Everyone is hammering Suwinski, Davis and Cruz, which is legit. But I just watched Cutch, Reynolds and Hayes pop up after each other. Pop ups!! Those 3, especially the latter 2 have been utter garbage.
The Buccos
- Thread starter Pittisit4me
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So you’re saying they made contact!
These are Canada like results. It has gone beyond a player problem to it’s a coaching problem. If you don’t have coaches who can develop players you get the 2024 pirates
Here’s where hitting coach Haines’ groups rank
2019 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 27.2, 5th in strikeouts looking with 356
2020 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 28.5, 4th in strikeouts looking with 134
2021 - 10th highest strike looking percentage at 26.2, 9th in strikeouts looking with 346
2022 - 1st in strike looking percentage at 28.4, 2nd in strikeouts looking with 373
2023 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 27.2, 3rd in strikeouts looking with 384
2024 - 5th highest strike looking percentage at 28.6, 1st in strikeouts looking with 93
Here’s where hitting coach Haines’ groups rank
2019 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 27.2, 5th in strikeouts looking with 356
2020 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 28.5, 4th in strikeouts looking with 134
2021 - 10th highest strike looking percentage at 26.2, 9th in strikeouts looking with 346
2022 - 1st in strike looking percentage at 28.4, 2nd in strikeouts looking with 373
2023 - 7th highest strike looking percentage at 27.2, 3rd in strikeouts looking with 384
2024 - 5th highest strike looking percentage at 28.6, 1st in strikeouts looking with 93
Cutch was fine last year, but it really looks like Father Time has overtaken him this year.
Suwinski for the win.
Shame Jones got a No decision.
1 hitter by the combined pitchers.
Shame Jones got a No decision.
1 hitter by the combined pitchers.
A Pickett-esque win.
Somebody has to tell me why Suwinski is still in the major leagues. He never came with much clout (not like he was aome higb draft pick or big time prospect, etc.), and he never achieved a whole lot. Yeah, he's went on some hot streaks. They pale in comparison to his fiscal quarters of absolutely sucking.
Somebody has to tell me why Suwinski is still in the major leagues. He never came with much clout (not like he was aome higb draft pick or big time prospect, etc.), and he never achieved a whole lot. Yeah, he's went on some hot streaks. They pale in comparison to his fiscal quarters of absolutely sucking.
It almost feels like the Pirates are a few years behind the curve when it comes to roster makeup and what “works” offensively at the big league level, just like they were in the tail end of the Huntington era.
For several years, the trendy plate approach was “all-or-nothing”, as in swinging for a home run each time which led to lower on-plate percentages. With that in mind, Suwinski made sense to have in the lineup because, although his batting average was always subpar, he could hit home runs pretty well when we lacked power hitting overall.
The problem now is that it feels like beginning with last season and now this season, teams are gravitating back towards hitting to get on base and batting averages/on-plate percentages are becoming more “important” again (as if they ever weren’t). Maybe it has to do with the pitch clock; I’m not sure. Nevertheless, no one told the Bucs this because Suwinski can’t even exceed the Mendoza line at this point. It’s time he’s replaced in the lineup.
I would have been absolutely shocked if the Buccos were not 1st in strikeouts looking. It's been brutal this year.
That is NOT where the game was a few years ago, or even pretty much ever. The whole point of swinging for the fences was that you don't swing at pitches you can hit hard, which leads to both more strikeouts and more walks. Baseball people, or at least smart baseball people (so not the people working for the Pirates) have been preaching on base percentage for a long time now.
On base percentage IS more important. Batting average still is not. A guy who hits .240 with a .340 obp is better for your team (all other things being equal) than the guy who hits .270 with a .300 obp. And it's not even close. And smart baseball people have understood that for a long time.
smart people also realize that having a higher batting average makes it easier to obtain a higher obp.
It's taken the Pirates 11 games to score as many runs as the A's scored yesterday. Please move this franchise to a new city.
Decent article in today’s Trib where he’s upset about the umpires strike zone variations.
Though what Suwinski did last night, what Cruz was doing earlier in the year, was go with the pitches (ie hit the ball the other way instead of trying to pull every pitch for a HR). Why did they stop doing this?
That's not necessarily true. Triolo was a 0 WAR guy last season with an OBP of .388. OPS, in my opinion, is the ultimate measure. OBP would hold more value if you had an entire team full of guys who had a high %, but power - in addition to OBP - ends up being more important in reality.
And I realize it's full of further complexities (just getting on base allows you to steal, etc.), but I'm riding with OPS (yes, OBP is a big part of that) above all else, because these anemic singles hitters aren't THAT valuable unless you have many of them who do it at a high rate... and we don't.
Easy way to know which is more important….. I’d say the high OPS guys make way more $$$ than the ones with high OBP but only meh OPS.
But like I said, all other things being equal. You are talking about two players for whom the "other things" aren't even close to being equal.
However, having said that, statistically speaking on base percentage is actually more important in run scoring than slugging percentage is. By a wide margin. A team with a bunch of high OBP, low slugging guys will score more runs over time than a team with a bunch of low OBP, high slugging guys will.
Pirates solve this conundrum by combining low OBP with low Slugging for nonexistent OPS
Been a long time since a team has been so lost at the plate like the Buccos. Every single hitter.
Been a long time since a team has been so lost at the plate like the Buccos. Every single hitter.
Priester gives up five runs to the Angels tonight. Assuming they don’t move to a six-man rotation, I wonder if he’s the odd man out (and not Bailey Falter) if Skenes actually gets called up this Saturday?
I like that Priester is still young, but, if I were gm he would be the one going back to AAA. Falter has been better overall. That said, I would be extremely surprised to see Skenes up and going for the Buccos this weekend.
The Pirates are run by the Three Stooges (Nutting, Cherington, Sheldon). Pirates are still struggling at the plate. In Indianapolis the following are hitting:
Lamb - .388 (33 for 85)
Bae - .359 (23 for 64)
Gonzalez - .358 (43 for 120)
Peguero - .305 (35 for 115)
Yet the Pirates have several players on the roster that are hitting below the Mendoza line.
Skenes? He must need more work…🙄
Joe Starkey suggested that they trade a pitcher for some hitting. I agree. Anybody could be better than what they have now.
Unbelievable…
Lamb - .388 (33 for 85)
Bae - .359 (23 for 64)
Gonzalez - .358 (43 for 120)
Peguero - .305 (35 for 115)
Yet the Pirates have several players on the roster that are hitting below the Mendoza line.
Skenes? He must need more work…🙄
Joe Starkey suggested that they trade a pitcher for some hitting. I agree. Anybody could be better than what they have now.
Unbelievable…
Glad to see Skenes come up but like Jones it won’t make this team materially better. If you can’t hit and your bullpen sucks the starter needs to pitch complete game shutouts to win
Just too little talent elsewhere. Somehow this team got worse since last year
Just too little talent elsewhere. Somehow this team got worse since last year
Nope gotta run the fat slob telex, over the hill cutch and the other sub Mendoza hitters out there
with Shelton and Haines it doesn’t matter who they put in lineup, they won’t hit and will give no effort. Shelton and staff need fired. No discipline and does not seem like they have any identity as a team other than watching a lot of called strike threes. where hitters go to die.
Didn’t they just give Shelton an extension last season? I wonder what happens if they fire Cherington at the end of the season; I can’t envision Nutting paying two managers at once.
The Pirates had Rowdy Tellez and his .190 batting average hitting cleanup tonight. They are not a serious team.
And don't tell me about sample size, they started playing in March, it's the middle of May. I can see giving a longer leash to someone like Cutch who has a lengthy track record, but Tellez is a jabroni even in his best years.
And don't tell me about sample size, they started playing in March, it's the middle of May. I can see giving a longer leash to someone like Cutch who has a lengthy track record, but Tellez is a jabroni even in his best years.
with runners on base, you can always count Tellez hitting an infield fly rule pop up. I guess it’s be than staying out of the double play.
And when he does happen to hit a few fly ball you can count on him standing at the plate admiring it (I suppose it’s a shock to him) rather than hustling and being limited to a single
For a team with limited talent you’d think they be fundamentally sound and at least hustle.
If starting pitching is your strength, you need top level defensive players, particularly at shortstop.
Last night just felt like a prime example of still not being able to win games even with the good starting pitching we’ve gotten. Jones didn’t have his best stuff but still had a quality start. It’s not like we can rely on performances like that Keller gem against the Angels last week because those are obviously very few and far between. Also this:
I think I saw only 3 teams have gotten better starting pitching and they are all well over .500/contending type teams.
I think I saw only 3 teams have gotten better starting pitching and they are all well over .500/contending type teams.
It didn't take long, but Grandal might be the new most frustrating player on this team. Is he still hurt? I don't understand why it takes him 12 seconds to get to first base. The dropped tag was bad enough, but why is he this slow?
There are three NL teams with better starter's ERA, the Phillies, Cubs and Dodgers. They all have much better records than the Pirates.
However, there are also six AL teams with better starter's ERAs. And that includes Boston, who leads the majors in starter's ERA at 2.39 and is only 19-19. That seems to be worse than the Pirates being 17-22 with a 3.62.
And you spent what…10 milly? I would also add- you need Reynolds to get hot…and then trade him. He’s Enron stock.
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