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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.04.22
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Jason Mackey
12:43
Hello, everyone. Sorry for the delay. Here in Indy and was knocking out a bunch of pregame interviews. Let's roll.
Kruggerand
12:43
Please pardon my being off topic; I miss your hockey insights.  What are your thoughts on the Pens in Round 1.
Jason Mackey
12:45
Thank you for that. I didn't pick them to win and still don't think they will. But last night was fun. I just worry about depth compared to what the Rangers have. Speed and goaltending, too. Domingue was fun, but if he's your starter, I worry about them over the balance of a series.
PrinceBob
12:45
How many good performances from Mitch Keller will it take for you to think he's really figured it out? Didn't you ;pick him to have the most wins on the Pirates' staff? If I'm wrong ignore this if you didn't but would you make that same pick now (if you did?)
Jason Mackey
12:46
I don't know if I did or not. I think I did. That sounds familiar. But, yeah. I do think he will have the most wins on the starting staff. That said, I don't think that will be a very high number because of how they're pitching. I also see wins as a relatively meaningless stat.
And I'm not sure I'll believe anything on Keller until at least midseason.
PrinceBob
12:46
On the topic of wins for individual pitchers, I'm inclined to think the wins leader won't even be a starter given the way the staff is being used. Do you see this going on all season or do you think starters will get a longer leash as the season goes on?
Jason Mackey
12:47
No, I think they're going to keep with this style, unless someone pitching their way out of it, for lack of a better term.
PrinceBob
12:48
Does anyone pitch out anymore?
Jason Mackey
12:49
That's a good point. I honestly don't remember the last time I saw one.
12:50
I would imagine it has something to do with valuing every pitch or analytics or something of that sort, but I don't totally know.
alan
12:50
Who do you think the Pirates will draft first in June? Kumar Rocker maybe?
Jason Mackey
12:51
I think Rocker would be too much of a reach. Honestly, and I'm not trying to make a homer pick here, but Elijah Green makes a bunch of sense. Might not be there, but I would not complain whatsoever if they drafted him.
alan
12:51
When will Tucker be DFA?
Jason Mackey
12:53
They can still send him to the minors, so not this season. And I get the frustration, but I think they're going to give him more runway before doing anything.
alan
12:53
How many games to you actually go to in a season?
Jason Mackey
12:56
I was around 135 last year, I believe. Will probably hit that number again this year, if not a tick higher.
Guest
12:56
With Gonzales, Peguero, and Mercano playing middle infield in Altoona why the hesitancy to move Cruz to the outfield or 1st base
Jason Mackey
12:59
One, they're not considering a move to first base. That doesn't take advantage of his arm. Two, they have tried him in the outfield. I think that is still viewed as a secondary position. The bigger concern with Cruz, for me, is his hitting. He's at .167 right now.
WalterW
12:59
I am sad to see how Cole Tucker is struggling. Is there a reason the team is keeping him on for this long? I understand not wanting to give up on a player, but CT seems  overmatched in every way.
Jason Mackey
1:00
They don't look at things the way fans do. I'm not saying Cole Tucker should just be allowed to play however long he wants to without producing. But it's not like they say, "Oh, he's not hitting. We have to get rid of him." He has an option left. They've invested a lot into him. He's under contract. They're trying to pull out what we've seen in spurts.
Crist
1:00
When is the Tucker experiment going to be over he has been given enough chance to show the world he can't hit. Also Yoshi isn't hitting and Chavis seems to be good enough to be playing every day. We need consistent hitting and it doesn't seem like we're putting our best hitting lineup out daily. Rotating guys in and out when a guy is hot is just crazy this isn't little league where we need to play everyone!
Jason Mackey
1:02
What did Cole Tucker do to you people? Ha. A lot of questions about him, like he's the only Pirate struggling right now. They're going to rotate people. The Rays rotate people. They seem to do OK with it. I think the issue is not enough guys hitting. That and not enough talent. I don't think they're not hitting because they're rotating, pardon the bunch of negatives in there.
soggy
1:02
Good Day Jason!  I appreciate the chats & respect your opinion! (I really do)  If you had total control of the Pirates organization, what would be your top 3 priorities this season??
Jason Mackey
1:03
You gotta set some parameters there. Ha. If I could do anything I wanted, I'd spend a bunch more money, for one. Assuming you mean the overall deployment of players, I would Roansy up and move Cruz up as soon as he proves it. I would also let starters go deeper in games.
PRE
1:03
Peguero seems to have mastered AA . Are we going to get a glimpse of this guy in the Burgh sooner than expected?
Jason Mackey
1:04
He's off to a strong start. I wouldn't say he has mastered Double A. Sample size needs to be larger than it currently is. But, yeah, encouraging what he's done thus far. Can't deny that. Just need to see more.
Benson DuBois
1:04
Any chance for Mason Martin callup this week?
Jason Mackey
1:04
No, I don't think so. I would be surprised if they did it this early.
Crist
1:04
Do you think when more of the younger and hopefully better guys start arriving and winning is expected that they will promote Don Kelly to manager?
Jason Mackey
1:05
No, I don't. Shelton is under contract for another season after this one. If they make a move, it wouldn't be until 2023 midseason, if at all. And I don't think they are. I think someone else hires Don Kelly before he takes over in Pittsburgh.
Nick
1:09
On the topic of starting pitching, when will we see some of these guys that started the year in the bullpen but they see as long term starters get the change to start? Do they need stretched out more before given that change? I assume that is why Contreras for example was sent down
Jason Mackey
1:11
I'm not sure who you're talking about, Nick. Yes, they're getting Roansy Contreras and Miguel Yajure stretched out. Beyond that, Wil Crowe ... I don't know if they necessarily view him as a long-term starter. He may be, but he also may be a reliever. Among other bullpen options with the MLB club right now, Dillon Peters and Bryse Wilson are the only two others I can think of and both have made MLB starts this season.
Woj
1:14
Did I miss it or has Nutting still not agreed to an interview?
Jason Mackey
1:14
You didn't miss anything. He has not.
PRE
1:14
Has Quintana actually figured something out? It seems like people are still inexplicably down on that signing. Are there metrics showing that he's gotten lucky so far?  Furthermore; if he pitches to the tune of a 3.32 ERA until the trade deadline, does he bring back anything significant? Or will his past couple years scare suitors away?
Jason Mackey
1:15
Quintana has been solid. I don't understand the vitriol surrounding that signing. He's someone who might be half-decent for $2 million, a pitcher with a track record of at least some success. I like the changeup. He's been efficient. He could easily become Tyler Anderson 2.0 and net a couple fringe top 30 prospects, would think.
Igor Shesterkin
1:15
I understand the Pirates may need some help at Catcher. I may be available soon. Who should I call about a try-out ?
Jason Mackey
1:16
Shenderovich, Shenderovich & Fishman. They've got your back, not your wallet.
Nick
1:17
Are there any big starting pitching prospects in the system right now?  Where will the starting pitching come from in the future when all these position prospects hopefully come up and produce. The future looks alright right now with Hayes, Cruz, hopefully Reynolds, Davis and Gonzales but starting pitching looks sparse. Contreras in AAA and Priester in AA, who else is there
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