OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: Congrats to the Houston Cheaters on their win

[Gallatin]

There's no reason he can't be doing this at the MLB level.

He makes everything seem so effortless ....

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I like the Wil Crowe as a reliever hype. If he can go all out and live 97mph with the fastball and wicked slider, that could be a pretty nice boost to the pen. The obvious trouble is that he's but one of several SPs who we should be running out as an RP to see if they can have success there, but if he can click, you definitely take it.

Hopefully Castillo's play has forced the issue with Shelton. He should effectively be the everyday 2B. Mix Chavis in as a bench RH power bat and at 1B or DH if there's a lefty pitcher. Use Tucker as a kind of super sub when circumstances dictate. I don't really love the Marisnik move, but if he brings plus plus defense, it's better than a borderline IF/OF type out there, so as a placeholder it's fine.

The lineup has a lot of ifs, but I think if Castillo gets regular playing time and holds his own, and Gamel and Vogelbach get going, the lineup can at least not be a wasteland. Everything on the whole team kind of clicked at once today after really looking disastrous in the early going, so hard to know for sure where they'll settle. I like that most players are having good ABs consistently.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I like the Wil Crowe as a reliever hype. If he can go all out and live 97mph with the fastball and wicked slider, that could be a pretty nice boost to the pen. The obvious trouble is that he's but one of several SPs who we should be running out as an RP to see if they can have success there, but if he can click, you definitely take it.

Hopefully Castillo's play has forced the issue with Shelton. He should effectively be the everyday 2B. Mix Chavis in as a bench RH power bat and at 1B or DH if there's a lefty pitcher. Use Tucker as a kind of super sub when circumstances dictate. I don't really love the Marisnik move, but if he brings plus plus defense, it's better than a borderline IF/OF type out there, so as a placeholder it's fine.

The lineup has a lot of ifs, but I think if Castillo gets regular playing time and holds his own, and Gamel and Vogelbach get going, the lineup can at least not be a wasteland. Everything on the whole team kind of clicked at once today after really looking disastrous in the early going, so hard to know for sure where they'll settle. I like that most players are having good ABs consistently.

Castillo should be a given. He's one of our 4-5 best players, period.

I also liked Yajure's stuff as a "stack em starter" - first time I'm using this, but it seems like now our pitching staff is going to consist of 8 guys that can go 3+ innings so it seems appropriate.

I don't really understand the VanMeter move at all. He is redundant.

 

[ImporterExporter]

I like the Wil Crowe as a reliever hype. If he can go all out and live 97mph with the fastball and wicked slider, that could be a pretty nice boost to the pen. The obvious trouble is that he's but one of several SPs who we should be running out as an RP to see if they can have success there, but if he can click, you definitely take it.

Hopefully Castillo's play has forced the issue with Shelton. He should effectively be the everyday 2B. Mix Chavis in as a bench RH power bat and at 1B or DH if there's a lefty pitcher. Use Tucker as a kind of super sub when circumstances dictate. I don't really love the Marisnik move, but if he brings plus plus defense, it's better than a borderline IF/OF type out there, so as a placeholder it's fine.

The lineup has a lot of ifs, but I think if Castillo gets regular playing time and holds his own, and Gamel and Vogelbach get going, the lineup can at least not be a wasteland. Everything on the whole team kind of clicked at once today after really looking disastrous in the early going, so hard to know for sure where they'll settle. I like that most players are having good ABs consistently.

Well stated.

One thing that drives me f***ing nuts with Shelton is his constant shuffling of the lineup. Hitting is so, so much about timing. Patterns. It's hard for a lot of guys to get in a rhythm when they're bouncing around the order.

Castillo should be playing 3 out of 4 now at the very least. Run him as the 2B. He can play any numerous other spots and still stay in the lineup. The bat was real solid last year in the upper minors, and loud as hell this spring. Today only reinforces you need to ride this out and see what you've got.

Which leads me to another (there's more than 1???) gripe with Shelton, which is his playing the young guys so sporadically. Even if they're stationary in the lineup, guys are going back to the bench too quickly for my liking.

 

[Fogel]

The crazy and very Pirate thing about the Hayes extension (thanks Ke’Bryan Hayes Gets a Record Extension from the Pirates), it becomes the largest extension in dollar value from the Pirates, surpassing Jason Kendall's extension back in *2000*. The Cutch extension was smaller and had to use an option to exceed Kendall, but taking over 2 decades to have a new leader on the contract board seems special.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Castillo should be a given. He's one of our 4-5 best players, period.

I also liked Yajure's stuff as a "stack em starter" - first time I'm using this, but it seems like now our pitching staff is going to consist of 8 guys that can go 3+ innings so it seems appropriate.

I don't really understand the VanMeter move at all. He is redundant.

Yeah, I don't get VanMeter. It seems like they are hoping that he can have some kind of power breakout after showing it briefly and during the minors, but I don't really see it. I'd just as soon see Tucker get that playing time and a bench spot given to Madris or whoever, but I guess the other part of their thinking is that it's a part-time role (at best) and easy to move on if he doesn't click.

The more important thing for me is what everybody else is saying, and that's that Shelton better not suppress Castillo's playing time simply for matchups or because he's a rookie. Based only on performance, and now validated with an extremely small sample size, Castillo should have a lock on the second base job -- in addition to his mature approach at the plate, he's also likely the best defender, or at least a tossup with Tucker.

I can even grant some logic to getting him a blow once a week or something so that the game doesn't get too fast for him, but I'm worried Shelton is going to have him in some kind of merry go round platoon type situation at multiple positions. He hit all spring and then kept it up during games, Newman is showing spectacular defense and a pulse hitting... just roll with these guys as the middle infield for two or three weeks at least.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

This season should be let the kids play I want Tucker Castillo Hayes Reynolds Toshi Chavis playing every day. In June you can add Cruz CSN Mitchell Frazier and dump the old guys for whatever you can get. I could see them flip Toshi if he hits also.

 

[ChaosAgent]

This season should be let the kids play I want Tucker Castillo Hayes Reynolds Toshi Chavis playing every day. In June you can add Cruz CSN Mitchell Frazier and dump the old guys for whatever you can get. I could see them flip Toshi if he hits also.

Toshi lol

 

[Shrimper]

This season should be let the kids play I want Tucker Castillo Hayes Reynolds Toshi Chavis playing every day. In June you can add Cruz CSN Mitchell Frazier and dump the old guys for whatever you can get. I could see them flip Toshi if he hits also.

If Vogelbach's gets going I could see him traded for something cheap

 

[bigdaddyk88]

If Vogelbach's gets going I could see him traded for something cheap

Jake Ben cheap OF depth at the deadline should fetch a lottery ticket or a comp pick. Vogelbach is the one guy I want gone when rosters go down but maybe he gets hot and Yoshi gets hot flip him.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Toshi lol

Lol I didn’t realize how old he was lol

 

[ImporterExporter]

Interested to see Thompson pitch today. Hopefully he can eat some innings and throw strikes.

Please start DC Shelton.

Let's get it back to .500

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Fire Shelton into the sun. I don't care about the excuse that ownership/front office gives him nothing to work with... if he's not a "good vibes while things suck" manager who gets fired this winter, I don't know what to say. This is like little league bullshit to get everybody into the lineup.

 

[Shrimper]

Hardly difficult to just play your best players

 

[td_ice]

Fire Shelton into the sun. I don't care about the excuse that ownership/front office gives him nothing to work with... if he's not a "good vibes while things suck" manager who gets fired this winter, I don't know what to say. This is like little league bullshit to get everybody into the lineup.

Yeah, that lineup is very high on the "ugh" meter.

 

[ImporterExporter]

There is no way Park or VanMeeter or Tucker should be playing over Diego. None.

Shelton and his staff need to go. It's bad enough trying to watch this team, we can't even trot out the young guns who clearly have bigger upside and would actually draw some interest in the team.

Now Hayes hitting 3rd behind Reynolds. Chavis big game, gets dumped in the order.

These lineups are literally pull the names out of a hat, and then throw darts blindfolded at a wall for the BO.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Yeah, it's almost impressively bad. I can even see wanting to get Park and Tucker some ABs in this first series (Tucker looked good all spring, so-so in his first game), but the 5-9 lineup is basically arbitrary. VanMeter has no business starting right now.

I imagine part of it is because we're facing Smyly tomorrow for the home opener, but VanMeter can sit on the bench for a few days and then get a crack later in the week against RHP or as a pinch hitter.

Based on the lineup, I think it's a reasonable projection to say that we'll either win or lose this game depending on whether Vogelbach can hit a HR.

 

[ImporterExporter]

MLB saw that lineup and opened up the rain spigots on que per the fans wishes.

Game canceled. Good.

 

[td_ice]

Game rained out.

 

[JTG]

Not going to every go to bat and say Bob Nutting is a good baseball owner but this is such a lazy take.

Every concrete data point we have ever gotten shows they dont make any significant money on yearly operations.

• Forced by MLb to reduce salary because of debt theesholds (Ramirez trade)

• Made 35 million net income over 3 year period (07-09) Average of 11.67 million before taxes.

• At the time hadnt been releasing dividends to owners.

So the difference to breakeven is the FA value of Avasail Garcia or Anthony Descalfani. Doesnt sound like just spend your money will accomplish too much.

The Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates cover their entire player payroll via ticket sales and concession income.

TV money, revenue sharing, and everything else is profit.

Records show the Pirates’ payroll is often covered by ticket and food sales. Whether they should spend more has tormented fans

www.post-gazette.com

While my take may have been "lazy" the fact of the matter is this team has never put a foot forward to do better and to invest money.

 

[Coastal Kev]

The Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates cover their entire player payroll via ticket sales and concession income.

TV money, revenue sharing, and everything else is profit.

Records show the Pirates’ payroll is often covered by ticket and food sales. Whether they should spend more has tormented fans

www.post-gazette.com

While my take may have been "lazy" the fact of the matter is this team has never put a foot forward to do better and to invest money.

For a 92 million dollar investment, Nutting could sell the team for 1.5 billion dollar payday. If he wasn't making millions in profit yearly, the Pirates would already have been sold.

I had an email debate with DK a couple of years back when he made the claim that the Pirates Profit was 30 million max. I asked how anyone could be so obtuse, Nutting is making probably over a 100 per. Whether it's actually 80 or 120, doesnt' really matter.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

For a 92 million dollar investment, Nutting could sell the team for 1.5 billion dollar payday. If he wasn't making millions in profit yearly, the Pirates would already have been sold.

I had an email debate with DK a couple of years back when he made the claim that the Pirates Profit was 30 million max. I asked how anyone could be so obtuse, Nutting is making probably over a 100 per. Whether it's actually 80 or 120, doesnt' really matter.

Most studies show spends money only boost total revenue 20 percent at most some teams don’t like operating at a loss. Spending money doesn’t mean you are going to win anything.

 

[ChaosAgent]

The Post-Gazette reports that the Pirates cover their entire player payroll via ticket sales and concession income.

TV money, revenue sharing, and everything else is profit.

Records show the Pirates’ payroll is often covered by ticket and food sales. Whether they should spend more has tormented fans

www.post-gazette.com

While my take may have been "lazy" the fact of the matter is this team has never put a foot forward to do better and to invest money.

Don't want to click on the PG link, but aren't there other expenses too? Stadium lease, other employees, travel, etc.

Not saying Nutting isn't evil (he is), but player payroll isn't a full picture of their finances

 

[Coastal Kev]

Don't want to click on the PG link, but aren't there other expenses too? Stadium lease, other employees, travel, etc.

Not saying Nutting isn't evil (he is), but player payroll isn't a full picture of their finances

It makes no sense to argue the numbers because nobody knows for sure (unless there's going to be an independent audit).

My point is that it's obvious Nutting is using the Pirates not for winning, it's for building generational wealth. He said as much several years back when talking about not selling now or at any point in the future.

He could sell right now for a insane amount of profit, but won't. Why? Nothing he has shown during his tenure suggests that he is consumed with owning a franchise for winning. That leaves only the other option, he's making so much money annually, the one time lump sum doesn't make business sense.

This is all 100% MLB's fault, they are responsible for allowing this system of economic insanity. I don't blame Nutting one bit for seeing taking advantage of the easiest money probably in the history of the United States.

Many years from, I would be a book is written regarding the amount of money that was made by small market MLB baseball clubs.

The real suckers are the city and tax payers that funded this scam. Fans, if you want to support the team still, your choice. But understand you're rooting more for the owner's profit than for wins.


Note* Back to baseball, I'm only commenting because this topic was raised by the PPG.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

It makes no sense to argue the numbers because nobody knows for sure (unless there's going to be an independent audit).

My point is that it's obvious Nutting is using the Pirates not for winning, it's for building generational wealth. He said as much several years back when talking about not selling now or at any point in the future.

He could sell right now for a insane amount of profit, but won't. Why? Nothing he has shown during his tenure suggests that he is consumed with owning a franchise for winning. That leaves only the other option, he's making so much money annually, the one time lump sum doesn't make business sense.

This is all 100% MLB's fault, they are responsible for allowing this system of economic insanity. I don't blame Nutting one bit for seeing taking advantage of the easiest money probably in the history of the United States.

Many years from, I would be a book is written regarding the amount of money that was made by small market MLB baseball clubs.

The real suckers are the city and tax payers that funded this scam. Fans, if you want to support the team still, your choice. But understand you're rooting more for the owner's profit than for wins.


Note* Back to baseball, I'm only commenting because this topic was raised by the PPG.

I see that Nationals owner is thinking about selling his team. Once Soto turned down 350/10 and he looked at the differed money he owes players who aren’t on his team he knew it was time to sell. Cuban already said baseball is broken and glad he didn’t get to buy a team