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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 06.19.19
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Jason Mackey
11:39
Hi folks and welcome to my Pirates chat. Plenty to talk about, and I thinking about doing more of these. Lemme know what you think, but I miss 'em a little bit. ... Anyway, fire away with questions. I'll be back at noon with some answers.
Tim T
11:57
The Pirates are hard to watch this season, Mackey. Who do you predict will lead the team in Stolen Bases by the All Star Break and also at the season's end...which can't come soon enough!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jason Mackey
11:58
Hi Tim. It has been a tough road, I'll give you that. Believe they're 8-20 since I started on the beat. I've only seen three wins in person, none this month. They need to pick it up. I would predict Marte finishes as their leader in stolen bases. He already has 11, and nobody else has more than four.
Jeff
11:58
Reading on some sites that Keller is throwing too many fastballs and not enough curveballs which is supposedly his best pitch. Our the
Jason Mackey
11:58
Hi Jeff,
11:59
I see what you're saying -- the percentage was high last night -- but he also located it. I thought Keller was pretty good last night. Was much better executing pitches. If they're fastballs and he's getting outs, I don't see a problem with it. My only concern would be is if this sort of thing continues over time.
HOF ?
12:00
Nomar G. as I recall played a handful of games for the Pirates right before the end of his career. Do you see him as a future Hall of Famer?
Jason Mackey
12:00
I think you're very much mistaken, HOF, on both counts. Nomar wasn't a Pirate, and I very much doubt he'll be a Hall of Famer.
Guest
12:01
Is Melky C. likely to come back and play for us next season or not?
Jason Mackey
12:01
It's nothing against Melky -- I think he was a fine addition -- but I'd be stunned if he makes it through the trade deadline. He would be an attractive piece for a contender. Plus, I would hope the Pirates have a younger outfield by next season.
Mark
12:01
Jason, I read an MLB.com article stating that F. Vasquez could be traded.  IMO, that would be insane and throwing in the towel because 1) He's on a team friendly contract for a pitcher of his caliber, and 2) They have NOBODY to replace him.  Your thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:03
Hi Mark, I think what you read is that Felipe Vazquez is a possibility to get traded. Given where they're at right now, I would imagine that descriptor fits a few Pirates players. That being said, I think there are sound reasons for trading Vazquez. Yes, his contract is very team-friendly, but a closer is also a wasted asset if you're not winning many games. Furthermore, more and more teams are moving away from a one-man closing situation into more of a by-committee thing. Third, I think Kyle Crick would be fine sort of anchoring that or being THE GUY. And last, I think Vazquez would hold some of the highest value should the Pirates look to retool for next year and beyond.
Mike Edwards
12:04
Jason, Vasquez's name keeps coming up on these trade rumor lists. Is there anything from the front-office that suggests that they would actually make that move?
Jason Mackey
12:05
They have not explicitly said anything either way, nor should you expect them to. But as I said earlier, if the Pirates are thinking logically about this situation, they should be saying no to nothing, other than perhaps trading Josh Bell or Bryan Reynolds. ... But again, I wouldn't be waiting around looking for some sort of overt statement. That ain't comin'.
jeff
12:06
How can there be any hope for this franchise? 2nd lowest payroll in all of baseball. Can't draft at all. can't develop talent, don't recognize their own talent, and 80% of their trades are atrocious. I am 100% serious in believing with a complete front office overhaul that there is no hope.
Jason Mackey
12:07
Jeff, I don't know if we have room for that type of optimism in here. ... Although I do understand your frustration with things. What little they did to add to the major league club, if I was a fan, would tick me off. I can see the draft and development thing, but I think they might be better at that than you're giving them credit for. People are looking at the Archer-Meadows-Glasnow debacle and basing things solely on that, there's also a decent amount of young talented they've drafted and developed or acquired young.
mlb fan
12:09
How are Matt Kemp and Puig working out for the Reds? I'm not good at finding stats and stuff online. I keep getting old stats from previous seasons. Thakn you!
Jason Mackey
12:11
Puig has actually been OK -- 13 homers, 37 RBIs but probably not much more than that. Kemp has been a disaster. Was released in May.
Justin
12:11
Obviously there is a group of players with expiring contracts that the Pirates will try to move.  The rest of the team is under control for 2 or more years and probably wont be dealt, but could you see them dealing a long term piece like Vazquez?  Dealing/finding/replacing closers is pretty much the one thing they've consistently done well.
Jason Mackey
12:13
Yeah, I absolutely could see that happening. If you look at the pieces the Pirates have to peddle, who are we talking about here? Probably, reasonably, Dickerson, Cabrera, Marte and Vazquez, right? Kang maybe. Can't move Polanco. Nobody would take Cervelli. You probably want the others, at least position player-wise. In the bullpen ... Liriano? Could maybe see it. Not sure I part with a starter. Vazquez would make sense, although I could understand why fans wouldn't like it because of the signal it would send.
Guest
12:13
It ain't over til it's over is a great quote from Yogi Beara Yankee legend. They don;t  make em like that any more . I miss the old time players from my youth. Are any new players good at making up funny quotes like old Yogi? Is there any current Pirates who have witty quotes or good comments? I even have a book of all of Yogi's famous sayings and wise cracks!!
Jason Mackey
12:13
There are not. I'm finding Pirates players to generally be pretty decent to deal with media-wise, but Yogi Berra they are not.
Ron J
12:13
How Are U ? I Still Wish U Did Hockey Instead .
Jason Mackey
12:14
Hi Ron. I'm well. Why is that capitalized? Is that a song title I'm unaware of?
Groovy
12:14
Jason - I just saw John Mayer and Dead and Company play Wrigley Field. It rocked! Bertha, Terrapin S, Friend of the Devil...they played all the classics! If you have an opportunity to catch them, do it! A classic rock show with a trippy edge to it! Magic on stage. Anyway, just wanted to let you know!!
Jason Mackey
12:14
Thank you! Some of the setlists are incredible, and I can't wait to go to Wrigley first the first time later this summer. My problem with Dead & Company, though, is the tempo. Way too slow for me.
Too Tall Ball
12:15
Hey Jason,econd base is a real problem. As much as I love Adam Frazier, his bat is just not what it needs (unlike the second half of last season) to offset his deficiencies in the field. Moran is not an everyday option, defensively, and probably neither is Kang. For a while Kramer started to look like he had figured out how to hit, but that didn’t last long. Could Tucker play there? Could Newman move over once Gonzalez returns?  Just not a lot of good options and the status quo seems like it can’t go on much longer.  Thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:16
I see what you're saying, especially after last night. The way I see it, right now anyway, is Moran should play. He's hitting. You find a place for him. I would want to potentially move Kang, so I would try and play him, hoping he gets hot. Frazier does more stuff like he does last night, coupled with the lack of offense, and I would not be playing him more than I had to. ... In the future, Newman could probably move there; I think Tucker makes a better natural shortstop whenever he's ready. Would imagine Moran is probably a more stable, long-term option at third. We'll worry about Kramer when the time comes because I don't think we're there yet.
Batman Returns
12:16
What's the story on Archer? He seems popular with his teammates, but his stuff is lacking. Maybe a crazy idea, but how about bringing AJ Burnett in to tutor him a bit? AJ had some tough stretches in his career, but Pittsburgh revitalized him. Perhaps Archer could learn from AJ. THOUGHTS?
Jason Mackey
12:17
I think that's a fantastic idea, but I see a couple issues there. One, I can't imagine Burnett would wanna do it. Sure he's loving retired life. Two, the issue with Archer is probably best solved by fewer voices. Seriously. Sit down with him and Searage (and maybe a couple others) and get to the basics of what he wants to do. Formulate a game plan from there. I think they're trying to make him something he's not.
Dan Mucy
12:18
Hi buddy!  Enjoyed you on the Fan!  I've been running this by you repeatedly...but time for a Fire Sale.  We need a group of young guys like we had all come up together-like in 1969.  Hebner.  Oliver.  Cash.  Robertson.   We have Reynolds and Bell...plus Diaz...Newman...maybe Hayes, Tucker.  Sacrifice 2019...trade anyone you can to get another 2 or 3 more guys ready to go...and rebuild the RIGHT way NOW!   This treading water year after year is SO DEPRESSING!   Young talent we could get excited about!   Great work, Jason, keep it up!  Dan
Jason Mackey
12:18
I don't disagree with you, Dan, and I think the important part here is to be all in -- don't do it halfway. Unfortunately I don't think the front office shares that opinion, and theirs is sorta the one that matters.
teke was awesome
12:18
Jacob Stallings really looks a lot like his old man, but is he really MLB material? I think most teams would have sent him back to the minors by now or at least traded him for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Later, Jason!
Jason Mackey
12:19
He really does. It's freaky. But I'm not one to talk. I think I look a lot like my dad, too. ... I'm not it matters what is typical for a catcher, right? The Pirates' circumstances dictate that they need Stallings, and he's been fine. Probably in another world, no, you'd have someone better. But I don't think he's been a problem by any stretch. Diaz is your long-term answer back there.
Will
12:19
Jason, looks like the Pirates are using the same failed coaching system on Mitch Keller that they used in 17-18 season to develop  Tyler Glasnow, i.e. too may pitches and runs per inning?  Does Ray Searage have the ability to turn top young prospects into high quality starters?
Jason Mackey
12:21
Do you think they're coaching Mitch Keller to throw a lot of pitches and give up a lot of runs? If they're doing that, they should really think about coming up with something different; I'm not sure that sort of plan is sustainable. ... Seriously, Will, it's been three starts. We've learned nothing here, other than the fact that it's been three starts. I'm not going to jump to any conclusions (although I would pay for a game that offered me the chance to do that, should someone ever invent one.)
Go for 7
12:21
Hi Jason, huge fan of your work. I hope you have the will and stamina to wade through the nonsense that is the Pirates front office in the coming years. My question: with several Major League teams seeming to buy into the Pirates plan of sacrificing payroll for a healthy bottom line, is there any chance that the players association will ask for structural changes to force teams to spend more of their income stream on the roster?
Jason Mackey
12:22
You bring up a great point -- and thank you for the kind words. I think, to a degree, they already have. It's not like the MLBPA has been OK with the lack of action from front offices in recent years. But players also aren't going to volunteer a system with a salary cap because, while they'd want the floor, they don't want the ceiling, and you can't just pick one. I think they're just sort of stuck with it at the moment, but I'm not going to shed too many tears for pro ballplayers. They make an OK living.
pirates 2020
12:22
Gator doesn't take any guff from anyone, but you have a softer approach to fans and the chat room. Your individual styles really show in your respective stories and I think the Yin - Yang quality of your partnership really works well for Buccos coverage. Do you two ever argue about stories or fight over a hot lead or a juicy scoop? I know that in a lot of newspaper-related movies there are two reporters who duke it out for stories and I'm guessing that might be true for you and Gator. Care to shed some light on how the two of you operate in conjunction with one another?
Jason Mackey
12:23
Gator and I usually settle our differences via steel-cage matches and folding chairs. If we're still at odds, then we'll occasionally talk things out and figure out the most prudent plan of attack.
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