JotCast | Bill Brink's Pirates chat: 9.20.17

Bill Brink's Pirates chat: 9.20.17

Bill Brink

12:01

Hello and welcome to today's Pirates chat. Thanks for all the good questions you've already submitted, and keep them coming. Here we go ...

PhillyJake

12:02

Boy have these guys quit, haven't they? What's the mood in the clubhouse? Like someone died?

Bill Brink

12:03

I haven't been around since the end of the Brewers series in Milwaukee (I'll be back today) and at that time there was frustration but not despair. Now, since then they have lost 12 out of 13 and -- check my math -- haven't scored a run in the month of September, so that could change the mood somewhat.

Blaze

12:04

Do you think Bob Nutting, Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington realize how upset the fans are with all of them and do they even care?

Bill Brink

12:05

If they didn't before, they certainly do now because the fans have told them so with their attendance. I know they care, but I also know the way they show they care probably isn't what fans will hope for.

OHIO412FAN

12:05

Bill, with the season locked in as another losing year, what does this team have to do to get back to its truly winning ways? What the team is doing now is very unfortunate. What needs to change?

Bill Brink

12:07

They need a better offense, and to either add power, or to find another way to score in an era where power more plentiful than ever. Their pitching wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. Their offense was terrible: 13th in the NL in runs per game, 12th in OBP, 14th in slugging.

Blaze

12:07

Seriously Bill what has NH and Hurdle done to warrant 4 year extensions for each of them? Hurdle had 3 good years here but has also led his teams to multiple collapses. Huntington got lightening in a bottle with some reclamation projects a few years ago but his drafting and developing has been terrible and all he does lately is spin. Doesn't seem to me that most fans are happy with those extensions. Your thoughts?

Bill Brink

12:10

From whatever type of representative sample Twitter and my inbox provide, it does not sound like fans are happy with the extensions. I have a hard time putting much blame on Hurdle for what happened this year. It wasn't his fault Taillon, Kang and Marte missed some or all of the season. Huntington, a little more so: No true fourth outfielder on the roster, the lack of upgrades for this year or next at the deadline, the Nicasio thing. The one area I'd put on both of them is putting Glasnow in the rotation. On one hand, they were right: His next stage of development needs to happen in the majors. It just didn't.

B. Beane

12:11

Hate to say it, but outrageous base running blunders come down to lack of smarts. Really hard to excuse. Thoughts?

Bill Brink

12:12

I think more lack of focus. I know for a fact these things are taught, and the players are apprised of their mistakes and go through a film review with the position coach. It's not that they don't know what to do (unless they're really not paying attention), they're not executing on the field consistently.

Blaze

12:12

Will you guys please for the 1st time ask Bob Nutting some tough questions about adding payroll? He needs to feel the heat for a change.

Bill Brink

12:13

In light of Nicasio, the influx of Disney money into MLB Advanced Media and the way the savings from Kang and Marte were handled, plus the attendance issue, absolutely.

PhillyJake

12:13

Is Nesbitt leaving the beat because he can't eat Ice Cream in your car?

Bill Brink

12:13

That was just Sanserino. Nesbitt and I ate in there all the time.

Blaze

12:14

Coincidence or not that Cole looks worse and worse because Jim Benedict is gone after 2015? Lots of people are saying that it wasn't Srarage who made these guys better but Benedict.

Bill Brink

12:15

I would disagree that it was Benedict and not Searage helping the Pirates pitchers -- they worked together, and both have a keen eye for how to work with a pitcher -- but Benedict and Cole had a good working relationship. I don't think it's entirely the fact that Jim is in Miami but that is likely one of several factors.

PhillyJake

12:16

As you said, it's not on NH or CH re Taillon, Marte and Kang. In the case of Taillon, Williams stepped up. But in the cases of Marte and Kang, no one stepped up, and NH did nothing about it.

Bill Brink

12:17

Exactly. Both in the case of not putting a true fourth outfielder on the roster out of spring (even if they couldn't have seen the suspension coming, Marte and Polanco had been known to be banged up) or adding one later. The Rodriguez acquisition came months after the fact.

Blaze

12:18

What has happened to Josh Bell and his plate discipline? I liked last year's version much better. He was more patient and hit for average and pop. This season he has bit much worse especially lately and he is striking out a lot more. It's like his great eye is gone. Sure he has hit a decent number of homeruns but it's not the same.

Bill Brink

12:20

It's a good question, Blaze, and I think eventually you'll see a blend of the two. Last year the OBP and K/BB ratio were in a better place, but this year the power has shown up in a real way. From what my eyes and people in the game tell me, he's a very good hitter with a good temperament and understanding of what he's doing, and I think he'll continue to improve.

Mark

12:20

My thoughts on Kang, take away his driver's license, OK, take away his livelihood, not OK. Let the boy play? Your thoughts?

Bill Brink

12:21

It's less of an issue of taking away his livelihood than it is an issue with the U.S. Department of State. This was his third DUI, remember, and I can't imagine the consular officer processing his visa application was thrilled to learn that.

Blaze

12:21

Bill is not time to throw some blame at the hitting coach? Seriously our hitters are terrible, swinging at horrible pitches all the time and I think Branson needs to take some blame here.

Bill Brink

12:23

I'll be interested to see if they make a change there this offseason. Especially the way they're closing out the season (.233/.292/.350 with a 6.6 percent walk rate and striking out more than a quarter of the time) is not a good look.

B. Beane

12:23

Marte looks bad, and how can you count on Polanco? I fear the outfield has been WAY overrated

Bill Brink

12:25

Marte looks bad. I will, however, give him another spring when he doesn't have a positive drug test over his head or a WBC appearance, and he might regain his form. I agree on Polanco. The three-time reinjury of the same spot for someone his age does not bode well for the future, especially given his injury history.

Blaze

12:27

Would ownership take more notice if a guy like Cutch spoke out publicly about the low payroll and lack of any meaningful additions to the team on the trade deadline. Why does he never speak out? He could maybe get enough attention nationally to force Nutting to change at least a little no?

Bill Brink

12:29

It would certainly generate national attention. My instinct is, the voicing of disapproval at the ticket window will hit ownership in a spot that forces them to pay attention, and I'm interested in how they react this winter. This is a crossroads offseason for the Pirates.

As far as why he doesn't speak out, I'm not sure that's necessarily his nature. He voices his mind on some things but calling out his employer might just not be his thing.

Because he's been asked. And he's made it clear that some things upset him, but that's as far as he's gone.

12:30

What other questions do we have today?

B. Beane

12:31

Frazier an everyday second baseman?

Bill Brink

12:32

You would know better than I, right Billy?

(Defensively, not yet. He could get there with some offseason work, but I don't think the consistency is there.)

Haze

12:38

Bill Why is no one questioning Hurdle's pitful answers doing his post game comments. He is saying things like the team played hard and stayed engaged. I would say did you watch the same game we did There is no hustle, unless we consider stupid base running by Diaz hustling. Guys are practically walking to first base. The question is you lost this team what makes you think you could make it work next year

Bill Brink

12:38

I think a question to that effect after an egregious example would be a fair one.

PhillyJake

12:39

Re hitting coach. Was the same guy when they won 98 games.

Bill Brink

12:40

And ranked fourth in the NL in runs per game. But that team had Kang, Walker and Alvarez as well.

Lightning round. Go.

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