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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 05.22.19
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Jason Mackey
11:27
Hi folks. Welcome to my first-ever Pirates chat. Happy to see some people here. Feel free to fire away now. Will be back at noon -- I keep wanting to type 1 -- to answer any and all questions.
11:59
Alright, with some Dark Star from 3-29-30 at Nassau Coliseum playing, let's do this ...
New castle Pete
11:59
Do you think Mitch Keller will be up soon or do you think they’ll wait to make a deal for a pitcher at the trade deadline?
Jason Mackey
12:02
Hi Pete. Do you know Carmen Nocera? He was my college baseball coach and a New Castle legend. Tell him I said hello if you do. ... I would imagine they would do the first thing soon, then go TBD on the latter. To me, it doesn't make much sense to delay Keller much more. I get wanting him to perfect a pitch. I even understand the Super Two issues. But, seriously, I mean they basically have two empty rotations spots right now with nobody to fill them. The opener is fine and all but two bullpen games out of every five is a little much.
rcc prof
12:02
Why won't this organization make a trade for a decent starter? San Francisco, Miami might go for a trade, and Kuechel is available. How much money could a 1 or 2 year contract cost this cheap organization? Maybe the fans might get interested again if they saw management do something other than sitting on their hands.
Jason Mackey
12:03
I understand your frustration, rcc prof. I'm in the process of understanding their thinking behind everything, but when I look at this team, I see a couple holes in the current rotation. I get you could have a surplus of arms once Taillon and Williams return, but to me, you cross that bridge when you come to it. Never such a thing as too much pitching. Plus, like you said, there are guys available and no salary cap.
Larry in KY
12:03
Archer will take the mound every fifth day in an attempt to justify the trade.  Woe is us!
Jason Mackey
12:04
Archer should pitch, Larry. In my opinion, anyway. No, the guy hasn't been good enough, but he has earned the right to work out of this; you're not going to banish him to the bullpen or something like that. That's ridiculous. He should be allowed to pitch, and I think they should work with him on being a little more efficient with his pitches.
fan
12:04
I thought today was Wilborn's chat? Where is he?
Jason Mackey
12:06
This week was Brink's chat, I believe. Or so says our schedule. At minimum, we're working through a transition on the Pirates beat. You may see me do a weekly chat here if there's enough interest. Nubyjas will be there tonight. (So you know, we typically alternate chats and mailbags each week. ... I also just checked, and Nubyjas chatted last week.
111
12:06
Hey Jason!  I've been a big fan of yours since your time at the PG, even when you covered hockey. I have no idea how you are coping with taking over the Pirates beat, but I hope it is going well. How many years of team control does Josh Bell have on his contract? And can he keep up the pace the rest of the season? thank you
Jason Mackey
12:11
Hi, 111. And thank you for the kind words about my coverage. I've been loving the Pirates beat thus far, although the challenges of covering baseball are not small. A lot to wrap your head around. ... To answer your questions, Bell has arbitration rights through 2022. ... I don't know if he can keep up THIS pace the rest of the way. It's pretty nuts. But from everything you hear, a lot has changed with Bell -- his approach, his workout habits, his confidence, etc. It's hard to see him suddenly plummeting.
Guest
12:11
Is wilborn cool to work with? In his last chat he got the nickname Gator cuz he has thick skin. Does everyone at the office call him Gator too?
Jason Mackey
12:12
Yep. That's what everyone around the ballpark calls him -- Gator. He's actually so into the nickname that he purchased a Gator AWD vehicle and cruises it around the South Side during his days off.
bucs 2019 ws champs
12:12
Jason, I know these last few months have been tough. Ed Bouchette left and he's the backbone of the PG. You got moved to hockey. Nesbitt I heard retired or moved back to France.    And now you are on to baseball. I hope it treats you well. Which cities will you most miss now that you cover baseball? my guess is Montreal and Nashville. Thanks, Mr. M!
Jason Mackey
12:14
Ha. They have been. No other way to put it. Ed's tremendous. Stephen, too, although he didn't retire or move to France. They both went to the Athletic. That's cool. I'm happy for them. But I'm also proud of what we're doing here. We have a lot of talented people still at the P-G. As for me, I asked to move to Pirates. Nobody made me do anything. And I'm thrilled so far. Definitely trying to figure it all out; I don't have all the answers and never will. But i'm enjoying the process of learning. ... I will miss a few. Montreal is on the list, for sure. I saw enough Nashville. Will miss Vancouver. Columbus and Buffalo, as odd as that might sound. I also always liked going to Raleigh, another trip that's not possible on the baseball circuit.
Guest
12:14
Has Ray Searage lost his ability to be a "Pitcher Whisperer?" He used to be the man at developing and revitalizing arms, but now he is garbage at it. Thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:19
I don't think Jordan Lyles would agree with that assessment. I'm not saying Ray is infallible, but he's done a terrific job with Lyles. I think you're probably making that statement based on Chris Archer, who absolutely has struggled. But are we really gonna blame Ray for that? I think there's some Pirates pitching philosophy stuff that might not totally agree with Archer -- the amount of sinker usage, for instance -- but I'm not ready to say Searage stinks because Archer has struggled. Trades don't always work out, and sometimes it makes zero sense. We saw that in hockey with Derick Brassard.
Bob
12:19
Could this be Clint H's last season with the Bucs? That is the word on the street in many of the baseball bars around town. My cousin even heard from Rainbow Jeremy (who is a longtime Bucs fan) that he might not make it to the All Star Game before he gets the pink slip. I'd hate to see him go, but is it time for a new voice of leadership in the club house?
Jason Mackey
12:21
Um, no. The Pirates are 24-21 despite having I believe an MLB-high 20 players on the injured list. That they're competitive at all right now is a huge tribute to Hurdle. Tell Rainbow Jeremy and the other decision-makers to slow their roll. Thx!
dead fan
12:21
Jason, does Grateful Dead music lend itself more to baseball than to hockey? I love to turn the volume down on the tv, turn up some Dead (preferably '86 - '87 era) and space out to the Bucs game. I know you love spacing out to Dead choice nuggs. With hockey it is hard to get in a groove due to how fast the action is...maybe late era Dead, but even that is dicey. Do you have a favorite Dead album to listen to on earbuds while watching the Pirates play?
Jason Mackey
12:22
I do not. Honestly, I like listening to home radio while the game is on. It keeps me plugged into the game the way I want, and it helps me think of things that might otherwise drift through my head and not stick. Plus, Pirates broadcasters do a tremendous job. When I'm writing or during downtime, different story. I've been on a big '89 kick lately.
Guest
12:22
What happened last night to the Bucs? Did they use Swiss Cheese Sticks or baseball bats at the plate? Yikes!!! Will we see more hitting over the weekend?
Jason Mackey
12:23
Did they even bat last night? I didn't notice. ... Yeah, they definitely had some trouble with Marquez. ... One of 162, though. It'll happen. So far it's not a trend.
789
12:23
Read any good baseball books lately? Wilborn reads a ton of baseball books, so you better catch up!!!
Jason Mackey
12:23
I'm re-reading Jason Kendall's Throwback at the moment. I will surely hit up Nubyjas for book recs. Good to know. I'll be honest, though, with the transition, plus having a family at home, recreational reading time has been hard to find. Maybe once the road trips start up.
Guest
12:23
Do many old Pirates drop in during the season to catch games at PNC? I'm not talking about Blass or Teke cuz they are there all the time. I mean like a Jay Bell or a Chico Lind or some other 80s/90s guys. Thanks!
Jason Mackey
12:24
I'm not sure, to be honest. I know it was fairly common with the Penguins. I'll be interested to see how that goes with the Pirates. Would be cool if they did. Sorry I can't be of more help; I'm new here!
**
12:24
Crazy all the upheaval at the PG Sports desk lately. With folks leaving in anger, moving to France, and switching beats. I never know if I'm reading the PG or watching Game of Thrones. Do you think you'll stay on the Pirates job for the forseeable future?
Jason Mackey
12:25
Haha. Good one. Yeah, I don't plan on going anywhere.
Thomas
12:25
Is there another sucker GM out there who would take Archer today?  Not only is he not good, he is hard to watch.  ALWAYS tugging at his hair and hat.  He should just pitch, and try in the lower 1/2 of the strike zone.   What a waste!
Jason Mackey
12:26
Tugging at his hair and hat? Who the heck cares? If he throws strikes -- which he needs to do a better job of, for sure -- how is that at all relevant? I don't think it matters whether someone would take Archer. I don't think the Pirates are even close to there in their assessment of Archer. They still think he can be as advertised here. They're not cutting bait yet, nor should they.
jason
12:26
Any buccos gonna make the all star team this season you think?
Jason Mackey
12:27
I would think Bell is a look at this point. Gotta imagine Vazquez gets a long look, too.
Guest
12:28
Hello Jason, I used to read your hockey chats on occassion and I remember someone asking you if Jim Thorpe ever played ice hockey. You said on a couple of occassions that you'd look into it, but I never saw the answer...it was probably in a chat I missed. Anyway, did Thorpe try his hand at hockey and was he successful?  I know there was a rumor from back in the day that he had been offered a tryout from Montreal.
Jason Mackey
12:28
I'm not sure. I'll have to look into that one. Maybe I'll have an answer next week.
Guest
12:28
When is the media going to wake up in regards to Chris Archer. Local sportswriters talk about him as if he's still the good pitcher he was when he first came up with Tampa Bay. He was good for three seasons but those days are long. He was 9-19 with a 4.02 ERA in 2016, 10-12 with a 4.07 ERA in 2017 and 3-3 with a 4.3 ERA in 2018. With the Pirates, he was 3-3 with a 4.30 ERA and this year he's 1-4 with a 5.55 ERA. Face it, his glory days are over. He'll be lucky to be a 500 pitcher with an ERA around 4 for the rest of his career. The Pirates should have realized he was fading fast when they traded for him. They never should have traded Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. I said that at the time of the trade, and I'll certainly repeat that now!
Jason Mackey
12:30
I certainly understand and appreciate your opinion. Not saying any of it is wrong. But I will defend our coverage: One of our columnists, Ron Cook, wrote today the trade, criticizing Archer and the Pirates, saying the trade has not been good enough. To say that local media is pushing some sort of narrative -- at least when you direct it at a P-G beat writer -- is not accurate: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2019/05/21/Ron-Cook-Pirat...
Guest
12:30
Are the fans still doing that Wooooo thing in the stands in not close games?
Jason Mackey
12:30
I hope not. Hate that. Wooing and the wave. The worst.
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