2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Nov 27, 2018 6:46 am

NH is like, you thought it was impressive to win 83 games with an 80M payroll, watch me do it with a 70M payroll.

I don’t hate the move, it’s a clear upgrade over luplow, but the goal for the offseason can’t be to get a luplow upgrade.

MrKennethTKangaroo
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:54 am

This might not be GMNH’s most publicized move, but this might define a gmnh move better than any other gmnh move

Freddy Rumsen
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Freddy Rumsen » Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:57 am

Lonnie Chisenhall sounds like a mid-70's baseball player.

LITT
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby LITT » Tue Nov 27, 2018 7:59 am

lonnie chisenhall is the perfect yinzer name

Freddy Rumsen
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Freddy Rumsen » Tue Nov 27, 2018 8:02 am

This means someone in the 1990's named their kid Lonnie.

Lemon Berry Lobster
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Lemon Berry Lobster » Tue Nov 27, 2018 8:03 am

lonnie chisenhall is the perfect yinzer name
Maybe if it was Donnie...

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:03 am

As it currently stands, they are looking at lineup like:

Frazier
Marte
Chisenhall/Bell
Cervelli
Dickerson
Bell/Dickerson
Moran/Kang
Gonzalez

They do have a nice righty/lefty balance, I'd also like to see Dickerson at lead off again if Frazier's 2018 was a fluke. Though, Frazier's .345 OBP over almost 1000 at bats. I think my slightly against the grain take would be that I'm more comfortable with the Moran/Kang 3B platoon than I am with committing to Bell at 1B.

willeyeam
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:05 am

They need a lefty starter. Break the bank for Kuechel. Or that Japanese guy coming over

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:05 am

Could literally spend 20 mil and be 15 mil below 2016 payroll

MrKennethTKangaroo
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:10 am

I think my slightly against the grain take would be that I'm more comfortable with the Moran/Kang 3B platoon than I am with committing to Bell at 1B.
This is a hot take, but not a mikey level bad take.

I disagree through. When bell is on he hits the ball harder than anyone (including polanco or marte) in the lineup. moran is just a pantywaste.

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:14 am

I think my slightly against the grain take would be that I'm more comfortable with the Moran/Kang 3B platoon than I am with committing to Bell at 1B.
This is a hot take, but not a mikey level bad take.

I disagree through. When bell is on he hits the ball harder than anyone (including polanco or marte) in the lineup. moran is just a pantywaste.
I also fear that Bell's defense is just going to hurt the team too much. I'm also confident that Kang contributes if Moran isn't able to build from his strong finish.

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:38 am

Could literally spend 20 mil and be 15 mil below 2016 payroll
I have them at 73.5M with two to three roster spots left to fill, depending on what they do at SS. But either way, one of those spots is a back end BP piece that could go Burdi or Dovydas. I think for sure they need to add one more position player and one more experienced RP.

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Nov 27, 2018 9:58 am

Asdrubal or Iglesias, Keuchel and a bullpen piece. That's a 100MM payroll and a good team

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby LITT » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:20 am

lol

willeyeam
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:25 am

lol
they had a 110MM payroll in 2016 so it's not outlandish

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Dickie Dunn » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:25 am

- For his career Lonnie isn't terrible against lefties, but he's definitely not an ideal matchup against them. Who takes right against southpaws? Reyes?

- I do have worries about Bell at first, especially defensively, but at 3B I sincerely hope that Kang gets the majority of ABs over Moran, though in reality they're both just placeholders until Hayes.

- I don't know what they'll do at SS, but Gonzalez is an uninspiring choice if that's the route they choose. Moran, Gonzalez, and Kang all have pretty severe lefty/righty splits, though Kang can at least hit lefties for power. If they think Kang can play SS adequately (though Hurdle favors defense above all else) I could be in favor of Moran at 3B and Kang at SS, with Kang moving over to 3B against lefties.

- Cole Tucker was named as one of the 25 best prospects (12th) in the AFL. Tucker batted 370/442/457/899 in 81 ABs, 3rd in the league in batting average. Will Craig batted 304/378/570/947 with 6 HRs. I've actually become kinda intrigued about Craig. He might have actually figured out how to hit for some power and his defense at first is said to be pretty good.

- Fangraphs released their list of the Pirates 35 best prospects. https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/top-35- ... h-pirates/

Hayes, Keller, Swaggerty, Cruz, and Tucker are their top five. Kevin Newman, who is likely not good, is all the way down at 13th. Couple of highlights for those who don't like to click on links:

Hayes:
He’s one of the best defensive third basemen in the minors and has progressed to become an above-average hitter, as well. A flat-planed swing and conservative hitting footwork are stifling the in-game power production. For Hayes, that’s fine. He does everything else.

It’s possible the Pirates will try to coax more power of out him by tweaking either his footwork or by moving his hands, the latter of which feels riskier. Even without further offensive evolution, Hayes projects as an all-fields, league-average offensive threat with plus-plus defense.
Keller:
Keller’s changeup did improve throughout 2018, but he walked more guys; we think that aspect of his profile will bounce back once development isn’t coloring his pitch usage.

Keller avoided the DL all year after dealing with various injuries during each of the last three seasons. He projects as an above-average big leaguer starter who misses an average number of bats.
Swaggy:
Swaggerty didn’t put up the gaudy numbers you’d expect for a guy with top level tools in a mid-major conference who had also hit with wood on the Cape, and it was because his new swing would get out of whack. His weight transfer was too aggressive at times, causing him to lose balance and be in a poor position to hit offspeed stuff. Swaggerty’s developmental issue is dialing in his swing mechanics and approach to something that takes best advantage of his explosive tools, which could be a multi-year process.
Cruz:
There’s real risk Cruz maxes out as a 40 bat, but as long as he’s getting to most of that power, he’ll likely profile just about anywhere on the defensive spectrum. So, where exactly on the defensive spectrum will that be? Shortstops this big don’t exist, but there’s some sentiment in the industry that Cruz will be able to stay there, especially as we enter the era of the lead-footed shortstop. Others consider Cruz’s speed viable in center field long term. Those who think he’ll thicken significantly have him projected to either right field or third base, and others think his size would make for a wonderful target at first. One source thinks Cruz should just be pitching, due to his arm strength and athleticism. Clearly this is one of the more bizarre prospects in baseball with countless possible career outcomes. Most of them are very positive or highly entertaining; several of them end in stardom.
They grade Cruz's arm as 80/80. It's rare to see anyone get an 80, let alone for throwing. To put that into some perspective, Marte's arm was graded as 60/70 in 2011. They also gave Cruz a 70/80 for raw power and 30/60 for game power. If he hits those projections he's a .250 average, 30-35 HR guy with the most ridiculous arm in the league.

Tucker:
Tucker was the Arizona Fall League’s most elegant defender. Rangy and smooth, sure-handed and graceful, he has room to add a few pounds as he ages while still remaining above-average at short. A torn labrum in 2015 cast doubt on Tucker’s ability to stay there if his arm strength weren’t to return but, though it took quite a while, it is not only back but has improved, and he now has a 70 arm.

With such an excellent defensive foundation in place, it’s very likely that Tucker becomes an everyday player. What happens with his bat will determine how much of an impact he makes, and that forecast is blurry. Right now, Tucker has surprising contact skills for someone as lanky as he is and he’s adept at identifying balls and strikes. His size and current swing both have significant room for growth. Tucker’s bat path enters the hitting zone in such a way that it causes him to pound the ball into the ground. If that gets tweaked, and he also adds strength into his mid-20s, he might suddenly start hitting for power. This is a rare, high-variance prospect who also has a high floor. If the power comes, Tucker will be an All Star; if it doesn’t he’ll just be a solid everyday player.

And now for the big disappointment, Newman:
Newman’s contact profile is very similar to that of Jose Iglesias. Both have excellent barrel control and find ways to put tough pitches in play, and both generate so little power that they struggle to hit for high averages despite all of that contact. Newman is a value-neutral defensive shortstop, though, which gives him a fine chance of playing some kind of second-division role, but also means several players in this system are breathing down his neck. Now big league ready, Newman projects as a light-hitting, 1 to 1.5 WAR shortstop.

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:32 am

hayes is the real deal in the field

willeyeam
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Nov 27, 2018 10:32 am

I hope Swaggerty pans out just because he has a top 10 name

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Nov 27, 2018 11:11 am

I was very encouraged by the writeup on Tucker's defense.

I'm bummed about the 2016 draft class. I thought Ogle was going to be a breakout guy this year, but he got hurt, then MacGregor did sort of break out, but then had TJ surgery.

Domingo Robles not even making the top 35 was interesting to me, probably because he doesn't have strong K numbers.

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby willeyeam » Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:44 am


MrKennethTKangaroo
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Tue Dec 04, 2018 8:48 am

bold move

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:01 am

Maybe he just wants to do GM stuff and not whatever else the president of baseball operations does.

MrKennethTKangaroo
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby MrKennethTKangaroo » Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:16 am

Maybe he just wants to do GM stuff and not whatever else the president of baseball operations does.
Well, maybe GMNH watches frank coonelly's behavior and thinks that the primary job of the president is to say stupid things to the media

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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Freddy Rumsen » Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:17 am

Western PA is superior to San Fran, imho.

Sorry @tifosi77

Troy Loney
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2018-2019 Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club Off-Season Thread of Despair

Postby Troy Loney » Tue Dec 04, 2018 9:18 am

Maybe he just wants to do GM stuff and not whatever else the president of baseball operations does.
Well, maybe GMNH watches frank coonelly's behavior and thinks that the primary job of the president is to say stupid things to the media
Yeah, he's most likely just a stubborn ass and knows his legacy will be whatever happens here and wants to prove everyone wrong.

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