After four games, he picked up his first hit last night, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Johnson has reached base in every game with a walk. He has six strikeouts in 13 at-bats so far.
He hasn't hit for any power really yet in altoona, but love to see him bouncing back from such a rough start. This kid just seems to make it work no matter where he ends up
He's one I'm not worried about, just seems like he might struggle a little stepping up each level but then figures it out. Although he doesn't have a lot of power he'll get to what he has. Can't say the same for Bae, Marcano, or Jebb.
I am curious if he might be a sell high option, potentially over the offseason. If he's going to end up being another bae or marcano, his value will probably never be higher than this winter
I think maybe next trade deadline or off-season. I think he needs to go on the 40 man this year but it might be next. If he finishes strong in Altoona this year and comes out strong next year hopefully in Indy he might make Bae and Marcano expendable, Cheng is a much better defender than the other 2 and can play short well.
Definitely agreed, would also put him above gonzales rn in future value. I guess it depends if they think peggy/cruz/triolo, etc can lock down some infield spots then cheng becomes less necessary. Not that i necessarily want to move on from him, but trying to think of more expendable but still valuable trade assets for a compete now sort of move
I'd also throw Williams and I hate to say Hayes in there. Williams looks to have a pretty good approach at the plate and is an elite defensive player.
Hayes is one of if not the best defensive players at his position but he needs to start producing with the bat.
I really wish they would have moved a couple guys earlier this year, the 40 man crunch is coming soon and they will potentially lose a player or 2 for no return. It will really suck if we lose a good one that never really got a chance while keeping a player that is marginal.
On a side note, the Dodgers just traded a couple young pitchers to the white sox for international pool space. We could have packaged a couple of our borderline 40man adds this year for that pool space and probably landed the kid from South Korea.
I doubt we will ever get anything for certain, but would love to know what they have Roansy working on. It sure doesnt seem like velo is their focus, or if it is then no progress has been made yet
There are some high prospect pitchers in the minors who are doing well, and are possibly getting close to their number of "safe" innings.
*Tom Harrington, 22, A/A+ 19 Starts, 92.2 IP. First year out of college with a 10.4/2.4 K/BB/9
*Bubba Chandler, 21, A+, 85 IP. Last year he threw 41 innings of just pure throwing. His last few starts he has exhibited the traits of a pitcher rather than a thrower. How far do the Pirates take him this year?
*Braxton Ashcraft, 23, AA, 52.2 IP, 10.9/2.2 K/BB/9, First pitching since TJ.
*Jared Jones, 22, AA/AAA, 84 IP, 10.1/3.3 K/BB/9. Last year he threw 123 innings, all at A+. This year it has been the upper levels (more stress), so should he be capped around 125 IP?
This group and Solo has me excited. Plus they'll all be AAA/AA at least to start next year. Idk if he'll get a cup of coffee, but I 100% expect Ashcraft to be protected this off-season.
Sources say that he learned to play the French Horn from Sidd Finch and how to throw a fastball as well. He only got 62% of the way done with the fastball training before Sidd became reclusive and up and disappeared in Nepal.
It really depends if it goes on speed or command, hopefully pretty equal. If Skenes can be 62% of Finch that's still around 106mph fastball with plus plus command.
Still wondering how far Skenes got on the French horn? That cruel instrument cost baseball fans a chance to witness Finch firsthand but also saved many a broken hand by catchers. Gary Carter wouldn't even throw soft toss with Finch.
Jones had 5 walks last night but I don't think it was as bad as it looked in the box score. His first walk was to Grissom and he was just missing going for upper inner third fastballs, with 2 sliders mixed in the first for a strike the second just missed for ball four. After striking out the first 2 batters in the second was the only time he lost his command walking 2 straight but coming back to get weak contact with the next batter by attacking the zone. Walked Grissom again in the third but I believe he had a third strike challenged and reversed not sure though had my attention on my pups then. His last walk was to the next to last batter he faced and it was time to go get him.
Walks are walks. I don’t mean it to sound like a jerk, but if he has frequent lapses in command, it’s more difficult to explain away. This aside, I think his control has gotten better.
I agree with walks are walks, his first walk to Grissom wasn't lack of command, it looked like he had a plan.
He tried to spot the upper inside corner just missing on a couple, then come with his slider on the inner 3rd with a well located strike, just missed on another high and tight fastball (I thought it was a strike) then came back with a slider on the inner 3rd that was called a ball but looked like it caught the plate. The 2 walks looked like he lost command trying to strikeout the side and over throwing. After the walks got his head back on and attacked the zone and got weak contact. The 4th walk 2nd to Grissom looked like a 3 pitch strikeout but I think the 3rd pitch was overturned (not sure, was checking on my pup) then missed on the next pitches. The last walk he appeared to start losing his control, got the next batter out then was removed with around 85 pitches +/-. Don't think you sounded like a jerk, I'm just going by my opinion on how he looked last night. The first wasn't loss of control or command, the 2nd and 3rd definitely were but appeared to me he was over throwing trying to strike them out. 4th walk I'm not sure but the beginning of the at bat looked good on his part. 5th he looked about done for the night.
I think it’s easier to explain if a guy has a control meltdown in one inning. That feels like it’s a mechanical issue. And it sounds like some of his are just misses in this game which...if your control ain’t great to begin with, you’ll have some bad beats with that.
All this being said, he’s risen in my eyes. Smaller guy with big stuff? Sign me up.
Not sure how to measure out the first three, but i would guess jones at least gets ~140ish for some increase over last year. Would give him no restrictions heading into 2024 where he figures to probably factor into the rotation at some point
Excellent night for Pirate Pitching Prospects - picking a few words from the write-up on Bubba Chandler - 7 IP and no walks says it all. He's reached a point where he is under control and being a pitcher as opposed to being a thrower.
Termarr starting out slow again:
After four games, he picked up his first hit last night, going 1-for-2 with a walk. Johnson has reached base in every game with a walk. He has six strikeouts in 13 at-bats so far.
My prediction: Bailey Falters vs Corbin Burnes.
ICYMI, Dauri Moreta was placed on the 15-day injured list with low back inflammation. Andre Jackson recalled.
He started out very slowly but has picked up.
Tsung-Che Cheng went 2-4 with a double and an RBI and now owns a 12-game hitting streak.
He hasn't hit for any power really yet in altoona, but love to see him bouncing back from such a rough start. This kid just seems to make it work no matter where he ends up
He's one I'm not worried about, just seems like he might struggle a little stepping up each level but then figures it out. Although he doesn't have a lot of power he'll get to what he has. Can't say the same for Bae, Marcano, or Jebb.
Would any team want our 40 man adds? Honestly?
I am curious if he might be a sell high option, potentially over the offseason. If he's going to end up being another bae or marcano, his value will probably never be higher than this winter
Cheng has the "it factor" to me, don't always know what it is but he's got it.
I think maybe next trade deadline or off-season. I think he needs to go on the 40 man this year but it might be next. If he finishes strong in Altoona this year and comes out strong next year hopefully in Indy he might make Bae and Marcano expendable, Cheng is a much better defender than the other 2 and can play short well.
Definitely agreed, would also put him above gonzales rn in future value. I guess it depends if they think peggy/cruz/triolo, etc can lock down some infield spots then cheng becomes less necessary. Not that i necessarily want to move on from him, but trying to think of more expendable but still valuable trade assets for a compete now sort of move
I'd also throw Williams and I hate to say Hayes in there. Williams looks to have a pretty good approach at the plate and is an elite defensive player.
Hayes is one of if not the best defensive players at his position but he needs to start producing with the bat.
I really wish they would have moved a couple guys earlier this year, the 40 man crunch is coming soon and they will potentially lose a player or 2 for no return. It will really suck if we lose a good one that never really got a chance while keeping a player that is marginal.
On a side note, the Dodgers just traded a couple young pitchers to the white sox for international pool space. We could have packaged a couple of our borderline 40man adds this year for that pool space and probably landed the kid from South Korea.
I doubt we will ever get anything for certain, but would love to know what they have Roansy working on. It sure doesnt seem like velo is their focus, or if it is then no progress has been made yet
I heard that his mechanics were off.
There are some high prospect pitchers in the minors who are doing well, and are possibly getting close to their number of "safe" innings.
*Tom Harrington, 22, A/A+ 19 Starts, 92.2 IP. First year out of college with a 10.4/2.4 K/BB/9
*Bubba Chandler, 21, A+, 85 IP. Last year he threw 41 innings of just pure throwing. His last few starts he has exhibited the traits of a pitcher rather than a thrower. How far do the Pirates take him this year?
*Braxton Ashcraft, 23, AA, 52.2 IP, 10.9/2.2 K/BB/9, First pitching since TJ.
*Jared Jones, 22, AA/AAA, 84 IP, 10.1/3.3 K/BB/9. Last year he threw 123 innings, all at A+. This year it has been the upper levels (more stress), so should he be capped around 125 IP?
This group and Solo has me excited. Plus they'll all be AAA/AA at least to start next year. Idk if he'll get a cup of coffee, but I 100% expect Ashcraft to be protected this off-season.
Mikey Burrows eventually back in the mix too.
I also like that Skenes guy they somehow got this summer lol.
Totally agree with Ashcraft, worst case scenario, he becomes a candidate for high leverage relief in the near future.
Curious about this Skenes guy. Never heard of him lol
Sources say that he learned to play the French Horn from Sidd Finch and how to throw a fastball as well. He only got 62% of the way done with the fastball training before Sidd became reclusive and up and disappeared in Nepal.
Aw, man. He got stuck in the buffer zone of downloading? We got a limewire file?
It really depends if it goes on speed or command, hopefully pretty equal. If Skenes can be 62% of Finch that's still around 106mph fastball with plus plus command.
Still wondering how far Skenes got on the French horn? That cruel instrument cost baseball fans a chance to witness Finch firsthand but also saved many a broken hand by catchers. Gary Carter wouldn't even throw soft toss with Finch.
Oh yeah! Perry Skenes, the next staff ace of the pittsburgh pirates!
Jones had 5 walks last night but I don't think it was as bad as it looked in the box score. His first walk was to Grissom and he was just missing going for upper inner third fastballs, with 2 sliders mixed in the first for a strike the second just missed for ball four. After striking out the first 2 batters in the second was the only time he lost his command walking 2 straight but coming back to get weak contact with the next batter by attacking the zone. Walked Grissom again in the third but I believe he had a third strike challenged and reversed not sure though had my attention on my pups then. His last walk was to the next to last batter he faced and it was time to go get him.
Walks are walks. I don’t mean it to sound like a jerk, but if he has frequent lapses in command, it’s more difficult to explain away. This aside, I think his control has gotten better.
I agree with walks are walks, his first walk to Grissom wasn't lack of command, it looked like he had a plan.
He tried to spot the upper inside corner just missing on a couple, then come with his slider on the inner 3rd with a well located strike, just missed on another high and tight fastball (I thought it was a strike) then came back with a slider on the inner 3rd that was called a ball but looked like it caught the plate. The 2 walks looked like he lost command trying to strikeout the side and over throwing. After the walks got his head back on and attacked the zone and got weak contact. The 4th walk 2nd to Grissom looked like a 3 pitch strikeout but I think the 3rd pitch was overturned (not sure, was checking on my pup) then missed on the next pitches. The last walk he appeared to start losing his control, got the next batter out then was removed with around 85 pitches +/-. Don't think you sounded like a jerk, I'm just going by my opinion on how he looked last night. The first wasn't loss of control or command, the 2nd and 3rd definitely were but appeared to me he was over throwing trying to strike them out. 4th walk I'm not sure but the beginning of the at bat looked good on his part. 5th he looked about done for the night.
I think it’s easier to explain if a guy has a control meltdown in one inning. That feels like it’s a mechanical issue. And it sounds like some of his are just misses in this game which...if your control ain’t great to begin with, you’ll have some bad beats with that.
All this being said, he’s risen in my eyes. Smaller guy with big stuff? Sign me up.
Not sure how to measure out the first three, but i would guess jones at least gets ~140ish for some increase over last year. Would give him no restrictions heading into 2024 where he figures to probably factor into the rotation at some point
Excellent night for Pirate Pitching Prospects - picking a few words from the write-up on Bubba Chandler - 7 IP and no walks says it all. He's reached a point where he is under control and being a pitcher as opposed to being a thrower.