Familiarity Breeds Contempt

I often wonder who the Pirate’s real rival is, sure when the team is down its easy to simply hate or envy a plethora of teams, but realignment has probably played the biggest role in the answer than any one other fact.

Rivalries are different too, for instance when I was growing up the Mets were our biggest rival. When the Pirates started ramping up for the early ‘90s run the Mets were the main opposition. I hated them with everything I had, but I could not help to appreciate them at the same time. Doc Gooden, Gary Carter, Darryl Strawberry, David Cone, John Franco, they were just so damn good. Many of these players were polarizing across the league, but you had to respect the hell out of them.

Watch this if you need a reminder.

When we hear discussion of realignment for this season, even as a temporary move to potentially get the season going, I keep hearing people talk about destroying these rivalries and how insane these ideas are. Perhaps you don’t recall the Atlanta Braves being in the Western Division. That zany Georgia, apparently the longest state in the union. At least they were nice enough to drag the Reds with them, that’s right folks, Cincinnati also a Western city back in 1990.

I actually like the idea of strictly realigning based on geography. Surely there will be some outliers, like Seattle isn’t going to get closer to anyone they play realistically.

In 1993 the league introduced two expansion teams in the National League, the Florida Marlins and the Colorado Rockies. This brought with it a three-division split rather than two and drastic realignment. 1998 brought in the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (still an infinitely better name than Rays) and bucked the Milwaukee Brewers to the NL. After quite some time lobbying for the move 2013 brought the Houston Astros move to the AL balancing all the divisions at 5 apiece.

The Pirates being rivals with the Mets, ancient history isn’t it? Sure, people my age still have flashbacks to beating them down the stretch to clinch in 1990 and talk about how cool it would have been to see Darryl hit at PNC, but by in large they’re just as familiar as any interleague game.

Of course, there would be others, The Cards, Reds and Brewers have all had a turn, greedy Reds took a couple shots at it actually. Its terribly hard to be anyone’s rival if you’ve never bested them, its exactly why until recently the Steelers-Browns rivalry has paled in comparison to the Steelers-Ravens. It’s equally no fun beating up on someone repeatedly. You may hate the Cards, but the Pirates have yet to best them in the modern era. Think about it, our most celebrated success was beating the Reds in the Wild Card game, only to be beaten by the Cards in a best of five.

The Reds of the 70s provided a true rival, even while not in the same division. Simply due to the Pirates and Reds lining up as the two best NL teams in the 70s, battling each other for supremacy most of the decade. In the 80s the Buccos really stunk, but epic, heated games with the Phillies at least made my young mind consider them a rival.

I see MLB believes Detroit makes the most sense as the Pirates designated rival and based on the records of the two recently maybe they have a point. I’d like to think Cleveland would make sense, but I could just be letting football shade my mind’s eye.

In Baseball, the more you play, the more you dislike. The more familiar you are the more you study and understand your opponent. Nothing catches you by surprise because you’ve seen the mix of pitches, you know this team likes to run on 2-1 counts. You know their left fielder looks for fastballs down in the zone once you get count leverage on him. You even start to understand the oddities of their home ballpark dimensions and pitch to effectively make it work for you.

Free agency has hurt rivalries in all sports if I’m honest. Its really hard to get worked up into a lather about that, um, arrogant bas…, I can’t even pretend, Andrew McCutchen. He could have signed with the Cardinals and unless he turned down more money from Pittsburgh to go there, how could I possibly dislike the guy? Even then, how can I begrudge him wanting to win or thinking he has a better chance to do so minimally in St. Louis?

What do you think? Who are the Pirates real rivals today? Who SHOULD it be? I anticipate half the answers being Nutting already.

From The Crows Nest: The St. Louis Cardinals Farm System

So far in this series we have looked into the three NL Central Division Farm Systems who have taken some hits over the past few years and find themselves with either lack of depth or nearly barren of any elite players as it pertains to the MLB Pipeline Top 100 Prospects. The Chicago Cubs are currently ranked at #23, the Cincinnati Reds slot in at #24 and the Milwaukee Brewers are pulling up the rear at #30. The last division rival that needs to be examined, the St. Louis Cardinals, currently sit only three spots behind the Pittsburgh Pirates, landing at #18; and unfortunately they are once again a Farm System on the rise.

The St. Louis Cardinals have captured 4 of the last 10 Central Divisions Titles and 11 in total since its inception in 1994. In recent years the team from The Gateway City has held the blueprint for building a competitor from within, as well as identifying and developing talent from places and in players that many other teams had overlooked. I honestly can’t even count the number of times I have heard someone referred to as a Cardinal’s Type Prospect over the years and with them climbing the ranks there are almost certain to be a lot more.

Currently the Cardinals have three players in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects; Dylan Carlson (#17), Nolan Gorman (#47) and Matthew Liberatore (#58). As many will remember Liberatore was acquired in the often questioned trade with the Tampa Bay Rays, where the Cardinals gave up Jose Martinez and Randy Arozarena. Also acquired in this trade was 19 year old catching prospect, Edgardo Rodriguez, who is not in St. Louis’ Top 30, but added catching depth to an already loaded system. Top Catching prospect, Andrew Knizner (#6), who is one of three in the Top 30, is set to graduate after being promoted during September call ups last season. It should be noted that he struggled during this time, but I wouldn’t be too concerned as he performed well at every level prior to this. In 66 games at AAA Memphis he batted .276 with 12 home runs and 22 extra base hits. With Yadier Molina nearing the end of his career, it could be Knizner who takes over in the long term form the Cardinals. As I did in the first three articles in this series, I will use the rest of my time to discuss the Top 5 prospects in the system in order to avoid writing a novel article on the subject; not something I would be totally opposed to by the way.

1) Dylan Carson-OF (MLB Pipeline #17)

Carlson was selected in the 1st Round (33rd Overall) of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft from Elk Grove High School in California. The prep baseball star struggled at times in his first two years of his professional career, compiling a .246 AVG and a 25.8% Strike Out Rate. However, at an average of 3 years younger than his competitors, he truly held his own by belting 10 home runs and 45 total extra base hit.

The 2018 season was a little bit of transition year for the young outfielder as he started back in Peoria with the Low A with the Chief, but was eventually promoted to the High A/Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals prior to end of the season. He did not experience great success, but the powers that be made the decision to promote the 20 year old to the AA Springfield Cardinals to begin the 2019 season. They were handsomely rewarded for their risky move with an MVP performance from Carlson in the Texas League as he hit 21 homers while slashing .281/.364/.518. For the last 18 games of the year he was promoted to the AAA Memphis Redbirds where he continued his tear; crushing another 5 home runs and posting a 1.098 OPS.

Prior to the current shutdown he was knocking on the door to the big league club. Even if he doesn’t get his shot this year it won’t be long until he is regular in the outfield at Busch Stadium, torturing my Buccos as many Cardinals players have over the years.

2) Nolan Gorman-3B (MLB Pipeline #47)

Gorman was picked by the Cardinals in the 1st Round (19th Overall) in the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft from Sandra Day O’Conner High School in Phoenix, Arizona. Immediately after being selected he was assigned to the Rookie Advanced where he exploded; hitting 11 homers and batting .350 in only 38 games. He earned a promotion to Low A Peoria before the season ended, which may have been inadvisable as his average dropped to .202, but he did hit an additional 6 home runs. Last year he started off back with the Chiefs where the power continued to be unquestionable as hit another 10 homers and he improved on his patience at the plate; decreasing his K% (36.4% to 28%) and increasing his BB% (9.3% to 11.3%), which earned him another promotion to the High A/Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals at only 19 years old. He held his own for the remainder of the year improving upon his batting average (.241 to .256) and hit 5 more homers. There is no doubt that a return to Palm Beach was in his future, however if he continued to produce I could have easily seen him in AA by the end of the season.

3) Matthew Liberatore-LHP (MLB Pipeline #58)

Liberatore has yet to throw a pitch in the Cardinals organization, but already sits right behind long time friend Gorman on the Top 30. Drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 1st Round of the 2018 (16th Overall) Mountain Ridge High School in Glendale, Arizona the young left handed hurler has already pitched at 3 levels in his short career; finding different degrees of success at each. However, there have been some concerns about his walk rate as he has consistently allowed around 3.6 BB/9 and his K/9 has decreased at each level. In spite of these issues, there is a lot to be optimistic about. Each of the 4 pitches in his arsenal are average to above average; Fastball (60), Curveball (60), Changeup (55) and Slider (50). He has been focusing more on development and command to this point and still has room to grow, which points toward almost limitless potential.

4) Iván Herrera-C

Since being signed for $200,000 on July 7, 2016 this young man from from Panama has consistently shown that he can flat out rake in the box. Over three seasons he has slashed .309/.397/.431 with 11 homers, 9 coming this past season between Low A Peoria and High A/Advanced Palm Beach. As is a pattern with the Cardinals, they chose to challenge Herrera following a successful season by assigning him to the Arizona Fall League at only 19 years of age. He responded by batting .324 and showing patience at the plate, 5 walks and only 4 strikeouts. At this time his defense behind the plate is behind his presence at it, but he has been working extremely hard at blocking, receiving and framing. He has also continued to develop his arm strength, which along with his overall athleticism leaves room for further growth at the position.

5) Zach Thompson-LHP

Prior to being selected in the 1st Round (19th Overall) in the 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of Kentucky, Thompson has suffered some setbacks in his young career; such as failing a post draft physical in 2016 after being picked by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 11th Round. That along with other injuries caused some concern prior to his senior year, until he went 6-1 in 14 starts with a 2.40 and 130 strikeouts in 90 innings. Immediately after being drafted he was assigned briefly to the Gulf Coast League Cardinals before being promoted to the High A/Advanced Palm Beach Cardinals. He only pitched in 13 games (2 starts) and 15.1 innings, but was extremely impressive as he struck out 23 batters, while only walking 4. As of right now Thompson is slated to join the Cardinals rotation in 2022, but this lay-off could obviously delay this trajectory. However, when he does arrive he should be a consistently contributor at the middle of the rotation for years to come.

Of all the Farm Systems in the Central Division, the Cardinals always seem to hold the key to identifying, acquiring and developing talent; sometimes from the most unexpected places. This along with their ability and willingness to bring in big name talent from others, makes them a tough team for others to supplant at the top of the division. It has obviously happened from time to time, but the Cardinals have never made it any easy task and with the level of talent they have in the minors, it is not going to get any easier.

Pirates Sunday Services – 003

Yesterday we were blessed here in Pittsburgh with an absolutely perfect day for baseball. You can of course take an opportunity like that to remember what you’ve lost, but I hope instead you looked forward.

The Illumination of Hank – 05-17 – Hank said unto him, through my own journey shall I lend you strength.

On May 17th, 1947 one of the most special and important events continued to make its way around the league. Jackie Robinson was at the beginning of enduring, and thriving in his rookie season, and the next stop was Forbes Field right here in Pittsburgh.

Jackie was at the beginning, but Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg was finishing his illustrious career. He spent his entire career in Detroit, gave three years plus to the United States Army Air Force and in 1947 wound up in Pittsburgh just two years removed from flying missions.

You may have guessed it from the last name, but Hank had himself dealt with racial intolerance. Being a Jewish man, he too wasn’t accepted with open arms. Here was a person who played 11 full seasons in MLB and won 8 MVPs in his career. Never discount how important it was that players like Hank and Jackie were also damn good at baseball. Tolerance unfortunately takes a special person both on and off the field if history teaches us anything.

Early in the game Jackie collided with Hank at first base, both walked away but Robinson was a little worse for wear. He didn’t dare tell anyone if he was hurt, nor was this unusual, taking shots at Jackie was as routine as a can of corn to right field. There were players on every team that didn’t want him there, and any opportunity the game could provide to show him physically was taken.

When the game was over, Mr. Greenberg approached Mr. Robinson and asked him if he was ok. When Jackie replied he was, Hank came back with this “Stick in there. You’re doing fine. Keep your chin up.”

A few days later Jackie told writers that his “diamond hero” is Hank Greenberg.

Friends, you never know the power of a kind word. You can never fully understand why you are going through something in your life until one day you meet someone who needs you to use the knowledge you gained to lend them a hand up. Would Jackie have quit if Hank didn’t say anything, if he just let Jackie believe there was one more guy who wanted to show him how unwanted he was? My gut says no, but these two men meeting on the hallowed grounds of Forbes Field is a stirring reminder of the very real hatred endured on the path to equality.

Hank Greenberg’s legend doesn’t belong to Pittsburgh, he is a Detroit legend and rightfully so, but even though 1947 would be one of the 3 seasons he did not receive the MVP, perhaps he did earn something even more important in his time here in Pittsburgh, the adoration of a young man isolated and fighting everyday to simply be treated like a human. For that reason, in 1947 Hammerin’ Hank may very well have been the Most Valuable Person instead of player.

Blessings my friends, be kind to each other, you never know the impact it could have on a person.

Top Ten Pirates “Fish That Got Away”

Today we’re going to talk about some players who had little more than a cup of coffee with the Buccos before finding their way out of town. Some will have exploded once leaving, while others never found the success they once had in Pittsburgh.

  1. Steve Pearce – Steve played in parts of five seasons for the Pirates from 2007 through 2011. He bounced to a few more stops before finding a home and his swing in Baltimore. Being a utility type player who was capable in the corner outfield spots as well as corner infield, finding a place to play shouldn’t have been that hard, that said, the onus is on the player to make you see him.
  2. Brock Holt – I still remember how exciting Brock was when he came up in September of 2012. Maybe I just wasn’t as plugged in back then as I am now but he seemingly came out of nowhere. He was fast and had a quick swing that just simply looked unstoppable. After that 21 game cup of coffee with the Bucs, he was traded to the Red Sox along with Joel Hanrahan, four players came back from the Sox but the impact player was Mark Melancon.
  3. Jose Bautista – I mean, how do you make a list like this without tossing a mention at Joey Bats? He played parts of 4 seasons with the Bucs and he did show some of that power he had under the surface, nothing like the 54 he would hit in his first full season in Toronto though. I can’t blame the Bucs for moving on in many ways, he was given quite a nice look. Classic late bloomer.
  4. Rajai Davis – He spent part of two seasons here in Pittsburgh and really came into his own with Oakland. Maybe I’m just bitter about how acquiring Matt Morris worked out for our Pirates, but Rajai brought speed and gap power that would have looked awful good in black and gold.
  5. Austin Meadows – While he was here the Bucs seemed to do everything they could to prevent him from getting a foothold, a lesson they surely would have repeated if injury didn’t provide Bryan Reynolds the opportunity Austin wasn’t given. Even in his short audition he looked the part, still he was treated as little more than a throw in to get Chris Archer. He already looks like a perennial All-Star.
  6. Tyler Glasnow – Why not just go for the jugular right? I’m not going to say he looked like a great pitcher while with Pittsburgh, but every scout, every coach outside of our clubhouse anyway talked about his stuff and how difficult it is to harness height like that and control pitches with that much movement. Still he was given away happily again for Chris Archer only to immediately show he could be coached. Time will tell exactly how bad this was.
  7. Reese McGwire – He’s not the best catcher I’ve seen, but a team starved for catching depth sure would be better off having him in town. Instead he was a pay off for taking the contract of an aging Francisco Liriano off our hands, which in and of itself might have been a bad idea.
  8. Moises Alou – He was traded before he had a chance to blossom to acquire Zane Smith. It’s not that the Bucs didn’t need a pitcher, its more about missing out on one of the best outfield prospects to come along since Barry Bonds.
  9. Charlie Morton – Much like Glasnow, Ground Chuck had more than the Bucs were capable of getting out of him. His lights out stuff was stifled with pitch to contact ethos and eventually he found his way to Houston where they banged the can the right way and Charlie was suddenly a Cy Young candidate.
  10. Brandon Moss – He spent parts of 3 seasons in Pittsburgh but never really caught on. A brief stop in Philly and it looked like the Bucs were right to let him go. Then he arrived in the sewage filled dugout of the Oakland A’s where he discovered his power stroke and played a key role in the playoff bound, moneyball loving Oakland Squads of the early 2010’s.

So who did I miss? Ten is enough pain for this writer.

Friday Focus – Will Some Teams Have a Fire Sale?

There are a ton of questions surrounding baseball coming back, the biggest of which clearly being will it happen. All the ins and outs of an eventual agreement will be hammered out over the coming days or that singular question will render the rest moot.

The players have a signed agreement with MLB to take a pro-rated cut in pay and to be honest, Rob and company never should have put that forward if they intended to pull the rug out from under the players and ask for more concessions. I get that entirely and legitimately see where the players are coming from. But let’s move past it for now and pretend they’ll all play nice and figure it out, honestly they have incentive to do so on both sides and while money is getting the lion’s share of play in coverage and conversation, it probably isn’t even the biggest hurdle left to jump.

So, baseball comes back, and the owners are stuck with (through nobody’s fault but their own) their original agreement or at least pretty close to it. MLB rosters are expanded to 30 players, with large taxi squads following them everywhere they go as well. I would think that means four more spots making the league minimum in the case of the Pirates and with an already extremely low payroll they should have room to do that fairly painlessly. Still, profits will be down significantly across the board and it makes me wonder if some teams will go on a selling spree.

Before all this started, we were watching some of the top spenders doing some pretty uncharacteristic things to try and get under the luxury tax threshold, a situation the players were no doubt already watching closely as the luxury tax has been little more than a yield sign on the highway for big money franchises until recently.

I’m full of questions on this subject.
1. With salaries minimally being pro-rated, the luxury tax figure is pretty much out the window, right?
2. Will teams that already squeezed a nickel ‘til the buffalo pooped be even more inclined to dump salary?
3. Will trades or a trade deadline even be allowed this season?
4. If a player makes a club’s 30 man roster this season, does their clock start?

During a 162-game campaign you can afford and even expect an injury that sidelines a starting pitcher for several weeks. Pitching injuries are the worst as the recovery time is sometimes surpassed by the built-in ramp back up time. For instance, a quad pull to Clayton Kershaw could mean 3 weeks on the shelf healing, followed by three to four weeks building up to a pitch count again. Modern baseball and the way pitching have evolved makes even a hangnail dicey. This makes me feel some clubs that feel they could win the sprint an 80-game season could be might invest more heavily in pitching than before.

This could open the door for someone being interested in a stop-gap pitcher like Chris Archer. In other words, some top prospects may be put on a club’s 30-man roster and having Chris Archer could be more beneficial to the cause this season than that top prospect who is right now a rookie not getting at bats.

I’ve no doubt that this would be painted as the Pirates having a fire sale or being cheap and I’m sure that would at least be part of the equation, but it could also be the optimal time to get maximum return for a player who is absolutely not in the long term plans. Maybe a team is more willing to move that top prospect catcher who is third in line and would have spent all year at AAA getting at bats and playing time.

Again, I’m not saying this is something to look for as much as wondering if it could be a side effect of the execution of a restart plan. If I felt the Buccos were close, or could make a move or two and be in position I’d go in that direction but I’d see this more as an opportunity to get decent return for some assets the Pirates probably had interest in moving to begin with.

The Pirates would typically look for high ceiling low level return guy, but those guys don’t have a landing spot right now. That doesn’t make it impossible to still make a move like that but certainly makes it less exciting. For instance, Brennan Malone has been in the Pirates system since the offseason move of Starling Marte to Arizona, and we’ve not been able to see anything. Trust me the Pirates would love to be telling you that he has a 2-1 record with a 1.12 WHIP in low A right about now.

Now that’s from the Pirates side of things, what about a team like the Reds? The Reds are the darlings of the NL Central for prognosticators as they heavily invested in free agents and expensive trade acquisitions over the past two seasons. I personally still feel they are short a starting pitcher and possibly a catcher. Do they go all in to and try to grab a few more components? Maybe the Braves or Phillies feel the same. There could be significant competition amongst this group of teams to improve or fortify their rosters and give themselves the best chance at winning. The Mets could feel Noah Syndergaard’s injury moves their chance to next season and potentially find a team willing to take Cespedes for help elsewhere. Then again maybe they hold onto him for the DH spot.

MLB faces a whole bunch of questions as we move forward, but once a deal is struck, this could get VERY interesting and really quickly.

Open Auditions Being Held: The Future Centerfielder of the Pittsburgh Pirates

For quite a few years, 13 to 14 by my estimation, there has always been a clear heir apparent who would tasked with the duty of patrolling centerfield at aaa for the Pittsburgh Pirates. As Chris Duffy, and at times Rajai Davis, were taking turns trying to hold down the middle of the outfield in the Pirates lineup, a young Andrew McCutchen was busy tearing up the fields of the South Atlantic, Eastern and Independent Leagues. It was undeniable that McCutchen was poised to take on the position and do so with skill, energy and ease for years to come; which is exactly what he did for the next 9 years. During his 8th year there were rumblings that the new kid on the block, Starling Marte, was more than ready to slide over to take his place and do so seamlessly.

After McCutchen was traded to the San Francisco Giant during the off-season prior to the 2018 season, the path and decision were straightforward; Marte was the Pirates full time Centerfielder and would remain so for the next two years. Now with Marte having been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks prior to the 2020 season, the Pirates were left with a clear hole in their lineup/roster. New General Manager Ben Cherington was quick to fill this void with veteran free agent Centerfielder, Jarrod Dyson; but even he had to be aware that he was only putting a Band-Aid on the situation, until he and his team could come up with a long term solution.

With a shortened Spring Training and a season currently on hold, there hasn’t been much time for GMBC and the rest of the Baseball Operations to work toward finding out the answer to the question of the future centerfielder. However, there are plenty of contenders and many Pittsburgh Pirates fans have already planted their flags in the camps of their favorite potential candidates because Jarrod Dyson is only a placeholder. This list is fairly short, but everyone is extremely passionate about their opinions, so it only makes sense to look at each player. So here they are, in no particular order.

1) Bryan Reynolds

Even prior to the end of the season there were trade rumors swirling around Starling Marte, which only intensified as the off-season progressed. This led many to wonder if the surprising rookie phenom could just slide over and take Marte’s place in the event of a trade. I even tackled this topic in article at my former site. Based on my own research and that of others it was discovered that Reynolds had some pretty decent fielding numbers in left field for the Pirates last season. For the season he posted a 0 rARM, a 0 rPM, a -3.5 UZR, a 3 DRS and a 2 OAA. All of these numbers were superior to Marte’s aside from the arm strength, which made many propose that he did not have the arm necessary to play center field on a regular basis. We all know he has the offensive numbers to justify his spot in the lineup or at least he did last year. He led the team in batting average (.314), and OBP (.377), as well as being near the top in wRC+ (131) and SLG (.503). However, does he fit in as the man in the middle long term for the Pirates?

2) Jared Oliva

Currently the Pirates #9 Prospect according to MLB Pipeline and an All-Star in both the Eastern and Arizona Fall League’s last year, a lot has been made of his consistent hitting and presence on the base paths. This praise is well deserved and completely justified as he hit .277, with 36 extra base hits and 36 stolen bases this past season in Altoona. With his speed and athleticism, it should be no surprise that his defense is on par with the rest of his game. In three seasons and 2081 innings in centerfield he only has one error, which would account for his .998 fielding percentage. It should also be noted that his RF/9 of 2.54 would rank near the top 10 of MLB active centerfielders.

3) Travis Swaggerty

When I read prospect articles, blogs and fans posts, Swaggerty’s name is the one I see mentioned the most often as the heir apparent to the centerfield position. As the Pirates #6 Prospect and 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft 1st Round Pick, selected at tenth overall, this should come as no surprise. This past season, at only 21 years of age, he performed fairly well both at the plate and in the field. However, his .265 batting average and .728 OPS was a little bit of a disappointment. It was nice to see him display some of the power he had shown in his time at South Alabama, as he he 9 homers and 32 extra base hits. As the Bradenton Marauders everyday centerfielder he had a .991 fielding percentage and a 2.83 RF/9.

4) Oneil Cruz

This is a little bit of out of the box thinking as Cruz is currently a shortstop in the Pirates Minor Leagues, who has been mentioned as a right fielder due to his arm strength. However, throwing to first from a middle infield position and launching a ball from the outfield are two totally different motions and it is hard to determine how this would translate. We all know the raw power (60 grade) and hit tool (50 grade) potential is there and should eventually equal success in AA, AAA and MLB, but at which position. His fielding (50 grade) ability, athleticism and speed (55 grade) allow people to speculate even further about his future slot in the Pirates lineup.

5) Jason Martin

Coming into the 2019 season, Martin was seen by many as the next man up in the outfield for the Pirates. He got the first shot of any of the prospects in the minors when he was called up to the majors on April 5th. He came out hot in his first four games, accumulating 5 hits in 4 games. Ultimately he would cool off and ended up being sent back down to the AAA Indianapolis Indians on April 30th when Starling Marte returned from the IL. He returned to the Pirates briefly at the end of June, but only got one at bat. His next appearance would be his last as his shoulder was dislocated sliding into home plate on September 3rd in a game against the Marlins. He would eventually undergo surgery on his shoulder in October. After an intensive rehab he came into Spring Training ready to compete for a spot on the opening day roster. As Spring Training was cut short he was optioned back down to AAA on March 20th.

6) Lolo Sanchez

Lolo is currently ranked as the Pirates #20 Prospect according to MLB Pipeline. After dominating the South Atlantic League as a member of the Greensboro Grasshoppers, he was promoted to the High A/Advanced Bradenton Marauders half way through the 2019 season. He struggled with this promotion as he average plummeted from .301 to .196 and he only hit one homer in 52 games after crushing 4 to begin the season. He also did not get much time in centerfield as #6 Prospect Travis Swaggerty already had a firm grip on that position. Due to his poor play in Bradenton and obviously having several players in front of him, the road to PNC Park is not as clear for this young man, but it is not outside the realm of possibilities.

7) Jonah Davis

Over the past two seasons in the Pirates Farm System, after being selected in the 15th Round of the 2018 MLB June Amateur Draft out of the University of California-Berkeley, Davis has consistently displayed the power he was drafted for by hitting 31 home runs. This past season in Low A Greensboro Davis took over centerfield on a regular basis after Lolo was promoted. He is a solid defender, with decent range, that projects as a corner or 4th outfielder in the majors. However, the potential is there to be a consistent contributor at the major league level and the chance of him playing centerfield for the Pirates on a regular basis should not be ruled out.

As we all know the 2020 MLB Season is currently in jeopardy. If baseball does end up being played this summer and fall, Jarrod Dyson is almost certain to be used as the placeholder in centerfield. There could also be an opportunity for other players to emerge depending on how Rob Manfred and the powers that be choose to proceed as multiple double headers have been discussed as an possibility. If the season is ultimately canceled Dyson could potentially move on, having never played a single game in a Pirates uniform. This would leave GM Ben Cherington in the same position as he was prior to signing Dyson in the offseason, with no clear replacement for Starling Marte in centerfield.

The Compassionate Contradiction of Sports Fans

We hear it all the time, all through our mentions, our timelines, our inboxes. How can you want sports back? You can’t ask these players to be unsafe or uncomfortable.

Rarely has anyone with any credibility called for a situation where the players would be asked to be unsafe. We’ve gotten to the point where simply saying you might like to see sports is being panned as insensitive or even dangerous. You’re uncaring or my personal favorite a ghoul. Actually, quite happy to see this word make a comeback even if some hippie used it and it caught fire.

There are some out there who believe this has all been BS. The whole thing, quarantine, closures, social distancing, even the government bailouts. I believe this to be a small percentage of the general population but they sure are vocal. That in no way makes them representative of every individual who simply states they’d like to see baseball.

There are folks who believe the players are greedy to the max and should happily accept a 50/50 split with the owners on revenue. I tend to lean toward the side of never expecting a first proposal to be accepted blindly.

Here’s the thing though. Being compassionate is not a competition. We have people out here trying like hell to show they care harder than anyone else and bashing anyone who suggests they’d like to see someone absorb any risk at all in order to bring back sports. Restaurants are currently calling employees back to work to ramp up for the “yellow” stage here in the Pittsburgh area. Many of these employees were actually making more money on unemployment due to the law providing an extra stipend for those furloughed. Many of them are at the very least saying they don’t feel safe returning to work (even though some of their very own have continued the entire time working). Problem is, once they get that call to come back, the choices are over. They have to come back, or lose the benefits allowing them to stay home.

One of my favorite narratives is how can you ask these players to do anything we wouldn’t ask others to do? Well, as I just illustrated, we are. Where is the outcry for those folks? What about the ones who never got to go on unemployment in the first place, being considered essential from the start? Where are your hashtags? Where are your calls of not believing in science for those who want a Primantis sandwich and a beer in the store? Where was your patience when we expected Mother’s Day level service at restaurants ill prepared for a typical Friday night volume?

Wanting to see sports come back and expecting those involved to maybe understand it won’t be perfect is absolutely a fair thought. I’ll take it a step further, what would it say about a given sport if the vast majority didn’t want it back or said they were fine with losing the sport for a year? The very thing you call un-caring or callous is exactly how these leagues and players have profited for decades.

Next up the folks who want sports back, but if it isn’t with fans it isn’t real. This is silly. Years ago, on a business trip to San Francisco I went into Carl’s Junior and bought dinner for myself, as many of you know there is an overwhelming homeless population in that city so it’s not uncommon to be asked for help quite a bit while walking. I was a young man, and many gave me advice to not give money but instead purchase food. So, I did, I got two extra burgers and went outside to give one to two people outside. One of them thanked me and shook my hand. The other discovered it had pickles on it and cursed me out. Moral of the story, when you are starving, take the pickles off and eat it. None of us fully understand how long it will be before fans en masse can go back to the in-stadium experience. Pardon me if I don’t want to wait for that to get sports rolling again.

NASCAR will be back this weekend. They are going to have no fans; they won’t allow drivers on scene until its race time. Race workers will only be allowed to congregate in small groups. They will only have one reporter on scene. There are to be no practices, no heat laps, instead they will go out and race. Many drivers believe this is unsafe, especially starting in Darlington which is historically one of the tougher tracks to get a feel for. All the big names have still made the decision to drive. The owners and drivers don’t make money if they don’t race and they made the decision that saving their sport was important.

I don’t even watch NASCAR, I might on Sunday. I’m sure I’m not alone, just like UFC found itself some new fans last weekend. The PGA will find its way back sooner than later and yes again, without fans.

Does that mean that MLB players should bend over and take the first proposal or acquiesce to separating from their families for months on end? No, it means let them negotiate, and let them decide for themselves what a bridge too far is exactly. It means, they don’t need your defense. Some of them don’t care how it happens so long as they can play. See, not everyone is set to make nothing for the best part of a year and maintain the life they’ve just started to build. Most people don’t buy a house based on what they have currently but what they will have as years of service take place. Hearing some say that they need fans there for it to feel right is completely understandable for two reasons, one, fans really do provide atmosphere, and two, the players aren’t ignorant as to how they get paid. Forget MiLB players, they’re largely screwed even if it does come back, yet I NEVER hear how they should be happy to sit at home. Funny how that works.

We repeatedly hear from media and politicians this is an unprecedented time, allow me to ask a simple question, how in the world can you expect the recovery from said unprecedented time to be anything less?

Normal. It’s gone for right now. If you want sports to survive it stands to reason you understand they must find their way back to playing. Maybe it’s time we all realize the everyday sacrifices each and every one of us have made was in an effort to eventually start living again. Some things will take longer to return than others, like two white girls bonding in a friendly embrace at Starbucks over their Pumpkin Spice Latte or two strangers hugging in the stands after a homerun, none of that should mean Starbucks should close until those actions are “safe”.

Bottom line, don’t be picky, be grateful.

Maybe Now is the Time

We are soon to see whether the players union is willing to play or not. No, not on the field, in the negotiation room. The owners are prepared to send a formal proposal to the players for restarting the season, and while we’ve all read proposals, some bordering on silly, the formal presentation process typically signifies a real proposal that the owners really think has legs. In other words, it’s close enough to talk about. It will have real numbers built in and yes, it will be pre-negotiation, of course it will be a best-case scenario as to an expectation of what the players would accept. Ok, way worse than what they’d accept.

Some of the rhetoric coming from both sides if genuine is very much so a non-starter for baseball being played in 2020. For instance, the players already making sure the owners know they deem the luxury tax as a faux cap and won’t accept it moving forward has nothing to do with this season, no this is posturing for the CBA negotiation after 2021. Much of this has been that way.

I’m not going to detail this plan today, for one thing, I don’t have all the details, for another I think baseball this year is doomed unless one of two things happen. 1. The government gives baseball special permission to operate in cities that don’t want gatherings large enough to put on a baseball game, and I’m not even talking about in front of fans. 2. The players agree to play in selected locations. I’m sure that testing or safety precautions jargon will be built in too.

If baseball is indeed off the table for 2020, in my mind so is the player’s ultimate leverage. The fear of a strike and losing games suddenly isn’t as scary when you’ve just seen it. Without that the demands for dropping key competitive balance measures, which let’s face it didn’t work anyway, should fall on deaf ears.

I’ll be honest here; I’ve never been the type to take the owners side or the players side. I’m rooting for the fans, myself included. The game is in real trouble, some of it self-inflicted, some of it just got away from them as nobody ever imagined how gaping the divide would become. Bottom line, if there is going to indeed be no baseball this season, fix our game. I’m not interested in just having the game come back as it was, plus a DH and an extra roster spot. I’m not interested in the status quo where the Pirates can only win if they do everything right for the best part of a decade and still need luck to reach the promised land.

The players have one thing to negotiate with, themselves. They are arguably the best 750 or so players in the world, we sports fans want to see the best What would happen if the owners called their bluff? If fact, that’s what I am calling for at this point. Call their bluff! Get a cap. Fix our game.

Beside being an exciting game, you know why the NFL is so wildly successful? Because a team from Buffalo can make it to the AFC Championship any given season. A team in Pittsburgh can win two championships in 15 years and be considered an underachiever. A team in LA has just as much chance of stinking as a team in Minneapolis. It’s real, honest to god competitive balance.

The NFL has problems too, don’t get me wrong, the Franchise tag prevents free agency from being free. The lack of guaranteed contracts creates an environment where the contracts are scarcely worth the paper they’re written on. But it is miles ahead of MLB in this one area that is of utmost importance to fans, the ability to win, no matter where you live.

If MLB decided to tell the players to buzz off, and they allowed a new union to form from MiLB players, within 2 years we the fans wouldn’t know the difference. There would still be a homerun king, a Cy Young winner. Someone would still toss a no-hitter; a player would still hit for the cycle. But the two sides could come together and fix the economic system. Making every team spend to a level and not spend past a level. Without this key change, the league will continue to languish as a coastal sport.

Here’s what needs done:

  • Salary cap based on percentage of league revenue (this would allow individual teams to still have TV money from local contracts) In other words, it still allows the bigger cities to make more money, not spend more. This should rightly sit around 50%.
  • International draft. Too many games are played with this system and we must stop pretending we don’t live in an increasingly smaller world.
  • MiLB player pay increases, the game is suffering from having arguably the toughest and least lucrative path to being a pro and being paid like a pro.

Those are minimal. They come with the elimination of revenue sharing, luxury taxes, and all the other poison pills MLB built in previously to pretend they wanted to help competitive balance.

This situation is teaching both sides something they should have known all along, without compromise, there is no partnership. See the players want to do away with the luxury tax because it is a restriction on the amount players can be paid. I say open your eyes! Yeah it does restrict how much 5 or 6 teams can pay, but not having an actual cap is costing veterans the rich free agent contracts they once enjoyed. Would it be better to have 30 teams with a cap at 200K and basement at 100K or 5 or 6 teams who can spend 400K while 24-25 teams who top out at 120K? Even that statement is BS, as it pretends there are two tiers, It’s more like this, Tier 1 – Rich 5 or 6 teams, Tier 2 – Middle 20 ish teams, Tier 3 – Poor 4 or 5 teams. Guess where your Pirates fall.

Enough.

Call their bluff.

Within 2 years max we’d all be watching MLB. Yes, it would be sad to not see Bryce Harper hit a homerun again, but there will be another who comes along. No more Josh Bell, well I guess we’ll have to be satisfied with Mason Martin hitting 35 homeruns against the same pitching he’s doing it to now.

The game would change, but not forever. It wouldn’t be a permanent drop in talent level. At some point the number one picks come up and new stars emerge. The league immediately would have renewed balance and as the system takes hold the benefits would become apparent within 5 seasons.

The players have the power because we give it to them. We know they are the best in the world and I’ll not dispute that, but baseball has a unique situation, the next set of best in the world is already playing in the lower levels.

I can’t fathom 700 of those players giving up a chance to play at the height of their chosen profession to protect the ability of 50 members being able to receive 300 million-dollar contracts. In fact, I think we’d start to see defectors within the first year.

Am I right on all of this? Who knows, but I will say openly being unwilling to bend on anything that helps fix this situation in baseball will ultimately lead to, if not the death of, surely the contraction of the league.

Pittsburgh has a perfect storm; we legitimately have less revenue than 80% of teams in the league and on top of that a historically cheap owner. You are free to stop right there If you like. You can say it’s all about Nutting but you are decisively wrong, he’s just part of the puzzle. He just makes it worse.

If we the fans are sacrificing baseball this season, let’s use this opportunity to fix the game economically. What are they going to threaten? A Strike?

To be clear, I have great respect for the players and don’t begrudge them making as much money as anyone is willing to pay them, but the economics of baseball and the top-heavy distribution of talent can’t be ignored any longer.

We remember the 70’s so fondly and wonder how the Steelers stayed competitive while the Pirates took a nosedive. Look no further than the leagues themselves and remember the NFL didn’t get to this point without drama. They had a lock out. They had replacement players. Now they are a juggernaut, surpassing America’s old pastime by a country mile. Maybe that’s because any team from Seattle to Miami has a chance. Players still get paid obscene money. Owners still make obscene money.

Baseball, wake up.

A Tale of Two Tuckers

It was a humid afternoon/evening at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Saturday April 20, 2019 and rain clouds were on the horizon. Pirates #5 Prospect, Cole Tucker, had just been called up to the majors and would be getting his first big league start thanks in part to a mid-game collision between starting shortstop, Erik Gonzalez, and centerfielder, Starling Marte, during the Pirates 4-1 over the Giants the night before. Next man up, Kevin Newman was technically eligible to return from a 10-Day stint on the IL with a with a finger laceration, but it was Tucker who would get the nod. In the bottom of the 5th Inning of a 1-1 tie, Pablo Reyes on 2nd base, Cole Tucker stepped into the box against his now teammate, Derek Holland. With his family in attendance, as luck and determination on their part would have it, the Pirates young shortstop sent Holland’s 2-2 offering over the centerfield wall and into the PIRATES bushes; giving the Buccos a 3-1 lead. Shortly after this the skies opened up and didn’t let up, eventually resulting in a Pirates victory and a game winning homer for Tucker. This hit was almost five years in the making; at least as far as his time with the Pirates Organization is concerned. For Cole and his family, I am certain the journey was much longer.

Cole Tucker was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1st Round (24th Overall) of the 2014 MLB June Amateur Draft from Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona. In the weeks and months leading up to this day, Tucker’s draft stock had been rising up the boards from his original #64 spot on the MLB Pipeline top 200 draft prospects. This was due to a strong spring performance, including his participation in the National High School Invitational; making him a surprise selection by the Pirates.

As soon as he suited up in a GCL Pirates or a West Virginia Power uniform, possibly even before that, it was apparent to many Tucker’s glove (55 Grade) and arm (55 Grade) were going to play in Major League Baseball. As he climbed the minor league ranks this fact became abundantly clear and there was always hope that his bat (50 Hit/35 Power) would catch up as he continued to develop; not that he was a terrible hitter, just inconsistent. However, this never really concerned me too much because he has always been significantly younger than the players he was competing against and he always makes the necessary adjustments; as evidenced by his 5 game hitting streak prior to him being sent back down to AAA at the beginning of June (.500 AVG during that time to bring his AVG up from .155 to .196 in a little over a week) and his patience at the plate in August and September (K% dropped from 30.4% to 17.6%). It should also be noted he posted a .257 AVG and a .819 OPS once he was called back up.

Unfortunately for Cole this season’s Spring Training was cut short, along with everyone else’s, and he was optioned to the AAA Indianapolis Indians on March 20th. Of course as we all know he did not disappear from the spotlight as he was the representative for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Players Tournament of MLB The Show. He gave us a lot of laughs and excitement with his charismatic personality, but fell short of making the playoffs. While Cole was busy thanking the virtual Gregory Polanco for many of his clutch hits in the gaming world another Tucker, Carson, was entering the prospect news, pushing his way into the spotlight; with and thanks to his big brother.

Most people’s first glimpse of MLB Pipeline’s #52 Prospect, Shortstop Carson Tucker from Mountain Pointe High School, was when big bro Cole, full of pride, shared a video of of his little brother taking BP on Twitter in late April. For the prospect junkies in the room, we have been watching this young man’s development with pure anticipation and excitement for the past couple of years. The Texas University Baseball commit has been flashing the glove and footwork of a major league caliber shortstop for a while now and just like his older brother, Cole has been climbing the draft board due to a solid, yet shortened spring. The younger Tucker has always had a strong hit tool (55 Grade) as evidenced by his .390 AVG in high school (.453 in a full season last year) and 34 career extra base hits. However, it was his power (40 Grade) that has shown the most improvement recently; hitting 2 homers in only three games this spring, which is almost as many as he hit (3) in his previous three years combined. Has always shown the ability to drive the ball to the opposite field and gaps, but now with him pulling the ball with power and ease he now has the potential to be the total package.

So what does the future hold for the Tucker Brothers? Well at least Carson has something real to grasp onto as it looks like the MLB June Amateur Draft is going to take place on the 10th and 11th. He is certain to be taken in the first 5 rounds, which will only be the rounds this year. The only question that remains is, will it be a high enough slot, with enough money to keep him away from the Longhorns? If you want my honest opinion the answer should be yes. As for Cole the future is a little more hazy; at least for now. The MLB season is in extreme jeopardy and the MiLB is almost sure to be lost. Where does he fit into the Pirates current roster? Of course he has been made the heir apparent, the shortstop of the future, but the path is not so clear anymore. With the emergence of Kevin Newman last year, the signings of JT Riddle and Erik Gonzalez during the off-season and the likes of Oneil Cruz and Liover Pegeuro waiting in the wings, this assumption is has become less fact and more opinion. The real travesty as it currently exists is that the older Tucker is in no position to gain any leverage by putting up solid numbers in AAA to make his case. So for now we will all have to do what every other baseball fan and player, including Cole Tucker, is doing, which is to wait and see.

The Craig Conundrum

It’s incredibly convenient that Will Craig’s first name has the ability to double as a question because that is something he has delivered to the franchise that drafted him in the first round in the 2016 Amateur draft.

At first he looked like the next logical player to take over for a quickly fading Pedro Alvarez, but almost just a quickly as those expectations were bestowed on the young man, he was moved to first base. Thank god the collective fan base exclaimed, the Pirates had been an absolute hole at first base since Sid Bream left for Atlanta.

Enter Josh Bell, a switch hitting power threat who came up as an outfielder but lacked the athleticism required by that position in the bigs. His new home? Why first base of course. Will Craig had become an absolute defensive whiz at first base and had started to find some traction with the bat. He was asked to focus on power and as with so many that came at the expense of contact. In 2018 he hit 20 (128 SO) home runs, in 2019 he hit 23 (146 SO), again, this is to be expected to some degree but when you’re trying to supplant a legitimate MVP candidate it just isn’t good enough.

Maybe we should try moving him back to third you say? Yeah, well maybe, but there’s this kid they drafted in 2015 named Ke’Bryan Hayes who is defensively superior and has some upside with the bat himself knocking on the door.

So what do you do with Craig? He’s a legitimate talent, he’s done nothing you’d consider wrong per se. He’s actually progressed along at a very normal pace through the system if I’m honest. He was a college draftee and for that he arrived with a set of expectations about how far along he should be from the start, but in reality he is very much so on track. Last season the Pirates decided to give him a crack at the outfield, now don’t get me wrong, he doesn’t have the tools to play center or even left at PNC, but he could hold down right field with competency I’m sure but who is he beating out for that position?

Polanco stinks you say, of course, he’s awful out there isn’t he? Well, side by side Polanco would beat him out 7 days a week and twice on Sunday. Maybe a platoon, but is he better than Jose Osuna? Polanco won’t be here forever, his options dry up after the 2023 season (and yes, they’ll exercise them so long as he can prove he’s healthy), Craig could start to take reps there as early as this year if they so chose, but I don’t see him leap frogging Martin, Osuna, Herredia, and potentially even Oliva for time in the outfield.

OK, so MLB will have a DH this year, it’s happening people move on, maybe Bell is the DH and Craig can step right in to play first base, again, is he better than Osuna? Maybe Craig is the DH himself, man this is getting repetitive, is he better than Osuna? Jose isn’t Lou Gehrig of course but if we are just trying to find a place for Craig to play, maybe we should first worry about a guy who has already been on the roster for a few years now who has the same issue.

When building a team, you can’t ever 100% pretend you know exactly where everyone you draft will end up. I could be referring to time they arrive, position they play or indeed if they ever arrive at all. That said, your first round picks, especially when they do everything they were asked to do, must have a place to land. As MLB gets its wish this year for a truncated draft many talented prospects will be forced to choose going pro for 20K or going to college. The teams in MLB vying for the new free agent un-drafted men will be thrust into an NCAA like recruitment situation. This could be good or bad for Pittsburgh honestly, players if savvy enough will look at a franchise like the Pirates and realize there is opportunity due to the overall lack of top end talent in the system. Others will look to the dream of playing for hometown teams, and some will want to join a winner. When a player looks at the Pirates will they see Will Craig as an example of how the team wastes talent, or will they see a player who made it and never stopped progressing no matter what the team asked of him?

I can’t say how most players will react, but I can say a team with limited resources should move mountains to find a way to use every bit they do have. Will Craig is in genuine danger of being wasted, running out of years he can spend in MiLB the Pirates will be forced to give him a chance sooner than later, they will also be forced to see that audition as a final decision.

The baseball world expects the Pirates to trade Josh Bell, despite the rhetoric coming from his agent recently, we’ve seen this movie before. When they do, if they do, will Craig be an answer or an ill fitting band aid on the position? I don’t know, but I sure would like to see him try, how about you Mr. Cherrington?