Funny, one of the local writers recently said some FO type for another team told him he always liked the Pirates’ prospects until they reached the majors.
The toughest part of development is getting players acclimated to the majors. These guys are totally inept at it. Huntington was, too. If you’re old enough to remember, it was a major problem under Bonifay, thanks in large part to Gene Lamont. The Rays, by contrast, are great at it.
I guess the question is how are they inept? Wasn’t Lamont’s issue just not playing young guys? Lots of different ways to be crappy at development and adjusting to the majors.
Their handling of Davis could be a treatise on how not to handle a prospect. Or leaving Nick G and CSN in AAA while they're hot, so they can keep playing Alika Mendoza and Josh Palacios. The first two may very well not work out, but the latter two have zero upside. Or where does the velocity of all their pitching prospects suddenly go?
Those are just examples. These guys constantly make personnel decisions where I can't even figure out what the bad reasoning is. Under NH, they were always trying to fit the prospects into their own narrow templates without accounting for differing abilities. With Lamont, yeah, it was just an extreme unwillingness to play rookies. (He even used to gripe about it as if he was some kind of martyr.) You could see what the issues were with those administrations. With the current one, it's a complete mystery. They just get obsessed with guys who have no conceivable role in an eventual (totally theoretical here) Pirate winner. There doesn't seem to be any conception of having a path forward. All I can think is, they just decide based on who Shelton feels like hanging out with this week.
Sorry I meant to go back and edit this because I posted too soon and cant figure out how to edit on Substack. By “they” I meant Huntington and that group compared to this group. Are they inept in the same ways to you, was my original intended question. It feels like there is overlap: the fascination with marginal players like Palacios (who may be a fourth OF), as well as the refusal to pivot on pitchers (like Ro) shou shouldn’t be starting.
I know this group sucks with the Davis stuff and pitchers going backward. That treatment of Davis has been criminal and infuriating. The promotion of some guys seems rushed to show impatient fans “help is on the way” without them actually being ready.
Sure enough, here's Palacios and his .269 OBP batting leadoff against a Cy Young candidate.
I saw an interview once with an activist from some totalitarian European country, Hungary or Russia maybe. He was asked about the regime's propaganda and whether people believed it. The answer was, the point isn't to get people to believe it. It's to show that the regime can lie with impunity.
I get a similar feeling with Shelton. He seems to do idiotic things just to show the fans he can, and to show that he doesn't give a shit how they feel about it. I'm convinced this mgmt group is actively hostile to the fan base and looks for ways to show they just don't care.
I ran out of bread, but had some hoagie rolls left over from the Steelers game, so made some peanut butter and jelly hoagies for lunch. Was delicious lol
tony blanco?
We’ll all love these guys until they get closer to Pgh.
Funny, one of the local writers recently said some FO type for another team told him he always liked the Pirates’ prospects until they reached the majors.
The toughest part of development is getting players acclimated to the majors. These guys are totally inept at it. Huntington was, too. If you’re old enough to remember, it was a major problem under Bonifay, thanks in large part to Gene Lamont. The Rays, by contrast, are great at it.
I guess the question is how are they inept? Wasn’t Lamont’s issue just not playing young guys? Lots of different ways to be crappy at development and adjusting to the majors.
Their handling of Davis could be a treatise on how not to handle a prospect. Or leaving Nick G and CSN in AAA while they're hot, so they can keep playing Alika Mendoza and Josh Palacios. The first two may very well not work out, but the latter two have zero upside. Or where does the velocity of all their pitching prospects suddenly go?
Those are just examples. These guys constantly make personnel decisions where I can't even figure out what the bad reasoning is. Under NH, they were always trying to fit the prospects into their own narrow templates without accounting for differing abilities. With Lamont, yeah, it was just an extreme unwillingness to play rookies. (He even used to gripe about it as if he was some kind of martyr.) You could see what the issues were with those administrations. With the current one, it's a complete mystery. They just get obsessed with guys who have no conceivable role in an eventual (totally theoretical here) Pirate winner. There doesn't seem to be any conception of having a path forward. All I can think is, they just decide based on who Shelton feels like hanging out with this week.
Sorry I meant to go back and edit this because I posted too soon and cant figure out how to edit on Substack. By “they” I meant Huntington and that group compared to this group. Are they inept in the same ways to you, was my original intended question. It feels like there is overlap: the fascination with marginal players like Palacios (who may be a fourth OF), as well as the refusal to pivot on pitchers (like Ro) shou shouldn’t be starting.
I know this group sucks with the Davis stuff and pitchers going backward. That treatment of Davis has been criminal and infuriating. The promotion of some guys seems rushed to show impatient fans “help is on the way” without them actually being ready.
Sure enough, here's Palacios and his .269 OBP batting leadoff against a Cy Young candidate.
I saw an interview once with an activist from some totalitarian European country, Hungary or Russia maybe. He was asked about the regime's propaganda and whether people believed it. The answer was, the point isn't to get people to believe it. It's to show that the regime can lie with impunity.
I get a similar feeling with Shelton. He seems to do idiotic things just to show the fans he can, and to show that he doesn't give a shit how they feel about it. I'm convinced this mgmt group is actively hostile to the fan base and looks for ways to show they just don't care.
Heh and of course he hits a homer.
Is Lonnie White our next best shot at an impact OF bat? Hope he can stay healthy!
Like the old days Wilbur.
That was a very long and thorough lists. Now I'm hungry.
Got a bit carried away . . . .
I did too with lunch. Now I probably need a nap.
I ran out of bread, but had some hoagie rolls left over from the Steelers game, so made some peanut butter and jelly hoagies for lunch. Was delicious lol
I ate an oversized burrito, after some chorizo queso.
That sounds WAY better than PBJ hoagie 😂
Hungry for prospecty goodness? Thats a reference to the pipeline podcast, so I cant claim that odd phrase lol
Yes, and yes
Great stuff WTM!
Fantastic summary. Thanks.