Saturday Thoughts: David Bednar being removed as closer, Oneil Cruz playing center field
Was the Bednar move the right call? Was it too late?
Pirates manager Derek Shelton announced before Friday’s game that David Bednar was being removed as the team’s closer and that they would be going with a committee at the end of games for now.
This whole saga has been one of the more head-scratching things that unfolded throughout the season.
An injury limited Bednar to just two Spring Training games, and he clearly wasn’t ready for the regular season.
Still, the Pirates rode with him as the team’s closer going into the season. Through April, he had allowed 13 earned runs in 10 innings pitched, good for an 11.70 ERA. His xFIP was just 3.34, giving the feeling that he could break out of it, especially factoring in the fact that he didn’t pitch much in the spring.
During May/June/July, he posted a 2.39 ERA, allowing just seven earned runs in 26.1 innings pitched, but his xFIP showed signs of regression (4.79), which happened in August.
This month, the wheels have fallen off completely, allowing 13 earned runs in 10.2 innings, good for a 10.97 ERA, and getting removed as the closer.
Something has been off with Bednar this year, as even when he was pitching well, there were clear signs that it may not be sustainable.
To an extent, I give the Pirates credit for not pulling the trigger immediately when things weren’t looking right.
The baseball season is a marathon, and reacting to each little thing isn’t always the best solution.
But the way they let this go on not only failed Bednar but the team and the fanbase in a season that they were in legitimate contention to make the playoffs.
At the beginning of the month, I wrote that doing nothing could no longer be the answer and that it was time for them to do something instead of standing still.
Still, Bednar remained the closer, and most of the same players have gotten playing time. They’ve had a few faces return from injury and another go on the injured list. Most of the moves have been tied around those, however.
The Pirates are 6-15 since that article was posted.
They did nothing until it was too late, and the action had already lost the significance it should have.
At the beginning of the season, I predicted that the Pirates would finish with 78 wins. They would need to go 16-12 the rest of the way to match that.
This seemed very reasonable for a stretch, but now it doesn’t seem like they could get half the wins they would need to reach that goal.
All again, from yet another example of too little, too late.
We’ve seen that most of us ultimately overthought the position switch for Oneil Cruz.
He’s gone out there and just continued to slug and hit the ball harder than just about anyone else in baseball.
Swinging that wooden stick is always where that value would come from, and he’s doing that quite well lately.
I honestly don’t care what position he’s playing in the end; he could push the 30/30 mark consistently if his ankle keeps holding up. ‘Worst case’ is that he’s still a 30 home run guy that’s playing center field.
Darn.
I won’t pretend to have seen every ball he’s had to play, but from what I’ve seen, he’s done okay. It’ll take some learning, but he’s a freak athlete, allowing him to keep things close while he learns the finer points.
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OT: Happy College Football Saturday to those who celebrate.
Bednar was completely mismanaged by this organization. Inexcusable for experienced baseball men to make such a dumb decision with him to start the season, then hang on like there was no other option while he struggled. As far as accountability for Bednar: he needs to get into better shape. He's too heavy, which may aggravate his back issues.
Cruz will be fine in CF. His athleticism will play well there. His arm will be a game changer. This organization has a core of players good enough to be playoff contenders. The off-season should be all about finding another productive bat or two and fixing the bullpen. It also should be about finding leadership to better focus these players on strong fundamentals. This team is not sound in the field, on the base paths and in the batter's box. They often play like a middle school team. That needs to change.