Craig sits down to talk about the money that Pirates left on the table in the 2023 MLB Draft, the Newest Fangraphs Farm System Rankings that has your team at #1 and the history of the Developmental Department within the Minors since Ben Cherington took over.
Craig Toth covers the Pirates for Inside The Bucs Basement, and is a huge Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Fan; especially when it comes to the Farm System. Listen. Subscribe. Share. We are “For Fans, By Fans & All Pirates Talk.” THE Pirates Fan Minor League Podcast found EVERYWHERE podcasts can be found and always at BucsInTheBasement.com!
Some games, you just get beat really, really, REALLY badly. Tonight was one of those games for the Bucs. Mitch Keller was shelled again, allowing 8 runs in 5 innings, as the Pirates dropped the first game in Milwaukee for their most lopsided loss of the season. Pirates don’t face divisional opponents quite as often as in previous seasons but the struggles continue against the Brew Crew as pitching was poor, hitting was poor and the team managed just 8 baserunners (6 hits and 2 walks) with 10 strikeouts.
Mitch Keller 1st 10 starts: 2.44 ERA, 10 quality starts, 5+ ER allowed 0 times Keller last 13 starts: 5.64 ERA, 4 quality starts, 5+ ER allowed 5 times
Keller’s struggles continued as, following a small-ball first inning run for the Bucs, Brewers attacked Mitch the rest of his start. In the bottom of the first, Sal Frelick struck a 2-out, first pitch cutter to left field, driving in two. In the second, singles by Andruw Monasterio and Brice Turang followed by an RBI double from Joey Wiemer, RBI single by Christian Yelich and finally another run scored when William Contreras grounded into a double play. Down 5-1 in the bottom of the 5th, Keller walked Frelick and hit Mark Canha with a pitch before Turang drove a 2-out cutter to deep right for a 3-run shot.
Things didn’t improve after Keller’s exit as Jose Hernandez took over in the 6th and, after a pair of singles sandwiched by two outs, tossed a 94-mph fastball that caught too much plate and Frelick sent it into the seats.
Dauri Moreta took the 7th inning and kept the struggle-bus chugging. Monasterio doubled to lead-off and advanced to third on a Turang groundout and, after a Wiemer walk, scored on a Yelich infield single, which was followed by a 2-run double by Contreras, setting the score at 14-1 – which would, ultimately, be the end result.
News & Notes
With a first inning single, Bryan Reynolds extends his hitting streak to 7 games.
Six of the nine Brewers hits off Keller came on the first pitch of the at-bat.
Pirates pitchers did not record a 1-2-3 inning.
Carlos Santana went 1-for-5 with a run and a strikeout in his first game against the Pirates since being traded last week.
Vinny Capra pinch-hit in the 9th inning, making his Pirates debut following his call-up on Tuesday, fouling out to first.
This was the 11th time this season the Pirates have allowed 10+ runs
Probably can’t get worse than this as we play game two tomorrow night with rookie Quinn Priester facing Brewers starter, Colin Rea. First pitch is at 8:10PM. Let’s Go Bucs!
8-3-23 – By Corey Shrader – @CoreyShrader on Twitter
National League Central Standings
Win
Loss
Cincinnati Reds
59
51
🔼
Milwaukee Brewers
58
51
🔽
Chicago Cubs
55
53
🔼
Pittsburgh Pirates
48
59
🔁
St. Louis Cardinals
48
61
🔁
The All Star Game and the trade deadline have come and gone! Now that we find ourselves pretty well past the half-way point our picture of what is going on in the fight for the Central is about as clear as mud!
Let’s get into July!
Cincinnati Reds
Darlings of the league for a good chunk of this season, the Reds have been showing off their player development, scouting, and rebuilding chops in 2023. July wasn’t as hot of a month for them, but it was still pretty OK.
Offense: 1.9 (24th)
Pitching: 2.7 (10th)
Starters: 1.8 (13th)
Bullpen: 0.9 (t10th)
As one might expect the young offense did see some tougher times as the league caught up to them a bit. The really big key here will be on the young fellas to counter-punch these adjustments.
Lineup
Matt McLain – Yippee Ka-Yay, Matt McLain just keeps on rolling. While he isn’t the biggest name among the Reds prospects, he has been the most impactful thus far with a 2.6 fWAR through 62 games. In July he has chipped in 5 doubles, 3 homers, 14 runs, 8 RBI, 4 steals, a .363 wOBA, 122 wRC+, and a triple slash of .275/.376/.450. The approach is good and shows that what he is doing is real. The xwOBA is backing it up to sitting at .342.
Spencer Steer – Having a bit of a down month from a production standpoint and his defense is a true negative. The bat has to carry him and he will be prone to boom/bust months in fWAR terms when the bat has gone colder.
Elly De la Cruz – Elly has had a rough July. He still does very exciting things, hitting homers, stealing bases, making very flashy plays, etc but we are seeing the league adjust to him some. One of his biggest warts is a high GB% and he has begun to bring that down some in July sitting at 49% in the month down from a 60% on the season at one point. Nothing unexpected here. The usual cycle of rookie debuts and flashes potential, league adjusts, player must address back. He’s going to be fine!
Will Benson – Here at KYE, we’ve been touting Will Benson since before the season began. If you’ve been reading you know that I picked him to go 20/15 and be a starter. While he has yet to get a full time gig & is mostly a strong side platoon, he looks like a very good player. He has paced the Reds in July with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers, 9 runs, 12 RBI, 4 steals, a .426 wOBA, 164 wRC+, and slashing .286/.394/.625.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand – CES made his debut. Only 30 PAs so can’t glean too much yet, but worth noting that he is here and his small sample xStats look pretty clean so far. Will be worth watching.
Pitching
Andrew Abbott – Talk about impressive. Still out-pitching the underlying numbers, but the gap is shrinking. He is good. I still expect some regression to the overall line, but he is sustaining it at the Major League level through 60+ IP.
Brandon Williamson/Ben Lively – Williamson and Lively have pitched competitive innings for Cincinnati in July. Both are exceeding their true talent level to this point, but they are eating innings and keeping the team in games. Lively currently has plus control sporting a well below MLB average BB rate, Williamson is at about league average this month. But good things happen when you command your arsenal, this is particularly true for back-end guys and can keep you competitive.
Minor League Check In
Connor Phillips – Since June’s KYE, Phillips has logged 21 IP at AAA. He has been quite successful there too. 1.71 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 1.33 WHIP, & lots of Ks (but also come control issues and BBs). He is probably one of the best pitching prospects that is “next up” in the NL Central.
Noelvi Marte – 20 games at AAA in July and his line is looking very much the same as his AA line. There is an outside chance that Marte could be traded given that the big league team doesn’t really have a spot for him. While I would consider this a long shot, he is nearly ready to contribute and has a chance to be an across the board contributor with above-average power and hit tools along with being a good athlete. The rich do continue to get richer.
Rhett Lowder – Selected 7th overall in the 2023 draft Lowder has yet to debut & will likely be shut down until next season. He is one of the “safer” arms in this class. A very accomplished NCAA arm that throws a good 4-pitch mix and features a disappearing changeup as his current best offering.
Milwaukee Brewers
The Brew Crew is in a dogfight with the Reds at the moment. Not only are they chasing the young Reds, but the Cubs are offering a challenge from below now too. July’s fWAR status for the Crew looks like this:
Offense: 4.0 (14th)
Pitching: 3.5 (t4th)
Starters: 2.1 (8th)
Bullpen: 1.4 (t4th)
What the Reds have in the form of ability to blow up from week to week, the Brewers seem to counter with more of a steady ability to perform.
Lineup
Joey Wiemer – Wiemer followed his great June with a lackluster month of production. However, as mentioned in previous editions, there are still positive signs for the young slugger. He cut his K% down from a gross 30.7% all the way to 17.4%. This will be one of the biggest factors for Wiemer and if he were to combine the approach of July & the production of June…look out, folks.
Christian Yelich – Yelich quite simply is one of the premier players in the National League. He was the 2nd most productive player in the NL Central in the month of June (we will talk about #1 shortly). Yeli put up a .428 wOBA & a 172 wRC+. Simply put, still a great player.
William Contreras – Contreras the Younger is a really talented hitter. His production has been inconsistent in 2023, but he flashed it in July. He impacts the ball hard, 90.9 average EV and has a solid approach. Really one of his only warts that caps his output is a middling launch angle. Even with this issue, he is going to be an above average performer with the bat in his hands.
Sal Frelick – Milwaukee’s #2 prospect made his debut in late-July. Incredibly small sample size, but Frelick has the look and reputation of a professional hitter. He doesn’t boast a lot of game power, but he has a really strong approach and the hit tool is plus. He has already flashed both along with his above-average to plus speed. Will be worth watching this young man develop.
Pitching
Corbin Burnes/Freddy Peralta – In June we discussed how these two needed to figure it out. Well, in July they did just that. Post-All Star Break Burnes has made an adjustment to how he deploys his cutter and it has been paying dividends. At this point I’d say Burnes is back.
Freddy Peralta had a wonderful bounceback in July too. This month of dominance included an absolutely hellacious start against the Reds where he scattered 4 hits with 13/0 K/BB. It feels like this is the current version of Freddy P – some incredible starts counterbalanced by “meh” stuff. The stretches where he gets it rolling he is a borderline ace.
Brandon Woodruff – Began his rehab assignment in July and has reached AAA. His return is imminent (health pending).
Devin Williams/Joel Payamps – The backend duo was lights-out in July. This pair combined for a 1.2 fWAR over the month. Williams posted 10 saves, 1-1 record over 11.2 IP and Payamps rattled off 6 holds & 2 saves across 12 IP. To state it simply, these two were the best 8th/9th inning combo in all of baseball in July.
Minor League Check In
Jackson Chourio – Last month I said this about Chourio “A strong second half and his stock will absolutely explode again.” Well folks, it happened. Chourio went absolutely scorched earth in July. Just look at these numbers:
Along with these figures he had 6 2b, 2 3b, 6 homers, 9 steals, 24 runs scored, & 20 RBI.
With all due respect to Jackson Holliday, for my money, Chourio is the best prospect in baseball. He just might be the closest thing to a Tatis Jr or Ronald Acuna Jr in the minor leagues.
Luke Adams – Adams is probably right up there with Tyler Black in terms of breakout hitters in the Milwaukee farm system. He put up an incredible July, walking more than he struck out and producing to the tune of a .477 wOBA & 189 wRC+. The 2022 12th round pick looks like he is the real deal.
Tyler Black – Black kept things going smoothly in July. He appears to have mastered AA and is ready for a new challenge. While I do not think it is coming soon, we might see him playing in the majors before the end of the season.
Jacob Misiorowski – Misiorowski earned the call to AA in July. Really small sample so far, but it hasn’t gone great yet. Expect him to iron it out with more experience at the level.
Brock Wilken – The Brewers 1st round pick, selected at 18th overall Wilken is a pure slugger. Terrific approach and plus-plus power are the big selling points. Might need to move off of 3B, but he was picked for the bat. He has yet to debut.
Chicago Cubs
Chicago finds themselves in the mix for the division at this point. The month broke down like this with regards to fWAR performance:
Offense: 5.0 (6th)
Pitching: 2.8 (18th)
Starters: 1.6 (t14th)
Bullpen: 0.4 (t17th)
Here are just a few of the performers that stood out from this past month.
Lineup
Cody Bellinger – Bellinger was tied for the most fWAR (1.8) posted in the entire National League in July. Belli hit 8 homers, roped 5 doubles, and produced a .467 wOBA & 198 wRC+ on the month. This performance is backed up by the underlying figures from July, but it seems that he is outperforming what his peripherals suggest to some degree still.
Dansby Swanson – Lieutenant Dans had an unspectacular month, but not “bad.” He remains a solid and probably underrated player by virtue of having a well rounded game without any standout “box score” tools.
Mike Tauchman – Tauchman is a journeyman that has been in search of a solid role for most of his career. His July saw him earn close to steady PAs and he rewarded the Cubs with a strong performance.
Seiya Suzuki/Christopher Morel – Suzuki has had a disjointed season so far. July was not that notable on the stat sheet but his underlying metrics hint that his true talent is better than what he has shown to date in 2023.
Morel has been featured in this piece almost every month. He is a fascinating study in the ups & downs of a tools over present skills player. When he is “hot” the production is enough to overlook the warts. When he is “cold” it can get ugly. He approached a 40% K rate in July but still produced a .349 wOBA & 120 wRC+.
Pitching
Jameson Taillon – Old friend Jameo pieced together a great July. Across 5 starts Taillon went 3-0 with a 2.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 24/8 K/BB. While it was not terribly flashy, it was a good month and he looks healthier than he has for most of the season to date.
Bullpen – Outside of Alzolay, who has been very sharp all year, most of the rest of the bullpen faltered. Leiter, Merryweather, & Fulmer all had tough goes in July. Javier Asaad picked up the slack and had 19.1 strong innings with a sub-1.00 ERA & WHIP.
Justin Steele – Steele’s July was good, but not great. His command continued to be plus and kept his results in check despite his not being all that sharp. His season has been a success so far and he should keep chugging along with his breakout as long as the command sticks around.
Kyle Hendricks – We can probably just copy and paste last month’s blurb here. Hendricks just keeps rolling with quality innings and his trademark plus plus command.
Minor League Check In
Cade Horton – Horton remains one of the Cubs best pitching prospects. July wasn’t tremendous, but he did close the month out with a wonderful start to carry into August.
Ben Brown – Brown is the most likely to debut in 2023 of all Cubs pitching prospects. His big issue will be finding his command consistently. While he has yet to do so at AAA, it seems likely that he will be a Major League caliber pitcher in some capacity on the strength of his slider alone.
Owen Cassie – Cassie had himself a time in July. We haven’t discussed him yet, but July has him on the map again. He possesses big time, top of the scale raw power that FanGraphs slaps a 70 present/80 future grade on. July saw him keep his approach sound and it led to some big production with a .480 wOBA & 187 wRC+ in AA. As is the key with his profile, keeping the K% and approach in check will be the key to his ultimate output.
Haydn McGeary – McGeary’s July in itself was not incredibly notable, but he is an interesting 1B prospect. It remains to be seen if he can hit for enough power to be an impact bat, but his season has been pretty strong on the whole. A definite bat to keep an eye on in this system.
Matt Shaw – Selected 13th overall in the draft, Shaw has debuted and already finds himself playing in A+. Shaw is just an across-the-board ball player. All of his scouting reports give him a chance to have above average hit/power along with average to above speed/defense it is also often mentioned that he has that dawg in em’ when it comes to being a baseball rat.
St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals were sellers at the 2023 deadline. However, the offense was quite good in July. Total fWAR by hitters/starters/bullpen looked like:
Offense: 5.9 (2nd)
Pitching: 3.6 (3rd)
Starters: 2.2 (7th)
Bullpen: 1.4 (t3rd)
The pitching is almost certain to regress in overall output going forward, but the offense should remain productive.
Lineup
Lars Nootbar – Preseason darling Nootbar had himself a month in July. 6 homers, 3 doubles, 1 triple, 24 runs, and 12 RBI. It looks like he is healthy at the moment and his performance backs that notion up.
Brendan Donovan – Donovan’s leveling up season was cut short by an arm injury that will keep him out the rest of the way. A disappointing end for him, but he should be a key cog in the Cardinals core going forward.
Tyler O’Neill – A poor start, off the field concerns, and injury have O’Neill playing catch up to expectation. Canada’s most jacked son is the type of player that has a tantalizing set of tools that will keep earning him chances at regular playing time. A relatively small, 41 PA sample size saw O’Neill trending in the right direction by keeping the Ks in check sporting a 17.1/19.5 BB%/K%. If this sticks, O’Neill figures to be a prominent member of the Red Birds lineup.
Pitching
Jordan Hicks/Jordan Montgomery/Jack Flaherty – The trade deadline saw the Cards say goodbye to this trio of pitchers. Know Your Enemy would like to issue a fond farewell to them and wish them luck in their new homes in the American League. We’ll see you in the funny papers, boys.
Steven Matz – Matz had a wonderful July. He had the benefit of some good matchups, but he has also added some velocity to his sinker that is making his entire arsenal play better. It remains to be seen if this velocity gain will stick, but it did through his 29 innings in July. He looks good right now!
Giovanny Gallegos/JoJo Romero – Gallegos & Romero tied the Milwaukee 8th/9th pairing fWAR output on the month with a combined 1.2. While Gallegos was not the closer at this time, he now finds himself in that spot with the departure of Hicks. He is a capable RP and should be able to handle the closer role when called upon.
Minor League Check In
Tink Hence – Tink’s July was a continuance of his June. He is adapting to AA well and still presents as one of the premier pitching prospects in the minor leagues. The command waivered just a bit and saw his BB rate jump to 7.5%, still comfortably solid, but a hair off nonetheless. It isn’t impossible to see him make his way to AAA, but that will depend on how aggressive St. Louis wants to get with moving the youngster.
Masyn Winn – Perhaps best known for his huge throwing arm at short, Winn went on a huge power binge in July. He mashed 8 homers, 8 doubles, 3 triples, with a .489 wOBA & 183 wRC+. He will likely see time in the Majors down the stretch and should his bat keep trending like this, he’s got a real chance at being an impact player with an all around above-average base of skills.
Chase Davis – The PAC 12 standout, Davis was the 21st pick in the draft this year. Davis has made his professional debut with an assignment to Low A. He possesses tremendous power and a track record of not chasing bad pitches. In his brief time in Low A he has had some swing & miss issues, but the sample is far too small to draw much from. He is an exciting prospect.
The division is still a dogfight at the top. There are scenarios that can develop yet where any of Cincinnati, Milwaukee, or Chicago could take this thing. The month of August will help to clear this up some, but there is a possibility that we get even less separation between the top 3 contenders. Join us again next month and we will find out what happened and who stood out!
Trade deadline is over, Pirates suffered minimal damage. Even if you didn’t want someone moved who was, all I can really say is they helped get to this record, so it stands to reason change needed to come. When you shoot for that change, you aren’t likely going to believe it’ll matter as much if it comes from someone you don’t consider having room left to reach their ceiling.
Question 1
How would you describe the state of our bullpen compared to the group coming out of Spring Training? – @JGor492 on Twitter
I mean there are 4 members who remain, and 2 of those have been on the IL for stretches. We entered the season with what really amounted to 1 Rule 5 selection lefty, and I think at this point, it’s safe to feel like they might have found something with Perdomo and Borucki. Back end with Bednar and Holderman, well, it’s been ok. Bednar has for the second straight season not looked the same in the second half. It’s early, but you watch the games, he’s getting the job done, but let’s just say he’s got a bag full of IKEA parts left over when he’s done. Holderman has had his struggles, but also shown what there is to like.
Bluntly, I don’t get the impression they know what to do with Moreta. Is he a long inning, low pressure guy, or is he a fireman who can give you the 7th or 8th when he needs to?
Yerry looks sincerely good, in fact, it’s feeling like they might be holding him back a bit at this point.
All in all, it’s a better mix than it started with but I’m not sure it feels like a complete unit until some more players make it hard for this manager to overthink things, I think it will always feel that way. Meaning if a guy has some kind of strange split number, or whatever, he’s always going to manage in that fashion, right or wrong…probably wrong.
It’s also been nice to see Cherington have a much quicker hook with poor performance.
Question 2
How will they divide the infield reps for the last two months? – @412pghcommenter on Twitter
Feels like we’re watching it, well, at least until and if Oneil Cruz returns.
They’ll use this 3 man rotation of Gonzales, Peguero and Williams seemingly with no real defined parameters. Now, one would think getting hot at the plate would create a bit more playing time for anyone who did so, but that hasn’t been the case for Peguero has it?
They could even add Bae back into this mix, although I’m hearing they see him more in the CF mix but if you’ve been paying attention to the makeup of the roster (and I know you do) it’s become very right handed, so you could see them mix Bae back in at 2B to change that a tad.
Ongoing story is the truth. I can’t account for a guy I’m not even sure will play the field when he returns like Cruz, not yet anyway.
Question 3
What do think is keeping Miguel Andujar from being in Pittsburgh? Can he play any first base? Seems like he doesn’t have anything to prove at AAA. – Don Jacobsen on FaceBook
Well Don, he “can” play 1B, 3B, OF and of course, DH. At the MLB level though, he probably shouldn’t play any of them regularly.
What’s prevented him is how many shots he’s gotten since his 2018 ROY finalist breakout. There’ve been injuries, and blocking, and probably a little unfairness, but above all, every time he’s been given a shot for an extended period of time, he doesn’t’ just fail, he collapses.
Someone else will give him a chance next year, and if there were to be a significant injury to someone like Conner Joe, or Rivas, or Cutch, I could see them giving him another look.
All I can say here is if you lend your kid your car and 3 straight times she brings it home with a smashed fender, you might not hand her the keys that 4th time.
Question 4
Should the rotation the rest of the year look like this: Keller, Oviedo, Priester, Fail and Wolf? – @MZylinski on Twitter
I’d like to know how you see the starting rotation the remainder of the year. – Wilbert Matthews on FaceBook
LOL, I’m pretty sure you mean Falter, not Fail, same meaning, different name. Wolf will start in AA. I think you’re going to see Keller, Oviedo, Priester, Falter, Bido and at some point they’ll probably squeak in Jared Jones, maybe Kyle Nicolas, maybe Ortiz or Contreras make a return trip.
Reality, it’s not going to feel super settled.
Falter should step right in though, he’s got more experience than most of the Pirates other options. Wolf got a spot start, but he has no AAA experience and being as they started him in AA, chances are they don’t see him as an option right away.
Question 5
I can’t shake the feeling that the Pirates are going to regret trading Castro. Did the Pirates give up on him too soon? Or should we view moving on from guys we thought possibly had a future here the next step in this rebuild? – @npc210 on Twitter
Nick, I think you know I had very high hopes for Castro. The power is very real and if anyone is able to reach him and harness what he does I think you’ll see him go ham. Philly is a great place for him, offensively they preach and execute an all or nothing hitting style so I’m not even sure Philly will feel they have to tweak much just to get eyes on their utility replacement.
Unfortunately, Castro won’t be the last we wind up feeling this way about. There are simply too many kids still coming to expect this mix is just going to grow together unbroken. I’m even sure they’ll be wrong about more than a few. Bae is another guy who right now it appears getting at bats could be tough once he’s healthy. Couldn’t you see him flying around opponent’s outfield gobbling up would be doubles and stealing 45 bases?
It’s all part of it I suppose.
That said, not making a decision is as bad as making a wrong one. Might as well choose something and hope for being right. They certainly did try with him, probably don’t value him as highly if he isn’t’ a switch hitter.
Question 6
When looking at Rivas, I feel like we could be a place holder for Nunez, martin or another potential prospect, or they could put endy, trilio, joe at 1st depending on matchups, which makes sense. My question is what is your opinion on Rivas? In his small sample size, he looks like a 4a / bench guy, but I hope he proves me wrong. – Billy Tissue on FaceBook
I know all the names in our minor league system that are supposed to help, but I’m sorry, I don’t see anyone here or brought in next Spring as a placeholder for any of them.
Mason Martin’s power is awe inspiring, but he simply can’t hit the baseball enough. Nunez hasn’t been healthy and when he is, hasn’t been all that exciting.
Defensively, Rivas is very good over there, so as he plays this season out, I think he’ll show that part is up to snuff, but he just hasn’t been good enough at the plate to believe he’s going to turn a bunch of heads in 2 months of part time ball.
Reality is this is a free agent position next year again.
The other path, could be moving someone, but it’d have to be someone who’s going to hit for some power. And at some point, we’re also going to have to stop calling the position a waste of an arm. We tend to come up with excuses why people can’t play certain places, and at this stage, they don’t need to be so rigid.
Question 7
Is Oviedo a starter long term ? The cardinals didn’t think so. He seems like a great swing guy on a good team or did we put smart the cardinals and get a legit starter for the next several years – Ryan Antonucci on Facebook
Quite frankly, what the Cardinals thought doesn’t matter anymore. He’s been a starter all year and regularly taken them through 6 innings. That my friend is a starter. If he remains one, well, that depends on how well the Pirates build out the rotation doesn’t it?
For instance, next Spring Keller, and Oviedo are probably the only 2 who can walk in feeling like they know they have a rotation spot.
They’ll have to sign free agents, I’d grab 2, who knows what they’ll do. Priester, and Jones, Ortiz and Contreras all have some claim, probably Falter too. When all that dust settles, who knows, maybe he does migrate back to the pen.
For the foreseeable future, yes, he’s a starter.
Question 8
I’ve always been a fan of Peguero. He’s just always been fun to watch even in the minors and I must say I love the way he’s been playing in the field and what he’s been doing with the bat lately if he keeps this up do you see the pirates maybe trying to flip a guy like Gonzales this off-season who’s struggled with the strikeouts even in his minor league career? – Tyler Riggs on FaceBook
They certainly could. I’d put forward though, you don’t want to sell low on a number one pick.
There is definitely some scrap on this team, I’m just not sure I’m ready to decide whom that is. Gonzales, Bae, heck, maybe it takes Termarr to get a pitcher with control back from someone. Any of those names though could wind up being moved to make room, it’s one of the many many questions they have to toil with this offseason.
Question 9
I guess I wish they would’ve kept Santana for another year, as that seems more valuable than an 18 year old wildcard – especially if you’re trying to win in 2024. The rest of the trades I don’t mind, although I still think Castro is a 20 homer guy.
So we can replace Hill with Hill minus two decades, and replace 1B with a young guy who can approximate the production of Choi/Santana. I hope that isn’t the long term answer.
All in all, I think the moves are a net positive, but probably not a huge upgrade. Does that feel about right? – Ed Fleming on FaceBook
There is no reason they can’t just sign Santana next year if they want to, he’s a free agent, which is also why he was moved.
It’s an upgrade, it’s just impossible to tell how much, or when it’ll help. Lucky thing that’s not really what they were trying for. I think you can continue to bring in quality youngsters no matter what stage you are in a build and the Pirates didn’t alter their timeline with anything they did at the deadline.
The only moves they made that really effect next year are Wolf and Falter. 2 lefties that could absolutely get a shot to be in the rotation even if just parts of it heading forward.
Question 10
What is your opinion on left handed starters that don’t throw that hard? – James Littleton on FaceBook
It always feels like there are 4 or 5 of these floating around the league every season and every season I drive myself nuts wondering why we can’t hit them. So I personally had a blast watching guys strikeout on Rich Hill’s Bugs Bunny ball.
There isn’t much to say here aside from the fact you have a better shot to stick as a soft tossing lefty than a righty ever would, there simply must be a reason for that.
8-2-23 – By Craig W. Toth – @BucsBasement on Twitter
There were a stretch of games-even with the team wasn’t playing/hitting particularly well-that the Pirates seemed to have a knack for getting to a ball clubs ace. Today wasn’t one of those unexpected occasions.
Prior to the matinee from PNC-and especially up until around 6 PM last night-the certainty of Pittsburgh facing Detroit’s pitching leader in multiple statistical categories was slightly clouded by the trade rumors surrounding him.
In the end, Eduardo Rodriguez invoked his 10-team no trade clause; essentially squashing a potential deal with the Dodgers to keep him in a Tigers uniform for at least a few more months.
Then, as if nothing had happened, Rodriguez took the mound and pretty much did what he has done all year. I mean just look at his season long stats coming into this start.
2.95 ERA with a 1.03 WHIP across 88.1 innings and 15 starts.
Lasting 6 innings-and throwing 93 pitches-he gave up a couple of runs on 7 hits and one walk, while striking out 5 Pirates batters; Rodriguez earned his 7th win of the year.
For the home team, Osvaldo Bido is showing that he isn’t a realistic option for the starting rotation, as he got into some real trouble at the start of the fourth inning. Ultimately he gave up 1 run, but was charged with the other two after Ryan Borucki couldn’t stop the bleeding.
Sure the team showed some fight in the bottom of the ninth, only to have the game end in the most Piratey way possible. Ke’Bryan Hayes taking a called strike three-out of the zone-with the bases loaded.
News & Notes
Cutch went 3 for 4 on the day with an RBI; ending a streak that began all the way back on June 30th in Milwaukee.
Henry Davis is now 0 for 20 over his last five games after coming out of the All-Star Break swinging. He punched…now the league is punching back again.
Maybe Bido can find a place in the bullpen, but for now the team needs innings. Although, the 3 IP looks more like a long relief appearance, rather than an actual start.
De Los Santos was tasked with finishing out the game after surrendering a pinch hit homer to Jake Rogers in the top of the 8th.
I was surprised to discover that Connor Joe batted .278 with a .783 OPS in extremely limited work during the month of July. Every team needs a reliable bench bat. He just can’t be the guy to lead off the game.
Following this quick-2 game-series split, your Pirates head to Milwaukee for a 4 game set with the Brewers; which starts tomorrow night.
For Pittsburgh Mitch Keller (9-7/3.94 ERA/1.21 WHIP) takes the bump against Adrian Houser (3-3/4.43 ERA/1.57 WHIP).
Craig and Chris look at the moves the Pirates made-minus Hedges and Castro-leading up to the MLB Trade Deadline, as well as where they might have missed the mark concerning some potential opportunities to improve the team for the future.
Brought to you by ShopYinzz.com! Craig Toth covers the Pirates for Inside The Bucs Basement, and joins his buddy Chris at a 9-foot homemade oak bar to talk Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball. Listen. Subscribe. Share. We are “For Fans, By Fans & All Pirates Talk.” THE Pirates Fan Podcast found EVERYWHERE podcasts can be found and always at BucsInTheBasement.com!
Is your thumb tired? If it is, I understand. Much like myself, you were probably scrolling Twitter, *cough* sorry I mean “X”, during the waning hours of the 2023 trade deadline.
The Pirates made three more moves prior to the 6pm ET deadline on Tuesday, seeing the departures of Rich Hill and Ji-Man Choi to San Diego, Austin Hedges to Texas and Rodolfo Castro to Philadelphia.
After all the news of the trade deadline, which as it does every year, didn’t disappoint, we still had baseball to play on the North Shore.
Pittsburgh kicked off the month of August and the first game post-trade deadline against the Detroit Tigers and didn’t wait to let the young players continue their takeover.
The first inning came and went, but a Connor Joe single, who I’ll add will likely man first base for the most part of the end of the season, led to an Endy Rodriguez triple, his second in the past few days, to give the Pirates an early advantage.
Liover Peguero would add to the Pirates lead shortly after with a 102.9 mph, 400 foot shot over the left field wall to give the Pirates a 3-0 lead through the first two innings.
A point of emphasis for the final two months of the season will surely be keeping the rotation and bullpen healthy and performing well, and Johan Oviedo answered the call Tuesday night, pitching seven strong innings of one-run baseball while adding five strikeouts against the Tigers lineup.
Josh Palacios, who hit the walk-off home run to win the series against the Phillies on Sunday(see my last game recap *wink*), would add to the Pirates lead in the fourth, scoring Jared Triolo on a sacrifice fly.
Angel Perdomo would relieve Oviedo after his strong start, pitching a scoreless eighth inning to keep a three-run advantage for the Pirates.
After a scoreless eighth, David Bednar would come on for the save opportunity in the ninth.
Bednar shut the door on the Tigers to win the first game of the two-game set against the Tigers in the Jim Leyland Cup 4-1.
With the win, the Pirates are now 7-3 in their last 10 games and 10 games under .500 at 48-58. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez(2.95 ERA), who used his no-trade clause to block a trade from the LA Dodgers Tuesday, will face off with RHP Osvaldo Bido(4.50 ERA) on Wednesday.
News & Notes
Pirates see departures of Carlos Santana, Rich Hill, Ji-Man Choi, Austin Hedges and Rodolfo Castro during 2023 trade deadline
Acquire 5 players along with international bonus pool money across four trades
Johan Oviedo line: 7.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Endy Rodriguez picks up second triple of MLB career
Liover Peguero homers for the third time
Alika Williams has first multi-hit performance of MLB career
8/1/23 By Craig W. Toth (aka @BucsBasementon Twitter)
They say time flies when you are having fun; but, the same could be said for what happens when you are insanely busy.
Over the past month I have gone on two vacations, celebrated a National Holiday in the middle of the week and had my Mom come down to visit the family for a week.
Sure all of this has been immensely enjoyable, however, it has left little down time to do much of anything else; especially keeping up with providing the weekly Top 5 Pirates Prospect Performers that some of you have come to enjoy.
Now, I can’t guarantee that a stretch like this won’t happen again-as I always put my family first-but I hope to be more consistent with my blogging; to go along with the two weekly podcasts I put out on a near constant basis.
Plus, if I am being totally honest, there would have been weeks that coming up five names would have been a pretty difficult task.
Throughout the Pirates Farm System guys have been showing flashes, yet haven’t been nearly consistent enough to be touted as a Top 5. At least not without some explaining away the unremarkable nature of their overall statistics; which might still happen in this month long look.
1) Termarr Johnson-SS/2B (Bradenton)
Yes, that Termarr Johnson. The first round pick from a year ago, who people were calling a bust after his first few weeks; following a Spring Training injury that delayed his start to the season. Because, you know, 6 weeks off doesn’t effect a player at all.
By the end of May, Johnson had worked his way up to a .264 AVG with a .752 OPS and a 118 wRC. However, his power had yet to arrive-he only had one homer at that point-and he was striking out at a 35.2% rate.
Then June started; and ultimately led into July.
Over the past two months, the Georgia High School Product has crushed an additional 12 homers, while raising his OPS and wRC+ to .867 and 142 respectively. Johnson has also walked more than he has struck out during this time frame-23.9 to 22.5%.
Termarr Johnson is 🔥 as can be.
Here's the fourth home run in the past five games with the @The_Marauders for the @Pirates' top prospect.
Termarr takes a different approach with 2 strikes and sends this oppo for a double. Everything I see says natural hitter #skillspic.twitter.com/nQv543mMcw
Termarr Johnson is heating up! The #pirates IF prospect keeps hitting Home Runs & he added no 11 in the first inning vs Dunedin. What a prospect he is🟨⬛️ #LetsGoBucspic.twitter.com/bwGnb9ueNs
Does this mean that all of the concerns surrounding a recently turned 19 year old young man have magically vanished?
Absolutely not.
On the year he is batting .244: which is less than ideal for a contact hitter with some pop.
But, I’m not really concerned at all. There’s plenty of time to find a balance between the contact and power; or maybe even add a little more contact in without losing the power.
2) Josiah Sightler-1B/DH (Bradenton/Greensboro)
Let’s just get this out of the way.
Sightler is 23 years old; which seems to be the biggest knock on him at the moment.
Even in High-A Greensboro, he’s still almost a year older than the average player at that level.
In my mind that means he’s doing exactly what he is supposed to against the competition…putting up video game numbers.
Across the lower half of the Pirates Minor League System, Sightler-last year’s 15th round pick out of the University of South Carolina-has posted a .429/.508/.724 slash line, with 8 long balls across 130 plate appearances. More importantly he has struck out 16 times and walked 17. He’s not chasing.
When #pirates corner prospect Josiah Sightler came to bat his average was .487. Then he got this hit. @__Murphy88 has been touting him as a high caliber hitter so it’s fair to mention the 1.374OPS, 18RBI in 40AB(12gms) and the .825 SLG. Also 7BB,5K Credit to the complex staff too pic.twitter.com/bNlQQ7nsnV
— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 26, 2023
Still, I will remain more focused on those K and BB rates.
3) Esmerlyn Valdez-1B/OF (FCL)
Valdez was inked to a deal on opening day of the delayed International Signing Period back in January of 2021 from Peravia in the Dominican Republic.
This move probably went unnoticed by most due to $2.3 million signing bonus given to Shalin Polanco. Still, it’s these low level acquisitions that sometimes end up making a larger impact in the grand scheme of things; if you can develop the player properly.
As far as Valdez is concerned, all of his hard work-and development-at the complex at Pirate City seems to be paying off.
Following a somewhat lackluster introduction to the states-as an 18 year old-last season; he has come out swinging in 2023. His .725 OPS has risen to 1.074; along with an .388 AVG, that only reached .232 in 2022.
And, as you can see the power is real.
Currently working in the OF, with some first base mixed in, Valdez has the versatility that Ben Cherington and Company have come to embrace.
Now, if we could only see him in Bradenton before the end of the year.
4) Tres Gonzalez-OF (Greensboro)
Back when the Top 5s were a weekly thing. Gonzalez had become a regular; even after the early season promotion to Greensboro.
It’s good to see that things haven’t changed.
Over the past two months the Georgia Tech Product has posted a respectable .288/.397/.407 slash line, a 126 wRC+ and a 17.5% K to 13.3% BB rate.
But, beware of the other number-5 long balls-that has come along during his time with the Grasshoppers. Homers aren’t really his thing. Although, it is nice to see him showing some pop to all parts of the field.
— Greensboro Grasshoppers (@GSOHoppers) July 27, 2023
5) Bubba Chandler-RHP (Greensboro)
Thus far in his professional career Chandler has tossed just north of 119 innings; with only the last 78 coming during a time when he was focusing on simply being on the mound. Not to mention the fact that he was a legit two sport athlete up until two years ago.
When the Pirates pried him away from Clemson, he was extremely raw; and in some ways-especially when it comes to command-he still is. However, his last couple of starts may indicate that he is turning a corner.
Over his last 21 innings of work, Chandler has walked 7 batters; with only one in last 10. Meanwhile, he has struck out 23; including an 8 strikeout, shutout performance following the All-Star Break.
On the season he has a 5.54 ERA and a 1.667 WHIP, both of which are nothing to write home about.
Nevertheless, I’ll take the 2.27 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in the month of July. At least as far as potentially moving in the right direction.
Because until they start to perform at the Major League Level, that’s all any of these guys are, right?
Conclusion
There you have it! My Top 5 Pirates Prospect Performers for the whole dang month of July.
Now remember, let me know if I missed anyone, and who your Top 5 would be. And, be sure check back each and every Tuesday-ish (hopefully) during Minor League Baseball Season.
Justin Verno- Welcome to the 2023 MLB August Trade Deadline! It’s finally here, Corey.
Corey Shrader- Here we are, almost at the end. It felt like the lead up to this deadline saw the fan base thinking the team would be buyers and now we are seeing more of a swing toward the expectation of being sellers!
JV- Things can change fast in the NL Central, to say the least. Leading up to today’s deadline we’ve seen a lot of smoke in regards to our Buccos. What started as a slower rumor period has just gone off like fireworks at your drunk uncle’s 4th of July cook out.
CS- The rumors on the whole really did really begin with a trickle. In the last week or so the cracks in the dam have started to flow through. We’re rocking and rolling now.
JV- And here we go, listed below are the as many rumors as I could find Corey. If I missed one let me know.
JV- Corey, the ship has sailed on these two tidbits? Unless you think taking the last two series before the deadline could drastically shift their way of thinking?
CS- No, I personally do not think it sways the course. Had they torn off an April-esque pace in July, maybe. But I think the team would “buy” via selling with the intent to set up 2024.
NEXT
JV- The Bucs have made clear that the intention is to keep Cutch. They want him and he wants them. I still think teams will call, and in this case we have a specific team, the Rangers.
It adds that the Rangers would like him packaged with a certain pitcher. Coery, this could be referring to a starter, Keller or Hill? In which case the Rangers have addressed those holes. But it could be referring to David Bednar.
CS- With the way that Texas has attacked the starting pitching market thus far, it would lead me to believe that they might have more desire to pursue a Bednar related move here. It is worth noting that the acquisition of Jordan Montomgery almost immediately coincided with the announcement of Nathan Eovaldi going to the IL with “minor forearm soreness.”
JV- And one of those guys are likely to find themselves in the BP once Eovaldi returns, I think we can safely take Bednar off that radar.
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
JV- If you missed the last piece, here’s the link. I’m not sure I have too much to add here, Corey? Maybe that the market remains a sellers market (based on recent deals) and we may have sold short on both Keller and Bednar?
CS- Judging what we have seen so far, it is a sellers market at this point in time. These things can shift quickly, however. If a team were to come very aggressively for either a deal may happen seemingly out of nowhere.
AND THIS ONE
JV- This one seems like the previous ones until I spotted that last name.
CS- It remains a constant that Hill will more than likely end 2023 on another major league roster. Holderman is a relatively unheard name by most other rumors. Makes some sense to hear him generating interest. Good stuff, has experience with high leverage situations.
JV- Bullpen arms are so volatile from year to year, you have to pick up the phone if a team comes calling. But the Surplus Value is going to be impossible to gauge, he has the look of a future closer or a top notch fireman and with that much control I have a hard time making sense of moving him unless they get just blown away?
Bednar, Bednar and more Bednar-
JV- Of all the teams in the league…
CS- Let me just say that if they come calling, I’d ask for the moon. Wouldn’t be realistic to ask for Pete Crow-Armstrong, but Cade Horton + another mid to upper end piece would be my starting point.
JV- PCA is an unreasonable ask, one that I would want GMBC to hold to myself. Make. Them. Pay. But a big second place purse of prospects might get it done if Cubs are so inclined.
JV- This was one of the first Bednar rumors we heard with a specific team attached to it. And I have to say Corey I think this is a team to watch. With a few possible targets that could work. Brandon Pfaadt being an obvious name.
CS- Pfaadt is a pretty clear 1:1 candidate. Someone like Jake McCarthy would also be enticing. They’ve got a farm system capable of putting together a very legit deal.
JV- Asking for Alex Thomas is likely off the table now, but it nevers hurts to ask.
JV- This is from Robert Murray and it basically states the obvious as far as Bednar is concerned. “The rent is too damn high”. This is something that went without saying, Corey.
CS- Great Jimmy McMillan reference! The price is high & with good reason. The deals that have been completed so far show us that sellers have been holding the cards.
JV- There does seem to be a lot of smoke regarding Bednar this trade season and I suppose that’s to be expected when the Buc are the ones that put it out there that they would “listen” on Bednar.
There’s more there Corey. It gives a little on Rich Hill and Austin Hedges as well. I think we do see both moved before the day is done.
CS- It would be a shock to see either Hill or Hedges on the Pittsburgh roster by the end of the season. By hook or by crook, I think they will finish their season on another major league team. The right partner will be a bit tricky and the deal might not come until the market narrows (right at the deadline), but I expect it to happen.
And now Keller…
JV- Dodger’s still looking at adding a starter is a tad surprising considering they’ve already added some. But here we are. And Corey was on it last week when he gave a breakdown on what moving Keller to LAD could look like.
CS- Dodgers would be a terrific pairing for Pittsburgh should they decide to move Keller. I think he fits their mold well in terms of what he offers in his arsenal. I’d say that Mitch Keller might be the premier name rumored to be on the market at this point when you factor in his remaining control & age. Moving Keller seems the least likely outcome to me in my gut.
JV- One last point I’d like to talk about: Jason Mackey appeared on 93.7 FM The Fan. In an interview he mentioned that the Arizona Diamondbacks asked about Mitch Keller’s availability. I can see that, and I do think the D-Backs are a team to watch on Keller or Bednar. Easy leap to make with the pieces they have.
CS- Arizona looks like they are going to really pursue this thing. Keller/Bednar make sense given their “window” looks like it is just opening now. That said, their farm feels sort of top heavy to me when I really take a long look at it. I do not believe they would part with either of their big ticket items, shortstop Jordan Lawlar or outfielder Druw Jones, to land Keller or both, even. Would the Bucs GM make a more “quantity” based deal? That remains to be seen, but I do not believe he would in this case.
JV- I think that about covers it. Sit back, relax and enjoy the 23 MLB Trade Deadline!
The trade deadline is near, and normally I’d probably spend a bunch of time going over all the rumors and offering some suggested moves, but folks, this year honestly is boring. Hill, Hedges, Choi, and an outside shot at some fringe player, that’s about what you have, and frankly, I’m just not interested.
So take a break from it, well, mostly, with me as we talk a little about what the next steps could look like.
Let’s Do it.
1. Another Short Stop!?!?
Of all the things that happen when the Pirates acquire a very young talent, this is probably the most annoying.
Young, talented players gravitate to the most athletic spots on the field. Think back to your Pony league days, or whatever level, where did the best players play? Starting pitcher, Catcher, Centerfield and short stop right?
For Pitchers, just about anyone who’s anyone aged 16-19 or so are starting pitchers. Now, do the math, how many of them actually make it all the way through the attrition of the minor league system, and to MLB and remain starting pitchers?
In the field, you have catchers, short stops, and centerfielders. Rarely do you see a 18 year old first baseman for instance. You don’t often hear this kid is a right fielder.
You’re not drafting or acquiring positions, instead, you’re acquiring tools.
The main comment under the Santana trade on any post just about anywhere was the headline of this point, and honestly, it’s just beyond tired.
Moves like this are really about 3 things. Tools, frame (especially for international kids signed at 16 and have growing to do), and if everything is even, maybe position is the tie breaker. Tools are the first, and most important. The five tools that are graded for an MLB position player are hitting, power, running, fielding, and throwing.
They are graded on all those tools in a range from 20-80, 20 being the basement and 80 being elite.
So if a kid has even 1 tool that grades out at 80, you’ll see many teams consider them a worthy player to try to develop.
Why?
For instance, Jhonny Severino has a 55 grade tool rating on his power and arm. This translates to probably being able to throw a ball at 88 MPH and 19-22 homeruns.
That’s not a prediction of what he’ll produce, it’s a prediction of what he could produce if these tools are able to shine through everything else that happens with him.
A “shortstop” with less than a 55 Fielding tool rating, likely won’t be a short stop. Get it?
I beg you, think of these kid acquisitions more as arms/bats, and less as 3B, or SP, or CP, or whatever. None of that matters until the arm/bat prove they need to matter.
I picture many of you seeing an 18 year old SS acquired and immediately assuming they’re going to be useless because of Oneil Cruz and all the other players you see floating around the MLB level right now, and all I’m saying is if it ever comes to that, you won’t be sad. You instead should be on your knees thanking the lord that somehow this lottery ticket panned out.
These tools change as years go on, for instance, Jack Suwinski at draft time was given a 55 grade power tool, which he’s already exceeded. Plenty have undershot their tool grades too of course.
It’s a bat, that’s all this is, and a bat the team doesn’t expect, even if everything goes right before at least 2026 or 2027. By then, who knows where he’ll play, if he matters, or for that matter who will be playing where with the big club.
Finally, for those who simply don’t want the team to add youngsters at this stage, I’d suggest had Neal Huntington done it a bit more perhaps they’d have had more to promote when they started letting the 2015 core fall apart/retire.
I’m not even trying to convince you Severino is a great pickup or that they should have traded Santana, it’s not about that, it’s more about just understanding what this is, and more importantly, what we have no way of knowing about how his or the club’s future plays out.
It’s a bat, that’s it.
2. Mitch Keller Won’t Be Moved
He won’t be moved because simply, they can’t sell progress next year if they move on from one of the guys who will likely be most responsible for it.
Heading into the off season, the Pirates already likely must acquire 2 starting pitchers, moving Keller would make that 3, and even if you get one back for him, nobody wants to watch Denny Neagle’s first few years. He was acquired from Minnesota and was “league ready”, unfortunately he didn’t look league ready for 3-4 seasons.
They have plenty of that going on right now already.
The Pirates are asking for a lot, and listening, get used to that, because for ever and ever this is what’s going on behind the scenes with every MLB club. Yes, even the normally mighty Cardinals did so with Nolan Arenado this very year.
Someone out there has I’m quite sure called Ben Cherington and asked what it would take to get Oneil Cruz. I’m sure he politely listened, and declined.
If someone saw you washing your car and asked if you’d listen to an offer on your house, no strings attached, just listen. You don’t think of the school district and renovations you have planned. You listen and maybe they offer something crazy over what you know it’s worth. Maybe you find out it’s not worth what you hoped, at least to this guy. Either way, you listen because you just might be wowed.
This isn’t happening, and the pressure that will come with 2024 to show not just marginal improvement but really compete for the division isn’t going to allow them to move the one matured, under team control top of the rotation starting pitcher they have.
Things like this, well, the fears that they’re going to do something like this at this point, largely come from people who didn’t understand what they were doing in 2020, or 2021, or any year really. Really pay attention and you see how much less the Pirates are actually in the news at this deadline. There’s a reason for that, even if you don’t believe it’s true.
Rule of thumb, this year through probably 2027, don’t expect them to willingly take steps back with an eye toward the future. They’ll make moves, but none that will adversely (at least on paper) effect the timeline.
3. Real Camp Battles
Every year we say there are “battles” here and “battles” there, and every year we shut off our cameras or close out our word processors with a little snicker.
In 2024 though, I expect these to be real, and very competitive.
Most will focus on the middle infield for this conversation, and of course, that will be something incredibly cloudy as we enter Spring, but they’ll have them all over the diamond.
Catcher will be interesting. Henry Davis and Endy will both get a shot to win the starting gig, but neither are going to just sit as a backup, in fact they both might catch and the team could still consider having a third.
The outfield is taking shape, but then again, is it? Reynolds is for sure out there, Jack is for sure out there, but what about Bae, Joe, Palacios, Davis? What about some of these middle infielders who get squeezed out of the picture?
They’ll still have useful bats, but positions might be in short supply. Can a guy like Rodolfo Castro learn first base? If a guy like Liover Peguero gets squeezed out of the infield, can he play outfield? Will his bat make them find him a spot?
Is Cruz going to just automatically take SS back or do you use him elsewhere less taxing in the field and let a defensive specialist take over like Williams?
Hayes and Triolo, Nick Gonzales and Peguero, Marcano and Castro, Williams and Cruz, heck even Bae, I mean just think about it, that’s 9 guys with at least a chance to need their bat to get time.
100% great problem to have, but I’d suggest this year, right now, would be the best time to see these guys show other things they can do. Even if it’s in practice.
The more they add into this, the less opportunity some of these kids will get. They have to balance this though, you can’t go into 2024 with a ton of kids and just hope they all find a place to play, you have to bring in some pieces like Cutch again, and likely a first baseman, maybe a proven backup catcher, potentially a solid experienced outfielder. For sure have to get 2 starting pitchers, a real bullpen option who can step right in the 7th or 8th.
As they bring these guys in, we’ll probably more than once ask ourselves, geez, what the hell are we gonna do with all these guys? What about this prospect?
It’s why I hate projected out lineups for 2 years down the road. Team building is all about building options, choosing the right ones, and getting something for the parts you don’t use.
Can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for Spring Training already.
4. The Rest of 2023
If you fill out a lineup card and don’t populate it with almost all kids, you’re doing a disservice to the cause here.
That doesn’t mean Cutch, Joe, Reynolds, Hayes, Choi types shouldn’t play, but if Reynolds and Hayes for instance have back issues, let them rest a bit more, play more kids.
This is a time where you can really treat it like a sandbox environment and the Pirates must take advantage of it.
See if you can figure out how a catching rotation with 2 guys you want to get 550 at bats could work. Start mapping it out, start seeing it in action.
Instead of using Cutch as the everyday DH, make it a floating position. Instead of just having Choi start 60 games to the finish, maybe start subbing him out later in games and trying some other guys over there who you think could help. Maybe Endy is part of that puzzle when trying to get him his at bats when not catching.
I can honestly say, Austin Hedges is the only player on the roster right now that to me just doesn’t’ have a real reason to be here, and if they can’t find anyone to take him tomorrow, I expect them to make that apparent rather quickly.
The more wisely you use 2023, the easier Spring is going to be, the better the chance your educated guesses are educated well.
5. 13 Going on 26
This team as we sit here has 13 players remaining from the opening day roster. An opening day roster that provided that hot start.
That my friends is both transformative, and expected. 2023 was always going to be a youth movement, but if they hadn’t experienced all the injuries they’ve had you’re probably just seeing it ramp up now. In fact, had they not swooned after April, chances are you aren’t seeing it at this level.
Back when the team started struggling in May I said on a podcast that these players would decide what the Pirates did at the deadline, and I firmly believe that has shown itself to be the case. What they showed is, these veterans weren’t enough to keep it floating around competitive, so to the block go many of said veterans.
The best way I can put this could be, There are more players here right now who will still be here at the next deadline than there are from the beginning of this season. In other words, more than 13 guys here will be here all the way at the next deadline.
Doesn’t mean they’ll win, it just means there won’t be nearly the same kind of pressure from AAA (outside of this group that doesn’t make it out of Spring), and the need to give them ample time to prove they aren’t part of this has to be taken.
Steel City Pirates 