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iloveyoupittsburghpirates-blog · 6 years

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I’m Keeping Things In Perspective, Pittsburgh Pirates

My Dearest Pittsburgh Pirates,

Believe me, I’m not allowing myself to get too excited. Or at least I’m trying my hardest. After sweeping the Tigers to begin the season 3-0, there were reasons to be slightly more optimistic after what the offseason made me believe. This week took that a tiny step further. A two-game series against the Twins and a four-game series against the Reds isn’t any type of ultimate test, though the Twins are in first place and were a playoff team last year. You were only able to split the series with them but that’s acceptable even at home. The Cincinnati Reds are a team that’s basically been rebuilding since the 2013 Wildcard game, but more specifically over the last two years. Last season, they were in last place and finished 68-94. You played them nineteen times. You went 6-13 with them outscoring you 84-60. Honestly, I was surprised you won six. It felt like they beat you every time. This weekend you set the tone winning three out of four and blew a 4-0 lead in the game you lost. Not that blowing leads is something to hang your hat on, but they were mostly overmatched. That 14-3 thumping on Thursday got the series off to the right start. Your offense has been the driving force behind your 7-2 start. Your .814 team OPS ranks second in all of baseball. You’re averaging over six runs per game. Seven of the eight players in your everyday lineup have an OPS over .800. Three of them are over .900. The pitching talent you have faced so far has been less than stellar but last year you didn’t rip crappy pitching. So far, you have and I welcome the change.

This offense could be something special. Obviously, it’s hard to rely on any of the stats this early but the numbers currently speak for themselves. The biggest differences from last year so far (other than JHay and Mercer having an OPS over .800) is the newest additions, Colin Moran and Corey Dickerson. They have combined for 2 home runs and 15 RBI’s. Dickerson splits of .303/.324/.576 make for a .900 OPS. That .324 OBP is a little low but that slugging percentage more than makes up for it. He has a history of being a streaky player so there are sure to be slumps in the future. I love what I’m seeing especially adding another lefty power bat to the lineup. Moran is the same way. His splits of .345/.387/.517 make for a .904 OPS. If he keeps up at anything resembling this pace, he could make the Cole trade worth it and can make this lineup top tier. That’s if Gregory Polanco keeps playing like he’s been playing and can stay healthy. I have thought prior times that he could finally breakout but I have been disappointed when he hasn’t. This feels different. I still don’t trust his ability to stay healthy, but he looks like a different player. He already has 3 homers and his 13 RBI’s leads the league. His splits of .310/.447/.759 for a 1.206 OPS are video game like. He could change this entire team. If he keeps playing like this, he will be one of the best players in the league. We saw for a few years what that can do to a lineup. But for any of that to come to fruition, he needs to remain healthy. That could determine the outcome of your entire season.

With so much praise, I feel the need to be critical. I am a Pittsburgh Pirates’ fan after all. The pitching needs to improve in both facets. The starting pitching statistically has been strong. The starters’ ERA (3.14) ranks 4th in the majors, the batting average against (.225) is 7th, the WHIP (1.18) ranks 10th, and the OPS against (.637) is 6th. Those are all much better numbers than I expected going into the season. There is an issue that needs rectified. The starters so far have averaged pitching 5.74 innings per start and that number is only that high because of Jameson Taillon. The rest of the starters (Nova, Williams, Kuhl, and Brault in place of the injured Musgrove) have rarely went past five innings and that’s not sustainable especially with question marks in the bullpen. The relievers overall numbers are bad. The relievers WHIP, the most important stat for a reliever, is 1.56 which ranks 28th in the majors. Their batting average against (.252) is 28th and their OPS against (.775) is 26th. There have been positives like Edgar Santana (0.60 WHIP) who has solidified his role as fourth in line. Felipe Rivero, George Kontos, and Michael Feliz all have elevated WHIPs but that’s due to each of them having one bad outing. The rest of the time they have been terrific. The rest of the bullpen has not. Doyydas Neverauskas has been terrible like blowing a two-run lead on Saturday that led to the lone loss in the Reds’ series. Josh Smoker doesn’t appear to be someone who should be on a major league roster and Tyler Glasnow nor recently promoted Clay Holmes can be relied on in any high leverage situations. That’s why longer outings from the starters is so paramount. You can’t pitch the same four relievers every night. You need to find better options than Smoker or Neverauskas (Schugel or Siegrist?) or you will keep getting burned like you did Saturday. Something to consider.

I mentioned Jameson Taillon but I felt it was necessary to expand after his performance yesterday. Taillon pitched the game of his life and looked like a true ace. He threw a one-hit, complete game shutout in your 5-0 victory over the Reds. He walked two and struck out seven over 110 pitches. It was a masterful performance. Combine that with his first solid start in the home opener on Tuesday (5 1/3 IP 4 H 2 ER 0 BB 9 K) and he walks away as the National League Player of the Week. After two starts, he sports a 1.26 ERA and a 0.49 WHIP. Taillon is in the same category as Polanco. He looks different. He looks like he could be stepping into elite status this year, but only if he can stay healthy. The Polanco situation is even different because Adam Frazier isn’t a bad option to fill in during a DL stint. That’s not the case with Taillon. There is no reasonable replacement. He’s the unquestioned ace of this staff and he’s one of the few that can go at least seven innings on a regular basis. For you to be successful, he needs to make it to thirty starts this season. I believe he’s capable. I also believe that now would be the time to try and sign him to a contract extension. With his injury issues and the fact that he’s not a Scott Boras client, it could be possible to get him at a realistic rate. If you wait until after this season and he ends up as one of the best starters in baseball, it might be too late. Something to consider.

Today was supposed to be the beginning of your series against the Cubs but snow showers, in April, cancelled it. Fortunately, because it’s their home opener, there was an off day scheduled tomorrow so it will be made up then. They also play them Wednesday and Thursday before travelling to Miami to face the last place, rebuilding Marlins. The Cubs are 5-4 and hold second place in the division. They are the odds-on pick to win the division and contend for the World Series. Jake Arrieta is gone but they retooled their rotation signing both Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood after trading for Jose Quintana last year. They still have a quality lineup, so they are your tallest task in what should be a competitive division. Miami was expected to have the worst team this year after trading away their entire outfield for prospects. They are 3-6 and should be a team you beat down, even on the road. A 4-2 week would be terrific. I’m very interested to see how this offense does against pitching like the Cubs and to see how you generally stack up against that team. It’s still early but your performance in that series could show early signs of your true potential. I’m trying not to get ahead of myself but a good performance in that series could get me more excited. Just keep doing what you have been doing and this season could be more interesting than anticipated. Good luck and talk to you next week!

Trying To Maintain Perspective,

Brad

P.S. still stands for “Plugging Something” and I still need to work on that phrasing. Another friendly reminder that the radio play podcast I co-wrote with Chris Maxwell called DEATH AT SUNSET: HARD TIMES AND SOFT DRINKS is still available on Apple Podcasts (aka iTunes), Stitcher Radio, Google Play Radio, and SoundCloud. It’s four 20 minute (ish) episodes of a noir comedy that follows P.I. Jack Dime as he tackles cases in modern day Los Angeles. Please follow us @deathatsunset on Twitter, check out DeathatSunset.com, and please rate and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. I truly appreciate anyone who takes time to read my letters and I would appreciate it even more if you check out this podcast we are very proud of. Thank you so much!!

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