OnlyBucs

597479686F7E69292A1B0 wrote: Despite his recent slump, Nogo's .261 BA and .325 OBP as a Pirates (not including his dismal stats  as a PHer for St.L.) remain among the best on the Pirates roster. He was likely brought in as a placeholder until Moran returned from the IL with a chance to carve out a spot on the roster if he did well enough. He's got a nice stroke for line drive singles but 1 HR and 7 doubles in 111 Pirate ABs won't cut it for a 1Bman. BC took a flier on him but wasn't sold. Ditto for Tom, Fowler, Craig, Vargas, Stokes and possibly Alford. Next up is Tsutsugo. He should probably rent.      


Good post. When your team is rebuilding why not take a chance on some players who once were high end prospects, but have not yet produced in the Majors. A good Pirate example would be Cole Tucker who may need a change of scenery.

262A2B7079707875726D77400 wrote: Man, it didn't take long for folks to fall in love with Nogowski, then to forget he existed.



Ben was lauded for getting him.  Now, he's lauded to getting rid of him.  @@@@



Ben can do no wrong.
Ben took a chance and Nogowski played very well for 10 games or so, then  the league punched back and discovered his weakness. In my opinion it was worth the risk to claim him, and since he is no longer productive, release him.


I agree with you and Ster on Nogo.



My comment had less to do with Cherington's decisions than it did with fan's over-reactions.



For those who remember another great Pirates Pan Flasher, Chris Davis. The guy set the world on fire for maybe two weeks. For that reason, I tend to lay back on LMGs. I like to see how they do for one full season to see whether they have a good chance of hanging around. Nogo was a good story, but the story was a short one, not a War And Peace.

5B6E7979724B79797275791C0 wrote: Man, it didn't take long for folks to fall in love with Nogowski, then to forget he existed.



Ben was lauded for getting him.  Now, he's lauded to getting rid of him.  @@@@



Ben can do no wrong.
You are so FOS with this post. "Lauding" no one. There was some fun in the first 10 games for sure. All of that was curtained within the framework of, "Let's see if it lasts"



You and Shed, you're both sitting here all day making stuff up in your minds that people say, and math.



Seriously, every poster has qualified any good start the same way. Tom...Nogo...Alford....you name it.. There was always an enormous "IF" attached to any perceived "praise" you seem to be conjuring in your memory.



Why don't you two just give us all a break for a while from your nonsense, your thread hijacks, and constant trolling with complete and utter BS

"Making stuff up" my hind end.



If anyone's writing fiction around here, it isn't me.

2F343938313D325C0 wrote: The Pirates are designating first baseman John Nogowski for assignment, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Pittsburgh has also finalized their signing of first baseman/corner outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo to a major league contract. He’ll be active for tonight’s game against the Dodgers.
_______

Nogowski's big mistake was hitting  higher than .200.  Cherington is stockpiling <.200 hitters and Nogowski just doesn't fill the bill.
First 10 games: 19-42 .452

Last 23 games: 10-70 .143



Which is the greater sample size? Which one represents the time frame where the league was able to adjust? Who adjusted better? Which set is more in line with why the Cardinals dumped him?



Thanks for playing. He does have a good glove. Maybe he'll stick around. MLB is always looking for a good glove first baseman who can't hit, and can't hit for power either

38232E2F262A254B0 wrote: The Pirates are designating first baseman John Nogowski for assignment, manager Derek Shelton told reporters (including Kevin Gorman of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Pittsburgh has also finalized their signing of first baseman/corner outfielder Yoshi Tsutsugo to a major league contract. He’ll be active for tonight’s game against the Dodgers.
_______

Nogowski's big mistake was hitting  higher than .200.  Cherington is stockpiling <.200 hitters and Nogowski just doesn't fill the bill.


There you go. This is the kind of thought provoking critique we all look forward to each day.

1D303D2C2B3A2D6D6E5F0 wrote: Despite his recent slump, Nogo's .261 BA and .325 OBP as a Pirates (not including his dismal stats  as a PHer for St.L.) remain among the best on the Pirates roster. He was likely brought in as a placeholder until Moran returned from the IL with a chance to carve out a spot on the roster if he did well enough. He's got a nice stroke for line drive singles but 1 HR and 7 doubles in 111 Pirate ABs won't cut it for a 1Bman. BC took a flier on him but wasn't sold. Ditto for Tom, Fowler, Craig, Vargas, Stokes and possibly Alford. Next up is Tsutsugo. He should probably rent.      




Yeah, Moran spelled the end. But NoGo made the decision relatively easy. To me, he seemed to change his batting approach has he had that early success. Maybe I’m wrong, but he seemed less patient and swinging more for the fences. Too bad.

414650585641060A73545E525A5F1D505C5E330 wrote: Despite his recent slump, Nogo's .261 BA and .325 OBP as a Pirates (not including his dismal stats  as a PHer for St.L.) remain among the best on the Pirates roster. He was likely brought in as a placeholder until Moran returned from the IL with a chance to carve out a spot on the roster if he did well enough. He's got a nice stroke for line drive singles but 1 HR and 7 doubles in 111 Pirate ABs won't cut it for a 1Bman. BC took a flier on him but wasn't sold. Ditto for Tom, Fowler, Craig, Vargas, Stokes and possibly Alford. Next up is Tsutsugo. He should probably rent.      




Yeah, Moran spelled the end.  But NoGo made the decision relatively easy.  To me, he seemed to change his batting approach has he had that early success.  Maybe I’m wrong, but he seemed less patient and swinging more for the fences.  Too bad.   




I love a good underdog does well story and Nogo had a great one going for a few games. And I agree VA that his approach seemed to change - he was very patient at first. But I also thought he was far too emotional slamming his bat on occasion and clearing showing his disgust at a poor AB or just missing a pitch.



You can't let the game get into your head like that. You K, you miss a pitch, you go back to the bench, try to learn your lesson and then clear your head. That constant emotion he was showing can eat you up.



But this is a guy who was taken late in the draft, had a long climb to finally get his chance and wanted it so badly. So I sympathize with why he tended to be so emotional. But I kept feeling it wasn't a good sign as the pressure seemed to mount.



I will really pull for the Legend to continue and hope he grows from what he learned this first time up.

64455059615843504554310 wrote: Despite his recent slump, Nogo's .261 BA and .325 OBP as a Pirates (not including his dismal stats  as a PHer for St.L.) remain among the best on the Pirates roster. He was likely brought in as a placeholder until Moran returned from the IL with a chance to carve out a spot on the roster if he did well enough. He's got a nice stroke for line drive singles but 1 HR and 7 doubles in 111 Pirate ABs won't cut it for a 1Bman. BC took a flier on him but wasn't sold. Ditto for Tom, Fowler, Craig, Vargas, Stokes and possibly Alford. Next up is Tsutsugo. He should probably rent.      




Yeah, Moran spelled the end.  But NoGo made the decision relatively easy.  To me, he seemed to change his batting approach has he had that early success.  Maybe I’m wrong, but he seemed less patient and swinging more for the fences.  Too bad.   




I love a good underdog does well story and Nogo had a great one going for a few games. And I agree VA that his approach seemed to change - he was very patient at first. But I also thought he was far too emotional slamming his bat on occasion and clearing showing his disgust at a poor AB or just missing a pitch.



You can't let the game get into your head like that. You K, you miss a pitch, you go back to the bench, try to learn your lesson and then clear your head. That constant emotion he was showing can eat you up.



But this is a guy who was taken late in the draft, had a long climb to finally get his chance and wanted it so badly. So I sympathize with why he tended to be so emotional. But I kept feeling it wasn't a good sign as the pressure seemed to mount.



I will really pull for the Legend to continue and hope he grows from what he learned this first time up.
His lone HR was his 20th hit as a Pirate. As of that AB he was hitting .426 as a Pirate (20 for 47). But those 20 hits included 15 singles. I'm sure Nogowski is aware that first basemen are expected to have power. There just aren't many opportunities for a high average first baseman when those hits rarely involve extra bases.



After that HR he went 9 for 64 (.141) with 6 singles and 3 doubles. He went from consistently hitting line drives to consistently hitting fly balls. Maybe it was coincidence but I tend to believe he knew he needed HRs to establish a career in MLB and once he got that first one he kept swinging for more. Unfortunately for him, even if he had maintained his line drive stroke and a high BA with little power, he might not have had a role on the team after Moran returned. Teams expect power at 1B. Maybe Nogowski thought he had nothing to lose by swinging for the fences.

6A474A5B5C4D5A1A19280 wrote: Despite his recent slump, Nogo's .261 BA and .325 OBP as a Pirates (not including his dismal stats  as a PHer for St.L.) remain among the best on the Pirates roster. He was likely brought in as a placeholder until Moran returned from the IL with a chance to carve out a spot on the roster if he did well enough. He's got a nice stroke for line drive singles but 1 HR and 7 doubles in 111 Pirate ABs won't cut it for a 1Bman. BC took a flier on him but wasn't sold. Ditto for Tom, Fowler, Craig, Vargas, Stokes and possibly Alford. Next up is Tsutsugo. He should probably rent.      




Yeah, Moran spelled the end.  But NoGo made the decision relatively easy.  To me, he seemed to change his batting approach has he had that early success.  Maybe I’m wrong, but he seemed less patient and swinging more for the fences.  Too bad.   




I love a good underdog does well story and Nogo had a great one going for a few games. And I agree VA that his approach seemed to change - he was very patient at first. But I also thought he was far too emotional slamming his bat on occasion and clearing showing his disgust at a poor AB or just missing a pitch.



You can't let the game get into your head like that. You K, you miss a pitch, you go back to the bench, try to learn your lesson and then clear your head. That constant emotion he was showing can eat you up.



But this is a guy who was taken late in the draft, had a long climb to finally get his chance and wanted it so badly. So I sympathize with why he tended to be so emotional. But I kept feeling it wasn't a good sign as the pressure seemed to mount.



I will really pull for the Legend to continue and hope he grows from what he learned this first time up.
His lone HR was his 20th hit as a Pirate. As of that AB he was hitting .426 as a Pirate (20 for 47). But those 20 hits included 15 singles. I'm sure Nogowski is aware that first basemen are expected to have power. There just aren't many opportunities for a high average first baseman when those hits rarely involve extra bases.



After that HR he went 9 for 64 (.141) with 6 singles and 3 doubles. He went from consistently hitting line drives to consistently hitting fly balls. Maybe it was coincidence but I tend to believe he knew he needed HRs to establish a career in MLB and once he got that first one he kept swinging for more. Unfortunately for him, even if he had maintained his line drive stroke and a high BA with little power, he might not have had a role on the team after Moran returned. Teams expect power at 1B. Maybe Nogowski thought he had nothing to lose by swinging for the fences.


Two good posts.



Utah - I agree with you; I was rooting hard for the guy but we could see the pressure on him each AB. It had to effect him.



Bobster - your analysis confirms what I was seeing.  You may well be right about the need for power.  But I hated seeing him lose out due to overplaying every pitch.



I think his emotions made most of us root for him all the more.  But they probably did him in. I could see him back in the pirates system.