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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 08.18.21
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TP Hunter
12:29
Who ultimately decides who comes up from the minors for the Sept. call-ups? Is that a BC call all the way, or is there group input?
Jason Mackey
12:30
There's group input, like a lot of things they do. Could see Marcano being up. Tucker and Chavis if you wanna call it that. I'm curious if they reward Cruz. He's back and looks tremendous. He intrigues me the most of anyone.
Matt from LA
12:30
Realistically, when can we expect competitive baseball from the Pirates again: Two years? Three years?
Jason Mackey
12:30
I think you will see this start to turn in 2023.
TP Hunter
12:30
Any chance the Pirates can begin their turnaround earlier than the projected '24 time frame? Seems like they have enough decent prospects at the 2A level to begin making an impact before then.
Jason Mackey
12:30
Same as before, I think 2023 is when you will start to see progress here.
Carl in Carrick
12:30
Hi Jason.  After getting off to a great start, Castro is struggling.  Do you see him staying with the Pirates for the remainder of the season or is it possible he will return to the minors?
Jason Mackey
12:31
Hey Carl. I think it's possible, if not likely, he will return to the minors. He looks overmatched to me. I'm fine with giving him more time to prove me and others wrong. But what I've seen lately ain't great.
Matt from LA
12:31
Although his defense is tremendous, considering his offense so far, were we wrong to put Hayes in the HOF before he finished his first, full season in the big leagues?
Jason Mackey
12:32
I think we were wrong to formulate any concrete opinions about a player with so few games under his belt. Hayes also isn't as bad as some are making him out to be. I know this is damn hard given the way baseball and our society works, but you just have to wait and see.
Justin
12:32
I've seen conflicting info on Tsutsugo's contract situation.  He was originally supposed to hit FA this offseason as part of his original deal with the Rays, but does him hitting FA and signing what's technically a new contract make him controllable thru arbitration for the next few years?   Picking him up only makes sense if he's controllable, but just making sure.
Jason Mackey
12:35
You bring up a good point. I believe it's up after this year, because of rules tied to the posting system, but let me look into this and get back to you.
Ryan
12:37
Good afternoon Jason what do you think about Braults game on Monday he looked pretty good let’s go Bucs
Jason Mackey
12:37
I agree, Ryan. His fastball had a lot of deception. Changeup was really, really good. Slider was sharp. Shows how good Brault can be when he's on. I came away really impressed.
TP Hunter
12:37
I guess the Pirates can't complain about the Tsutsugo signing so far. Seems like everyone that comes in gets hot for a couple of weeks and then flames out, though.
Jason Mackey
12:38
It's been two games. Yes, please let it play out.
Jim M
12:38
Jason,  Thanks again for the chats. Is there any reason to not bring up Michael Chavis soon other than roster space?
Jason Mackey
12:39
Hey Jim. I can't think of one, personally. Roster space shouldn't be an issue, either. I will say, if Castro is your move, it's not the dumbest thing to just let him finish this series. They're flying to St. Louis late tonight. It's an absurd travel day. Supposed to arrive at 6 a.m. Thursday morning. Just have Chavis meet the club there.
TP Hunter
12:39
Who are you looking forward to see come up in September?
Jason Mackey
12:40
Oneil Cruz, for one. If they do it. I wanna see what sorta out with Cole Tucker and Michael Chavis. Marcano intrigues me a lot. Also maybe giving a guy like Mason Martin a chance. Might be premature, though, given the strikeouts.
Garrett
12:40
Reynolds asking price would still be too high for the Marlins? Stallings would be the one to go there if anyone did?
Jason Mackey
12:40
Nobody is going to the damn Marlins. Or at least those two. I don't know what that tweet was about.
Wayward
12:40
It appears to me that the young position group guys in the minors are slightly ahead of the pitching prospects.  Do you think that is accurate and if so, does it alone set the competitive time line back?
Jason Mackey
12:41
I don't see that as a race. There's a lot of good pitching at the lower levels. There's also hitting in various spots. We're talking about guys who were acquired at different times, have different timelines, etc. Not sure how you compare the two. I would say they probably have more position player depth than pitching depth at the top, but that's different than people being further along.
TP Hunter
12:41
Where does Dodger Stadium rank among your favorite MLB stadiums?
Jason Mackey
12:44
Oooh, I like this. Top-five, for sure. Take PNC out because it gets me one more. Would say Dodger Stadium, Wrigley, Oracle, Nationals Park (sentimental value) and Busch Stadium are my favorite. Petco very close. Have not covered games at Baltimore and Fenway but have been as a fan. That could change if I went there for work.
Bill
12:44
Wehner owns a Chic-Fil-A? Didnt know that, do you know which one?
Jason Mackey
12:45
I just know it's in West Virginia.
Howard
12:45
Good afternoon, I enjoy your chats.  First and third base and the corner outfield positions are considered “power “ positions.  Can you tell me who made those determinations?  Is it just tradition?  I don’t understand why your power players can’t be at second or shortstop?  Thank you sir.
Jason Mackey
12:46
Hi Howard. Thank you for that. It's sort of tradition, and no, that doesn't mean that power hitters can't be at those spots. Pardon all the negatives. Look at Fernando Tatis Jr. Or even Corey Seager, though he's not a true POWER, power guy. I think it's just that, over time, you expect your best hitters to typically come from those spots. Up the middle, you might prioritize glove or speed.
Dennis Dixon
12:46
Jason- Aren't our big prospects so low in the minors that it will take several years to witness any positive impact from them?
Jason Mackey
12:47
They have really good prospects at the lower levels, yeah. But there's a lot of talent at Class AA Altoona, too. I saw '23 because I think those guys should be able to contribute with the MLB club by then, while you could also see a Greensboro trickle with Gonzales, Peguero, Priester, Davis, etc.
Garrett
12:47
Say a player like Bellinger or Yelich is available for cheap in FA do the Pirates go after them
Jason Mackey
12:48
Oh, yeah. The Pirates? Maybe they'll sign both! (I'm messing around. No, they don't go after them.)
Kyra
12:48
In relation to the previous question and your answer regarding Bob Walk, it seems he is always leaning over or is somewhat hunched over.  Is this the way he normally carries himself or perhaps a baseball injury?
Jason Mackey
12:49
I have not noticed what you're describing, but I don't think it's related to any sort of baseball injury, if his posture is that way at all.
ev
12:49
Hi Jason, thank you for these chats.  A reader commented on Derek Shelton's appearance last week (or prior).  If I were Shelton, my appearance and sanity would be equally disheveled!  This losing is hard to take
Jason Mackey
12:51
Yeah, I don't get that criticism of Shelton. The people levying that one should trying living the baseball life for a couple weeks. Trust me, I don't do half of what those guys do. And it's tremendously hard to get sleep, exercise, shower, be a functional human being/good spouse/parent/etc. I don't think he looks disheveled, No. 1. No. 2, he's a baseball guy, not a model.  (Sorry, Shelty. That ship sailed.)
Justin
12:51
what do you think would be preferred by the Front Office:  Tank to #1 overall pick again with Reynolds being the only player who looks any good, or play some decent ball with a handful of guys taking a step forward and get the #4 pick?
Jason Mackey
12:52
I think it depends on the guys taking a step forward and how big that step might be. Can you tell me that Mitch Keller turns out to be great, they get, say, Tucupita Marcano to become an every-day regular, and Michael Chavis rakes? I think you take door No. 2. But we have no way of knowing any of that.
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