OnlyBucs

I somehow managed to tape the Steelers - Packers game and not the final Pirate game. Really wanted to see Cruz's second game, Reynolds continue assault of Reds' pitching, and the final chapter of what most understood from the start was a season that was going to feature a lot of disappointment.



I offer a few quick miscellaneous take-aways from the season that just concluded:



1) Brian Reynolds is a special ballplayer, and has clearly demonstrated that he belongs in CF. NH did a lot of things wrong in his final years with the Bucs, but snatching Reynolds for Cutch is not one of them.



2) Kebron is not the second coming, no matter how hard Pirate announcers tried to make us believe such. And, regardless of how well he fields, he really needs to improve his stroke to the .280, 30+ doubles and 15 - 20 HR's for him to be a long-term solution at 3rd. I am hoping that his problems at the plate were mostly related to his wrist injury.



3) Based on his initial credentials, its amazing that Jacob Stallings has risen to the level of a being an indispensable Pirate. Hopefully the Bucs can find a better caddy to start 45+ games next year than Perez.



4) As with most seasons, there were some spectacular plays in the field, but Tucker's catch the other night was the one that sticks out the most to me.



5) Then there was the downright weird, particularly Will Craig's mess-up with Baez.



6) And, for a team with little to no power, and few middle relievers with an ERA below 7, the Pirates did well in managing to come back to win games that there was little reason to expect a victory.



7) There is no way that I can even begin to name all of the folks who played for the Pirates this year. I likely could do reasonably well with the position players, but would not stand a chance with the pitchers.



8) I don't get all the guest announcers. I like when Walk is in the booth, and Wehner is okay, but the entourage of McKenry, Young, Capps, Walker, and even the couple of innings of Blass was a bit much. Folks, I watch the games because of the play on the field and not because, or in many cases, in spite of, the constant banter in the broadcast booth.



I don't expect much this off-season in the way of player acquisitions, but I am hopeful that BC can find someone who can help stabilize the starting pitcher staff for next year, be it through trade or free agent signing. And, regardless of this year's final record, it was great having a full season with at least a few real fans in the stadium to again be able to watch Pirate baseball.



Lastly to Surgnbuck and VaPirate --- Many thanks for your heartfelt posts. You are true Pirate fans and your contributions to this Board are immeasurable.

Prior to last year the minor league reports on Hayes were that his glove was ready but his bat was in question. Then he had a sensational stretch last year hitting .376 in 85 ABs. But this year his hitting looked more like what we had been led to expect prior to 2020. We expected too much after the brief 2020 season. Hopefully he can improve beyond what we saw this year.



Stallings is the type of player we root for. A few years ago he looked like a AAAA player and was even DFA'd. But he's become an exceptional defensive catcher and contributes with the bat as well.



As for the broadcasters, I thought Block actually got much better this year by cutting down significantly on his chatter. But Brown got worse. I guess it's tough to sit through and describe so many bad games but he now seems to act as if he's there to amuse himself with comedy, puns and Joe Block-style non game related chatter to go along with his already annoying (to me anyway) obsession with nicknames and catch phrases. And his constant fawning over new members Young, Walker and Capps is also annoying. The idea of hiring former players to provide color is that they have an insider's understanding of the game being played in front of them. But Brown constantly asks them to talk about their own careers while ignoring the game they are there to describe. Their value to the broadcast should be in their ability to discuss the game, not discuss themselves. But Brown always puts them in the position of having to talk about themselves.



As for next year I hope we see an influx of prospects getting promoted as the season goes on rather than all the dumpster diving we saw this year. But pitching will likely be the biggest challenge. For all his faults, Huntington had a way of assembling a good BP on a Nutting budget. Cherington needs to acquire better pitching than the mess we saw this year. Both starting and relieving. And Shelton needs to put more effort into winning.

0021343D053C27342130550 wrote: There is not one particle of anything out there that makes me think that Derek Shelton, an OTJ manager, is NOT receiving certain directives by his superiors, either directly or indirectly.



He is NOT making many decisions unilaterally.



It's the organization, Bob.  It has to be.
I don't disagree. We just don't know how much is organizational directives and how much is Shelton making poor decisions. In many ways games were managed in a way that would seem appropriate for the Grapefruit League. Shelton didn't seem to prioritize winning so he must have thought that what he was doing was acceptable to his boss.


Hell's bells, who HAS prioritized winning?  We didn't even SEEM to.  All we cared about was the draft.  At least we did well on that.  It was as if no one cared about the season.



Maybe Shed, UtahPirate (just so you know) and I, but we don't count. 







I am tossing the 15-yard penalty flag at myself for my inexcusable omission.



My only attempt to defend myself is that I wrote "maybe."



Sorry.  UTP for President!

725E56515A7D4A5C4C3F0 wrote:

7)   There is no way that I can even begin to name all of the folks who played for the Pirates this year.  I likely could do reasonably well with the position players, but would not stand a chance with the pitchers.



Lastly to Surgnbuck and VaPirate --- Many thanks for your heartfelt posts.  You are true Pirate fans and your contributions to this Board are immeasurable.   




Thank you for the kind words. Here's a link to every player who appeared in a Pirates uniform this season. There were some names I only vaguely remember even playing, like Ildemaro Vargas, Hunter Owen, Sean Poppen, and I thought Feliz was let go last year! How they had Yoshi in the pitcher group, IDK, but he's there:

https://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamst ... 2021&t=PIT

I watched several late season games without really knowing why but, I was enjoying them. After reading this thread I figured out what drew me in. There was seemingly a new energy app n the field. And I think it was the enthusiasm that this new Cole Tucker brought. This last month the kid played with joy. It reminded me of the joys of baseball. I found him fun and enjoyable to watch. I have no idea if it was possible long term but he brought fun to the park. I think they need to get this kid on the field. I have no stats to support this feeling. Just that he was fun at the end of a long season.

6A464E494265524454270 wrote: I somehow managed to tape the Steelers - Packers game and not the final Pirate game.  Really wanted to see Cruz's second game, Reynolds continue assault of Reds' pitching, and the final chapter of what most understood from the start was a season that was  going to feature a lot of disappointment.



I offer a few quick miscellaneous take-aways from the season that just concluded:



1)  Brian Reynolds is a special ballplayer, and has clearly demonstrated that he belongs in CF.  NH did a lot of things wrong in his final years with the Bucs, but snatching Reynolds for Cutch is not one of them.



2)  Kebron is not the second coming, no matter how hard Pirate announcers tried to make us believe such.  And, regardless of how well he fields, he really needs to improve his stroke to the .280, 30+ doubles and 15 - 20 HR's for him to be a long-term solution at 3rd.  I am hoping that his problems at the plate were mostly related to his wrist injury.



3)  Based on his initial credentials, its amazing that Jacob Stallings has risen to the level of a being an indispensable Pirate.   Hopefully the Bucs can find a better caddy to start 45+ games next year than Perez.



4)  As with most seasons, there were some spectacular plays in the field, but Tucker's catch the other night was the one that sticks out the most to me.



5)  Then there was the downright weird, particularly Will Craig's mess-up with Baez.



6)  And, for a team with little to no power, and few middle relievers with an ERA below 7, the Pirates did well in managing to come back to win games that there was little reason to expect a victory. 



7)   There is no way that I can even begin to name all of the folks who played for the Pirates this year.  I likely could do reasonably well with the position players, but would not stand a chance with the pitchers.



8)  I don't get all the guest announcers.  I like when Walk is in the booth, and Wehner is okay, but the entourage of McKenry, Young, Capps, Walker, and even the couple of innings of Blass was a bit much.  Folks, I watch the games because of the play on the field and not because, or in many cases, in spite of, the constant banter in the broadcast booth.



I don't expect much this off-season in the way of player acquisitions, but I am hopeful that BC can find someone who can help stabilize the starting pitcher staff for next year, be it through trade or free agent signing.   And, regardless of this year's final record, it was great having a full season with at least a few real fans in the stadium to again be able to watch Pirate baseball. 



Lastly to Surgnbuck and VaPirate --- Many thanks for your heartfelt posts.  You are true Pirate fans and your contributions to this Board are immeasurable.   




Thank you for thoughts, Mainer, and may I choose this place to echo your appreciation for the posts from Surgnbuck and VaPirate.



I am used to having my brain stimulated here, but not my heart. I have never shed a tear over a post until tonight. Thank you - from my heart!

3D233520373C540 wrote: I watched several late season games without really knowing why but, I was enjoying them. After reading this thread I figured out what drew me in. There was seemingly a new energy app n the field. And I think it was the enthusiasm that this new Cole Tucker brought. This last month the kid played with joy. It reminded me of the joys of baseball. I found him fun  and enjoyable to watch. I have no idea if it was possible long term but he brought fun to the park. I think they need to get this kid on the field. I have no stats to support this feeling. Just that he was fun at the end of a long season.


Simply add an “Amen!” Can’t help but fall in love with Cole.



And I agree with Mainebucs - Tucker’s catch in RF on Friday was nothing short of spectacular. Just shy of impossible.

486269596E7878741B0 wrote: I somehow managed to tape the Steelers - Packers game and not the final Pirate game.  Really wanted to see Cruz's second game, Reynolds continue assault of Reds' pitching, and the final chapter of what most understood from the start was a season that was  going to feature a lot of disappointment.



I offer a few quick miscellaneous take-aways from the season that just concluded:



1)  Brian Reynolds is a special ballplayer, and has clearly demonstrated that he belongs in CF.  NH did a lot of things wrong in his final years with the Bucs, but snatching Reynolds for Cutch is not one of them.



2)  Kebron is not the second coming, no matter how hard Pirate announcers tried to make us believe such.  And, regardless of how well he fields, he really needs to improve his stroke to the .280, 30+ doubles and 15 - 20 HR's for him to be a long-term solution at 3rd.  I am hoping that his problems at the plate were mostly related to his wrist injury.



3)  Based on his initial credentials, its amazing that Jacob Stallings has risen to the level of a being an indispensable Pirate.   Hopefully the Bucs can find a better caddy to start 45+ games next year than Perez.



4)  As with most seasons, there were some spectacular plays in the field, but Tucker's catch the other night was the one that sticks out the most to me.



5)  Then there was the downright weird, particularly Will Craig's mess-up with Baez.



6)  And, for a team with little to no power, and few middle relievers with an ERA below 7, the Pirates did well in managing to come back to win games that there was little reason to expect a victory. 



7)   There is no way that I can even begin to name all of the folks who played for the Pirates this year.  I likely could do reasonably well with the position players, but would not stand a chance with the pitchers.



8)  I don't get all the guest announcers.  I like when Walk is in the booth, and Wehner is okay, but the entourage of McKenry, Young, Capps, Walker, and even the couple of innings of Blass was a bit much.  Folks, I watch the games because of the play on the field and not because, or in many cases, in spite of, the constant banter in the broadcast booth.



I don't expect much this off-season in the way of player acquisitions, but I am hopeful that BC can find someone who can help stabilize the starting pitcher staff for next year, be it through trade or free agent signing.   And, regardless of this year's final record, it was great having a full season with at least a few real fans in the stadium to again be able to watch Pirate baseball. 



Lastly to Surgnbuck and VaPirate --- Many thanks for your heartfelt posts.  You are true Pirate fans and your contributions to this Board are immeasurable.   




Thank you for thoughts, Mainer, and may I choose this place to echo your appreciation for the posts from Surgnbuck and VaPirate.



I am used to having my brain stimulated here, but not my heart. I have never shed a tear over a post until tonight. Thank you - from my heart!


Thanks to both of you for your comments.

For a lot of reasons, this was an emotional weekend for me. Surgenbuck’s post gave me a reason to try to put this game into perspective.

But I’m still expecting a competitive team by 2023!

With respect to 2023, all fans, but particularly season ticket holders, should make it clear to Pirate management that we not only expect a winning team in 2023, we are demanding it.



Mr. Nutting --- it is past time to provide enough payroll that Pirate fans can look forward to fireworks on the field rather than being set off on a barge in the River.



Sadly, I am getting the feeling that there is some likelihood the Bucs will soon approach a decade without having a winning team on the field.

Why wait?