OT: Raise the Jolly Roger: The Sky is Falling

[Empoleon8771]

On a smaller topic, I like that the Pirates are getting Osuna into more games recently. The idea of selling Kang for prospects and having your 3rd base tandem be Osuna-Moran is an interesting thought to me, even though I do like Kang. He would actually work as a platoon for Moran, since he hits better off of lefties than righties in his career unlike Kang. Even though they're both bad defensively, I think that's a perfectly fine stopgap until Hayes is ready.

I think that's what I'd be looking to do right now, trade Kang and call up Tucker. Another interesting thought, where does Gonzalez fit in here? Same with Chissenhall, although I imagine that they'll just trade Dickerson or Melky if Chissenhall ever gets healthy again.

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

On a smaller topic, I like that the Pirates are getting Osuna into more games recently. The idea of selling Kang for prospects and having your 3rd base tandem be Osuna-Moran is an interesting thought to me, even though I do like Kang. He would actually work as a platoon for Moran, since he hits better off of lefties than righties in his career unlike Kang. Even though they're both bad defensively, I think that's a perfectly fine stopgap until Hayes is ready.

I think that's what I'd be looking to do right now, trade Kang and call up Tucker. Another interesting thought, where does Gonzalez fit in here? Same with Chissenhall, although I imagine that they'll just trade Dickerson or Melky if Chissenhall ever gets healthy again.

All good problems to have. Along with finding spots for Kramer and Craig. And thats just for next year(or later this season).

Keep an eye on 2B Rodolfo Castro who was just moved up to Bradenton(to go with Swags, Mitchell, Lolo Sanchez, and Cruz) who already has 2 Hrs. Had 14 for Greensboro before being promoted. 15 HRs last season I believe. Either way would be nice to have a 2B with some power.

We have alot of prospects to look forward to imo....some will hit their ceiling before the Majors but there are plenty who can become impact players for us.

As for what you were talking about(the short term logjam we seem to have), we could take advantage and sell off some and add to our system even more without hurting our team this year. I think we are all in agreement with that.


Now 37-41 and 5 games out of first place.

 

[Empoleon8771]

As for what you were talking about(the short term logjam we seem to have), we could take advantage and sell off some and add to our system even more without hurting our team this year. I think we are all in agreement with that.

That's both a blessing and a curse for the Pirates. It's a blessing because they have depth and can trade guys like Melky and Frazier without really missing a beat. It's a curse because their roster is filled up with a bunch of depth guys, while they lack top end guys.

I just hope the new Newman is legit going forward, they desperately need a difference maker in their infield to complement Bell. With hitting .300+, being extremely fast and being great defensively (for a 2B once Tucker is a full time starter), that's the kind of difference maker they need in their infield.

 

[bigdaddyk88]

Lonnie is low key retired he isn’t even in any minors league rosters he is at home with his family enjoying life. I have been on the Frazier for a pen arm for a while cause tucker and Newman are better defensively faster just don’t force tucker to hit 8th they should be 1and2. KAng hopefully we get a couple lottery tickets for but I agree Osuna seems to be the new back up corner infielder.

 

[Empoleon8771]

Lonnie is low key retired he isn’t even in any minors league rosters he is at home with his family enjoying life. I have been on the Frazier for a pen arm for a while cause tucker and Newman are better defensively faster just don’t force tucker to hit 8th they should be 1and2. KAng hopefully we get a couple lottery tickets for but I agree Osuna seems to be the new back up corner infielder.

I'm not really crazy about this idea. I don't think Frazier would really bring back anything better than what the Pirates already have. If they're moving Frazier, I'd rather it just be for prospects. The pitching staff is getting healthier now and a couple of guys have had good runs with the Pirates recently. Assuming Agrazal gets a few more starts going forward, I think your bullpen is Crick, Liriano, Vasquez, Brault, Rodriguez, Holmes and Stratton. I'm not sure that whoever you can get for Frazier is really much of an upgrade on anyone there.

They should be moving their depth pieces for prospects at this point, not because their season is dead but because they have too many depth pieces.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Osuna is a tremendous defender at 1B, so I wouldn't be shocked if he's actually fairly adequate as an occasional 3B. His arm is good, and he generally seems like a good student of the game. As a utility guy with some pop, that's pretty valuable. His RF defense really wasn't any good from what I remember, but that's probably more due to foot speed. I like that he's being given an extended look, since he's often hit in short sample sizes, but just as often been blocked, and now even has learned 3B, but is blocked by Moran having a solid season and then eventually Hayes.

What's really the question for me is if Osuna can sustain a relatively high level of play over a longer period of time while coming off the bench as a main pinch hitting option, and mostly starting against LHP and the occasional breather for somebody, etc. That's why I'd love to see him cemented in a bench position for the next few months at least, especially since we sorely need power in the lineup. If he can hold down that role, then he's a very valuable piece going forward.

I doubt we'd get much of anything at the deadline for Kang, but maybe there's a fringe team in a similar situation as we are who would want to take a gamble on him either being a bench bat or getting hot and claiming a 3B job from somebody who isn't quite as good. He's probably got enough speculative value to still hold out for a trade like that.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Osuna back in there at 1B with Bell DHing. Not too shocking to see Cabrera get the day off, since it's the day after a night game and he's played back to back nights. Good to see Reynolds is back in there.

Will be interesting to watch Stallings, since he's seemingly become Archer's catcher. Can't really start Diaz today, so I wonder if Stallings will get back to back starts. I don't really love Moran playing 2B, but I'm completely off the Frazier team, and willing to admit that I was extremely wrong about him. He's taken to 2B defensively in some way, but I honestly think that he needs to just go back to Indy to try and make adjustments with his swing.

Really, though, today's game comes down to Musgrove for me. I would like to see him make a big statement game and go 7 against his old team, but if he can replicate Agrazal's start, I'll be more than happy with all of Liriano, Crick, and Vazquez available. Every game is a bit of an opportunity to be too microscopic when you have our record, but I think a battling team that's on a collision course with getting back into the race more seriously has to take this one. We need to stack up series wins in short order, even against teams presumed to be League Championship contenders at minimum.

A low key storyline would also be beating the Astros in a series and the other Central teams losing. Cincy swept them as many probably remember, but they beat the Cubs earlier in the year, and still have to play the Cards and Brewers. When you add in other AL West teams like Oakland and Seattle winning series against division rivals, then that's a way to squeeze back some ground on top of all the intra-division games left to play.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

... and I guess this settles the question of whether we might briefly go with a six-man rotation:

 

[DanielPlainview]

Reynolds!

Wouldn't have minded if they'd brought up Tucker and played Newman at 2B.

Would be nice if Kang gets on a bit of a power streak and hits another dinger today. Same for Bell.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Yeah, a power surge from Bell heading into Miller Park and then a key homestand would be really nice. Hope for the same from Moran too. I don't think Bell is going to beat out Freeman for starter but fingers crossed.

Peacock has been pretty consistent and good for the Astros, although he's had a number of 5 IP starts and has given up 5 HRs in his last three starts.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

God damn Kevin Newman, ambush that man!!!!

 

[Empoleon8771]

Dear god Kevin Newman is so good. Like I've said before, I don't get why this team was so down on him this off-season.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Newman the big slugger!

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

Newman and Reynolds competing for best rookie on the team lol.

And both are one of the top rookies in the league. We are approaching Albies/Acuna territory(not that level but close)

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Kinda strange with Newman, because I had sort of waned on him being an everyday impact player towards the end of his prospect time. Just seemed more like a guy with slap hitter tendency the last little bit in AAA, but maybe I also overlooked him. Easy to forget that he was a first-round pick who Keith Law was consistently very high on, and to his credit, Huntington always maintained a line like that on him.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Newman's defense was the big issue but he's really improved and become a sure everyday player

 

[Empoleon8771]

What's kinda funny is that I don't recall Newman and Reynolds ever being that highly regarded as prospects. Reynolds only had a future value of 45 on Fangraph's 2019 prospect rankings and Newman was only a 40. For the performances they're putting up this year, I feel like that's a way underestimate of them.

MLB prospect watch was better for them, I think it had them both at a 50 overall. But Fangraphs seems super low based on what they're doing now.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Great work from Moran there to hit a mistake pitch and cash in.

Just looked up Newman's draft, and remembered that it was the "SS draft," with Swanson, Bregman, and Brendan Rogers who is about to break out with Colorado all going 1-2-3. There was another SS, Cornelius Randolph, picked between those guys and Newman, and the As took SS Richie Martin right after we took Newman.

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Hell yeah! What an inning from these guys, pretty much good ABs up and down, Peacock is gonna be at 35+ pitches at least.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Scored 4. Got Peacock to toss 40. Pretty much an ideal T1

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Weird fact I just stumbled on by looking at old drafts: we drafted current Cardinals SS Paul DeJong in the 2014 draft, and did so as a catcher.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Great start. Time to add on

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Yeah, really nice to get that clean inning from Musgrove. I thought Bregman had definitely hit that HR, and was feeling bad because I was simultaneously voting for him as part of my ballot.

The Astros pen isn't super deep I don't think, so getting Peacock out of the game in short order would really help lock down this win.

 

[DanielPlainview]

Damn it Kang

 

[DJ Spinoza]

Probably some unfamiliarity with the park there by Kang. I don't love the risk, just get a baserunner vs Peacock to keep him working hard, but also I don't hate the thinking... problem really was that he wasn't even close.