The 2021 Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Team Season Thread

[King Colby]

Hopefully he's the Garret Jones of this era.

But that sets up nicely, at least on the lineup side. Colin Moran can go back to his true calling (part-time player and stud pinch hitter).

Without a hint of criticism, this is why I always get a chuckle from your unbridled optimism. In less than a month Nogowski, a 250 pound first baseman without a hint of power, went from being a future Garret Jones (he wishes) that’s gonna push Moran back to the bench where he belongs to once again being out of work at the major league level.

They suck, every random schmo they pick up off the scrap heap sucks, and they’re years away from spending money to be even remotely competitive. Payroll might be five bucks next year. Nutting doesn’t give a ****.

Turns out he was the Drew Sutton of this era

[King Colby]

1-15 in August. Let's go!

We are now only +3 on the Dbacks and the O's and -0.5 on the Rangers

[Dickie Dunn]

Well, it’s not like Garret Jones was good, he was a guy that was just good enough to hang around for those transition years.

I guess that take seems more optimistic than I was. It’s also in the context of the current 25 man going through guys like evans and tom on a nightly basis.

Jones was definitely a guy who was just good enough to hang around during transitions, but he did manage a 27 HR season and finished his Pirates career with a 780 OPS. Nogowski wouldn’t be able to sell his soul for those numbers.

[iamjs]

The Pirates' active payroll at the moment is $29,479,506. Polanco is making $11.6m, which means the rest of the team is being paid... (grabs calculator) $17,879,506.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are paying $17,942,855 in luxury tax this year.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/payroll/
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax/

[Dickie Dunn]

Pretty sure cherington found a one of GMNH’s old note books that had “find some other teams former highly prized prospect with obvious flaws and obtain them” thought it might be a good idea, so he went out and signed this former Yokohama baystar. Straight out of the gmnh playbook. At least we dont have to suffer through any more k’ai Tom at bats though.

He’s definitely following suit, which is to be expected with a trash heap team like this. My growing concern is that this regime has so far been nowhere near as good as the GMNH era when it comes to turning guys around. A lot of the GMNH success was Searage finding keys to the pitching universe for a couple years, but at least there was some success. GMBC era has been all misses.

[Dickie Dunn]

The Pirates' active payroll at the moment is $29,479,506. Polanco is making $11.6m, which means the rest of the team is being paid... (grabs calculator) $17,879,506.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are paying $17,942,855 in luxury tax this year.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/payroll/
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax/

Pirates for $40MM in revenue sharing this year. Been a food season for Nutting.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

The Pirates' active payroll at the moment is $29,479,506. Polanco is making $11.6m, which means the rest of the team is being paid... (grabs calculator) $17,879,506.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are paying $17,942,855 in luxury tax this year.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/payroll/
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax/

Pirates for $40MM in revenue sharing this year. Been a food season for Nutting.

Even making $$$$ by seriously cutting down costs. only 2 food stands open in the upper deck last week. I went to the bathroom mid game and saw 20+ people waiting in line for food. Lets keep in mind this is a mid-week game with no more than 7,000 asses in the stands and there is a line with 20 people in it. There was also one poor soul working at the bar located on the upper deck. it started to rain in the middle of the game, so she was stuck there flying solo taking orders and pouring beers.

it was pathetic. a total lack of respect for the employees and a total lack of respect for the fans.

[faftorial]

The Pirates' active payroll at the moment is $29,479,506. Polanco is making $11.6m, which means the rest of the team is being paid... (grabs calculator) $17,879,506.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are paying $17,942,855 in luxury tax this year.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/payroll/
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax/

Pirates for $40MM in revenue sharing this year. Been a food season for Nutting.

Even making $$$$ by seriously cutting down costs. only 2 food stands open in the upper deck last week. I went to the bathroom mid game and saw 20+ people waiting in line for food. Lets keep in mind this is a mid-week game with no more than 7,000 asses in the stands and there is a line with 20 people in it. There was also one poor soul working at the bar located on the upper deck. it started to rain in the middle of the game, so she was stuck there flying solo taking orders and pouring beers.

it was pathetic. a total lack of respect for the employees and a total lack of respect for the fans.

Labor shortage?

[Morkle]

The Pirates' active payroll at the moment is $29,479,506. Polanco is making $11.6m, which means the rest of the team is being paid... (grabs calculator) $17,879,506.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers are paying $17,942,855 in luxury tax this year.

https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/pittsburgh-pirates/payroll/
https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/tax/

Pirates for $40MM in revenue sharing this year. Been a food season for Nutting.

Even making $$$$ by seriously cutting down costs. only 2 food stands open in the upper deck last week. I went to the bathroom mid game and saw 20+ people waiting in line for food. Lets keep in mind this is a mid-week game with no more than 7,000 asses in the stands and there is a line with 20 people in it. There was also one poor soul working at the bar located on the upper deck. it started to rain in the middle of the game, so she was stuck there flying solo taking orders and pouring beers.

it was pathetic. a total lack of respect for the employees and a total lack of respect for the fans.

DK is furiously writing a hit piece on KTK right now.

[King Colby]

Pretty sure cherington found a one of GMNH’s old note books that had “find some other teams former highly prized prospect with obvious flaws and obtain them” thought it might be a good idea, so he went out and signed this former Yokohama baystar. Straight out of the gmnh playbook. At least we dont have to suffer through any more k’ai Tom at bats though.

He’s definitely following suit, which is to be expected with a trash heap team like this. My growing concern is that this regime has so far been nowhere near as good as the GMNH era when it comes to turning guys around. A lot of the GMNH success was Searage finding keys to the pitching universe for a couple years, but at least there was some success. GMBC era has been all misses.

Benedict* not searage

[Dickie Dunn]

Pretty sure cherington found a one of GMNH’s old note books that had “find some other teams former highly prized prospect with obvious flaws and obtain them” thought it might be a good idea, so he went out and signed this former Yokohama baystar. Straight out of the gmnh playbook. At least we dont have to suffer through any more k’ai Tom at bats though.

He’s definitely following suit, which is to be expected with a trash heap team like this. My growing concern is that this regime has so far been nowhere near as good as the GMNH era when it comes to turning guys around. A lot of the GMNH success was Searage finding keys to the pitching universe for a couple years, but at least there was some success. GMBC era has been all misses.

Benedict* not searage

100% correct.

[Troy Loney]

Also that whole "pitch to contact, shifting, throwing down and inside" was analytics too.

Not to mention, this is BC's second year. At this stage, NH was trafficking in serious garbage and doing **** like drafting Tony Sanchez and spending a bunch of money on a fat mexican pitcher.

I would argue that BC was dealt a much better hand than NH was, and also did a lot better at flipping the ML assets for minor leaguers.

That said, the real test is going to be much later than now. NH failed miserably when he needed to turn over the 2013 playoff team core. BC is still in the process of establishing the core group. I think the first real tough call is going to be with Reynolds, trading him is auto-kicking the can down the road. I assume Nutting would greenlight that, but kind of have to think that indefinitely delaying the competitive window would crush any BC goodwill.

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

imo I don't see how they don't trade Reynolds before the team gets competitive. They added a lot of organizational depth over the past 12 months, but how many of those guys have the ceiling to be contributors on playoff teams? And when are they going to get here? Cruz and Gonzalez should be here sooner than later, and I like both of them, but are they going to be as good as Neil Walker/Josh Harrison/Jordy Mercer? Maybe, maybe not. And either way, they won't have their sea legs underneath them until 2023 at the earliest. Almost everyone else is a 20-22 year old moonshot.

So why bother keeping Reynolds around when you get can just more moonshots for him?

[Troy Loney]

imo I don't see how they don't trade Reynolds before the team gets competitive. They added a lot of organizational depth over the past 12 months, but how many of those guys have the ceiling to be contributors on playoff teams? And when are they going to get here? Cruz and Gonzalez should be here sooner than later, and I like both of them, but are they going to be as good as Neil Walker/Josh Harrison/Jordy Mercer? Maybe, maybe not. And either way, they won't have their sea legs underneath them until 2023 at the earliest. Almost everyone else is a 20-22 year old moonshot.

So why bother keeping Reynolds around when you get can just more moonshots for him?

Harrison and Mercer aren't much more than replacement level. Walker was a good hitter though and batting in next to MVP era McCutchen helped him.

Which, I think goes to say that it will be hard to emulate the NH years because almost that entire run of competency was tied to McCutchen carrying the offense and the coaching staff being extremely creative and effective at run prevention. Hayes and Reynolds combined are not at the level of what McCutchen brought those years. Not to mention this combo of coaching staff and pitching staff are just flailing.


I think I just view the transition from rebuilding to competitive as longer, it's not like you flip a switch, or have a straight line upward momentum. Deciding to keep Reynolds and stop tanking might just be the first in a string of years where BC tries to feel this out. think like 2011-2012 pirate teams that flirted with .500 through July with guys like Kevin Correia and Jeff Karstens.

[willeyeam]

I think Hayes's regression is more due to the injury recovery than actual regression. I think him and Reynolds are going to be very good for a while.

[King Colby]

What happens with Reynolds will depend on what happens with this glut of prospects. If guys separate themselves from the pack and look like bona fide major leaguers, then maybe they hang on to Reynolds. But if someone knocks their socks off between now and then, they should take it.

They have a long way to go though.

[willeyeam]

shout out to FGMNH for bringing Reynolds in imo

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

shout out to FGMNH for bringing Reynolds in imo

NO
NONONO

I have ranted on this before and I stick by it. GMNH got extremely lucky with Reynolds. He made his debut on 4/20/19. Lets talk about some of the outfield moves that GMNH tried before settling on Brian Reynolds:

Lonnie chisenhall was signed in the offseason
Melky Cabrera was signed in the offseason
Pablo reyes got a start in right field prior to Reynolds being promoted
JB Shuck got starts in right and left prior to Reynolds being promoted
Even colin moran got two appearances in left field in April 2019. Moran. Even that slug got a look in left before they called up Reynolds.

[Dickie Dunn]

Oh man. I completely forgot about Pablo Reyes.

[willeyeam]

shout out to FGMNH for bringing Reynolds in imo

NO
NONONO

I have ranted on this before and I stick by it. GMNH got extremely lucky with Reynolds. He made his debut on 4/20/19. Lets talk about some of the outfield moves that GMNH tried before settling on Brian Reynolds:

Lonnie chisenhall was signed in the offseason
Melky Cabrera was signed in the offseason
Pablo reyes got a start in right field prior to Reynolds being promoted
JB Shuck got starts in right and left prior to Reynolds being promoted
Even colin moran got two appearances in left field in April 2019. Moran. Even that slug got a look in left before they called up Reynolds.

Bryan Reynolds played a total of 13 games in AAA - it was that obvious he was ready to jump into the big leagues after a AA season?

[willeyeam]

and by AA season I mean 88 total games there

[MrKennethTKangaroo]

What empirical evidence was there that colin moran could handle the cavernous left field in PNC park?

[King Colby]

They should play him there and gun for that #30 spot

[Troy Loney]

Sometimes I get amazed that this guy writes about the pirates. The amount of words in this piece that do other things than describe the absolute tire fire of a pitching staff is confounding.

[King Colby]

Didn't realize Henry Davis was already in Hi-A Greensboro.

3 for 9 with a Homer so far