OnlyBucs

Just a few random thoughts I have after the first third of the season.



1. As pathetic as May has been for the PBC, we wake up on May 31 .5 out of a playoff spot and even in the loss column. Bucs are 1 GB in the division, and have 13 games left with the team they're chasing. Every single one of us would have taken this scenario in Spring Training.



2. Starting pitching has been really good. Keller is a legit #1 starter. I fully believe Oviedo and Contreras have the stuff to join him. They have the makings of a very good rotation in the coming years.



3. The lineup has no consistency. Lots of potential with guys like Suwinski and Castro. Lots of past production with guys like Santana and McCutchen. But also lots of holes (Hedges/Delay, Palacios, Owings, Hayes, etc.)



4. Bullpen has been very good.



5. Losing Cruz hurts, both offensively and defensively. It's been nearly eight weeks. I remember hearing that he could be ready to begin a rehab assignment as early as July, maybe back in Pittsburgh by August. Hopefully, he can begin throwing and hitting off a tee relatively soon.



6. Adding Crews, Cruz, Davis, Rodriguez, and Gonzalez to the roster could potentially help in the longterm. I'm cautiously optimistic about the future of this team.



7. I missed baseball. I don't regret taking a three-year hiatus from the game, but I still love it. I'm still not a huge fan of the rules changes, but I will admit that they aren't as bad for the game as I envisioned they'd be. (Still wish they'd ban the DH...I hate the DH...will never compromise on that one.)



8. Bucs are 1 game out of the division lead and half a game from a playoff spot, a third of the way through the season. Don't lose sight of that.

Well summarized. My focus is on how well guys like Marcano, Suwinski, Oviedo, Ortiz, and Contreras improve so that they’re better prepared to excel beginning next year along with new arrivals like Endy, Gonzales, Priester, etc.



If I have a concern, it’s Reynolds. I’d like to see him return to that player he was a couple of years ago when he hit for power and a high average. It worries me a bit that he’s fallen from that kind of production. He’s the team’s only stud and he needs to perform like it.



I’d also like to see Hayes become competent at the plate. If he could hit .260-.270 with 12-15 HRs I’d take it, even though it’s below what one might expect from a 3rd baseman. The way he’s hit over the past couple of years, it would probably exceed all of our expectations.

1. I agree that I thought this team had little likelihood of having a .500 record on June 1. That said, I would be feeling much more optimistic if the Pirate's season was revered; a lousy April, followed by a great May.



2. Starting pitching has been much better than most expected.

Keller has been pitching really well and if he takes a stumble or two in an upcoming game I would note that such is par for the course with even most good starters. Oviedo, Contreras, and Ortiz all show promise.



3. If May is an example of what is to come, this team is going to struggle to score runs for most of the season.



4. The bullpen has routinely been good, and some of the performances --- Moreta, Ramirez, and Hernandez --- have come out of nowhere.



5. Marcano has looked acceptable at SS defensively, and may be as good or better than Cruz. The Pirates, however, do miss the power that Cruz could add to the line-up.



6. I have been guilty in the past of getting too excited about Pirate prospects. In the early 90's I wondered how the Pirates would have enough room in the OF to play all of their upcoming prospects. That said, I remain hopeful that some combination of Davis, Rodriguez, Gonzalez, Johnson, and others can allow the Pirates to move on from signing players like Hedges and Roberto Perez for $5 mil and not be able to hit, or to bring in an under-powered Santana for nearly $7 mil. Most of the above should be with the team at some point this season.



7. I watch nearly every inning of every Pirate game, however, I usually don't start to watch the game until it is nearly over or already finished (too many night meetings in the past). I often wonder why, but have now stopped questioning my interest. Also, I am surprised how readily I have adjusted to the DH (I certainly don't miss decreasing the number of opportunities for Shelton to make a confounding move.)



8. When it comes to the play-offs, it really doesn't matter if you won the Division in the worst performing Division in baseball (NL or AL Central) or the best (AL East). This appears to be a down year for the NL Central. It is still a bit early to make comparisons to the 97 freak show, but when you are only 1 game behind the Division leader, a good week or two of baseball could really improve the fortunes of this team.

Good points OP. I'm realistic about the BUCS in todays MLB. I'm not asking for miracles but 81 wins would sure be nice.



Be so great to win today with our ace going. We'd have a nice off day and then come home to a 9 game homestand against teams we sure the hell can hang with. Still a shock seeing STL in last place. Let's keep them there. Then those future Vegas boys come in and a MET team that is .500 like us.



This homestand is huge IMO. Nice time to pretend it's April again

One more thing to add to this...if the Bucs happen to sneak into the playoffs as say, an 83 win team, it doesn't matter. Just get in. The city of Miami is about to watch two eight seeds play for league championships.

Suwinski is going to be all right and will be a building block. This time next year watchout.

1E3534313134330E293C293432335D0 wrote: Suwinski is going to be all right and will be a building block. This time next year watchout.
I agree with you on Suwinski- he will be one of those players

who is going to strikeout more than we like. That will be off set

by his Home Runs. Anyone remember Dick Stuart?

646C6F584E6B4C432D0 wrote: One more thing to add to this...if the Bucs happen to sneak into the playoffs as say, an 83 win team, it doesn't matter. Just get in. The city of Miami is about to watch two eight seeds play for league championships.


Not sure but I think the Steelers came damn close to losing a Super Bowl to a .500 Arizona Cardinal team. (I think, they could have been 9-7?)

66585D55465E5E557550475403310 wrote: Suwinski is going to be all right and will be a building block. This time next year watchout.
I agree with you on Suwinski- he will be one of those players

who is going to strikeout more than we like. That will be off set

by his Home Runs. Anyone remember Dick Stuart?
I hope you're right. And unlike Stuart, Suwinski is not a defensive liability. But Stuart's BA as a Pirate was .273. He had only 1 season (.228) below .260 and had fine seasons hitting .297 and .301. So he wasn't totally dependent on HRs to be productive. I hope that Suwinski can at least be a steady .250-.260 hitter in addition to the HRs.

624F42535445521211200 wrote: Suwinski is going to be all right and will be a building block. This time next year watchout.
I agree with you on Suwinski- he will be one of those players

who is going to strikeout more than we like. That will be off set

by his Home Runs. Anyone remember Dick Stuart?
I hope you're right. And unlike Stuart, Suwinski is not a defensive liability. But Stuart's BA as a Pirate was .273. He had only 1 season (.228) below .260 and had fine seasons hitting .297 and .301. So he wasn't totally dependent on HRs to be productive. I hope that Suwinski can at least be a steady .250-.260 hitter in addition to the HRs.
I really think that his average will improve the more he sees Left Handed pitching. Let's not forget that this is only his second season.