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Jason Mackey's sports chat: 08.19.22
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Guest
12:50
I know it's been beaten to death again & again about Van Meter still being on the team but has anyone actually asked Shelton or the GM specifically about it?  I assume you'd get a generic "we're continuously evaluating all of our players to give us the best opportunity to win...blah blah blah" reply but just wondered if they had been asked about him.  Wouldn't a sincere answer from them be appreciated? Maybe take them out, buy them a few drinks & see if they'll loosen up about how VM is someone's cousin or has dirt on them.
Jason Mackey
12:51
He's been asked multiple times, yes. Usually leads to talk about VanMeter being a pro, relationships with teammates, etc. I will ask Cherington later today, though, as he's talking and there's an element of him being on the roster that could be above Shelton.
Bill
12:52
Now that he's healthy, how long until Bae comes up and gets a shot? Having a guy who can play SS/2B/CF with plus speed and good hitting ability seems valuable
Jason Mackey
12:52
I think you need to see him healthy and productive for a little bit. I can't put a number on it. But gotta let him get back and established, right?
Bill
12:52
Jason, when the Pirates acquired Johan Oviedo he was putting up good numbers in the Cards bullpen. Pirates immediately sent him to AAA to work as a starter but he's only pitching two innings at a time. Wouldn't he be better served working at the MLB level?
Jason Mackey
12:53
I'm not around him every day, so I'm not sure I should be second-guessing how a guy is best developed. But if you're gonna, say, work through a piece of music. Isn't it best to drill down into specific parts and work on stuff before putting on a concert? I think that's what they're going for.
Joel
12:53
So, Jason, now that we know that the Pirates haven’t reached the Orioles stage of the rebuild, what’s your three-point plan for the off season? They can’t get away with doing nothing, but what makes sense?
Jason Mackey
12:54
They need pitching, for sure. Need to make several FA adds there. Probably first-base, too. You also have to do something coaching staff-wise to change the process. You can't just run the same group back. But spending money on players would be my easy No. 1.
Bill
12:54
Swaggerty playing really solid baseball at Indy it seems. Does he get a second chance?
Jason Mackey
12:55
Yeah, doing well. I think you'll see him before long. Probably later this month or, worse case, for September.
Jeff H.
12:55
You may have already covered this topic, and if you have, I apologize for the duplication of effort.  CBS Sports has ranked the top 3 rebuilds going on in MLB, and also the bottom 3.  The top 3 are Arizona, Cincinnati, and Pittsburgh.  The bottom 3 are Kansas City, Oakland, and Detroit.  Should we put much credence in what the national writers are saying?  I don't know how much research they do for these kinds of articles, but I guess it's encouraging the Pirates are ranked near the top.
Jason Mackey
12:56
I wouldn't personally. These same writers called David Bednar a virtual lock to go at the deadline and all that nonsense. My guess would be it's something putting something out there for the same of having something to talk about. Unless they're explaining actual criteria methodology behind the evaluation, in which case I would take it a little more seriously.
Cullen
12:57
in my opinion Pirates fans need to chill on calling the rebuild a failure this early, just look at the O's last year in their 3rd year (where we are currently) vs this year. There are some legitimate grips on Cherington's roster construction, Roansy's treatment, etc but we really shouldnt criticize the rebuild until at least 2023-24. It was always going to be a long rebuild based on the state of our farm in 2019. What do you think, Jason?
Jason Mackey
12:58
I agree with you 100%. We knew this year was gonna suck. Now, that's not to say everyone should accept it. But there are few full-scale rebuilds that are executed under three years. Shoot, we've talked a lot about the Astros and what they did with the draft. Well, their rebuild took three years. This, sadly, is part of the tank job. Joe Starkey did a great job of outlining this yesterday: https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/joe-starkey/2022/08/18/pittsburgh-...
Matt
12:59
Shelton claimed his job is safe. If not Shelton, someone has to take some of the blame for poor ML performance. Andy Haines? Any coach in the league can coach the team to a .220 AVG.
Jason Mackey
1:00
Agree with you that someone has to take some blame. As I said earlier, I don't know how you suffer through a third straight 100-loss-pace season and bring everyone back. You just can't.
Joel
1:00
Jason, Pirate hitters in the minors are comically bad at controlling the strike zone, with game to game team walk to strikeout ratios of one to 12, zero to 15, etc. Prospects like Head and Siani have shown no progress in this regard. Is this fundamentally a teaching issue or a scouting issue? If it’s not corrected the Pirates will continue to be the worst offensive team in the majors.
Jason Mackey
1:01
Couple things. One, it's a baseball issue. The Pirates are hardly the only team suffering this fate. Secondly, I would say it's probably a combination of both. You take guys with high-and-miss and maybe they don't develop how you thought they would. That's player development. Or maybe you take a guy thinking he had better bat-to-ball skills than he has. That's scouting. Impossible to suss out for everyone whose fault it is.
The Man Mulcahey
1:02
Jason, how bad was the regression of the Pirates top prospects this season, 1 to 10, where 10 is dumpster conflagration? Gracias.
Jason Mackey
1:02
I don't consider it a regression. Most were hurt. Incomplete or stalled more than anything. I'd go 3-4 on your requested scale but no higher.
Jordan
1:02
What is it going to take to get JVM the heck out of here and when are guys like Jack, Travis, Ji-Hwan coming up! Send down Bligh and bring up Jack or Travis!
Jason Mackey
1:02
JVM -- drink!
Marc from Germany
1:03
Oh, boy! Does he look that lost?
Jason Mackey
1:03
Certainly doesn't look good enough to where I feel super comfortable with him playing 80% of snaps or anything like that.
Matthew
1:03
Do you see Priester getting the Ro treatment, getting a start here in September or probably not because of his lack of starts?
Jason Mackey
1:03
Nah, I think they'll probably pass on that because of his injury. He has not yet pitched at Triple-A.
Steve
1:04
Do the Pirates regret the Ke'bryan Hayes contract with his offensive struggles continuing this season?
Jason Mackey
1:04
Not at all. It's one year of a long contract. There's a long time for him to improve, and I think he will.
Bill Peduto's beard
1:05
J - Mac, likely the Bucs add an arm and a bat this winter and not trade them in July next year if they are having a decent year ? What's the win total for '23, 70 ?
Jason Mackey
1:06
At least one arm. I would hope multiple. If they're not flirting with .500 next year, we have a problem. Damn well better be higher than 70.
Guest
1:06
i think cruz is going to be a total bust, can't hit, fielding pop ups are a chore and his throws to first base are pretty wild, whats you say!!!!
Jason Mackey
1:06
I don't think we can make determinations on what anyone will be after 50 games. I actually think Cruz is gonna be fine.
Dave
1:07
Both Contreras' fastball and his curveball have lost inches of movement between 2021 and 2022. I won't totally disagree with you that it's not easy to change development with players who were here under the old regime, but what gets glossed over in that is that almost none of the scouting staff has changed. It also ignores that Contreras, Suwinski, and many others were never there under the old group. Other top prospects can't stay on the field. It's a mess, and if their plan is to wait for their own fully developed team to hit MLB, then 1) it will never happen (it never has--the praised rebuilds like Houston and Chicago both spent lavishly to actually win), and 2) Reynolds should have been traded last summer. I could get on board if we were aiming to be like Milwaukee, but based on the actions, it seems like the goal is to keep the payroll as low as possible in perpetuity. They'll never win with a 40-50M payroll.
Jason Mackey
1:08
Thanks, Dave. You're certainly allowed to feel however you wish. Would point out that their scouting staff, the one you're criticizing, also drafted some damn good players. They just couldn't develop or keep 'em.
Bug
1:08
Jason, what has gotten into KN's bat as of late? And he predicted it? Other worldly intervention? He actually looks like a first round pick at times. Who would of thunk it?
Jason Mackey
1:09
Newman has been better. I think it's a combination of confidence and his improved mechanics. That said, I don't know if I would say he "looks like a first-round pick at times" or has been some sort of revelation. Still see him as a light-hitting, glove-first middle infielder. Nothing wrong with that, mind you, but he's not gonna win the Silver Slugger or anything.
Guest
1:09
I heard that 2/3 of hockey teams are over the cap.  When the trade musical chairs stop and a team couldn't trade some players and they are over the cap to start the season, what happens?
Jason Mackey
1:10
It doesn't. I mean, I'm sure there's some type of penalty, but there's a date by which you must be compliant, and teams are. Not that hard.
pauljr13
1:10
Hi Jason, what are your thought on LIV golf?
Jason Mackey
1:11
I absolutely hate it. They weren't making enough before? Please. I won't watch it. And I actually do like golf. Wish I played/watched more than I do. But that's a bunch of garbage in my opinion.
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