OT: Pirates Talk: That Skenes guy is okay at teh baseball

[Empoleon8771]

We really aren't doing the thing where we take 5 games in early Spring Training and extrapolate anything from it are we.

No? Who's doing that?

Suwinski was horrendous last year but I think people here forget that he was a 107 OPS+ hitter that averaged 23 HRs a season in his first 2 years. I'm not declaring that he's reformed because of a few spring games, but him hitting well again suggests he could return to past form as a platoon power hitting corner OF.

If he ends the spring hot, you keep him on the MLB roster and see if he can return to his past form. I don't see why that statement is controversial.

 

[MrBrightside]

No? Who's doing that?

Suwinski was horrendous last year but I think people here forget that he was a 107 OPS+ hitter that averaged 23 HRs a season in his first 2 years. I'm not declaring that he's reformed because of a few spring games, but him hitting well again suggests he could return to past form as a platoon power hitting corner OF.

If he ends the spring hot, you keep him on the MLB roster and see if he can return to his past form. I don't see why that statement is controversial.

He's likely going to make the team because they really don't have a lot of quality OF options. I just cringe reading the breathless reports from Spring Training about how Suwinski and Matt Gorski are raking and Hayes stole a base (!) and the like as if these things actually matter. Yes, it is better that he's hitting over the last week than not, but to put any significance on a few early ST games just seems wishcasting at its finest.

Signed,
Kenny Pickett 2023 Preseason

 

[BusinessGoose]

Skenes is going to get reps today (sat 3/1) vs orioles 105pm est

MLBnetwork and SportsnetPIT should have it

 

[Empoleon8771]

Interesting development, Yorke is playing 1B today. I'm not sure that Yorke really has the HR power you want out of a 1B, I think he's more of a gap power kind of guy, but Yorke as a 1B would be really useful in the long run if he can successfully play the position.

If he can play 1st, having a Horwitz/Yorke platoon at 1st while Yorke plays other positions against righties would be pretty solid IMO.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yorke with a nice AB to start the game. If Horwitz is out to start the year, I’d probably start with Yorke as their 1B just to see what he can do.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I’m not rushing to judgement from a spring training game, but Peguero probably ends up in the bust category without a significant improvement this year.

Dude looks really rough defensively.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Konnor Griffin does not look like a guy who was playing prep baseball last year... if he shows he has a solid hit tool in pro ball, look out.

 

[WickedWrister]

Konnor Griffin does not look like a guy who was playing prep baseball last year... if he shows he has a solid hit tool in pro ball, look out.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Another nice game

 

[Empoleon8771]

Griffin looks super encouraging, I'm excited to see how he does once the season starts. Would be really nice to see one of their younger hitting prospects actually thriving.

Yorke had a fairly quiet game but you can clearly see the hit tool he has. I'd be pretty satisfied if they focused on him being a LF/RF/1B player and only play 2B and 3B if it is an emergency. He doesn't really project to be good defensively at 2B or 3B and I don't think this team needs him there either. Having him as primarily a corner OF that platoons with Horwitz at 1B seems to be a really smart plan for the long run.

 

[McGroarty2]

How is the team shaping up? I know it's early but how do you see the lineup looking when Horwitz is back?

 

[BusinessGoose]

How is the team shaping up? I know it's early but how do you see the lineup looking when Horwitz is back?

Same as last few years

Potential to be decent, but it's also built on a foundation like a house of cards

Lots of guys who can go cold and ruin it, and we'll need some to catch fire, which is asking a lot

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I haven't paid a ton of attention but it does seem like there's encouraging signs in the early stretch from a few guys, maybe most notably Hayes, even if basically everyone has already punted on him. I don't think there's a lot more to say about him. He's hitting the ball hard and apparently healthy. Those things will be true until they are not. Maybe he gets a full healthy season and changes the equation a little bit.

Still, I hate to keep beating on the same dead horse, but the offense looks like it will be so unreliable. Yorke has some promise for sure, and maybe DJ Stewart can cameo at 1B and be passable, but the whole situation could have been decisively addressed in the offseason and it wasn't. Even setting aside some big deal, the one player who obviously stands out to me is Josh Naylor. It would not have changed payroll that much and would have only cost some prospects of so so caliber. Even if you just had him for the year, he would change the dynamic entirely on offense because you'd actually have a reliable masher and suddenly an offensive core of 5 guys could take shape that looks decent.

As it stands now, you just hope Reynolds stays consistent, but then also pretty much need Hayes and/or Suwinski in that group. It's just the same team we've had for multiple years. Even assuming the best from Hayes (by which I mean above average offense including something like 15 SB / 15 HR, not the MVP type stuff he did for a month one time) and generously penciling Horowitz in (I think there's a real chance this injury lingers), the core group is still on the low end of middle of the pack at best.

 

[WickedWrister]

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yep that's usually what happens when you leave a slider right down the dick

Endy also had a HR today too:



Either way, I really hope Davis continues hitting. This team desperately needs at least 2 of Davis, Yorke, Suwinski, Cook and Endy to pan out offensively for this offense to be anything above average.

 

[Empoleon8771]

His numbers suck but pitching at Coors does hurt things. He's out of options so he'll be on the MLB team coming out of camp, but I'm really interested in seeing who doesn't make it if he's on the team.

Between this and signing Heaney, I think this is also making it very clear that Oviedo is not on track to pitch in the MLB for a bit. Without any injuries, their pitching staff will probably be something close to:

SP: Skenes, Keller, Jones, Falter and Heaney
RP: Bednar, Mlodzinski, Holderman, Santana, Ferguson, Mayza, Lawrence and Nicolas

Shelton did say that the team views Oviedo as a starter and they think he can be a good MLB starter, but I figure he spends a lot of the first half of the year rehabbing and gradually being built back up.

 

[BusinessGoose]

It seems our strategy is to have as many pitching options as possible?

 

[Empoleon8771]

It seems our strategy is to have as many pitching options as possible?

Their bullpen is definitely deeper this year than it was last year, which is good.

 

[WheresRamziAbid]

Oviedo to the 60 day IL

 

[BusinessGoose]

Oviedo to the 60 day IL

Damn. There ya go...