred got in on the fun and excitement by 100% guaranteeing that there would be an MLB Season. However, after all of this excitement, as we all know Rob is not so sure anymore. Also remember that the young men that we chosen by their respective MLB Teams have no where to go, the draft was only 5 rounds thanks to the agreement between MLB and the MLBPA in exchange for $170 Million and service time and once again that the boys drafted have nowhere to go because there is no MiLB season.

3. One Day Ago: The MLB Players and their movement was given a rallying cry or more of a hashtag to be specific. #When&Where is everywhere, even on T-Shirts. In response to Manfred’s wavering optimism, the players are calling him out and rightfully so. However, this campaign makes me start to wonder if everyone has forgotten about the global pandemic taking place. Have they been given clearance from medical professionals concerning the when and where? With there being spikes in states that are homes for certain MLB Teams is this even a possibility. Let me make it abundantly clear that this is not a discussion about the legitimacy of COVID-19, it is about the fact that the fear of a spike was the original reason for shutting down the game to begin with.

4. One Hour Ago: As I had a lot of time to think about the current situation over the past 24 hours of so, I as a fan have my own slogan, #Who&How. Who is going to play and how is it reasonably expected to happen? In the beginning it appeared to all be about the virus, with certain players teetering between playing and not due to health risks and concerns, having to be away from family members and putting others in their lives at risk. These are all viable worries that could and should be addressed with a waiver, but that doesn’t seem to be on the table currently. The how is just as unclear as it was when baseball was shut down back on March 12th, as some institutions are still unsure that they will be returning in the fall and it is unknown if a resurgence of the virus could shut everything down again or at least make us pause. This brings me back to the fact that the medical and safety protocols haven’t been addressed in a month.

5. One Minute Ago: I am a huge baseball fan that enjoys nothing more than watching, researching, talking about and reading and writing articles on baseball. Everything that is going on right now isn’t baseball. I can’t read or write another article on the top 5 Pittsburgh Pirates of all time at a given position, the forgotten players of yesteryear, a trade that had a negative effect on a season that happened years ago, a prospect or draftee’s current potential that honestly hasn’t changed because they aren’t able to play right now and feelings on the battle between MLB and the MLBPA. I just can’t anymore.

For now I will be anxiously awaiting the return of my favorite sport and pastime, while continuing to work behind the scenes to help Minor League Baseball Players in anyway that I can because it is a passion of mine. So to MLB Owners, Players and Media Members, I will be here to greet the game with open arms when it returns; just let me know When and Where.

We Used to Respect the Baseball Commissioner

Has there been strife or disagreement in the past? Oh, absolutely, but we knew one thing, the commissioner of baseball loved the game. Did it prevent bad choices? No, not always, but knowing it came from a good place was certainly an improvement over what we’re seeing now.

I’m not here to judge his personal life. I’m not saying Rob Manfred is a terrible person or a bad father, husband. No, we’re going to just stick to business here, the business of baseball. You know, the one with a trophy that according to the most powerful man in the sport amounts to little more than a hunk of metal.

The trophy is just a symbol, it’s the symbol of a culmination of nine months of work, at least. From February when pitchers and catchers report, through a grueling season complete with ups and downs, injuries and rehab, relationships with coaches and other players. Time away from family, sore muscles and ice baths all along the journey. Finally, you make it to October, a dream you’ve had since you weren’t even allowed to throw a curveball. As it stands now you have a one in ten chance of being part of the team that raises that hunk of metal. That meaningless symbol that your commissioner just affirmed means far more to you than him.

When you think back to the early days of Spring, it seems like it’s been years now, but there we were talking about the ongoing cheating scandal in baseball, when our commissioner uttered those telling words. He probably said it out of frustration if we’re honest, but the fact it was in there alone was enough to show at the very least, this man, had no clue what it took to acquire that championship trophy.

We should have known back then that he lacked the temperament for what was coming. We should have assumed right then, officiating a game in which you so openly disrespect the men who play it would only breed discontent. How could we expect players to negotiate with a man who clearly thinks their contributions to the wealth of his game amount to little more than a worthless trinket?

This throwaway comment is not solely responsible for negotiations breaking down, I’m not that naïve, neither are you I’m sure. No, I look at is simply as an underlying belief that the business of the game was more important than the very soul of the sport. Is love of the game a prerequisite for the commissioner gig? No, but it sure used to be a consideration at least.

So here we sit, with a commissioner who has shown distain for the players, carelessness toward the championship and this man is the one person who can actually open the gate and let the game come back. What a mess.

Perhaps the 1999 decision to eliminate the American and National League Presidents was a mistake. The role exists today but it’s purely ceremonial, they have no teeth. Maybe relying on one man to officiate the sport with no checks and balances was a mistake. Sure, most of his decisions are voted on by the owners, but maybe having a conscience at the top of both leagues gave the owners more of a backbone to stand in the way of their game being run into the ground. Maybe this is just fresher in my mind than the countless other times this league has tried to eat itself alive.

I’m certainly not saying we have to love everyone who holds the office of commissioner, but respecting them would seem to be a lowest common denominator to shoot for.

Time for Rob Manfred to go. He can’t be trusted with what’s next.

Picking Winners and Losers

This weekend brought another round of MLB and MLBPA arguing with each other, accusing each other of being disingenuous or lacking good faith to negotiate. It might have seemed different when Tony Clark told the owners the players would not be offering a rebuttal to the latest proposal and the league should just tell them when and where to report. Essentially, you guys are going to have to force us to play.

Bring on another round of finger pointing and cries of not trying. Accusations of this being the plan all along. Another round of some in the media doing the math to show who was wrong and mentioning the owners closed books prevent them from having the same math driven defense.

Before I get too far into this piece, this is exactly how I thought this would end although I still think the owners will mandate more games than they have to as a final middle finger to the players. The one upmanship will be worth the money to the league.

Everyone needs to pick winners and losers, its what we do now. A bored nation that already started long ago believing social media was real life has seen the new pastime exacerbated by isolation. Even sitting in the fray prompts calls for comment. In this case though, I’d rather focus on who lost because it’s fairly clear, the fans.

Yesterday on Twitter Dejan Kovacevic rightly pointed out that both sides only mention the fans when it’s convenient. He’s absolutely right, because when Pirates players in particular talk about doing right by the fans, the offer only goes so far.

Jameson Taillon of course took offense. And I get that too, of course he “cares” about the fans. I honestly believe he loves us; he loves playing in front of us and truly wants to do well at least in part for us. As the Pirates player rep to the union he also has a unique position to remind us he and other players can really only care to a certain point.

See as fans in Pittsburgh we’re expected to embrace these players and we do, knowing full well someone like Jamo would be long gone already had he not suffered two significant injuries and endured cancer as well. Even with all that injury history, his talent will price him out of Pittsburgh. It’s not that he’ll make more than the Pirates can pay, it’s that he’ll make more than Pittsburgh can risk.

Yeah, Bob Nutting is cheap. Replace him with someone who wants to spend more, and the Pirates can surely keep more players, but Mark Cuban himself will only willingly lose money for so long.

Baseball’s economic system is broken and if it’s truly the intention of both sides to do what’s right by the fans as they both have parroted during these negotiations, that is what needs remedied. Jameson correctly pointed out this negotiation was not supposed to be about the CBA. Again, he’s right, but at some point, saying you care about the fans isn’t enough, because its abundantly clear the league and the players only really care about some fans. The fans in the five or six markets who can afford to pay top dollar for talent.

Am I capable of still enjoying the sport from my Pittsburgh perch, yeah, but it’s fair to say I’m weird? I enjoy the aspect of team building required in a market like this, but even for me, it grows tiresome to watch players come and go. Watching Josh Bell hit homeruns on a pace that compared him to some of the game’s greatest was exciting, but be honest, in the back of your head you knew you were watching him play himself out of town. No fan should have to watch a player like that dominate and immediately picture them in pinstripes or Dodger Blue.

It’s not fair to the players either, imagine building a relationship with a fan base like Andrew McCutchen did, only to have the end in sight long before your career. He put roots in our city and embraced us as we did him. It makes being a fan hard if only because you have no choice but to be jaded when everything is predetermined.

Think about it, Joe Musgrove is a decent pitcher, he has room to get better too. Knowing he’s just good enough to merit wanting, no, expect the Pirates to extend him but not good enough to get big dollars on the open market helps make him easy to embrace. Sure, he’s a good guy and he’s done an excellent job of becoming part of the community too, but rest assured, if he didn’t have one bad game every 4, he’d be among the group may proposed trading before his years of control elapse.

This negotiation was an utter failure and get this, both sides arguably had the same goal, to play baseball this season after tip toeing through the restrictions from COVID-19. Amazingly, the owners cried poor and the players cried foul. See the owners can’t cry poor and refuse to show the evidence, not with any hope of progress anyway. And the players seem hell bent on making sure we all know how unfair it is to expect them to receive less than the prorated level agreed to in March.

Now how can I or any fan expect this same set of people to get together following this event and the 2021 season and successfully negotiate a new CBA? How can we expect that Rob Manfred and Tony Clark sit down and discuss very real changes to the economic system in baseball without six months of contentious tit for tat? Hell, how can we even trust they will argue about the right stuff?

As I sit here right now, I see a work stoppage barreling toward us, one that will make this look like little more than a blip. And here is the kicker, they aren’t even arguing about what will fix the game. This league needs a cap and no, not to hurt the players or make the owners all be equally rich. No, this game needs a cap for the fans. Every market should have a chance to win, right now they don’t. We should be having conversations about how badly some teams have run their organizations instead of constantly tossing in the caveat that the team couldn’t afford to outbid the mighty Yankees or they couldn’t extend that player you like because what if his performance drops in year 4 of his 6 year deal.

What happened this Summer is surely going to cost some fans. Many are disgusted that during a pandemic these two sides couldn’t see a way to at least quietly do this negotiation. At least find a way to not publicly turn this entire event into greed in a time when many of their fans they both verbally care so deeply about had recently lost their jobs, or their business, if not loved ones. We aren’t ignorant to the fact that this hurt the pocketbooks of everyone involved, but let’s face it, nobody involved was checking the government website daily seeing if today was the day they would get the notification they were receiving the $1,200 that was supposed to somehow offset three months of no income. Or to see if they were one of the lucky to receive money from the recovery bill before the money ran out.

Instead, they fed into the narrative that nobody hurts baseball more than baseball itself. Unfortunately, it’s more than a narrative, it happens to be reality. At every turn during this process each side tried to make it an opportunity to gain favor with the onlooking audience, rather than actually try to show they were the slightest bit willing to eat some of the loss. You know, eat some of the loss for the greater good, just like we were asked to do. We were supposed to look at some folks losing their business as the price of saving lives. Sure, it sucked but hey it is absolutely worth saving even one life. The players and owners both lost monies, because they couldn’t see fit to conduct this negotiation in good faith, they’ll lose even more. They’ll lose the increased money that could have come in from extended playoffs because the owners wanted to keep as much of the extra for themselves as possible.

The players were probably right, the owners don’t need them to accept less money to make this season happen, but when you litigate in the public eye right and wrong get skewed by circumstances outside of your control. When the majority of your fanbase remembers firsthand Richard Nixon stepping down it should stand to reason they also remember a time before money was a consideration when building a team. They remember the Pirates of the 70’s and they’re intimately aware that a team like that can never form for them again. Willie Stargell would have been long since moved by the time 1979 came along and at the very least, we’d be sharing his legacy with another team.

Players deserve to make as much as teams will pay, but every team’s fan base deserves to know each team is able to pay in the same ballpark. There was zero chance the Marlins would allow Giancarlo Stanton to play his entire contract with them from the moment he put pen to paper, and while you might respect that they signed him anyway, it severely limited who they could move him to when the club decided to move on. That gigantic number severely limited what they could get in return too. It hurt them so bad they were forced to move a player like Christian Yelich with years of control at a reasonable rate just so they could get to the point they had some serviceable prospects back in the system. The only chance to win is to play the lottery. Mass prospects hope they all come together and create that elusive perfect storm. Sound familiar? It should because it’s exactly what plays out here in Pittsburgh, with the exception of totally burning it down to the ground. Just because a forest fire is ultimately healthy for an ecosystem, setting one intentionally is not a decision many would or should make.

Baseball will be played this season; I’ll find my way back to covering balls and strikes. I’ll get past the feeling that I care more about this league than the commissioner does, but I won’t stop believing it.

Both sides have little more than a year to grow up, as I sit here now, I find it unrealistic to expect these same two leaders are capable of sitting across a table and having a rational conversation let alone steering a multi-billion dollar enterprise back to their stated intention of satisfying the fans. Because when it comes to Major League Baseball, one thing above all has become clear, the customer is not always right, well, the customer outside the four or five places that pay the bills and buy the yachts.

Pittsburgh Pirates Sunday Service-006

Good morning friends, what a week in baseball. The draft flew by and our Buccos did quite well according to just about everyone. What a breath of fresh air that is. And get this, the players and owners still don’t like each other. We’re barreling toward Manfred demanding the short season and we should all expect the story to break this week. Then the grievance, then the non-action and eventually, baseball games on actual grass with bats and balls n’ stuff.

The Legacy of Vincent – 06-14 – And Connie said to Fay, the Sunshine State must be recognized.

June 14th, 1990 started the ball rolling, because on this date the National League put forth their intention to expand the league by two teams, and they planned to get it done by 1993.

The expansion committee had representatives from three teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates Chairman Doug Danfort, the Houston Astros Owner John McMullen, and finally the New York Mets President Fred Wilpon. The committee narrowed the finalists to six with three being in Florida.

The first, and arguably most controversial choice was the Marlins. Located in Miami, they wanted to be called the Florida Marlins and represent the entire state. Connie Mack III, grandson of baseball great Connie Mack and Senator from Florida used his position as a member of a Senate Task Force on Major League Baseball to pressure Commissioner Fay Vincent to expand to Florida. Somewhere along the line Tampa was promised they would be the new city and consequently sued the league eventually leading to another expansion in 1998 which created the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

The other was of course the Colorado Rockies. Denver had come close in the past and the closest was possibly the near relocation of the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1985 following the Pittsburgh Drug Trials.

Expansion isn’t cheap, and each new franchise had to pay 95 Million dollars to the National League for the privilege.

In the past when either league would expand the process was entirely contained within that league. This expansion was different as Fay Vincent wanted to conduct the expansion draft across leagues. In order to convince the American league to cooperate, he offered 42 Million of the total 190-Million-dollar windfall to the AL This event marks the first time both leagues were asked to share revenue from expansion in the history of the game.

Just a few short years later in 1997 Interleague play began in the regular season. Much like we all learned in the original Ghostbusters, crossing the streams changed everything. Once the two leagues entered into cross revenue deals, there was no turning back and once the DH is implemented in the NL there will be nothing separating the two any longer as entities.

Many love the excitement of having an opportunity to see their team play the best players in both leagues or watch the Pirates play at Fenway Park, but the special nature of events like the All-Star Game and indeed the World Series suffered.

Sure, the first couple times the Yankees played the Mets in the regular season, it was exciting and some markets like, well, here in Pittsburgh, it may be the only real opportunity to see them play the Orioles again, but it also took away the air of mystery that hung over those events in the past. A National League fan may have never watched George Brett play until he and the Royals made the Series.

Once the DH is implemented, I sincerely wonder what will prevent drastic realignment in the league and sharing revenue way back when opened the door.

Friends, there are unintended consequences for every action, good or bad. Your intentions may very well be coming from the sincerest place possible, but what that leads to could very well open the door for things you couldn’t imagine.

We are watching a wonderful for instance play out right now. The players are really doing nothing more than saying they’ve already agreed to a pay cut, and they don’t want to take another. I get it. Most reasonable people understand what they’re saying, and why they feel that way. Reality dictates however they have allowed this situation to come off the rails and when nobody get’s what they want, a 48-game season, right or wrong the players will absorb at least part of the criticism.

I’m not here to pass judgement on the players or proclaim the owners to be righteous in their actions. I’m simply saying heading into a sure to be messy CBA negotiation at the conclusion of next season, perhaps both sides could have attempted to save their capital if you will, rather than drive up the ire of the fan base two years in a row.

The likelihood of agreement for many of the issues the league faces without a work stoppage seems very small to me at the moment, and worse, they’ve already built up a vast array of reasons none of us should care.

There were ways to handle this. Either side could have offered deferred payments. Either side could have offered a sliding scale of percentage based on when/if fans were allowed back in stadiums. They could have simply decided the game that has made all of them, players and owners rich beyond belief was worth eating a bit this season.

Instead, the players budged exactly one time, and the owners hated their own deal.

The really sad thing is, that line up there really sums the whole thing up. Sure, both sides will blame COVID, but in the end, both sides didn’t want to lose to the other. This could have been solved.

Be thoughtful of your actions as you go through your daily life, you never know when the whip of chain reaction will hit you in the behind.

Draft Day Two Roundup: Ben Cherington’s Plan

Prior to the second day of the 2020 MLB June Amateur Draft prognosticators such as myself were predicting picks from all over the board and field. However, GMBC and company had only one goal in mind; keep your eye on the prize(s) and shoot straight down the middle. It came as a shock to some of us and caused great anger from a select few, but in the end the plan that the Pittsburgh Pirates new regime had laid out, netted them what has been described by many experts as a top 5 draft class.

As day two and the second right round began, my highest ranked catching prospect left on the board, Dillon Dingler, was quickly snatched up by the Detroit Tigers with the 38th pick. I waited in anxious anticipation to see what the Pirates would do only six picks later. To my surprise GMBC took a legit two-way player from La Mirada High School in California, Jared Jones; with power on the mound, as well as at the plate.

The young right hander posted a career .89 ERA and struck out 255 batters to in 181 innings pitched thanks to his 60 grade fastball, which consistently reaches around 97 mph, his 55 grade slider that drops of the map between 80-82 mph and an solid 85-88 mph change up. Command has been an issue at times, but he is young and has plenty of time to hone his skills. On the offensive side he batted .394 with 7 home runs and a 1.040 OPS. Cherington has said that he will be tested and utilized as a pitcher to start his professional career, but did not rule out the possibility of his bat coming into play as he makes his way through the system.

After such an exciting pick I thought it would be tough to keep the juices flowing. This is when Nick Garcia came off the board at pick number 79, in the 3rd round. The 6’4” 215 lb right hander was described by some as the steal of the draft and by others as a 1st round talent. His showing in the Cape Cod League last summer brought him draft buzz, as he struck out 20 in 17 innings of relief. However, it was his track record over the past two seasons at Chapman University, a Division III school in Orange County, California and the stuff that came with it, which totally sealed the deal for me. In two seasons he struck out 118 batters, while only walking 21 in 83 innings. In 2019 he helped lead his team to the NCAA Division III Championship, earning Most Outstanding Player honors. With a fastball (60 grade) consistently touches 97, a wipeout slider 85 mph slider and 86-88 mph cutter he always keeps hitters on their toes and heels; drawing comparisons to a certain Hall of Fame pitcher.

At pick 108 the Pirates and GMBC once again looked toward the college ranks, finding a potential two-way player in Jack Hartman from Appalachian State University. Hartman took a slightly unconventional route to pro-ball as he started out at Tallahassee Community College as a position player, moved to College of Central Florida splitting time as a relief pitcher and at third base before landing with the Mountaineers in 2019. Over the next two seasons he would primarily appear out of the bullpen striking out 26 in 21.2 innings with 4.98 ERA as a junior and improving upon this by striking out 22 in only 10 innings in this spring’s shortened season. His 4 saves were tied for the Sun Belt lead and his 3.00 ERA was the lowest of his short pitching career. A pitcher with a mid-90’s fastball/cutter that touches 97 and a biting slider, Hartman could easily find his way into a major league bullpen in the future.

As the draft went on many people still continued to think the catcher of the future may be selected, but GMBC had other ideas as he called upon a JUCO Bandit, Logan Hofmann from Northwestern State University. In his time at Colby Community College he set Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference career strikeout record with 230. Then came the Cape Cod season of 2019. He was named a Cape Cod League All-Star while pitching for the Falmouth Commodores; posting a 3-1 record with a 3.54 ERA and one save while striking out 27 in 20.3 innings. When he returned to college he did not allow a single earned run in 28 innings; striking out 38.

Honestly, take what you will from the draft. You have every right to do so. The Pirates may have not gotten every player you wanted, which we all know is the case from my earlier projections. However, don’t take it to heart. These young men are apart of our team now and we should only want the best for them. I know I do.

Top Ten 2020 MLB Draft Takeaways

The Pittsburgh Pirates experienced just about every variable one could in one draft. New management, new format, new slotting. Let’s talk about what we’ve learned.

  1. Pitching was a major focus. Obviously, right? Talk about identifying an organizational deficiency and hammering it.
  2. Talent trumps all other factors. Deference was not paid to organizational depth with the first pick. Bats were chosen for the bat, arms were chosen for the arm.
  3. Ben Cherington showed quite a tolerance for possible projects. Talent of the crop chosen is unmistakable, but experience is not.
  4. Cherington suffered no fools. Some teams played games by choosing under slot or effectively punting. None of that here in Pittsburgh.
  5. Catcher was not in the cards. Either they weren’t satisfied with the crop or felt there were other options to address it with other methods, it looks like Catcher wasn’t happening.
  6. The Pirates have a GM who doesn’t reach. According to Cherington after the draft, the Pirates board was stuck to with little fluctuation.
  7. Top ten system is coming. For those of you that think having a top ten system is a measurement of success, it will soon be back. Be aware though, the best organizations move up and down on this stat as talent groups evolve and migrate to the big club.
  8. The Post Draft singing period is going to be interesting. Part of me thinks it might be like NCAA recruiting and low payroll clubs might struggle. Part of me thinks a bunch will just go to school or JUCO. Interested to see how it turns out.
  9. Will the Pirates ever sign a left-handed starter? It’s uncanny how the Pirates never seem to land on a left handed pitcher. That’s it, just odd.
  10. Now, where exactly do these draft picks go? This will be an interesting development, and I wonder if the AFL will be loaded with draft picks this year.

Friday Focus – Drafting Nick Gonzales at Number 7 Doesn’t Mean the Pirates Need to Make Room Now

Organizational depth is a luxury and not one the Pirates have had at more than a handful of positions in recent years. Despite my warnings in a recent column to not overreact should the Bucs take Gonzales, almost immediately the masses took turns wondering where he fit, or who has to go to make him fit.

That’s half the fun on draft day, imagining the future, trying to picture the puzzle pieces all coming together. Here’s the thing though, we aren’t there yet, and deciding two former first rounders themselves aren’t part of the future is just too soon. Cole Tucker hasn’t himself even become a regular at this point and dismissing his pedigree and ability to contribute to the cause at this point is foolish.

Instead of getting sweaty that the Pirates didn’t need another middle infielder, think of it as adding talent, overall talent to the organization. The positions don’t matter so much at this point, its adding wealth.

In other words, there need be no rush to find alternate positions or trade partners for X number of players at this point. Organizationally speaking, Newman is not the SS of the future, arguably he should slide over to second base right now. Tucker could start at short pretty quickly and as a switch hitter, should he develop further, would be a nice part of the lineup. Adam Frazier is no slouch himself at second and still has years of control which the Pirates should be loathed to give away cheap.

O’neil Cruz is a freak at short stop, and while I do see them moving him to another position at some point, the kid can actually play the position. His arm is a cannon and accurate on top of that. Raw power off the charts and he could be a real standout in a position not typical for power hitters, despite the era of Story, ARod and Baez. His arm is too good to waste at first base, so get that out of your head too. Third base appeals to me for Cruz but there is that Hayes kid.

Peguero is probably the best pure fielder at the position in the system, and he too has a bat that profiles well to hold down the spot once he arrives. Add in Gonzales and the Bucs have nothing short of 5 or 6 solid options at middle infield.

We watched the Pirates in this very draft go after pitching, making each of their next 6 choices right-handed pitchers. Funny how nobody has constipation about some of those being blocked or having too many of them. Different position to be sure, barrier to entry alone sets pitching apart. Bottom line, when it comes to drafting talent there is nothing wrong with having “too many” of anything.

Any of the middle infielders that are deemed “extra” could very well be the Pirates future catcher waiting to be moved. Being capable of making moves like that comes directly from having the capital in the first place.

The MLB Draft:Day Two

Originally my blueprint for the second day of the draft went a little something like this:

Second Round (44th Pick) 

Plan A: Alika Williams (SS)-Arizona State

Plan B: Logan Allen (LHP)-Florida International 

Plan C: Drew Romo (C)-The Woodlands (TX)

Plan D: Sam Weatherly (LHP)-Clemson

Plan E: Daniel Susac (C)-Jesuit (CA)

However, with Alika Williams going to the Tampa Bay Rays with the 37th pick and Drew Romo headed the Colorado after being selected at 35th, some adjustments will obviously need to be made. Luckily for me I still have Dillon Dingler (C) from Ohio State and CJ Van Eyk (RHP)-Florida State left over from my plans at 31 to fill in the gaps. So the updated list, still using the same plan format as before, for me would be:

Second Round (44th Pick)

Plan A: Dillon Dingler (C)-Ohio State

Plan B: CJ Van Eyk (RHP)-Florida State

Plan C: Logan Allen (LHP)-Florida International

Plan D: Sam Weatherly (LHP)-Clemson

Plan E: Daniel Susac (C)-Jesuit (CA)

Unfortunately for Pirates fans, after having seen their team make three selections in the top 44 picks, they will now be forced to wait until pick number 79 before hearing the name of another new member to the organization being called. With many players coming off the board, less recognizable names being discussed and predictions becoming more of a crapshoot (even most experts and amateurs shy away from a mock beyond the Competitive Balance A Round) the final three selections for the Pirates become even harder to plan for, but I will take a shot at it anyway because as I have stated many times before, that is half the fun.

3rd Round (79th Pick)

Plan A: Zach DeLoach (OF)-Texas A&M

Plan B: Jake Vogel (OF)-Huntington Beach(CA)

Plan C: Markevian Pence (RHP)-Watson Chapel (AR)

Plan D: Ricky Tiedemann (LHP)-Lakewood (CA)

Plan E: Jackson Miller (C)-Mitchell (FL)

4th Round (Pick 108)

Plan A: Bryce Elder (RHP)-Texas

Plan B: Ian Seymour (LHP)-Virginia Tech

Plan C: Trevor Hauver (OF)-Arizona State

Plan D: Jackson Leath (RHP)-Tennessee

Plan E: Hayden Cantrelle (SS)-Louisiana-Lafayette

5th Round (Pick 138)

Plan A: Tyson Guerrero (LHP)-Lower Columbia CC

Plan B: Kala’i Rosario (OF)-Waiakeia(HI)

Plan C: Bobby Seymour (1B)-Wake Forrest

Plan D: Sterlin Thompson (3B)-North Marion(FL)

Plan E: Casey Opitz (C)-Arkansas

Sadly the MLB Draft ends after 5 Rounds this year, so let’s enjoy the ride for as long as it lasts. And as always let me know what you think about my picks and join myself and Gary on Twitter during the draft, as well as the site after, to talk about who the Pirates end up selecting.

National League Central Division Draft Update

Day one came and went and boy the Orioles really threw the board for a loop with the number 2 pick did they not? As promised, here is a little update on who our competitors picked up.

Pirates
4 Picks Remaining – 44, 3 more picks round 3-5
Day 1 Picks – 7 Nick Gonzales, New Mexico State, SS; 31 Carmen Mlodzinksi, South Carolina, SP

Craig has a great piece about day 1 for our Buccos up already and I’ll not elaborate here too much at this time, but I’ll have more to say on Friday in the Focus.

Cubs
4 Picks Remaining – 51, 3 more picks round 3-5

Day 1 Pick – 16 Ed Howard, Mount Carmel HS (IL), SS
Ed is arguably the best prep school level middle infielder available. He profiles as defensively strong and some doubt his bat will rise to the task. With a 6-foot 2-inch frame, the hope is that when he fills out, he’ll gain power and retain his range and athleticism. With Baez in place, the Cubs have time to let this project develop.

Reds
4 Picks Remaining – 48, 65 (Competitive Balance), 3 more picks round 3-5

Day 1 Pick – 12 Austin Hendrick, West Allegheny High School (PA), OF
Let’s get this out of the way, feels like Sean Casey all over again. OK, back to actual evaluation. Austin has an explosive swing with power to spare. Chances are he ultimately sacrifices contact for power as he develops but he has middle of the order potential. I’ve seen him compared to Clint Frazier by multiple sources but feel he can avoid becoming a strike out machine of that level. Depending on who you believe, he is either a nice steal here by the Reds or a bit of a reach. I’ll lean steal.

Brewers
4 Picks Remaining – 53, 3 more picks round 3-5

Day 1 Pick – 20 Garrett Mitchell, UCLA, CF
Mitchell has speed for days which helps him remain a good candidate to stay at CF as he progresses. Speed is the one real certainty with Garrett however, his frame and athleticism suggest he will come together but scouts have him performing far better in batting practice than in-game. I’ve seen him rated pre-draft from 10 all the way into the second round which speaks to the very real unknowns. This strikes me as the equivalent of a college football coach recruiting an athlete who hasn’t found a position yet, but you can’t pass up the physical stats. The divergent rankings could also be due to questions regarding Garrett being Type 1 diabetic, but clearly, he’s handled it.

Cardinals
6 Picks Remaining – 54, 63 (Competitive Balance), 70 (Compensation Pick) 3 more picks round 3-5

Day 1 Pick – 21 Jordan Walker, Decatur High School (GA), 3B
Jordan may be difficult to sign for the Cards as he is committed to Duke, but my guess is the Cardinals have already ensured he was open to signing. After Spencer Torkelson, Walker is probably the top remaining corner infielder available. At 6-foot 5-inches shades of Kris Bryant come to mind and the power potential is there. Many scouts think he’ll have to abandon 3rd due to his frame but we here in Pittsburgh understand that some of these tall guys can pick it, right Mr. Cruz?

Day 2 of the MLB draft begins Thursday night and Craig and I will bring you analysis and opinions of each as it plays out right here.

The Ben Cherington Era Begins: The Pittsburgh Pirates First Two Picks

From all of the reports and analysis I read leading up to the draft it seemed pretty clear that GMBC and his team were going to be leaning toward the college route, at least as it pertained to the first two or three picks. This led me to believe that within these selections the Pirates were going to acquire a college bat, a college arm and potentially a catcher; with the latter being the greatest position of need within the system. Based on these assumptions I laid out my blueprint for the first three picks (7th, 31st and 44th).

At the beginning of the night it looked like I was pretty locked on as the Pirates selected my Plan B choice Nick Gonzales (SS/2B) from New Mexico State with the 7th overall pick in the first round. With my Plan A of Emerson Hancock (RHP) from Georgia going off the board one pick earlier to the Seattle Mariners, to me Gonzales was the obvious choice. As a player who slashed .399/.502/.747 with 37 home runs during his 128 game college career there is no doubt that this kid can barrel up the ball. However it was his impressive showing in the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2019 that pushed him into the Top 10 Pick conversation. In 42 games he batted .351 with 7 home runs, earning him MVP of the league.

Now I will be the first to tell you that I originally had some reservations about drafting Gonzales; even listing him as a “player to avoid” in an earlier draft article. There are questions about the level of competition he played against, as well as the lofty elevation and hitter friendly dimensions of his home ballpark, but after a conversation I had with Keanan Lamb, Senior MLB Draft Writer from Baseball Prospectus and watching a lot of video on him it became evident that he can just flat out hit. With a 60 grade hit tool, he was listed as one of the best pure hitters in the 2020 class.

As far as defense is concerned, GMBC has stated that he would like to keep him at short stop for the time being and he definitely has the athleticism to fill out this position. This immediately brought up concerns from Pirates Fans as they listed off all of the shortstops that already exist in the system. To me these concerns actually bring me comfort as we all know players don’t always stick at their drafted position or even make it to the MLB squad and it provides flexibility or opportunity in the trade market.

After this pick Pirates fans had to wait for 23 players to come off the board before being able to make their second selection. When the time finally came, I was happy to see three of the players I was targeting were still on the board, including my Plan A choice of Dillon Dingler (C) from Ohio State. To me this was the obvious choice, so I was pretty surprised when GMBC chose Carmen Mlodzinski (RHP) from South Carolina; someone I had seen film on, but hadn’t really considered. However, after scratching my head for a minute I dove into the numbers on Mlodzinski.

He is another player, much like Gonzales, that excelled in the Cape Cod League last summer; posting a 2.15 ERA while striking out 40 and only walking 4 in 29.1 innings. During these games his 60 grade fastball sat at around 92-96 mph with good movement/sink and run. He did touch 99 mph in fall practice, so the potential is there for increased velocity. He also possess a 55 grade slider that show up in the low 80’s with an almost cutting action at times and an above average change up, which gives him a strong three pitch arsenal.

Other than his performance in the Cape there isn’t as much data on Mlodzinski as there was on some of the the other pitchers I scouted, mostly due to his sophomore season being cut short after only 10.2 innings with broken foot and this spring ending after just 25.1 innings. I do have a little concern about decreased productivity this spring, as he only struck out 22 batters and gave up 3 home runs, but this is a small sample size so I am not sure how much judgement can be made; although I bet Pirates Fans will make a lot of them in the coming days and weeks.

So there you have it, the first day of the MLB Draft has past and there are two new members of the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization. What will come of them is anybody’s guess and only time will truly tell. However, GMBC, whether you like it or not, has stuck to the plan we assumed he would by picking up a college bat and arm. Now we wait to see if the Pirates get that catcher everyone so greatly desires with one of the next few picks.