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Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 09.09.20
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Jason Mackey
11:37
Hello, everyone, and welcome to my weekly Pirates chat. Thanks for stopping by. We'll get going at noon, but you can leave your questions now.
11:59
And away we go ... with a little Rockin' the Rhein playing in the background.
jake
11:59
When is the great Neverauskaus experiment going to end/ Coud be the worst pitcher of all time?
Jason Mackey
12:00
Worst pitcher of all-time? I think that may be a little strong, Jake. But I agree with you: It's frustrating to watch, and I don't think there's anything there. I think the Pirates should get credit for making something out of Hartlieb, Howard, Turley, etc. They've found some pieces in the bullpen. But to trot out Dovy and keep Cederlind in Altoona, I don't understand that one.
nivek morris
12:00
Do you have any idea what's going on with Bryan Reynolds? He seemed to have one of the purest swings I've ever seen, but .185 with .331 slugging is scary bad for a fourth of the way through a typical season.
Jason Mackey
12:02
Couple things with Reynolds. One, what he didn't last year wasn't sustainable; he had a BABIP of .387. That's really high and not sustainable. Two, teams are also shifting him more when he's batting left-handed. That has contributed to some outs. Three, he's human. His wife has been pregnant. There's COVID. No making excuses, but I'm sure that was wearing on him. Then you add in a sophomore slump, knowing you're going through it and trying to dig yourself out. Again, they get paid quite well, and nobody is making excuses here. But these guys are still human beings.
Matt from LA
12:02
Is today's celebration/recognition of Roberto Clemente, especially in allowing players to wear his number, the first step in making number 21 retired throughout baseball like Jackie Robinson's number 42?
Jason Mackey
12:03
I think it should be. But that's just me. I know Ron Cook wrote today that he kinda likes No. 42 being the only retired number. I get hat argument, too.
Bill
12:03
Hi Jason-- With the season wrapping up in a few weeks two moves I'd like to see are Neverauskas DFA with Cederlind recalled and Riddle DFA with Will Craig recalled. I don't expect Craig to be a star but he's a former first rounder pick, plays strong defense at 1b (passable in RF i'm guessing), and could supply some power. Like to see him take the Osuna role over. What are your thoughts?
Jason Mackey
12:04
Exactly yours. I see no reason in the world to continue to play Riddle or allow Neverauskas to pitch. As we've seen with Hayes, the Pirates actually have some future pieces that are intriguing. Let's see 'em. I would expand this to include Oliva and Cruz, although I understand that, as of now, rosters haven't expanded. So, you don't wanna do anything stupid business-wise because you wanna see Oneil Cruz get a dozen at-bats.
Guest
12:04
So what is the thinking behind Shelton pulling the starting pitcher out with a one hitter after 4 innings ? I’ve watched him do it a handful of times and instantly give up the lead !
Jason Mackey
12:06
Last night it was because Musgrove is still working his way back from injury (right triceps). Basically in normal times, guys can go to the minors and make rehab starts. They can't do that now because there are no minors. This functions as that. With Kuhl, the other recent quick hook, Shelton said they wanted to be careful with Kuhl's workload coming off TJ. I get that. I don't like it, but I get it. If you think about the Pirates' prospects, what makes more sense to them: To have Kuhl healthy and productive in two years, when they might be good, or run him until the wheels fall off like Mike Tomlin might say when they're 13 games under .500 or whatever it is?
Rich
12:06
Derek Shelton is Clint hurdle 2.0 when it comes to overmanaging his pitching staff. I can’t believe these pitchers like being pulled out of a shutout. Is there any science supporting “ saving” their arms ?
Jason Mackey
12:08
I don't know if there is or not. I'm not a doctor, and I'm not trying to defend his decisions good or bad. My first reaction to your comment is amazement that we somehow have the book on a guy after 40 games. We don't. ... I agree, he takes pitchers out early. There are also way different circumstances at play. See my answer above about Musgrove and Kuhl.
Bill
12:08
Do you think GMBC will start to mold the 40 man roster into his vision this winter? I'm thinking there could be a lot of turnover and guys like Feliz, Holmes, Kramer, J. Martin, Frazier, etc could either be traded or non-tendered. first year was an evaluation period but now Ben begin to bring his guys in.
Jason Mackey
12:09
His guys? Who are his guys? I think Ben started to mold the 40-man last offseason and will do it again this winter. But I don't know what you mean by bringing in "his guys." Not like the Pirates have a bunch of Cherington disciples they're gonna sign. They're gonna try to develop what they have and acquire more talent from the draft, via trades, international, etc. I think until they have guys pushing those you mentioned out of spots, they'll stay. If you can trade 'em for something, do that. But you're not gonna see Ben just lopping people off the 40-man because he has these mythical baseball figures he's been hiding under a pillo.
pillow*
Ricky
12:09
Where is Cederlind? I can’t believe they don’t think he’s better than some of these relievers
Jason Mackey
12:10
Fair question. Their bullpen has actually been decent lately. Something like the third-lowest ERA in baseball over the past 20 games. But, yeah, Cederlind should be here. I don't understand why he's not. I'll ask Shelton about it today.
Pirates
12:10
When do you except Cruz and Gonzales up? Will either be in next year opening day lineup
Jason Mackey
12:11
Not opening day lineup. I think that's too soon. I would think maybe middle of next season best-case scenario? I'm curious to ask Ben and hear how close they think Gonzales is. I have not seen him. When I saw Cruz in spring training, while he has all kinds of physical tools and gifts, he's not ready. A late-season promotion would be merely to hit and maybe send him into the offseason feeling good. But I haven't seen him this season, so I'm curious what his development has looked like.
Pirates
12:11
Thoughts on Hayes so far
Jason Mackey
12:12
Tremendous. Speed has surprised me. He's one of the smoothest-fielding third basemen I've ever seen. Throws are hard, accurate, on a line. Sneaky amount of power. Could not be more impressed. I wanna see him playin every day, but I think they got a really good one here.
Ricky
12:12
What will be the highest pay the pirates give to a free agent this year? Over under 4 million
Jason Mackey
12:13
I would go under. Until Cherington does more development and talent acquisition, I don't think it's their MO to throw money after FA. Now, when other processes are corrected, that's when I think it will get interesting.
Boi
12:13
How do you except trades this off season
Jason Mackey
12:14
Umm ... I think they could revisit one with Frazier. Also, guys like Williams and Musgrove, maybe that conversation happens again. I'd keep Gonzalez, although I suppose I would listen on an offer. I'm not sure I see anyone who's terribly tradable at this point. Maybe Rich Rod.
Danny
12:14
Why do I continue to watch Dovy pitch when Blake Cederlind (or even Gustave) are waiting at Altoona?
Jason Mackey
12:15
I don't know, honestly. They like Dovy, to be fair. (Not defending it. Just answering your question.) But I don't get it. Give the reps to those two guys. I'd be fine with that. At least you're working toward something. I like the sound of Gustave, too. He's supposed to have some really good stuff. Has just never been able to put it all together.
Danny
12:16
I think Shelton’s in game decision making has been much better as the team has had more success. I guess it helps when the bullpen is pitching very well but what are your thoughts on Shelton as the season has passed the 2/3 mark?
Jason Mackey
12:17
Still TBD for the reasons you've said. It's amazing how much smarter a manager looks when his players perform, huh? I just can't judge the guy on that stuff based on now. And also, sure, he's made some head-scratchers, but it's his first managerial job, too. I think a lot of people -- me included -- lost sight of that when things were really bad. But I like him a lot as a person. I think the players do, too. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the final 20 games here.
Matt from LA
12:17
Is there anything worse that having two, gorgeous, weekend weather days in a row ( a true rarity in The Burgh) like we had this past Saturday and Sunday and having no one in the stands to watch the Bucs?
Jason Mackey
12:18
I've thought about that a lot this season. Just an unbelievable summer with weather. During a time where we can't all enjoy it together. Stinks.
Jim M
12:18
Jason. After watching Ke’Bryan Hayes it’s not a stretch to think he was held down because of service time and super 2 arbitration issues. He had been clear of COVID for a while.   I’m tired of criticizing the Pirates for that. It’s the system they have to work within.  Do you think there’s any chance the players union will fight for changing the 6 year service/super 2 arbitration in ‘21? It would be nice if there was an incentive to just simply put the best players on the major league roster.
Danny
12:20
Any chance you see the Pirates exploring brining back Kela this offseason so he can try and rebuild his value coming off of two injury-plagued seasons?
Jason Mackey
12:22
This is a good one. First blush and if I had to pick one: no. But, I've been thinking more about this: maybe. And here's why: The Pirates clearly had nothing available for Kela. If they had, it makes no sense to turn it down. Even international bonus pool $$$ would've given them something. So you take it. If that continues, if no one wants Kela for whatever reason, I suppose they could. I think they would know him better than most and thus might be willing to assume the risk on a prove-it deal; the benefit is they could get someone on the cheap who clearly has ability and might be highly motivated. I don't think Kela is terribly keen on returning, though.
Matt from LA
12:22
Dumb question/request: Will they ever get rid of that Pirate Charities sign in right field that detracts from the original design, structure and beauty of the stadium? It was put up for the all-star game signage and then replaced by the current sign.
Jason Mackey
12:25
I don't understand the uproar there. Pirates Charities exists. It's a real thing. PNC Park is a beautiful ballpark. We're really gonna say that one sign detracts from that? C'mon. The Pirates do plenty of stuff that's dumb and warrants criticism. They should spend more money. But I'm not gonna flip out over them putting a sign celebrating their charity work in the outfield. I'd rather be happy that hopefully some peoples' lives are made better because of what they do. I think I'm still capable of enjoying PNC Park.
Fred
12:25
1) How would you access the impact jarrod Dyson had in the locker room and community? It’s a shame one of the only veteran leaders was traded away.

2) Any chance they bring him back in the offseason?
Jason Mackey
12:27
  1. Impact in the community? Nil. And that's not his fault. He was here for 5 minutes, and ... COVID. Teammate-wise, he was very popular. He's a funny, goofy dude. I liked what he did with Cole Tucker, too. I think Dyson was big for Tucker's development. i think he was a good veteran overall during his time here: did things the right way, solid attitude, etc.
  2. None whatsoever. They have Tucker, Martin, Oliva, etc. Time to turn the page there.
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