The Pirates are more likely than not to land outside the playoff picture in 2020, but they’ve not given up the notion of wreaking some havoc on the NL Central this year. To do so, however, Bryan Reynolds and Kevin Newman will need to avoid the dreaded sophomore slump, writes Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. True enough, Reynolds and Newman came out the gate strong in 2019, posting 3.2 fWAR and 2.4 fWAR, respectively. And yet, teaming their rookie duo with Josh Bell’s breakout bat still only amounted to the 20th-ranked offense by runs scored (758 runs), 19th by wRC+ (92). Beyond these three, the other two Pirates rounding out their top-5 by wRC+ in 2019 now play for different teams (Starling Marte, Corey Dickerson), and the sixth is a pitcher (Steven Brault). Immediately upon the close of 2019, the Pirates had planned to give Brault a go as a two-way player, but with new leadership up and down the organization, it’s unclear what his role will be. Regardless, Jarrod Dyson is the biggest addition made the to position player group this winter. Reynolds and Newman are core pieces of this lineup, and the good news is this: if they do slump in their sophomore seasons, they should have enough leash to find their way back. Let’s jump from the bottom of the NL Central to the top and check in with the reigning divisional champs…
- As Spring Training games kick off (weather permitting), hitters around the league are putting their offseason swing adjustments to the test. Paul Goldschmidt, Harrison Bader, and Matt Carpenter of the Cardinals will all be deploying tweaked swings to some degree as they seek the kind of offensive consistency that eluded the trio last year, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Goldy was the most successful of the three, but his fortunes at the plate sunk and fell seemingly on a monthly basis, and he never quite settled into the type of season to which he is accustomed. A .260 BA was his lowest mark since 2012 by almost thirty points, and while his power remained decidedly above average, it did drop from the astronomical heights of the couple seasons prior. Still, even in a down year, Goldy produced 16% more offense than average. Any substantive regression to his career norms should be enough to raise Goldy’s stock back to the level of franchise cornerstone where the Cardinals expected him to be when they acquired him for three players and a pick last winter.
- Unsurprisingly, Cardinals manager Mike Shildt wasted no time in naming Jack Flaherty their opening day starter, tweets Goold. Flaherty drove the Cardinals second half push to 91 wins and their first divisional crown since 2015. Who follows Flaherty in the rotation is a more compelling question for those in Cardinals camp this spring. There are no shortage of options, from rotation holdovers like Dakota Hudson and Miles Mikolas, to former ace Carlos Martinez, to newcomer Kwang-Hyun Kim. Adam Wainwright will be somewhere in the rotation after a rejuvenating 14-10 season in which he posted a 4.19 ERA/4.36 FIP across 31 starts. The bridge from Flaherty to Wainwright (to Chris Carpenter to Matt Morris) is a tangible reminder of the Cardinals’ institutional success. 2007, Wainright’s first season as a starter, remains the only losing season the Cards have suffered this century (they went 78-84 and finished in third place).
Woooo Go Cards ! Happy Spring Training !
Happy Spring Training, friend!
Still think the Cardinals should go after a #2 or another ace in a trade this year. They have a chance to have a ridiculous starting rotation for years! Wish they got Kubler. Image a rotation of
Flaherty Kubler Martinez Hudson Wainwright.
Flaherty and…nada…Martinez? Ha! Hudson is solid, maybe good, but at best this year a #3. Better hope Mikolas isn’t hurt/ineffective.
C. Martinez—- Once a head case—- Always a head case. Fantastic potential for years! Focus and poor work ethics have absolutely killed Martinez’s credibility.
Kluber not Kubler. And any rotation with Wainwright in it right now is ridiculous. Martinez? Does he even know what planet he is on?
Maurice the Troll. Someone farted on his pillow again
Neither Martinez nor the currently injured Mikolas is better than a No. 2 starter as is. And, when Mikolas comes back, will he be more 2018 or more 2019? Which is more “real”?
Cards had opportunities to make moves for better lefties than they actually wound up getting, too.
But, according to likes of Dee Gooooolllldddd, I’m just part of that noisy section on Twitter who doesn’t think the Mo-Girsch pair is geeenyus.
Pirates couldn’t cause havoc with all the trash cans and cameras they could find
And you couldnt be a very happy troll unless you are spewing garbage
I’m a Pirates fan, born and raised in the burgh. I know a garbage team when I see one. It doesn’t make me happy to see this team but I’m at least realistic. I stopped drinking the kool aid.
At least your team isnt full of liars & cheaters like Trashtro’s.. Bucs will get back to being a solid team again..
Agreed competent GM will go a long way.
This year is going to be a snoozer. Excited to see returns on Archer, Kela and Bell at some point tho.
As commish for my fantasy league, this year, I named it “Bang a Can, Get it On.”
Thanks. That gig is getting old. Now he’s trashing the Bucs with actual trash cans.
Wrong josh bell link
Chicken patties
I swear it is ALWAYS the wrong Josh Bell link.
How many times do you need to look up Josh Bell? If you’ve seen it once, you seen it.
Yeah, everyone who looks at stats memorizes them the first time they look at them, duh.
What if Puig signs with the Pirates on a one year deal? It would create “havoc” within the clubhouse at least.
No one will sign Puig this year. He’s a fan in 2020.
Puig would have to sign for minimum wages. ($7.50 per hour)
Yes but would b their best bat!
Wow! How little people know about pitching. Cards staff is said to good but I see it like a potential nightmare. You got three of the starters who have a history of health issues in Martinez, Waino and Mikolas, then you have Hudson an unproven youngster who got lit up in playoffs. Their #1 is solid and that is it. Pray for tires to stay on this staff. Hitting is depressing here. Goldy is not the threat he once was and is a questionable investment. Carpenter is absolute crap and other then Cardinal hopefuls the mass majority is skeptical about this team. I will personally be surprised if the Cards can finish over 500 without adding pieces.
Keep doubting…minus Ozuna and plus KK this is the exact same team that went to the NLCS…why would the cardinals sign an outfielder when they have Carlson, O’Neill, Thomas that could replace him…and keep saying carp is garbage because i will say that he has a bounce back year… it hey you are entitled to your opinion…cardinals have great depth also…something the rest of the NL central doesn’t have
Cards81—-I appreciate your optimism for the current Cardinals players!!!! I certainly hope you are absolutely correct. But I do feel that even if Matt Carpenter starts off like a bang hitting this season, I feel like it won’t last 3 months. Matt has too many permanent, lifelong injuries which won’t allow him to survive the physical day to day baseball games. He’s having to through stiff armed unless it’s a side throw. He’s not as quick through his swing because of his busted up arm and back. Plus he’s lost that half of a step running of which he didn’t have to lose. As for O’Neil, Carlson and Thomas, they are hustling good little ball players. However, figuring one of them to match Ozuna’s power, homeruns and RBI’s is too much to be expected of Carlson or Thomas. I feel O’Neil has had his shot and what we’ve seen of him the past 2 seasons is the player he really is. But—— I honestly do hope you are correct in your analogy and I’m wrong in mine. I’ll be a Cardinals Organization fan win or lose.
Mike, its not optimism. He is just an idiot. His logic is as follows:
Pro Cardinal Story or comment? Upvote.
Anti Cardinal Story or comment? Ignore
Facts, pro cardinal? Use and cite.
Facts, anti cardinal? Ignore.
And when pressure sets in, cite historical qorld series count. After all, we are BFIB.
When that is no longer valid, change the subject.
I like Lane Thomas as the Cardinals leftfielder to start the season. I’d like to see Tommy Edman get starts in left. Carlson Is going to get to the big leagues quick, so I see him getting the starts in left or center from, say, June or July forward. Ozuna hit well for the Cards last season, I don’t see any of the guys the Cards have filling that 4 spot in the lineup. Cards will win 87 games and miss the playoffs by a couple of games. Cubs and Reds battle to the end for 1st place. Wild card teams will come from the coasts.
Lol I’m glad you’re back Clepto…I love making you look like a fool…how’s it been going? Still doubting the cardinals I see…remember last year when you said they would suck…then they ended up winning the division and going to the NLCS…so keep doubting I love it…also you have never provided facts to any argument you make…you just act like a tough guy and call people “idiot” and back it up with nothing…plus you regurgitate the same thing…get some new material please
@ uncle mike…I get what you are saying but I don’t understand why Ozuna gets so much credit…he wasnt that great…He had a nice surge at the end and that helped win the division but overall I think one of the rookies will provide what he did…about time we found out though…watching baseball today was the greatest…oh, I know it’s spring training and the first game and all but the cardinals won 2-0…first run was an O’Neill HR…second run was driven in by Carlson…once again I know it might not mean anything but then again it’s at least promising
Cards81: I love how you think, in your tarded mind, you are making people look like a fool. Fact of the matter is you are a loser. plain and simple.
And all the facts you claim I said…wrong. Again. But, as I have pointed out many, many, many times, you keep living in your red nation false reality and keep on keeping on.
Go dig it up….all I did was remind you of the middling farm system of the cards, which, per my rules, is a negative comment, hence ignored by morons like you, and yet, is STILL true, loser.
At the end of the day, you are still an uneducated fan, likely a life failure, and I cant help that, nor do I care. All you do is prove my point time in and time out. Its easy to bait the mentally weak, such as you, to do exactly what is predicted.
If you want to continue post how you “embarass” me, feel free, but fact of the matter, you are just inconsequential and I literally laugh at your 3rd grade logic. Congratulations little one.
Lol Clepto I love it…your post alone proves me right…cardinals have a middling farm system lol yet they crank out prospect after prospect…what have you provided time and time again? Like I said you thought they would suck last year but made the NLCS…and they wouldn’t have made it without the depth they have in their farm system…oh Clepto…you crack me up…keep acting tough on the internet though lmao…oh and I was wrong…I don’t make you look like a fool, you do it yourself…someone is getting mad lol
Lol @ Clepto . Always hating on the Cardinals
Lol @ Clepto . Always hating on the Cardinals
Cards81, think about this. Facts be damned, Baseball Prospectus, Fangraphs,etc ALL state middling. Facts are a middling farm system…but CardTard81 says “prospect after prospect” Facts be damned. OK, I am done wasting my time on a below 80 IQ moron.
Resolution is “you cant fix stupid”. I am done urinating on losers like you. Only irritation to me is MY tax dollars are forced to pay for incompetants such as yourself. But, alas, you cant fix stupid, and it is what is is. thats a shame. Enjoy what I am paying for…
Wow! What an eccentric post…I’ll give you facts…the team that just won the division last year had 5 out of 8 position players as cardinals prospects…2 out of the 5 in the rotation…original closer, a cardinals prospect, Hicks down with injury, Martinez, a cardinals prospect takes over closer role…let’s talk about traded prospects…Marlins love Sandy A in the rotation…Yankees love Voit, Indians love Mercado, Arizona thinks they got the best of the Cardinals because the cardinals traded from depth a quality catcher, starter and utility guy…they love that trade…why do all teams seem to love trading with the cardinals,…because they know they are getting great prospects in return.
Didnt read one word. Youre an idiot. Keep typing loser.
Lol ok tough guy…sorry I provided facts you can’t refute
Forgot…Tommy Pham…cardinals prospect…if I think of more I’ll keep you posted
Keith Law from ESPN… 9. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals just keep doing it, even with a complete washout draft in 2017 and misses on their first picks in 2015 and 2016. Their evaluation of Dylan Carlson appears to have been well ahead of everyone else’s, they keep finding and/or creating catchers, and they’ve been shrewd about adding prospects in selected trades to balance out some of the other prospects they’ve traded away. They’re light in the middle infield, but that catching strength, even after trading away Carson Kelly, is a Very Good Thing™.
I think the Reds might have something to say about that, they now have some team to compete with
You destroy your own premise by calling Carp crap, when the guy carries 126 OPS+ career. 2019 was his first bad season, and even that wasnt a total bomb.
Yeah they are going with youth, there is some risk in that.
Team has pitching depth to deal with things..
Relax and enjoy the game..
Dude you know less baseball. Goldy has a solid year for a team trying to figure things out. Carp had one bad year. You’ll eat crow when Carp bounces back.
“Iknowmorebaseball”
Could you handle be more arrogant and off-putting?
Goldy’s issues could be the fact he changed divisions and home ballparks. The infield grass in Arizona is fast and the even the old balls MLB used flew out of THAT ballpark. Big guys with short compact swings are hard to find, he will be fine.
Reynolds is a stud. Too bad a team like the Rays or Indians weren’t able to make a trade for Reynolds and Bell.
Having those two in the same lineup as guys like Meadows or Lindor would be pretty cool to watch. Then again, Starling Marte isnt slouch and it didnt seem to help.
And to think it could have been: Reynolds, Marte, and Meadows.
Or Reynolds, Meadows, Polanco.
Or if they actually developed Cole before trading him to Houston: Reynolds, Meadows, Kyle Tucker
(and maybe Glasnow, Keller, Forrest Whitley, and Taillon)
That being said, I don’t think they’ll be the 100-loss trainwreck many are predicting. Excited to see what more production the new staff/new ideas can get out of them (Archer, Keller, Moran, Polanco, Bell). As a Pirate fan I’m actually excited for the change and the upgrading to modern preparation and development of players.
You forgot Charlie Morton. Hard to imagine them going 500 or anything near. While they are deep in the infield, there’s absolutely no help in the OF, on the mound or behind the plate should one of their starters go down The biggest crime of the last regime was the decimation of the minor league system through bad trades, lack of coaching and above all, poor assessments of players
Young flamethrower in GG or wily vet in Andrew Miller as the closer until Hicks gets up to speed toward the end of the year? Or the dreaded CBC Mix and Match with dark horse Reyes at times….
I think that Reyes should be the closer, or at least a late inning weapon. A 100 mph fastball rarely lasts in the rotation in terms of health and longevity. Cole, Verlander, and Scherzer are few and far between.
The key to the pirates improving in 2020 is their new coaching staff.
As good as they where mid decade they dropped off sharply. Most notably pitching.
New staff helps the players get closer to their ceiling rather their floor then they’ll be vastly improved form 2020 (but i they’d have to try to go lower lol) .500 isn’t totally unreasonable but 75-80 is more likely as it stands now.
I am very disappointed in the pirates this year. Bob is just a poor excuse for a owner. How do you expect to compete when you don’t invest money into your team? I see them at least getting the 1st pick this year and the worst record in baseball. Attendance will poor.
No sense in whining about the owner, that’s not changing! I’m excited to see what the new management team will do in the next couple of years. Connley, hunington and Hurdle had become nothing but boss yes men collecting paychecks. That was definitely the best improvement in the Bucs this year and I think it will definitely have a positive effect of this very young team. I have hope.
Cards have good pitching depth and a mgr who knows how to use not use up a bullpen. Look for Ponce to make his case for the fifth spot. Fans should feel really confident about our pitching, of course our offense still stinks.Gallegos Should close with Helsley, Miller, and Reyes as set ups. What I am worried about is our offense will be putting to much stress on our pitching, so by September they will be used up regardless of how Shildt uses them. Moz and Co need to take some of that young pitching and trade for a certain productive bat Carp is not rebounding sorry folks.
I seriously think Cards81 and Payne Train are Mozeliak and Girsch.
what a great compliment…I also think I could run a successful organization that hasn’t had a losing season since 2007….” The Cardinals are the winningest National League team since 2000, boasting two World Series titles, four NL pennants and twelve playoff appearances in 16 seasons.” thanks for the compliment Maurice Lock
Maybe if Mo read the latest stuff about Puig.. he might discover that P:uig is a charitable person who is a straight shooter…. harnessing that energy in a positive manner… you may really get something of major value… Mo.. read about Orlando Cepeda before he came to the Cardinals and brought as a world series and an MVP player! Giants claimed him being a malcontent… Mozeiak grow some cohones and give Cardinal Nation something to be optomistic about!