Your 2022 Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Thread

[Morkle]

There is competition, but reading people talk themselves into the Pirates for NEXT season is my favorite thing to read on 5AF. I look forward to the time when it actually happens.

Every year people sucker themselves into believing. The only reason people believe now is that they didn't trade Bednar and Reynolds for prospects lol.

[willeyeam]

this is the worst feature of this thread

[King Colby]

People in here expressing optimism that they could win 75 games next year... better get the cones ready to block off the Boulevard now

[DigitalGypsy66]

[DigitalGypsy66]

[King Colby]

I mean honestly... this team was on a 68-win pace at the all star break.

You really don't think the progression of younger players from this year's roster, plus the infusion of other young talent... plus spending the same whopping $4M they used this year to replace gamel, vogelbach, and quintana...can lead to a 10-20% increase in wins? Or a 5% higher win %...

[King Colby]

TL hinted at it but kind of brushed it aside, but the Pirates need a 1 and 2 starter to be able to compete. There are no bargain bin 1-2 pitchers out there. So don't get all giddy about next season. Top of the rotation starters will have to come from within, and not sure there are any candidates. Roansey is a 3, Keller a 3, maybe Priester works his way into a 1 or 2, but not much else waiting in the wings.

They don't need a #1 or #2 to "compete"

Nobody even knew who Tyler Anderson was and he signed here for a year's supply of hot dogs

That's all they need for next year, sign a couple guys like that to come and be average. And average is a pretty sizeable improvement over some of this years roster...

[robbiestoupe]

TL hinted at it but kind of brushed it aside, but the Pirates need a 1 and 2 starter to be able to compete. There are no bargain bin 1-2 pitchers out there. So don't get all giddy about next season. Top of the rotation starters will have to come from within, and not sure there are any candidates. Roansey is a 3, Keller a 3, maybe Priester works his way into a 1 or 2, but not much else waiting in the wings.

They don't need a #1 or #2 to "compete"

Nobody even knew who Tyler Anderson was and he signed here for a year's supply of hot dogs

That's all they need for next year, sign a couple guys like that to come and be average. And average is a pretty sizeable improvement over some of this years roster...

You and I have a different definition of compete, then. Unless your quotes were used for tongue-in-cheek analysis.

[Troy Loney]

I mean honestly... this team was on a 68-win pace at the all star break.

You really don't think the progression of younger players from this year's roster, plus the infusion of other young talent... plus spending the same whopping $4M they used this year to replace gamel, vogelbach, and quintana...can lead to a 10-20% increase in wins? Or a 5% higher win %...

Seems like it's all perspective to me.

To me, things have actually fallen their in their favor in a lot of meaningful ways.

Brubaker, Thompson, Keller and Roansy all look like capable MLB starting pitchers. I mean, that's 4, it could have easily been 0, or with asterisks for health.
Crow and De Los Santos - two long term relief options out of seemingly nowhere.
There are a bunch of high-level prospects that took steps forward this year (Mitchell, Suwinksi, Marcano, Bae, Peguero) and only Martin is a dud
I would argue this is best case scenario for Cruz, the glove is playing at short and he is hitting for power. The K% and OBP are bad, but that's to be expected.
I would say the most disappointing thing relates to the three top prospects that were expected to take large steps forward, Davis, Priester and Gonzalez. A lot of it injury related, but these guys are more or less the keys to their future success, so kind of have to table everything (pessimism, hope, despair) until they actually get on the field consistently. Prior to the year, if any of them flopped, that would have derailed their path, but they could probably manage 1-2 of them flaming out.

[King Colby]

TL hinted at it but kind of brushed it aside, but the Pirates need a 1 and 2 starter to be able to compete. There are no bargain bin 1-2 pitchers out there. So don't get all giddy about next season. Top of the rotation starters will have to come from within, and not sure there are any candidates. Roansey is a 3, Keller a 3, maybe Priester works his way into a 1 or 2, but not much else waiting in the wings.

They don't need a #1 or #2 to "compete"

Nobody even knew who Tyler Anderson was and he signed here for a year's supply of hot dogs

That's all they need for next year, sign a couple guys like that to come and be average. And average is a pretty sizeable improvement over some of this years roster...

You and I have a different definition of compete, then. Unless your quotes were used for tongue-in-cheek analysis.

No joke, for me it's not losing every 5th game 17-2

[King Colby]

I mean honestly... this team was on a 68-win pace at the all star break.

You really don't think the progression of younger players from this year's roster, plus the infusion of other young talent... plus spending the same whopping $4M they used this year to replace gamel, vogelbach, and quintana...can lead to a 10-20% increase in wins? Or a 5% higher win %...

I would say the most disappointing thing relates to the three top prospects that were expected to take large steps forward, Davis, Priester and Gonzalez.

Priester is dominating.

Davis lost time but he will start in AA next year which was likely the case anyway.

Gonzalez probably delay his development by a year.

[Troy Loney]

TL hinted at it but kind of brushed it aside, but the Pirates need a 1 and 2 starter to be able to compete. There are no bargain bin 1-2 pitchers out there. So don't get all giddy about next season. Top of the rotation starters will have to come from within, and not sure there are any candidates. Roansey is a 3, Keller a 3, maybe Priester works his way into a 1 or 2, but not much else waiting in the wings.

They don't need a #1 or #2 to "compete"

Nobody even knew who Tyler Anderson was and he signed here for a year's supply of hot dogs

That's all they need for next year, sign a couple guys like that to come and be average. And average is a pretty sizeable improvement over some of this years roster...

You and I have a different definition of compete, then. Unless your quotes were used for tongue-in-cheek analysis.

It's extremely unlikely that they transition from this to actually competitive in one year. Lest we forget, they flirted with .500 in the two seasons leading up to 2013 before they turned into a 90+ win team (in 2012 they were even making deadline deals and Derek Lee raked here if I remember correctly).

But anyway, the optimistic ones (Colby and me I presume), are discussing the potential for 2023 to be that transition year, and any back and forth is assuming that the next phase of the rebuild is competence. I would like some continuity, which was impossible this year with that collection of garbage they still had/have on the 40-man. Honestly, I think they've been combing through that group for potential role/bit players.

[Troy Loney]

Priester is dominating.

Davis lost time but he will start in AA next year which was likely the case anyway.

Gonzalez probably delay his development by a year.

Priester's workload is too low this year for him to do anything meaningful next year though.

Davis has hit wherever he's been, but still a lost year more or less, and that sucks.

[DigitalGypsy66]

Mike Burrows might be someone to keep an eye on.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/regi ... rrow002mic

[robbiestoupe]

TL hinted at it but kind of brushed it aside, but the Pirates need a 1 and 2 starter to be able to compete. There are no bargain bin 1-2 pitchers out there. So don't get all giddy about next season. Top of the rotation starters will have to come from within, and not sure there are any candidates. Roansey is a 3, Keller a 3, maybe Priester works his way into a 1 or 2, but not much else waiting in the wings.

They don't need a #1 or #2 to "compete"

Nobody even knew who Tyler Anderson was and he signed here for a year's supply of hot dogs

That's all they need for next year, sign a couple guys like that to come and be average. And average is a pretty sizeable improvement over some of this years roster...

You and I have a different definition of compete, then. Unless your quotes were used for tongue-in-cheek analysis.

It's extremely unlikely that they transition from this to actually competitive in one year. Lest we forget, they flirted with .500 in the two seasons leading up to 2013 before they turned into a 90+ win team (in 2012 they were even making deadline deals and Derek Lee raked here if I remember correctly).

But anyway, the optimistic ones (Colby and me I presume), are discussing the potential for 2023 to be that transition year, and any back and forth is assuming that the next phase of the rebuild is competence. I would like some continuity, which was impossible this year with that collection of garbage they still had/have on the 40-man. Honestly, I think they've been combing through that group for potential role/bit players.

I really don't know if they can reproduce 2013-2015, or even want to. Either way, they are so bereft of starting pitching, even in the low minors, that it is going to take a miracle or BN opening the purse. Guess which one is more likely?

Seems like they are trying to time a compete date of 2024/2025, but they struck out (no pun intended) on pitching and seemed to have done well with hitting. Maybe they are able to trade a Gonzales and/or Davis for a top of the line starter, which to me would be bold and make it seem like they are trying to win. Not entirely sure if that is their plan, though.

[Ad@m]

[Dickie Dunn]

I think he still has a ton of work to do to stop being Pedro Cerrano, but watch the **** out when he makes contact.

[King Colby]

Sweeeeeeeep!

[blackjack68]

How the hell do they get swept by the Sillies and then sweep the Brewers?

[shafnutz05]

So good. The Brewers trade Hader and get walked off twice in three games against the Pirates.

[faftorial]

I saw the score so I watched from the 8th onward. Nice win.

Weird moment in the post game interview with Hayes over the PA. As the interview ended, Ismakowski asks Hayes whether he wants to thank the fans for coming out and Hayes politely does but WTF.

[willeyeam]

Robby is a weird and awkward dude and shouldn't do those interviews. It's so cringey every time

[willeyeam]

Goodness this was a good play. I was listening to it and they didn't convey how good of a backhand it was too

https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cg2YHxsL ... MyMTA2M2Y=

[DigitalGypsy66]

Brown's call is a travesty though. I don't hate him as much as some, and I think that crew all has a certain amount of PTSD covering these **** teams over the years, but that call is awful.

[willeyeam]

I like Brown but the zip zap kazoo was weird