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Bill Brink's Pirates chat: 4.25.18
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Bill Brink
1:18
You may wonder why it's 1:18 and we're not doing anything.
1:19
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today's chat. We delayed it a bit because of the doubleheader, but we also had to wait for Musgrove to finish his sim game, meet with Hurdle and talk to Jose Osuna, who's here as the 26th man today. Now I have to run and talk to the director of sports medicine. As Crash Davis would say, we're dealing with a lot of ... stuff.
1:20
Back in about 20 minutes. Thanks for all your questions, sorry for the delay.
1:37
OK. Let's go.
BurghBall
1:38
Thoughts on the Philadelphia lost weekend?? Seemed to me like they were a hit, or put out, or called strike away from a split.
Bill Brink
1:40
They got two good starting pitching performances from Nova and Williams and couldn't turn them into victories, so I agree somewhat. They couldn't get much going against Nola and three relievers allowed runs when Brault started, and when Lively shut them down, Kontos allowed the run. So, close, but still plenty of room for improvement.
Buc'nnutz
1:40
Just a general baseball question. A pitcher walks the first batter in a game. He then picks the batter off first and retires the next 26 batters in a row. Is it a perfect game? He has retired all batters in sequence.
Bill Brink
1:41
No perfect game because the pitcher allowed a runner to reach base. He can still face the minimum in a no-hitter, but it wouldn't be a perfecto.
Adam (Boulder)
1:43
When the Pirates - who have to play smarter than other teams because they're less talented - continue making the same baserunning mistakes year after year, while also continuing to fail at moving runners over, is it the players or the coach? Most Little League teams can run the bases and move runners over, so it seems like a Clint Hurdle thing.
Bill Brink
1:44
It's both. We know, because the coaches tell us, that when players do stupid things on the bases, the coaches pull them aside, show them the video and talk through their thought process, telling them why that decision in that situation was a poor one. So in one aspect, it's on the players. But if that approach isn't working, it's on the coaches to come up with a more effective way to get their message across.
Adam (Boulder)
1:45
Why do you think the Pirates went into such a downward spiral after losing J-Hey, who had an OPS of just .679? For a player way below replacement level, his absence seemed to have a hugely negative effect.
Bill Brink
1:49
I would disagree that Harrison is way below replacement level. He was off to an OK start, without much power, when he got hurt, and has been above replacement level for five consecutive seasons. Despite him not being a big OBP guy, him batting leadoff seems to work. My thought is, it's the right-left-right-switch-left-right-left-right aspect of it. I also think part of it is regression, not related to Harrison. The Pirates' batting average on balls in play was well over .300 after the first couple weeks of the season. In the past seven days, it's .275.
Ron
1:49
Does Austin Meadows have a path to the majors this year?
Bill Brink
1:50
Not at present. The Pirates, in the past, have preferred to call up top prospects only when there is consistent playing time available, which is currently not the case in the outfield. If one of the outfielders gets hurt, that is a possibility.
Wayward
1:51
Do we see Moroff a little more with Frazier scuffling?   Also, a change in the leadoff spot?
Bill Brink
1:51
Those two are interrelated, and we might be getting there, although I think they'll give Frazier some time to get right. He's been a good hitter and leadoff man before, so I don't think they'll pull the plug just yet.
Adam (Boulder)
1:52
It's looking like the Clint Hurdle era might have peaked with three straight years qualifying for the play-in game, and now regressed to possibly three straight losing seasons. What would Hurdle have to do to lose his job?
Bill Brink
1:53
He'd have to demonstrate to the front office that he's no longer the right person to lead this roster, or he'd have to lose the clubhouse in a drastic way. I don't see either of those as imminent, plus he just got an extension. If the Pirates thought last year that he was the right guy, I don't see 22 games as changing their minds.
Wayward
1:54
Who, of the next level of prospects (Meadows, Newman, Kramer, Keller, etc..) is the 1st to make an impact on the big league club and when?
Bill Brink
1:55
I'd say Newman, because Mercer is a free agent after this season, though he has not hit well since his promotion to Indy, and Keller, because of his sheer talent. Both could be as early as 2019.
Adam (Boulder)
1:56
What do you think Austin Meadows' ceiling is as a major-league player? He's yet to hit for average or power in AAA - isn't that surprising for a first-round pick?
HLSwanhart
1:56
If a player is good the team will make room for him.  This is the way baseball has been for 100 years.  Thus if A. Meadows has a good minor league season in progress, the Pirates will find a space for him.
Bill Brink
1:58
Two good questions/comments to illustrate the contradiction. Meadows is a .244/.310/.391 hitter in triple-A who has struggled to stay healthy, but he hasn't lost the tools that made him a first-round pick. He's off to a nice start this season, but the Pirates currently have three starters in the outfield, they don't like bringing up prospects only to have them sit on the bench and he has not demonstrated consistent production at triple-A. I think he can still be major league regular, but certainly don't see the Pirates bending over backward to force him into the majors.
1:59
What other questions do we have today?
Wayward
1:59
What do you expect to happen over the next 20 game stretch?
Bill Brink
2:02
I'm excited to see the Cardinals live this weekend. They alternate series against hot and not teams. Cardinals (8-2 in their past 10), Nats (lost four in a row), Brewers (won seven in a row), White Sox (struggling). The road gets tougher. I think their offense is better than this past week but maybe not as on fire as it was to begin the season.
Jake
2:02
Polanco started on fire, has performed more like Andrew McCutchen in April recently. Does he have to put together a strong season to stay in the pirates’ future plans? When do they pull the plug?
Bill Brink
2:03
They're a ways from pulling the plug. He's slumping; players slump. If he stays healthy all season he'll put up numbers. As far as pulling the plug, his salary increases each year, so if his production gets to the point that the Pirates, who signed, developed and extended him, want to move on, those salaries will be tough to move.
HLSwanhart
2:04
If on of the outfielders got hurt and Meadows is called up and suddenly is lights out and the team is winning, what happens then??
Bill Brink
2:04
I don't know. Managers and coaches generally don't want players to lose their job due to injury, but you also can't deny production.
BurghBall
2:04
Chances of Jordy Mercer in a Bucco uniform in mid-August??
Bill Brink
2:06
Contenders can always use shortstops who play reliable defense, but most every contender has one, so in the case of an injury another team could turn to the Pirates and Mercer as a replacement. I'd say more likely than not but not a guarantee.
2:07
Sorry again for the delay, thanks for the questions. Gotta go write. Enjoy the doubleheader!
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