OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: New season of plundering begins

[MrBrightside]

I think Reynolds and Hayes are both performing how you want them to be performing and how they're paid to be performing. With Reynolds, you want him to be hovering around a 125 OPS+ while playing passable defense. With Hayes, you're want him to be hovering around a 110 OPS+ while playing elite defense. Both guys are generally in that area, so I have a hard time complaining about them.

But I think the team absolutely deserves criticism for the development of Cruz and Davis. With Davis, I think it's a problem of him just being in his own head, so there's a limit on what the Pirates as a team can reasonably do with him. But Cruz looks lost at the plate and has seemingly made no progress from where he was at 3 years ago. He still can't hit lefties, he still can't take walks, he still strikes out a ton and he's not hitting for enough power to make up for that.

I think it's unacceptable this team isn't trying anything to get the offense out of a funk. I'm not even referring to making a trade there, but they have options for adjusting how they're using players to try something new. Three really easy changes I see are:

1. Call up Gonzales and demote Triolo to a bench role.
2. Play Olivares as the everyday LF/RF and demote Suwinski to a bench role.
3. Play Bart as the starting C and Davis as the backup.
4. Play Joe as the everyday 1B and demote Tellez to a bench role.

You don't even need to do all 4 of them, even 2 of them would likely help. But they're just not doing anything.

Well in a good lineup Reynolds is the 2nd or 3rd best hitter and Hayes is around the 5th best hitter, while in this one they are the two guys looked to for production. He's still valuable given his (usual) defense but Hayes with no HR and a sub-.700 OPS is disappointing given the way he finished last year.

Tellez isn't THIS bad but this dumpster diving bullshit they've done at 1B since they traded Bell has to stop. With nothing coming in the system, they need a real multi-season solution at the position and not just collecting scraps every year.

I don't know what to do with Suwinski. I've always been skeptical of him, but he's also due for one of his 6 HR weeks that he'll have a couple of every year and with so little other power in the lineup, I don't think they can totally banish him. Triolo isn't a major league hitter, his absurd BABIP late last summer notwithstanding, and whether it's Gonzales or Peguero, they need to make a move there...but it just feels like they value defense so much they want to keep his glove at 2B to offset Cruz's butchery at SS.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Peralta vs. Mitch.

Ugh. Would be quite surprised by a win, especially with our offensive incompetence.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Peralta vs. Mitch.

Ugh. Would be quite surprised by a win, especially with our offensive incompetence.

A bit of a feeling like we'll give up a run every two innings and struggle to respond

 

[ChaosAgent]

A bit of a feeling like we'll give up a run every two innings and struggle to respond

I want to see a 5+ run game but this simply isn't the guy to do it against.

I know we are now saying Keller is just our #3-4 and that is ok, but occasionally the guy needs to step up and turn in a stellar performance. He hasn't done that very much in his career.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Almost a bad day for him

Lol

Even his bad games he's still a god among kittens.

 

[sovietsanta87]

Rowdy Tellez and his 188 average batting third today.

Someone needs to tell this asshole that the top of the order is for the better hitters. Because it gives them more at bats.

 

[sovietsanta87]

I absolutely detest the Mitch Jebb type picks in rounds where you should be focused on finding run production.

I say this with the understanding that we have no idea if it will pan out or not….

But we could have taken Jake Gelof in round 2 over Jebb. Jake is obviously the brother of Zack Gelof, the lone beacon of hope on that A’s team.

Jake not only played with his brother at the university of Virginia, he set the school career record for most home runs and the single season record for home runs and RBI’s. He played third base but will probably move to first.

Currently in A ball with a 1.089 OPS.

Good points. Everyone has been up in arms about Skenes getting up here, but he can be like Jared Jones down to getting minimal run support. So it’s not like he’s going to save us or anything.

Some people want us to be like the Orioles since they’re kind of a similarly maligned franchise who has turned it around but they’ve already lapped us and are continuing to do so. Look at their development, new ownership and their lineup - smacking the **** out of the ball and mostly young guys doing it. Hell, they have the #1 prospect in baseball up and off to one of the worst starts ever and they’re still one of the best teams in baseball anyway since everyone else is so good. And I’m sure he’ll be fine, he’s not in the Pirates’ system.

They also have a really good front office. Mike Elias and Sig Mejdal were monumental in turning around the Astros. They’re among the best in the business at identifying talent.

Another example of prioritizing success and then determining the budget constraints. Not the other way around

 

[ImporterExporter]

It's not like there are a slew of hitters putting up good numbers right now, but yeah, Tellez in the 3 hole is a joke. Contending teams do not put shit players in that spot. They just don't.

This is microcosm of why Shelton is a loser.

 

[sovietsanta87]

It's not like there are a slew of hitters putting up good numbers right now, but yeah, Tellez in the 3 hole is a joke. Contending teams do not put shit players in that spot. They just don't.

This is microcosm of why Shelton is a loser.

Yeah it’s slim pickings for a 3 hitter on this roster, for sure.

But not him hahaha. Anyone but him. Put Alika Williams in the 3 spot. It’s an absurd statement but at least hes been hitting a little

 

[sovietsanta87]

I would go “old school” with the gameplan today.

Cutch
Williams
Reynolds
Bart
Cruz
Suwinski
Triolo
Tellez
Taylor

If cutch gets on, bunt him to second base. Try to win the game 2-1,3-2 etc. trust that Mitch can limit the damage. Try to squeeze every opportunity you can to generate runs. If someone hits a lead off double, I want the next guy hitting the ball to the right side to move that runner to third.

I think it’s a better game plan than hoping and praying Peralta doesn’t have it today. But maybe that’s what will happen.

 

[The Great Mighty Poo]

Rowdy Tellez and his 188 average batting third today.

Someone needs to tell this asshole that the top of the order is for the better hitters. Because it gives them more at bats.

 

[BusinessGoose]

William Contreras is so f***ing money

 

[BusinessGoose]

Tellez actually drew a walk for once! Lol

William Contreras is so f***ing money

Joey Bart is even more money

 

[Ulf5]

Touch em all Big $$ Bart.

 

[sovietsanta87]

New idea.

I make reasonable points based on logical outcomes, we pool our money together and bet the opposite, retire by end of next week

 

[Empoleon8771]

Absolutely zero excuse for Bart to not be their starting C at this point. They may legitimately have found a gem with him.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Now, let me explain what an actual GM/manager would do with the roster right now.

Demote Davis to AAA.
Demote Triolo to AAA.
Demote basically any OF to AAA.
Demote a P (pick one)

Make Joey Bart your starting C
Call up Grandel and give him a start once a series to offset Bart
Call up Nick Gonzales and make him your starting 2B
Call up Bae and get him into the bottom of the lineup.
Call up Skenes

If you do that, right now, you have a significantly more talented roster.

 

[metalan2]

How the f*** didn't Cruz score there??

Soft single to right and Cruz doesn't even attempt to score. Absolutely absurd.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Didn't have time to hop in this morning and say I was torn about this game: baseball-wise, it's not a must-win because we already secured a sweep and stabilized things in terms of the losing streak, even if the offense is still looking really bad. But in terms of being against the division rival/early leader, with your veteran SP on the mound, the chance to take 3/4, at home, really snap the bad vibes of the losing streak, etc., it felt like a kind of must-win.

Now as we are in the bottom of the 2nd and it's a 3-1 lead, it changes into a must-win game for me. This is the opportunity that you need to convert and then get ready to hit the road for some solid chances at bolstering the overall record back up over .500 by more games.

Hopefully we cash in at least another early run here, but this is a solid lead for Keller to go out and plant the flag with 6+, and the top guns in the bullpen are all rested. You win these games. Baseball can always happen but this has turned into too golden of an opportunity.

 

[metalan2]

Knew for a 100% fact Cutch was striking out. Reynolds has zero chance to come through either. Nice left a sure run out there for some reason. Horrific fundamentals again.

 

[metalan2]

Let's explain this again for people that weren't watching and why the Pirates will likely lose this game by a run or something later.

Cruz is on 2nd after being sacrificed over with one out. Williams gets the softest imaginable hit to right field that took an eternity to get to the right fielder. Cruz doesn't even attempt to run home. This is likely because he was given the stop sign. The next two batters strike out, like we all knew they would. A sure run left out there, for what?

----

With the way this team swings the bat, every opportunity to score has to be taken. This one wasn't even a risk either. It's just poor decision making again. Why even bunt Cruz to second if you're going to go the normal Pirate way of station to station? We have to lead the league in the least amount of times we've scored from 2nd on base hits.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

It's time to move on from Tellez. That changes the dynamic of the inning entirely.

 

[metalan2]

It's time to move on from Tellez. That changes the dynamic of the inning entirely.

Flipped off for one second to do some work. And it's 3-3 lol. What did Tellez do?

Giving away runs, playing horrible defense, not scoring easy runs. Pirates baseball.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Tellez cut off a throw on a Reynolds error and had the runner hung up between second and third. He hesitated throwing the ball to Hayes, which allowed the guy to scramble to third.

Keller clearly doesn't have his best stuff today but this starts with him. He's all over the place -- walking two guys to start the inning and it's no surprise both scored.

This would be a massive blown opportunity.

 

[BusinessGoose]

Started bad

Got good

Then just a horrendous inning, so many mistakes

Been to zero-zero