Pirates 2019

[21STEELERS21]

Trout will make close to 50% of the entire Pirate payroll.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Trout will make close to 50% of the entire Pirate payroll.

The crazy thing is that Trout would have gotten even more on the open market.

He's a much more complete player than Harper and Machado and is the same age

 

[Punxsutawney]

Regarding the Pirates, opening day is about a week away.

It looks like Kang will be the everyday 3B, as he showed both power and a good glove in camp.

It would be huge for them if he can hit like he did before the suspension, as what really killed them last year was the lack of offense from the infield.

I think Frazier is going to be a big upgrade from Harrison offensively, though there will be some dropoff defensively.

If Bell can regain the power he had a couple years ago, they could have something.

There are a lot of question marks, however.

 

[Buster]

Is Kang such a liability that we can’t use him at SS? We have **** for offense at SS.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Is Kang such a liability that we can’t use him at SS? We have **** for offense at SS.

He was adequate at SS when they played him there for an extended period in 2015.

Being a few years older, I don't know if he could still handle it or not.

Teams can generally carry a weak-hitting SS as long as the other positions are producing.

 

[JMM]

How do you think the Bucs will do this year?

 

[Punxsutawney]

I see them winning 80-85 games, about the same as last year.

The outfield and catchers will be good, but the infield has a lot to prove.

Taillon is the only starting pitcher that I trust. Archer has a great arm, but hasn't really been a strong performer for a few years now and I'm skeptical that Williams can come anywhere close to repeating what he did last year. Musgrove is a wildcard.

If Bell, Kang, Archer and Williams all have strong years, they could be really good, but that's a lot of questionable things that need to go right.

 

[Buster]

Looks like Pablo Reyes has played himself onto the roster unless someone else who is out of options pushes him down.

 

[Buster]

Bump back to the top. New partner going a bit overboard.

Let’s Go Bucs!

 

[21STEELERS21]

Yeah DK ruining this section

 

[Lmob0621]

I think a DK post with a link to multiple articles would be better and less congestive but I will be getting a membership there very soon... $10 is 4 $1 tacos and 3 $2 margaritas on taco Tuesday at a local Mexican joint.... I figure I could drop a taco for a couple months.

Pirates beating up on the Reds has been nice to see... I was tagged in a few messages from Reds fans after opening day... not one since.

 

[Lmob0621]

The Pirates are a middle of the road team but, if they can steal a handful a games here and there, that is what it takes to make the playoffs...

 

[Buster]

Austin Meadows 5 HR. Glasnow 3-0. Just sayin’.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Austin Meadows 5 HR. Glasnow 3-0. Just sayin’.

Meadows now has 6 HRs.

It's early and Meadows and Glasnow are not going to sustain the ridiculous paces they're currently on, but they're both emerging as the elite-level players we thought they were going to be for the Pirates.

It's frustrating, especially watching Archer's pitch count elevated by the fourth inning in about every start as a Pirate.

Archer needs to be the kind of pitcher who consistently pitches into the seventh inning to validate the trade, and even that may not be enough.

In addition to Meadows and Glasnow, the 2017 first round pick the Pirates sent to the Rays to complete the deal has just as much raw talent as Glasnow.

 

[steelermania]

Meadows now has 6 HRs.

It's early and Meadows and Glasnow are not going to sustain the ridiculous paces they're currently on, but they're both emerging as the elite-level players we thought they were going to be for the Pirates.

It's frustrating, especially watching Archer's pitch count elevated by the fourth inning in about every start as a Pirate.

Archer needs to be the kind of pitcher who consistently pitches into the seventh inning to validate the trade, and even that may not be enough.

In addition to Meadows and Glasnow, the 2017 first round pick the Pirates sent to the Rays to complete the deal has just as much raw talent as Glasnow.

Well, everybody was always screaming for the Pirates to trade some future assets to win now. There's always a risk that it'll blow up in your face, like the Tigers trading John Smoltz to Atlanta, for Doyle Alexander. Alexander pitched great for them as they won the division, but they didn't even reach the Series, and Smoltz gave the Braves 2 decades of Hall Of Fame work, so it's seen as one of the worst trades ever.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Well, everybody was always screaming for the Pirates to trade some future assets to win now. There's always a risk that it'll blow up in your face, like the Tigers trading John Smoltz to Atlanta, for Doyle Alexander. Alexander pitched great for them as they won the division, but they didn't even reach the Series, and Smoltz gave the Braves 2 decades of Hall Of Fame work, so it's seen as one of the worst trades ever.

I can live with Meadows and Glasnow excelling with the Rays if Archer pitches like a topline starter for the next few seasons, but he has been pitching like a decent #3, which is what he was when they got him.

They probably could have found someone to give them what Archer is giving them without giving up three of their most talented young players, including Shane Baz .

That's the issue, as Lyle has been just as good if not better than Archer thus far.

I'm not trying to **** on Archer, as he is not a bad player, but the Pirates paid for the type of pitcher he really hasn't been in a few years.

I think I understand what they tried to do. They considered the success Hurdle and Searage have had taking underachieving, talented pitchers from the American League like Burnett, Liriano and Happ and rectifying their careers, and thought they could do the same with Archer.

They still might, but so far, he looks like the same pitcher he was the Rays: generating a lot of strikeouts and weak contact, while using too many pitches to do it.

 

[Punxsutawney]

Now, if today's outing becomes typical for Archer, that changes the optics of the trade entirely.

 

[21STEELERS21]

They could have signed Morton in the offseason and had similar production to Archer and kept their own players.
If Glasnow continues to pitch as he has so far, a staff of Taillon, Williams, Glasnow, Musgrove, Morton might have been
the best in baseball.

 

[steelermania]

First place Pirates!!! Hey, gotta take it while it lasts.

 

[Punxsutawney]

First place Pirates!!! Hey, gotta take it while it lasts.

The crazy thing is that the bullpen has blown several games they probably should have won.

If the starting pitching remains strong, they can remain in contention, but they need to get more out of the offense, especially from Marte, Kang and Cervelli.

Marte is starting to come around and will produce, but Kang and Cervelli have younger players behind them in Moran and Diaz (when he comes back) who will start really pushing them for playing time if they do not start hitting consistently.

 

[steelermania]

The Pirates goal for the last 15 or so years, has been to try to win by developing an elite pitching staff. It seems they've finally been able to put one together. It'll be interesting to see if that strategy works.

 

[Lmob0621]

The collision in the outfield was brutal... I'm hoping they can hang on without the two of them for the periods of time they are out.

 

[21STEELERS21]

Tucker looks like he could become a fan favorite to replace what they lost in McCutchen.

 

[Punxsutawney]

The collision in the outfield was brutal... I'm hoping they can hang on without the two of them for the periods of time they are out.

Losing Marte hurts, but they're probably better off with Tucker at SS. He's just as good as Gonzalez defensively, and offers much more upside with the bat

 

[SteelerFan448]

Tucker looks like he could become a fan favorite to replace what they lost in McCutchen.

It's so early and he has a lot to prove, but Tucker could become one of the most popular players in the city. Pittsburgh has some great young stars with JuJu, Conner, Watt, Guentzel, and Tucker could certainly join that mix.