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Bill Brink's Pirates chat: 4.18.18
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FR
12:26
Do you consider yourself a Pirates fan?  Or since you cover the team for the PG, do you just display a professional attitude when it comes to the team?
Bill Brink
12:26
I am not a Pirates fan, just an impartial observer. It helps that I'm not from here and didn't grow up watching the team.
Bill
12:27
Losing Harrison any talk of picking up a free agents?
Bill Brink
12:27
None as of yet. They like the combination of Rodriguez, Moroff and Frazier.
Dave
12:27
The Pirates have begun to play a more aggressive brand of baseball so far this year, like bunting more, hitting and running, and stealing bases. Which I believe they should have been doing all along. What has brought about this change in sabermetric philosophy? I believe with Marte's speed, if he was a better bunter he would never go into a prolonged slump. What is your take on that?
Bill Brink
12:28
(Quick break for the national anthem.)
12:30
OK.
12:31
I'm generally not a fan of bunting -- I love those shirts that say, "How to bunt: 1. Don't 2. Hit Dingers" -- but when you have Marte's speed I'm all for it. Especially because of the game theory aspect of it -- you show you'll bunt, the third basemen has to come in, and maybe you can bounce a couple ground-ball singles past him.
Wayward
12:31
Shouldn't there be a little more patience with Kuhl, and to a lesser extent Williams?  This guys have been full time starters for around 1 year and made solid progress last year.  I, for one, think Kuhl has some really good skills and could develop into a really solid #3.  What is your opinion?
Bill Brink
12:31
I agree very much with that. Kuhl has good stuff and Williams is down in the zone, knows how to pitch.
Hippo
12:32
Frank Coonelly used attendance as an excuse for the payroll dropping, but payroll dropped after record attendance in 2015 and 98 games. Do these guys understand that nobody is believing their nonsense anymore regarding what will make Nutting spend more on the team? It's a joke Bill.
Bill Brink
12:34
I do wonder how much the average fan's understanding of baseball economics -- TV contracts, revenue sharing, the BAMTech payout -- will impact the way front offices talk about their payrolls and limitations, but I figure the fans here have been savvy to that stuff for some time. I don't think when they say these things that they mean them in a derogatory way, but sometimes they might not quite realize how fans choose to interpret it.
12:35
Sorry to cut this one short, guys, but they've taken the field. Gotta go. Thanks for all the questions!  We'll do it again next week.
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