It should be a crime if he starts the year in Greensboro. A team like the Braves would have him on quick dial to the big team if something happened to their starter.
In 2023 Grissom only got a small amount of at bats, pretty sure he didn't even get 100. I think he still had a pretty good batting average and on base percentage just not much power. His problem, he's not a shortstop and they had a better option at 2nd, hence his trade to Boston for Sale. He'll be 23 all season and time will tell.
I'm not suggesting the pirates should start Termarr out in Pittsburgh, just Altoona. I was trying to give an example of a team that tries to win in the present and will sacrifice the all important clock to do so.
I don't think the pirates are there yet, but come August and if by some chance the pirates are in the thick of a playoff birth and they need a 2nd basemen, I hope Termarr has had more than a taste of time in Altoona and know what his more realistic time frame is.
Holderman's wildness concerns me--I'm glad we signed Chapman. On a "positive" note, according to Gameday Davis is not costing him any strikes and, if anything, may have stolen a strike or two.
I don't know why you get off strawmanning such a banal conversation of scouting and development. I suppose because it is so normal that you aren't entertained by it.
Nobody is hanging 20s on his defense. Nobody has used the words "biblical" or "countless runs".
It's generally noted that he's been stiff in his lower half which leads to suboptimal footwork and inaccurate throws negating his main defensive tool and that his framing is below average due to hard hands...but that with reps and dev he projects to get to a 40 or so. Again, below average.
Most clubs choose not to matriculate grade-40 catchers to the show, thus questions of whether or not he sticks.
The Pirates obviously aren’t most clubs. 40 defense is about where Grandal is now — below avg the last 3 years per Statcast, with an arm that’s collapsing almost as rapidly as his bat — yet they’re handing him the starting job. So either they’re applying two very different standards or they really think Davis is a disaster behind the plate. Which speaks volumes for their scouting.
What is the evidence for Davis being a bad defensive catcher? Everyone says it. I just assumed that it was true, having never actually seen him catch. He did work on his defensive game all off-season, including at Driveline and said that it helped a lot.
Hard hands is hard to overcome but isn't impossible. By all indications he has improved. He passes the character and work ethic eye test, I can't set a ceiling on this young man but like you said "still open questions."
Well, he had that appearance last year behind the dish where AJP supposedly ripped him to shreds on the broadcast (personally I thought AJP’s critiques of Davis’ catching were harsh but not over the line as some people seemed to).
Davis looked hard-handed and boxy in that game but he wasn’t unplayable.
Should be a nice little challenge for Ro. While ST stats hardly mean anything, the batters he's facing have been mashing the ball--6 of their 9 have OPS's of 1.000 or higher and 2 others are in the 800s and 900s.
It sounded like a decent outing, but a little concerning that he only got one swing-and-miss and no K's in his ten batters faced.
EDIT: He's out for the 3rd, surprisingly, and... he got two whiffs and a K before being taken out. Okay outing with the negatives being the 1:3 K:BB ratio and the inefficiency of needing 49 pitches to record 7 outs.
Good news is that there is still three guys in the system from the Taillon trade and the not so good news is that Roansy is probably the only piece left that might be able to help the team.
Escotto was supposed to be the biggest acquisition in that deal and he’s not likely to get past A-ball. Similar to the Musgrove deal and Hudson Head, or the Stallings deal and Connor Scott.
Minor gripe, but why have Williams play 2b and Gonzales 3b? Gonzales has more AAA at bats than either Triolo and Peguero so maybe they might keep him as a utility player (he played some SS last year). I was bouncing around the idea of Triolo starting at 2b and Gonzales and Bae the utility guys with Peguero getting every day at bats in AAA, so maybe I’m not that far off.
I think Triolo's strength is that he is already better defensively at third than most current major leaguers. He also plays short better than Nick or Bae. He is also probably one of the top 2 defenders at first base. The Pirates have several guys that can hold their own and turn a double play at second. I think locking Triolo at second base decreases his value to the team. (I thought the same when the Pirates locked Josh Harrison in at second base, but Triolo is much better defensively.)
Ro definitely seems to be looking for that 3rd pitch. Gave the deuce a long look today.
And I just saw Termarr is 6-for-12 so far. I'm guessing he feels like Greensboro has nothing left to offer him.
AA? Can *this* organization really make AA happen for Termarr this spring? that sounds like something the Barves would do, not the Pirates.
An added plus is he has a good personality, says the right things and was the most fan friendly at Pirates City.
It should be a crime if he starts the year in Greensboro. A team like the Braves would have him on quick dial to the big team if something happened to their starter.
Yeah Vaughn Grissom has worked out great.
He sure did in 2022 when they needed him do to injuries.
And then what?
Not sure I love the lightning in a bottle strategy long-term.
In 2023 Grissom only got a small amount of at bats, pretty sure he didn't even get 100. I think he still had a pretty good batting average and on base percentage just not much power. His problem, he's not a shortstop and they had a better option at 2nd, hence his trade to Boston for Sale. He'll be 23 all season and time will tell.
I'm not suggesting the pirates should start Termarr out in Pittsburgh, just Altoona. I was trying to give an example of a team that tries to win in the present and will sacrifice the all important clock to do so.
I don't think the pirates are there yet, but come August and if by some chance the pirates are in the thick of a playoff birth and they need a 2nd basemen, I hope Termarr has had more than a taste of time in Altoona and know what his more realistic time frame is.
Jesus, you guys will stretch anything into a fucking service time issue!
Not able to watch today, but Ashcraft's line sure looks good. Hmmm.
Somehow I'm getting even more excited for him. Didn't think it was possible
Three pitches. Good stuff. What's not to like? He has fringe SP potential
Walk-a-thon, exciting!
Holderman's wildness concerns me--I'm glad we signed Chapman. On a "positive" note, according to Gameday Davis is not costing him any strikes and, if anything, may have stolen a strike or two.
But he's a bullpen arm. Every bullpen is a work in progress. Pirates fans were spoiled by the Shark Tank years.
Holderman doesn’t have a history of control issues. I’m mostly concerned about him staying healthy. Probably just a spring blip today.
Yeah, his overall numbers are fine so I'm thinking that the few outings when he struggled with command left too strong of an impression.
The evidence for Davis being a biblical-level disaster behind the plate is . . . sparse.
It’s the Oneil Cruz situation.
A player can both pass the eye test *and* cost his team more runs than any other player at his position.
Where you fall on the spectrum of caring about quality defines your take on their ability.
If there was some evidence of Davis costing his team countless runs, that might mean something.
I don't know why you get off strawmanning such a banal conversation of scouting and development. I suppose because it is so normal that you aren't entertained by it.
Nobody is hanging 20s on his defense. Nobody has used the words "biblical" or "countless runs".
It's generally noted that he's been stiff in his lower half which leads to suboptimal footwork and inaccurate throws negating his main defensive tool and that his framing is below average due to hard hands...but that with reps and dev he projects to get to a 40 or so. Again, below average.
Most clubs choose not to matriculate grade-40 catchers to the show, thus questions of whether or not he sticks.
That's all this is.
The Pirates obviously aren’t most clubs. 40 defense is about where Grandal is now — below avg the last 3 years per Statcast, with an arm that’s collapsing almost as rapidly as his bat — yet they’re handing him the starting job. So either they’re applying two very different standards or they really think Davis is a disaster behind the plate. Which speaks volumes for their scouting.
What is the evidence for Davis being a bad defensive catcher? Everyone says it. I just assumed that it was true, having never actually seen him catch. He did work on his defensive game all off-season, including at Driveline and said that it helped a lot.
He was stiffer and had harder hands than his peers coming out of college and in the little time he had to develop.
How much meh can improve and how much those issues translate to quality are obviously still open questions.
Hard hands is hard to overcome but isn't impossible. By all indications he has improved. He passes the character and work ethic eye test, I can't set a ceiling on this young man but like you said "still open questions."
Pretty interested to see him over real reps this year. With some big but doable improvement he can still be the guy Kyle Schwarber was supposed to be.
Yep, I'm hope for a lot more contact, even if it costs some power.
Well, he had that appearance last year behind the dish where AJP supposedly ripped him to shreds on the broadcast (personally I thought AJP’s critiques of Davis’ catching were harsh but not over the line as some people seemed to).
Davis looked hard-handed and boxy in that game but he wasn’t unplayable.
Well... he does hit the ball much too hard sometimes to be a catcher for the Pirates... so there's that.
I don’t think Hank wants to go back to Indy.
Should be a nice little challenge for Ro. While ST stats hardly mean anything, the batters he's facing have been mashing the ball--6 of their 9 have OPS's of 1.000 or higher and 2 others are in the 800s and 900s.
It sounded like a decent outing, but a little concerning that he only got one swing-and-miss and no K's in his ten batters faced.
EDIT: He's out for the 3rd, surprisingly, and... he got two whiffs and a K before being taken out. Okay outing with the negatives being the 1:3 K:BB ratio and the inefficiency of needing 49 pitches to record 7 outs.
Good news is that there is still three guys in the system from the Taillon trade and the not so good news is that Roansy is probably the only piece left that might be able to help the team.
Escotto was supposed to be the biggest acquisition in that deal and he’s not likely to get past A-ball. Similar to the Musgrove deal and Hudson Head, or the Stallings deal and Connor Scott.
Let’s not forget the pitcher whose name I forget from the Josh Bell trade.
Eddy Yean
The fact his best position is 2nd base doesn't help Escotto either.
Escotto not being good is really his primary problem.
Minor gripe, but why have Williams play 2b and Gonzales 3b? Gonzales has more AAA at bats than either Triolo and Peguero so maybe they might keep him as a utility player (he played some SS last year). I was bouncing around the idea of Triolo starting at 2b and Gonzales and Bae the utility guys with Peguero getting every day at bats in AAA, so maybe I’m not that far off.
I think Triolo's strength is that he is already better defensively at third than most current major leaguers. He also plays short better than Nick or Bae. He is also probably one of the top 2 defenders at first base. The Pirates have several guys that can hold their own and turn a double play at second. I think locking Triolo at second base decreases his value to the team. (I thought the same when the Pirates locked Josh Harrison in at second base, but Triolo is much better defensively.)
Well said!
I don't think Williams has the arm for SS, so 2nd is his default position.
Or the bat to be in the bigs!!!!
I think they're trying to show Nick's versatility to increase his value if a potential trade arises.
Happy Ro day yinz! Should be a fun lineup too, LGB!
Happy Ro Day to you,too ⚾️