Pirates GM Ben Cherington spoke to reporters (including Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) recently about the struggles a few key players have faced on offense this season in Pittsburgh, including recently-optioned outfielder Jack Suwinski. Despite the club’s decision to option the 25-year-old earlier this week, Cherington made clear that the club believes in his talent.
“Jack is really important to us,” Cherington said, as relayed by Hiles. “..Clearly believe that the best version of our team in 2024 has Jack on it, doing the things that we know he’s capable of doing. We tried to give that as much time as we could to get on track.”
That time to work things out came in the form of 157 plate appearances in the majors with Pittsburgh this season, where Suwinski slashed a brutal .174/.268/.297 despite being just one year removed from a breakout season where he posted a 112 wRC+ in 144 games as the club’s regular center fielder. That upside is certainly tantalizing, but Cherington indicated that the club’s decision to option him comes from a belief that Suwinski will need “consistent” at-bats on a daily basis that they can’t afford to him at the big league level.
With veteran franchise face Andrew McCutchen installed at DH and Bryan Reynolds taking one corner spot every day, that left just two spots in the outfield for a combination of Suwinski, Michael A. Taylor, Edward Olivares, and Connor Joe. Olivares and Joe have both hit fairly well to this point in the season, while Taylor is both not optionable and also an excellent defender in center field. Even with that outfield logjam complicating matters, Cherington still indicated that the club hopes that he’ll be able to show enough to return to the majors at some point this year, although he made clear that there is “no guarantee” as to when or if he’ll be back in the majors this year.
Suwinski isn’t the only potential core piece that the Pirates optioned to the minors this month, as the club also optioned catcher Henry Davis just after the calendar flipped to May. Davis, 24, was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft and made his debut last season but struggled at the plate while working almost exclusively as an outfielder. Injuries to the club’s catching corps this offseason spurred Pittsburgh to return Davis to his native position behind the plate, where he looked to be below average but serviceable with the glove. That would be well worthwhile if Davis was a stud on offense, but he hit just .162/.280/.206 in 23 games prior to his demotion.
Fortunately, Davis has caught fire in the weeks since then at Triple-A with an otherworldly .315/.456/.741 slash line in 15 games. That strong hot stretch earned Davis considerable praise from Cherington, who acknowledged that the youngster has been “working hard” since being optioned and that the club is seeing “progress” both in his on-field results and in the specific goals the club set out for him when he was demoted. If Davis can reach the ceiling that made him a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport a couple of years ago, that would be a huge boost to a Pirates club that has struggled to a 24-28 start this season despite winning 11 of their first 16 games this year.
Not every struggling player can be optioned to the minor leagues, of course, and that includes first baseman Rowdy Tellez. The 29-year-old slugger signed a one-year deal in Pittsburgh coming off a down season in Milwaukee last year and has looked even worse through 45 games with the Pirates this season, hitting a nightmarish .175/.242/.225 that’s a whopping 64% below the league average hitter in terms of wRC+.
In spite of his struggles, it doesn’t appear that the club doesn’t plan on giving up on Tellez any time soon, and Cherington confirmed as much in comments to reporters. While the GM acknowledged that the club isn’t “seeing the outcomes we hoped to see” out of Tellez to this point, he also made clear that Tellez is healthy and that the underlying skills that prompted the Pirates to target him, including his bat speed and strong power potential, don’t seem to have changed.
Even as the club intends to stick with Tellez for the time being, that doesn’t mean they haven’t begun to lean less heavily on him. Tellez is still a semi-regular fixture in the club’s lineup with appearances in 15 of the club’s 21 games this month, but Joe has begun to see increasing playing time at first base as a result of a strong .273/.344/.460 slash line in 45 games this season. Should the Pirates decide to move on from Tellez at some point, non-roster veteran Jake Lamb could serve as a potential left-handed complement to Joe at first base. The 33-year-old is currently playing for the Pirates on a minor league deal in their system with a .341/.428/.500 slash line in 37 games and had some success in the majors as recently as 2022.
Faulty Tellez needs to go. He’s an albatross. Also get rid of Skelton and Haines. If they do I think the young buccos will blossom to their full potential. Skelton continues to mismanage a potential winning season. Keller is blooming into an ace and Skenes is the real deal. And Johnson is becoming an ace himself. Now get a REAL first baseman and the sky is the limit.
Connor Joe is a competent first baseman and hits well but he’s not the power hitting type that they were expecting from Tellez.
I read in today’s edition of the Trib, Hayes’ back has healed and will begin taking ground balls this week. Once he returns, Williams will most likely be optioned to Indy, but there will be a juggernaut of middle infielders, all with offensive potential and not enough positions to play them every game
Triolo can spell any of them when Shelton decides to give someone a day off but he might benefit from a trip to Indy himself
By the way, Cruz now leads the league in strikeouts with 73. For as talented as he is, he needs to stop swinging at pitches nowhere close to the plate
Tellez isn’t the power hitting type either it seems. I think Triolo will be utility, he’s kinda old to be a prospect and in the minors so he’ll still get starts. Gonzalez has given them a much needed spark and certainly deserves to play every day. I would use Joe at 1B until he either falls off a cliff or they find someone better. Tellez should go. I don’t think Shelton wants to play him either but BC insists. Cruz or Davis should just be 1B long term.
I said that they were expecting Tellez to be a power hitting first baseman not that he is one
Double digit strikeout performance by the Pirates offense to go along with a measly 4 hits
Has Taylor ever played in a game this season when he didn’t strike out at least once?
And granted they were playing against arguably the best pitcher in the league, they still managed to swing at pitches nowhere close to the plate, or not swing at pitches on the edges of the plate
Doesn’t Haines teach them to protect the plate?
The bullpen stinks. Maybe it’s time for Oscar to be put on notice
Connor Joe has a .460 SLG, Tellez in his best full season (2022) had a .461 SLG. Sure, he’s flashed more over short seasons, but even his career. 433 SLG isn’t that much better than Joe’s
408.
Since when do the Pirates not have time for a player to get on track?
Probably service time reasons for this. Him and Davis both. I haven’t looked it up but I bet that’s a factor in all this.
Since they are in year number 4 of the Cherington regime and were supposed to be contenders this season
Then why is Tellez still on the team?
Did you read the article?
Cherington explains why SMH
Yes I read it. It wasn’t a good explanation at all.
The truth is that they do not want to eat his contract.
I never saw anything saying they’d be competitive in 4 years. There’s no way you can turn a team like them around in just 4 seasons. You can show signs of a turnaround by then, and they are showing those signs.
Cherington gave an interview to the Triibune Review on Friday, he said he expected them to be contenders this year
This is the fifth year and the Orioles did it after four.
I stand corrected, 5 years it is. Still, the rebuild is over and they should be contending
The man, I’d say next year was the expectation. That’s when Huntington made the playoffs.
This team is nothing like that of Huntington’s 4th year.
Expectations of being contenders based on the previous regime is ludicrous
Each regime is not the same nor should be
They’re still contenders. It’s a long season, they have an opportunity to sweep Atlanta tomorrow and are only 2 games out of the Wild Card. This team could still win 82-85 games which could be enough to sneak in.
Even if the Pirates somehow made the playoffs their pitching isn’t ready to pitch deep into the postseason. The Pirates are close. Next year could be the year but not this year.
Typical baseball fan behavior that always thinks it’s next year
Except that injuries happen, free agent signings are busts, current players regress and soon they are back in rebuild form
What? A rotation of Skenes, Jones, Keller, and Faulter matches up with any other staff in MLB. The Pirates issues lie in bullpen and scoring runs.
Yeah, look at the Reds and Dbacks. Everyone thought they were set up to be getting better each year but it’s not that simple. Not every team can rebuild like the Orioles and have multiple elite hitters. Not saying to trade the whole farm once you become a .500 team but don’t just pack it in and say better luck next year.
I think this is a year the Pirates shouldn’t ship guys off at the deadline. They are close but the time is not now. The Orioles are stacked with young talent it’s hard to compare them to the Pirates or really any other young team on the rise. Look at Davis Vs Rutschman. Rutschman is Posey 2.0 he’s a winner. Davis is just a guy right now.
At the trade deadline, they should be adding major league players not trading for prospects.
That said, every year on this very site, people say it’s “ not this year “ and the following year, they say it again
With this franchise’s history, next year doesn’t seem to ever arrive
Long term players are a year older, injuries are more likely to effect the pitching staff, players regress as several have done this year and by this time next year, people will again compare the Bucs to other teams that are contending and use the same excuse
Wait until next year
The Pirates have a legit ace. The last time they were contenders they had a legit ace and now they have Skenes. But he’s not ready to pitch a full season including playoffs yet. And neither is Jones.
This isn’t the year. The Pirates need to spend some money this offseason and if and when they do they can be legit contenders in 2025 and have a nice run like they did a few years ago.
I disagree and there’s no use in discussing this any further
What’s great about having different opinions, is understanding your opponent’s position and respecting it
The goal is to be contenders, no one said anything about making the playoffs or winning a championship
They’re terminal two years away from being two years away
I agree with your thought about signing A-listers. But really, when does ownership have any thought of doing it. Or even swinging a trade? Archer? Mauer? That’s been the limit of their thinking and it’s ancient
They spent on Chapman this year and it still boggles the mind. I’m hoping Shelton will use him in mop up games because having him in there with a lead—any lead—is the recipe for disaster
That was my point, Tired. Fans, (present company excluded) are content with the Bucs being competitive next year, despite the fact that next year always becomes the year after and the year after that.
It’s similar to their perpetual rebuilds that happen every few years because their top tier players leave for free agency and they have to restock the minors with more prospects
It’s an endless cycle that never seems to end
Austin Riley had struggles with the Braves & some fans wanted him gone. How did that turn out? Patience my brothers
Believe it or not, the Pirates aren’t this forever patient, garbage franchise that doesn’t want to improve. And the front office and coaching staff’s butts should be on fire at this point because progress is badly needed. Their time is basically now while they have some good young pitchers and a few hitters locked up long term, but the prospects absolutely have to pan out. Obviously not all of them will but they need to hit in the majors.
I think they have innings limit concerns with both Skenes and the other guy that’s been really good Jones. Davis perhaps he’s ready for another shot. This isn’t the year where they start competing but next year could be. Hopefully they spend some money to help the young guys out.
Is this the opinion of the same person who claimed that Nick Gonzalez, with his limited experience this season isn’t advanced enough to be a good hitter?
The fact is, you were wrong about him and his 14 rbi in 15 games proves it
I think the area that is black and pink, is his brain. This guy knows nothing about baseball. Everyone has a right yo their own opinion. BUT guys like this post stupidity
I never said Gonzales was a bad player you defensive little man. I said he’s behind where most expected he would be at this point in his career. Because he is.
And did you just quote RBIs as a reason why a guy is good?????
This isn’t the Pirates year. Maybe next year. Let’s not pretend you aren’t used to this.
I think you and the other guy are insecure because your team has been terrible for years. That’s what I think.
That is why they will need to keep Perez if he pitches well and hope that Gonzalez can come back healthy.
Skenes and Jones will not pitch past August.
Yesh, I’m insecure. Thanks for the laugh
Mendoza….you are wrong about skenes and Jones, not pitching past August. If they are in contention, which I think they will be, then it would be asinine for them to put them on the shelf.
This is why the only trades the pirates should make is for a legit 1st baseman and bullpen help.
Service time isn’t the issue. Suwinski and Davis have options left so the team can afford to let them get on track in AAA and see if other guys can provide more production in the majors. Though Suwinski is still struggling in AAA, Davis has been mashing and the offense on the major league club has been much better recently so the early returns on those moves have been encouraging.
To your other question regarding Tellez, there’s no logical reason to keep him on the team right now. If the Bucs dfa Tellez there’s no chance any team is claiming him and he wouldn’t reject the assignment to AAA in favor of free agency since he would only be receiving minor league offers and would have to forfeit his MLB salary. So the end result would just be flipping Tellez and Lamb on the MLB and AAA rosters. That move is long overdue. Honestly I was hoping they’d claim and bring back Alfonso Rivas when he was dfa’d by the Cardinals last week. At least Rivas draws walks and gets on base in the at bats he isn’t making outs.
It’s my belief that Tellez remains on the team because Nutting is too frugal to allow Rowdy’s salary to be paid without having to earn it
$3.2 million is what his contract is for, and with only 1/3 of the season played, that’s money he really doesn’t want to part with
At the trade deadline, that’s another story
Tellez is on the bench mostly, thank goodness. Nutting got had either way since $3 million plus for a bench player is not something that they want to pay. Might as well cut him loose.
Probably service time reasons for this. Him and Davis both.
=========================
If they were going to keep Davis down for service time, why promote him in the first place?
Davis had a .486 OPS and -0.2 bWAR. Suwinski has a .565/-0.9. Sometimes things are exactly what they look like.
I have no idea why they changed Suwinski’s approach so much. For like the first month and a half, they were trying to make him more of a contact hitter, swinging more often and making more contact, but making far less quality contact. I get making adjustments to get him to strikeout less, but you cannot take any hitter and fundamentally change their approach and expect it to work out well. That’s on Haines if you ask me.
Henry Davis has since changed his stance and swing since getting demoted and it’s worked out well at Triple-A. It looks more like what he was doing prior to his promotion. I hope he can figure it out, and I think he can. He needed to make adjustments and he has.
As for Tellez, you just gotta move on from him. He’s the worst non-pitcher hitter I’ve ever seen. He has a lower batting average and slugging percentage than Austin Hedges had with the Pirates all last year. The only thing that’s keeping him above Hedges in OPS is a few walks here and there.
Haines seems to want to reinvent the wheel every season with almost every young hitter.
“In spite of his struggles, it doesn’t appear that the club doesn’t plan on giving up on Tellez any time soon”
Huh?
Translated into math, a quadruple negative equals a positive.
“Due to his struggles, it appears the club will give up on Tellez,”
In spite of his struggles, it doesn’t appear that the club doesn’t plan on giving up on Tellez any time soon.
Do you even proofread, bro?
Thank god, the typo police are here.
That’s not a typo, it’s a grammatical error.
– your friendly neighborhood grammar police officer
Heh, yea I guess you COULD make that grammatical error- if you’re from New Jersey.
If Suwinski goes to Indy, starts making new adjustments at the plate, and mashing the ball like Davis has, I’m going to be really really interested to hear Shelton/Haines explain why guys seem to keep becoming a lot more comfortable at the plate once they aren’t listening to those two.
Great point, Monkey’s Uncle but Shelton will never admit that the resurgence of players sent to Indy was because of that hitting coach
He protects Haines’ reputation at any cost
I think Skelton is just picking his nose when it comes to lineups, fundamentals and pitching situations. I know for sure he’s picking Nuttings pockets. And that’s saying alot about scrooge nutting
Could possibly be that AAA pitching is a lot easier to hit than MLB pitching? Just a thought.
That’s why I said “more comfortable at the plate” instead of “hitting better” in my original post. I’m referring more to the fact that these guys are making changes in their approach once away from Pittsburgh.
A lot easier to be comfortable against worse pitching. Also AAA is where you go to make big adjustments because you can afford to play “trial and error.” This is not uncommon at all.
Fair point. It’s just that there seems to be a recurring theme of Pirates young hitters only able to correct flawed hitting approaches if they consult minor league help.
If that was the case, there would be hitters in the minors batting .400+ and hitting homers every other plate appearance
I was thinking the identical thing. Davis, Suwinski, Cruz & Endy all look like they’ve taken a step back.
Joe- Davis probably because it is very difficult if you are mediocre at the catcher position to concentrate oh hitting ML pitchers.
Suwinski stance was evidently changed instead of teaching him to hit with two strikes and keeping him from hitting lefthanders.
Endy- see Davis and difference from AAA pitchers
Cruz- should be using his personal coach which was probably frowned upon by Cherington who is the Wizard behind Haines- needs an instructor to teach him how to hit curveballs and be defensive with two strikes
Why hasn’t Jack reported to Indy yet?
Anyone?
I think they may have 3 days to show up.
There’s reports that Reynolds is learning 1st base it definitely helped Harper
There should be a report that Cruz will learn how to play first base.
Jake Lamb From State Farm
“Khakis”
Hindsight being 20/20, the roughly 14 million Cherington spent on Aroldis Chapman and Rowdy Tellez this winter should’ve gone to any two relievers not named Aroldis Chapman and a first baseman not named Rowdy Tellez.
I mean, foresight was 20/20 too. Outside of Bucs Nation, no one really thought those were good signings.
I may have been the only one but Tellez was very good two years ago and they needed another closer to Bednar if they were to have as good of a team that they predicted.
I was surprised how much they paid Chapman though.I thought that it should have been more like $7M.
They had Holderman. Just how many closers does a .500 team need?
As for Tellez, if you saw him last year you knew this was a supreme risk. How did saving a couple million by signing him and not a more valuable commodity like Santana make sense?
Holderman “closed “ last year when Bednar was not available and was awful.He does not have the bulldog makeup for it.Cherington knows this.
He also knows that he needs a good setup man and Holderman has been that this year.Big difference.
Santana is hitting 205 albeit with 7 home runs but a 680 OPS.It was a good move not to sign him.
Tellez was a risk worth taking,but it was risky nevertheless.
It is time to dfa him and bring up Lamb.
Hindsight is always 20-20.
Mendoza, since when does a .500 team need two closers? I digress. Holderman is a late inning reliever. I errored in calling him a closer but if Bednar wasn’t available, it would figure he could fit the role
I didn’t see the need for any 1st baseman to be signed, mind you. But Santana was known as a solid glove and true clubhouse leader. Known entities.
Agree about Lamb
In my first post I said as good as they thought that they would be.
They were supposedly aiming for the playoffs this year.
Bednar lost two games in a row last year to the Braves when he was overworked.
Two games can mean the difference between making the playoffs and not.
The loss of Moreta hurt them more than anyone has noted.He was cocky enough to close.
Maybe I should have said a second reliever who can close.That is the reason why I thought that they signed Chapman.
They do not need any more clubhouse leaders as long as they have Cutch.
Santana is a year older and it shows this year.
There is a gaping hole at first base and has been for many years as we all know.Joe is fine as a platoon hitter and can also play the outfield but he is not the answer.
Yes. So why sign Tellez after the train wreck season he had last year? Was anyone watching? It was a horrible add
I brought up Santana as many here talked about his leadership, especially with Latin players. No, I don’t think they needed him, either.
Santana doesn’t have a history of injuries despite his age, his 20+ homers and drove in close to 90 runs last year. He also has a pretty good feel for the strike zone and draws a fair amount of walks
Tellez does none the above
Plus, Santana was a finalist for a Gold Glove at first base last year
I read a column by the moron, mark madden, today. Saying the pirates should trade their top prospects to support the limited time that they have Skenes. He seems to think that by 2028 Nutting will trade Skenes. I think otherwise. I predict they will sign him longterm when the time is right. He mentioned the signings of Reynolds Hayes and Keller as, and I quote, as ham and eggers. The only ham and whale is moron Madden. A loser who’s been fired numerous times. Why? Because he’s s typical shock jock idiot. Who’s only purpose is to spread his moronic theories.
I don’t think Madden is very qualified to speak about baseball but I get where he’s coming from here. Hate to say it, but the odds of Skenes staying here past his arb years are pretty low. I very much hope they work out a long term deal with him but it would probably have to be larger than Hunter Green and Strider’s deals because of his pedigree and insane potential. It’s not crazy to go all-in on a window of having dominant young pitchers.
And while signing those 3 is a fantastic sign that ownership cares, none of them are true star players like Skenes and even JJ if he keeps it up.
Madden is right on at least one thing.If Skenes and Jones keep this up and stay healthy no small market team will be able to afford them.
Disagree, Bucco. Don’t go by Mark’s on air persona. He’s merely playing a role for the folks who like the shock jock approach
Enjoy his columns and feel that he’s usually right on the money no matter the sport
The team is hitting right now. That’s wonderful. But can they sustain it for 100 more games. Unlikely
If they wish to contend moving forward, where does that leave them? Either signing a couple big timers, which doesn’t fit ownership SOP or trades
They need to build around Keller, Jones and Skenes. Perhaps Falter, too
They have infielder depth at the farm level. They have pitching depth, as well
So I ask you, why hold onto it if you have players in place at this level and are sorely in need of outfield or 1st baseman prospects who’ve shown they are hitters? Makes perfect sense
Aside from a kid like Davis coming up and being given a shot in RF or 1B with some spot catching when Endy returns, what’s the recourse?
If I want “moronic theories,” all I need to do is turn on The Fan for baseball talk. This however makes a lot of sense
You’d hope “contending” means more than going after wild card berths every year. Given what they currently have as hitters, that’s hard to see
Dude. You are right about one thing the FAN 97 has more conspiracy theories than QANON.
I’m all for acquiring a big bat and bullpen help st the deadline. And I agree about trading some of the young middle infielders.
I’m just pointing out madden saying that those 3 are ham n eggers. Seems to me like madden eats too much ham n eggs
Mark Madden is the Alex Jones of sports conspiracies
Tired-My best lineup next year would be the following and they can compete if they get rid of Shelton and Haines and everyone improves accordingly and stays healthy.
CF Bae
LF Reynolds
3B Hayes
1B Cruz
RF Davis
DH Suwinski
2B Gonzalez
C Rodriguez
SS Williams and/or Peguero
UT Triolo
Williams needs steady playing time and he’s not getting it with the parent club
Other than his defense and even that isn’t perfect, he brings no offense to this team
By the way, Chapman is playing home run derby against the Braves’ hitters
That’s basically the same lineup that was predicted for this current season and we see how that worked out
Williams is really a luxury a team like this can’t afford. He’s a late inning defensive replacement type. Me, I go with Peguero
They’re standing by Tellez. Of course. And if you asked them, they’d stand by Chapman, too. Have to avoid admitting mistakes
Absolutely, Tired. That’s why Tellez, Chapman and even Taylor are still on the team
Releasing any now is an admission of mistakes of signing each in the first place
And as Mendoza pointed out in another post, Cherington isn’t about to throw Nutting’s money away this early in the season even though he’s already wasted it
He probably has to keep these players on board even if they stink.We saw that with Polanco his last year.That is when I knew what the rule was from Nutting.
Starters would be Skenes,Jones,Keller,Falter,and Oviedo.
Bodnar,Holderman,Moreta,Ortiz,and Hernandez would be the relievers with the three others mix and match.Include Velasquez as a long man/starter.
Bart would be the backup catcher with Davis the emergency one.
Keep the guy from KC and Joe as outfielders and Joe backing up Cruz.
Have Delay and one or two relievers as AAA backups.
Cutch May still have a role but only if he deserves one based on performance.
They would need another shutdown reliever in FA.
That roster would have good backups and good depth in AAA.
Obviously like your roster but there are some “You have to hope that…” varieties in your selections
-That Nick is the real deal
-That Cruz is willing to go to 1st
-That Davis is given an ample amount of time to adapt to RF
-That Jack rights himself at Indy
You’d hope that Cruz is a 25 homer guy and that somehow, Reynolds can be that .300/20-25 homer type again
If all of that looks favorable, then you have the ability to package some guys at the minor league level for outfield prospects who can hit, their biggest area of concern
But Dream used to talk about rebuilds and burning it all down. To me, it’s somewhere in between. Moving on from Cherington, Shelton, Haines would be a nice start
His definition may be strictly correct but we all know that rebuilds are designed to amount to more than mediocrity.
And,yes,you are correct in your assessments.
I would trade Cruz if he will not move.He is not a ML shortstop and they are not going to win anything with him there.
I think that Cherington is limited in certain respects and would greatly benefit by having someone over him to fill in his inadequacies.I think that he basically does a good job but has a definite blind spot where his coaching personnel are concerned.That in itself may very well get him fired too..
I tend to think Cherington consults with Shelton on a daily basis. That’s not to say he’s Steinbrenner, constantly on the phone with the dugout but rather, has a say in usage of personnel
My beef with the GM comes mainly in the form of his assembling a poor player development program throughout the big team and farm. It’s rare one sees marked improvement that translates to success here
Those who know the farm better may point to Haines’s methods as being the reason
To me, you have a great many players and unless we’re all mistaken, we see a lot of tinkering that equates to failure and then, loss of confidence
Suwinski. Davis. And Cruz, certainly against left handers. I do believe in the case of Davis, management’s usage of him so far has really been mismanagement.
Again, these are young players. You have to address the psychological approach as much as the physical
Once again we agree wholeheartedly.
Cutch has more homers than many of the current players. If anyone should have to deserve a place on this team it’s Jack. Especially using his regression stats from this year to last season
I’m going to take it Perez tweaked a groin or hammy today and that the sum of all fears will be upon us with Priester getting some starts. Kind of makes the old 4 man rotation look very appealing
With a bullpen that is in serious disarray, the thought of going back to a reliever only game as they did last season, unfortunately, Priester is their only option if Perez lands on the IL
In my opinion, a 4 man rotation would eventually limit the number of innings Skenes throws and even earlier than the projected timeframe they had planned for him
Maybe it is time to see if Priester can sink or swim.
Look how many years it took Keller to become a good pitcher.
If Bart goes on the IL for the injury he sustained during yesterday’s game, which hasn’t been revealed as far as I know, will they recall Davis and if that happens, will Haines again tinker with his batting approach?
Carmen is not the same pitcher he was last year when his ERA was below 3 and this year he gives up runs like he forgot how to get batters out.
This seems to be a trend for every reliever with the exception of Holderman, and when Bednar pitches, I sit on the edge of my seat in anxiety
Anyone remember Mitch Williams, aka Wild Thing? He made every potential save opportunity an adventure
I’m still laughing about Mendoza’s line regarding Priester. He threw a 1-hitter at Indy yesterday. Great. To me, he’s the prototypical farm pitcher. He may come here and have a good start, followed by 3 where he gets shelled. But I’m down on any player—pitchers especially—who look like mannequins out there. That’s Priester. He’d be a great package piece with someone like Termarr to an AL team for a true power hitting outfield prospect
Yeah, what recourse do they have if Bart is out? I can just see more messing with Davis’s head, between hitting and positioning
I like Holderman. No idea what Mendoza refers to when he says the guy doesn’t have the fight in him for close games in late innings. And again, with him here I will say that the Chapman signing rivals the Bell signing from years ago as the franchise’s worst ever.
Are you referring to Derek Bell, “ if I ain’t starting I will live on my houseboat “?
That Derek Bell?
The Mets did not think Holderman was a closer or else they would not have traded him for Vogelbach.
Why don’t the Pirates use him as such?
Why would they sign Chapman if he had proven that he could close?
I tend to think that people getting paid to make decisions like this tend to generally get them right rather than posters on a baseball site.
Priester does look like a robot.
So what!
Tom Brady did too.
Bob Gibson had a 1.6 whip his first year and a 1.7 one his second year.
Cardinal fans are happy that they did not give up on him too soon.
There is a reason that young players have numerous options to use.They do not always get it right the first time.
Priester has potential to be a good fourth starter and they would be stupid not to find out if he can be.
It is not like they are going to win anything of real value this year anyway.
So let me get this straight. On one hand, you are saying that the Pirates essentially need two closers or at least, a guy who can handle the set up role and pop into closing when the closer is tired
On the other, you’re telling me that what we have seen from Holderman indicates that he doesn’t fit that profile and that the Mets were happy to unload him with that in mind.
Additionally, you’re going to give credit to a front office that since they have arrived have been all over the road where “signings” are concerned
Chapman at $10m still defies logic. Tellez is about as insane but heck, at least as he’s cheaper
With all of this in mind, you then circle back to say that Priester deserves more looks and that perhaps his previous starts haven’t been an indicator of what he can do
In comparing your arguments about Holderman and Priester, you’ll forgive me for saying that your logic is contradictory
They have no alternative in either case, do they? Unless they plan on doing reliever starts again, Priester is the natural choice. And Chapman simply stinks.
with this current offense, it’s highly unlikely that Bednar will be attempting a save in multiple games or at least in three consecutive games so there’s really no need for 2 closers
This is the first time that I can remember the pirates not playing on memorial day. They used to have those early morning starts, so that you still had time to get home and be with family.
Whoever did this scheduling catastrophe should be FIRED, ALING WITH SKELTON AND HAINES
Tell it to the computer.
Go bucvos
Bucco-You had previously posted that the innings of Skenes and Jones will not be limited,especially if the Pirates are in the wild card race.
Do you really think that that is true?
They both probably will have accumulated 175 innings by the end of the season barring injuries.That is much more than they have ever had and to do so may risk serious injury.
I doubt that Cherington would risk his career to do that if a serious injury would occur in September.
I would venture to say that Cherington already risked his career when he signed the 3 stooges, Chapman, Tellez and Taylor
One no longer pitches with any effectiveness and the other two can’t even hit their weight
Spending $ 17.5 million dollars on 3 players for a small market team isn’t exactly a polishing of his resume
Any good team needs a closer and a 1A.
Cherington said that they would compete for the playoffs which implies to me that they would have a good team.
The setup man is important enough not to be 1A.
You are clearly inserting words into my posts.I said that if the Mets thought that he was a closer they would not have traded him for Vogelbach.
Nobody complained about signings in previous years.He had a bad year.
Priester is young and deserves a fair share of chances.For some reason you just do not like him.
Nothing contradictory in what I have actually stated.
You are correct in saying that they do not have any alternatives.The bullpen is a mess right now,and hopefully it gets much better.If they gave up on all of the young pitchers they would have no bullpen.