JotCast | Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 07.28.21

Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 07.28.21

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Jason Mackey

1:56

I know for a fact there was no market for him. They tried to trade him and nothing.

Philinct

1:56

What is wrong with KBH? Lots of Ks, swinging at pitches out of the zone, little power. Trying to do too much or still counterpunching?

Jason Mackey

1:56

Recycling a bit here: He was hitting .305 with five doubles and a home run in his last 14 starts entering last night, .333 w/RISP this month and has played terrific defense. I'm not sure I would agree with the assertion that he has struggled a ton.

1:57

He's a young kid. There are ups and downs. He's striking out a little much, I'll agree there. There's also something to be said for developing consistency. He's trying to do that. It takes time.

George

1:57

Are the pirates just letting guys get a whole year of playing at their current levels since there was no minor league season last year. It seems like there are plenty of guys that should be been promoted to a higher level by now

Jason Mackey

1:58

No, they've made promotions. I think they're going to make more soon. I think you want to be sure the promotion sticks before you do it and you're not putting the guy in a bad spot.

1:58

Do you think the chances of a rumored Rodriguez to Philly trade go down after the problem yesterday?

Jason Mackey

1:58

Yeah, I don't think one automatically affects the other.

Mike

1:58

Hey Jason. Where do you think Mathew Frazier will slot into the pirates prospect lists at?

Jason Mackey

1:59

I would think Fraizer climbs in the top 20-30 range, somewhere in there. Maybe I'm undershooting it, but he should absolutely be on there.

Gus

1:59

Is Kevin Newman a place holder at this point or do you think the organization believes he’ll hit? The defense has been fine, but he’s done virtually nothing at the plate to earn that every day spot. Could Marcano challenge for that spot? Maybe Tucker when he’s healthy?

Jason Mackey

2:00

I'm not expecting anything out of Tucker. Possibly Marcano. Have to give him a chance first. And, yeah, I mean I think they think it could happen, but I also don't think they're expecting it at this point. He's their best option right now.

Guest

2:00

Looking out 2-3 years, who in the organization do you see as potential middle of the order bats for the Pirates? I'm guessing Hayes will fit better as a No. 2 hitter, so give us a couple of names for 3, 4 and 5 spots.

Jason Mackey

2:00

I hope Reynolds is here. Hayes. Mason Martin. Oneil Cruz. Rodolfo Castro. Maybe a Henry Davis, if he's here.

Pirate Fan in Yankee Land

2:00

Does Dee Strange-Gordon get called up soon or does PT go to developing infielders?

Jason Mackey

2:01

He's hitting .233 with a .715 OPS. Would prefer he do more than that before I promote him over my young guys that. I want to see.

Joel

2:01

Hi, Jason. Great job keeping up with all the insanity this week (so far). While I am impressed with the overall job that Cherington and his team are doing, I am concerned that the Bucs still don’t have anyone who projects to be a superstar along the lines of a Tatis, Jr., Sosa, or Guerrero, Jr. High bar I realize, but I don’t think you can win a championship without one or two future Hall of Famers. So for now the Bucs have impressive everything depth coming up through the system, but they still have a long way to go.

Jason Mackey

2:01

They can't win because they don't have a future Hall of Famer in their system? Joel, you're a tough one to please. They're doing just fine, man.

2027

2:01

Thanks, Jason for the chat. The Pirates seem to be rebuilding the farm very quickly with quantity. Of the farmlands, who, if any, should we be the most excited to see. Any Cutcg

Jason Mackey

2:02

There's a ton, frankly. Martin, Cruz, Castro, Marcano, Bae, Mitchell, Head, Priester, Mlodzinski, Gonzales, Fraizer. I'm just rattling off random names, but you get the point: There's stuff here to get excited about.

Gus

2:02

Nogowski has cooled off, as most expected he would. Is that still Moran’s every day spot when he comes back?

Jason Mackey

2:03

I think so, yeah. Will be curious to see if they try Nogo in the outfield. He's played there before. No need to allocate playing time to Polanco, if they don't trade him. Nogowski works at it every day.

Joel

2:03

Will we ever know in more detail what actually went down with the Phillies version of the Anderson trade? On paper I found their offer much better. And did the Bucs try to re-work the trade or just walk away?

Jason Mackey

2:04

i think we'll find out the Pirates end of it. I don't expect to learn what/who cause the failed physical. But, yeah, I'm sure Cherington will explain why the Pirates decided to move on and what they liked about Seattle better.

Phil in GA

2:04

Jason, what's your guess as to how many more players get traded by Friday afternoon? RichRod for sure. But have heard Stratton, Shreve and Kuhl's names out there as well.

Jason Mackey

2:04

I'm going three more. I think we're halfway done.

Austin

2:04

Not counting previous deals, if the O/U for Pirates trades before the deadline were set at 2.5 which would you take?

Jason Mackey

2:04

I would take the over on that.

Gus

2:04

Saw yesterday the pirates were interested in the Phillies young catcher in a possible RichRod deal. Any chance that means Jacob Stallings is possibly gaining interest?

Jason Mackey

2:05

There's plenty of interest in Stallings. That's not the issue. The issue is the Pirates needing someone to hold down the fort and play well behind the plate. Stallings gives them that. I think they want to keep him.

Sko

2:05

Any new news on the Rich Rod trade rumors?

Jason Mackey

2:05

Nothing yet. Would certainly do my best to report it if I knew something. But quiet so far.

Scott

2:05

Hi Jason. After the trades and draft who are the pirates top 12 prospects in your mind and in order?

Jason Mackey

2:06

I think Marcano is the only one who cracks their top 12. So, pick your service, and throw Marcano in the 6-8 range.

Joel

2:06

I realize that it’s hard to evaluate Shelton given the Pirates’ severe lack of major league talent, but all the more reason to use the limited resources well. Batting Newman leadoff, a guy with one of the worst OBP in the majors, does not speak well to Shelton’s understanding of how to win games. Literally every other position player in the Bucs’ current tattered lineup would be better in that role.

Jason Mackey

2:07

I disagree. Newman was actually decent in the leadoff role in 2019. If you're gonna get him back to that type of form, wouldn't you want to put him in the same spot? Had no issue with batting Newman leadoff. I don't want Nogowski there. Gamel's not a leadoff guy. Who are we arguing for, Polanco?

Justin

2:07

Has any team source tipped their hand to you as far as how they plan on handling the now-famous "rule 5 crunch"? Do you think us fans should plan on them just trying to get away with sneaking some good prospects through the rule 5? Should we plan on seeing a 3-1 deal for a MLB caliber player, or two? a combination of both?

Jason Mackey

2:08

There's no set strategy here, Justin. They're gonna have to make some tough decision. I'm sure they'd like to move some of the Rule 5 guys -- though not stupidly. They'll be able to sneak some because they're not alone. Have said this a bunch, but I think it's more fuss than is warranted.

Gus

2:08

Hi Jason. Should we be concerned about the frequency of Hayes’ strikeouts lately? It seems he’s been getting fooled a lot or looking for a certain pitch. Thanks.

Jason Mackey

2:09

He's a young player who hasn't even played a full season yet. He's going to strike out. Nothing he's doing or not going is concerning to me.

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