Top pitching prospect Jared Jones has won a spot on the Pirates’ Opening Day roster, the club announced to its beat writers this morning (X link via Alex Stumpf of MLB.com). He’ll likely slot into the team’s rotation. The Bucs will select the contracts of Jones and of right-handers Hunter Stratton and Ryder Ryan (X thread via Stumpf). Pittsburgh will place catcher Yasmani Grandal and infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae on the 10-day injured list to begin the season. Relievers Colin Holderman and Carmen Mlodzinski will open the season on the 15-day IL.
Also making the roster are out-of-options pitchers Bailey Falter, Josh Fleming and Roansy Contreras, as well as outfielder Edward Olivares and righty Luis Ortiz. The Bucs will not carry non-roster invitees Brent Honeywell Jr. and Billy McKinney on the roster to begin the season. Those aren’t the only key roster decisions Pittsburgh has faced this spring; Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes that manager Derek Shelton last night called it a “very safe assumption” that Jared Triolo will be the Pirates’ starting second baseman to begin the season.
Jones, 22, was the Pirates’ second-round pick back in 2020 and entered spring training ranked among the game’s top 100 prospects at each of Baseball America (No. 74), MLB.com (No. 62), The Athletic (No. 39), FanGraphs (No. 62) and ESPN (No. 53).
Those rankings come on the heels of a strong 2023 season split between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, wherein Jones logged a combined 126 1/3 innings of 3.85 ERA ball with a 27.6% strikeout rate and 9.5% walk rate. The right-hander’s dominant spring showing surely didn’t hurt his chances of making the Opening Day roster; Jones pitched 16 1/3 innings without an earned run during Grapefruit League play, yielding just nine hits against eight walks with 15 punchouts.
The Athletic’s Keith Law writes that Jones has made huge gains with both his heater and his slider since being drafted and now has the potential for three plus pitches. The former two-way standout is an excellent athlete and, as noted by Eric Longenhagen and Tess Taruskin at FanGraphs, has also improved his strike-throwing as he’s shifted his focus solely to pitching. Scouting reports on Jones generally agree that there’d mid-rotation potential, and further improvements to any of his command, curveball or changeup could further boost his upside.
Jones tossed 122 2/3 innings in 2022 and 126 1/3 innings last season. That should set the stage for a decent uptick in his workload this season. The Bucs might still be cautious with him on a start-by-start basis, particularly early in the year, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if a healthy Jones approached or exceeded 150 frames this year. Since he’s a consensus top-100 prospect who’s making the Opening Day roster, his performance this season will particularly important for the Bucs. If Jones wins Rookie of the Year this season or finishes top three in National League Cy Young voting, he could net the Pirates an extra pick in the 2025 draft under the 2022-26 CBA’s newly implemented prospect promotion incentives.
Triolo, 26, made his big league debut in 2023 and spent the bulk of his time at third base, filling in for an injured Ke’Bryan Hayes. That’s Triolo’s natural position, but Hayes is one of MLB’s best defensive players at any position, so Triolo will slide over to second base in what could be his first full big league season. The writing for him winning the second base job was on the wall after the Bucs optioned Liover Peguero and Nick Gonzales — particularly with Bae also banged up (and now headed to the injured list).
In 209 plate appearances last season, Triolo batted .298/.388/.398 — production that was buoyed by an enormous .440 average on balls in play and came in spite of a grisly 30.1% strikeout rate. The punchouts and good fortune on balls in play have both continued this spring. Triolo has taken 45 plate appearances and batted .325/.400/.525 — excellent surface-level numbers that are propped up by a more suspect .458 BABIP. Couple that with a 31.1% strikeout rate, and his production looks similar to his 2023 output — though this year’s pair of homers in his limited spring playing time is a good sign, as Triolo hit just three long balls in last year’s 209 trips to the plate.
Triolo is a strong defender who draws plenty of walks, which should help set a decent floor for him, but he’ll need to cut down on the strikeouts and/or significantly improve his quality of contact (86.6 mph average exit velocity; 32.8% hard-hit rate) if he’s to sustain much in the way of success at the plate in the majors. Strikeouts were an issue in his first taste of Triple-A work last year (26.5%) but weren’t a problem for him in the lower and mid-minor league levels, so perhaps he’ll drop that rate over a larger sample as he gains more experience. If nothing else, a plus defender at multiple positions with a keen eye at the plate has the makings of a useful utility option, but Triolo will get the opportunity to show he can be more than that right out of the gate in 2024.
The 27-year-old Stratton made his MLB debut with the Bucs in 2023 and pitched 12 innings with three runs on nine hits and three walks. He fanned 10 of his 47 opponents (21.3%) and kept the ball on the ground at a hearty 51.5% rate. He was non-tendered in November but returned on a minors deal two months later. Stratton will now get a second big league look after firing seven shutout frames with a 7-to-2 K/BB ratio this spring.
Ryan, 29 in May, pitched a scoreless frame with the Mariners in 2023. That represents the entirety of his MLB experience. He’s fanned 28.6% of his opponents in 7 2/3 innings for Pittsburgh this spring and done so with a staggering 73.7% ground-ball rate. Ryan has pitched to a sub-4.00 ERA with a strikeout rate north of 24% in each of the past two Triple-A seasons (one with the Mariners and one with the Rangers). The Pirates will give him his first real look in the majors to see if he can carry any of that success over to the game’s top level.
Good day to be a Jared in Steel town
But another bad day for Jared from Subway
Jared I know of always shines.
This decision is evidence that they are serious about contending because knowing past history with this organization, Jones would be back at Indy while Falter is the number 5 starter
Kudos to Cherington for making the right choice
Jones appears to be MLB ready and it would make little sense to demote him after such a strong spring.
I don’t think he looks mlb ready, possibly good enough to work it out in the MLB. I said in another thread.. Pirates don’t really have any one else good enough that would give them the excuse to keep in AAA.
Decent chance he’s the best pitcher the pirates have this year but if the pirates can’t make a run at the playoffs does it matter?
There’s no reason to think he’s not mlb ready after watching him pitch this spring. I know it’s spring ball, but man did he look sharp. And I mean he didn’t give up a single run.
Put it like this Card AG. He was throwing 98mph, with little command in his last start vs boston and had little command of that iff slider either was my 2c. boston sent several of their top prospects to play 1st 5 innings. roman Anthony, all 19y and Marcello meyer. Both were cheating on the FB, then getting taken out on sliders nowhere close which doubtful mlb hitters will, nor will they as they mature and Jones will surely hone his craft also, not a knock on him.
Don’t compare all success/failure from st vs young kids and washed up retreads is what am saying.
Don’t forget that making little sense has been the Pirates method of operation for years. I feel a change is coming.
Joe-I think that getting Taylor late and bringing Jones up at least shows that they are trying.
It will be like a personal exhibition for Lauer,German,and Honeywell in AAA during April.
Don’t watch then! You seem to have it figured out.
Times are changing!
Well, Falter is the number 5 starter. Although it appears it will be a piggyback situation with Ortiz to start the year (don’t mind that).
In a surprise move, Honeywell was sent to minor league camp and it appears Falter will make at least one start
Sometimes I don’t understand this management’s mentality
I understand sending Honeywell to Indy. Sometimes the players you like a little more you send down if they’re on a minor league deal. Especially with Holderman and Mlodzinski probably being back in the first 2/3 weeks of the season. It could have came down to the Pirates being more comfortable exposing Ryan, Fleming, or Stratton to waivers instead of Honeywell
Definitely good news on that one. Falter shouldn’t be near a mound though imo.
Unfortunately some of the recent IL placements saved him from being DFA’d. But he and Flemming are probably the first ones gone when Holderman and Mlodzinski return.
Falter is in the rotation. Shelton said as much (although it appears to be a piggyback situation with Ortiz).
Great news on Jones! Looking legit in spring training.
DFA Falter now. He can’t get anyone out. Ever
I think it is too early for Jones. He had a rough go of it when promoted to AAA. Still okay over all just not something you look at and say he’ll make opening day roster. His spring has been pretty good though. THey should’ve signed a pitcher that has more of a positive track record. But this is certainly cheaper.
Falter should’ve been let go. Roansy should be sent down to get innings but probably wouldn’t make it through the system to get back there.
Think it was a no-brainer Triolo was going to make it. I want to see Gonzales there at some point. Triolo may end up being a quality super utility similar to J-Hay was if Nick figures it out. maybe one becomes a trade resource at some point.
Would normally agree but he’s been lights out this spring and he’s earned it. Head and shoulders above Marco or Priester as a starter.
Agree about Falter. They send Hernandez down but keep this guy?
Triolo is more an everyday option than J-Hay ever was. More power. Better the and overall stronger in the field. Admittedly, in a perfect world, Termarr is here in a couple years and Triolo moves to 1st
Tired-You and I quite often agree but I will respectfully have to disagree in some respects here.
Jones started pitching well last year in AAA the second half of his time there and I think it a good sign that the Pirates are keeping him
Falter pitched much better as a reliever last year and I think he helped the Pirates the last 60 games as such.Plus BC likes him.Hernandez pitched well in ST but remember he was a Rule 5 last year with little or no experience at AAA.
J Hay was a fine starter for several years.I think that Triolo will end up being a lesser version of SRod but still good.He has an enormous strikeout rate for a contact hitter with little power.
Triolo will never be a first baseman because of the lack of power.
I don’t disagree with you about anything Mendoza except that we haven’t had a power hitter that actually produces at first base since Alvarez and he couldn’t throw a ball effectively
If Alvarez would have worked like Harper did last year on learning how to play first base he still may be playing.
But I think that you and I agree that first base should be a source of HR’s and I think that BC thinks that too inasmuch as he signed Tellez who is not much without hitting home runs.
Rowdy only hit one home run during ST, I hope that isn’t a sign to come during the regular season
Alvarez also only made 129 appearances at 1B (almost all in 2015) with the bucs vs 554 appearances at 3B.
Gotta be the 2016 version of Srod. It seemed like every other year he was here he sucked.
J-SRod did a good job in 2015 also but you’re right his 2016 Year was exceptional.It led to his big contract to play second base with the Braves.
Until the idiot ran into his car in Florida.
He then became just a shadow of the player that he was becoming.
Alvarez did not go to the winter league in 2014 to learn how to play the position.They took him off third base when he developed the yips there.
It may very well have cost him five years off his career.
The Pirates have missed his power ever since.
Falter, like Contrares is out of options and it would be a risk to try and send him to Indy, though it would be have been a good gamble anyway
Falter is horrible
That’s the hard part about Roansy…a trip down to AAA to get his head on straight and get some confidence would be huge, but I agree that he won’t make it through.
My concern with Falter is the sunk cost…ok, you already lost Castro to get him. But now he’s taking up a spot and I’d rather see Honeywell than him, and I don’t know enough about how rosters work, but I’d think Honeywell would declare FA and try to latch on elsewhere, if he can.
Nj-They May be able to keep Honeywell at AAA for a month to see how things shape up.He and Lauer and German will compete.Gonzalez May not last more than a month.
No sunk cost on Falter.Castro May not have even survived this year.
They did that with Roansy last year and it has not worked so they are doing the best thing and moving him to long man reliever.
NJ: calling castro a loss is not something i would describe with that trade. Pirates needed Pitching and Castro has no position in pittsburgh. Not only that, he hasn’t played well.
Both players have had some success in AAA but not really all that recently.
Both promising enough to keep around but not enough to put on the mlb roster.
i’d let Falter go, see if he makes it through and resign on a minors deal if i could.
WIth any luck in two months I’ll look at this comment and laugh about how dumb I was. 🙂
Joe- Nobody has a crystal ball although some May think that they do.
Jones did a lot better at Triple-A than his ERA suggests. Keep in mind the league average ERA in the International League last year was almost 5.20, Jones had an ERA of 4.72. The equivilant in MLB last year would have been around 3.85. There are also a lot of other factors to consider. First is Jones was the 2nd youngest pitcher in the International League to make a dozen or more starts and the 11th youngest over the last deacde with 12+ starts in the IL. Second is he kept his walk rate below 10% despite having to adjust to the ABS system. Double-A did not use the ABS, but Triple-A did last year. He was also just one of 7 pitchers with a FIP below 4.00 (min. 12 starts again). He also had the 12th highest positive difference between his ERA and FIP.
MLB: All that said… none of that screams MLB roster after 12 AAA Games 80ish innings and a strong handfull of Spring innings.
One pitcher who was above him on many of those important stats to look at is Quinn.
I’m not putting down Jared I like him a lot. I just want them to have more time. But there really wasn’t anyone else to take the spot so… 🙂
Yeah, I get all that and would think that he’s on a short leash just for what you are alluding to, Joe. They are taking the risk by doing this but truthfully, given their options at starting pitching, he won the spot through performance this spring
To me at least, his jump means little given just that. He didn’t look like a minor leaguer
Disagree with some comments here. Mendoza, I think the Triolo we saw down the stretch is just who he is. Better hitter and with some power. Better fielder than Bae, Peguero or Nick
As TheMan3 said, Tellez hasn’t shown much. Granted, he’s been nursing some minor injuries, but I can see Triolo playing there before Joe, that’s for sure
I don’t think Roansy will ever get out of his own way and that’s a shame. Talent but compromised by anxiety and self confidence issues.
Lastly, I’m not completely down on Falter. I just think Hernandez is a better pitcher, that’s all. Thought he deserved the spot. Yeah, he went through a stretch last season when he got hit. So did many of the guys on the staff. Just a questionable move to me
So what are we predicting for wins this year? Yeah, a lot of ifs at play that start with starting pitching, go to the power we’ve seen this spring and end with the cavalry charging over the hill mid summer when they become loaded with starting pitching depth
I said 73-75 last season
I’ll go with 79-82 this year. Still say they’re one year away
If it doesn’t work out, he will get more time at AAA. It’s not like there’s no going back.
He’ll get some time in AAA unless he dominates MLB. Gotta gain that extra year of service time.
Recurring theme, they’re one year away. But if the injury bug strikes our starting rotation again, if the youngsters don’t improve, if the offense takes a step backward, the recurring theme will continue
Next year never seems to come because it becomes next year during next year
I like to believe this is the year that they will compete because next year is not guaranteed
Tired- I have been betting with a friend since 2016 on the wins for each of the Phillies and Pirates and have previously over estimated the Pirate wins except for 2018 until last year.I had to buy him lunch every year but 2020 when we did not bet.
I finally figured out that he has been using professionals for his respective estimates.
I am slow but not stupid so I did the same thing last year figuring out about where he would be.
I won.
There is such a thing as a free lunch.
I did the evaluation this year and compared and came out with 78 for the Pirates and 92 for the Phillies.
As an aside,I also think that they kept Falter for the bulk innings that he can provide. He and Ortiz May be able to be equal to one very good starter..
Contrares only throws 2 pitches. He would be a more effective pitcher if he added a change up to his repertoire
It couldn’t hurt
I’m somewhat surprised they’re moving to a 4-man starting rotation and saying Ortiz will get “bulk innings”. Guess I would call that long relief
Some here aren’t sold on Jones. He’s a rookie, after all. Me, I don’t see much upside in Marco but we’ll see. The Pirates must be pretty confident in both though if this is the plan
Read that wrong. Now I’m completely confused. Falter? The 5th starter? Oy!
Tired-I agree.Bailey is not a starter.
They did this with Bryce Wilson two years ago.He went to the Brewers who were smart enough to move him to the long man and he did fine.
BC generally makes sense to me but this one is a head scratcher.
Ortiz with his two good pitches but no more is fine for three innings and Falter may be OK with mostly left handed batters and if they can get by for 5 or 6 innings that is good standard duty for starting pitchers these days.
They can’t send Roasy down without exposing to waivers. Falter should be gone soon enough. My biggest question is Williams. Both how he survived the off season, and made the opening day roster.
Wrong Jared Jones linked from BR. 🙂
Finally someone will let Ryder cook.
Now if Gonzales struggles in the rotation hopefully after the cutoff window passes for service time they DFA him and bring up Skenes. Keller, Skenes, Jones, with Ortiz and Perez is not a bad rotation.
On a positive note for Marco Gonzales, he pitched well today against a Jays team with a good many regulars in the lineup. 3 innings, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 6 groundouts, 2 strikeouts, 1 fly out. He did what he does. I’m still hoping he pitches well. He is, after all, in our starting rotation. Jones will be on an innings limit this year. I know they’d like to get another year of control out of him. If he pitches well, they’ll want him at the end of the season for a wild card run. It’ll be interesting to see how they manage it. He could skip a start here and there to limit his innings, but to get the extra year, they’ll need to send him down for a few weeks. The innings limit is absolutely a legit reason that nobody could fault. But to your point, Macbeth, I look forward to a rotation including Skenes and Jones.
I am eager for a rotation that includes Keller, Jones, Skenes, and then whoever shines from the Solometo/Chandler/Harrington/Barco grouping.
Given Gonzales’ service time, he could reject an outright assignment and retain all of his salary, not that the Pirates are paying much of that, but something to consider. He would have to be Matt Morris bad for the Pirates to actually DFA him. Ortiz is much more solid bet to struggle (and Jones not far behind him); the team ought to have Lauer or German stretched out by then or at least Priester ready.
Don’t forget about Brubaker and Burrows after they rehab
Brubaker May be the odd man out.
Burrows needs to pitch in AAA to show what he has.
Haven’t heard anything about VV other than his desire to stay here last fall. I’m guessing he doesn’t fit into the plan
I think that VV will fit in the second half if they need him which they may not.
I feel bad for him as I followed him in Philadelphia and he was very inconsistent but always had good stuff.
He looked very good last year.
He still may have a future but probably not with Pittsburgh.
Should have gone with Priester
He had a much worse spring than Jones though.
Priester is gonna be another guy that figures it out some where else.
He’s just not been impressive at all.
Priester needs to pitch well in AAA for half a year to show that he has improved before we see him as a potentially good ML pitcher.
Priester would pitch about 3 good innings this spring before opposing hitters took those pitches for a ride
He’s a lot like Roansy in my view, to a lesser degree. A good outing or two, then gets hammered and looks like a doe in the headlights. With all this pitching on the horizon, it’s hard to see him sticking
Not too long ago that’s what we thought of Keller who I’m still not sold on being a TOR guy, but he’s a solid starter after struggling badly during his first couple of years in Pittsburgh.
I think the ship has sailed for Roansy and he’ll be a solid bullpen piece, but Priester deserves a much longer leash and will ultimately be better than Ortiz, Falter and Roansy as a starting pitcher.
Bailey Falter must have photos of somebody…
He’s a LHP with very good control (he doesn’t walk many). Unfortunately, some of his strikes are Beach balls. Every team needs a guy to eat those innings when the starter gets knocked around and you’re down by 8 runs in the 3rd inning. That should be his role.
He doesn’t walk many cause they’ve smacked the crap out of him this spring
Falter gave up 6 homers in his last three appearances but that’s not unusual for him
The Pirates went to Jared.
Bae needs to start out at AAA as he is lacking a position now with the Pirates.He needs to learn how to bunt and hit like Matty Alou to progress as a ML’er plus sharpen his fundamentals.The jury is out on him.
I like Stratton and he has pitched well when he came up last year and this spring.He deserves a good chance.
Ryan May be one of BC’s found gems and if so credit rightly goes to BC.
Hopefully McKinney agrees to play at AAA.
The question will be who do the Pirates delete from the 40 man roster?
I say Selby,Sanchez,and CSN,unless they bring Burrows up to put him on the 60 day IL even though it would start his clock.
Pirates bench of Delay/Joe/Olivares/Alika Williams is awful; not sure how this Pirates team has improved.
We have no other option but to keep Delay, but Williams belongs at Indy. They’re keeping him because of his defense but can’t hit worth a lick.
I have never been fond of Joe either, second in the league last year with called third strikes
First, by the way was Suwinski
Joe absolutely murders LH pitching. And Oliveras is a step up over most teams benchwarmers.
Why does everyone think other teams have superstar bench guys?
He hits LH pitching better than he does RH but he hardly “ absolutely murders “ them
I checked, Joe hit.265 with 5 homers against LH pitching last year
Murderers row potential?
For some reason Joe has been a favorite of BC.
I don’t think that he is a bad hitter but he is certainly not a good one.
He is not a gold glove anywhere in the field either.
For mediocre small market teams he is probably OK but not for the good ones.
Joe comes cheap, Mendoza and I absolutely hated it when Shelton would bat him clean up in the lineup last year
I have come to the conclusion that the lineups are dictated by BC and his AI.
I think Joe is a valuable bench guy. The fact that he provides the weak side of a 1B platoon and can play corner outfield is big. He hit 31 doubles and 11 HR last year as a platoon guy. He was a 1st round pick in 2014. It’s nice to have a team full guys we drafted in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Our 1st rounders include Cutch, Joe, Hayes, Davis, Mlodzinski, as well as Skenes, who we’ll see later this season, and Johnson, who will likely be up in 2025. Then there is Priester and Gonzales, who we hope will make it soon. Our 2nd rounders include Triolo, Jones and Solometo. I’d say the Bucs are doing pretty well in the draft.
That’s not awful. Delay was a very good backup catcher last year. Joe is a solid platoon guy vs lefties, Olivares looks potentially powerful, and Williams can’t hit but is a utility guy. You aren’t going to have a whole bench full of starters on a botton 3 payroll club.
every position player needs to learn how to bunt not just Bae
As much as I dislike Sanchez, considering we lack depth with the catcher position, he should remain on the roster
Really, only Williams needs to learn how to bunt because he can’t hit well overall. There’s not a pressing need for Cruz, Suwinski, Davis, or Hayes to learn how to bunt. Also, iirc, Sanchez is staying on the 40-man roster. They’re not going to carry three catchers.
There might not be a need for those players you mentioned to learn how to bunt but a situation could arise where bunting is necessary and no one on this roster know how to effectively bunt
You’re down 1 run in the bottom of the 9th inning and have runners at 1st and second with no outs
bunting them to advance then hitting a sacrifice fly wins the game
Bunting is giving away an out, that’s why so few teams use it. Drag bunting can be a good weapon, hopefully Bae can learn how to use that tool.
This team was next to last in runs scored last year, so moving runners into scoring position is going to be essential
I agree with you that bunting is a lost art, TheMan3. The comment that “it’s an automatic out” really misses the point. Most at bats *are* automatic outs, at least 7 out of 10 times
You move runners up and put pressure on the defense. In close games, it’s a real weapon. Add in speedy runners and the bunt itself can be problematic.
Automatic out?
The drag bunt is a step down from there, really. Completely different animal and conversation
The analytics bunch can’t see the forest for the trees when it comes to bunting. Given the low probability of scoring a run without putting the ball in play, a bunt is a preferable outcome to a strikeout in most situations.
A well-executed bunt (perfect placement, taking advantage of defensive alignment) puts tremendous pressure on a defense – there is almost no time to field the ball and get off an accurate and strong throw.
At a minimum, it can be an effective tool to move runners up into scoring position or avoid hitting into a double play, especially when the expected outcome of the AB is a strikeout or grounder to a middle infielder. You can also affect your scouting report by becoming proficient, changing defensive alignments and the pitches you’ll see in an AB. If a situation comes up when you’ve established you might bunt, most pitchers will resort to off-speed pitches – increasing the likelihood of passed balls and mistake pitches.
Too often, the “bunt is an automatic out” mindset prevails, but that assessment is made in a blanket fashion, and doesn’t come close to looking at specific situations in the game.
In todays game, everyone needs to know how to bunt. Situation: tied game, bottom of tenth, your team is up. Given the ghost runner rule, the minimum you expect out of the first batter is to move the runner over to third. Being able to bunt increases the chance that the batter will achieve the minimum.
Bae bunted and ran himself into many unnecessary outs last season.
Falter and Contreras being out of options complicates things for the team, as neither would clear waivers to be outrighted. Neither pitcher has a ton of trade value right now, selling either at this point wouldn’t net much of anything.
I wouldn’t trust either with any kind of leverage situation, but I don’t see how they’ll avoid that. You can’t always trot out Borucki or Chapman to start the season in every situation like that. Stratton and Ryan are pretty unproven doing that as well. I suspect the first few weeks are going to feature a few games where the team is leading going into the last half of the game and one of those guys comes in and blows it up.
Jones put the team in a position where they had to keep their word – he was competing and won the competition – you can’t go back on that because of the damage in credibility you’d suffer with your players. We also know that he is going to spend at least 16 days in the minors this season, so it would not be a surprise to see him shipped out at the first sign of trouble. Priester would be the choice if it is like 2 starts in, Lauer or German if it’s toward the end of the month as more permanent solutions.
I think as soon as they’re happy that Lauer/German can go 5inns, Falter will be DFA’d if still struggling.
Good sign he made the team. Hoping they don’t pull the opener BS with the fifth starter spot though
Frustrating that they kept Falter but it seems Cherington loves him. Would have rather had Honeywell or Peralta on the opening day roster. Hopefully he’s the first to get DFA’d when they get healthy
Probably because neither Honeywell nor Peralta can be counted on for more than maybe 2 innings. Even though Falter can’t really be reliable in just one.
Thought it would be Honeywell over Ryan, but both have good arms and are worth a look.
Disappointed with Falter in the rotation, but if him and Ortiz are piggybacking then I don’t hate it until Priester or Skenes earn their way up. If it’s just Falter in the rotation and it’s not a piggyback scenario, then I’m perplexed haha.
Rest of the roster looks good to me, and I even understand keeping Williams over Peguero since the backup infielder will barely play and they want Peguero to get at-bats.
Bae may well replace Williams once healthy.
That’s very true. Although, it depends on the Pirates thoughts of moving Triolo around vs. him playing everyday at second base.
Bae can’t play shortstop, so if they’re going to keep Triolo mostly stationary Williams makes the most sense to backup Cruz. Sounds like Bae will be ready in a couple of weeks so we’ll find out pretty quick.
Bae can barely play 2nd effectively, he’s better suited for centerfield with his speed but they’ll probably make him a bench player
Bae has no future at second base for the Pirates.
They need to make him a center fielder and let him play a full year there.
He also needs to learn how to drag bunt and spray the ball around.
He needs to be taught the fundamentals and with his speed could become a good player.
@ TheMan3 ….. Totally agree, but I think the Pirates would like to see Bae play some 2B with a view to trading him.
Well if Triolo pans out, they have three trade options in Peguero, Gonzales and Bae, no? I mean, when Termarr is nearer to the big show
I agree that they left the bench pretty threadbare by sending Peguero and Nick down. I get why they did it, but Alika Williams hasn’t shown he can hit his weight yet
I think even if Triolo pans out, there’s vey little chance of him sticking at 2b – and why should he with the players mentioned above as potential replacements?
The Bucs would be best served by him being a super-util guy who can handle the MIF as well as being premium at the corners.
I’m sticking to the idea that he ends up playing 1st in a couple years.
I very much doubt Triolo has the bat for that. Cruz will be everyday 1b by mid-2025, IMO.
Wow. That’s one helluva prediction. That would entail Cruz abandoning his firm stance that he’s not moving off of SS. Guess we’ll see
Lol… I’ve been peddling this since Cruz came up and became even more sure after his ankle injury last year.
Wingspan and ground ball defensive chops lead me to believe the big man can be one of the best 1B ever.
Minimal injury scares and throwing issues all the while he’s grabbing errors outta the sky while smashing dingers into the river beyond the wall at PNC.
They will not waste Cruz’ arm at first base.
Him or Henry will move to right field.
Moving Cruz to RF would waste his ability to defend ground balls and his huge wingspan in the infield.
They already tried a ‘strong’ arm in RF last year with Davis and it was a disaster.
LF and CF in PNC is huge – hence the Bucs always needing two CF type players while RF is a short porch where they put their least capable defender.
Davis was given the standard Pirates amount of time to learn how to play RF- 0..I am not saying that he would be Clemente but his failures reflect organization failures rather than his own.
When Endy comes back I think that Henry will still catch some but he will need another position rather than DH to keep his bat in the lineup.
I see 1B and RF as the two open positions.
If Cruz stays at ss then Jack could move to first if Bae actually does become a good centerfielder and improves otherwise.If Henry does not learn how to play right field he would play first base and waste his arm there.
I actually think Cruz is more likely to move to CF or 2B if anything. That way they can utilize his arm strength and speed better.
I’ve always thought he would be a very good CF, but I’ve also never seen him judge a line drive. The most likely scenario is if he struggles defensively at Shortstop the next couple of season him and Triolo could flip spots (Triolo should probably already be the SS).
I think a combination of Gorski (higher on him than most), Endy, and Davis end up occupying first base the next couple of years. Cruz’s size makes sense, so who knows. At least the Pirates actually have options. Could be a good problem to have if most of the guys pan out.
Williams has no business being on the roster. Not today tomorrow or ever. He can’t hit. They say he’s a good base runner. We’ll you can’t run the bases if you can’t get to first. They say he’s defensive gem. Well with a team like the young pirates, you don’t need a guy who might get into 15 games at short and a few late inning insertions in a close game. But to fill a roster with this anemic excuse for a professional baseball player is ludicrous. Derek Shelton must love this guy
He’s a luxury for a team that is going to win 100 games or so, one that scores a lot of runs. He’s the glove you bring in for late inning holds
Here, he’s taking up a roster spot for a club that has had trouble scoring runs or leading in late innings
But the idea was to have Peguero and Gonzales get more playing time on the farm. Ok. Sure
Buc-These are all good points.
I would like to think that BC has a master plan especially with Johnson if he is such a promising player.
Prellar is a master at picking young players then trading them so maybe BC looks at Bae and Gonzalez in that light.
I think that he is looked at as a temporary replacement for Cruz if Cruz is not healthy or does not improve in being fundamentally sound.
Williams is clearly the best fielding shortstop on the team.
I think Peguero is that projected replacement, Mendoza, and it explains the thinking in sending him to the farm. They want him to get a lot of reps that he won’t get here. Same with Gonzales at 2nd
I dunno. Any consensus on how Cruz did as a fielder this spring?
Jared still out of a job at Subway.
I’m excited about this year’s young buccos. I’m predicting 84 wins. With the young talent and throw in the veteran experience and the young starting pitchers, they will stay in the thick of things. Keller,Jones and in June Skenes, makes s very young and HOPEFULLY great staff.
Now in not a fan of Shelton, if he can’t produce with this team, barring major injuries, he should be fired.
I think that they could win as many as 86 games if almost everything turns out well.
Wow! Did someone hack Mendoza’s account? 86?
I tend to think the spring training power surge was a facade but I hope they carry it over into the season
Cruz, Suwinski? Sure, I can see them in the 25-30 homer area
Davis has the ability to hit a number of bombs, too
I just don’t feel comfortable with this starting staff and really, that includes Keller, who’s gone through streaks where he gets hit hard over a number of starts
Yeah. They could win as many as (fill in the blank)
I’m going with 79-82
79-82 wins, that is
Mendoza further up in the posts predicted 78 wins.
I think that the range is large though at 76 to 86.
Pitchers take several years in the big leagues to mature,and that is if they stay healthy,but,I,like you,think that the telling year will be 2025.
It would be bad to regress either this year or next.
I seriously laugh in the face of the fools who say spring training doesn’t matter. This isn’t football where the only guys who see playing time are on the roster bubble, yes having options comes into play, unfortunately bad players make it because of that, but clearly all these players had a productive spring and all made the team. Unless your lineup is set in stone, it absolutely matters to figure out the bottom ten of the roster or so.
Agree 100% and what bothers me is the perception teams sometimes have themselves. Jones being added to the starting staff is a nice change to the idea of hey, we’re just going through the motions down here It gives people who watch games the feeling that hey, maybe the Pirates really want to win this year
They didn’t sign a big time free agent and I didn’t expect them to, but at least they’re rewarding someone for his work
The article starts with ‘Top pitching prospect….’
Not sure what this means as Jones is very good, but not the Bucs ‘top’ pitching prospect nor MLB’s best by any means.
Steve Adams manages to diss the Pirates almost every time he writes about them.
Terrier- They said “top” not the “very best”.
He is one of the top ones on the Pirates and within the top 100 in baseball.
They are giving him his just due.
Lol… to me ‘top of class’ or ‘top of rotation’ means the the best.
Then the term “top tier” would mean nothing to you,just the one very best.
Where is Dream GM?
I hope that he has not retired.He is still young.
Are you sure Dream is a he?
I’ve seen them describe themselves here as non-binary…. haha.
It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world.
Love the Lola reference, Terrier. The Davies brothers would be proud
Dream is a good and insightful poster and I enjoy his comments.Do not always agree with them,and they are often overly optimistic,but they often bring ideas that I had not considered.
A+ review, @MendozaLine.
Tired-Thank you young man.
The most important thing to me is who someone really is,and at 70 I can usually get a sense of that reasonably quickly.
McKinney should have made it