2018 Pittsburgh Pirates In-Season Thread

[Troy Loney]

He needs to shake that tendency to completely lose pitches like he did with that wild pitch there. He's probably sailing something way out of the zone close to once an at bat. So, he's struggling to get in to counts where his lethal stuff is playable.

[Orlando Penguin]

Drove down to Bradenton today for Twins-Pirates. The good for the Pirates -- Bell hammered a 2-run shot to dead center in the 1st, Osuna ripped one out to right in the 5th, and Bostick (who if he doesn't come to the plate with Shaggy's song blaring over the speakers, I'll be disappointed) hammered one to left in the 7th and then had an insurance 2-run double in the 8th. Cervelli also threw out Buxton stealing at 2nd, something that happened just one time last season. I think Bux may have gotten in there and replay may have backed me up but the umpire saw otherwise. The bad -- this Kingham kid they put on the mound got lit up by Sano and Dozier for big home runs to left and he didn't seem to be able to miss too many bats. I'm told that he is still a year away from the rotation. The ugly -- a can of corn to center late in the game confused Marte as the sun got in his eyes and down to the turf it went and then the Pirates turned into a Little League outfit and kicked it around some more allowing a run to score. It was rather comical.

I was sitting 7 rows off the field next to the dugout and Polanco and Bell are definitely a couple of big boys.

[columbia]

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

Bostick and moroff are somewhat notable moves. Everything else is a yawner

[Troy Loney]

Bench prediction: Freese, Frazier, SeanRod, Diaz & Brentz.

I think we'll see a lot of Sean Rod, especially against LH pitchers. Indy is going to have quite an interesting lineup that will include: Kramer, Newman, Moroff, Meadows, Luplow and Bostick.

I think a number of those guys could force their way into the picture this season.

[Troy Loney]

Also just seeing that the Pirates are considering 13 pitchers, 12 position players. So that would mean Brentz not making the team either.

I can agree that Brentz would really serve no purpose, but we're then to assume that Sean Rod is the primary backup at SS, 2B and CF. I mean, I guess, why even have a bench. Just get a SeanRod.

[Dickie Dunn]

Surprised that Moroff is already gone. Based on spring training performance I would like to see Osuna stick around, but I'm sure it'll be Brentz due to lack of options and the fact that he is actually an outfielder.

Edit: Just now seeing TL's previous post. Do the Pirates really have enough quality bullpen options to consider carrying 13 pitchers?

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

No no no dickie, you should be asking "do the pirates have enough bullpen guys with option years?" and the answer is no.

I think schugel is out of options. They probably want to keep seigrist around. Glasnow is useless in the minors so he might as well be on the ML roster. But you don't want to take a valuable bullpen spot glasnow because he stinks. maybe they give smoker a shot? all of these variables lead to a 13 man pen

[Troy Loney]

Osuna is still only 25, his primary position is 1B, I think his natural progression is to take Freese's roster spot if he can learn to play 3B. He's probably first man up when someone gets injured.

I have no clue what's going on in the bullpen, I imagine the extra BP spot is for them to stash Milbrath until the wasted roster spot is unsustainable.

[willeyeam]

I think they're going to use the starters less and bullpen more and thus will need more arms in the pen

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

GMNH does love a wasted roster spot

[Dickie Dunn]

GMNH does love a wasted roster spot

You act like this team has multiple instances of going 10+ days with only 24 healthy guys on the roster while Polanco lays in the fetal position on the clubhouse floor holding his hamstring.

[Dickie Dunn]

I'm slightly stunned right now:

Pirates Prospects is reporting (sub. req’d) that the Pirates paid about $1.25M out of their 2017-18 international bonus pool for South Korean shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae. It’s a very thorough report on Bae and highly recommended. That bonus probably used up what was left in the team’s pool. Based mainly on reporting from P2, it appeared the Pirates’ pool was probably down under $1M, although they enhanced it with $500,000 from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade. Due to the measures MLB implemented for signing players “freed” from the scandal-ridden Braves, the first $200,000 of Bae’s bonus didn’t count against the pool.

WE SPENT MONEY!

[columbia]

Braves compare Korean signee Bae to Trae Turner
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.ajc.co ... P/amp.html

[Orlando Penguin]

Seeing Moroff yesterday reminded me that he is the 3rd MLB player whose game(s) I umpired when he was in HS.

[willeyeam]

I'm slightly stunned right now:

Pirates Prospects is reporting (sub. req’d) that the Pirates paid about $1.25M out of their 2017-18 international bonus pool for South Korean shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae. It’s a very thorough report on Bae and highly recommended. That bonus probably used up what was left in the team’s pool. Based mainly on reporting from P2, it appeared the Pirates’ pool was probably down under $1M, although they enhanced it with $500,000 from the Giants in the Andrew McCutchen trade. Due to the measures MLB implemented for signing players “freed” from the scandal-ridden Braves, the first $200,000 of Bae’s bonus didn’t count against the pool.

WE SPENT MONEY!

That's exciting

[DigitalGypsy66]

Is he related to Salt Bae?

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

does he own bae baes kitchen downtown?

https://www.baebaes.kitchen/

[shafnutz05]

It was Musgrove's turn to get shelled today.

[slappybrown]

Optimism:

https://twitter.com/baseballamerica/sta ... 96673?s=21

[shafnutz05]

Optimism:

https://twitter.com/baseballamerica/sta ... 96673?s=21

It feels like we always have potential breakout players.

[Dickie Dunn]

Brentz places on waivers. Pirates going with either Osuna, a waiver pickup, or 13 pitchers.

[Freddy Rumsen]

You can tell that was written before the Mad Bum injury.

[Dickie Dunn]

The Pirates optioned Jose Osuna and Kyle Crick to Class AAA Indianapolis on Monday, further clarifying their opening-day roster.

Lefty Kevin Siegrist, a non-roster invitee, was also reassigned to minor league camp.

The moves mean the Pirates will go with a four-man bench, at least through the first series of the season in Detroit. The final three bullpen spots will go to some combination of Rule 5 pick Jordan Milbrath, lefty Josh Smoker, Dovydas Neverauskas and Edgar Santana.

Crick, the right-hander who joined the team in the Andrew McCutchen trade, pitched in more spring training games than any other Pirate. But he allowed eight runs and 13 hits in 11 innings, and batters hit .310 against him.

I fully expected Crick to make the team due to being the only MLB ready part of the Cutch return.

Crick - 11 IP, 5.73 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, .310 AVG, 9 Ks
Siegrist - 5.2 IP, 7.94 ERA, 1.59 WHIP, .333 AVG, 9 Ks
Milbrath - 8.1 IP, 8.64 ERA, 2.16 WHIP, .294 AVG, 8 Ks
Smoker - 10.1 IP, 4.35 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, .231 AVG, 13 Ks
Neverauskas - 10.0 IP, 6.30 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, .237 AVG, 10 Ks
Santana - 9.1 IP, 3.86 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, .206 AVG, 7 Ks

I know they look at more things than just spring statistics when deciding on the roster, but Santana and Smoker have probably earned a spot. Neverauskas had one game blow up in his face with 4 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, and a walk in a single inning, but other than that he's been good this spring. Milbrath, Crick, and Siegrist have most definitely not been good.

Playing time is going to be tough to come by in AAA. Luplow, Meadows, Cunningham, and Barnes in the outfield. Osuna, Newman, Kramer, Reyes, Weiss, Wood, and Moroff in the infield. Bostick can play both.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

you know, demoting jose osuna makes perfect sense because the pirates wont need a DH in detroit