I wanted to revisit my
Bold Predictions of 2019 on this lazy mid June day...
Tucker and Hayes force their way into the lineup. Hayes before Tucker. Kang flashes some power, but the whiffs and lack of anything else force them to turn to Hayes who is making the International League seem like American Legion ball. Tucker might take a little longer because of the team wanting to try out every single other option, including a 2nd and maybe 3rd chance for Gonzo. Extra- Craig will make enough noise to have lot of rumbling about usurping Bell at 1st.
Ummmm, not really correct, but I don't think the general jist is too far off. Cole showed he could hang but needs a little more time. Hayes needs some extra polish as well, but not floundering. Bell's insanity has covered up Craig's solid year so far. Still, can't count it as a win.
Marte breaks out in a big way, like flirting with 30/30. The new hitting philosophy allows his potential to finally unlock. We might see his Ks near the 130 mark, but the increase power will keep the overall profile looking great with somewhere around an .830 OPS floor.
I think a 2nd half surge is on the way, but it's not looking great for this prediction at the moment, but ticking up. I don't think the big power surge is coming, however, to reach 30 HR.
Mitch Keller goes sour, but not useless. He looks OK in Indy, but not good enough to jump into the question mark #5 spot. He'll get blown up just as often as he tosses gems, but won't look lost. The shine will wear off, but he won't be a lost cause; 2020 will be his year. JT Brubaker will be the farmhand with the best shot to really stabilize the 5 spot from June on posting a better than 108 ERA+.
Keller has not soured, but hasn't stood out (in a big way). I think he's hanging around where you'd expect a young pitcher to be. I think a lot of people had too high an outlook for him out of the gate. Bru looked good, then got the injury bug. Maybe he can get in with all the injuries around the team if he gets healthy.
Catcher becomes a carousel with Diaz working back into form, Cervelli finding new ways to get nicked up and needing rest, which allows Stallings to get a fair amount of time and getting exposed because he's not a high volume MLB catcher. Cervelli gets that dreaded ball off the mask and the Pirates have to scramble for a catching solution and make a mid-season-ish trade with the Nats for a catcher.
I think I can count this as a win, though predicting a Cervelli injury isn't exactly going out on a limb.
Melky surprises enough to end up sticking with the team as a very useful 4th OF and ends up returning something of value at the trade deadline. Nothing like a rated prospects, but a prospect on the rating fringes.
Does it count if I may have undersold Melky?
The Legend of Pablo Reyes turns into a September anomaly. He breaks camp, but is the casualty when Polanco returns. He doesn't do enough to break back into the team in Indy, but makes strides around the diamond to make himself a strong utility candidate next year.
I think this is a solid "Yup"
The next prospect to grab our attention is Conner Uselton. A year removed from completely tearing apart his hammy, last year was his recovery and full intro into pro ball, this should be the year he feels healthy enough to show is athleticism and show that he was worth a top 100 pick in 2017.
Ugh. Let's move on...
Lolo learns how to handle breaking balls well enough to jump back into the mix of MLB type prospects. He swipes 40+ bases but people will still moan about his lack of power.
Oh yea. Lolo is tearing it up in Greensboro. .309/.388/.464 with 19 swipes (but also 10 caught). The power is never going to be his thing, but with that speed and an OBP north of .360... Tucker and Lolo could be premium table setters in the future for the team.
