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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 03.05.21
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Jason Mackey
11:26
You're correct. He has not. Shelton said this morning that some guys threw an extra live BP, delaying their entrance into games. Believe he was one of those guys.
Justin
11:26
Do you know if we should expect Kuhl to focus on more two seamers or four seamers this year?  not sure which one is better, but i'm just curious of which to look for.
Jason Mackey
11:27
I would look for him to throw more two-seamers, at least early. He's working on both, but I believe he's more comfortable with the two. I also don't expect to throw it a ton. His slider is ridiculous. Curve is really good, too. But fastball-wise, I expect more twos than fours. Good question!
Lou
11:27
Outside of opening day and maybe a random game here or there, will the Pirates be able to draw the COVID capacity limit of 7,500-ish fans for games this season? Attendance is always tough in April in May anyway due to weather, kids in school, etc..., but with this product on the field is there any indication of fan interest?
Jason Mackey
11:28
I have no doubt, that after the year-plus we have, the Pirates are going to have no issue filling PNC Park. Weather gets nice, doesn't even matter what the Pirates are doing. It's a night out, a slice of normal. People will show up.
Guest
11:36
Can Crick be successful if his velocity stays at 92 tops?
Jason Mackey
11:37
I think so. It's not like the difference in 3 mph is going to intimidate major league hitters. Also, Crick's slider is so much more of a weapon for him. He needs his fastball to be good enough. The only thing I worry about is it symbolizing something else being wrong.
Pens
11:37
Todd Frazier Hitting 60 homeruns this year?
Jason Mackey
11:38
Ha. Sure. He ain't hitting 60, but maybe a decent couple of months could put him on a contender and pocket the Pirates a prospect or two. I think that should be the focal point or desired outcome here.
Guest
11:38
Will pirates be in Pittsburgh past 2030?
Jason Mackey
11:39
Given the appetite for baseball here, I don't see them leaving. Think about it, it's still a great, great baseball town, and the Pirates have basically had a losing record for 80% of the past three decades. Would Nutting sell? Yeah, I think there's a chance. MLB teams are selling for stupid amounts right now. He's a businessman -- and, objectively, not a dumb one. Why not consider selling? But if you're an MLB owner, isn't the goal to have a team in a fervent market with a beautiful ballpark? They have that.
Layne
11:40
I just have a feeling this team will over-achieve this year. Obviously, that term is relative and could still mean a bad season, but I just don't see worst team in baseball here. Tell me why im right or wrong
Jason Mackey
11:42
  1. Because the division isn't great. The Cardinals are the only team that got better this offseason. 2. I don't think the pitching staff will be awful. Think back to the final 15 games or whatever of last season. Pirates starters had the best ERA in baseball. Wasn't because of Williams, who's gone. Basically, they have to replace Musgrove. I think they'll throw the ball well. 3. Their defense should be better. A full season of Hayes. Moran and Todd Frazier are much better fielders than Bell. 4. I think either Reynolds or Newman -- maybe both -- has a bounce-back year. I'm not saying the Pirates will win the division. I don't see how they win more than 75 games. But I don't see them losing 100-plus.
Justin
11:42
Maybe you dont have an idea of this at the moment, but do you have any idea if the Pirates kinda see the pandemic (or more specifically, rebuilding and paring down to a tiny payroll just as the pandemic began) as being kinda good for them?   They certainly lost / are losing a lot less money than the average team last/this year.   Any sense for if the front brass sees this giving them a leg up once life returns to normal?
Jason Mackey
11:44
I don't think anybody would look at the pandemic and say it's good, period. But I know what you're saying. I really believe their payroll was not affected by the pandemic. Their plan -- and I wish they would just come out and say this -- was to strip it down to nothing and start the whole thing over. That model doesn't call for spending a lot at the major league level, and that's OK if they tank the right way. I think they need to spend on international (they have), the draft (they have), development (they have), then blend that all together, wait a few years, and then it becomes time to invest in the MLB product. As long as there's not another pandemic then, I don't think their big league payroll will be affected all that much.
Wayward
11:44
If Bednar and Shreve maintain their early performance can this bullpen be a team strength, even a position of excess?
Jason Mackey
11:46
Position of excess is definitely a bit strong. Can the bullpen be decent? Yeah, I think so. I like those two. I like Rodriguez, Stratton, Cederlind and others. Also, in full season coming off just 60, they're gonna need a ton of bodies back there. They're gonna need Geoff Hartlieb, Sam Howard, Tyler Bashlor, Austin Davis, those guys. Everyone, really, to do something. But, yeah, I think that group might not suck.
Jeff H.
11:46
Good morning.  I read your comment about the Bucs considering replacing Polanco with Cruz.  I'm not saying Cruz is or isn't a better option than Polanco, but with the money the Bucs are paying Polanco, would they really consider him not playing?  And if he can't play for the Pirates, my guess is the Bucs would have to eat his salary over the next several years, would that be true?
Jason Mackey
11:48
So Polanco's contract is basically up after this season. The Pirates have a $3 million option or they can pay him $12.5 million in 20222. Obviously that ain't happening. So, they'll buy him out. Can they trade him before that? That's the hope. And the only way they accomplish that is by giving him regular playing time and praying that he does something with it. Also, Cruz is not major league ready as an infielder, let alone in the outfield, where he's played a total of nine innings. His track is independent of Polanco's.
Wayward
11:55
Who, of the guys, that haven’t appeared in a game yet are you most interested in seeing and why?
Jason Mackey
11:56
Easy: Quinn Priester. Dude's a total stud. Can't wait to see him against actual competition.
Guest
11:56
Anything new with Cruz’s court case?
Jason Mackey
11:56
Nothing.
Dave
11:56
Before injuries went haywire last year, it seemed almost like there was comfort with Brault and Kuhl being more 4 IP guys (thinking of Kuhl especially). Do you think we might see something close to bullpenning for a few rotation spots? In other words, should we maybe expect a handful of bullpen guys to be multi-innings guys, in favor of some of the single innings guys with options remaining who can start in Indy (Bednar, Cederlind)?
Jason Mackey
11:57
That's a real good point, Dave, and I think you're onto something. Yeah, I think you might see that, especially in Pittsburgh. The day of starters going 6-7 -- outside of your Cole-style horses -- are over. Teams like the Pirates need to get creative to cover innings and avoid the third time through. I think you will see more of that this season, as teams try to conserve innings and spread them out as much as possible.
11:58
OK, folks. Thanks so much for shifting and doing this on a different day. Gotta end it and log on to a Blake Cederlind Zoom call. Talk to ya again next week!
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