Steel City Pirates

Five Pirates Thoughts at Five – First Full Squad Day

2-19-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

This Saturday at 1:05 PM, I’ll be in another world. Oh, I’ll still be in Pittsburgh, but when I put in my headphones and tune in the Pirates vs the Twins for the first game of the Grapefruit League schedule, I’ll be right there and I probably won’t miss more than a handful of innings this team plays for the next seven and a half months unless they make it last longer lord willing.

I’ll still find opportunity to watch some MiLB games in that stretch too, you just have to, and a lot of this team’s story is still to be written and it starts down there.

Somewhere along the line, I’ll have to watch some other teams play, especially if they have a player I’m interested in who’s a pending free agent or potentially someone who could be dealt for. It’s always good to keep up on the competition, so I’ll watch a bunch of NL Central games, and I’ll probably read a bunch about their systems because it really matters as all these teams come up together.

Oh then there’s the draft, so I’ll have to watch some college baseball, like it’s some kind of chore right? The Pirates picking lower means a bit more work in a weird way, because the range of who the pick could be is wider, and this year I don’t have Craig to handle this all on his own and just live off his info to beef myself up on these guys.

There’s a lot that goes on here to red up for the season. A ton of track to lay, milestones you know you have to pass. Cut down deadline days, split squad days, murky injury and usage reports, slow transaction page updates, bro, its not as easy as hating Bob Nutting and startin’ a blog. LOL

Every season is a challenge, a passion project for me, and this site now entering it’s 5th season albeit rebranded, remains 100% free. The writers here, write because they want to cover a baseball team and be fair while doing it. They make nothing but a more informed fan base for their work, so in advance, let me quickly use this space to thank everyone who will contribute to this site as we cover 2024 together. I’ll have some coverage plan news soon as we map out our thoughts.

Play Ball!

And I’m feeling musical today so song titles as titles today! Have a crack at telling me the bands, if it’s a remake song, original or remake artist is fine. Yes some are easy unless you’re like 17.

1. Start Me Up…

The message all offseason has been that the Pirates rotation is the biggest priority by a country mile on this team. The GM has said that, the coach has said that, hell, even though it was socially awkward like everything he does, Bob Nutting said as much.

Most people have called this out as the main area of addition from fans to actual team insiders.

Yet, the Pirates have only brought in 2, Marco Gonzales and Martin Perez. Both are a bit older veterans, both coming off down years or stretches of bad. Both have good track records if you look past the recent performance.

This was the priority even back when the team and fans had every expectation they were returning Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo.

I say all this not because any one fact there is something that somehow eluded you as the offseason has played out, but more to say, as a baseline, I think everyone has been on the same page on this front the entire time.

Now, think about how often that happens in Sports. How often all the fans, all the pundits, all the executives, writers, coaches, other players even seem to mention, notice, point to, a need to add to the starting pitching at the MLB level this year.

Not very right? And when those conditions exist, it’s also very rare to see those things not get addressed.

I know, I know maybe the Pirates think Gonzales and Perez were all they needed, look at this guy and that guy… Yeah, I get it. Thing is though, the team has still, as of last week, not stopped saying they’d like to add.

Truthfully, Mitch Keller, Marco Gonzales, Martin Perez and two of Priester, Ortiz, Contreras, Falter, for a little while might be ok, so long as you feel really good Skenes, Jones, Ashcraft types will take a jump and get here. It’s not that bad if you feel Brubaker will come back and be what he looked like.

And that Flex Seal tape you put on your roof last year instead of getting roof work done might hold too.

It might hold, but I wouldn’t try to sell it as a fixed roof either. That’s where I am. The rotation will fill out, regardless of whether they add more in or not, but let’s just say, if they want to sell it as fixed, I’m going to need some demonstrations, and that my friends will begin in a week.

They may change their minds and ultimately think they have enough. For all we know, they got eyes on Roansy and thought, ok, well boys he’s back, we don’t need to be thinking he’s a DFA candidate. Perhaps Ortiz showed up having put in more work this offseason and the team is drooling at the possibility of having him in the rotation. Maybe Quinn bulked up, is throwing hard and looking July locked in as we live through February.

All of that could be, but the team would have to come out and say it to have fans start believing they chose to not get another, as opposed to believing they missed on another because they wouldn’t pay up, and I mean that on both the free agent and trade markets.

I take you back to last Spring, where most of us felt Luis Ortiz and Roansy Contreras were going to be awesome all year in the rotation, most people were more concerned about Oviedo.

I feel a tone shift coming. Just seemed like they were a bit less gung ho on targeting a starter than they’d been previously. Nothing saying they directly won’t get someone, but more of a hey we’re not that bad here in case we don’t type of feeling. If anything, I think a guy like Lorenzen dropping his 2 year deal wish might wind up being the path here.

2. Instant Karma…

Pittsburgh fans love to diminish the stardom or potential of their rivals. You know what I mean, Lamar Jackson is a running back, Ovechkin can score but he doesn’t do all these other things well, you get it.

It’s all in good fun, it’s all part of a rivalry, but it also has a tendency to make a lot of people look really dumb.

A really good for instance is Elly De La Cruz, the standout prospect for the Cincinnati Reds who burst on the scene doing a lot of exciting things and earning comparisons to the Pirates own Oneil Cruz. The height comparison alone is enough to get people thinking, but folks, these aren’t the same player.

Additionally, Elly doesn’t have to suck for Oneil to be great, or vice versa.

First, Oneil is 25, Elly is only 22. Oneil is a left handed hitter and struggled against lefties, Elly is a switch hitter and struggled against both.

Both struck out a bunch and didn’t walk much although Oneil did look like his offseason focus following 2022 at least was providing promising results in his extremely stunted 2023.

Point is, there are a lot of similarities, but there are a ton of differences too.

These two could be on a collision course to compete with each other for the next 5 years or just as easily, Elly never takes the next step, or Cruz ultimately can’t handle SS and he becomes a bit less than a complete package.

I guess the point is, you needn’t pretend you see all bad Tarot cards for Elly, then flip over all the same ones for Oneil and pretend the reading is different.

Their profiles are similar, their issues are similar, and if anything, Elly has more time to figure it out. I think I’d probably not feel the need to die on this hill is all I’m saying.

Karma, yeah, has a tendency to kick you in the teeth.

3. Last Kiss…

The Pirates have some players who are probably in danger of having this be their last year in the Black and Gold. Now, I’m not talking Yasmani Grandal or Rowdy Tellez here, I’m talking younger players and I’ll put my reasons next to each name. This isn’t meant to be a prediction of who will be out, it’s more about who is in the spot where they could be in danger of losing their 40-man spot or even just having the team move on after the season.

Some of them are going to piss you off, so again, not a prediction, just look at it like forecasting weather, the conditions are right for….

JT Brubaker – He’ll hopefully finish his UCL recovery this year, and the internal target chatter has been around the All Star Break. JT was agreed to 2.275 Million this year in Arb 2, so when he comes back, providing he stays on track we could be looking at July or August. That leaves him roughly 2 months to show he’s worth taking to arbitration for the third time and probably a price tag that eclipses 4 million. I could make an argument this would be smart regardless of what he’s able to do this year, but we’ve seen the Pirates move on from Chad Kuhl and Steven Brault when in similar situations.

Mitch Keller – If the Pirates don’t get an extension done with Mitch Keller and he has a year, even like his 2023, he’s going to approach 8 million in his Arb 3 case, which would be his last in Pittsburgh before reaching free agency. Where this team plans to be in 2025 tells me letting Mitch Keller walk or moving him with one year of control left for prospects can’t be option one, but it also has to be on the table. Best case scenario, they extend him. Second best, they hit on enough pitchers that they feel he’s expendable, but even then, wouldn’t you still want a guy who has proven he’s good vs a guy just starting to? Either way, these contract talks should they be unsuccessful become almost impossible to see reaching an agreement next offseason. Get a guy that close to free agency and the agents have a very clear image of the price tag he’ll command.

Ryan Borucki – Let me start here, if we so much as care about where he plays in 2025, he’ll have already beaten the odds by at least proving his 2023 wasn’t a fluke. He’s in his last year of arbitration and next year, he’ll reach free agency. I don’t expect the Pirates to even discuss extending him, frankly, they shouldn’t, his bad track record is a lot longer than his good one, but if he contributes like he did last year, he’s gonna get paid friends.

Roansy Contreras – This is a weird one. Here’s a guy with a little over a year of service time, meaning if he’s good, the Pirates can keep him for 5 more years, but he has no MLB options. So if he doesn’t make this team he’d have to be waived and sent to the minors should he clear waivers. He wouldn’t clear those waivers unless he looked just about as bad as he did last year, and even then he’s laid enough track in this league to think another team would believe they can fix him. 2024 is quite literally, the beginning of the rest of Roansy’s Pirates career, or the very end.

I could probably go into guys like Bailey Falter or Joshua Palacios but I’m not sure they’re in the expected to contribute, but might not category.

4. The One That Got Away…

I think I’m ready to call it here on this Edward Cabrera deal with Miami.

Let’s be really clear, this isn’t reporting. This is just my gut after taking in everything I’ve read, and personally heard.

Sounds to me like the Marlins and Pirates couldn’t come together on the Major League piece that the Pirates would return. It’s really unimportant to discuss the components, the big names you’re worried about like Johnson, Jones, Bubba, Henry or Skenes were never realistically in this conversation, Cabrera is a nice player with a good chance to be really good, but he’s not the type of player who’s returning that kind of prospect talent from a team like Pittsburgh. Miami would need to find a team that either has a lot more (there aren’t many) or a team that doesn’t need them nearly as badly (and they don’t want a project pitcher that bad). Long way to say, the Pirates are right for not overpaying here too.

Further, the Marlins were not budging, and with other suitors like Baltimore, that’s probably what they should do. Add in that Braxton Garrett has a bum shoulder that will at least slow him down this Spring for an extra kick in the seat.

Peeps, what seemed like a really nice fit, well, I don’t know, it’s not so good now.

I can say as of right now, I’d be shocked if this came together this Spring. If anything, it’s possible should they ultimately hold onto him they’ve laid some track for the deadline where these two teams come back together with a little more evidence on Cabrera and the Pirates part of the return too for that matter.

To get the kind of desperation it would take from the Pirates, you’re probably looking at a major injury to Keller, Perez or Gonzales.

Personally, I’m moving on from it. There’s enough here that I need to pivot to the actual roster and start talking to the rotation much as I did in thought number 1 today. By the time this week ends, I think we’ll all wind up on the same page, even if I’m wrong, one way or another we’ll all see this exactly the same in a week, there comes a point where the roster is the roster save the scrap sweeping from roster trimming at the end of Spring.

5. What’s Going On?

Listen, this Henry Davis going to AAA thing is kinda bat crap. It’s not that Henry going to AAA is completely off the table or impossible to comprehend, but it’s anything but the most likely outcome as Spring plays out.

The Pirates signed a vet for 2.5 million, so Shelton confirming they will have him on the roster, um, yeah. Why this immediately meant Henry was headed to AAA for some, bro, I just don’t see it.

I simply see, they spent a little bit of money on a dude, and he’s gonna be here.

There’s a whole lot of real, honest stuff happening, Spring Training just started after all, I see no reason to manufacture a situation.

Think about what many must have wanted to hear as an answer to a question specifically asked about the coach’s feelings on his newly signed catcher Yasmani Grandal. What many hoped was something like this…Well, Yas is obviously just depth here, his best days are behind him, Henry is the answer and he’ll take the lion’s share of innings and at bats until he proves to us he can’t do it.

You want him to say that with Jason Delay, Ali Sanchez, Carter Bins, Abrahan Gutierrez all out there working? You want them to tell their prospect catcher he’s already the starter before they’ve even had a team drill?

You’re welcome to want whatever you like of course, but that simply isn’t how baseball coaches or executives are ever going to address situations like this. In fact, I bet you couldn’t even get them to tell you Jack Suwinski is the starting Center Fielder right this second.

Rowdy Tellez is clearly making this team and playing first base, guarantee they won’t call him the starter, or even lock themselves in on who he might platoon with, if they would admit he might need a platoon.

C’mon, you’ve been around for a while, you know there was nothing weird there right?

6. Bonus: Return To Sender

Let’s welcome back Canaan Smith-Njigba who the Pirates claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. They’ve placed JT Brubaker on the 60 day IL to make room on the 40-man. I wasn’t happy he was let go, I’m happy they got him back, even if it amounts to nothing, I just couldn’t shake the feeling he didn’t get enough at bats to wash your hands of him entirely.

We have claimed OF Canaan Smith-Njigba off waivers from Seattle.

To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP JT Brubaker has been placed on the 60-day Injured List.
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 19, 2024

Steel City Pirates Q&A – Signs of Intelligence on Social Media?

2-18-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

I wasn’t sure I was going to do one of these this week.

My mom’s birthday is a week after mine so we had kind of a cross over birthday thing this weekend, and social media lately, especially the Pirates stuff has been insane recently. Most of you who submit regular questions here, well, you know I try to give you as serious an attempt as I can to answer your question, but the current climate had me wondering if I might be fishing in a sewer with a hot dog hoping for a clean smelling trout by asking or questions this week.

Even so, a bit shorter than normal, a bit busier than normal, so….

Lets Go.

Question 1

Some people were not happy about the signing of Rowdy Tellez, if there’s any positive in the signing of Rowdy Tellez what would it be? – Neal Kokito

The negativity comes from being tired of the Pirates signing one year deals at a position with little obvious coming to hold back. Additionally, he wasn’t the best available player at the position, so of course the initial reaction to the very early in the off season move was of course, overwhelmingly not bright and shiny.

There seems to be this ongoing effort to positive things up a bit in the fan base, and I get it, so long as people want to keep honesty as part of the equation. I’d also say, have a little patience for Pirates fans, wanting better isn’t wrong.

Now, what’s positive about the Tellez signing? He had a hell of a season in 2022, lots of homeruns, lots of production. He wants to be here. The most reasonable positive spin on Rowdy is that his bat, provided he’s healthy will probably rebound.

Further, if the Pirates are smart with his usage, he won’t face as many lefty’s which could really help his strikeout and probably his OPS.

I can’t say I’m excited to watch him field first base, it’s never looked great, but they took Santana, an average fielder and he was a finalist for the Gold Glove. Maybe they can take Rowdy’s below average glove and make it average.

They could have done worse, and he isn’t without hope of bouncing back offensively.

I’m just not going to glow here my friend.

Question 2

Would love to see 1 more arm, preferably a trade for a guy who will be around for a few years making the reliance in Brubaker and Burrows being back before mid season less important and or not needing to rush Oviedo thru his off season program for next year.

All of that said, We know there are talks for someone from the Marlins and we also know it won’t be Bauer which I can’t understand but whatever. So who do you want it to be? Who do you think it will be and lastly, is it reasonable to believe Brubaker and Burrows will be mid season reinforcements? – J.w. Sanders

OK J.w., that’s a lot. Let’s take it in steps.

First, not team is rushing any player back from UCL surgery. None. Take that Oviedo concert off your plate.

Next. Strike Burrows from your back to help in the form of cavalry. He looked very promising to be sure, absolutely one of my favorite pitching prospects when he went down. Next in line to get a call up even, but that was a different time. An unproven kid isn’t getting healthy and jumping right back to where he was. I wouldn’t count on him this year, not in a meaningful way anyway. He will heal, he will throw and he’ll work his way back into the picture, or he won’t, but I honestly think if his services are needed in 2024, they probably aren’t in very good shape.

Brubaker, well, he has a track record, but even he’ll need some time to get where he needs to be. He isn’t a pitcher that had a ton of room to spare as it is, so he has to do well and he has to be right.

As to who I want it to be, well, it doesn’t matter much what I want. I’d sign Michael Lorenzen, but if they have a chance to get Cabrera, he’s good enough that they should within reason go get it. I wouldn’t do anything that could hurt this year’s team, but they have prospect room, and as long as it’s not insane, It has a chance to help for a few years.

Question 3

Are the players signed to non-roster invites mostly just for minor league depth? – James Littleton

Mostly James, but some other reasons are eating Spring Innings, injury insurance, and legitimate belief that a guy could have something fixable that if solved could bring someone back to their former prominence or achieve their original prospect expectations.

I honestly don’t think there always is a plan for what these guys will do, or if they’ll even be here come April. 50% of these guys will have an opt out when not making a roster and in that case, the incentive for them is often the Pirates giving them a shot to lay down some fresh tape.

I personally think one of the best reasons to bring in guys like that, is because they remind all the top prospects, look, you could very easily be me, and some of them are kind enough to tell them where they went wrong along the way too.

But yes, the survivors are usually just depth. Pirates have a lot more starters looking to head to AA than AAA, at least as far as touted prospects go.

Question 4

Are pirates done with getting – Shawn Wheeler

This made me laugh. Reminded me of Kevin from the Office when he decided to stop using unnecessary words.

I’m pretty sure they’re getting more pitching if that’s what you mean Shawn.

Question 5

Out of all the NRI’s, who do you think has the best chance to get called up sometime this season? My money is on Honeywell and Heller for the bullpen, in case of injury – Brenden Zielinski

Do you think any of the NRI free agents (SP or RP) have a chance to make the team out of ST – SadPiratesFan

Without a doubt, Ben Heller to me is the most likely. He’s got a crazy sweeper and if it’s going, he should probably earn a shot this year.

Wily Peralta and Honeywell have good shots too, but Heller is my favorite. I don’t see any that will get a start though, unless it’s an emergency fill in role, and if that happens it’ll likely be their entire story here.

Question 6

What could the high end of our offense be these year? Say, team average and total HRs? – Douglas Smith

On homeruns, I think 210-225 isn’t insane. Last year they hit 159 with no Cruz and I expect a jump from a few guys like Peguero, Reynolds and Jack. As much as fans have rightly been underwhelmed by Tellez, he will hit homeruns if he’s healthy.

I think we could be looking a quite a few more from the catching position as a whole. So all in all, I think a jump in power is going to be hard to avoid. That would probably put them in the middle of the league and it feels plausible to me.

As to average, I personally don’t hold much hope. Until I see an Andy Haines offense look like they have that ability, I’m just not going to believe it. I’ll say the overall improvement in talent bumps them up a bit to .245 or .250.

Question 7

Reports say the Marlins are talking to Pittsburgh about Edward Cabrera. Personally, I would trade anyone not named Skenes or Chandler. Why not just give them what they need to get this done before full squad? – ClementeWall21

The simplest answer is, because that would be stupid. He’s not a give anything they want type of talent. Just isn’t.

I think he’ll help, I think he has a chance to be a really good pitcher in this league, but only a fool would pay gold prices for copper. Also, it’s not as though Cabrera isn’t pitching or practicing, it won’t be seen as a deadline, especially as the Marlins have other suitors.

Every team has a price they’re willing to go, raising that price happens all the time, but you don’t raise it just to get something done, because that’s how you wind up paying WAY more than the product you’re getting.

Question 8

Are you hearing anything about Ortiz? -krid

He threw today, but no, I’m not hearing much either. Honestly, having options he probably has the most to show to grab up a spot. Hard to say from the very very small bit we’ve seen anything worth dissecting and I haven’t heard anyone talk about him in any meaningful way either.

Question 9

Do you think the Edward Cabrera deal happens by tmr – Trex

I’d never even try. If you want someone to pretend, best hunt down one of the plethora of pretend insiders on Twitter and see if they’re doing a BS Q&A.

Question 10

Looking into 2025’s possible SP potentials, as it is today, I see Keller, Oviedo, Bru, Skenes, Jones, Solo, Ortiz, Roansy, Wolf, Burrows, and others I can’t remember that could be considered.. IF we trade for Cabrera, who could you see rounding out the top five? – Shannon Gregory

If they trade for Cabrera, I’d say we can’t be sure he’ll be a starter or reliever as he evolves. I’d like to say if they acquire him, they certainly think he’s a starter, so I’ll toss him in the mix.

If the Pirates don’t extend Keller or Brubaker, I for one can’t sit here and assume either or both will be here in 2025 as it would be both of their last season’s here. Oviedo might be ready by Spring, but he might be ready just a little later too. Let’s chill on the straight prospects.

If everything went exactly as I’m sure the Pirates hope, Keller, Skenes, Jones, Roansy, Priester, Ortiz, Solo, all in that mix. Hey, maybe Gonzales looks like he’s worth that 15 mil, could happen?

I’ve said this before, I just want to entre 2025 with 4 I’m sure can start. We’re just gonna have to watch it play out.

Question 11

Here’s a fun one Gary, if you could add one former pirate to this team who would it be? Stipulations: they have to still be playing in the league right now and you take them as they are. So if you choose Marte, you don’t get 2016 Marte, you get 2024 Marte. – STATZ N’@

I love the question but all day every day it’s Gerrit Cole. He’s the best pure starter in the league and in his prime. Yup, it won’t get better than that.

If I had to choose another, Joe Musgrove has to be the honorable mention, and maybe Clay Holmes third.

Question 12

Are there streaming services available to watch the games? – Rhino71

I don’t believe there is anything official. I say official, because a resourceful person might just be able to find something that allows you to see every game. A person might even be able to find all of this for free.

Some of these ways might not be the most legal of methods, but hey, what people don’t know, won’t hurt them.

SportsNet Pittsburgh is supposedly working on something, and MLB will eventually do it themselves. For now though, legally, no.

Question 13

I am reading Contreras is looking good so far this month. Do you agree? – Mark Graham

I’ve read the same, more importantly, I’ve read that he feels he’s better. We’re going to have to wait to really know, trust me, they thought they had some things licked last year and it didn’t translate.

Question 14

This would be very unpirates-like, but could the reason they haven’t been more aggressive in the SP market be because they’re giving Skenes a real shot to make the opening day roster? Jeremy Ransom

This would be un-any team like. Crochet did it in 2020, but that year was crap. 2009 Mike Leake did it, but that’s about it really. I don’t believe he’ll make it on opening day, and I think that’s completely appropriate. If they are making plans based on him making it, they really should be fired.

On the Eve of a New Pirates Season Beginning…

2-13-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

The anticipation for me is firing on all cylinders right now.

See yinz tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/XHohcn8jn5
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) February 14, 2024

Seeing pictures from the early arriving journalists and fans who already showed up just to catch a glimpse of someone through some chain link fencing.

Reporters excitedly reporting that David Bednar and Mitch Keller are playing catch…it’s all so silly, but it’s all so awesome too.

I’m not ready to make predictions yet, in fact, I don’t even think they’ve finished forming the roster, I’ll let Spring play out before I go there like every year but I have a few thoughts I wanted to get out there before we get this thing started.

There’s More Good Than Bad

It’s been a very negative offseason, really has. Underwhelming in many ways. Oversold in even more by management, but drastically over swung to the dark side, mostly by people who set expectations not for how the team would do this year, but more so a vision of exactly what that would take.

Anything less was toxic goo.

Don’t get me wrong, everyone is free to feel whatever they want, that’s quite literally what I hope everyone who reads my stuff is doing, hopefully thinking through things form all angles with me and forming whatever opinion they want.

You and I agreeing, not part of the equation. I’ll give you my opinion, but taking it, agreeing with it, wanting to punch me in the face, hey, that’s all your choice.

So, I’m going to give you my honest opinion here.

I think we’ve taken this team’s words about attacking the free agent market or shopping in a different aisle, rightfully gotten pissed as we saw them not attack or shop even to the level they did last year. And in all that, we’ve forgotten that, they’re also adding to a much stronger team than they were entering 2023.

We entered last season with a weak rotation. Think back, Anchored by Mitch Keller who about half of us believed in, Roansy Contreras, just about the only one who didn’t get questioned as to whether he was going to be a good starter or not.

Brubaker who they of course lost before first pitch. Rich Hill who most of us thought should have been fishing. Vince Velazquez who 90% of you would take back as a terrific acquisition even as he recovers from UCL surgery, and Johan Oviedo, as a last resort and shot on an unproven kid.

Go ahead and walk through this year’s and tell me it doesn’t sound similar.

Keller is now in the Roansy role, as unquestionably the best of the bunch. Gonzales is a lot like Vince, you don’t expect much, but ok, why not. Martin Perez is easily as good as Rich Hill, and I’d argue far superior. Roansy had an awful year, but he’s still here and still an option. Ortiz, Priester, Falter, and again, I still think we’ll see another.

I have this plus a bullpen I think is easily twice as good as the one they started 2023 with as collectively a tick above where they were on the mound to open last year.

Offensively, a whole bunch of kids who have to win, Cruz coming back, it’s frustrating they didn’t get themselves more of a sure thing at first base, but offensively I really like where this team is.

All in all, I guess what I’m saying is, I’m not ready to call out a record, but as I sit here the night before a reportable throw has been made, I certainly don’t feel worse than I did entering 2023, Arrow up in my mind.

I’d certainly like to feel better than that. A good starter could really improve the outlook for me and a bunch of other people. But it’s not a mitigated disaster, even on paper to me anyway.

A real pitcher, even a back of the rotation arm raises this thing for me, and I really hope they do it.

Remember, Their Bigger Stated Goal

This isn’t a World Series contender, that shouldn’t mean it can’t be fun.

It’s important to remember the larger goal this team has and Ben Cherington set it all the way back in 2019, to build a sustainable winner.

That’s key. It’s also incredibly hard to do, and bluntly, has yet to work in this league, so long as you consider winning it all as working. I’ve always been suspect that he could do it, not him personally, but more, would it work in this market, and quite frankly, I already think he’s made some moves that make this hard to envision as their path.

Regardless, it is their goal, and to that end, I’d like to just point out prospect hugging is often part of that for GM’s who think they have the ability to play the Rays for dress up.

Honestly, I’m not sure they’re deep enough to 100% jump in that world myself. For instance, I can’t trade Termarr Johnson until I’m sure I have a second baseman. And I mean sure.

I can’t trade Bubba Chandler when my hit rate on successful starting pitchers being developed is lower than Austin Hedges’ Average.

I guess what I’m saying is, I’m ok with not moving any big name prospect, I’m not sure they know where all the holes are yet.

Proving Grounds

Some guys have to prove what they are this year, it’s really that simple. Much like Thanos, this was inevitable.

There is no way to anything meaningful for this franchise that doesn’t roll through having kids turn into baseball players. And there’s no amount of AAA time that makes it a seamless transition.

That doesn’t come without pain. It comes with highs too. Sometimes you get a Corbin Carroll, other times you get Spencer Torkelson. Most of the time you get a little of both and a lot of the time it takes a couple years to fully know where they wind up.

Take Jack Suwinski, here’s a guy who got called up from AA, had one skill set, he could hit long homeruns, on a very small zone of pitches and the league took a while to catch on. Last year he added plate discipline and probably took it a touch too far. His damage zone got a little bigger, but his scouting book got far larger.

Now he embarks on his 3rd season, hoping to make more adjustments, hoping for a season that really takes him from an interesting kid who’s hit a bunch of homeruns quickly and into a player fans and teammates consider part of the core.

That’s what this process is.

They have a ton of guys entering year two of that process in 2023, and some of it is going to hurt, some of it is going to make you wonder why it isn’t that easy for everyone.

I know they could go and spend a bunch of money, and probably give you a playoff team this year, I think they might anyway, but they could certainly make you feel better about the prospect. I also think they really can’t avoid this stuff one way or another.

The single most important thing that happens in 2024 is that this process plays out for a bunch of guys, because if we feel they need 5-6 free agents entering 2025, they truly won’t be any closer.

Internal growth right or wrong is where a winner will come from, if it does.

Embrace that it isn’t always going to be pretty, and remember if they’re patient, it just might wind up looking a lot better.

I’m rooting for a 2024 that leaves me feeling 2025 the playoffs aren’t some hope, but an expectation.

Now, let’s get started boys and girls.

What to watch for as pitchers and catchers report

02/13/24 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X

Valentine’s Day is usually a day of appreciation to a partner or someone important to you, unless you’re like me and think the holiday is stupid.

Instead, on Wednesday, my eyes and ears will be glued to Twitter, or X, or whatever you care to call it nowadays, as the Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers and catchers will officially report to Bradenton, Florida for Spring Training, kicking off baseball season with football out of the way.

Pitchers and catchers reporting is always an important date on the baseball calendar for a multitude of reasons, ranging from getting eyes on pitchers again for the first time in over four months to the optimism that grows when a player looks “good”.

Pitching has been the talk of the town this off-season for Pittsburgh, rightfully so, and the staff and system offers plenty to watch for when we start seeing video clips and excerpts from sunny Florida, so here’s what I will be watching out for and what all of you should look for as well.

How does Roansy Contreras look?

Rewind to this time last year, and Roansy Contreras was a practical lock to be in the rotation after a 2022 campaign that saw him post a 3.79 ERA in 18 starts and 95 innings.

Now coming back to the present, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist, or me, not a rocket scientist, to tell you that Contreras had an awful 2023.

He lost velocity, his command was all over the place, and ultimately, he hit rock bottom after being sent to just about every level of the system to figure things out.

There has been radio silence on Contreras this season, we haven’t heard, or seen, much of anything when it comes to his status and how he is doing, and that’s no mistake, seeing as he’s likely worked hard to refine his craft behind closed doors.

Now, he’ll come to Bradenton, along with every other pitcher, and get an opportunity to truly get back to his best self.

We as fans also get to see little things about Contreras, like his form, velocity and everything else under the pitching umbrella, for the first time in quite awhile, and in confidence I can say optimism will surround him, especially after the first video we see of him throwing 95-96mph again.

The Pirates would also be in a much better spot if Contreras does indeed take a step in the right direction, seeing as the staff only has three guarantees as of right now.

Contreras has the talent, we’ve seen it, and this Spring, we’ll get to see him hopefully take steps forward to getting back to his 2022 form.

The fringe guys

Contreras, for now, could be considered a fringe guy, seeing as we don’t truly know what he’s worked on and if it’ll have immediate returns.

Pairing him alongside Quinn Priester and Luis Ortiz has been like pairing a good IPA with a slice of pizza and wings this off-season, seeing as all three struggled last season after being highly touted the year prior.

Priester, a former top-10 prospect, is still in the infancy of his baseball career as a pitcher, and he’ll get ample opportunities due to his status.

Ortiz meanwhile, was a prospect riser in 2022 and it just didn’t translate in 2023, but he has the tools to get back to that form in some capacity, especially if he can regain his command and elite fastball velocity.

These aren’t the only fringe guys though, seeing as the Pirates have plenty of NRIs and other guys who could make the rotation with the right success in Spring.

Bailey Falter, Kyle Nicholas, Jackson Wolf, Wily Peralta, Brent Honeywell Jr., Ben Heller, Hunter Stratton, just to name a few, could all play themselves into some role for the big league team.

So yes, Contreras, Priester and Ortiz will get all the attention as the top fringe guys, but take a gander at everyone else and you end up being surprised with the potential outcomes.

The top prospects

The Pirates have been well represented in top-100 prospect lists this off-season, especially when it comes to the pitching they possess in their system right now.

As pitchers and catchers report, its always fun to see these top guys with everyone else, seeing how far along they are with their progress and how they perform against big league talent in spring.

Obviously, I, and all of you, want to see Paul Skenes throw a baseball to a catcher’s glove. Hit potential is through the roof, heck, he could even debut this season if things line up, and seeing a top pitching prospect working alongside your other top overall pick before Wednesday, is a refreshing feeling.

Then you have the other top guys, with a lot of attention centering on Jared Jones, who I personally believe is the closest to a call-up of any of the top-100 pitchers for Pittsburgh.

I also think Jones will be one of Pittsburgh’s best performers in spring this year, and I say that with confidence. I can also say with confidence he won’t be here on Opening Day, but his debut, I think, should follow not too far into the season.

Anthony Solometo and Bubba Chandler will be fun to watch as they continue molding themselves into professional pitchers, and having all these guys surrounded by everyone else on report day is already giving me goosebumps and happy jitters.

Mitch Keller

Yes, I am excited to watch Mitch Keller on Wednesday in any capacity.

Right now, Keller is the unquestioned ace of the staff after his solid 2023 All-Star campaign, but I am interested to see minor tweaks that might even allow him to take the next step.

As long as he’s healthy, he’ll be the Opening Day starter, and who doesn’t want to watch their Opening Day starter firing pitchers to a catcher’s glove in Florida in February, cause I sure want to see it.

It also allows to appreciate having Keller on the roster, and as the days go by, I would urgently like to see Keller and the team work on an extension, because if he does match or exceed his production from 2023 into this year, things get mighty complicated in that department.

But for now, watching No. 23 waltz onto the grass and mound in Bradenton will be very refreshing, along with every other pitcher and catcher there, because folks, baseball is close and closer to being fully back and I could not be happier.

Five Pirates Thoughts at Five – OK, Baseball Season

2-12-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

Camp opens this week and my friends, I’m ready. At some point, will they won’t they, did they do enough? Why won’t they do this? Man it’s just time to shut up, lace them up, get out there and start showing us what we have.

There’s still time to see more brought in of course, but from this week on, everything hits the field, not the board room. Let’s talk some damn ball!

1. The Most Interesting Non-Roster Invitee Pitchers as of Today

Everyone is going to have a different definition for interesting, so let me give you mine. I think they could help this year potentially. This isn’t meant to be everyone I think will have a great career or kill it in Pittsburgh, it’s solely about 2024.

Ben Heller – A non-roster pitcher is always a good bet to threaten making it to the Bigs, especially if they have experience. In the bullpen, I usually look for unique, and Heller has a wicked sweeper. I don’t think there’d be room to come North with the team but as injuries start to crop up, Heller is a name I think we’ll see in the bullpen.

Ben Heller's 3Ks in the 8th.

Welcome back! pic.twitter.com/EmZZw93tT3
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 17, 2023

Jared Jones – To me, Jared Jones being added to the 40-man and being promoted in 2024 is more concrete than any other pure prospect starter. I’ve seen a lot of concern he could wind up being a bullpen arm, but in today’s game, I think he could never evolve and still be an effective starter. Down the stretch in AAA, he was almost exclusively using his fastball and slider. Many were alarmed that he was regressing from developing a mix, but I’ll remind you, this is what they had just started to do with Quinn Priester before he was called up. It’s a way of helping a kid focus on placing the heater, as opposed to leaning on superior stuff to K inferior bats. He actually excelled in this stretch. Yeah, I’m excited.

We all know @jared_jones_17 can throw 100mph with the fastball

So, when you’re able to do that, here’s what effective secondary pitches can do.

Would you like to see him push for the Pirates rotation early in 2024? pic.twitter.com/3KwCaQCtur
— Christian✞ (@CWolfPGH) February 11, 2024

Brent Honeywell – The 28 year old former 2nd round selection has been through the ringer with injury. Two fractures of his elbow, a UCL surgery, and nerve procedure. He has good stuff, if he can stay off the IL. He’d really have to excel though. Think right handed Borucki type shot here. If for some reason it all comes together, you might have something. Reliever and nothing more though.

Paul Skenes – The hype train was out of control but not by as much as many would have you believe. Paul already has 3 offerings that could get a bunch of outs at the big league level, this is more about how ready you want him to be? What lessons can only be learned at the MLB level vs what could be learned in AA and AAA. Look, you know me, I am always more patient with call ups than many of you would like, but the stuff is real, and I think he’ll make it very hard to ignore his readiness. That said, simple things like controlling a running game in any meaningful way, shape on a fastball, command of a fastball, adjusting to hitters that don’t swing at trash pitches trying to jump 102, he’s got stuff he has to learn, but making the Bigs in 2024 isn’t the typical blindly hopeful wishing you’d assume if that’s your default.

Wily Peralta – It would take something of a turnaround, but he’s got a world of experience and if they get thin at all, Peralta could wind up being a good option for the pen. He’s started in the Bigs as well, but I’ll settle for a relief option here as damn near best case.

2. What We Need to See for Some Roster Comfort

It’s hard on paper to look and feel real good about this team. The offense has potential, and some young questions that could really swing it even more. The pitching staff looks light, specifically the starting group. You all know this.

So what do I need to see or hear this next couple weeks now that Pitchers, Catchers and a bunch of others guys start filtering their way to Pirates City? You know, what could help take me from chewing my nails to dusting off my cap and getting ready for the ride.

Unlike Mike Tomlin, I am seeking comfort, and everything I mention here is going to be before the first Spring Game.

Roansy Contreras – I need to see him throw, and hear the velocity is back up to where he wants it to be. Even if this is only verbally from coaches or journalists, I have to hear something about Roansy. Even if what I hear simply eliminates him from contention and clears up the picture a bit more. But if Roansy looks like the guy we were all locked in on heading into 2023, we’ll all see this rotation much differently.

Henry Davis Catching – I just want to see it, lots of it, tons of it. Looking bad, looking great, whatever, I want to see it if only to prove the Pirates want to see it.

Oneil Cruz Doing Baseball Stuff – I don’t care what it is. Batting cage, fielding, playing catch, who cares, let’s just see the big guy out there starting to look comfortable again.

Liover Peguero, Enthusiasm Turned Into Confidence – Sometimes kids come up and they’re so filled with enthusiasm, you can mistake it for cocky or arrogant. Other times it comes out as gregarious and youthful. Either way, I’m ready for Peggy to evolve from excited to be here into I’m not leaving. You’ll know what I mean if you see it when he gets interviewed and I think we got a taste of it at Pirates Fest.

Marco Gonzales, Healthy – We saw some of his offseason work at a facility, but let’s see it on the mound. The Pirates can’t afford for either of the veteran starters they acquired to be anything less than serviceable. Of the two, Marco is the one that scares me most. The sooner I see him throwing, the better I’ll feel.

3. OK, So Now I’ve Thought About Grandal

I wrote a little bit about the signing last night. For that reason, I’m going to try not to repeat all the baseline stuff I wrote there about the signing, but I promised after having the evening to think I’d circle back and fill in the blanks or add to my thoughts if anything came to mind.

First thing I didn’t really stretch my legs on, but now feel very confident about, this is not an indication the Pirates plan to move Henry Davis. It’s also not an indication that Henry can’t catch. It’s really as simple as wanting a veteran option, and one they think could hit the ground running. Henry, even in the mythological best case scenario world probably only catches 80-100 games this year. And I’d imagine, he’ll work his way into how often he can handle it during a given week.

What I’m saying here is early on, he might be good catching 3-4 games a week, later on perhaps 4-5. Those numbers could even be high, so you’d like to have a guy who is accustomed to carrying some of that weight, to help him see how he keeps his legs from dying, thus killing his hitting.

Before you make the joke Grandal himself can’t hit anymore, he doesn’t have to in order to recall what it was like being an offensive catcher, and hopefully pass on his knowledge to both Henry and Endy who is sure to still be around.

Now, as to the actual player, look, he’s probably pretty washed guys. I think he’ll run into one here and there, and he’ll veteran his way into some solid at bats, but this isn’t even a threat to be a consistent starting caliber player anymore, no, not even for the Pirates you bitter sumbit….

It’s depth, cheap depth, veteran depth, hopefully educational depth, and for a fan base that can’t stop thinking about how cheap the owner is, I’ll never even try to understand how you find a way to complain when they spend a little somewhere aside from your limited window of acceptable spending.

I have to give the team some grace here, they clearly wanted another veteran, Grandal is pretty clearly at the very least the most coveted available, they got him. Roberto Perez is the beginning of the next available tier. So if they wanted one, they got the best one, even if it underwhelms. And if they didn’t think 7 million was a good deal for Gary Sanchez, well, they might just be as smart as they think they are.

End of the day, Grandal is just a guy, who hopefully fills a role well.

4. My Annual Birthday Gift

Every year right around this time of year, Pitchers and catchers arrive at Pirates City, this year, on my actual Birthday.

I’ve always had some kind of connection with baseball, and every year at my Birthday family gatherings I’d sit with my Grandma and Grandpa talking about how the team was gonna look. Usually the roster had been printed in the paper by then, and I always had my baseball cards and stats to look them over, most of them anyway. My Grandma always thought they were going to stink, and it was somehow all Lanny Frattare’s fault, which is insane, but man, if you were a Gunner disciple I guess you could never accept another. I suppose I’m like that with Mike Lange and the Penguins and Lanny himself to a degree.

Grandpa just usually sat there, chiming in with telling Grandma she was a fair weather fan. I like to think talking baseball with those two while watching a game on their old half a room sized piece of TV furniture, its where I learned to try to see more than one side of things in the game. Grandma would immediately be all over a guy who struck out, Grandpa was always more forgiving and patient. Both unconditionally loved the Pirates.

Thing is, I had watched both of them be right and wrong. I’d seen things play out exactly like one said and vice versa. I’d also seen both of them perfectly happy to be wrong if it meant something good for the team.

If Grandma got too mad at the team, Grandpa shut the game off and told her she wasn’t allowed to watch for a while. He’d also never stop paying attention and he’d always rope her back in when it was “safe” to watch again.

Add in my Uncles. One who didn’t like one damn thing the team did past 1979 and one who’d rather play early days digital baseball games on a handheld than watch or play the actual game.

The more I think about it, the more I realize, my family set me up for doing exactly what I do. Look at everything from every conceivable angle and see what shakes out. Probably, mostly my Grandfather’s role, but on a much larger scale than his living room I guess. lol.

Anyway, birthday, baseball, family, this time of year, I think a lot more about hearing a ball crack a mitt or a bat smoking a curveball than I do traveling around the sun one more time. That’s how baseball keeps ya young, it always makes me forget the rest of Winter and jump ahead to the smell of grass and pine tar.

5. Questions I Would Ask if Anyone Let Me This Week

Ben Cherington – This is a quote from you in September of 2023 “We want to win more than 84 games. That’s what we’re building toward.” Simply, do you believe you’ve brought that together?
Quinn Priester – If you could go back and teach AAA Quinn one lesson he was gonna need when he got called up the first time, what would it be?
Henry Davis – Can you talk a little about how last year unfolded, and further, was health the biggest factor in not catching much?
Marco Gonzales – We were able to see some clips of your workout sessions, Marco, would you say you’re throwing harder today than the past two campaigns?
Andy Haines – Have you received any feedback from young players about the transition from AAA to MLB, and if so, has it led to any changes?
Derek Shelton – Entering your 5th season as Pirates Skipper, you have 3 remaining players from your first. Coach, has the team progressed as quickly as you hoped it would, essentially, would you say this is on track?
Paul Skenes – From the first time you throw 100 MPH, fans will be ready for you to debut. What do you need to experience for you to feel ready?
Kevin Young – Kevin, give me one pitcher and one hitter ready to take off in 2024? (He’s sneaky good at this BTW)

Pirates Sign Yasmani Grandal for 2.5 Million

2-11-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

In keeping with the cherished tradition of the Ben Cherington era, the Pirates signed what at the very least is a notable name during a time when most of the country is busy doing anything but caring about what the Pirates do.

That’s right, even as Usher is singing at the Super Bowl halftime show, details are coming together about the Pirates one year pact with Cuban Catcher/1B/DH Yasmani Grandal.

Coming right off the heels of missing out on Gary Sanchez, fans could have supposed a whole lot of things. Were they just looking for another bat who could handle some games behind the dish? Were they looking for a starting catcher or primarily a backup option that’s of a higher pedigree than Ali Sanchez or Jason Delay?

What does all of this mean for Henry Davis catching?

I don’t expect to have answers from the team on this stuff until mid week when Pitchers and Catchers report, but, even then, I’m sure they’ll leave it cloudy. Hell, maybe they don’t even know and this is little more than an insurance policy.

Grandal is 35 years old and this will be his 13th MLB season. His best years are behind him but last year he caught in 92 games. Now, he did it, but his -11 Defensive runs saved, well, it makes you wonder how damn bad they must think Henry could be if you entertain this being a starting role at all or how great they think Henry will be so as to consider this what you want in a backup role.

He’s got some versatility in positions, if you think the bat is something you want to get in there.

For many of you Yasmani is always going to be what he was in 2019 with the Brewers but he hasn’t been that since 2021.

In 2022, he appeared in 99 games, with a .202 average and an OPS of .570 and 5 HR.
In 2023, he appeared in 118 games, with a .234 average and an OPS of .647 and 8 HR.

For perspective, in 2021 he played 93 games, with a .240 average and an OPS of .939 and 23 HR.

One year, you can usually hope for a bounce back, two years you’re usually looking for a resurrection.

I mean, here is Yasmani Grandal as he stacks up against his peers.

And here is Jason Delay.

Now, there’s more to it than just a set of numbers. Having a veteran, you know, older than Delay to help bring along the young catching room, but this is not a starting caliber catcher anymore in this league, and should we find out that’s their plan, I’ll have some words I’m sure. Probably in time for 5 thoughts tomorrow in fact.

My guess, for 2.5 million, they see him as an insurance policy. It’s even less than Rowdy Tellez is making.

Really don’t think he has much left, but I’m also quite sure some of the young Latin players will enjoy having him in the room.

More to come, after I’ve had time to digest both this and the nacho platter I made for the Super Bowl.

Steel City Pirates – Bucco Questions on Super Bowl Weekend!

2-10-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on Twitter

Really solid and well thought out questions this week. Some of you are starting to know me well enough to tee me up purposefully (Nick), and some of you much like Trevor Bauer himself, just can’t stop yourselves. Unlike poor Jason Mackey who has answered the question enough times to completely change his stance, I’m taking the approach I did with my kids and instead of saying no, just an icy glare remains that shows my distain for the question.

At this point, everyone and their mother has been asked, opined, commented or otherwise. If you don’t know how someone feels, you missed it, head over to Google and handle getting your answer. Also, maybe grow up a bit. A more clear case of an MLB black ball has probably not been this apparent since the early days of desegregation. There’s more there than just a girl lying my friends, yes, still. You can Google that too. What you can’t do is say it 500 times and have it come true or change.

If this stance makes you ignore everything else I have to say, well, bye, I don’t base the truth on what makes you happy to hear.

Question 1

Gary, What’s your take on Bob Nutting saying the Pirates have money to spend still, and GMBC hasn’t spent it? Is Bob talking out his ear hole or did Ben just decide the right fits weren’t there? I’d love to see a CF and another starter, at the minimum. It’s about time for spring training and I realize there will be some tinkering, but maybe GMBC thinks we have enough with the kids. – Bobby Nacho

You know, what’s funny brother is I could ask my wife the same question. I told her we had some spare and usually, that means she goes out and spends a touch beyond whatever amount I told here was surplus.

I’m kidding, but just a little.

If anything, I felt like that was really more of a “hey, I said he could do what he needed to do, he just hasn’t” style of self defense, than a directive.

If there’s one thing Bob Nutting has refrained from, it’s involving himself in baseball decisions. When he does in a perceived way at least though is nudge. He nudged to get Reynolds done both times he signed a contract. He nudged both times Cutch signed, but even then, had Ben Cherington told him, sorry Bob, Cutch ain’t it, he’d let his GM make the call.

I truly believe that, I’ve truly heard that. I’ve also heard and known that Bob gives Ben a restrictive budget (85-90 this year) and what his statement did more than anything was make it feel like if Cherington needed a few million more to get something done, he probably can ask for and get it, just by using his statements as leverage.

I could also argue, Aroldis Chapman IS his answer to Bob’s statement.

There have been several plot points throughout this offseason that seem to indicate the team is open to spending more, but I reported that budget almost 2 full months ago at this point, and I don’t think we’ll see it go much higher than that in 2024. That still leaves room for more signings or a trade that adds salary, but there’s no blockbuster coming if I had to guess.

Does Ben think he has enough talent? Well, every single team official has preached from the same pulpit all off season about their expectations and goals, so if he enters with this roster, I have no choice but to assume, he thinks as currently constructed they can compete for those goals.

The alternatives are simple. Ben Cherington is dumb/bad at his job, or dead wrong and bad at his job. Both possible of course, but neither are a statement I feel I can make at this point.

Question 2

I heard Alex bring this up in regards to Henry in that Jordan Comadena does believe that he can be, if maybe not a Gold Glover, not really a concern at catcher. Does that give you any more confidence in the position for the season? – Tyler Hernley

Here’s the tweet from Alex Stumpf way back when talking about Jacob Stallings.

Back in ST 2020 — back when we had no idea how Stallings would do as a starter — bullpen C Jordan Comadena told me he thought Stallings could one day win a Gold Glove. Those two came up w/ the pitch framing program that elevated his game, and he knew even then this could happen
— Alex Stumpf (@AlexJStumpf) November 8, 2021

He recently referred to this himself and applied it to Henry.

Now, before I start here, Alex is far more qualified than I to comment on what a bullpen catcher does or doesn’t do for this team. That said, I’ve had conversations with Michael McHenry as well who has worked with Comadena and he too feels Henry Davis will not struggle to field the position.

Everyone seems to stop with saying he can be serviceable back there but it would be irresponsible for anyone to say anything bigger without seeing it in games.

Truthfully, the Pirates made this a thing with how they handled, and more importantly at least to me, how they messaged their handling of Henry in 2023. Had they been more direct in their messaging on why exactly Henry isn’t catching, or why they felt an inning was all he could take perhaps fans don’t have the feeling they do.

Oh, they’ve tried to correct the record since by noting they wanted to take care of his injury and that he was overwhelmed after being called up. Damage was done though, fans had already seen he wasn’t good enough, and even when Henry catching was the single most logical thing the team could do on the surface, they chose not to.

A couple years ago I was making a big deal about how much I hated shopping at Wal-Mart to my co-workers. It was a joke, I mean, I don’t like it, but I was intentionally over the top having fun with friends. A couple days later I ran into one of them at friggin’ Wal-Mart, and let’s just say, my actions outweighed my words.

That’s where we are with Henry. If he catches in Spring and it doesn’t look like he has a hard time remembering the chest protector goes on the front, it would probably shock some fans who the team convinced thoroughly he was almost dangerous to play back there.

I wrote this a couple weeks ago, but Henry is going to look fine. Side by side with Sanchez or Delay, he’s likely to look inferior, but he won’t look unplayable.

Another thing I’ll toss in here, Henry has already worked with most of the Pirates pitchers in Bradenton, even Paul Skenes, he’s gone to a couple catching mechanics specialists. He’s worked with former catchers in and outside the organization. He’s putting in the work, that’s all you can ask of a guy. He either has the skillset or doesn’t at this point.

In fact, and as you can probably imagine, I talked to a ton of people who have worked with him as recently as this offseason, and as far back as his days with Louisville. The next one who tells me to even expect he’ll be less than good as a catcher will be the first.

The Pirates took the first player in the draft and turned him into a bigger question mark than you’d ever want to allow to happen, and they waited far too long to address it publicly even when directly asked about it countless times in 2023. They created the questions that surround him, so it stands to reason they should ultimately be the ones to squash them.

Question 3

Hate asking questions then listening to the show and you already answered them lol. What’s your ideal in house bench as of today? – Adam Yarkovsky

Ideal? Meaning everything goes as I’d hope. I also think this question means I can’t hope for outside help when forming it, even if I’m wrong, that probably is more interesting.

Jason Delay C, Jared Triolo (INF), Ji Hwan Bae (OF/2B), Conner Joe (OF/IF). Part of me wanted to swap Rowdy and Joe, but I really can’t shake I feel they’ll use Joe a lot and all over the place.

I picked Bae over Palacios primarily. I just want to be done with Bae after this year if he doesn’t latch on, and to know he can’t or won’t, I need to see him play and I think AAA he’s just going to excel.

Question 4

Thoughts on the Bobby Witt extension? Do you see the Pirates ever doing something like this if they develop a player of his caliber? And is KC an apt comp to here? They’ve done a lot of things (win a title during their window, spend big on FA and now Witt, etc.) this org hasn’t. – Nick Cammuso

Ever is a long time, but so is never, and of course, I’ve never seen anything like it.

I think the Pirates have already developed a player “like” that. Cutch, Cole both fit the bill. One was extended, one was traded. One took a deal to stay, one was never going to even consider it.

Can they develop another? Sure, Termarr, Skenes, even Henry all could develop into a guy you have to think about it with, maybe even Cruz although he’s already a bit old for that.

KC is certainly a good comp for here, but this year in particular, they have a reason for most of what they’re doing, and it goes beyond winning.

They’re trying to get a new stadium deal done and as has become custom, asking tax payers to foot most of the bill. So signing a guy like this long term is a good business move toward that effort.

The structure of the deal is 2M in 2024, 7M in 2025, 13M in 2026, 19M in 2027, 30M in 2028 then goes to 35M per through 2034 with annual player opt outs from 2031 – 2034. Then the salary reduces in 2035 to 33M, 28M in 2036 and 2037 and club options for those last 3 years. A UFA at 38 years old for the first time unless he opts out or the team does.

Point is, the Royals aren’t likely to pay for the entirety of this 288.77 Million dollar deal but it will likely help them ensure they get the 1 billion they’re looking for to build their new stadium.

I don’t say any of that to disparage the Royals, regardless of any other factor, that’s a huge commitment, and if he isn’t good, they’re in for a lot of money for a very long time. Fans of the Royals probably aren’t thinking about 2031 either.

I will remind, the Pirates did the same thing (OK, adjust for inflation and the Pirates perpetual cheapness) back when they were trying to get PNC Park. Remember the Kendall signing?

Question 5

Wednesday will be a big day, and not just because pitchers and catchers reporting. The 60 day IL opens up. Got to be why free agency has stalled leaguewide. Will the Pirates have the upper hand with 3 potential spots opening up? – Shearod Learn

I’ll give you it could be why the Pirates have been shy Shearod, but league wide yeah, I can’t go there, otherwise it would probably be the case just about every year. I don’t however think it’s some rigid point where deals start flying around. Most teams would agree to terms and just make it official later.

This team though, more plausible than a lot of teams. The point they are in their build they have a 40-man a bit more full of players they don’t consider disposable and while no team is carrying around 15 spots they think are trash, OK, maybe the A’s are, most teams have 3-4 they know are at least borderline. The Pirates may truly feel they have 36 or so who legitimately could play in MLB this year, and another 2 or 3 who might not but are big enough talents to warrant the spot with an eye toward 2025.

I still think a trade or trades will clear up more space and I believe we’ll see them leave one or two spots open regardless.

Question 6

Do you think the rotation will be good enough this season to allow the bullpen to close out games? – Noodles

I think the bullpen is good enough that the starting rotation has to be average. The way this bullpen is setting up makes me feel a 5 inning outing with the lead could very well net you a win most nights. I think they have a lot of guys who could give them 5 innings, I also think if that’s all they get 4 out of 5 starts they’ll kill this bullpen and create a new issue.

Question 7

Flights now booked April 8th – 16th. Pirates tickets bought for 9th. Phillies series (in Philly) is on while I’m in Pittsburgh. Which bars would be good to watch any of those games? I’ve heard DK’s advert for North Shore Tavern which I’ll definitely visit at some point. – Edward Beckham

North Shore Tavern and Mike’s Beer Bar are sister establishments (meaning same owner) and at least for me near the ball park, they’re my favorites. McFadden’s is always fun, but if you happen to be Irish, um, listen, don’t judge us, we know it’s not authentic.

Voodoo Brewing Company is fun too. All that’s if you stay near the park. If you stay say across the Clemente Bridge in the Cultural District, Red Beards is probably my favorite. South Side is probably not a sports watching bar scene, unless it’s Piper’s for early morning Premier League matches.

Question 8

I’ve got a good question for you Gary instead of something stupid like “Bob Nutting or Trevor Bauer”, what do you feel is going to be the Pirates big strength heading into 2024 that can help them contend for the division and even head back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015? – Neal Kokito

The Bullpen.

It’s the only unit I look at and think it has potential to be elite, and by elite I mean if you aren’t beating the Pirates by the 6th, start packing the equipment bags.

Yes, yes, as I mentioned earlier in Question 6, they have to get there of course, but simply not missing on wins you had in your pocket can improve a record pretty significantly.

Last year, the Pirates lost 13 games after leading through 6 innings, I don’t think it’s prudent to assume that’s 13 more wins because you could just as easily assume they’d lose all 9 of the games they won after trailing through 6.

That said, there’s room there for improvement in the record just by improving on that metric.

Question 9

My question is, do you think the Pirates should sign a guy who can catch and play first base like a Yasmani Grandal or similar? My thought is the Pirates carry Davis as primary with Delay and a signee as backup. The guy like Grandal could mostly split time at first with Rowdy Tellez and if Davis turns out to not be a reliable option behind the plate, he can slide in back there. – Zach Zeigler

The first thing to say is, there really aren’t other “guys like” that left. He caught in 92 games last year, played 1B 11 times and was the DH 41 times. He’s played 1B for most of his career, but it’s always been more of a parlor trick than a position he is considered “help” at.

All that said, sure, if they want to fortify the position with a veteran, I have no issue with it, I just can’t shake that I’d prefer and more importantly I think they’d prefer to have the backup be defensively impressive. Defense is the biggest worry with Davis, so it stands to reason that’s what you’d be trying to fortify more so than the offense.

I’d also add in here, fans are a lot more sure Tellez needs minimized and hidden than the team. For what it’s worth, they felt the same about Santana last year and I have to say, they were very right.

Question 10

What will you be looking to see from Henry during ST to have some confidence he can be a legit #1 backstop? – Ed Fleming

I won’t see anything in Spring Training that makes me feel that honestly Ed. I have friends who caught in high school who could look like they can catch in that kind of setting, and game calling barely happens in camp.

The best thing Henry can do to convince me he’s on the right track is to hit like a 1:1 anything. If he hits, we’ll worry a lot less about the glove. The team might not, but fans, yeah, we saw what all defense and no offense looked like, and we didn’t accept it. The reverse, it almost always is perfectly fine save the one night it costs your team a victory.

What we can look for as signs he’s advanced from where he was though…

Block balls in the dirt consistently
Receive pitches in front of him instead of reaching to either side
Nurse a pitcher who’s struggling back into the zone
STAY HEALTHY

Question 11

Do you think “piggy backing” one the SP spots would work??? Of would it just be a mess for the roster as a whole?? – Rich Thompson

Oh sure, and I think it’ll be a miracle to get through a MLB season without seeing it on just about every team at some point.

But not for 2 spots. 1 you can handle, 2 and the domino effect is just too great. I think it might be the safest way to spare Contreras if he doesn’t look like he’s 100% where they want him to be, but for the most part, Falter would be the only other pitcher I could see them actively thinking it’s a plan. Maybe that’s how they wind up rostering both truthfully.

Question 12

Any guess on what kind of MLB numbers Contreras and Priester will put up in 2024? – Mark Graham

Not really. Plenty of guess sites out there will, but I wouldn’t want to base a projection on what Priester did last year, mostly because I can’t see them letting him suck out loud for long enough to achieve them at this level.

Contreras is a complete unknown. I can’t tell you he’ll make this club, so I’m not sure how I could suppose to know his numbers.

I think 15-20 starts for Priester might be an acceptable outcome, and if Roansy is ok, he should carry a full load, which for him sadly is likely in the 150 innings range.

If they both do that, WILD success this year.

Question 13

Do you think the Pirates have enough options for the OF? Does signing Michael Taylor make sense to you, at this point? – David Wald

Not fair, you know I think Michael Taylor is a GREAT idea! I’d like one more in all seriousness though. I’d prefer a center fielder if only to slide Jack over to Right, but if I can’t get that, grab me a Right fielder who can hit right handed and add some pop from that side. Soler would be really nice, and probably a bit more than they’d want to go. He’s also not a good defender so it would be solely for the bat.

Question 14

I know u love rumors:) any last second moves before Spring training? Thanks! – Mr. Walsh

I’m almost positive there will be, I’m equally sure we won’t hear about them until the minute they’re done.

The closest I can come to something I feel relatively sure is actually being discussed is a deal with San Francisco for Joey Bart that would send back Bae or Gonzales. He’d probably be an upgrade over Delay, but that’s about it, if you aren’t gonna use Gonzales or Bae, hey, why not? Might even be able to expand on this and get them to add in an arm like Ryan Walker but that would likely cost a top prospect presuming they’d even entertain it.

Question 15

Where is Roansy at in his pitch selections? Did he add a pitch? Will he pitch to contact? Four seam vs Two seam. – Grant

I’m quite sure someone knows. I’m equally sure nobody will talk about it.

I’ve asked, I know for a verifiable fact I’m not the only one to do so, and I’m equally sure we all were given the same answers.

Now, knowing what a concern he is, and you’d at least assume they feel the fans need some positive news, one would think if there were great news to share, they’d be all over the place telling us how great Roansy looks. To counter that, if they KNEW he looked like doo doo, chances are he’s not still on this roster.

Believe me, I wish I or anyone had more.

Question 16

Who will be the 7th inning pitcher? – Wayne Moody

We’ve already heard Shelton say he wouldn’t marry guys to a specific inning, but until proven otherwise through action, I don’t believe him. I think we’ll see Bednar close every time he’s available.

Below that though, I could honestly see being more about matchups than innings. Chapman, Holderman and Mlodzinski should all be in line for it, and if they have a week where they lean on the pen heavy, Moreta or Borucki could get a shot here and there. Borucki for the left handed matchup primarily.

I really feel we’ll see them used almost interchangeably to start the season and if all 4 of those guys perform, they may see no reason to settle them into roles that specific.

Just looking at the roster though, here’s how I’d go on a typical 6th inning lead night.

6 – Mlodzinski

7 – Holderman

8 – Chapman

9 – Bednar

And I’m on record saying Mlodzinski would be a better option as Closer by the end of the season, so clearly I think there will be movement.

Question 17

College baseball, in particular LSU, what would the level of competition be similar to in MLB. Would you AA, single A? Just curious on what kind of players Skenes was facing. I know the best hitter was on his own team but I don’t follow college closely to know the other guys. – Jason Dowling

I’ve heard it compared to AA, especially the SEC, but he’ll never face the consistent barrage of hitters at the college level. Once a college squad advances to the playoffs, the competition heats up and at the very least they’re facing a ton of draft picks usually. 9 out of 10 of those will go straight to Low A after the draft, so, maybe that’s really where the comp lies.

Before the draft last year, we had Caroline Fenton who covers LSU on the Pirates Fan Forum, and she felt the SEC was stronger last year than it had been in at least half a decade but again, AA is being kind, A is probably a bit rough.

For perspective, Players who come from the KBO and Japan are often compared to AA competition, and that’s probably more accurate than the college comp is when it comes down to cases.

I’d say this, short of being a professional, he faced the best of the best.

I’m Not Upset Gary Sanchez Signed Elsewhere, Hear Me Out

2-8-24 – By Gary Morgan – @garymo2007 on X

People love to tell me what my “job” is on here or on my podcast.

Some want me to “use my platform to tell the truth”. As long as it’s the truth they believe in of course. Others would like to see “a bit of positivity” about the team, but to me, trying to sound like anything comes across as, well, trying to sound like something, and I’m sorry, it’s just not my style.

Assumptions are always made too. Example: Me – I’m indifferent about Gary Sanchez. Someone – So 7 Million is too much for a catcher?

Me again before closing the app – Huh?

We’d have a whole lot fewer problems as a people if we’d stop and think before typing or speaking, and stop to listen or read the actual words used as opposed to trying to always go Da Vinci Code on every post.

This Gary Sanchez situation in miniature really showed me how far apart I am from a lot of fans. I mean some people were straight heated about what I saw at least as a weird fit. Maybe as you read this, I’ll do a better job of explaining what I’m really looking for this season, more than any one signing.

Let’s take it all the way back, a catching position timeline if you will.

December of 2019, One of Ben Cherington’s first decisions was to designate Elias Diaz. Blame him if you want for Diaz turning into a serviceable, All Star catcher, but I know I thought he was nothing worth keeping too, so, I’ll just back off.

November of 2021, the Pirates had a controllable Jacob Stallings. Not flashy, not great, wonderful defender, gold glove caliber even. They also had just about nothing else. Nothing close. Endy and Henry both in the system, Binz added in. And right here, they chose to move Stallings. This isn’t about the return, it’s just about the catching position. They then signed Roberto Perez, an oft injured and long in the tooth catcher with undeniable skills behind the dish. Obviously he was lost for the season, and the team did precious little to replace him.

December of 2022, the Bucs inked Austin Hedges. Same deal, same profile, more availability to play in his history. Jason Delay prepared to retire from the game was called up and stuck, but nobody believed they’d found an answer. Tyler Heineman could just as easily be in the Delay role as a matter of fact. Very similar, maybe slight edge to Delay behind the dish. Plus, Endy was going to debut and be an instant star by June right!

June of 2023, Henry Davis is called up before Endy, largely on the premise his bat couldn’t be held back, but the Pirates didn’t use him as a catcher.

July of 2023, Endy Rodriguez makes his debut and after a rough start, caught on behind the dish.

November of 2023, The Pirates announce they plan to use Henry Davis as a catcher in the following year. Fans immediately questioned how both these guys would get enough at bats, and if Henry could catch.

December of 2023, Endy injures his elbow in Winter Ball, requiring season ending surgery and missing all of 2024. Leaving Henry, Delay and newly acquired Ali Sanchez for the catching position.

January of 2024, Ben Cherington mentions catcher as a spot he could potentially want to add a player.

February of 2024, Robert Murray posts a tweet that mentions the Pirates as one team that has expressed some interest in free agent Gary Sanchez. A week later, Sanchez signs with Milwaukee for 7.1 million.

That’s it, the clinical, no emotion, no expectation timeline of where the Pirates are with the catching position.

We went from December to February with next to nobody feeling this team had to go get a starting catcher because largely they felt Henry needed to just learn on the job, to Gary Sanchez has to be here or They’ve failed.

I’ve done Q&A’s all along the way, nobody ever mentioned Gary Sanchez to me before last week. In fact, you know the name I heard most often? Jacob Stallings when Miami Non-Tendered him. I wrote myself with Endy going down they might need to look into a more established backup, but I suppose I always just felt Henry was going to have to step up.

This can’t just be about Gary Sanchez. He had a good year once he got to San Diego, but Sanchez is a journeyman for a lot of reasons. If the recency of 2023 is all you need to think he’s going to repeat it, cool. That’s up to you, but I’m not going with you. He hasn’t been a good defender in his career, and while he did better in San Diego, his numbers for his career scream outlier year in 2023, and if they’re bringing in a catcher, their history tells me that’s not the direction they go.

In fact, if we just want a guy who probably isn’t all that great of a defender but can hit, I’ll take the 1:1 pick who the team controls for 5 more years.

If you see Sanchez as a replacement for Delay or Ali Sanchez, OK, but is this a team that’s going to spend 7 million on a bench player at the catching position, backing up a player you kinda think will struggle defensively? Wouldn’t that likely be a player who himself is a clear defensive upgrade?

Are you sure you didn’t just want “someone” with a name you recognize signed? I mean, a lot of you didn’t like the last name they signed, but that’s sure what it feels like, cause this my friends is not a player to cry over “missing” on. And missing is a strong word, they could have checked in on Sanchez back in December and already moved on.

Don’t you want them to get better players?!

Of course, but I also want them to do it wisely. And I don’t mean financially, I mean they need to understand and facilitate allowing roles to be filled by kids, its not negotiable, even if it comes at the expense of a win or two. Henry catching 80 games in 2024 and proving he has, or doesn’t have the ability to me is more important than those couple of wins. Heading into next offseason, I want to know I have Henry coming back, capable or not, and Endy too. If they don’t see what they have in Henry this year, we’ll enter next offseason relying on a guy who hasn’t played in a year.

Not where I want to be.

It’s also possible, they already know they don’t think he can. If that’s the case, I still don’t want a one year stop gap, for the same reason, I don’t want to head into 2024 assuming Endy is not only going to pick up where he left off, but also evolve into an MLB hitter with no safety net.

So it’s not like I can’t see a need here, or think an upgrade would hurt, I just didn’t see Sanchez as that fit. Even if he’s the best catcher on the board in your mind, to me he just doesn’t fit the profile of a team so concerned about playing defense at the position they pissed around with a top pick over it.

Probably feels like I’m making a big deal out of one guy talking about Davis, but if you have read my stuff or listened to my shows you know, I’m all about answering questions, not creating more. Every year they waste not answering, the more cloudy they become.

It’s why bluntly put, if I had my druthers they’d have signed a top end starter for a couple years to pair with Keller, grabbed another like Perez or Gonzales and left the rest for kids to fight it out.

Again, I value culling some wins out of this batch of pitchers more than the 3-4 wins a second Perez or Gonzales could bring. But I’m still spending, just buying a better shot at wins in one slot as opposed to spreading it over two players.

They clearly don’t agree with me.

They also haven’t pronounced Roansy Contreras, Luis Ortiz, Bailey Falter and Quinn Priester complete busts headed to the glue factory. A whole lot of us have, for sure.

I can’t sit here and tell you any of those four will successfully return to form, or reach an acceptable level at all in 2024. I can’t tell you Gonzales’ arm won’t fall off, or Perez won’t prove himself a better bullpen pitcher than starter, or that Keller can handle being THE guy.

I can tell you, if we enter the next offseason with Keller, a Brubaker who hopefully shows he’s at least recovered, an Oviedo returning from UCL, and whoever the next mix of kids is who’ll be the hotness, we’ll be having the same conversations again, and this time, we’ll have the specter of Keller and Brubaker both pitching in their last seasons potentially.

Point is, how long do we want to wait to see what some of these kids can do? If Skenes, Jones, Burrows, whoever are ready this year physically, and this is just my personal preference, damn the record, get them up here and answer some questions. Don’t force auditions to September, don’t wait until next year to start getting the rookie shakes out of them. In fact, even though they didn’t want to do it, and it looked ugly, that’s very much so what Priester and Ortiz did last year. Now we see how they punch back.

It seems so far away, but when this stuff comes together you almost never expect it.

I mean, here is Zach Rymer from Bleacher report way back in 2012 in part of his season preview for the Buccos. “Pirates fans who have reservations about Burnett should relax. He was awful with the Yankees last season, but there’s no way he’s going to be that awful with the Pirates. Burnett will walk too many guys, but he’ll also post a K/9 in the 8.00-9.00 range.”

And this was before he fouled a ball off his face in a bunting drill. Ha, I remember the running gag at the office was that he did it on purpose so he wouldn’t have to pitch for the Succos! Eric Bedard was the big free agent pitcher get.

Pretty ringing praise for a guy we universally look back on as a slam dunk get that signified the franchise turning a corner. While it wound up that way, that’s certainly not what the rub was in tahn.

No, that team didn’t win, but they did answer a bunch of questions. They came in with a Pedro Alvarez who had missed most of 2011 and looked awful doing it. First base was journeyman. Catching was journeyman. Bullpen was kinda scary talented though.

This NEVER happens without these kids dominating the roster people. Never.

Despite what this team pushed out there as a goal, I need to see catcher, second base and at least two more spots in the rotation to be solidified before this season ends and solidly in line to be part of the team in 2025.

That doesn’t have room to happen if we’re signing filler like Sanchez, in my opinion. And that’s all it is, my opinion.

I’m not even selling it as Ben Cherington is smart and is totally executing my plan by leaving room and forcing kids to perform. He’s probably doing it more because his boss is cheap and it’s kinda reality he needs to develop much of whatever wins here one day.

Had they never mentioned contending for the playoffs or division, and I just sat back watching this off season play out, here’s what I’d probably tell you they’re doing.

They have all these kids and they’d like to lightly block them, but not fence them off. I’d then repeat my trope from last year, “You’ll like the roster in September better than you will in April”.

That is not where this fan base is. Nowhere near being able to hear that as anything other than ignoring a weak division and missing a shot. I get that too. It’s hard to pivot from a plan, and in baseball being bad at it or afraid to try usually makes you less an evil genius and more often a buffoon.

I can’t argue the division is right there, still might be, maybe they’re right on some of these kids, or vets. Point is to me, I want upgrades now that help beyond 2024. They haven’t agreed with me here either.

The best thing that can happen to this team and fan base is to either shock the world and pull off something seismic in a trade or signing or open Spring Training and start letting the faith placed in kids show us how smart, or, not, you are. *Insert sure to come Bob Nutting clever joke none of us have ever heard before…

Wouldn’t be the first time I saw a roster with no shot come together.

I will say this, while you rightly focus on what they don’t have, and didn’t go get, do remember there’s an interesting looking young team with options and even prospect pressure that are here too.

Can the Pittsburgh Pirates Bullpen be a top unit in baseball in 2024?

02/07/24 – By Ethan Smith – @mvp_EtHaN on X

Among the many questions surrounding the Pittsburgh Pirates entering 2024, the Pirates bullpen seems to be the group that has the least to answer.

Last season, we saw a bullpen that took noticeable strides and steps forward to become a unit that could be trusted, especially after the Pirates rotation practically fell apart outside of Mitch Keller and Johan Oviedo.

This off-season, Pittsburgh took it upon themselves to further bolster the bullpen, adding longtime reliever Aroldis Chapman to the roster just a few weeks ago, a move that saw mixed reactions initially, even from me, but through further digging and examination, I find it near impossible to hate that move now, especially as it pertains to this bullpen, its ceiling and just how good it could truly be.

If you listen to my podcast, Locked On Pirates, this week, you’d notice I had two complete shows on the bullpen, one highlighting Colin Holderman, Chapman and David Bednar, the other highlighting the complimentary pieces that will make the engine run.

On each of those shows, I really dug into the ceiling this group can have, because folks, it is a strong unit on paper.

Chapman has and will likely be the only true addition to the bullpen regularly, and yes, I know they got Wily Peralta, but thats no more than a depth option at best, so the bullpen you saw last season will be relatively unchanged.

The group of players I feel most comfortable mentioning as key contributors to the bullpen might be longer than some other’s thoughts, as I have high confidence in Carmen Mlodzinski, Dauri Moreta, Ryan Borucki and Jose Hernandez to be options you don’t cringe at when they run out to the mound.

I think when discussing the bullpen, it’s important to start from the bottom down, seeing as I am making a pretty big statement saying this could be a top unit in baseball, but let’s go from the bottom to the top, and you’ll quickly see why I feel this way.

If you’re keeping track, I have already mentioned seven, yes seven, options I would feel comfortable putting in the game day-in and day-out.

Jose Hernandez was one of them, and although his 2023 campaign wasn’t spectacular, it was still a season that saw him show flashes, especially in his first full season at the big leagues.

Hernandez pitched 50.2 IP last year and left 2023 with a 4.97 ERA and 62 strikeouts. Again, not the sexiest statistics, but statistics that at least give cause for optimism moving forward. If he can bring his 9.9 walk rate down and keep his strikeout rate around his 27.8 mark from last year, he’ll be just fine.

Now, why did I mention Hernandez first? Well, of the names I have mentioned, can you say is he better than any of them confidently, because I cannot, but if you’re telling me Hernandez is your seventh best relief option and sporting numbers like that, folks that is a very, very good thing.

Borucki, Moreta and Mlodzinski were strong in their own ways as well, but the whole picture of my belief that this be a top unit in baseball, at least on paper, can be described in the simplest pitching statistic out there, ERA.

Last season, the New York Yankees bullpen led all of baseball in ERA with a 3.34 mark, while the Pirates had a 4.27 ERA from their group last season.

When taking Bednar, Chapman, Holderman, Moreta, Mlodzinski, Borucki and Hernandez’s ERA together and averaging them out, that number, and I fact checked this four times, came out to a 3.19 ERA, a 0.15 difference between MLB’s best bullpen last year and a large difference from Pittsburgh’s ERA number from the entire group last year.

Take that in for a second, a 3.19 ERA combined between seven relievers. That is an elite tally, a tally that doesn’t even include the multitude of other bullpen options the Pirates could have from Hunter Stratton, Kyle Nicholas, NRIs and other minor leaguers.

Now, you may be asking yourself, can we as fans really expect all seven of these guys to perform to or above their 2023 level? The simple answer is no, but, the Pirates have created a unit that has room for regression.

Say for instance that Hernandez and Moreta take steps back, that still leaves you with five, strong relief options that you have confidence in.

Which again, doesn’t take into account if another reliever that isn’t even on our radars right now takes flight and makes an impact quickly in the minors and eventually the big league roster, which is entirely possible, especially if they add to the rotation and want looks at some of these young starters.

I doubt anyone who watches baseball would argue that you can have too many options in a bullpen, and right now, Pittsburgh has seven I have confidence in and others who could gain my confidence if play dictates, wherever that may be in the system.

So, can the Pirates have a top bullpen unit in all of baseball? Yes, they most definitely can, and I think there is a higher likelihood of it being a top-10 unit then being near the bottom, a place we’ve seen that group be in for most of the time since Mark Melancon, Jason Grilli and Tony Watson.

Now, injuries, rest and many other factors will play into just how good this bullpen can be, but the ceiling is high and so is the floor, and the Pirates have built a unit that should be able to withstand what baseball will throw at them.

On paper is always different than what we see play out on the field, hence why they play the games, but this a group that all of you should expect to be Pittsburgh’s best, and be one of the bigger reasons why they potentially compete this season, something the front office has told you all they want to do.

Impactful Pittsburgh Baseball and Black History Moments

2-6-24 – Ethan Smith / @mvp_EtHaN

Every February, we celebrate Black History month, informing one another on those who paved the way for equality for all.

This pertains to politics, daily life, and yes, even sports – specifically baseball, a sport that was segregated for the better part of 60 years until Jackie Robinson stepped up to the plate for the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947.

Now, baseball is a diverse game, featuring players from across the globe and not only featuring them, but some of whom represent the class of the sport.

Pittsburgh played a role in contributing to baseball and Black history, from the Negro Leagues to many other events that I will highlight in this piece.

With all of that said, lets get right into some of Pittsburgh biggest contributions to Black History as it pertains to the game of baseball.

The Homestead Grays & Pittsburgh Crawfords: Pillars of the Negro League

When discussing Black history and baseball, the Negro League has to be your starting point, seeing as the league not only has immense history, but was also the starting point for a large chunk of players enshrined in Cooperstown.

For Pittsburgh, it was once a bastion of the Negro League, housing two teams spanning 1931-1945, with the Pittsburgh Crawfords coming first.

The Crawfords were started by local African-American businessman and Founder of the Second Negro National League, Gus Greenlee. Greenlee owned a profitable nightclub (the “Crawford Grill”) and used his fortune to build a successful team, winning the pennant in 1935 while posting a 55% win rate over this nine-year run.

Greenlee did everything in his power to imbue the team with the league’s top talent. Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, James “Cool Papa” Bell and Judy Johnson all became notable players and contributors to the 1935 championship team while later being enshrined in the Hall of Fame.

For having such a short tenure as a franchise, the Crawfords and Greenlee provided a massive impact on the sport.

The Homestead Grays were around much longer than the Crawfords and were one of the most successful baseball franchises in modern history.

While calling both Pittsburgh and Washington D.C. home, the Grays won nine Negro National League titles, winning six of the nine in a row from 1940-1945, while also winning three Negro World Series Championships in their 17 seasons as a franchise.

The success of the club started with Cumberland Posey, who was a player, manager and principal owner, leading to him being enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2006.

Posey, who was known for his knack to find elite talent, also did well making the club a profitable entity during America’s Great Depression, and the list of Hall of Fame players and contributors is a lengthy and historical one.

Take the 1931 team for instance: Score-keeping was inconsistent but the team allegedly were 143-29-2 and viewed by many historians as one of the greatest teams of all time, compiled of five future Hall of Fame players including Charleston, Gibson, Jud Wilson, Smokey Joe Williams and Willie Foster.

The 1931 team also housed other household names such as Vic Harris, George Scales and Ted Radcliffe, making for one of the pillar rosters in baseball’s history.

The team played its final season in 1950 at Griffith Stadium, ending its Pittsburgh ties at Forbes Field in the same season but the Grays will always be remembered as one of baseball’s most successful franchises.

Curt Roberts – Pittsburgh’s first black baseball player

Curt Roberts is recognized as the Pittsburgh Pirates’ first black baseball player, beginning a long history for Pittsburgh as a home for diversity in baseball.

Roberts, who played for the Negro League Kansas City Monarchs from 1947-1950, played alongside Satchel Paige, Hilton Smith, Buck O’Neil and Elston Howard and made his baseball debut with the Monarchs out of high school in 1947 as the young age of 17.

Standing only 5-foot-8, Roberts was often regarded as “too short” to play Major League baseball, despite his success against the best the Negro League had to offer.

After his time with the Monarchs, Roberts would take his play to the Mexican League before being noticed by a scout where he would become apart of the Boston Braves.

The Boston Braves had a farm team, the Denver Bears, who were managed by Andy Cohen, the scout who got win of Roberts’ game.

Prior to the 1952 campaign, the Bears would become an affiliate of the Pirates, and with an agreement between the Braves and Pirates, Roberts became apart of the Pirates organization, breaking through a barrier many believed he could never break through.

Roberts would stay with the Bears for two seasons, transitioning from his typical position of shortstop to second base, before the Pirates eventually got wind of his above average fielding prowess, calling him up to MLB in 1954.

April 13, 1954 marked his MLB debut, with unrest among the black community in Pittsburgh growing for the Pirates to integrate their roster, much like the historic Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants had already done. Games were boycotted, unrest continued, but manager Branch Rickey, who was the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers when Jackie Robinson debuted, made the call to bring Roberts up and have him play second base.

Roberts played with the Pirates until 1956, being a mostly defense-first player. He would relinquish his job to Bill Mazeroski, spending the remainder of his professional baseball career as a minor league player.

Retiring from baseball in 1963, Roberts isn’t regarded as a potential Hall of Fame player but he will always be remembered as Pittsburgh’s first black player, breaking the barrier for others to follow in his footsteps.

September 1, 1971

By 1971, baseball had been well past integration, with teams all across MLB housing minority players.

Not only were African-Americans becoming prominent amongst MLB franchises, but Latino players were rising to stardom as well.

This was especially true for Pittsburgh in 1971 as the Pirates had 13 players on their roster of either Latin or African-American descent – including Willie Stargell and Roberto Clemente, two of Pittsburgh’s best players of all time.

Baseball saw a full breakthrough in its quest for diversity on September 1, 1971, when the Pittsburgh Pirates fielded the first lineup of all Latino and African-American players in MLB history in their game against the Philadelphia Phillies.

The lineup featured second baseman Rennie Stennett, center fielder Gene Clines, right fielder Roberto Clemente, left fielder Willie Stargell, catcher Manny Sanguillen, third baseman Dave Cash, first baseman Al Oliver, shortstop Jackie Hernandez and pitcher Dock Ellis.

The decision, which surprised many, especially since the Pirates were in the middle of a divisional pennant race, came from manager Danny Murtaugh, who led the Pirates to 81-56 at the time, leading the rival St. Louis Cardinals by 4.5 games.

Even the players themselves hadn’t noticed that history was being made until about two innings in, when Dave Cash informed Al Oliver said, “Hey Scoop, we’ve got all brothers out there.”

Murtaugh was later quoted saying,

“When it comes to making out the lineup, I’m colorblind, and my athletes know it. They don’t know it because I told them. They know it because they’re familiar with how I operate. The best men in our organization are the ones who are here. And the ones who are here all play, depending on which circumstances present themselves.”
Danny Murtaugh to the United Press International

United Press International is recognized for its full coverage of the event, seeing as Pittsburgh newspapers were in the middle of a strike during the event and there was minimal mention of the lineup in the Philadelphia Daily News, with the only mention coming from Bill Conlin’s “all-soul” lineup comment in his piece about the game.

Of course if you’re a Pirates fan, you know 1971 ended with the Pirates on top, defeating the Baltimore Orioles in the World Series, with Roberto Clemente winning World Series MVP, but the World Series wasn’t the only history the Pirates made in the ’71 campaign.

Roberto Clemente Makes MLB Hall of Fame

On December 31, 1972, Roberto Clemente tragically passed away at 38 while en route to his native country of Puerto Rico to deliver supplies after the effects of the Nicaragua earthquake.

His death was sudden, coming just over a year before he won World Series MVP for Pittsburgh in ’71.

In 1973, Clemente was inducted in the MLB Hall of Fame, becoming the 25th Pirate to be inducted into the hall, getting his induction alongside George Kelly.

Clemente became the first Latino or African-American Pirates player, manager or executive to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in ’73 following a career that saw a .317 career average, 2000-plus games, 200-plus home runs, 400-plus doubles, 150-plus triples and 1300-plus RBIs.

It took 15 years before the Pirates would see another Latino or African-American inductee, as Clemente’s running mate, Willie Stargell, would receive his induction in 1988 after 20 seasons in Pittsburgh before retiring in 1982.

Clemente and Stargell remain the only Latino or African-American Hall of Famers from the Pittsburgh Pirates, with of course many players from the Crawfords or Grays being in the Hall, but none playing for the Pirates.

MLB adds Negro Leagues to Official Record

For Pittsburgh, they have donned the jerseys of the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords throughout the years, sharing not only the jerseys, but the legacies of each franchise.

Baseball officially gave the Negro Leagues MLB status in 2020, giving the status to seven professional Negro Leagues from 1920-1948, a step that combined to enshrine 35 Hall of Fame players.

The Pirates don the Grays and Crawfords jerseys every season, while other MLB franchises join in wearing jerseys from Negro League franchises relevant to their history.

Pittsburgh and the Chicago Cubs did so in 2017, with the Pirates wearing jerseys to honor the Homestead Grays and the Cubs wearing jerseys to honor the Leland Giants.

Teams have continued to have Negro League Heritage Nights across baseball, starting a tradition of honoring some of the best to every pick up a baseball during the segregation era of the game.

It’s important to not only honor the history the Pirates share with African-American and Latino culture, but to research and inform one’s self about that history and why it’s so important to baseball and culture today.

With no Curt Roberts, there is no Roberto Clemente, no all Latino or African-American lineup in ’71, no Willie Stargell, no Al Oliver, no Andrew McCutchen, no Oneil Cruz or Ke’Bryan Hayes.

Baseball’s history is driven by those who fought to break the barrier of color in baseball during one of America’s most notable and historical periods, and that’s why I wrote this piece today, to inform you all on the historical ties Pittsburgh baseball has on the game today and how diverse it truly is and the opportunities that otherwise would not have been presented to people of color some time ago.

To conclude, Pittsburgh is considered by some a pillar of importance for black history in baseball, and we’ve barely scratched the surface here.

Share your tidbits and stories with us in the comments, even if you think everyone already knows.