OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: Good Vibes Only

[DJ Spinoza]

Almost hard to even comprehend how much different this offense is with Hayes inserted into the 2 spot. That's nearly elite speed -- the guy can do it all.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Weird shit going on between Brown and Robby. I cringe with these guys sometimes.

How about Hayes getting a damn hit, legging out a single! Impact.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Almost hard to even comprehend how much different this offense is with Hayes inserted into the 2 spot. That's nearly elite speed -- the guy can do it all.

Yep.

He's legit. I'm going to the game Saturday. Incredible weather and field seats for 35?

Anderson is a solid P. I feel like we have a couple of guys that would be perfectly acceptable #4/5s on playoff teams.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Hopefully Anderson can stay dialed in over these next few starts and rebuild some of his value. It was never going to be very high, but he's a competent veteran starter whose pitches are playing up this year and he's dirt cheap, so there's absolutely going to be a suitor at the deadline.

We're inching closer to those speculations mattering, but I think the pieces are all mostly supplementary. The Pirates employ and have employed a huge number of stats, even during the pandemic, and so hopefully that bodes well for trying to get some guys who are on backfields right now and just being patient. Those guys won't need to be added to the 40-man and that's where you can get the best value.

Frazier will be a very interesting case, since I think the book on him is pretty set, but that book includes things like the sustained performance he's showing right now (i.e., he's done these levels of locked-in hitting before). Hopefully someone will be a bit desperate and we can get a premium. I'd love to take a couple of risks to get some power possibilities, and if a guy like Clint Frazier does end up being available for a reliever or something, you have to jump on that (I doubt it's possible). It's really a shame that Gonzeles went down with an injury because I think there was a solid chance that he could be pushing for an MLB callup by next June or July. Now it's probably more of a question of a September callup if things go well, but that's probably not a huge deal.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Yep.

He's legit. I'm going to the game Saturday. Incredible weather and field seats for 35?

Anderson is a solid P. I feel like we have a couple of guys that would be perfectly acceptable #4/5s on playoff teams.

I get the impression Robbie is insufferable and everyone has thinly veiled contempt for him

 

[DanielPlainview]

Nice to see Reynolds finding the power stroke lately

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Nice to see Reynolds finding the power stroke lately

Reynolds is playing close to his 2019 level and that's GREAT news.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Pay the man.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Reynolds has a pro's swing. Love him.

Love Hayes even more. Dude is so good.

 

[turd]

I flipped the game on earlier for some reason. Is that giant advertisement in center field on the faux green monster real or one of those CGI ads? If it’s real…why???

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Hayes is also a beauty defensively.

Nice play to end the 7th.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Just give him the GG and ROTY now (knock on wood)

 

[DJ Spinoza]

What else is there even to say at this point? He does it all, all the time, and makes it look easy. Granted, it's not like this is a hard bar to clear, but watching him play 7+ innings tonight has been more fun than the rest of the season combined.

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Huuuuuuge hit by Stallings!

 

[Empoleon8771]

Great piece of hitting by Stallings. How Stallings came out of nowhere to basically become a good starting MLB catcher is pretty awesome to see.

In the 3 years since becoming a regular in the majors, Stallings has basically 4 WAR in basically a full season of play. That's great, pretty close to what Cervelli's best was in Pittsburgh.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Stallings! You beautiful cromag!

 

[DJ Spinoza]

This is not the same team as Tuesday. It's just not.

 

[cookthebooks]

something ineffable about hayes just being there

 

[Scandale du Jour]

Raise it!

What a fun game. Those are the ones that keep you tuning in.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I also think Stallings is a good argument for why you shouldn't make a big deal out of getting a top tier catching prospect. Stallings had a generally underwhelming minors career, he has consistently hit around a .700ish OPS at every level (including the majors) and was never a top-30 prospect for the Pirates. Despite this, he has turned out to be an above average catcher for the Pirates.

Maybe the Pirates have just gotten very lucky with Stallings, but I feel like you shouldn't need to acquire someone with the pedigree of say Keibert Ruiz to get a good catcher for the future. You just need a young guy who's good defensively and can be at least fine with the bat. I really liked Heim from the As last year because of that.

 

[ImporterExporter]

Nice team win there.

Hayes saved a couple of runs defensively. Couple of hits, run, produtive out in 8th. After missing 2 months with a wrist injury.

I'd give him the Acuna money. He'll cover most of that year cost on the defensive side alone.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Yeah if this team was really serious about shedding the cheap Pirates stigma that the old regime and Huntington have given the Pirates, they'd give Hayes the extension he wants right now. Just imagine the level of excitement that would generate among fans if they got Hayes locked up to an 8-10 year deal right now. I don't even see a good argument for why they wouldn't do it, he'll still have value in the MLB solely because of his defense even if his offense somehow completely disappears.

On the same note, I'd extend that to Reynolds as well. He's proving this year that his rookie year wasn't a fluke IMO, and to add to it he's also been pretty solid defensively in CF as well.

 

[ImporterExporter]

I also want to highlight that defenive play Hayes made in the 7th to save 2 runs.

A lot of people, casual fans, will sort of gloss over that stab and throw by Hayes but it was a technically gorgeous defensive effort.

He didn't lay out because he didn't need to and was almost surely aware of the fast running going down the line. He positioned himself to pick the ball, and not have to make unnecessary/unwanted steps or extra movement. Clean transition and accurate, hard throw, all needed to get a player like Chisholm.

You can tell he's a pro. He's not riding talent alone to this ascension.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Yeah, I think that was the most impressive thing all night. Good chance it also saved the game from a W-L perspective, too, and I think a perfect case in point for what kind of floor he really has. He could become a streaky or below average offensive player and you'll still get 3 WAR out of him. But he's not going to do that – you can also see that he has an advanced approach at the plate and is very quick to adjust to pitchers adjusting to him. I'm sure he'll have some valleys, but I wouldn't be surprised if pitchers don't really get a total beat on him. He is not like other young players in the slightest.

For me, there's no debate whatsoever – he's as good of a cornerstone as you can possibly hope for. With a better supporting cast, he's MVP-leading-you-to-the-playoffs in year 2 or 3 level of talent. Barring some real surprise or meaningful investment (it's a topic/argument for another day, but we could easily make a half decent investment of a couple of shorter-term signings and take a run prior to the arrival of the AA wave in full force), that's not close to happening, but he impacts the game in every way. The batted ball data suggests the power will be there, and I don't even know in PNC if you need a corner IF sold out for 35+ HR power or something anyways.

In any case, I'm verging on repeating things I've said in recent days and all offseason (as usual), but I truly hope that the main reason we didn't rush into a huge extension was to have a better and fuller set of data first. He's going to end up with a high priced arbtration, and so I think at this point, there's a high likelihood that the Acuna-type deal will end up being an outrageous steal in the FA years, even if technically due to the structure of things, there's leverage to force that number down a bit because of the pre-arb years. After this season we should be back at the negotiating table and willing to give substantial raises on the pre-arb years in order to solidify the costs through arbitration and get what you can get from the FA years. I think after 2022, we might be having an entirely different conversation, and it's well possible that even 4 months of this season will change the position a good bit.... but regardless of these details, there's not really any downside to that investment at all.

 

[ChaosAgent]

It's still very annoying about Swaggerty's shoulder.

We have 5 viable MLB starting position players and we're about to lose one (Frazier). Swaggerty was our best shot at seeing another at the MLB level this year, short of Evans de-pumpkin-ing or Polanco...whatever Polanco would do. At the end of the day we need 6-8 viable position players and now Swaggerty is less likely and less imminent. To the extent that you thought he could hit like 2007-2008 Nate McLouth or post-Pirates Nate McLouth is...well, whatever. He won't be here either way. Put him on the pile with the six prospects in Altoona - even adjusting for Bae really belonging in Greensboro but the brass preferring Gonzales start there.

For reasons I can't fully explain, I'm expecting the Pirates pitching to be pretty good by the second half of '22. Post-TJ Yajure, Brubaker, Roansy, an extended Brault, some rando like Kranick emerging...

But I still feel like we're a ways away from a position player perspective. Hayes and Reynolds are a great foundation for the next core (in a way, the Cutch/Marte of this generation) but we need 3-4 more pieces on that pile.