For the record I don't think they'll stink. Let's not forget our starting rotation in April 2018:
Nova, T. Williams, Taillon, Brault, Kuhl
Archer and Musgrove are way better than Brault and Kuhl. Can Jordan Lyles be better than Nova? Hard to say.
Plus the bullpen (which blew a ton of games in May) should be way better. Let's not forget how much we were rolling with Kontos and Neveraskus in the first half of last year. Plus Vasquez had that period when he was tipping his pitches. Hopefully he's cleared that up.
We definitely could use a fifth starter but even if we end up with Lyles or Rookie Davis or an opener, the rotation is stronger this year. I think Musgrove is going to do well.
Power-wise I think Kang will put up 20HR. I think Bell will do better. Dickerson has hit 25HR in his career and is entering his prime years.
I wish they had done more. But it wouldn't shock me if they won 90.
Disaster on the Immediate Horizon?
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SammyKhalifa
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Disaster on the Immediate Horizon?
I can't see us winning 90 or losing 90 barring big injury issues or a few people coming out of nowhere for a massive breakout season.
Disaster on the Immediate Horizon?
mlbtr has it's Pirates off-season review up today --
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/ ... es-10.html
Nothing cheering there, either.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/ ... es-10.html
Nothing cheering there, either.
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maher.timothy20@gm
Disaster on the Immediate Horizon?
5A58424452370 wrote: mlbtr has it's Pirates off-season review up today --
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/ ... es-10.html
Nothing cheering there, either.
As an impartial observer you'd look like a fool to say the Pirates are going to do anything in their division, given the competition.
As a fan you can hope that they can compete. Just going position by position:
Catcher will be the same or maybe a bit worse. Cervelli maybe had a career year last year.
1st base I think Josh Bell *could* have a big year. That's not totally based on pure hope--he's hit 25+HR before.
A year of Adam Frazier at 2B should be way better than a year of Jay Hay.
E. Gonz is a mystery. I can only hope he isn't terrible. Maybe he'll be in the ballpark of what we got from Jordy.
Kang I think will win the job and will provide way more power than Moran did at 3B.
The outfield will be the same (which was good). The starters are better than last year. The bullpen is better than last year.
Too optimistic? Maybe. But if I didn't think they had a shot in hell I wouldn't watch in the first place.
https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2019/03/ ... es-10.html
Nothing cheering there, either.
As an impartial observer you'd look like a fool to say the Pirates are going to do anything in their division, given the competition.
As a fan you can hope that they can compete. Just going position by position:
Catcher will be the same or maybe a bit worse. Cervelli maybe had a career year last year.
1st base I think Josh Bell *could* have a big year. That's not totally based on pure hope--he's hit 25+HR before.
A year of Adam Frazier at 2B should be way better than a year of Jay Hay.
E. Gonz is a mystery. I can only hope he isn't terrible. Maybe he'll be in the ballpark of what we got from Jordy.
Kang I think will win the job and will provide way more power than Moran did at 3B.
The outfield will be the same (which was good). The starters are better than last year. The bullpen is better than last year.
Too optimistic? Maybe. But if I didn't think they had a shot in hell I wouldn't watch in the first place.
Disaster on the Immediate Horizon?
68554B464943486A4255444243270 wrote: We have the same roster, essentially.
Mercer's 2018 production on both sides of the ball was bad. We really going to be worse there with Gonzalez? Comparable, worst case.
JHay's 2018 production at 2b was abysmal. Frazier going to be worse there overall? Doubt it.
Polanco was decent overall but streaky, can Chisenhall cover up some of that? Pretty likely.
marte still here
Dickerson still here
Kang back (lets assume he does nothing)
Moran still here
Cervelli still here
Bell still here. he going to be worse than 2018? Doubt it.
Hard to think a team with the same players is going to be significantly worse or significantly better
I view the team as having a high floor, but a low ceiling. The carryover from last year provides them with the strong floor. Strong starting rotation (not sure where this idea that teams' have 6-7 solid starters is coming from). Deep bullpen, and some competent lineup pieces. Marte, Dickerson and Cervelli are all professional hitters. Frazier looks like an upgrade over Harrison and Chisenhall will be productive when healthy. Between Moran, Kang and Hayes, someone will emerge at 3B this year, and Tucker could potentially win the SS job, that just leaves Bell, who's uncertainty risk is going to have an outsized impact on this team's competitiveness. The bat has to makeup for the bad defense.
largely agree. Bell frankly just needs to breakout. There are no more excuses. We cannot run a lineup of solid, yet unspectacular players out there and have our 1st baseman always hitting like a solid middle infielder.
The formula doesn't work. It's never worked. and our lack of a 1b who can hit has been an anchor around the neck of our team for decades now. It just so happens we can't find any 1bman who can field the position now either.
We are cursed. Truly. a curse that's only been broken with 1 year of Pedro, 2 years of Adam LaRoche, 1 year when Garret Jones and Gaby Sanchez platoon produced well in tandem, and 1 year of Kevin Young.
That's my memory of the last 25 years of 1st base for us. about 5 seasons we had ok offensive production at the position, which was usually somewhat if not totally offset by terrible defense anyway.
Josh Bell. Do it. Now. Or Find someone else. Sign Moustakaus and give him a 1bmans glove. Something.
Mercer's 2018 production on both sides of the ball was bad. We really going to be worse there with Gonzalez? Comparable, worst case.
JHay's 2018 production at 2b was abysmal. Frazier going to be worse there overall? Doubt it.
Polanco was decent overall but streaky, can Chisenhall cover up some of that? Pretty likely.
marte still here
Dickerson still here
Kang back (lets assume he does nothing)
Moran still here
Cervelli still here
Bell still here. he going to be worse than 2018? Doubt it.
Hard to think a team with the same players is going to be significantly worse or significantly better
I view the team as having a high floor, but a low ceiling. The carryover from last year provides them with the strong floor. Strong starting rotation (not sure where this idea that teams' have 6-7 solid starters is coming from). Deep bullpen, and some competent lineup pieces. Marte, Dickerson and Cervelli are all professional hitters. Frazier looks like an upgrade over Harrison and Chisenhall will be productive when healthy. Between Moran, Kang and Hayes, someone will emerge at 3B this year, and Tucker could potentially win the SS job, that just leaves Bell, who's uncertainty risk is going to have an outsized impact on this team's competitiveness. The bat has to makeup for the bad defense.
largely agree. Bell frankly just needs to breakout. There are no more excuses. We cannot run a lineup of solid, yet unspectacular players out there and have our 1st baseman always hitting like a solid middle infielder.
The formula doesn't work. It's never worked. and our lack of a 1b who can hit has been an anchor around the neck of our team for decades now. It just so happens we can't find any 1bman who can field the position now either.
We are cursed. Truly. a curse that's only been broken with 1 year of Pedro, 2 years of Adam LaRoche, 1 year when Garret Jones and Gaby Sanchez platoon produced well in tandem, and 1 year of Kevin Young.
That's my memory of the last 25 years of 1st base for us. about 5 seasons we had ok offensive production at the position, which was usually somewhat if not totally offset by terrible defense anyway.
Josh Bell. Do it. Now. Or Find someone else. Sign Moustakaus and give him a 1bmans glove. Something.