OnlyBucs

4A676A7B7C6D7A3A39080 wrote: I don't know how much of a rebound by Hayes should be expected. He was not a dominant hitter in the minors and didn't hit for power either. Fans got excited when he made his MLB debut in the brief 2020 season when he hit .376 in 24 games. But it was just 24 games during a bizarre season when everyone was concerned about covid. A lot of hitters did poorly at that time and I'm sure a lot of pitchers were not at their best either. Maybe a good situation for a hitter focused on making a good debut vs distracted pitchers. He had only 85 ABs that season.



Since then, he has batted 790 times with 12 HRs and a BA of .248. He was only a .264 hitter in AAA so .248 vs MLB pitching doesn't seem unrealistic. With more experience, maybe we can expect a .260ish BA with the same lack of power. Based on his minor league career and his MLB experience other than those 24 games in 2020, I just don't see evidence to suggest Hayes is going to become a dominant hitter.   
I have always advocated the importance of the weight room especially in the off season. Naturally it is a must for football players, but I think Hayes would benefit from it. Maybe he is doing it. I don't know. He looks too skinny and he seems to have too many nagging injuries'

None of this matters without more pitching.



I do believe there is hope for this franchise in terms of elite young position player talent. I can see a path toward success and actually WINNING.



But man it's a pitching desert. Maybe Contreras and maybe Keller (and that's a big maybe), and that's it. And who knows if Priester will be any good.



Until ownership commits to acquiring LEGITIMATE MAJOR LEAGUE STARTING PITCHING, then it won't matter how good Cruz is, or how much Reynolds improves, or how promising Castro is.



You need to go into a season with at least 7 legit capable starters. Right now we might have 2.

0E2C3F222124232C0F382E2E224D0 wrote: None of this matters without more pitching.



I do believe there is hope for this franchise in terms of elite young position player talent. I can see a path toward success and actually WINNING.



But man it's a pitching desert. Maybe Contreras and maybe Keller (and that's a big maybe), and that's it. And who knows if Priester will be any good.



Until ownership commits to acquiring LEGITIMATE MAJOR LEAGUE STARTING PITCHING, then it won't matter how good Cruz is, or how much Reynolds improves, or how promising Castro is.



You need to go into a season with at least 7 legit capable starters. Right now we might have 2.


Can you define what you consider a legitimate major league starter? Who would you consider under your definition?

Before you think that I am bashing you, I will keep in mind that BOB will not consider your choices because they will cost too many $s and will reduce the bottom line profit he so adores. I think that the Bucs need a legitimate and competent owner to start things off.

406169406B63040 wrote: None of this matters without more pitching.



I do believe there is hope for this franchise in terms of elite young position player talent. I can see a path toward success and actually WINNING.



But man it's a pitching desert. Maybe Contreras and maybe Keller (and that's a big maybe), and that's it. And who knows if Priester will be any good.



Until ownership commits to acquiring LEGITIMATE MAJOR LEAGUE STARTING PITCHING, then it won't matter how good Cruz is, or how much Reynolds improves, or how promising Castro is.



You need to go into a season with at least 7 legit capable starters. Right now we might have 2.


Can you define what you consider a legitimate major league starter?  Who would you consider under your definition? 

Before you think that I am bashing you, I will keep in mind that BOB will not consider your choices because they will cost too many $s and will reduce the bottom line profit he so adores.  I think that the Bucs need a legitimate and competent owner to start things off.


Good pitchers have large contracts and the Pirates will not pay to acquire them. They take their chances with guys like Anderson and Quintana who are trying to revive their careers after several down years. Meanwhile, the Pirates are so concerned about limiting their pitchers' innings and pitch counts that even their best are only allowed to go about 6 innings. So they probably can't justify big contracts for starters who will only go 5-6 innings even in their best games. I believe the Pirates will be satisfied with average to below average starting pitching while focusing on less expensive relievers to routinely carry the team for 3-4 innings.

Here's an article on Keller's improvement.



https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/pir ... 2209080055

The line established for the NH teams was somewhere around 3 years, $38 million in a free market. That's about what they paid for Liriano, they refused to go that high for Happ. They gave Nova three years for considerably less. One sign that their plan has actually changed is if they go to a fourth year with someone.