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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 04.14.21
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Jason Mackey
11:22
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my weekly Pirates chat. Excited to get back on schedule after spring training and the opening day stuff. Will get going around noon. Feel free to leave your questions now. I will be back around then to answer them. Thanks!
11:57
And away we go ...
Tarzan
11:57
Jason,
Jason Mackey
11:58
Tarzan ...
Rich in CA
11:58
Overall, I am ok with how the team has performed with the exception of their pitching.  There is no excuses for the # of walks.  Is there an answer?  Also, who goes down when KBH returns.
Jason Mackey
11:59
Hey Rich. I think the Cincy series was definitely an outlier. They'd been better defensively and, until last night, had cut down on the walks. But I'm fine with their offense. I think their defense will be OK. If they get something out of their pitching, they can be respectable. As for Hayes, I would say Alford at this point, although a lot can change. He's lost right now. Maybe someone claims him, so be it. But he is literally having a tough time making contact with the ball.
Tarzan
12:00
Jason, I am curious about the 2020 draft class. Saw Gonzales play in spring. But, what about the others. I think they were all pitchers. Where are they and how are they doing?
Jason Mackey
12:01
I'll be honest, Tarzan: I don't think I have seen any of them throw. I've heard a lot of good things about Mlodzinski and Jones, but that's about it. Our opportunities to see them have been limited, for understandable reasons. Believe Hartman had Tommy John, too.
Justin R.
12:01
Hey Jason -- Is Phillip Evans a long-term second base option (assuming Frazier eventually gets dealt)? Or do you see him more in a super-utility role moving? Seems like the corner infield position are solidifying. The downside is potentially blocking Gonzalez.
Jason Mackey
12:03
Hey Justin. Yeah, he could be an option, absolutely. At this point, with the way Phil has been hitting, he should be an option anywhere there's space. Old adage in baseball: If you hit, the manager will find a place to play you. That's true here. Maybe it's second. Maybe it's third while Hayes is out. Maybe it becomes the outfield, I don't know. But they're going to keep playing Evans until either he or the league tells them it's time not to.
Jan
12:03
Jason, this is really a question for Greg Brown but I don't know how to get in touch with him; thought maybe you could ask it for me.  If Wilmer Difo hits a(nother) home run, will it be a Wilmer-dinger?
Jason Mackey
12:03
Hey Jan. I'll pass that along to Brownie right now and see what he says. Hopefully will have something back by the end of this chat.
Steve
12:06
Was interested to hear Nutting's remark in your interview with him about his wish for a salary cap and floor with a hopefully narrow band between the two. Any idea if this has some degree of acceptance with players/union?
Jason Mackey
12:07
Hi Steve. I'm glad Bob said that. I wish he would say more, honestly. I think you all know my stance on this, but I'm not a fan of baseball's current economic structure. I think the sport could be so much better with a cap, and that would take cooperation on both ends. To answer your question, no. I don't think there's enough interest there. I think the league would want one, but I don't think the players trust that it would act in the best interest of the players.
Rum Bunter
12:08
Jason, want to come on the Pod Cast sometime soon?
Jason Mackey
12:09
I can't, I'm sorry. Because of my contract, I'm exclusive to the Fan. Love the site, though, and would be happy to link you up with Persak. Shoot me an email: jmackey@post-gazette.com.
Justin
12:09
All of a sudden, Phil Evans has about 150 career PA with a OBP above .400.  Obviously that's come with some batted ball luck (it's up to them to decide how much has been luck) but do you get the sense that he is in the team's 3-5 yr plan as a nearly-everyday-starter utility type a la peak Josh Harrison (or maybe even something more)?
Jason Mackey
12:10
He could be, absolutely. I don't think they're against it. But the sample size, as you said, is also incredibly small. I think they just want to see more. Not trying to be general and boring here, but seriously: Is this reality or an anomaly? Truth is probably somewhere in the middle, but I think they need to find out what that is before saying he's this or that.
12:11
Jan: Just got a text back from Brownie. He said he loves it. Next Wilmer Difo homer, very good chance you hear something.
Justin
12:11
Assuming everyone's healthy when Hayes returns, what sort of 26 and 40 man dominoes do you think will drop?  I can't imagine Alford survives that, and I can't imagine he doesn't make it thru DFA limbo unclaimed.  Alford getting to spend time at alt camp seems best for all involved.
Jason Mackey
12:14
That would be my prediction, too. I don't know where I come down on Alford getting claimed. Or if it matters. We're talking about a 26-year-old who's a career .137 hitter who's currently 0-for-19 with 15 strikeouts. Now, that .137 has been over 111 plate appearances, hardly enough to make an accurate judgement on who he is. He very well could find something. He's athletic as hell, a terrific runner/fielder and an awesome dude. But I'm probably OK taking the chance trying to get him to the alt site, because I agree with you, he needs some time away from the big leagues to figure this out.
Nick
12:14
Why do you think Pirates pitchers have struggled with their command so heavily so far this season? Kuhl in particular has been tough to watch
Jason Mackey
12:17
Hey Nick. The best answer I can give you is fastball command. Kuhl and Keller have both lacked it when they've been wild. Kuhl last night also had zero feel for his breaking balls. That's not good. Could also be some early season stuff or also just random, small samples. Their starters had walked four total in the four games preceding last night. Agree on Kuhl, though. He's got excellent stuff, but he's not doing a good enough job harnessing it right now. Looks like he's trying to be too fine. Just trust it. If they blast it over the fence, what the heck ever.
Greg
12:17
Jason, with all the pitch counts are complete games going to be a thing of the past? Also, is it time to move on from Alford, he seems lost at the plate?
Jason Mackey
12:19
I think they already are, Greg. I mean, they happen but not with any actual regularity. Shoot. Everything has basically slid down by 20. The old 120 is the new 100; the old 100 is the new 80. The only thing different is that the games have stayed the same length. ... I would honestly tell Alford that he had a hamstring injury, although that's just me. Get away from it. Don't even think about baseball for five days, then come back and let's work on some stuff. Whatever it is. I don't know if that's what they'll do, but it's what I would do.
cottcott
12:19
When we last spoke, I asked you about Alford's ability to be an every day MLB player.  0-18 and 14 strikeouts later, how close is he to DFA status?
Jason Mackey
12:20
Would imagine pretty close. And I'm not liking that assessment I made. I'm also not the one who made it. Alford has struggled a lot. And he may very well be close to DFA status -- potentially whenever Hayes comes back.
Justin
12:20
How do you think the team will handle things if Kuhl's struggles continue for another month or so?  He's obviously not THIS bad, but a BB/9 over 12.5 makes him seem pretty broken.
Jason Mackey
12:21
I think it depends on what other guys are doing. Maybe you see Yajure, Ponce, De Jong or Crowe get a chance. I also don't see this sticking with Chad for that long. I don't think this amount of wildness is a trend. It's been three starts, and it's hard for me to count the opener because of the conditions.
Michael D
12:23
Is this the beginning of the end of the Polanco era ?  I never put much faith in the idea of him getting hot and becoming a tradable commodity.  Really they should just cut him and move on already.  If they won't do that just because of his salary, doesn't it make the promise to spend money 'when the time comes' a little hollow ?  Clearly the long term interests of the team are better served with a prospect playing in RF.   Thanks
Jason Mackey
12:26
Hey Michael. Short answer: yes. But I don't think it has anything to do with him being tradable. The Pirates can buy him out for $3 million after the season, compared to picking up his option for $12.5 million. How do they not do that? However, there's nothing they can do now. They HAVE to pay him. They have no one else pushing for time. Even if you don't agree with the possible trade angle, why not pursue it? If they get to the point where he's holding someone back, fine. Then I think it's worth getting mad. But their closest outfield prospect (Jared Oliva) hit like .120 in spring. Cal Mitchell, Canaan Smith-Njigba and Sammy Siani aren't ready. Even looking at other position players, who should be up here who's not? Oneil Cruz? He didn't do enough in spring to warrant a look. I'd maybe see what they had in Todd Frazier, but geez. We're not talking about delaying prospects here.
Tom J.
12:26
The Pirates have had some good  catchers over the years (Sangy, Pena, "Spanky", Martin, Cervelli) to name just a few)...  Where do you see Jacob Stallings in his growth? Where do the coaches see him?  He is working with a lot of new pitchers on this young team.  Thank you, Jason.
Jason Mackey
12:28
Hey Tom. The coaches are obviously extremely happy with Stallings, as they should be. He has blossomed into quite a ballplayer -- both as a defender and leader and even as a hitter. I feel bad for Jake because those other guys you mentioned enjoyed team success. Stallings more than likely won't. But I have a ton of respect for the work he's done, and I'm a big fan of Jacob personally. Just a good human being.
Daniel Sametz
12:28
Do you think the Pirates will play Hayes and Evans when Hayes is healthy? It would be a shame to see Evans benched.
Jason Mackey
12:28
Oh, Evans won't be benched. There will be a mutiny. I think he'll shift to the outfield when Hayes comes back. But there's no way you don't play Evans every day. If this center field junk keeps up, I'd move Reynolds over and play Evans in left.
Tyler
12:29
Hey Jason, when Hayes returns to the lineup, could we see Reynolds slide to center and Evans get some regular action in left? Does Travis Swaggerty get a chance this year at some point?
Jason Mackey
12:30
Ha. Good timing, Tyler. That's what I would do -- and just wrote it. Travis Swaggerty needs to earn some time, first. And, yes, I think it's possible. But he didn't do much of anything in spring. There's definitely an opportunity for all outfielders in the organization, and it'll be interesting to see who does what once games start. I like Swaggerty's speed and defense. Needs to strike out less.
Rich in CA
12:30
What do you think of Colin M's performance so far - both fielding and hitting?  I think overall we have upgraded.
Jason Mackey
12:31
Over Josh Bell? I don't know if I'm going there, at least offensively. But has Moran been serviceable over there? Absolutely. Certainly not complaints about his offense or defense. I also think you're gonna see Bell have a big year, so I don't want to say that I think it's an upgrade.
Rich in CA
12:31
I have had trouble finding the chats.  Will this be a regular Wednesday or bounce between Wed. and Friday?
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