You are viewing the chat in desktop mode. Click here to switch to mobile view.
X
Jason Mackey's Pirates chat: 03.29.24
powered byJotCast
Jason Mackey
11:43
Hey everyone. Thanks for stopping by my weekly Pirates chat -- the last one before I become a columnist. Crazy. We'll get started shortly.
11:52
And away we go ... few minutes early.
Cullen
11:53
Were you able to find out if the Pirates plan to let Endy hit at all this year while he is rehabbing? Obviously he cant throw but Harper, Ohtani, etc seem to be able to hit fairly quickly after TJ.
Jason Mackey
11:53
That appointment has been postponed twice by Dr. Neal ElAttrache due to issues with family and illness. So, no.
Cullen
11:53
Rabello is making me miss Joey "Don Quixote" Cora with his sends, not that JC was much better. Why does it feel like we have the most outs at home because of terrible sends?
Jason Mackey
11:54
Probably because you watch the Pirates the most. They're aggressive. Yesterday wasn't good, obviously. But I don't have a huge issue with how Rabelo has handled third. Actually, I think he does a pretty decent job over there.
Philly Phil
11:54
Hi Jason - In the admittedly fantasy world where all of the Pirates pitching prospects reach their reasonable projectable potential and return fully from injuries, what does the best case rotation look like at the end of 2024 and 2025?
Jason Mackey
11:56
Yeah, we know that won't happen. Ha. Never does. But your top 3, I suppose, would be Mitch, Skenes, Jones. Would imagine Burrows and Bru are in there some way. What happens with Perez and Gonzales? Don't know. They could stick around. Seems they want to make Ashcraft a reliever. Have liked Ortiz as a reliever. You'd hope Quinn figures it out. In 2025, I think it would be fair to think Solo & Chandler make it. Maybe Solo gets here this year, though that might be pushing it.
Jamie
11:56
Are there any whispers of signing another starting pitcher or are they going to ride the current group pending any significant injuries?
Jason Mackey
11:57
Who's out there to sign? Whether you agree or not, they're not interested in Bauer. Do they suddenly have a change of heart? Doubt it. They could obviously do something at some point, but it doesn't seem like they're spending much energy on it at the moment.
Lou
11:57
in football fields are the same and hockey rings the same in basketball court is the same — why in baseball is the outfield different dimensions in each ball park
Jason Mackey
11:57
Because baseball is the best. And doesn't like to make it easy for anyone. I love that about the sport. Design of the parks is left up to teams.
Gene
11:57
Is Williams on the team for his defense and can he play multiple INF
Jason Mackey
11:58
Yes. I wouldn't expect him to play much. Maybe a late-inning defensive replacement to protect a lead. Giving someone a day off here and there. Also not permanent. Would imagine you could see Bae or Peguero in that spot as well. But for now, yeah, defense.
62 Stack Monster
11:58
Jason, Elly De La Cruz of the Reds conducted his first interview in English.  Out of curiosity, how many Pirates need translators, and how is your Spanish?
Jason Mackey
11:59
My Spanish is not good. In fact, I don't have Spanish. I started learning this offseason, then got off course. Got fully off-track when the new role came up, when it became not as important. Off the top of my head, Ortiz, Ro, Hernandez, Cruz, Chapman, Rowdy ... nah, just kidding on the last one.
david--
11:59
Hey Jason,  I found out I'll have to work in Greensboro, NC alot this summer. I checked the MLB baseball package. Greensboro is considered home territory for Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington so all are blacked-out. Is it just me or does that seem a little excessive? Those cities are all over 300 miles away!  At least I get AA Pirates live!
Jason Mackey
12:00
It is excessive. You're not the only one that affects, believe me. Receive multiple emails about it. Very dumb. MLB would be wise to remove local blackout restrictions and be better about a direct-to-consumer option.
Dave
12:00
Why didn't Bedmar pitch yesterday??
Jason Mackey
12:00
He was unavailable as part of his return-to-pitch program. That was Shelton's explanation.
JC
12:00
Jason, not to beat a dead horse but this organization missed a golden opportunity by not signing a potential top of the rotation1 or 2 pitcher. We hope Skenes is a 1A or 1B. I don’t think Keller is a 1A or 1B but is a nice #3. Do you feel any of our young arms have the potential to pair with Skenes to become a 1A/1B pairing?
Jason Mackey
12:01
I don't know. Mitch could be more than a 3, I would hope. I like Jones. But I generally agree with you. I like a pretty decent amount of what the Pirates have this season. The lack of rotation depth worries me.
Endy Rodriguez
12:01
What if Henry Davis proves to be a competent catcher this year and a better option than myself behind the plate? What happens to me?
Jason Mackey
12:01
How do you feel about first base? Would imagine the DH spot also becomes open.
BUBBLE GUM KID
12:02
Since Cruz miss most of last year will the Pirates retain him for an additional year?... wishing you the best!!!
Jason Mackey
12:02
Cruz still accrued a year of service time, so no.
PrinceBob
12:02
Near the end of yesterday's game the question that came into my mind was "When did Josh Bell learn to field?" Another question was whether taking a major tranquilizer would make it easier for me to watch the Pirates run bases, especially from third to home this season? I know there are times when you send a guy who's not likely to get to the plate before the ball does but you want to force the other team to make a play. Is there some statistic that measures the number of times  that runner actually scores because the defense didn't make that play versus the number of times a team just runs a guy out of scoring position?
Jason Mackey
12:03
Not that I'm aware of. At least externally. Would imagine there's proprietary data that includes it, but nothing to which I can refer you. Hang in there. It's only one game.
Ryan
12:03
GET TELLEZ OUT AGAINST LEFTIES AND GET OLIVERAS IN!!!
Jason Mackey
12:03
It's tough with four games against lefty starters ... and maybe five ... to open. I don't think we should draw any conclusions off of one of them. But it was aggressive push toward analytics, save for that one decision.
Ryan
12:04
ortiz looked dominant yesterday. Loved the fire from him. Hopefully he’s back. Loved the fire from Henry several times behind the dish too.
Jason Mackey
12:04
I'm with you. I really liked what I saw from Ortiz as a reliever. I want to see more. They may have something here.
Bones
12:04
Is it just me, or do others see the basic lack of baseball fundamentals? Base running, situational awareness, base running...making the easy plays?
Jason Mackey
12:06
I'm not defending yesterday. But I do think it's one game. Now, I agree with you that the Pirates haven't been world beaters in this category. Completely fair. But Triolo hasn't made many errors. Mitch is generally decent at fielding his position. Davis is a smart baseball player. So, too, is Taylor. The Pirates are also aggressive, sometimes too much, but I think they have to be. We're also talking about some new faces with Davis and Taylor, even Triolo. I would just let it play out. Also, the Pirates aren't alone here. It's a different game being played. Not excusing it -- for the older crowd. But you also can't ignore it.
Q
12:06
Did Shelton give any explanation as to why Rowdy was in yesterday vs a lefty and not Joe at 1B, Olivares in right? Kinda defeats the purpose of a platoon I think. I get they have 5 lefties to face to start the year so they’d like to get Rowdy in but still. Maybe they think more highly of Rowdy than just a split guy
Jason Mackey
12:07
It's having to juggle starts against four or five lefties to start. I do think they view Rowdy as more of a starter than strict platoon, so maybe that had something to do with it, too.
Guest
12:07
Do you think David Bednar will be put on the IL? I know he didn’t get much spring work so seems odd to have him be on roster if he cant pictch yet. Hope it’s minor. Thank yoh
Jason Mackey
12:08
No, I don't. I think that's why they did what they did yesterday. Shelton said Bednar would be good to go starting today.
Judy
12:08
Can you briefly explain to us exactly how a DH can be used. If a player begins a game as a DH can they be moved to a position later in the same game?
Jason Mackey
12:09
Load More Messages
Connecting…