100 Comments

Dammit guys, this season matters not. Tankathon.

Expand full comment

Def wasn’t expecting that score.

Expand full comment

raise it!

Expand full comment

Booyah!!!! #63 in the books. Solid start by Luis and can take the series with Mitchie the Kid on the bump! Raise it!!!!!!!

Expand full comment

🏴‍☠️X63

Expand full comment

What a battle Chapman vs Ramirez! Raise it.

Expand full comment

A win with a save. Almost forgot what that was like.

Expand full comment

We got as many saves tonight as the White Sox got all of August.

Expand full comment

Ortiz is having a real good year. 3.19 era and a whip @ 1.10. Great stats. I know everyone is about “ how many K’s a pitcher has but…….Plus he is cheap for another year or 2

Expand full comment

Santana has really improved his walk rate since joining the Pirates. Who would have guessed he would have made it into the circle of trust.

Expand full comment

He draws a lot of bad swings. Definitely been a guy that’s outperformed expectations. I know I’m less terrified when he’s in a close game than most of our pen.

Expand full comment

Sounds like old friend Frankie Liriano.

Expand full comment

COT: Santana and Chapman

Expand full comment

I know the a pirates never do this but I’d seriously try to resign Tellez

Expand full comment

Why?

Expand full comment

Can't pass up that -0.2 fWAR, eh?

Expand full comment

Yeah people seem to forget the first two months of the season.

Expand full comment

Editing that out of his season would be a Cherington-level blunder. He’s had huge ups and downs but, sure enough, his whole season is almost exactly what he’s done for his career. His full-season #s, April and May included, are the real Rowdy: a below average 1B.

Expand full comment

This has not been a good year for 1b overall. Other than Vlad, Harper and Freeman, there isn't anyone having a really good year. Walker would be the budget choice as he's only making $10.6 this year, but at 33 on probably his last multi=year contract, how much does he want and for how long?

There was a point where I thought Goldie might sign for cheap and be a good bounceback candidate, but he's gotten significantly better lately.

Yeah, Rowdy is average at best, but there's not a ton of difference between him and the next 10 guys in front of him in fWAR.

Expand full comment

Goldie is a retirement candidate. His OPS + is 94 and he turns 37 soon. He could bounce back some, but I would not make that bet.

Expand full comment

No, Rowdy’s not average. Replacement level isn’t average and he’s at 0.1 WAR for his career. Among 21 1B this year with 300+ PAs, he’s 19th in WAR and wRC+.

Expand full comment

I liked the comment but now i wonder do your stats mean he's the 19th best 1bman in the league? Seems decent for the pirates. I mean i know I'm just saying

Expand full comment

Rowdy's real bad. Do not want.

Expand full comment

No, he's 19th out of 21 with 300+ PAs. If you make it 200 PAs, he's 34th out of 45.

Expand full comment

Ben should have had a year 2 option. I don't know if they have a contracts expert on staff /s.

Expand full comment

Over the whole year he really hasn't been very good. They can do better, but it will cost them.

Expand full comment

With that pinch hit, he's now right on the cusp of average with a 99 wRC+

Expand full comment

They can do better but their approach likely won’t. I’d bet on Tellez not having a .150 first two months vs trying someone new at bargain basement price

Expand full comment

He shouldn't be that bad again, but his OPS for his career is 100 pts more in 2nd half (.799 to .699). He'd get a raise over the $3.2 mill he's making this year. Santana will require at least twice as much salary to come back. I think Davis should be primed to become the RH 1b platoon partner.

Expand full comment

I had high hopes for Davis but as of now I can’t see him on the ML roster

Expand full comment

nothing wrong with keeping him as a backup catcher

Expand full comment

I tend to agree. He's still young (30) next year. No one can have that bad 2 months a second time.

Expand full comment

rowdy up to .720 ops

Expand full comment

Well thankfully made the change there

Expand full comment

could you imaging if he went up the middle more often?

Expand full comment

i think that ball went through him loony toons style

Expand full comment

Why do posters hate on or dismiss Ortiz? This is another quality start. I don't get it.

Expand full comment

I haven't noticed hate towards Ortiz. Some feel he's better out of the bullpen. I personally like him as a starter until someone shows they are better in that role than him.

That's not saying there isn't, I just haven't noticed it.

Expand full comment

Yea, it’s not hate. I just think he’d be more effective out of the pen as a multi inning guy. I think that’s a better path for Ortiz.

Expand full comment

The only starter the Pirates have who has pitched better this year is Skenes. Ortiz makes Keller expendable.

Expand full comment

With Chandler and Harrington on deck, I pains me to say that Ortiz and Jones are your expendables, if you are attempting to get some bats. I don’t think Falter has the trade value to be considered expendable for the purpose of this exercise.

Expand full comment

Why? Review our minor league system. It's a horror show with respect to hitters. There are pitching prospects down there, but how many would the Pirates need to trade to pick up a hitter worth a starting spot?

Expand full comment

Shop Ortiz or Jones. Not Keller.

Expand full comment

I wouldn't say expendable, other than Skenes there shouldn't be anyone that isn't tradeable for the right return. Saying that I could see shopping Ortiz but some other team would have to make the first contact on Keller or Jones.

Expand full comment

Again with your Keller nonsense.

Expand full comment

What?!?! Is this a joke?

Expand full comment

That’s a crazy take… The pirates are allowed to have multiple good starting pitchers in the rotation. That’s a requirement to have winning baseball… I get that it’s the Pirates, but still…

Expand full comment

Trade Keller forbhitting.

Expand full comment

I don't. I love the guy. At one point he was using a four-pitch mix almost equally. Maybe he still is. Dude is still young.

Expand full comment

Thanks for the TOOTBLAN Naylor!

Expand full comment

So mystified why Davis isn’t hitting at this level. I don’t get to watch the games, but when I first saw him last year it seemed obvious he was going to hit 20-25 homers, bat a tough .250 and control the strike zone….hasn't materialized….

Expand full comment

I just feel like if he can string together a few good games, he'll be set.

Expand full comment