OnlyBucs

1. Adam Frazier (L) 2B

2. Ke'Bryan Hayes (R) 3B

3. Bryan Reynolds (S) CF

4. Todd Frazier (R) 1B

5. Gregory Polanco (L) RF

6. Jacob Stallings (R) C

7. Erik Gonzalez (R) SS

8. Brian Goodwin (L) LF

9. Wilmer Difo (S) DH

Steven Brault (L) SP



Chris Stratton, Geoff Hartlieb, Sam Howard, Edgar Santana and David Bednar to follow in some order.

Brault was unimpressive.

This is an interesting game as I multitask between March Madness and the Bucs. The Pirates look bad but the Orioles look worse. It's a comedy of errors for both teams. 



So far 7 total errors and 2 wild pitches in 4 innings.

Brault isn't very good. We only think of him as being "good" because he pitches for the Pirates and is somewhere up near the No. 1 or No. 2 starter.



But in REALITY he's not very good. He'd be lucky to be the No. 5 starter on a good team.



I'm really worried about this season. I don't mean in terms of the team being bad ... because I know we're going to finish in last place.



I'm afraid the games are going to be unwatchable because our starters are often not going to make it through 5 innings. I feel like so many games we're going to be down 7-2 after 4. Stuff like that.



I do feel like our offense will be at average or decent, at least competitive. Our bullpen might be respectable. Hopefully our defense will be average or above.



But, man, the starting pitching ...

Brault is probably our best starter unless Kuhl improves

Brault is also our second best hitter behind Hayes

That’s all you need to know about the 2021 Pirates

5F7D6E737075727D5E697F7F731C0 wrote: Brault isn't very good. We only think of him as being "good" because he pitches for the Pirates and is somewhere up near the No. 1 or No. 2 starter.



But in REALITY he's not very good. He'd be lucky to be the No. 5 starter on a good team.



I'm really worried about this season. I don't mean in terms of the team being bad ... because I know we're going to finish in last place.



I'm afraid the games are going to be unwatchable because our starters are often not going to make it through 5 innings. I feel like so many games we're going to be down 7-2 after 4. Stuff like that.



I do feel like our offense will be at average or decent, at least competitive. Our bullpen might be respectable. Hopefully our defense will be average or above.



[highlight]But, man, the starting pitching ...[/highlight]








Agreed, it's a rotation that's below average, from top to bottom. I have no sense that any of them will be good major league pitchers.



And I have nearly the same feeling about the position players, with the exception of Hayes and Reynolds, and we still can't be completely convinced about them yet until they've succeeded beyond what they've done. If this franchise isn't at rock bottom, I hope it's because it was there last year and has made at least one small step upward with the release of some players and the acquisition of others.

0B5D4B5F504A5A515C4B795E54585055175A390 wrote: Brault isn't very good. We only think of him as being "good" because he pitches for the Pirates and is somewhere up near the No. 1 or No. 2 starter.



But in REALITY he's not very good. He'd be lucky to be the No. 5 starter on a good team.



I'm really worried about this season. I don't mean in terms of the team being bad ... because I know we're going to finish in last place.



I'm afraid the games are going to be unwatchable because our starters are often not going to make it through 5 innings. I feel like so many games we're going to be down 7-2 after 4. Stuff like that.



I do feel like our offense will be at average or decent, at least competitive. Our bullpen might be respectable. Hopefully our defense will be average or above.



[highlight]But, man, the starting pitching ...[/highlight]








Agreed, it's a rotation that's below average, from top to bottom.  I have no sense that any of them will be good major league pitchers.



And I have nearly the same feeling about the position players, with the exception of Hayes and Reynolds, and we still can't be completely convinced about them yet until they've succeeded beyond what they've done.  If this franchise isn't at rock bottom, I hope it's because it was there last year and has made at least one small step upward with the release of some players and the acquisition of others.
In regard to the starting pitching, some of them might be able to land a job as a batting practice pitcher

Brault is now being evaluated for left arm tightness. There goes our ace. ::)

I don't like saying that a player in the major leagues is bad, or stinks. I mean, these guys are the best baseball players on the planet. They achieved a height I came no where near reaching. But relative to the other players in the big leagues, the Pirates have guys who just aren't very good. It's fair to say that almost all of them are somewhere between below average to being the worst players in the league.

7D2B3D29263C2C272A3D0F28222E2623612C4F0 wrote: I don't like saying that a player in the major leagues is bad, or stinks.  I mean, these guys are the best baseball players on the planet. 


I used to work for a concern that had 2,000 people with some variant of my title. There's 800 or so MLB players, drawn from the whole world.