Colin Beazley's Pirates chat: 04.24.26
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Colin Beazley
2:00
Hello from Milwaukee. Welcome to another Pirates chat. Made more sense than a mailbag with travel and the night game last night, so I'll probably mix these in throughout the season. Looking forward to answering your questions!
Sunner in Orlando from Lebo
2:00
Hi Colin, thanks for your chats! How long of a leash does Griffin have before he is benched or sent back to AAA because of his lack of hitting? I know you don't want to hurt his confidence, but can you have a starter at any position who is hitting.150?
Colin Beazley
2:04
Hey Sunner. There's a couple of Konnor Griffin questions in here, so figure I'll start on the topic of the birthday boy today (Happy 20th to the young Griffin).

The answer -- a long, long leash. This is the future of the Pirates, and what would the time in Triple-A do for him? He doesn't need to learn how to hit Triple-A pitching, he needs to learn how to hit MLB pitching. He also helps the Pirates now even beyond the lineup, as his defense has been solid and, by playing a true shortstop at shortstop, you can better align the rest of the field.
2:05
That said -- wouldn't be shocked to see him out of the lineup today. Maybe a day down could help, plus the Pirates likely got into their hotel around 3 am last night. That's not something Griffin has ever had to do before. But we'll see.
SDWC
2:05
Until Griffin starts to contribute regularly, the bottom of the lineup is weak and that’s a concern. Can Henry Davis do anything but dead pull the ball?  He’s not improving.
Retire21
2:05
I know probably no such stat exists but if it did, I believe Henry Davis would lead the league and pop-up outs. What is it? is he swinging under curve balls?
Colin Beazley
2:07
Two Henry Davis questions. Davis is 0 for his last 13 and has seen his average dip below .200 again. It seems like his timing is off. Davis is at his best when he's hitting to right-center instead of sending everything down the line, and there hasn't been much of it lately.
Aces High
2:07
Do you believe this weekend in Milwaukee will give us a true gauge as to whether the Pirate will compete for the division this season? They have been horrendous there for the most part and a good showing this weekend could go a long way towards team confidence, agree?
Colin Beazley
2:11
Frankly, kind of. You could say the same about this 10-game stretch, all against NL Central competition, but Milwaukee has been the top dog, is the one most likely to be competing for the division in August/September (I don't buy the Reds or Cardinals), and the Stadium Formerly Known As Miller Park has been a House of Horrors for the Pirates of late. Heck, the Pirates have lost eight in a row against the Brewers.

On one hand, there's a lot of baseball left to play and we won't end the season with all five NL Central teams above .500. On the other hand, with such a competitive division, a stretch like this really does matter, even in April.
Dan
2:11
How much longer can we live with 2 or 3 strikeouts per game from both Ozuna and Griffin. Ozuna is turning into a lousy free agent signing and maybe the critics were right that Griffin needed more time in the minors.
Colin Beazley
2:13
Ah, so we're back on the teeter-totter that is Marcell Ozuna's approval rating. He looked like a terrible signing to start the year, a shrewd pickup during his seven game hitting streak, now he's terrible after a rough series.

Very few Pirates had a good series in Texas. We've seen what Ozuna can be when things are clicking. I'm confident that'll show itself again.
JollyRoger8
2:13
If Cruz can go from not being able to touch LH pitching to absulutely destroying almost every Lefty that tries to put the ball past him in over one winter of making adjustments; then why can’t Davis turn his miserable hitting around? Davis could hit in college and in the minors, but he is totally lost at the ML level. Throw in the criticism that Cruz was lazy, untrainable, a head case, and Davis is a hard worker, smart, puts in the work and you have to wonder what gives? Maybe Davis needs a personal psychologist just like John Smoltz used to turn his career around.
Colin Beazley
2:17
Not saying I agree with all of this, but Cruz did have a very impressive series in Texas. I do wonder why things haven't clicked for Henry Davis. It does feel like he could benefit from a more relaxed approach at the plate, because it does feel like there's some frustration with his struggles and desire to do a little too much.
Michael
2:17
Will Carmen be moved to a long relief role when Jones is ready to pitch? Makes sense to me since it would be better to have Jones pitch on a schedule rather than the uncertainty of a relief role. Plus we need Carmen in a long relief role because the other options have proven to be terrible.
Colin Beazley
2:18
As of now, I'd say that's likeliest. My guess is they'll piggyback Jared Jones and Carmen Mlodzinski, with Jones as the opener/starter once ready and Mlodzinski following. You're right that Jones will pitch on a schedule, Ben Cherington has said as much.

This of course assumes all remain healthy and Bubba Chandler is able to find consistency. I expect he will.
Nick
2:21
Any additional info on what appeared to be a Konnor Griffin set up change at the plate? Seemed small, but curious if you've heard more
Colin Beazley
2:25
Saw a little bit of this online. I haven't asked Griffin about it yet or asked around with anyone on the Pirates hitting staff yet, though I plan on it. Looks to be a little bit of a different load, using his legs more. But it's a small enough sample size and early enough that I don't want to say anything definitively.
Michael
2:27
Would you try to extend Cruz now or at least this offseason as it looks like he is breaking out this year? Would he even be interested in staying with the Pirates long term?
Colin Beazley
2:32
There's a couple of issues when it comes to an Oneil Cruz extension and whether I'd try for one, but the primary one comes down to consistency. We've all seen what Cruz can be when he's clicking. We've also seen what he is when he's not. After all, he hit eight homers in March/April of last year, the same as this year so far. The season still ended up being a disappointment.

For me, I have to see this continue from Cruz to officially buy the breakout. I'm impressed by what I've seen (a ball off the top of the foul pole!) and the improvements he's made, and I did predict at the start of the season that he'd be an All-Star. But I also don't expect him to continue the 52 homer/65 stolen base pace.
2:35
As for the extension, it'd be tough to find something that works for both sides. The Pirates would want to pay Cruz for what he's done (the inconsistency, high highs and low lows). Cruz's camp would want to be paid with the upside of what Cruz can be if it all clicks. I think it'd be tough to find something that works for both, even with two more arbitration years left.

As for whether he'd be interested, I can't even speculate there.
Ryan
2:35
Good afternoon Colin what do you think about the play of Bryan Reynolds and Jake Mangum i think both have looked good so far GO BUCS beat the Brewers
Colin Beazley
2:38
Bryan Reynolds has looked like Bryan Reynolds. The Pirates need him to be in that .260-.290 range, and he's generally been that. He hasn't been great in left field, but I think all know that he's better positioned for right field at this point anyways.

Jake Mangum has been Jake Mangum. He's scored in five of his last seven games. I think he's in a good spot as a bench bat who you can start when you need to, can pinch-hit when you need a single, and can be a defensive replacement. They've both been fine.
MeowCat
2:39
Colin, what do you think will be the ultimate solution at catcher? Davis' defense and handling of the pitchers is excellent, but he really seems to have regressed at the plate. Indeed, all four catchers the team has at te MLB and AAA levels seem to be offensive offensively.
Colin Beazley
2:41
Hey MeowCat. More of a dog person myself, but.

The Pirates are 10-5 with Henry Davis starting, 4-6 with Joey Bart. Those results matter (and it's not just Paul Skenes -- the Pirates are 3-2 on Skenes Day entering tonight). I'm fine with Davis as the starter. The Pirates should be doing everything they can to maximize their biggest strength (the pitching staff), and a defense-first catcher is an important part of that.
demosthenes98
2:42
Happy 20th birthday to Konnor Griffin!  As far as you know, how guaranteed is his contract? Is there any mechanism by which Bob Nutting could claw back some of it when his bottomless greed gets the better of him? Or will the contract FORCE him to pay Griffin every penny of that $140 million, no matter how much doing so makes him cry?
Colin Beazley
2:43
Hello Demosthenes. Baseball contracts are guaranteed, so Konnor Griffin is guaranteed that entire sum. Not bad security for the 19-now-20-year-old.
demosthenes98
2:45
Per ESPN.com, the Padres are about to be sold for an MLB-record $3.9 billion. If Bob Nutting chose (or was COERCED) to sell, do you think the Pirates could fetch even more?
Colin Beazley
2:48
I'm sensing a theme here with your questions. I don't think Bob Nutting is interested in selling the Pirates anytime soon, though that price point is certainly eye-catching. No one expected that sort of bidding war.

But no, the Pirates would not go for $4 billion. Attendance is part of that, but I also don't think a Western PA team is as desirable for those multi-billionaires interested in purchasing a team in sunny San Diego.
62 Stack Monster
2:52
Are the Pirates for real?
Colin Beazley
2:56
Short answer is we'll see. This 10-game stretch should show us a lot.

Longer answer is ... maybe? FanGraphs loves the Pirates, projecting 85 wins and a 55% shot at the playoffs (behind just the Dodgers, Braves and Cubs in the NL). A number of pages put the Pirates at No. 5 in power rankings last week.

I don't think the Pirates are currently a top-five team, even with the Mets and Phillies in freefall, but I do think there are some signs that the team is for real. The pitching will travel and should continue throughout the rest of the season... if they all can stay healthy.
Cody
2:56
Think they will get more bullpen help?
Colin Beazley
2:58
A move will definitely be made at some point. When remains to be seen.

I'm encouraged by what I've seen out of Justin Lawrence lately, but there's still roles to fill in middle/bulk relief. Wilber Dotel and Evan Sisk did well in Texas, but I wouldn't call either a long-term solution.
Mike
2:58
How about Griffin batting 9th, the old double leadoff hitter idea? Getting no protection from Davis/Bart.
Colin Beazley
2:59
I wouldn't hate it. Could give him some better pitches to hit if pitchers know Oneil Cruz is coming up next. Davis/Bart do have to hit somewhere, though.
3:02
That'll do for this week's Pirates chat, thank you all for the questions. Will likely switch back to a mailbag for next week with the Thursday day game. If you've got questions for the mailbag, feel free to email me at cbeazley@post-gazette.com or message me on Twitter @colin_beazley. Thank you all for following along!
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