OnlyBucs

3F343C3035342F6A6C1B223A3334347538345B0 wrote: Bad strategy. Need to walk the bases loaded so there is a force play at the plate. The infield can play back a step and not be all the way in.


I agree. But game management has never been Hurdle's forte.

5D707D6C6B7A6D2D2E1F0 wrote: Bad strategy. Need to walk the bases loaded so there is a force play at the plate. The infield can play back a step and not be all the way in.


I agree. But game management has never been Hurdle's forte.


I hate when managers manage on a gut feeling. I feel Hurdle does that a lot. Unless he was going with the strike out percentage ( I don't know the stats there), I feel it was a gut feeling.

Hudson can't come back next year can he?



He had a relative hot streak but is back to being unreliable, much too unreliable for a late inning reliever.

032524332535460 wrote: Hudson can't come back next year can he? 



He had a relative hot streak but is back to being unreliable, much too unreliable for a late inning reliever.


Hudson has to be the most disappointing player this year. I'd give him that title over Cole, Watson, and Glasnow.

Yea, Hudson certainly has done little to impress. Has to be one of NH's worst signings. Our bullpen needs some work and another arm, especially a lefty...Hudson frankly is not anyone I trust taking over a lead or even holding one. Something has to give with him... Heck of a nice guy, but dude, get it together...



Beat'em Bucs

I thought he was going to be good.  :-/

3E353D3134352E6B6D1A233B3235357439355A0 wrote: Hudson can't come back next year can he? 



He had a relative hot streak but is back to being unreliable, much too unreliable for a late inning reliever.


Hudson has to be the most disappointing player this year. I'd give him that title over Cole, Watson, and Glasnow.


Hudson has been quite bad but I wouldn't call him the biggest disappointment. He was coming off a very poor year with AZ (5.22 ERA, 1.442 WHIP, 9.7 hits/9 IP). The Pirates were taking a chance on another reclamation project. He's actually performed a little better than he did last year. But that only shows what a bad pitcher they were getting and that he needed to improve a whole lot more than he did. But this is on the Pirates' mgt. They took a pitcher who had been good 6 years ago, had 2 TJ surgeries and had not pitched well in years and expected him to be a reliable late inning reliever.



Watson was supposed to have the ability to be a quality closer, enabling them to trade Melancon. But he struggled late last season and again this year until replaced by Rivero. It was disappointing that he could be a good set-up man but not a closer.



Glasnow was supposed to be beginning a career as a star pitcher. But he was awful in ST, made the team anyway and continued to be awful. Was recalled and remains awful. It's disappointing that he can't carry AAA success into the majors. The Bucs have been looking forward to having him as a dominant starter but that's looking less and less likely.



Cole was counted on to be the anchor of the staff. Instead, he has pitched poorly numerous times, has been a HR issuing machine, has a worse ERA than Nova and Williams and comparable to Kuhl. He looks nothing like the guy who won 19 games 2 years ago. Now that's a disappointment.



The only way I could consider Hudson the biggest disappointment is if his bad season had been a shock. But it shouldn't have been. Hudson was good in 2016 in April, May and Sept and bad in June, July and August. His final stats show his bad far outweighed his good. The Pirates took a huge chance that he could be a consistently reliable reliever. While it's disappointing that the gamble didn't pay off, it shouldn't have been a surprise.

The most disappointing player of the season for me is Marte and it's not even close.

63515D5D497B58515C595651300 wrote: The most disappointing player of the season for me is Marte and it's not even close.
Good point. Maybe Kang too.

133E33222534236360510 wrote: The most disappointing player of the season for me is Marte and it's not even close.
Good  point. Maybe Kang too.




I wasn't really including Kang and Marte, sorry.  I just meant based on the play on the field.  In actual play on the field, Hudson is that guy for me.  I expected a lot more from him.  Very bad signing by Huntington and very bad use of his skills by Hurdle.



Good post above too, Bobster.