You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.14.21
powered byJotCast
Jason Mackey
11:28
Hello, everyone. Welcome, as always, to my weekly Pirates chat. Had to change days because of the day game Wednesday, but hope you can still participate. Leave your questions now, and I'll be back at noon to answer them. Thanks!
12:00
And away we go ...
Bill
12:01
Jason-- Want to get your opinion here. I'm pretty much over watching Polanco as a starter on this team. I know some fans hope he can have a hot stretch and maybe some team will take a chance on him in a deal but I don't see it. He's their highest paid player and might be one of their worst. Defensive liability, inconsistent hitting and you can make the argument he hurts the team more than he helps when playing. Odds are he wont be back in 2022, so why not run younger guys out there-- Stokes, Tom, Oliva (when healthy) or even Craig.
Jason Mackey
12:03
Hi, Bill. I said at the beginning of this thing that we needed to give Polanco some time. I felt around two months would be fair. Well, here we are, on May 14, and I mostly agree with you. There's nothing Polanco has done that would make him the least bit tradable. He's hitting .202 with six RBIs in 27 games. You can't move that for $11.5 million. I'm fine with them riding it out until May. It's not like he's ruining the pennant chase. However, if it guys beyond that without giving guys like Stokes Jr., Oliva (when healthy) or whomever else, then, yeah. There's no way I would defend that.
John
12:03
I love the game of baseball, from playing as a kid to coaching my son’s team while growing up. Clemente was my hero and I still have pictures all over my office. That said, I find it extremely to watch a MLB game, especially the Bucs. Do I have any hope that the money grabbers will ever get the game back to being enjoyable to watch?
Jason Mackey
12:06
Hi John. I'm with you. It's why I switched. Been thinking about that lately. Like, am I wrong to want to be around a sport I love because the team isn't very good right now? Anyway, I'm with you. Games are too long. There's not enough action. I keep telling myself that baseball, throughout so many more important things in our country's history, has always found a way to survive. Here's hoping it figures itself out this time, too. I do think MLB realizes there's a problem, which is a good first step.
jim
12:06
I know the Pirates stink and will for the entire year but is it fair to not play all 3 of your best players on the same day? Fans who actually pay to see this instead of watching their grass grow should at least know what game those 3 aren't playing! I am probably one of the few who remember Rosie Roswell and his calling of Pirate games in the early 50's and as bad as those teams were nothing compares to this version of bad baseball! It ia amazing that anyone pay to watch them. They must truly be real fans who like to be tread upon.
Jason Mackey
12:09
I know what you're saying, but the Pirates are hardly alone in that regard. All MLB teams do it. I lean old school with a lot of this stuff, too, believe me. But it's just the way sports are today, where workload management is a normal part of the nomenclature. Same with fatigue because someone played like 10 games in a row.
The Dude
12:09
Why being up a hot hitter and hit him 8th with Polanco in the 5 hole? That makes no sense to me. I am sure the answer will
Jason Mackey
12:10
The only logical explanation -- and I can't imagine, sadly, that Derek Shelton would be interested in explaining his lineup decisions, although I'll try, is wanting to put Craig in a spot where he doesn't feel like there's a lot of pressure. Do I agree with it? No. But I can see why maybe you want to ease him in a little. I'd bat Craig fourth tonight and sit Polanco in favor of Troy Stokes Jr.
Lou
12:11
If you bat Tom third you no longer deserve to be a big league  manager
Jason Mackey
12:12
I'm not OK with Ka'ai Tom batting third, believe me. I don't understand why he's on the team. But I would argue this: What do you want Derek Shelton to do? It's not like he has David Ortiz sitting on the bench. Would you feel better about the lineup if Polanco was hitting third, Stallings was fifth and Tom was seventh? It's just a weak lineup, no matter how you slice it. ... I will say, I might be moderately OK with Tom leading off. If he does one thing well, it's get on base. Could utilize that there.
The Dude
12:12
Why bring up a hot hitter and bat him 8th while having Polanco in the 5 spot? I am sure the answer will be so he doesn’t feel pressured, but this guy is a first round pick who’s been around awhile and doesn’t have a lot of chances left. It is time to see what he’s got and that includes batting in pressure situations. We already know what Polanco’s got.
Jason Mackey
12:13
Got this one, Mr. Lebowski, and we seem to agree. I don't have any issue with it for one night. If it happens again, then there's a problem.
Guest
12:13
Obviously the pirates aren't contending. So who will be gone at the deadline?
Jason Mackey
12:13
My top three would be Anderson, Rodriguez and Frazier.
Richard
12:14
I want to be a Pirate fan but caring about a team has a lot to do with knowing and caring about the players. I’m trying to build a reason for remaining interested in them.

I admit to being clueless about how a baseball team “re-builds.” There doesn’t appear to be any relationship to what the Steelers do when they need to shore up various positions. The Pirates rebuild feels more like stocking a trout stream hoping some fish will grow to be big and strong.

Can you help me understand. Let’s say it is three years from now, (1) Will Reynolds, Polanco, Newman, Gonzalez or Frazier be on the team? (2) Setting aside pitchers, lay out who you think the starting eight will be in April, 2022 or 2024.

Paul Zeise responded to my question by saying Brubaker, Hayes and possibly Reynolds are the only current Pirates who’ll be around in 2024. If true, why care at all about today’s team?
Jason Mackey
12:14
Richard, lemme do my best here to answer this under 9,000 words ...
12:17
As baseball team rebuilds by stockpiling a bunch of young talent, then developing it the right way in the minor leagues, where those guys eventually come up to the majors and contribute together. Right now, the Pirates are calibrating those efforts -- loosely -- toward 2023-24. The trout analogy isn't far off. Three years from now, can't imagine anybody you listed other than Reynolds is here. Starting 8 in 2022, lemme try ... note, this isn't a batting order because your question is already incredibly long and detailed: 3B Hayes, middle infield Cruz/Newman/Gonzalez, 1B Moran ... OF Swaggerty, Reynolds, Oliva in some combination.
12:19
For 2024, may look like this: 3B Hayes, SS Peguero, 2B Gonzales, 1B Martin ... OF Reynolds, Swaggerty, Oliva, Cruz (3/4) ... Would think Castro fits somewhere in there, too. Maybe Cal Mitchell or Canaan Smith-Njigba. Reality is that nobody knows. Goes back to the rebuild. You're buying a bunch of lottery tickets, putting a development system in place that theoretically works and allowing things to go.
12:21
Why should you care now? Good question. And it's not my job to make you care. It's theirs. They should be making you care by explaining what the rebuild entails, the process, selling the prospects to you, lowering prices, getting fans in the ballpark by any means possible. I don't think all of that is happening right now, sadly. From my perspective, I find it fascinating to track what guys are doing at the minor league level. The majors, for the Pirates are now, are just one branch of the tree. Might be the least important branch, honestly. The intrigue here involves the minor leagues. If I was a fan, you know what I would do? Drive to Altoona. Drive to Indy. Go to Bradenton and Greensboro. Go see those guys and buy in on the ground floor.
The Dude
12:21
Who pays the salary of Pirate broadcasters Brown, Walk, etc? Do they get a promotional amount fit hyping the Pirates and saying his great it is to come out to the ball park? I
Jason Mackey
12:23
They're Pirates employees, so, yeah, there's going to be some messaging going on there. That said, Brown and Walk -- and all the broadcasters -- are really good people. But how spun-positive the Pirates (and all teams; it's not just them) have their broadcasters irritates me. You wanna know how a local broadcast should sound? Listening to Mike Lange and Phil Bourque. Obviously Mikey is a Hall of Famer. But Bourque is honest and critical. He's also genuine and smart. I think that resonates with people. It's OK to be critical in that role. It's the job. Or should be.
Bill
12:23
Happy to see Craig hit his first HR. I'd imagine being DFAed and no one claiming him was probably some motivation for him. Not sure how long he will be here or what his career holds but would't mind him becoming a Mark Reynolds type player-- versatile and provide some RH power, something we sorely lack.
Jason Mackey
12:24
Yeah, who knows. I'm curious to see what he can do. I think it was motivation for him. He changes some stuff in his swing. But he has some power and can play a solid first base. I wanna see more.
FredSmith
12:24
From all appearances, the on field defensive product from the Pirates falls below what would be expected from a major league team.  This includes not only errors as reported in game stats but also non documented mistakes (such as poor judgements) by players. Are the Pirates doing anything to try to rectify this or do they even care?
Jason Mackey
12:26
I agree with you that it has fallen below my expectations or an acceptable level. Believe they rank third in the NL in errors made. Kevin Newman has been good. First base has been better. But Frazier is having a worse defensive season, and, yeah, the issues you mentioned are there. They do care about it. I can't imagine having this be your job and being OK struggling at the most basic parts. And they do work on it. But it's also a results-oriented business, and they need better results with that stuff.
Richard
12:26
Three weeks ago, after giving up seven runs, Mitch Keller was allowed to bat with the bases loaded. It was a turning point for me. All the stink is not in the front office. It turns off even those of us who are trying hard to be supportive. I've tried and I have partial season tickets, but I'm thinking about staying home and letting my investment just be my last installment on a long relationship.
Jason Mackey
12:29
I don't blame you, Richard. As I've said, I don't work for the team. It's not my job to promote the team. That sorta stuff would tick me off, too. So would taking out pitchers so darn early or not answering questions that are asked. Or stupid stuff like last night making roster moves intentionally after you're done talking to the media. Granted, I have a different lens on this stuff. But I also understand there are fans who get aggravated seeing so many rest days with guys (I've accepted it) and the lack of fundamentals. Again, if you're irritated by Keller's lack of consistency or the walks allowed by the pitching staff at times, that's fair. Same for paying $30/ticket to see Ka'ai Tom bat third.
The Dude
12:30
I’m not Mr Lebowski. I’m the Dude, or Duderino if you’re not into the whole brevity thing.
Jason Mackey
12:30
Now you're gonna make me go watch that movie ...
The Dude
12:30
Richard is right on the money....whoops probably shouldn’t talk
Jason Mackey
12:30
Yeah, I think a lot of people probably feel that way. Little itchy with the trigger finger today?
Dave
12:30
How possible do you think it is that Anderson is being shopped right now? Might be a touch early for teams to start making decisions, but seems like a lot of his value is tied up in giving you as many regular season starts as possible, rather than being one of the main guys you'd rely on in a playoff series. We've seen teams try and swing deals well before the trade deadline before. Do you think it's too early as we get into the latter half of May?
Jason Mackey
12:31
1,000% possible. I mean, it's not Macy's. They don't have him in the window at PNC Park, although it would be funny if they did. He's available. Other teams know that. It's just May 14. A little early to be making a move like that. Knowing that, Cherington would also insist on a high price so he doesn't get burned. As he should. And other teams know that.
The Dude
12:31
Richard is right on the money....whoops probably shouldn’t bring up money in a Pirate chat. As a kid my heroes were Clemente, Stargell, Virdon, Groat, Max, etc. Currently we know that only a couple of guys playing now will be Pirates by 2023. It’s hard to get excited for guys who are short timers.
Jason Mackey
12:34
I covered the Penguins for a handful of years as many of you know. Covering the 2017 Stanley Cup final was some of the most fun I've had in this business. You know the funny thing, though? I make the same and do the same stuff as I did then. My life hasn't changed. Was cool to experience, sure. But so has been getting to know prospects, tracking them, paying attention to four minor league games a night and encountering all of this grass roots team-building stuff that I never had to consider on Penguins. My point: Shift your attention to the rebuilding efforts and the underbelly of what's going on. You don't wanna spend your money watching Polanco trip in right field? I don't blame you. I don't either. But I will take the time to watch Rodolfo Castro hit at Class AA or Quinn Priester pitch with Low-A Bradenton. There are better days ahead.
Guest
12:34
How much longer will keller be in the rotation? Clearly his stuff hasn't translated to the big leagues
Jason Mackey
12:36
Except in about 50% of his starts, when it has. ... Look, Mitch has stunk a bunch. He's also been solid a bunch. Did this a few weeks ago where I split his starts down the middle based on pure mediocrity: 5 IP, 3 ER. There were equal numbers on both sides. It's a tough spot. He's been horribly inconsistent. But it's not like his stuff hasn't translated. What hasn't translated is any shred of consistency.
Too Tall 21
12:36
Coming to the ‘Burgh this afternoon from the ‘Land to see the Bucs tonight and tomorrow night. As much as I’ve always liked Adam Frazier, I’m hoping this is the last time I see him play as a Pirate. Same with Anderson, who’s going tonight. With the trade deadline still 2-1/2 months away, I’m dying to move those guys!! One, I want see who they can land in return, and two, I want to see how they handle second - Newman? Bring Tucker up? Or??? How likely do you think it is we’ll see some team come after these guys (and Rich Rod) well before the end of July?  Thanks, Jason! (Dead & Company have announced their 2021 tour dates. Hersheypark, Aug. 28 and here at Blossom Sept. 7th)
Load More Messages
Connecting…