I'm goin' man. Row three right behind the right handed hitter's batter's box.
I will file a complete report! I don't know a splitter from a sweeper or cutter sometimes, but this is a guy I think can be part of the answer in Pitchburgh pretty soon once he builds up a few innings.
OH AND BY THE WAY... The Curve will become The Pesces Dorados for five games this year and... In Toon-Town, I gotta believe I had something to do with this. I'm a big fan of the local Mexican restaurant, Plaza Azteca. And I was talking to el jefe there, Ramon, and I told him he should sell the frozen margaritas (which are amazing... just don't drink two of them) at the curve for $20 each in plastic goblets and if a baseball fan turns their goblet in at the restaurant later, they will give you a margarita for FREE!
Plus, I told Ramon that many latino players are coming through Altoona and wouldn't it be nice if they had some kind of tie to home after working so hard to get to AA? Almost the entire staff at Azteca are native Spanish speakers from all over Central America. Good people, hard working and kind. Heck, they even help me work on my language skills...
AAAAANNNDD, my band, StoneMan, will be playing there on Tres de Mayo on a Friday night...
So anyway, a few weeks ago, Ramon told me he'd gone down in the offseason to visit the Curve as I'd suggested and they were going to do something.... Turns out, they're gonna do this Copa de la Diversion thing with a number of other minor league teams... Great move! Here's a story from the Altoona Mirror about it...
Very cool. Instead of going to a Curve game, I'll be going to a Pesces Dorados (Goldfish) game.
And ... honestly? I think I had something to do with it... Or maybe Ramon and the Azteca crew just neatly fit into the Curve's plans. But having a top Mexican restaurant in Toon-Town with a great baseball team with a lot of latino culture is a natural fit. I'm pretty jazzed. Gonna get me a Goldfish jersey, man!
you got a song called "Sleeper Cell"? I'm listening to that now... great stuff man! I'm'a turn all my rock n roll friends from Altoona on to it... See if I can raise you a following up here.
I have a song on our first record I wrote after the Parkland shooting. I wonder if it would be taken wrong, but it is very cheery yet dark if you actually listen to it. I wrote it in minutes after I saw the news and I was just hopeless that anything would ever change... I thought the news was dissonant with the name of the town and I imagined the entire country as a bloody carnival called Parkland!...
Did it as a country rock song for irony. The cognitive dissonance, I'd say, matches that of the country. Sort of like the English playing chamber music during the Boer War.
Most ppl who listen to it like it around here, but I'm sure they're not getting the point.
This is our first record... called StoneMan: "Heartbreaks" and we're on all platforms. Our second record "Promises" is coming out this spring. Eventually I'm'a do a double vinyl but that's costly.
If any of you guys would like an old fashioned CD, I'd be happy to send one along if you drop me a note with your address.
The pitching from the rotation to the pen has been lights out. Something like 6 consecutive QS's. Hopefully Keller's performance quelled some of the anxiety in these rooms. Might get a little awkward with Davis and Bart as Davis certainly looks like he needs quite a bit of time in the minors.
Possibly no better person for Davis to learn from than a kid like Joey Bart, 2018 No. 2 pick in the First Round by the Giants after an All Star career in College at Georgia. Everything was set for him to be the starting Catcher for the Giants, and he just could not get his act together at the MLB level. He's been where Henry Davis is at right now, and knows exactly how he feels, and I am glad to see Bart hitting well and playing with confidence. It's a lesson to all of the young players - MLB is not easy, no matter how good your background!
Davis is primarily a hitting Catcher, and needs development defensively and especially at being a "Pitcher's Catcher". It's more mental and leadership abilities and Davis will learn a lot this year from both Delay and Bart. It's a great opportunity for him.
Are you forgetting about his 250 PA last year or just ignoring them?
Clearly talented, clearly has tools to work with, but if you can't see that he has zero ability to move the barrel around the zone and a grooved swing that big league arms are easily beating then I don't know what to tell you.
Needs to adjust, and that isn't happening yet in the show.
If you'd actually read my post, you'd see I specifically mentioned he was dealing with a hand injury for much of that time. And that's apart from the comparison with the three-years-older Bart, who hasn't hit one bit better in more extensive chances, and the ecstasy over the two-game sample size.
Oh, have any of the two-game fetishists checked out Bart's defensive metrics? They're bad across the board, in a hell of a lot more than two games. Or is anybody struck by the fact that the Giants, a far better-run team than the Pirates, had a big investment in Bart and finally tired of him to the point of dfa'ing him? The level of analysis here is so low it's below ground.
Yes. But do you think Davis looks as comfortable as Bart? Additionally, Davis hasn't shown any ability to hit MLB pitching. I want to win and I believe at this point Bart is going to give us a better chance at more wins.
Bart is three years older and has been trying to cut it in the majors since 2020. He has a 78 career OPS+. Davis has a 72 OPS+ and he was dealing with a hand injury for about half of his major league time.
Oh, but Bart has had two good games! What more proof could there be?! Microscopic sample sizes rule!!!
He's not dealing with a hand injury this season and is hitting worse than Hedges.
I could honestly care less about age. They're both young and can improve.
SSS, absolutely, but I would give him at least a timeshare with Davis and see if a change of scenery is real.
I also really, really want the Davis situation to work. But, I can remove the emotional aspect of him being drafted by the Pirates and what will yield the most wins for the team.
And we're back to teenie weenie sample sizes. 30 ABs. Is this serious analysis, or just a seething hatred of Henry Davis? The evidence suggests the latter.
And, no, in hitting terms, Bart is not young. He should be at his peak right now. I don't have a problem with him catching 2-3 times a week. I'm perfectly fine with that, if for no other reason than possibly keeping Grandal away. But this head-over-heels lauding of Bart over Davis is devoid of serious thought.
Please read my last para...it was edited, so you may not have seen it. I'm at the point where wins matter and I just want the best players on the field.
Nice start to the year, obviously a quality manager, some real key talented core pieces in place, some key support upcoming in MiLB, and a fan base that deserves a winner so maybe we deserve a few less injuries (we had ours before ST btw, remember), and why not us having a groundball finding a way thru the infield every so often in 2024 more than others, dont we deserve such🤔🤷♂️🤔🤷♂️🤣🤣
Good pitching, good defense, and timely hitting, is a nice situation to have. Lord knows the Pirates fans have paid their dues and are deserving of a few breaks. Enjoying the present, while looking at MiLB to see a lot more pitchers and hitters that could matriculate their way to the 'burgh by June.
The Pirates have stockpiled enough pitching to be competitive for the next 10 or 15 years, and we currently have to be leading MLB in MI depth. One team in dire need of MI help is Boston, who has experienced a lot of injuries to their MI (which was thin to start with). The Pirates have Oneil Cruz at SS, Jared Triolo at 2B, Alika Williams as our MLB Utility IF, and 2B/SS Liover Peguero, 2B Nick Gonzales, and 2B/CF Ji-Hwan Bae all with MLB experience, and currently all in the minors. Behind that group are Tsung-Che Cheng, Jack Brannigan, Termarr Johnson, and Jackson Glenn.
We could be looking to trade for players, while also considering trades to teams who can help with a Comp Pick in the 2024 Draft. The Pirates currently have Picks #9, #37 (A Comp), and #47 (2nd Round).
Dylan Crews stinks, Wyatt Langford isn't ready, fastball shape is bullshit.
PAUL SKENES TO THE MOOON
You could say that skenes ~eclipsed~ his fellow draftees in performance
stop it.
Ill show myself out
These are the correct takes.
You'll never guess the name of Wilmer Flores' uncle...
This here’s my brother Wilmer and my other brother Wilmer.
(for those who crave 40 yo Newhart references)
Could it be Wilmer? I wonder if his grandfather and great uncle are Wilmer's?
Filmer wlores?
Ashcraft today. Must-see.
I'm goin' man. Row three right behind the right handed hitter's batter's box.
I will file a complete report! I don't know a splitter from a sweeper or cutter sometimes, but this is a guy I think can be part of the answer in Pitchburgh pretty soon once he builds up a few innings.
OH AND BY THE WAY... The Curve will become The Pesces Dorados for five games this year and... In Toon-Town, I gotta believe I had something to do with this. I'm a big fan of the local Mexican restaurant, Plaza Azteca. And I was talking to el jefe there, Ramon, and I told him he should sell the frozen margaritas (which are amazing... just don't drink two of them) at the curve for $20 each in plastic goblets and if a baseball fan turns their goblet in at the restaurant later, they will give you a margarita for FREE!
Plus, I told Ramon that many latino players are coming through Altoona and wouldn't it be nice if they had some kind of tie to home after working so hard to get to AA? Almost the entire staff at Azteca are native Spanish speakers from all over Central America. Good people, hard working and kind. Heck, they even help me work on my language skills...
AAAAANNNDD, my band, StoneMan, will be playing there on Tres de Mayo on a Friday night...
https://www.cultureandcriticism.com/event-details/stoneman-tres-de-mayo-plaza-azteca-altoona
So anyway, a few weeks ago, Ramon told me he'd gone down in the offseason to visit the Curve as I'd suggested and they were going to do something.... Turns out, they're gonna do this Copa de la Diversion thing with a number of other minor league teams... Great move! Here's a story from the Altoona Mirror about it...
https://www.altoonamirror.com/sports/altoona-curve/2024/02/curve-add-extra-logo-this-year/
Very cool. Instead of going to a Curve game, I'll be going to a Pesces Dorados (Goldfish) game.
And ... honestly? I think I had something to do with it... Or maybe Ramon and the Azteca crew just neatly fit into the Curve's plans. But having a top Mexican restaurant in Toon-Town with a great baseball team with a lot of latino culture is a natural fit. I'm pretty jazzed. Gonna get me a Goldfish jersey, man!
You got a link to your band's music? I'd love to hear it!
you got a song called "Sleeper Cell"? I'm listening to that now... great stuff man! I'm'a turn all my rock n roll friends from Altoona on to it... See if I can raise you a following up here.
I have a song on our first record I wrote after the Parkland shooting. I wonder if it would be taken wrong, but it is very cheery yet dark if you actually listen to it. I wrote it in minutes after I saw the news and I was just hopeless that anything would ever change... I thought the news was dissonant with the name of the town and I imagined the entire country as a bloody carnival called Parkland!...
Did it as a country rock song for irony. The cognitive dissonance, I'd say, matches that of the country. Sort of like the English playing chamber music during the Boer War.
Most ppl who listen to it like it around here, but I'm sure they're not getting the point.
Sure bet. Here is our "links" page with some of the bigger links.
https://www.cultureandcriticism.com/stoneman-heartbreaks
I have a website called cultureandcriticism.com and my band is part of it.
This is our first record... called StoneMan: "Heartbreaks" and we're on all platforms. Our second record "Promises" is coming out this spring. Eventually I'm'a do a double vinyl but that's costly.
If any of you guys would like an old fashioned CD, I'd be happy to send one along if you drop me a note with your address.
The pitching from the rotation to the pen has been lights out. Something like 6 consecutive QS's. Hopefully Keller's performance quelled some of the anxiety in these rooms. Might get a little awkward with Davis and Bart as Davis certainly looks like he needs quite a bit of time in the minors.
Possibly no better person for Davis to learn from than a kid like Joey Bart, 2018 No. 2 pick in the First Round by the Giants after an All Star career in College at Georgia. Everything was set for him to be the starting Catcher for the Giants, and he just could not get his act together at the MLB level. He's been where Henry Davis is at right now, and knows exactly how he feels, and I am glad to see Bart hitting well and playing with confidence. It's a lesson to all of the young players - MLB is not easy, no matter how good your background!
Davis is primarily a hitting Catcher, and needs development defensively and especially at being a "Pitcher's Catcher". It's more mental and leadership abilities and Davis will learn a lot this year from both Delay and Bart. It's a great opportunity for him.
Great post, Mel.
Thank you.
You realize Davis has caught most of this lights-out pitching you’re talking about?
He's a clearly worse defender than Bart and he also can't hit. But other than that.
Overwhelming analysis. Not to mention a ten-game sample size.
Are you forgetting about his 250 PA last year or just ignoring them?
Clearly talented, clearly has tools to work with, but if you can't see that he has zero ability to move the barrel around the zone and a grooved swing that big league arms are easily beating then I don't know what to tell you.
Needs to adjust, and that isn't happening yet in the show.
If you'd actually read my post, you'd see I specifically mentioned he was dealing with a hand injury for much of that time. And that's apart from the comparison with the three-years-older Bart, who hasn't hit one bit better in more extensive chances, and the ecstasy over the two-game sample size.
Oh, have any of the two-game fetishists checked out Bart's defensive metrics? They're bad across the board, in a hell of a lot more than two games. Or is anybody struck by the fact that the Giants, a far better-run team than the Pirates, had a big investment in Bart and finally tired of him to the point of dfa'ing him? The level of analysis here is so low it's below ground.
Yes. But do you think Davis looks as comfortable as Bart? Additionally, Davis hasn't shown any ability to hit MLB pitching. I want to win and I believe at this point Bart is going to give us a better chance at more wins.
Bart is three years older and has been trying to cut it in the majors since 2020. He has a 78 career OPS+. Davis has a 72 OPS+ and he was dealing with a hand injury for about half of his major league time.
Oh, but Bart has had two good games! What more proof could there be?! Microscopic sample sizes rule!!!
He's not dealing with a hand injury this season and is hitting worse than Hedges.
I could honestly care less about age. They're both young and can improve.
SSS, absolutely, but I would give him at least a timeshare with Davis and see if a change of scenery is real.
I also really, really want the Davis situation to work. But, I can remove the emotional aspect of him being drafted by the Pirates and what will yield the most wins for the team.
And we're back to teenie weenie sample sizes. 30 ABs. Is this serious analysis, or just a seething hatred of Henry Davis? The evidence suggests the latter.
And, no, in hitting terms, Bart is not young. He should be at his peak right now. I don't have a problem with him catching 2-3 times a week. I'm perfectly fine with that, if for no other reason than possibly keeping Grandal away. But this head-over-heels lauding of Bart over Davis is devoid of serious thought.
Please read my last para...it was edited, so you may not have seen it. I'm at the point where wins matter and I just want the best players on the field.
Nice start to the year, obviously a quality manager, some real key talented core pieces in place, some key support upcoming in MiLB, and a fan base that deserves a winner so maybe we deserve a few less injuries (we had ours before ST btw, remember), and why not us having a groundball finding a way thru the infield every so often in 2024 more than others, dont we deserve such🤔🤷♂️🤔🤷♂️🤣🤣
Good pitching, good defense, and timely hitting, is a nice situation to have. Lord knows the Pirates fans have paid their dues and are deserving of a few breaks. Enjoying the present, while looking at MiLB to see a lot more pitchers and hitters that could matriculate their way to the 'burgh by June.
The Pirates have stockpiled enough pitching to be competitive for the next 10 or 15 years, and we currently have to be leading MLB in MI depth. One team in dire need of MI help is Boston, who has experienced a lot of injuries to their MI (which was thin to start with). The Pirates have Oneil Cruz at SS, Jared Triolo at 2B, Alika Williams as our MLB Utility IF, and 2B/SS Liover Peguero, 2B Nick Gonzales, and 2B/CF Ji-Hwan Bae all with MLB experience, and currently all in the minors. Behind that group are Tsung-Che Cheng, Jack Brannigan, Termarr Johnson, and Jackson Glenn.
We could be looking to trade for players, while also considering trades to teams who can help with a Comp Pick in the 2024 Draft. The Pirates currently have Picks #9, #37 (A Comp), and #47 (2nd Round).
god I love you Mel, but just curious, only 15 years? why are you so down on the pirates?
Ahahahaha! Literally laugh out loud!