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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.19.23
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Jason Mackey
11:10
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my weekly Pirates chat. We'll get started at noon, but you know the drill: Feel free to leave 'em now, and I'll be back in a little to answer.
11:58
OK, here we go ...
Paul from Beaver Falls
11:58
How much longer can the Pirates go with Hayes at 3B?
Jason Mackey
11:59
Um, well, he's signed long-term. So probably pretty long. I do think his offense will improve. BABIP is absurdly low. Regular & hard contact are both there. Just needs to elevate the ball more.
Moon Dougie
11:59
Howdy! The strike zone grid we see on TV is always a square belt high to knees regardless of hitter. How is that possible when hitters have different heights, stances, etc. Are these strike zones normalized to each hitter? If so, how is that done?
Jason Mackey
12:00
The strike zone generated is not official. It's like the yard marker in football. It's an approximation based on numbers of where a strike is expected to be called. I don't know how to calculate it -- probably no human does -- but it doesn't have any official bearing over calls made.
Bill
12:01
Hey Jason, happy Friday to you. I'm all for a guy being rewarded for performance and Palacios certainty did that but I think he's showing why he was a 27 year old available in minor league rule 5 draft. Any chance Mitchell gets another look or Swaggerty when healthy?
Jason Mackey
12:01
I would sure hope so. Josh Palacios is a very nice kid, but I have zero idea what he's still doing on this roster. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if had already been sent down. Could be Mitchell. Could also add another arm.
Bill
12:02
Do you think once he has a month or two worth of at-bats under his belt at Indy that we could see Jared Triolo called up to help at SS? I like Marcano there but not sure hes an everyday option. Owings is a disaster with the bat.
Jason Mackey
12:03
I wouldn't rule anything out at this point. However, I'm not sure if I see that as a terribly likely scenario. Triolo is a very good defender, but he's only played 19 MiLB games at short. Might be a big ask there.
Bill
12:03
I'm a big fan of GMBC and for the most part I've liked most of his moves as GM. One that is really getting to me is not protecting Blake Sabol in the Rule 5 draft. Even if not used as a catcher, his bat could look nice for the Bucs right now in the OF or 1B. This feels like a major mistake to me.
Jason Mackey
12:05
Can't argue you with you. Sabol has been great for the Giants. I'll give the Pirates credit for helping with his development, but it certainly seems like a mistake letting him go unprotected. I would offer the caveat that it's only been 30 games -- I know, plus spring training. But I still think we can & should give it some time before accepting that this is real.
Wayward
12:05
Jason, what is up with Ortiz?  Can it be corrected, or do you see them sending him to AAA for a few starts?  Also, how is he from a confidence standpoint as being send down can really negatively impact some guys?
Jason Mackey
12:06
Lemme take the second of that first. I do see Ortiz going back down. And he should. He hasn't been good enough, and Velasquez was really good before he was hurt. What's wrong? I see a couple things. A lack of confidence or trust in his stuff, one. Two, mechanical issues: flying open early, not as compact in his delivery. Combine the two, and that's what you're seeing: An inconsistent pitcher who's tentative and doesn't want an outing to go south. Pitching in Triple-A will be good for him.
Bob Prince was the best
12:07
Hello Jason,  thank you for the chat. Excited for this homestead, particularly impressed with Conor Joe and his versatility.  Since Choi is so one dimensional,  where does he fit upon returning from the DL ?
Jason Mackey
12:08
Of course. I think they're going to have to play Choi a lot, honestly. Need to get him in some kind of groove. 1B/DH obviously, but it's going to displace someone. Again, this is assuming he comes back healthy and reasonable productive. But you probably want to position this so you can trade him.
Bob Prince was the best
12:08
Hello Jason,  the pitching within the higher levels of the organization is thin at this time. Do you see the Pirates acquiring a veteran SP pitcher in June ?
Jason Mackey
12:09
That's a long time from now, Gunner. Depends on who's healthy, who's productive, if they have a reasonably competitive record, if Priester/Ortiz figure it out, etc. I think it's possible, but it would be impossible for me to say for sure at this point.
Jim M
12:09
Jason. Thanks again for the chats . I always enjoy them. Hopefully Wednesday was the beginning of the Pirate bats coming to life. After a historic team slump that dates back to 1901 as measured by 8 hits per game or less, I was surprised that the only move made was Palacios. After promoting Castro, Suwinski and others in prior years due to Covid etc., why was Cherrington reticent to try to do something to spark the offense? Patience is a good thing but geez.
Jason Mackey
12:11
I'd go a couple directions, Jim. One is probably a stubborn belief that things will work out. Two, I don't think they want to risk losing guys because of it. Three would be another split: doing what's actually right for who you're calling up ... potentially not messing with Super-2 status ... and also making sure they can actually contribute.
Coach O
12:11
Why didn’t/doesn’t Cherington reveal the length of term of Shelton’s contract extension? Is there a logical reason for it? Seems highly unusual and a little bit aggravating as a fan that he doesn’t.
Jason Mackey
12:12
Don't blame you. I don't know why they're so darn secretive with that stuff. FWIW, I've heard it's two years. (Which means after '23)
Bob Prince was the best
12:12
Hello Jason, have you ever considered an on air commentator role ? Your knowledge and relationships that you have built over the years would be much more entertaining than what's currently in place.
Jason Mackey
12:14
Haha. I thought I did a lot of on-air stuff! I'm on the Post-Gazette's YouTube/podcast efforts 3-4 times a week ... I host Pitching In with Michael McKenry ... we're currently putting the finishing touches on a Fan deal (fingers crossed) ... I do appearances for them, iHeart, SiriusXM and MLB Network ... and I do the KDKA Sunday Sports Showdown. I tried dabbling in show hosting & such whenever I briefly shifted into that senior sports writer thing, but that's not me. I was uncomfortable with it and not good. I love talking about what I'm covering or writing, but that's it. Would much rather write and report than host shows.
Bob Prince was the best
12:15
Hello Jason,  do you feel that the Pirates should extend McCutchen ensuring that he ends his career as a Pirate ?
Jason Mackey
12:16
Ultimately, yes. But what's the rush? If I'm him or them, I don't mind playing this out more. Maybe in August it makes sense to get something done for next year. For now, I'm OK staying in wait-and-see mode. I think it's a smart move and will happen. I don't feel any rush at this point.
Tom J.
12:16
Hi Jason - Something different: Favorite away city to cover the Pirates? Favorite away restaurant?
Jason Mackey
12:21
Yes! Tom, you win the prize! ... So this is weird: St. Louis is one of my favorite road cities. People think I'm nuts for that, and that's fine. There's a place called Peel Wood Fired Pizza in Clayton, MI that's one of my favorite restaurants anywhere. STL isn't No. 1, though. That'll always be San Francisco. I love to bike to Haight-Ashbury and just walk around, explore, hit various restaurants & coffee shops. ... D.C. is also very high on the list. Used to live here. ... Big Chicago fan (Lou Malnati's all day) ... You can't go wrong in San Diego. There are approximately 9,465 fish taco places around Petco. ... Those are probably my top-five. ... Atlanta's close. There's a restaurant there, in the Battery, called Superica. A top-five restaurant, for sure. A Matt Capps special!
Guest
12:21
If Rich Hill continues to pitch well, he as good as gone, in a trade?
Jason Mackey
12:21
Yes, that would be my expectation.
Chris Parker
12:21
Hi Jason - thanks for the chats. Well - 2 weeks ago the thought was the Pirates season was looking positive. Now, after a 7 game losing streak and going 3-7 in their last ten games, things are looking a lot different. Do you think the Pirates can right the ship?
Jason Mackey
12:22
I think the water will find its level. They were never 20-8 good. They're also not 3-12 bad. I predicted 74-76 wins at the beginning of this thing, and I'm not moving off of that.
Guest
12:22
Joe Madden's book noted that GMs now routinely tell managers who to play or pitch on any given day. How much is Cherington involved in lineup and bullpen decisions and how much leeway does Shelton have in those areas?
Jason Mackey
12:23
I would say it's collaborative. I can't give you percentages, but I would also say it's never one-sided. There are a lot more conversations about that stuff now than, say, 20 years ago, where they're getting input from strength & conditioning people, sports performance, analytics, etc. ... Shelton has the final say -- it's his lineup card -- but he might a group of people telling him why something isn't a good idea.
Munkeefist
12:23
With the injuries to the Pirates pitching options this year, Ortiz struggles (although in a limited sample size) and Priester not being ready, what's the plan if (when) the club needs arms? I'm really concerned with the depth. Thanks.
Jason Mackey
12:25
FWIW, Priester has been really good in May. Not saying that automatically means he's ready, but I feel better about that than I did in May. ... I would say the plan is to have Ortiz ready (he needs to go back and work on stuff), to get Q ready and hopefully get a couple others to surprise. Osvaldo Bido? Jared Jones? Kyle Nicolas? I wouldn't look for any flashy acquisitions.
Marc from Germany
12:25
Hi J! Was the Red hot start the real deal? Was it the slump? Or is the answer somewhere in between? Follow up from a baseball newbie: why is the rbi such an important stat?
Jason Mackey
12:26
Hi Marc. I think it's somewhere in between. These things happen. They were absurdly good for a month. There was always gonna be a crash. Just need the water to find level. Long season. ... Good question. On the RBI: Would imagine because it represents your immediate contributions to your team scoring runs.
BeaverCountyBadBoy
12:26
You mentioned in an article recently about how, during spring training, the coaching staff would hold daily team meetings where they would use some analytics to run through different strategic gameday scenarios. What sorts of things were they looking at?
Jason Mackey
12:27
What I mentioned was everyone in the outfield, standing there, looking at the video board, and Shelton and 3B coach Mike Rabelo walking through specific scenarios. I can't remember specific ones, but pickoffs, first and third, throwing to bases, the running game, nuance like that.
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