According to Baseball Reference WAR calculations, Davis is the worse of the new wave of position players, the only one with a negative (-0.6) I’m sure the bulk of it is the disastrous play in RF, but his hitting is not that much better. Not implying that he is a bust or anything like that, just that he has been mildly disappointing, especially at least to me, in the power department.
He also seems more undeveloped than incapable in RF, which of course is exactly what one would expect.
While yes, anything can happen, YOLO teambuilding is stupid. By far the most probable outcome of his aggressive promotion would be terrible defense and a substantial acclimation period at the plate. Absolutely zero benefit to the big club and no benefit to individual development that could not be done in the minor leagues, where it's intended.
Nobody will learn a thing from that, but it remains a stubbornly banal fact of Major League Baseball and the inherent pettiness of my flawed personality will be sure to rub everyone's noses in it.
He received an owner goal of promoting more of his drafted players to the team, and Nutting's mood is "dissatisfied." OOTP players will understand... anyway... I think that really is the case. He wants to show everyone, including ownership. that he did not waste that pick. That is the only reason Davis is up, and it is a stupid reason.
Sit at a desk at a library. Sit next to a woman who is part of a family of Braves fans. So we just discussed what will keep us busy for the afternoon. I didn't even talk smack before the series. Just glad we haven't been blown away so far. There I went jinxing it.
I do believe you do, or it might be pro-rated? I have to be honest I'm not 100% sure, but I did cancel a subscription I had made to another substack at one point and did receive the full refund
Pirate prospects rankings…..I would lean towards more of an AM/NoLa/WTM/JD consensus Top 10 than a Pipeline or BA Top 10.
As I implied below, anything after 10 might as well be put into one big group for all the good it does. #12 is not a much better prospect than #20 imo.
So AM, how about a BoD individual writer's ranking then composite/average for all of the above?? Could be a fun feature (both for inseason and offseason content)
the lack of effort that goes into the BA midseason lists is always amusing to me. ain't no way that nicolas is the 11th best prospect in the system. he's a middling middle reliever, if that.
They no longer have team-specific writers doing the top 30s. It’s done by their few in-house guys, none of whom pays any attention to the Pirates. It shows. They always seem to be operating on year-old information.
FG is also super short staffed these days. Wonder if there might be a benefit, for the product at least, in a merger of some prospect outlets so that they can put out at least a fully put together product
The type of detail that goes into FG was outstanding with Kiley and Eric. However, that’s far too much of an ask for 1 person to do, which is how they’ve been limping along since Kiley left.
I always tell Nola, I know a guy that's pretty knowledgable of the Pirates system that'll do the team rankings for one of those sites (for a fee of course) lol.
I have less faith in pipeline tbh. The fact they both have Gorski so highly rated, and that apparently Jared Triolo is going to be their 'biggest mover' for the Pirates is concerning.
Triolo was listed as the Pirates "breakout" prospect on the MLB website the other day. I think it is more that no one, outside of those who follow the Pirates minor league system, saw Triolo coming and so anything he does in the MLB is a surprise to people not very familiar with the Pirates. Triolo is putting together a pretty good season between AAA and MLB for a guy recovering from surgery on his wrist. It can be 6 months before a guy returns to full strength from that surgery, so we may be underestimating Triolo. As his strength returns, we may start to see more hard-hit balls.
I dont have much faith in any of them rn, though i guess i dont have access to BA so im between pipeline and FG. BoD will now be my most trusted source
I’ll let one of the experts post, but I think I remember reading that he is Triolo in the field with a little more pop at the plate. I think he is a ‘45’ prospect at best.
I'm getting more excited by the day. The biggest "What?" to Murphy and I was when we read a report saying he was a plus to plus plus runner, and he has 21 SBs this season. So far he's excelled in Greensboro, but I'm probably holding off on starting the Brannigan parade till we see him succeed in Altoona.
My armchair analysis was suprised that they didn't put him on the mound with his arm, but maybe, just maybe, they knew what they were doing on this one lol. At least so far
Being a two way player in college, now focusing on fielding and hitting it's encouraging that his fielding is already plus (might develop into elite) and his hit tool seems to be getting better and his power showing up as the year has went on. Next year in Altoona will be the real test though.
Baseball America said the defense has gold glove upside. It'll be up to the hit tool to carry him. Power may be average at best, based off his EV numbers in Bradenton.
People call Jack Suwinski streaky and will reference is current 4/40 slump or whatever it is. Well, in his last 156 PAs he's hitting .160/.288/.344 with a 75 wRC+ and a 35% strikeout rate. This slump, if you want to call it that, has been going on for nearly two months.
I’ve said this before and I still think it: Jack is this teams GI Jones, with a better glove. He’s a fat half of the platoon with a plus glove in the corner. I still have a bit of hope that he can be more than that (considering he’s become more than I thought he would be), but I doubt it.
He's just such an enigma, and hard to really grasp his value. When he's on, HE'S ON. But, when his carrying tool is his bat, and he's Austin Hedges more than half the time without the advantage of at least providing quality defense, how useful is it? I think it's better if he's in RF. It'd be another thing if he was Joey Wiemer, who has 13 HR's and 84 wRC+, but is one of the best defensive CFs in the league.
The honest answer is I don't know what they should do lol team is littered with average to slightly above average players, then more in the minors, that they need some guys to pop up and grab ahold of a spot. So, we could sit here and say, "This is what I believe SHOULD happen", while at same time it's rendered moot if said players don't perform.
The only thing that gets me with that is everyone calling for him to get more at bats against lefties. Like he'll learn how to do something he's never shown the ability to do before at the major league level.
Oh, you mean the exact same rhetoric we went through with Rudy the entire season, even though he always struggled against RHP, but he "HAD TO GET ABs TO LEARN!!!!!". Or that Nicky G struggles against breaking/offspeed stuff? Or (insert another player whose shown consistent holes that they haven't shown progress on)
Well.. this is what happens when the Pirates decide they are going to develop players in the majors. You have to let them develop. Should this all have been done 1 year and a half ago at the minor league level? Of course it should have, but that is water under the bridge now. The thing with OF platoons is that a team can really only carry 4 true OFs in this day of 9-man bullpens, and that 4th OF must be able to backup CF (assuming, of course, the team has an actual starting CFer, which the Pirates do not). So... you need a guy with enough range to play center, who can also hit well enough to platoon with a corner OF. Well... if a guy can do both of those things... he would be a starter.
how far away is Brannigan from the majors?
Mid 2025 would be my guess, unless the hit tool goes to another level.
Great commentary, guys!!!
According to Baseball Reference WAR calculations, Davis is the worse of the new wave of position players, the only one with a negative (-0.6) I’m sure the bulk of it is the disastrous play in RF, but his hitting is not that much better. Not implying that he is a bust or anything like that, just that he has been mildly disappointing, especially at least to me, in the power department.
I still think he’s a firstbaseman. And I still think he will hit.
The way he fields grounders in RF makes me think that he will never be a 1b.
He also seems more undeveloped than incapable in RF, which of course is exactly what one would expect.
While yes, anything can happen, YOLO teambuilding is stupid. By far the most probable outcome of his aggressive promotion would be terrible defense and a substantial acclimation period at the plate. Absolutely zero benefit to the big club and no benefit to individual development that could not be done in the minor leagues, where it's intended.
Nobody will learn a thing from that, but it remains a stubbornly banal fact of Major League Baseball and the inherent pettiness of my flawed personality will be sure to rub everyone's noses in it.
He received an owner goal of promoting more of his drafted players to the team, and Nutting's mood is "dissatisfied." OOTP players will understand... anyway... I think that really is the case. He wants to show everyone, including ownership. that he did not waste that pick. That is the only reason Davis is up, and it is a stupid reason.
Sit at a desk at a library. Sit next to a woman who is part of a family of Braves fans. So we just discussed what will keep us busy for the afternoon. I didn't even talk smack before the series. Just glad we haven't been blown away so far. There I went jinxing it.
Ah shit, forgot today was an early game. Well there goes most of my productivity for the afternoon
Are you complaining?
Lol not in the slightest
TO: Anthony Murphy
How does someone cancel subscription...?
If you're on desktop, go to the top right with the colored circle. Click on it, and then you should see "manage subscription"
If I cancel yearly do I get a refund?
I do believe you do, or it might be pro-rated? I have to be honest I'm not 100% sure, but I did cancel a subscription I had made to another substack at one point and did receive the full refund
I cancelled and there was zero mention of a refund...
I see how. So, just to confirm, you want a cancellation with full refund?
Yes, please...
Pirate prospects rankings…..I would lean towards more of an AM/NoLa/WTM/JD consensus Top 10 than a Pipeline or BA Top 10.
As I implied below, anything after 10 might as well be put into one big group for all the good it does. #12 is not a much better prospect than #20 imo.
So AM, how about a BoD individual writer's ranking then composite/average for all of the above?? Could be a fun feature (both for inseason and offseason content)
the lack of effort that goes into the BA midseason lists is always amusing to me. ain't no way that nicolas is the 11th best prospect in the system. he's a middling middle reliever, if that.
same with gorski at 12.
They no longer have team-specific writers doing the top 30s. It’s done by their few in-house guys, none of whom pays any attention to the Pirates. It shows. They always seem to be operating on year-old information.
FG is also super short staffed these days. Wonder if there might be a benefit, for the product at least, in a merger of some prospect outlets so that they can put out at least a fully put together product
FG started slipping when Kiley left, although they’re still the best.
The type of detail that goes into FG was outstanding with Kiley and Eric. However, that’s far too much of an ask for 1 person to do, which is how they’ve been limping along since Kiley left.
Shame, kiley pretty much pulls espn though they arent very high quality.
I always tell Nola, I know a guy that's pretty knowledgable of the Pirates system that'll do the team rankings for one of those sites (for a fee of course) lol.
Im sure bmac would let you talk to his sources if need-be!
I agree and I was one of Gorski’s biggest supporters.
Besides, I rarely get excited about anything past 10 for any set of prospects. From 11 on, the odds are they are washouts or MLB bench players.
Pipeline's should be out in a few days, will see if there are equal gaffes there or nah
I have less faith in pipeline tbh. The fact they both have Gorski so highly rated, and that apparently Jared Triolo is going to be their 'biggest mover' for the Pirates is concerning.
Triolo was listed as the Pirates "breakout" prospect on the MLB website the other day. I think it is more that no one, outside of those who follow the Pirates minor league system, saw Triolo coming and so anything he does in the MLB is a surprise to people not very familiar with the Pirates. Triolo is putting together a pretty good season between AAA and MLB for a guy recovering from surgery on his wrist. It can be 6 months before a guy returns to full strength from that surgery, so we may be underestimating Triolo. As his strength returns, we may start to see more hard-hit balls.
yikes
I dont have much faith in any of them rn, though i guess i dont have access to BA so im between pipeline and FG. BoD will now be my most trusted source
Oh, you in trouble then
That’ll be the ‘be all/end all’, lol.
More prospect stats:
SS Jack Brannigan
Game stats: 2-5, two homers, four RBIs, and two runs scored
Season stats: .274/.397/.525, 13 homers, three triples, ten doubles and 33 RBIs. (219 at-bats, or 64 games played between Low-A and High-A)
Brannigan (twice), Josiah Sightler, Sammy Siani, and Brenden Dixon all homered in a 13-4 win over Greenvill
2B Charles McAdoo
Game stats: 2-4, one RBI, and one walk (only two hits?)
Season stats: .650/.708/1.000, two homers, one double, and 11 RBIs. (20 at-bats, or five games)
3B Garret Forrester
Game Stats: 1-3, two RBIs, and a walk
Season Stats: .200/.500/.200, two RBIs, and EIGHT walks. (15 at-bats, or five games).
RHP Owen Kellington struggled, giving up five walks in three innings of relief.
Is Brannigan someone to get excited about? Honestly, I thought he'd flame out as a hitter and turn into a reliever. Hope I'm wrong (usually am)
In short, yes
I think he might be able to play SS
Reminds me of Cody Bellinger’s father with a better bat
I’ll let one of the experts post, but I think I remember reading that he is Triolo in the field with a little more pop at the plate. I think he is a ‘45’ prospect at best.
I'm getting more excited by the day. The biggest "What?" to Murphy and I was when we read a report saying he was a plus to plus plus runner, and he has 21 SBs this season. So far he's excelled in Greensboro, but I'm probably holding off on starting the Brannigan parade till we see him succeed in Altoona.
My armchair analysis was suprised that they didn't put him on the mound with his arm, but maybe, just maybe, they knew what they were doing on this one lol. At least so far
Being a two way player in college, now focusing on fielding and hitting it's encouraging that his fielding is already plus (might develop into elite) and his hit tool seems to be getting better and his power showing up as the year has went on. Next year in Altoona will be the real test though.
Baseball America said the defense has gold glove upside. It'll be up to the hit tool to carry him. Power may be average at best, based off his EV numbers in Bradenton.
Priester continues to show hat he is not a major league pitcher. I’d rather see Allred up here.
5 from the draft? Skenes, Jebb….maybe Forrester and Meuth? After that, I am at a loss for #5.
As for the trade, probably Severino. I’d put Suero in there before any of the rest of our picks.
From Rumbunter
People call Jack Suwinski streaky and will reference is current 4/40 slump or whatever it is. Well, in his last 156 PAs he's hitting .160/.288/.344 with a 75 wRC+ and a 35% strikeout rate. This slump, if you want to call it that, has been going on for nearly two months.
You take out April, he's been 100 wRC+ with a 732 OPS this season. Adding in he ranks bottom third virtually across the board in defensive metrics.
I don't dislike Jack, I'm just sick and tired of people table pounding for mid players. Just because they're the "best of what they have".
I’ve said this before and I still think it: Jack is this teams GI Jones, with a better glove. He’s a fat half of the platoon with a plus glove in the corner. I still have a bit of hope that he can be more than that (considering he’s become more than I thought he would be), but I doubt it.
I don't rem GI being TTO player and he finished his career with 4 fWAR.
As flawed as Jack is, he's a better player than GI and a totally different player.
I didn’t say he was identical, did I? Platoon player, corner bat. They’re not as different as you think.
Power-over-hit corner OF big-side platoon bats with a career wRC+ within 1 point of each other.
More accurate comps do not exist.
Hey, sometimes you get bored and want to poke the bear.
He's just such an enigma, and hard to really grasp his value. When he's on, HE'S ON. But, when his carrying tool is his bat, and he's Austin Hedges more than half the time without the advantage of at least providing quality defense, how useful is it? I think it's better if he's in RF. It'd be another thing if he was Joey Wiemer, who has 13 HR's and 84 wRC+, but is one of the best defensive CFs in the league.
What I’m hearing from you is that they should swap Davis and Jack in right and center. Poor Hank.
The honest answer is I don't know what they should do lol team is littered with average to slightly above average players, then more in the minors, that they need some guys to pop up and grab ahold of a spot. So, we could sit here and say, "This is what I believe SHOULD happen", while at same time it's rendered moot if said players don't perform.
The only thing that gets me with that is everyone calling for him to get more at bats against lefties. Like he'll learn how to do something he's never shown the ability to do before at the major league level.
Preach!
This type of logic is a remnant of the early Huntington Era that has literally never once proven to actually work. Not once!
Just put people in positions to succeed for christ sake.
Oh, you mean the exact same rhetoric we went through with Rudy the entire season, even though he always struggled against RHP, but he "HAD TO GET ABs TO LEARN!!!!!". Or that Nicky G struggles against breaking/offspeed stuff? Or (insert another player whose shown consistent holes that they haven't shown progress on)
Well.. this is what happens when the Pirates decide they are going to develop players in the majors. You have to let them develop. Should this all have been done 1 year and a half ago at the minor league level? Of course it should have, but that is water under the bridge now. The thing with OF platoons is that a team can really only carry 4 true OFs in this day of 9-man bullpens, and that 4th OF must be able to backup CF (assuming, of course, the team has an actual starting CFer, which the Pirates do not). So... you need a guy with enough range to play center, who can also hit well enough to platoon with a corner OF. Well... if a guy can do both of those things... he would be a starter.