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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 08.18.23
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Jack
12:24
ALL of our pitching staff were rookies, save for a few.  Steve Blass stated it takes three years for a pitcher to learn to pitch in the bigs.  How can fans expect the staff to progress of Coach Marin is deposed, far too prematurely?
Jason Mackey
12:25
I'll never argue with Steve Blass's baseball knowledge. And I don't even think Oscar should be fired, though I wish they did some things differently. That said, if they did fire him and hire someone else, I don't think it would crush the development of the Pirates' young pitchers.
PrinceBob
12:25
What do you think the Pirates will do about pitching, especially starting pitching,in the off season? If they're supposed to contend next year I just can't see how they can given what I've seen from the current crew. Yes, they all have potential and maybe it will be realized in the off season but that's really just a hope right now. I can only think they can contend next year if they get at least two and probably three established starters. Or do you see this more optimistically?
Jason Mackey
12:26
I think some of it's TBD. You have Mitch and Oviedo. What becomes of Ortiz and Ro? How close does Jones get? Solometo? You have Vince (if they re-sign him), Burrows and Brubaker back from injury midseason. Skenes isn't far off. I'd like to see them sign another stable guy, a No. 3-type, but I would argue that it's not all terrible. Just a bunch of question marks right now.
Ed
12:26
Why don’t we ever see attendance numbers?
Jason Mackey
12:27
I don't know what you mean, Ed. They're right here. They're also included in every box score we run.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/attendance
Aaron
12:27
Is the podcast with you and Fort done? I always looked forward to every episode. So insightful and learned a lot from Fort. I know things might be hectic right now but maybe dive back into it in the offseason?
Jason Mackey
12:28
I'm gonna say something in a more formal setting soon, but it's coming back. Better than ever, too. Believe our first return episode will be Monday. Really excited about what's happening here, and I think you will be as well.
DJ
12:28
Hi Jason, I’m sure you’ll get versions of this one a lot, but which yet-to-appear rookies would you guess or expect we might see? In particular I am wondering about Jared Jones — he doesn’t need to be added to the 40/protected from rule 5 this winter, so maybe we wait, but he also seems like he still has a good amount of innings (based on how many he threw last year) remaining and Lord knows we need him, and it could be good to challenge him and get a sense where he might fit in next year. Any rumblings we might see him?
Jason Mackey
12:30
Yeah, he's one of the names I hear consistently. I think it's a possibility. They're gonna need arms. He's been kind of up-and-down at Triple-A. Strikeouts, yes. But also been hit hard at times. If he improves quickly, yeah, as we've talked about, MLB team needs innings. Wouldn't be a surprise if he got a start or two up here.
Art
12:30
Hey Jason, to piggyback off what Ethan said, I think there are some fans who are already worried Marin and the pitching staff could screw up Skenes given the struggles and the pattern we’ve seen of the velocity of the young guys coming up. Should we be concerned or is overreaction?
Jason Mackey
12:31
I think it's an overreaction. That would be a hell of a move for them to go up to Skenes, if he's blowing peoples' doors off, and saying, "Hey, we wanna have you change some things mechanically." I don't see that happening.
Ethan
12:32
If you were being pressed REALLY hard for a name, who would you bet is the starting 1B on Opening Day 2024?
Jason Mackey
12:32
At this point, it honestly wouldn't surprise me if they brought Santana back.
Johnny M
12:32
Hi Jason. How was your San Diego trip recently to you personally? Last time I was on here you were eagerly awaiting to do the beat out there finally.
Jason Mackey
12:33
Fantastic! And thank you for asking. You can't go wrong in San Diego. Constant fish tacos, great runs, weather is amazing, ballpark is close. Loved every minute of it, including the train from Anaheim to SD.
PrinceBob
12:33
With the Yankees now in last in the AL East I believe the standings are a perfect inversion to team payrolls unless Baltimore's is higher than Tampa's, which I'm pretty sure is not the case. So I suppose there's hope.
Jason Mackey
12:33
People take this comment as me defending Nutting or something, but the Pirates don't have to spend a ton to win. They need to draft, develop and do the other stuff well -- basically be smart.
Phillip
12:34
Who would be the biggest Alpha Male on the team at the moment in ur opinion? Who are you taking into war with you
Jason Mackey
12:35
Do we have to go to war? I also don't know about Alpha Male. Maybe Henry? Endy? Cutch? Reynolds? There are leaders in that clubhouse, but different types of them. Not sure any of them are John Rambo, nor do they need to be.
Cullen B
12:35
Fair point in regards to signing Skenes long term this early. Maybe they will revisit it after his minimum years and we have some data on him? If he turns out to be the pitcher we hope, he may price himself out of Pittsburgh pretty quickly. Id hope that they would make a good faith attempt to sign him long term in the future...
Jason Mackey
12:35
Yeah, they might. Maybe that makes sense. But I don't feel any urgency to do it now.
Rickie D
12:35
It seems to me bullpen talent is fairly equal across MLB. The difference between team bullpens seem to be how much they have to pitch (starter innings) and how well they are used by the manager. Do you think bullpen management is the most important manager job in the current DH era? And, what grade would you give Shelton for this important part of his job?
Jason Mackey
12:36
I don't think it's the most important job, No. 1. And, I don't know, maybe a B-? I like being OK with Holderman > Bednar in the later innings. He's smart with matchups, but I think sometimes he gets a little too obsessed with them. Also think he doesn't let starters go long enough.
Ed
12:37
Why don’t we ever see attendance numbers for the season?
Jason Mackey
12:37
We print them every day. I don't understand what we're not doing here.
Yuri
12:37
Hello Jason.  Do you see Malcom Nunez making the major league roster within the next 2-3 years?  Thank you Jason.
Jason Mackey
12:38
I think it's possible. If he hits, I think they would give him a shot this year. Need to find out what you have. But he needs to produce more than he has in Triple-A to make that happen.
Mark
12:38
Who are the top leaders in the clubhouse?
Jason Mackey
12:38
Endy is someone the young guys gravitate toward. Cutch obviously has a certain aura or whatever you wanna call it about him. Keller for some of the pitchers. Bednar in the bullpen. They could honestly use more. No Hill and Santana has been noticeable.
Scott Sauerbeck Fan Club
12:39
Tsung Che-Cheng has had a nice year between Altoona and Greensboro. I noticed that he's played exclusively in the infield. Could a switch to the outfield be a possibility? I'm cautiously optimistic about Cruz at SS and Peguero at 2B. And Hayes is obviously the 3B. We don't see many first basemen under 5'8", so it would seem CF would make some sense if he continues to hit.
Jason Mackey
12:39
Yeah, it could. And I think he has played out there, if I'm not mistaken. There's still plenty of time, though.
Scott Sauerbeck Fan Club
12:39
This is the least important or intelligent question that the hardest working beat writer in MLB is going to get this chat. Why can't the Pirates on Hall of Fame weekend wear throwbacks to coincide with the players getting inducted? For example, next weekend, one night they wear 1960 throwbacks for Grote, Face and Friend. And then the other night they wear 1979 throwbacks (preferably the black pillbox cap, pinstripe jerseys and pants, and black sox) for Tekulve.
Jason Mackey
12:40
I don't know about any of that mess. Ha. But I do agree with your idea. I would love to see them wear jerseys of those eras to honor said players. I will suggest it to some people in the organization. I don't know what, if anything, would preclude them from doing it. Or if they've considered it.
Canyon
12:40
Thoughts on 4 NL central teams being in the top 5 farm systems on MLB pipeline
Jason Mackey
12:41
Central is gonna be a tough place to play in a couple years. ... I also like how some other teams have conducted themselves.
Puddin tane
12:41
With so many starters regressing and losing velocity on thier fastball do you think its something with the development team or pitching coach?
Jason Mackey
12:42
It's never one person. Have covered this a bunch. But I think it's the Pirates trying to be a little too hands-on with some stuff. I think it comes from a good place. They're trying to help and prevent injuries. I just think they're flirting with what got the last group in trouble: trying to make everyone the same.
Puddin tane
12:42
Do you think Oscar Marin should be replaced this off season?
Jason Mackey
12:42
Doesn't matter if I think they should or not. I don't think they will.
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