Pittsburgh Pirates - A new beginning...

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We have a 4 game weekend set against the Padres at their stadium Petco Park. P Madison Bumgarner makes his Pirates debut today!

The Padres have invested heavily in 3B Manny Machado and he has produced, but rookie 2B Luis Urias has stolen the show so far.

In MLB news Houston just cant stop the injuries from piling up. The latest casualty is RP Chris Devenski who is out for the year with a torn labrum. I wonder when GM Jeff Luhnow will be calling again

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Not what we were hoping for... Padres LF Franchy Cordero hit a 3R HR in the bottom of the first and, they never looked back from there.

The pitching is not as bad as the score was - only 5 hits for the Padres all night. That one blast by Cordero made all the difference. RP Kyle Crick getting injured hopefully isn't serious, but Gant did a great job shutting it down and keeping it close for us.

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We now join the injury bug bitten teams, Kyle Crick has an oblique strain and is expected to be on the IL for the next 4 weeks. GM Moore is consulting with Asst. GM Neal Huntington for call up arms to get through this.

In MLB news - Cleveland 3B Jose Ramirez is dealing with a nagging shoulder tendonitis injury. Team officials are watching and monitoring Ramirez, but he says he will play through it "unless it gets worse" BNN is keeping an eye on this story.

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"The bewitching has begun" San Diego's opener and closer were good, the pitcher in the middle was GREAT! RP Strahm allowed only 4 hits and 0 runs in smothering the Pittsburgh offense.

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"Eight to one... Freakin EIGHT to one", "We didn't even put up a fight!", "I thought this team had some fight in it, obviously the ship is sinking and pretty soon all the rats will want off the ship"... Strong words from the Pittsburgh GM after todays game.

Yes the score was 8 - 1, Yes the team only had seven hits and one walk to work with, Yes I am sounding like a white version of Ozzie Guillen, but I'm pissed! There will be some changes here, until we find the players that care about winning... GM Moore got up from the table and left the room, one of the sportswriters quipped " Elvis has left the building!" to laughs and chuckles.

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Looking at a 5 hit performance by Yonder Alonzo of Chicago(A) yesterday.

Also the AL All Star leaderboard in voting.

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Here is the current voting leaders for the NL All Star team.

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Another wasted day. My SS decides to fight the WHOLE other team, because he got plunked?? Another good pitching performance by Chris Archer is wasted in the end. Can you feel my disgust? GM Moore stays away from the team after the defeat, choosing to go back to his hotel room and watch surfers in the waves off the beach.

There will be changes he tells the Mgr. Clint Hurdle and the rest of the coaches, "No one is safe now..." as GM Moore finishes the meeting.

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SS Kevin Newman gets off lucky at only a three game suspension, He tried to fight everyone on the Padres when he got hit yesterday.

SP Gerrit Cole (former Pirate) is having a good year so far for the Astros. He is also in the last year of his deal there, and no word of an extension has played out yet.

C Arden Pabst swung a good bat for Bradenton yesterday. The problem I need to bring up to my Asst. GM Neal Huntington is WHY a 24 y/o is playing at -A level? There needs to be a shake up and get some of these youngsters playing, stop hoping that a player will bust loose, they rarely do.

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The atmosphere in the Pirates clubhouse is tense as GM Moore walks through. Mgr. Clint Hurdle has had everyone wait in the clubhouse instead of going home after the flight landed and the charter bus took them back to the stadium. Everyone quiets their conversations and pretty much openly stares in curiosity (or hatefulness) at Moore's passage through "their" clubhouse. The flight home was similar, as Moore and Hurdle sat alone in the front of the plane while the coaches sat in the rear, which is highly unusual.

A few players are called into the Mgr.s office and come out looking glum, Jake Marisnick comes out angry and cleans out his locker, although he doesn't say anything to the other players but "See ya Bro."

The highlights for the week are the two victories we earned in ARZ. The lowlights? You just pick any from the "San Diego Debacle"...

The roster moves for the week;
1) 5/13 Traded LF Corey Dickerson, minor league SP Steven Brault to SF in exchange for SP Madison Bumgarner, minor league RP Jaime Callahan, placed P Bumgarner on 25 man roster.
2) 5/13 Traded SP Jordan Lyles to HOU in exchange for CF Jake Marisnick, minor league OF Myles Straw, placed CF Marisnick on 25 man roster.
3) 5/15 P Matt Wisler optioned to AAA Indianapolis.
4) 5/17 OF Chisenhall put on 20 day rehab option at AAA Indianapolis.
5) 5/17 RP Kyle Crick put on 10 IL retroactive to 5/16.
6) 5/17 Purchased contract of RP Blake Weiman and placed on 25 man roster
7) 5/19 CF Jake Marisnick placed on unconditional waivers and taken off the 40 man roster.
8) 5/19 1B Erich Weiss sent down to AAA.
9) 5/19 Purchased the contract of 1B Nick Franklin and placed him on 25 man roster.
10) 5/19 Promoted OF Pablo Reyes from AAA to 25 man roster.

There was no shouting, no outbursts - just Jake Marisnick flatly refusing an option to the minors, as is his right. But GM Moore explained that a .100 BA coming into the team, then merely hitting .176 is sufficient grounds to ask a player to go to AAA to work on their swing. With Marisnick's refusal and OF Pablo Reyes swinging a hot bat in AAA, it made the decision easier for GM Moore and Mgr. Clint Hurdle agreed.

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Thought I'd throw in Marisnicks sheet to bolster my case for having him work on his swing.

the team batting average this past week wasn't bad, the ability to drive in runs is ATROCIOUS!!!

Finally I don't know who is keeping OOTP 20 stats but they need a vacation! They list my pitching staff as having three wins this week when the schedule and win column only show two???

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This is a depth position for the Pirates. Probably the best player is in the minors, because I do not want to stunt his progress and we have a good 3B already manning the position.

Top 5

1) Ke'Bryan Hayes - A 22 y/o starter at AAA. Clearly our best defensive player already, KeBryan rules all the defensive metrics for the position. He is still maturing as a batter and shows promise, we just do not want to rush him up with Brian W Anderson manning third currently. (Contact 40/61 - Gap 31/49 - Power 27/38 - Eye 46/59 - Avoid K's 44/53)

2) Brian W Anderson - A 26 y/o starter at 3B. Quality defense and offense metrics make him an above average MLB 3B. (Contact 54/56 - Gap 46/46 - Power 45/45 - Eye 72/77 - Avoid K's 56/57)

3) Erik Gonzalez - A 27 y/o IF, scouts report Erik Gonzalez could be an average 3B if he played there specifically, since he is an IF his defensive metrics at 3B are slightly above average, but his position rating is poor. (Contact 42/42 - Gap 53/53 - Power 36/36 - Eye 12/13 - Avoid K's 44/44)

4) Alfredo Reyes - a 25 y/o IF, he is a slightly below average defensive 3B but his metrics are above average, he is a more natural 2B but he is stuck at AA at both of his positions. (Contact 29/36 - Gap 17/25 - Power 16/17 - Eye 47/52 - Avoid K's 53/58)

5) Eric Wood - 1 26 y/o reserve at AAA. Eric is an average defensive 3B with some mental lapses leading to unforced errors. He is a primary 1B in his defense, but he has several lower level players pushing for his job which he has held on to so far. (Contact 29/32 - Gap 48/48 - Power 43/44 - 39/43 - Avoid K's 35/40) Eric's OSA ratings are kinder, but not majorly so.

There are at least 4 players in the low minors who could fill out and get on the top 5 list in a few years if their skills blossom as expected.

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A bright spot again in the minors, this time its LF Bryan Reynolds he took down the AA Player of the Week. he is lighting up the league with a .365 BA overall. A phone call to Asst. GM Neal Huntington might be in order here...

Also in MLB news our weekly power rating came out, and to nobody's surprise our Buc's have slid down to 20th position.

After the changes this week, CF Trayvon Robinson is back as the starter and leadoff guy, LF is still Adam Frazier's to patrol and the lineups are pretty stable. IF/OF Pablo Reyes looks like he will become the super-sub on the team, if all goes well. Stay tuned

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Our next series is a three game set at home against the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are going to be difficult to outscore but their pitching is their Achilles heel it seems.

The Tampa Bay Rays put a pitcher named Wilmer Font on waivers, I took a flyer on him, not thinking it would lead anywhere, but to my surprise we got him! He will be a welcome addition to our staff - I think he may end up a long reliever due to his lack of stamina.

Finally after 19 years of the call of "Play Ball" brought him to the Major Leagues, Manna Parra is hanging up the cleats and glove at the end of the season. Our Pirates just faced him last week in our series against Arizona, and he pitched and kept us from scoring in all three games! We wish you well Manny!

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Another loss, but Rockies LF David Dahl was his own human highlight film. Box Score says it all, pretty much followed the predictions made before the series, too much offense for the Pirates to overcome.

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GM Jed Hoyer calls with an offer I CAN refuse! Then I take a look around to see what he has available under the Cubs hood, We end up striking a minor league deal for 2 almost ready for prime time pitchers coming from Chicago(N) for 2 prospects aged 17 & 19 y/o...

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Pirates losses hit six in a row and this game wasn't as close as the score indicated. Now becoming a familiar refrain...

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It's hours after the game, the players are mostly gone, GM Moore and Mgr. Clint Hurdle are meeting in the GM's office. Moore has just gotten off the phone with the team owner, and the final decision has been made. Pitching Coach Ray Searage is called at home and asked to stop in in the GM's office in the morning. He is on speakerphone and asks if Clint is with me, I answer "yes" and then Ray says "that's it then?" I hate this as I think of Ray as a friend, and feel upset. I say "just stop in tomorrow, we'll go over this".

The next morning Ray comes in and I offer him the minor league Altoona job, its close enough he wouldn't have to move, but he refuses and says he still has a couple more good years in the tank. We ll shake hands and he goes to clean out his coaches desk. Meanwhile new pitching coach Joel Hanrahan is a familiar face to long time Pirates fans, he was the successful closer of the 2009-2012 Pirates teams, and started coaching in the minors right after his retirement. Welcome Aboard Joel! A search for Joel's replacement at AA is being conducted right now.

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The losses continue to mount, now seven straight, but there seemed to be some life tonight. The Pirates went down by 4 runs and battled back to make it a one run game, only that's how it ended too. Details below...

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5/22/19 Jake Marisnick was called in to GM Jim Moore's office along with his agent. Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle and Bench Coach Tom Prince were in attendance too. Secretary Penny Layne recorded the meeting for notes later with all parties consent.

The meeting went well for the most part, Jake and his agent insisted they would not consider a stint in the minors. GM Moore reached in his desk and pulled out an envelope, handing it to the agent. "That's your client's release from the organization, the balance of monies owed under his contract, and I wish you both well with your careers. Thank you for your service to the Pirates." The agent seemed stunned, looked in the envelope quickly then said "I'm sure we can come to some other agreement..." Jake tapped his arm and said "lets go" and they left the office. Moore sat back down in his chair, sighed and asked if anyone had anything to say.. Coach Prince laughed and said "In my day I woulda CRAWLED to Indianapolis to still wear the uniform..."

In other news RP Thomas Burrows was optioned to AAA Indianapolis and P Wilmer Font was activated off the DFA list and placed on the 25 man roster. Pitching coach Joel Hanrahan accepted a three year contract to be the Pirates pitching coach.

5/23 The scouting report for the weekend at home playing the Dodgers is below.