OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: Seven Springs Eternal

[Gallatin]

They aren't, though. The majority of guys are 0-6 year guys. They are holding out hope of being the next Harper or Cole when becoming Gio Gonzalez is far more likely.

It's a bad bet for the 0-6 guys IMO. They should be focused on pulling up the average rather than having one guy in ten hit it big.

 

[ChaosAgent]

It's a bad bet for the 0-6 guys IMO. They should be focused on pulling up the average rather than having one guy in ten hit it big.

Yes it's a typical union where the most tenured guys are trying to lift themselves up by suppressing the wages of new entrants. Except by doing that, they have made the new guys such a bargain that it has brought down salaries for everyone. Dumb dumb dumb.

 

[Winger for Hire]

In my best NBA Jam voice.... he's heating up!

 

[Gallatin]

Yes it's a typical union where the most tenured guys are trying to lift themselves up by suppressing the wages of new entrants. Except by doing that, they have made the new guys such a bargain that it has brought down salaries for everyone. Dumb dumb dumb.

I see you too often dispairs at human behavior.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I see you too often dispairs at human behavior.

Service time being a joke + no cap/floor is what allows a guy like Nutting to continue owning this team. The union has been prioritizing the wrong stuff forever and they've gotten what they deserve.

They should push for NHL-style free agency (RFA and UFA) and cap/floor.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Among notables...I saw Riddle take 1 AB and he really looked good up there. Sounds like he's hit a couple balls hard today. Hope he's a lock to make the opening roster.

 

[Empoleon8771]

If Hayes continues having this good of a spring, they can't not call him up really quickly, right? Reynolds only spent 13 games in AAA last year, so the Pirates do have a precedent of calling guys up who force their hands and that was with them having strong OF depth.

The only way I think they can even possibly justify him not coming up quickly is that they want Osuna to get a good look at 3rd base.

 

[cookthebooks]

want less lasers from ke’bryan and more lofted moon shots lol

 

[ChaosAgent]

Joe...why man. I love you. Come on.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I only listened to the early part of the game, but Archer sounded nice and locked in. Gave up a couple of runners in the one inning but 4 Ks is nice, especially in his first appearance. Hayes' home run was indeed blasted. I think he could stand to shoot for some more loft on his hits, so long as the good exit velocity remains in place. It's a bit tricky in my mind because I'd much rather him hit 15 HRs and have a high OBP than sell out for power and hit 25 HRs. If they let him run, he's already a star player if he's just hitting 15 or so HRs.

I think he could force the Pirates hand but we'll see a kind of hot hand/hot seat situation at 3B, with Riddle in the mix in addition to Moran, Gonzalez, and Osuna. Super Two will come soon enough, and I think you just hope that he's clowned AAA somewhat and so can get a sizable amount of playing time this season in MLB. I don't think it really depends on anything other than his performance and the deadline passing. It would take a lot of injuries before he was really needed in that spot, but I guess you never know.

The wind was ripping out in the stadium today, so that might explain the Musgrove bombs. I'm more worried about whether he might be pitching hurt, given the brief comments about his shoulder feeling a bit strained.

 

[Gallatin]

Service time being a joke + no cap/floor is what allows a guy like Nutting to continue owning this team. The union has been prioritizing the wrong stuff forever and they've gotten what they deserve.

They should push for NHL-style free agency (RFA and UFA) and cap/floor.

I agree - the NHL solution is the most equitable one so far.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

This game is a spring training classic – there have been 10 HRs and we're only in the top of the 8th.

 

[Gallatin]

want less lasers from ke’bryan and more lofted moon shots lol

This is the biggest issue with Hays IMO. He hits the ball hard consistently, needs that launch angle higher and a bunch of his ground ball outs and singles turn into extra bases.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Jesus Christ the Pirates have 19 runs in this game.

Maybe we shouldn't draw conclusions on how MLB ready Hayes is offensively in this kind of atmosphere

Also who's this Phillip Evans guy? Career AAAer that's just having a hot spring? He's now hitting .421 after his grand slam today. His numbers in AAA look pretty solid in the last 2 years, but he was pretty ass in the majors the last he was there.

 

[ChaosAgent]

Jesus Christ the Pirates have 19 runs in this game.

Maybe we shouldn't draw conclusions on how MLB ready Hayes is offensively in this kind of atmosphere

Also who's this Phillip Evans guy? Career AAAer that's just having a hot spring? He's now hitting .421 after his grand slam today. His numbers in AAA look pretty solid in the last 2 years, but he was pretty ass in the majors the last he was there.

This has gotta be like 25 mph winds today. Too many homerz not to be.

Feeling better about Musgrove now.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I said this above, but just to reiterate, Hayes' HR was absolutely ticketed. I think Oliva's was too, but I was only listening when Hayes hit his.

I don't know too much about Evans. He seems like he's one or two down on the totem pole even from the bench guys. If I had to guess, Riddle, Gonzalez, and Osuna/Moran will be the bench infielders, but it's definitely a crowded situation. I do think it's fairly straightforward that the starters are Newman, Frazier, and Bell, although part of me also wonders if Frazier may still have an everyday role but one of the more super utility variety. Unless Polanco is going to be platooned or something, I don't really see him getting ABs, so my operating assumption has been that Frazier will be the everyday 2B again.

 

[ChaosAgent]

I said this above, but just to reiterate, Hayes' HR was absolutely ticketed. I think Oliva's was too, but I was only listening when Hayes hit his.

I don't know too much about Evans. He seems like he's one or two down on the totem pole even from the bench guys. If I had to guess, Riddle, Gonzalez, and Osuna/Moran will be the bench infielders, but it's definitely a crowded situation. I do think it's fairly straightforward that the starters are Newman, Frazier, and Bell, although part of me also wonders if Frazier may still have an everyday role but one of the more super utility variety. Unless Polanco is going to be platooned or something, I don't really see him getting ABs, so my operating assumption has been that Frazier will be the everyday 2B again.

I haven't seen much out of Frazier to indicate that he'd be a good outfield. Also he's lefty and assuming he's spelling Polanco wouldn't do much good there from a platooning perspective.

Has the team said anything about Osuna v Moran at starting 3B in April?

 

[cheesedanish87]

It's so hard for me to take anything away from spring training stats.

You just see so many examples year after year that it really means nothing.

 

[Gallatin]

It's so hard for me to take anything away from spring training stats.

You just see so many examples year after year that it really means nothing.

It's hard to get up for, at least for me. I'm more interested in info about physical feats, coaching, adjustments, philosophies, etc....

 

[ImporterExporter]

Spring training is almost entirely worthless. You simply cannot draw good conclusions from games that don't matter, featuring a lot of players who aren't MLB quality.

 

[Winger for Hire]

I agree from a stat point that ST is pretty much a nothing... however, hard contact, pitch recognition, very minimal mental errors, and fielding are all good things to pay attention to when it comes to ST position players. And stuff like shape of pitches, velocity, command/control, are all good things to look for in pitchers.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

I haven't seen much out of Frazier to indicate that he'd be a good outfield. Also he's lefty and assuming he's spelling Polanco wouldn't do much good there from a platooning perspective.

Has the team said anything about Osuna v Moran at starting 3B in April?

Yeah, platoon was a bad word. I mean more if Polanco needs to basically sit out every couple of days, but there doesn't seem to be any indication of that, so it's a moot point.

I keep going back and forth with Tucker, but I think at the end of the day, send him to AAA for everyday ABs and see if he hits for power. If he doesn't, there's no need to see if he can give you power in MLB. If he does, I don't think it will be too difficult to get him fairly regular MLB ABs by mid/late May.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Way too early to say stuff like this, but this is someone I'm really eyeing for our first round pick:



Another thing that could maybe be in play is if JT Ginn is available in the supplemental round and we try to take him, and take whichever BPA is there at our pick (which, of course, we do independently of one fan's inordinate focus on college pitching).

 

[Winger for Hire]

The curveball should be nicknamed Shang Tsung because it's gonna steal some souls

 

[DJ Spinoza]

To wit: