The Pirates announced today that catcher Yasmani Grandal was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. Fellow backstop Henry Davis was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in a corresponding move. Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported that Grandal was at the ballpark prior to the official announcement.
Davis, 24, was the first overall pick in the 2021 draft and was considered one of the top prospects in the league on his way up through the minors. He was able to make his major league debut last year but the club’s other notable catching prospect, Endy Rodríguez, handled the bulk of the work behind the plate. Davis mostly played right field and hit .213/.302/.351 in his first taste of the majors.
That wasn’t especially impressive production but it’s not uncommon for prospects to scuffle when first promoted to the big leagues and didn’t necessarily warrant concern, but it did raise questions about how the club would proceed. Rodríguez didn’t hit much in his debut either but the Pirates seemed to prefer him behind the plate, based on the way they handled the playing time last year.
Rodríguez required UCL surgery in December, which put him out of action for the entire 2024 season. That was obviously bad news for the Bucs but it did at least open a window for them to experiment with Davis behind the plate at the major league level for an extended stretch of time.
The results haven’t been especially encouraging thus far. Davis has a grade of -3 from Defensive Runs Saved so far on the season. Each of Statcast, FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus rank him as a subpar pitch framer so far this year.
But the larger problem is that his poor offense has gotten even worse from last year. He has drawn walks in 13.3% of his plate appearances but has also been struck out at a huge 34.9% rate. He currently sports a batting line of .162/.280/.206 for a wRC+ of 48. His average exit velocity, barrel rate and hard hit rate are all in the 37th percentile or lower among qualified hitters.
The Bucs had signed Grandal to serve as a veteran complement to Davis this year but he had to begin the season on the IL due to left foot plantar fasciitis. Jason Delay was on the roster with Davis to start the year but the Bucs acquired Joey Bart from the Giants as Delay was placed on the injured list and later required knee surgery.
While Davis has struggled, Bart has been flourishing. His 28.2% strikeout rate is on the high side but he’s drawn walks at a 17.9% clip and hit three home runs already. His .219/.359/.531 slash line translates to a 151 wRC+. That’s a small sample size of 39 plate appearances, but since he’s out of options and Davis is struggling, it makes sense to keep him around and see what happens.
For now, Davis will head down to the minors to try to get in a better groove as Bart and Grandal share the big league catching duties. In the long run, the Pirates will have to answer some questions about their plans behind the plate. Grandal is a free agent at season’s end but Rodríguez will be back in the picture for 2025. If Bart can last on the roster for the rest of the year, he can be retained via arbitration for three future seasons, but is out of options and needs to be kept on the big league roster. Davis still has a full slate of options and just 14 games of Triple-A experience, so keeping him at that level for a while isn’t outrageous. But if catching isn’t in his future, there will come a point where it makes sense to move him and allow him to focus more on offense and outfield defense.
From a service time perspective, Davis came into 2024 with 105 days of service, leaving him 67 shy of the one-year mark. He’s added 36 here so far this year and could still get over that line if he comes back for another month-plus at some point.
I’m shocked that this team actually made a roster move considering Davis has been putrid since the start of the season
Granted, he was only optioned because Grandal was eligible to come off the IL, I’m not sure if a 35 year old catcher will make a difference on a team that collectively stinks to begin with
Suwinski should have gone with him
Rather Triolo than Suwinski. Gonzales Bae Peguero need mlb look. Well I guess.
Suwinski has regressed from last year and could probably need some time at Indy but Shelton is too stubborn to make this team better
Jack just struck out with runners in scoring position so yeah, keep him at the ML level
But Triolo was the runner at second on a single
And replace him with Bae
After tonight’s pending loss, management must make changes because after 6 innings, they have 3 singles, 6 ks and are losing to worst team in baseball
It appears that they will not only lose to the worst team in baseball but continue their streak of strikeouts in double digits and against a pitcher who had an era of over 5 at the start of the game and perhaps get shutout for the second consecutive game
TheMan3, let’s quit saying “they lost to the worst team in baseball” whether they’re playing, the A’s, Rockies, whomever
They *are* the worst team in baseball. There are AAA pitchers that could shut down these bats
And while I agree with your critiques of Shelton, Haines and the gang, just who can raise the dead here? Seriously.
DreamGM has it right. They’re going to sputter for a couple years again—now four years away from being two years away—until they burn it all down
Because after all, they have reputations to keep as MLB front office types, player personnel geniuses and scouts
As for Davis, my guess is we’ll see him again in September if at all. Shame.
My apologies, Tiredolderdude, you’re correct, we are the worst team in baseball no matter who we play against. Still, it’s very frustrating and embarrassing
One thing this franchise excels at is rebuilding and we will embark on yet another one beginning this upcoming trade deadline when our current one year contracts are traded
Sadly, i won’t receive much in return.
Correct, we always think we are getting a good prospect in return but the other team knows better and sells us a pig in the poke.
It’s an annual tradition, trading upcoming free agent players for whatever they can get in return.
With the likes of Rowdy, Taylor and Chapman, it will be more like salary dumps than getting ML ready players back
Then over the winter, they will sign another handful of nobodies or has beens and by next summer, the tradition will repeat itself again
Wish Grandal was up sooner. Good to have him work with pitchers who will be arriving throughout the season though. He isn’t going to move the needle much but he needed called up and Davis needed sent down. Will let this article age a bit and will brainstorm some hobbies for you. Too much pirates could be harmful.
It’s about time.
Hopefully Davis can work things out, otherwise he’s a huge waste of a draft pick.
Davis had a good ST, especially vs. my Tigers. He most definitely is not a wasted draft pick. I haven’t followed him since the season started, but pretty much everybody’s highly touted rookies are scuffing.
Keith w the Tigers
Holliday w Orioles
Leiter & Langford w Texas
To name 3.
That’s 4.
None of those had big league experience last year though. Davis did. Chris Owings is always a superstar in ST then can’t hit when pitchers are actually trying, so… the jury is still out on Henry.
Young players struggling is nothing new. Many prospects aren’t rated properly. Davis though has more mlb time and less appealing data. Far from finished but scarier than the others.
Any time I hear a draft report saying “if he can remain at catcher”, I worry. Even if you hear the same thing with a CF or SS, it’s not nearly as bad.
If young players struggle and naturally, why do the veterans on this team struggle, too?
What is the over/under on strikeouts in this afternoon’s game?
Henry has gone from a non option at catcher to average.
Where are you getting that idea?
Taking a catcher 1/1 is bad business. There just aren’t many success stories. I’m surprised there isn’t some kind of algorithm to indicate that.
2019: Adley Rutschman
2001: Joe Mauer
That’s the list of 1(1) catchers before Davis in the last 50 years.
You missed a few, but the ones you missed just further prove your point:
Bryce Harper (drafted as an OF but was a catcher in HS and college)
BJ Surhoff (1985)
Danny Goodwin (1975)
Goodwin is the only one who was really a bust out of all of these. Also, most of the other 2021 guys are still in the minors aside from a few, so it’s hard to call Davis a bust this early. .
BJ Surhoff was my guy
But the success of Adley and Mauer doesn’t change my stance. There is just too much projection that goes into evaluating catchers. It’s too risky.
Plus, Mauer and Surhoff were LH hitters and Adley is a switch hitter. Surhoff never made it as a catcher.
You’re right that it’s too early to call Davis a bust.
Former Pirate Neil Walker was drafted as a catcher
And played 3rd in the minors.
Walker was a well known all around athlete in this area. Not sure he fits into the convo because really, he’d played the infield. Drafting him was no shot in the dark
Good business taking a catcher number 1 if they have the best bat and a pitcher ss cf of similar talent isn’t available.
Pirates thought Davis plus Chandler was more valuable than the other options. It was fair to have thought that.
Bro is seriously comparing adley and Mauer to Henry Davis
I think something is wrong when you get drafted #1 and aren’t top 15 on prospect rankings (granted Mayer and lawlar should’ve been higher than Henry but the pirates are cheap)
Except that the Bucs in drafting Davis as their #1 pick, they were required to pay him a signing bonus and his rookie contract lasts until he’s arbitration eligible
In this scenario, they weren’t cheap
sad tormented neglected mariners fan1
but the pirates are cheap)
========================
It wasn’t cheapness. The simply spend money on other draft picks.
This is trouble for Cherington. He’s had some shaky drafts and the kids are not developing as expected.
At least the position players aren’t. So far, the pitchers look great. Carmen Mlodzinski had a great second half last year, Jared Jones is a potential ROY candidate, Bubba Chandler, Thoams Harrington, Anthony Solometo, Hunter Barco, and Michael Kennedy look great. Just frustrating we can’t get any hitting.
You forgot the best of them, Skenes.
The skenes pick made itself
I don’t know why teams just don’t take every pitcher they can and use that surplus to acquire developed hitting.
The Mets tried that a few years back with Harvey, deGrom, Wheeler, Syndergaard, Matz et al with limited success.
The problem is that pitchers break down more readily than hitters.
Drafts have been fine. Hitting development is the problem.
Player development has been an issue with this franchise for years
The lack of offense should be a concern for Cherington as well as the poor player development system of a franchise he’s supposed to be running
It won’t happen but the hitting coach should be fired and Shelton’s job as manager should be on the line
Making changes would tell the fans that they are serious about being competitive
You can’t just send a message that you’re serious about being competitive. You have to actually be serious about being competitive and then back that up with some corresponding seriously competitive moves.
Just ask the Rockies Dick Montfort. He’ll tell you every year how they’re gonna be competitive. And then aren’t.
you can send that message to young fans who aren’t as savvy about this team as fans like you or me
There’s gullible people in every corner of life
At this point one wonders whether this was all a case of incredible hype to lure Pirates fans into thinking better days were ahead or a remarkable case of misjudging young players. Perhaps it is a combination of both
While having a team full of young guys who simply can’t cut it at the MLB level is bad, the fact that there is no one in the minors anywhere near the idea of “Star of tomorrow” is worse
I have to laugh at those who keep carping that hey, there are stud pitchers on the way. We’ve heard the hype before where young prospects are concerned. But even if they pan out, how will this team—this franchise-score runs to help them win games
Trouble for Cherington? Most assuredly.
I vividly remember the hype given to Tony Sanchez, Will Craig and even further back, Kris Benson
Different GMs, same hype and all failed to meet expectations for this franchise
I expected this to be the move as soon as Grandal was healthy enough to join the ML team. Just a frustrating time for Davis. He looks lost on any fastballs in the top two-thirds of the K-zone at 96+ MPH.
I’m not convinced that Davis’ offensive problems were all due to his inability to put the ball in play
The entire team is struggling, inability to score runs, striking out in double digits almost every game.
This failure has been ongoing for nearly 3 years, even before he made his ML debut
Harold Baines (1977), Ken Griffey Jr. (1987), Chipper Jones (1990), and Joe Mauer (2001) are the only 1-1 Hall-of-Famers.
In the history of the draft, there have been far more mediocre players taken at 1-1 than Hall of Fame players. It’s still early, but Davis seems like he is going to slot into the former instead of the latter.
I’m gonna go out on a limb here and wonder if there isn’t some massive incompetence in the Bucs’ hitting staff. Every year they come out swinging – presumably after working the offseason with other players & trainers. Then when it comes time to make adjustments in-season, they just can’t. Why?
I’ve said that many of times throughout the past 3 years. I believe it all comes down to coaching.
You hit the nail on the head, SewaldSwansonSwoon
Andy Haines, their hitting coach for nearly 3 years was in fact fired by Brewers because his direction was an abysmal failure and it b carried over to the Pirates when he was hired
Massive incompetence in the bucs entire system. Generally, their top contributors are almost always from other development backgrounds.
Yes! Exactly! Jeez, just watch other teams with young guys whose progression mirrors what you see here. Then ask yourself where it all went wrong. Baseball Siberia, but we have the nicest ballpark in the league. What a trade-off
Come on, tiredolderdude, you’ve said it yourself, we have fireworks night, pierogi races and the occasional homer hit into the Allegheny River ( by an opponent batter of course)
Davis has talent, but he’s wound very tight. Once he gets the mental side down, he should be alright. He’s never faced failure so we’ll see how he gets himself out of this. I’m betting that he will.
I agree alwaysgo4two, while he didn’t light the ball on fire last year, he showed potential but he played right field and didn’t catch
He does have potential though and hopefully his time at Indy will help him immensely
I was wondering the same. Davis is a hard worker, very focused. Perhaps he needs to relax a bit and remember baseball is a game and supposed to be fun
And perhaps messing with his head last year wasn’t a good idea. Play him in RF. DH him. Give him no time at catcher, even in blow out games
A lot more moves need to be made.
There are a few players in Indy that deserve a promotion and an equal number that need to be demoted to work on their hitting.
Bae and Gonzalez deserve a promotion but Shelton will wait for an injury before trying to improve the offensive struggles
Too bad Shelton and Haines couldn’t be demoted too
He’s turning into Tony Sanchez
I always think taking a catcher in the top 5 picks is a HUGE RISK. They don’t usually pan out as regular position athletes. This guy is struggling back to back years and even his K rate is getting worse. To think the pirates could have had cowser, mayer, Merrill, Lawler, painter, Ford, black, or Montgomery (SOX). Tough pill to swallow if he doesn’t step up drastically after all star break.
Isn’t there players every year that someone could have drafted instead of who they did?
I mean how many teams could have drafted Trout or Judge?
Yeah it’s a tough pill to swallow but almost one you are used to as a Pirates fan
Pirates have perfected the art of turning good hitters into bad ones. The list of struggling hitters in Pirates system is long and distinguished. The list of those exceeding expectations is pretty much non-existent.
Or has it been a case of overestimating the talents and abilities of young players. Yes, the player personnel department is poor. The scouting department is just as bad
No hitters by this franchise over the years has really hurt. Sub 500 always. Old Bucs fan, 70’s pirates were loaded with hitters don’t understand what happened to the development? Poor hitters make number 5 starters look like Tom Seaver. Crazy.
I go back to the late Forbes Field era, and you’re right. The drop off since Leyland’s time is remarkable. To people pointing to them soon having a stellar starting pitcher staff I ask, could a starting staff of Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery make this team any better? What can you do when your hitters can’t produce runs and there is very little coming through the minors to change that?
Dodgers used to manufacture runs with Wills getting on , stealing second and sometimes third, then a sac fly.
This team would strikeout so no sac fly.
Taylor is an accomplished bunter and has decent speed. For a team that is starving for base runners and scoring runs, you’d think that Shelton would use this technique to get a runner on base
Instead, he prefers scoring runs the old fashioned way.Striking out on a wild pitch then hope for 3 more wild pitches
Don’t understand what happened over last 20 30 years? Pirates were always a hitting club. Parker,Madlock traded for. Kendall maybe. Can’t really think of anybody. We need 4 AL Oliver’s in the lineup.
At this point I would take a Lee Lacy or Mike Easley, or even a John Milner
All good hitters in their own right but were mostly platoon players
Now let’s option the manager and hitting coach!
They have become the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Total lack of imagination and coaching.
Heading into the season I thought the weakest part of this team was the rotation and offense would take care of itself. I still think the rotation is one of the shakiest in the game, but the offense has succeeded in drawing the most fire. There are shortcomings all over the place which suggests the problem lies within the system. Such has been the case many years in Colorado, and everyone has just accepted it. Will the Pirates organization follow suit, or have they already?
Thank God all the fools in the stands who demanded he be rushed to the majors are still standing behind their decision.
Oh wait…
I remember the euphoria from Pirates fans when they signed Davis. Baseball is hard.
We are in different multiverse. I remember they wanted Rocker then Leiter then one of the hs ss. Nutting didn’t want to spend $ so took Davis underslot. Drafted for need. Took most affordable player. Tony Sanchez 2.0 Sure some fans liked the pick but majority of Pirates fans don’t like anything they do. They could sign the best free agent in baseball and they still complain.
Baseball IS hard. Skeptical is right, and his name is appropriate in judging any Pirates prospect that’s been drafted or signed in the past few years. Are Pirates scouts simply out of touch with reality?
As for fans, they/we can only go by what we see. Vandy with those two guys looked like an MLB team. Leiter is one thing but whatever happened to Rocker?
Rocker pitched half dozen minor league games then arm surgery. Probably due back soon.
Pirates scout are fine. Davis was going in top 10 probably closer to 5. TJ Skenes were automatic picks that most gms make there. Jones Solometo White Chandler Barco were no brainers. Most their top 3 4 rounds were good picks. Gonzales was by far the weakest 1 pick. He had some red flags but was still considered top 10 by many.
@GM …. ‘Nutting didn’t want to spend $ so took Davis underslot’
You know the Pirates spent as much as was possible before losing their first pick in the following year’s draft…. right?
They had a $14 pool and spent over $15m.
Whoever’s programming you as a bot needs to review their database.
@Terrier You know how to read……. right?
I know this and never said that. Discussion was about how majority of fans felt. I used they not I. Come on now you know I called it A+ draft.
I like the snarkiness though. You should upgrade to Pitbull1980 or better yet, wait for it…. PITTbull1980 huh? Awesome right?!!!!!!!!!
What you call snark is what we take for granted in the UK.
Apologies for missing the irony in your previous post.
I’ll always be a Terrier even though we were relegated to the third tier today along with Brady’s Birmingham City.
espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40081193/brady-sees-bir…
You poor man. Who’s your nba nfl teams? Hornets Nets? Browns Jets?
Steelers in NFL due to living in Western Pa for two years.
Hate the NBA and NHL but did see the Cavs at Richland and Pens at the Civic Arena.
England for soccer and Yorkshire cricket.
Pitt Panthers hoops and college football.
I count myself lucky TBH. I’ve been to 60+ stadiums in English soccer while watching the Buccos all over the USA. I’ve seen the Steelers at Wembley, Heinz and Three Rivers.
Forgot to mention Cleveland Municipal Stadium where I saw Brown turds spitting beer on Stillers fans.
I’ve also been to Bradenton, Civic Arena and Pitt Stadium.
Yankee Stadium, Busch, Wrigley, Marlins, Skydome, Nationals:Park, Camden Yards, Comerica, Petco, Oracle, Turner and Truist in Atlanta.
Not bad for someone based 3.000 miles away.
It would be unfair not to include the cricket ‘meccas’ of the GABBA,, SCG and MCG. in Australia as well as Lords, Headingly and Trent Bridge in England.
I LOVE sports and have made it my life’s work to experience as much as is possible.
That’s a good experience living in usa. Got you into somethings other countrymen aren’t interested in.
Soccer is growing here. One day some kid is going to have a passion for it and become one of the best and it will blow up and usa will be a soccer super power. I tell my friend from New Zealand usa has the best rugby team in the world. It’s just they are all playing in the NFL. If rugby ever paid more $ than nfl the all blacks are finsished.
I’d rather watch Cricket Rugby over nba nfl. Nhl is close with them. Used to watch pirates but can’t even do that anymore.
I’ll never not watch Huddersfield Town, England football, Pirates and Steelers. They’re in my bones and it’s impossible not to pay attention.
I can name at least 3 ex Pirate catchers that currently are hitting better than Davis and even most of the lineup.
I see akeyHOLE Williams is back in today’s lineup. This guy shouldn’t be on any professional league teams roster.
I think moron Shelton is in love with this guy like Hurdle was in love with Rodriguez.
Shelton nothing but a moron pretending to know about baseball
Watching Davis, He sells out for power. that only works if you make contact.
His defense has been ‘good enough’ if he hits. The timely return of Grandall gives the chance got get some swings at the upper levels he didn’t get.
Hopefully to also get a game or two Catching Paul who had his first taste if difficulty today.
IMO: give them another month in the minors.
I’ve been on vacation most of the last month,and left when the Pirates were winning.
Hopefully,when I get back they will start to do so again,and actually beat some good teams.
Fascinating discussions for such a mediocre team.We can be thankful that they do not have players of the caliber of Josh VM anymore,although he was a ML player longer than all of us put together,
They should have fired Haines 2-3 years ago,as I have been saying since then.
They should have fired their player development team two years ago,as I had said then.
Their drafting has been good (compare the first round picks to the last 5 or 6 of NH’s).
Hire Joe Nunnaly back and see Hayes become an all-star hitter too.
But most of all I appreciate the comments of my three best friends here of Tired and The,who I am honored to call by their first names,and Dream,who prefers his middle name.
Relationships are what this is all about.
Thanks, my friend.
This year’s Pirates are a lot like last years. You could just hit rewind and see the same frustration in these articles
I guess the only thing that’s becoming evident to more fans is that the idea that the young Bucs had the talent to be a contender was all propaganda. Where position players are concerned, there is no core here at all and most disturbing, there is no cavalry coming over the hill to hit homers and drive in runs.
They have Jared Jones. We’ve all seen Skenes. Beyond these two young guys, every other player is average or below, or yet another candidate for the hype train until they show something here
They’re two years away from burning it all down again, before being two years away from contender
How ‘bout those Phillies!
Take another vacation. I don’t know how people watch this team. I have found much better things to do.
It’s May so you could say it’s too early. Tons of better players are doing just as awful as our average players. Probably a dozen stars would fit right in on the Pirates. As awful as they been they are still only 3 games under 500. 5 games out of 1st. To be over 500 all they needed was Cutch Suwinski to be somewhat close to last year. Tellez to be close to Santana.
If they had even 1 super star they would have a winning record.
Only thing I can blame the gm for is Haines if he is the problem. Most gms are taking Davis. Even more would take TJ. Didn’t have much to work with in trades. Probably did best he could.
I nicknamed one of my best friends from middle school Dude so if he was your brother he would be Dudedude.
The Pirates need to hire someone over Cherington to fire Haines and Shelton as the Pirates are lifeless.
The Marlins did this with bad results but Cherington needs help especially if he espouses the Haines way of hitting.
It is Cherington who is not promoting Gonzalez.If Bae can play center field now they can send Suwinski and Triolo down.Neither of these guys have proved themselves in AAA.It would be Gonzalez’ last chance as a regular ML player.
Cruz is on a trend for 30 errors.He may be OK at first base and perhaps Henry in RF long term to fill two holes.
Skenes can come up soon but with Priester’s meltdown today I would send him back to AAA another time.
Cherington is good to very good at certain things but the problem is that he is bad at others.
He would probably get 2 D’s,a C,a B and a couple of A’s from me.
These guys have become like Hurdle and NH- they do not feel the urgency to win so their team reflects it.
And if BC pulls an NG,so be it.This “rebuild” becomes to a “molehill” quality instead of a mountain.
The Phillies on the other hand have a HOF’er at GM.and plenty of money like the Dodgers and Yankees.They will have purchased any title that they get.
I agree now with Dream’s clarification. The rebuild is over. It just wasn’t successful.
I don’t think you’ll get any more out of this group than what you see and unless I’m wrong, they’ll hype Jones and Skenes for a couple years before they burn it down again
They know the talent is not there
I don’t know the intricacies of the draft like Dream, but Davis was a mistake. It seems Termarr was, too
But to your point, the biggest mistake has been the hiring of. Cherington. If wholesale changes are on the agenda, it should begin with him. He’s been a dud, and should only get credit for retooling the farm system, replacing walking stiffs with kids of average abilities, at best
The scouting department has been a dud and player development worse, but you can’t get blood from a stone
Cruz at 1st is a natural. But will he pout? Given his demeanor at bat during his prolonged slump, I’d say it’s a no brainer
Davis has to prove he can hit. He looks lost at the plate. RF? Maybe. Or 1st, with Cruz going to RF. More pouting
Suwinski will never progress beyond what he’s shown. I’m sure they wouldn’t even think of sending him down. I was wrong about Triolo and think he’s bench, at best.
And I’m betting that once Bae, Peguero and Gonzales return, it’ll look a lot like last season. No real consistency.
Hayes has returned to earth with his hitting and last I looked, Reynolds was in the .249 range.
And yet, local media is complaining they need Skenes. Yeah. Maybe he and Jones can pitch every other day
Disagree about Hurdle. That sense of urgency only waned after they’d had some great years. I think both saw the rebuild ahead. Clint would be a breath of fresh air for this team
They desperately need to burn it all down and start again, from a GM who can bring in true scouts and development people on down. As is, this franchise is going to sputter for years
Disagree with Dream here. Cutch of ‘23 was simply replaced by Joe of ‘24.
Suwinski has some of the worst plate discipline I’ve ever seen And Santana over Tellez would have meant little
Pitching got them off to a good start last season. It’s kept them around .500 this season, save for Priester, the walking mannequin. They need hitters who can provide pop consistently. There’s no one here or in the minors who can provide that
But there is one helluva lot of hype to sell “the young Bucs” to the unwashed masses
23 Santana was much better than what 24 Tellez has been.
Texas might have been the only team to pass on TJ. They pulled a 21 pirates and got cute going underslot. Except in 21 there wasn’t a player as good as TJ. Pirates got lucky. After TJ there was a drop off to the raw impressive athlete Green with obvious k rate problem. After that a even bigger drop off. They had to draft TJ. There wasn’t really another option. Many scouts said he was the best prep hitter in the draft. Some the best in 10 years. 1 famously said he had Vlads hitting ability with Boggs plate approach.
Davis alone wasn’t a had to but him plus Chandler was a had to.
The jury is still out on Termarr, I’ll grant that. And is there anyone who can get Davis’s head straight?
In watching these guys every day—well, almost anyway—let’s say pitching isn’t the problem. And it’s going to get better, barring catastrophic injury
Endy will be back
Cruz is starting to get a bit better at bat but is no shortstop. You get the feeling they placed all their eggs in his basket and don’t want to risk moving him to someplace like 1st or RF to upset him. But it’s the right move
Let Nick have 2nd for the rest of the season. Play Alika and Peguero at SS. Play Davis—providing he can improve his hitting-in RF and keep him there
Platoon Jack and Joe in CF and ship Tellez, Taylor and especially Chapman when you can
Yeah. I’m dreaming. Too much sense in beginning to build around Mitch, Skenes, Jones, Marty/Solo and Bubba/Burrows
These last two seasons have been like long tryout sessions. Only they don’t make sensible decisions that are somewhat final
The Pirates basically have the same quality team as they did last year.
Cutch May be done.He sometimes gets slow starts because of the weather but I do not see him hitting much more than 235 this year.
Nutting needs to get involved in firing Shelton and Haines if he does not hire someone over BC to do the job.
I had hopes for Cherington but he does not realize the coaching personnel shortcomings and is not flexible enough.
These players are young and can still get better but not under this management team.