The Pirates announced that they have recalled infielder Jared Triolo from Triple-A. He’ll be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. He’ll take the roster spot of third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list with low back inflammation, retroactive to June 25. Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette noted Triolo’s presence at the ballpark prior to the official announcement.
Triolo, now 25, was selected by the Pirates with the 72nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. He got a brief professional debut that year but then the minor leagues were canceled by the pandemic in 2020. He spent 2021 at High-A, hitting 15 home runs in 108 games and slashing .304/.369/.480 for a wRC+ of 128 while stealing 25 bases.
He got bumped to Double-A last year and seemed to have less power but with better discipline. He only hit nine home runs in 112 games but his walk rate jumped from 8.9% to 12.7% as his strikeout rate dropped from 19.9% to 17.6%. He hit .282/.376/.419 overall for a 121 wRC+ and swiped another 24 bags.
The Bucs added Triolo to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft. Coming into this year, he was ranked the club’s #15 prospect (since moved to #16) by Baseball America, #9 by FanGraphs and #15 by Keith Law of The Athletic. He’s generally considered an excellent defender at third base but has been moved around to other positions because of the presence of Hayes. In addition to third, he’s also spent some time at the other infield positions and in center field as well.
Here in 2023, he hit a speed bump when he required hamate surgery in early April. That delayed his 2023 debut into early May. He’s played 37 Triple-A games this year with just one home run and a 27.7% strikeout rate, but he’s walked in 15.7% of his trips to the plate. His .293/.403 .436 overall line amounts to a 117 wRC+ and he’s tallied another eight steals. He’ll likely help cover third while Hayes is out but could potentially move to other positions if he performs well enough that the club decided to keep him around.
The Pirates were red hot in April but have cooled off lately. Their 36-42 record has them in fourth place in the National League Central but they are only five games off the lead. They are still acting like they want to put their best club on the field and stay in the fight, having recently promoted notable prospects like Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales and now Triolo.
As for Hayes, he last played on Saturday due to this back issue popping up. The fact that he wasn’t immediately placed on the IL suggests it may be a borderline case and he’ll therefore be back in action soon. Since the move is backdated, he could be back in a week if that is indeed the case. He’s continued to provide his excellent defense this year, having already tallied 10 Defensive Runs Saved and nine Outs Above Average. However, his offense remains subpar, with his .254/.290/.397 batting line amounting to a wRC+ of 84.
Elsewhere on the roster, the Bucs could soon welcome back first baseman Ji Man Choi and left-hander Rob Zastryzny from the injured list. They’ll each head to Triple-A Indianapolis for rehab assignments tonight, per Mackey.
Rather than leaving the lineup intact from last night’s game, who’s offense erupted for 9 runs Shelton has Connor Joe battling leadoff against a right handed pitcher.
Joe’s batting average against righties is.212
And against a pitcher that has 105 strikeouts in 81 innings
I just don’t understand Shelton’s logic
Since when is Blake Snell right handed? Look up Joe’s splits. He hits best against LHP and with no runners on base. He’s much better suited for this than batting 3rd where he’s putrid with RISP.
At least Shelton knows his left from his right. Snell you later. If you are going to talk smack you have best be RIGHT or you may get LEFT out.
I make mistakes and am mature enough to admit them YourDreamArrogance
you would think by. is he would have an idea who would lead off.
Hey man. I don’t even think Shelton understands his own logic. He’s like a kid playing a pinball machine. Shake it and see what that days lineup is.
my bad , I thought Snell was a righty but why then is Suwinski in the lineup?
He’s batting .110 against lefties
I agree to a point, but there’s not enough players on the roster for an all right handed lineup. Personally I would have Palacios in over Suwinski. But if there’s ever a right time to play Conner Joe, this is it.
Suwinsky is batting .173 against lefties, 9-52, no home runs. All 16 came against righties.
If you’re confused, perhaps you should look at the Pirates depth chart.
perhaps I did after I was corrected
thanks for offering your worthless opinion
You’re welcome! I’m here to help as many knee jerk reactors who are quick to criticize and too lazy to look things up as I can!
If you feel the need to ask any other stupid questions, I’ll be here for you, otherwise save them for the weekly chats, they love stupid questions.
you’re worth muting draco
Drasco
Honest mistake theman and tired old dudes don’t bother with checking depth charts and easily forget who bats throws with what arms. I thought drasco went easy. If you call someone out and are wrong you are going to get it. Twice and ouch. Draaco went easy on you. You get it much worse from other teams.
I’m trying to figure out the last time I forgot the Pirates depth or which way a guy bats or throws. Maybe it was 1967, when I got confused and thought Bruce Dal Canton was on the hill when it was really Woody Fryman
Or why Gonder was catching over Pagliaroni, even though the former was a better framer. Or was it the all star platoon of Matty Alou and Manny Mota
But thanks. I suspect TheMan3 doesn’t make too many mistakes in either regard but the condescending tone on your part seems to be bottomless
With BR on the IL, we’re effectively out of right handed hitting outfielders. The only other option would be putting Cutch in the OF (not sure who would then DH). Bae and Palacios aren’t hitting lefties any better than Jack, so we’re kind of stuck with this arrangement for the time being.
With Bae’s speed I don’t understand why he doesn’t try and bunt for a hit on occasion instead of always fully swinging
Is playing small ball against management’s policies?
They simply have to get Suwinski untracked against lefties. The upside with him is such that there really is no recourse
I’m not suggesting that games are the place for him to suddenly find the key while facing left handers, but his abilities defensively and the power he displays against righties make it a no brainer
Maybe the ghost of Charlie Lau will show up at PNC
Since there is a real lack of longball ability on the Pirates roster and it doesn’t appear the Pirates have anyone who’s on the cusp, this has to be a priority
While their working on Suwinski against lefties, instruct Delay and Bae the technique of bunting to more the runner into scoring position
I do give credit to Jack that he’s taking more pitches which leads to walks
Nice they’re giving him a Triolo in the bigs.
I’m expecting Triolo to be the next rookie to make the Sham Diego Fraudres look bad tonight. The Padres are clearly cursed.
Triolo should play 3rd until Hayes is back and then be the starting shortstop until Cruz is back. Stud defender who can hit for a decent avg and steal some bases. Could be as reliable as anyone else on the roster.
I’m probably in the minority here. It seems everyone has given up on Miguel Andujar. In 200 AB for Indy, he’s batting .355, 8 HR, 44 RBI, 1.015 OPS. Right now he’s starting to look a little like that pinstripe guy from 2018 that swatted 27 homers with 92 RBI & hit .297. Would it kill the Pirates management to give him another shot…something a little more consistent than the 31 at bats he had earlier this season? With the exception of last night…the Bucs bats have looked pretty darned timid. Just sayin…
While I agree about Andujar, only to a point, Owings is also doing well at Indy and during his stint with Pittsburgh, he was horrible
Minor league pitching isn’t on the same level as major league pitching
That said, I do believe Andujar has earned another opportunity on the parent club
Agree 100%. What’s the harm? This team is not going anywhere this year. Give anyone with potential a nice, long look
Andujar has about as many detractors here as he does supporters. But the point is, he can’t hurt an already anemic offense
Corn I disagree. Though I agree that they aren’t going anywhere. This makes it the best time to play the kids. Joe, and all the other crumbum veterans should be axed. I don’t mean cutch or Santana. Then axe that pathetic excuse for a manager
So hard to know what to think about Andujar. He’s really shown nothing in his time up with the Pirates. You’re right. His defenders remember his first season with the Yanks, talk about the injury and a hitting coach who screwed him up and say he needs 150-200 at bats. In that regard, you’re right. With Davis hitting and the reluctance to give him reps at catcher, where do those at bats come from?
Totally agree about playing the kids. No reason not to. There is a core of young guys here who hopefully, will have company coming from the farm. But unless they’re going to give Davis catching time, it’s a numbers game where he doesn’t fit
And again, I hope they draft Crews to finally shore up the outfield. (And get Suwinski a personal hitting instructor)
I’ve watched Andujar in Indy. He is knocking baseballs out-of-round. But they should leave him in Indy unless they are committed to giving him 150-200 at bats at DH and really see what he can do. Now would seem to be the time.
Unfortunately, no new roster guy is going to be given that number of at bats. This is simply due to the fact that they have a number of guys who need ABs to prove themselves. Who would you move out to give him that many ABs? Cutch is doing very well as the DH. Are you going to sit Joe or Palacios to give him the starts? He is caught up in a numbers game.
I would give him at bats over Palacios, yes. I think Andujar has a higher ceiling offensively than Joe as well. For a team that craves offense, I think a 200 AB investment in Andujar is worth it. Now is the perfect time. If he crushes you have the option to build around him or trade him. If he fails, you just release him and move on.
Connor Joe is batting .212 against right handers…unacceptable. I’d get him on the bench right away and give the AB’s to the guy that’s hitting .355 at Indy….and showed he’s capable of hitting 27 home runs in the majors. You can find at bats for a potential big bat like that. After the anemic offense we’ve witnessed….what do the Pirates have to lose? They’re already losing at an alarming rate. Time to find out once and for all if Andujar still has the potential he showed in his early years.
Joe is part of a all star platoon. Isn’t going anywhere unless its at trade deadline. No room for Andujar right now. Palacios is doing well. Could send Bae down.
I hate to agree Dream but Bae has disappointed. I like the steals but routine defense is poor and he struggles to get on base.
Choi can’t be any worse than Santana right now. Anything to give this Pirates lineup the offensive boost it needs, I am all for. Choi up and Castro down. Santana to the bench and keeping it warm for a few weeks. Maybe he can find his swing riding the bench
Santana is hot as of late and projects to lead the team in RBIs at year end, you can’t sit him.
Santana is one of their best players. He isn’t going to bench.
Someone get me smelling salts I actually agree with Dream
Santana is 7 for 11 in this current series, but you’re right about Castro. He struck out 3 times in last night’s game, often swinging at pitches no where close to the plate
So would you put McCutchen in RF, Joe to the bench and Choi DH/1B?
Seems like kebryan is always injured
I hope Triolo hits 3 homers while Hayes is out.
Pirates fans, I have a question. If Triolo plays well, would there be any consideration given to moving KeBryan Hayes to SS when he comes back? He is SO good at 3rd and a really smooth athlete. His offense would matter less if he was providing solid defense at short. It seems like he could at least hold it down until Cruz gets healthy. For comparison’s sake, I think Arenado could do a passable job at short if asked.
I’m guessing Cruz likely isn’t going to be back until September, if that.
Intriguing question given that they seem to have depth at short which is all interchangeably average
I think they signed this kid as a cornerstone at 3rd for years to come, for better or worse.
Interesting, though. On this team, if Triolo tears it up—or Gonzales, as well— isn’t incumbent upon them to make a spot in the lineup for them?
For a team trying to evaluate young pitchers, they owe it to themselves to find consistent defense at short. Even if Hayes has to hold it down the rest of the season, he’s probably a better option than Castro.
It could be that a challenge is exactly what Hayes needs to help him get consistently locked in mentally.
Yeah, agree. They have a core here, no doubt and given what we’ve seen of Castro, it doesn’t look like he’s part of it. Marcano looks like utility. If Triolo is “that guy, “ why not?
Interesting to me that they have Castro and 2nd tonight and Gonzales at short
Cruz, according to Shelton is on track to return in early August.
But I’d consider sending Bas or Castro to Indy to allow Triolo to remain in Pittsburgh
Both are also defensive liabilities
Someone is going back tomorrow, Reynolds will be activated from the IL
Eh, if Triolo tears it up, He’ll be the one getting time at shortstop since he’s seen a handful of games there in the minor leagues.
Plus it won’t really matter who is playing where. If Hayes is still a .250 batter with a .670 OPS at shortstop, and Triolo is hitting well, all you’re doing is moving a guy out of his natrual position just so he can play a position where offense isn’t as important.
Agree with bright eyes. Tri to ss. Hayes probably could play ss and better than Nolan could. Probably too late to f around with it now. Do that in minors or spring training at least. Tri is poor mans Hayes who has been developed as a super utility.
Weird how the 2 highest paid players on the pirates are both suffering from lower back pain.
Thats what happens when you have to carry a team.
That deserves a rim shot
Looks like we have another BUST in Ke’Bryan
Pretty interesting his career slash is looking more and more like his father’s. Platinum glove, toothpick bat.
If a guy who averages 3.6 fWAR per 150 games is a bust, then so be it.
mlb1225 these are the comments of typical Pirates fans on this site. They complain about giving up on players too soon, too late and everything in between. Hayes is 26 yrs old and already a bust. If all the idiots were removed there would only be like 10 of us on here but how great would the conversation be?
Absolutely a bust in the pirates hall of fame.
I want to see the Pirates Pirate and trade any good players they have for a bunch of middling minor league players like they are world famous for. Throw in the towel immediately and embark on their 20 year rebuild. Sorry Pirate fans someone has to say it.
They haven’t done that in 20 years so not famous not even thought of as doing that. They are famous for giving all of their best prospects away for free because 1 time they traded a average corner outfielder, a failed starter and weak reliever, and a raw recently drafted 1st round pitcher for a team friendly contract mid rotation starter.
Oh. They had 2 or so productive years between 1993 and 2023. Maybe 1 or 2 more possibly. They we a joke around baseball for years. Sorry you forgot about that.
So I proved you wrong and you change the narrative? I don’t think so. You were wrong. Own up to it pal.
2012 -2019 wasn’t a rebuild. Didn’t start rebuild until 2020 and only trading 1 key player isn’t much of a rebuild. Combine that with no minor leagues the rebuild really didn’t get going until 2021.
They sucked for the better part of 30 years. Nobody changing any narrative. Call it whatever you want. Everyone knows they sucked except you.
They didn’t though. Very average 2012 2016 2017 2018 2019. One of the best 2013 2014 2015. Only judging BoB Nutting fully controlled teams. Past owners aren’t relevant. Needed a rebuild and they did and it was successful. Needed another rebuild and they did and it looks promising.
Awesome.
@Dream you make a pretty good point to the fact that Bob is doing the right things, or at least not bad things.
Came in had the roster stripped of larger contracts.. started to be better in 2012, ~4 /5 years then one of the best while taking the team out of the deep red financially to profitable to the point where the owners started to get paid some. And they increased payroll to bring in players to help them when they were doing really well.
Then some crappy moves by the front office for whatever reason really hurt the franchise and they all got fired. Now things are looking up some again.
So one could also say, Bob is not a bad chairman for the franchise and certainly a positive for the owners in a smaller market. Still would like the owners give Ben more resources, if they have not already.
Spending $ isn’t the answer. Look at SD NY. Most free agents over 10 million aren’t worth it. The mega contract guys have even worse odds. For last 10 years pirates have been able to sign 2 to 7 million dollar guys and get 10 to 20 million worth of production.
You know, there are times I think the Pirates are going through the motions
But imagine being a fan of the Padres
Here’s a group of guys who look like they’d all rather be on a golf course or on a yacht with there tens of millions contracts.
Talk about no fire
It actually has been from time to time. Still, the work Marin has done with the young pitchers has been the most promising note about this season to date
You definitely over think. I have to explain to you my comment about a rebuild was sarcasm. I don’t care about the Pirates. I’ve been watching them in a perpetual state of rebuild what seems like forever. Everyone but you has seen it. They are a joke. Look where they are in the standings. If they were good they would have a much better record. 6 good weeks won’t cut it.
You stink at sarcasm.
Pirates are right there to take the division. Not a bad spot to be. They hung around until they could call up the talent in the minors. Players control their own destiny now. A good July and the trade deadline can fill any holes and there aren’t many. If they stink they can sell off and get some prospects and increase draft odds.
No they are not going to be right there to take the division. They aren’t that good. You are in a fantasy world. A couple teams will get it going in the Central but Pittsburgh won’t be one of those. Now go away.
Retired, keep in mind that for some reason unknown to us, Dream is unable to smile. Hence, we get these Pearl of Wisdom postings that drip somewhere between sarcasm and the twilight zone
They swept the Padres so now the idea is that they’re contenders. And they’ll be buyers at the deadline.
Dream knows that he only needs Rod Serling to narrate and he’s all set
I like the core here
I like the idea that there are good prospects on the farm
But they’re still a couple years away
Here’s hoping that the only moves they make are trading away the rentals they have
4 games back right now. That’s nothing.
If they play a team of overpriced stiffs like the Padres for 60 or 70 more games, they’ll be fine.
Lol you mean 4 games under.500? They aren’t that good. They started off like 18-8 I think. Like I said other teams will step up and take the division. I also said back at the end of April the Pirates early season success isn’t sustainable. I was right. Deal with it kid.
Padres will be played again. And Mets Phillies Cardinals.
You got another month before you even know what this team is. 3 prospects just got here. Have to see them with Hayes Choi Reynolds. Can’t even evaluate them until then.
Lol.
Retired-They’re not that bad either. Nobody in the division is really good. It could be had with 85 wins. The season is 1/2 over and the Bucs are still in the thick of it without their best player (Cruz).
I know they aren’t as horrendous as they have been. My original comment was more sarcasm than anything because the Pirates were a team that seemed to be in a nonstop rebuild year after year. Everyone thought they were a horribly run organization wanted the owner to sell the team,start over and blah blah blah. They started great this year then the wheels came off so I joked tear it down and start again. I guess I should have thrown a lol in there to start off with. I don’t think the Pirates are going anywhere this year though. Maybe next year.
@retired/advisory That’s why it isn’t sarcasm. Most fans still want Nutting to sell the team and the stereotype is they are a awful ran team.
We find ourselves in the euphoria of a three game win streak and it brings the rose colored glasses set out. Look, the NL Central is horrible, I get it, and to me at least, the Reds are the most exciting team here
But the Padres series notwithstanding, this is an anemic offense and the front office does strange things where the shuttle service to Indy is concerned. The kids they called up this week should stay. If nothing else, they’ve injected some sorely needed enthusiasm
And they should stay in the lineup
But you learn a lot more about people in times of adversity
Let’s see what happens when they lose a few
Dream has waffled back to the idea of being contenders and buyers at the deadline. That’s natural as they’re only 4 and a half back. But until the rest of the second wave gets here in a year or two, it’s hard to see them winning more than 75 games
And I resolved a while back to stop talking about Nutting. Dream has his plan down pretty clearly. Now he needs real talent coming up to push it forward. Castro, Bae, “the all star platoon” just aren’t going to do it
@Corn I am not saying they will buy or will sell. Just that there is another entire month of baseball before they do either. 4 games back is nothing. I haven’t seen them shuttle anything back and forth other than the usual garbage. If you do well you will stay. CSN Mitchel are more likely to be dfa than be mlb regulars. Swaggerty isn’t far behind them but still needs a look. Gonzales was looking the same way but made some adjustments so need to see how that goes. Looks better but good enough? Can’t say.
Dream, I’m trying to use the much loved idea of “sarcasm” in my posts these days
Hope you’ll understand. It’s the natural result of shucking corn all day
Yes, they are in it. I fear that they will be in it in this horrendous division until deadline time and then do something incredibly stupid
The ghost of Chris Archer walks among us
you’re not exactly the king of sarcasm either Dream
Maybe in your dreams but not in reality
@TheMan That’s because people think it’s sarcasm and it’s not. Shelton’s lineups are fine. Pen usage usually is. Hedges starting is fine. The Suwinski platoon has been All star level. Nutting spends enough. Prospects are coming. Stuff like that I mean and people think it’s sarcasm because media and other fans don’t share that view.
His lineups often look like he’s grasping at straws in looking to find some spark. That’s fine. When an entire team isn’t hitting, save for Cutch, you have to do something
I know lineup strategies have bothered some here and while I wouldn’t call them fine, he’s been left without any options far too many times
And blaming Haines for the entire offensive anemia is just plain folly. The guy could schedule round the clock hitting lessons around the clock at PNC and it would do very little
Hedges starting is only fine because he’s a bridge until they decide which of the kids will catch, if not both. But hitting-wise, well, Buctober said it best.
As far as the other three nuggets, I don’t think Nutting ever has spent enough but he extended two cornerstones and hopefully will sign Keller soon. You’ve documented the strategy well in the past.
We’ve heard “the prospects are coming” ad infinitum. Davis, Triolo and Gonzales lead me to believe that maybe it’s more than some PR line. Hope so
And the all-star platoon level note….I’m just going to laugh off. Again
Triolo has had a wRC+ of at leats 110 in each of his four minor league seasons. Going into this year, he had a K% under 20% in each of his first three. He’s just consistently done well throughout his minor league career.
If the Pirates can Trade Hill, Santana, Choi and Joe for some fringe prospects could be addition by subtraction.
Keeps room to keep up Henry and Nick and bring up Endy and Quinn with out having to send anyone down when Cruz, Bryan and Ke’Bryan return.
Peguero and Jarid Jones also need to be looked.
Pirates are not going to go no where with out adding quality to the rotation, even if it is just “fixing” Contreras but adding a decent rotation arm could really help once Bryan and Cruz are back to hopefully give the offense a kick.
Careful, Joe. You’ll have some people here telling you that some of those guys are All Star worthy, if not Hall of Fame
Hilarious, these analytics people.
Agree 100% with you
Rotation hasn’t been the problem.
It would be nice to see Triolo play well enough to stick around after Hayes is back. This is how I’d like the roster to shake out (they’ll never DFA Hedges, so I’m keeping him even though he should already be gone):
Reynolds > Option Castro or Bae
Holderman > Option Bolton
Rob Z > DFA Borucki (or DFA both and call up Selby)
Choi > DFA Palacios (wish it were for Hedges)
Hayes > Option Castro or Bae
Endy Rodriguez > Option Delay
This puts the team in a pinch as they have too many 1B/OF/DH, but that’s the FO and coaching staffs fault for not playing Davis at C a couple times per week. If they had Davis as the backup catcher they could DFA Hedges and there is plenty of playing time for everyone. I think we could possibly see a trade of Choi or Joe be optioned to AAA instead of Bae or Castro to open up more playing time and alleviate the roster crunch.
austin hedges is in the top few on defense of those with over 400 innings this year and since he hit the MLB in 2015. yeah his offense is in the gutter which is pretty normal for him, even with that he is a positive contributor this year. If there is no trade partner found sending Delay down is the way to go in terms of fWAR.
That said, I think he should currently be backing up Davis and/or Endy to see how they perform at the MLB level while we are looking more to 2024 (but hoping for decent 2023)
You make a lot of good points. I’ll be somewhat surprised if Hill or Santana/Choi are here and truthfully, a buyer for Choi would really be taking a leap of faith
In particular, it would be nice to see Triolo and Gonzales make the idea of sending either down a no-go. Very early but both look better than the combo of Castro/Bae/Marcano. I know TheMan3 likes Bae for his speed but as time goes on he reminds me strictly as a utility player/pinch runner/bunt specialist type
@corn, I’m in love with Bae’s speed too. i’d love to see J-Bae every day… but if he isn’t getting on base that speed is wasted. I’d like to also see him in CF all the time where that speed will play nice and if it is his primary role he may get better at it.. now its not too good. he is a BAIP type of guy i think. those types of hitters can have dramatic swings in their stats
Otherwise at the MLB level about all he is, is a pinch runner. could be really nice in extra innings 🙂
I agree that Castro, Marcano and Bae haven’t shown much. They are all guys who were rated as 40 to 45 potential players which signal utility player. They have in fact all played like utility players. Bae had a high batting average throughout the minors so I am disappointed in his play. Who knows whether or not Triolo or Gonzales are any better. Hopefully they get enough ABs to find out.This is clearly a year to nake those decisions.
I agree, if they want to send Marcano down instead of Castro or Bae that makes perfect sense to me (Triolo and Gonzales could be the shortstops if Marcano is sent down). None of the three have stood out, but none have been terrible either.
I think Bae has a super-utility future as a guy that hits near .300 and steals a ton of bases (a Chone Figgins type), but he’s been a little overmatched so far in his rookie year (much like Marcano and Castro were). Castro is what he is, a weak-side platoon 2b/3b with some power and decent defense at those positions. Marcano has a chance to be a strong-side 2b platoon, but he’s being forced to play out of position. I think he’s in the mix for the starting 2b spot moving forward once Cruz is back.
I actually think Triolo is the best of all of them and have been on that train for two years (I realize I’m in the minority), but I actually think all of them are probably MLB caliber players with varied ceilings.
Choi won’t be traded, he really hasn’t done enough to draw any interest considering he’s missed so much time being on the IL
I don’t think so either, but the Pirates can’t move forward with 7 or 8 guys that only play OF/DH/1B. Ideally you’d want to max out with 6 of those so you have enough depth everywhere else.
Once Reynolds and Choi come of the IL you have Reynolds, Suwinski, Davis, Cutch, Santana, Joe, Choi, and Palacios. Palacios being DFA is the obvious first move, but they need to get rid of someone else. You can’t only have one sub for 2B/SS/3B, that’s asking for disaster.
You don’t dfa the best framer in baseball who is awesome with your staff. Davis is here for his bat. Doesn’t matter where he plays. He is fine in rf. Probably best to keep him healthy. Minor league pitchers probably stay there. Depth for next year and keep them in Pittsburgh a year longer. Priester probably comes up this year. Peguero probably goes to AAA. May get call up taste but looks like a 2024 guy.
Roster right now is set. Call ups will be for injury or performance replacement. Looking like sellers but it’s the central and long ways to deadline.
First, I don’t care how good you are at defense, you can’t hit .170 with no power. You just can’t. Ozzie Smith and Brooks Robinson would have been released if they hit .170 with no power. Jim Leyland even said that in the booth last week. If Hedges were hitting .190 with some power, or .210 or so with no power (like currently) I would have much less of an issue with him. Although I’d still want him as the backup and Rodriguez as the starting catcher. If he continues to hit .170 he needs DFA, I would have already done it.
Second, the roster is far from set, the Pirates have a ton of injuries and players coming off the IL in the next two week. There will be a TON of changes. Plus, you have Rodriguez who will be up to play everyday at some point and Cruz coming back in August.
Agree, Buctober. Now prepare for a blizzard of analytics from Dream and his band of merry men. To hear them tell it, this entire roster is made up of all-star caliber players
But the team still is up and down
Lose 10 in a row. Win 6
I like the core that’s here and hope they’ll keep them. I get that not all of the blue chippers on the farm are ready to come up yet. That’s fine
And I understand that they want to give guys a look. A long look
To me, we’ve seen enough of Castro and Bae. Of Marcano. Of the catchers.
Now you have Gonzales and Triolo
Both have shown a great deal of promise
Davis had three hits today including the game winner
These guys can’t go back down.
Here’s hoping they make smart choices, even if it means shipping out analytic all-stars
Buctober are you a tired old dude like corn and Leyland? If you don’t like how I think you might want to find a new team. Because the Pirates think just like me. They knew exactly how bad Hedges was going to hit and still signed him. His framing and staff handling are even better than they thought. They love him and should. Cleveland loved him and Astros have their own Hedges. 2 teams much more successful than Pittsburgh.
For the record, I’m not very tired nor am I very old. I just look at corn all day
Dream, your logic comes crashing down when we stop to think that the Pirates have two stud catchers on the doorstep. Hedges could be the Houdini of framers, but he doesn’t play into the team’s future. Given this love affair you write of, the Pirates should have demanded he have “You Are So Beautiful” as his theme/walk up music.
And you put me in the same category as Leyland.
Hey. Thanks
They don’t have 2 stud catchers. They have 2 stud hitting prospects who played catcher. They aren’t in the same universe as Hedges at catching. They should attend all the catching meetings. Follow Hedges around and watch everything he does. Even catch some. Pirates don’t care if Hedges ever gets a hit again. He is helping the young pitchers. And can help young catchers as well.
I’m young and am an analytics junky. I worked in Ops for an MLB team, and back in the day wrote a large research paper on the advancement of baseball analytics and the impacts of them on the game (while in business school).
However, I’m a rational person. Any rational person would expect that a player has to perform at a certain level offensively, even as a glove only guy at a defensive premium position, for them to be a regular option. Hedges doesn’t meat that threshold and didn’t last year with Cleveland. He’s a negative value player (-0.8 bWAR, 0.2 fWAR) over the last two years because his power disappeared. You could put up with a .190 average because he was going to play great defense and pop off 10+ homeruns. With his power disappearing he’d need to be a .215-.225 hitter (or .270ish OBP) to be playable.
I loved Hedges 3 years ago, I don’t love him now, not even as a backup. He’s a terrible player. Delay is a better player than Hedges at this point, and I don’t like him either (most pitchers on the staff have lower ERA’s with Delay compared to Hedges, including Keller).
From now on, we’re calling you our “bright eyed boy” Thank you for the breath of fresh air
Stat correction – Hedges the last two seasons combined WAR:
-1.2 bWAR
-0.2 fWAR
Prior to that he was a valuable player, even borderline good with the Padres, but not anymore.
Well, I’m not THAT young lol, I’m in my mid-30’s, but I consider that relatively young.
You never got the chance to go to Forbes Field, see Clemente, enjoy the Lumber Company and We Are Family
Yes. You are a youngster.
MLBTR should do a story on air quality in Pittsburgh today and MLB’s decision to play the day game. Jason Mackey has interviewed some Pirates, namely Cutch, Hill and Hedges and to say they’re pissed is an understatement
So, MLB has delayed the game for an hour. As if the smoke will suddenly lift
Amazing
havn’t watched the game yet, but this morning where I am it was much worse than the pictures i’ve seen from Pittsburgh. I thought it was fog here until i went outside. Now it is clear, i’d say almost normal Giving them a few hours at least for it to clear out and decide then is probably what I would have done if I was king.
A few hours wouldn’t make a difference. its not going anywhere anytime soon.