Trust has been hard to come by in terms of the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ front office and ownership. For almost three decades, they’ve been an objective mess that never seems to have a concrete plan. Rumors flew all week that they’d go for an under slot selection with the number one overall pick. Instead, the Pirates did the right thing and selected LSU RHP Paul Skenes.
Skenes may even sign a tad under slot which could allow the Pirates to sign the majority of their picks. As a team that doesn’t have a high free agent budget, using the draft to accrue talent is the best avenue to success. If there is one thing Ben Cherington has done in his Pirates tenure, it has been building their prospect pool through the draft.
The Pirates were able to pick up a win just a half hour before the draft over the Arizona Diamondbacks and really kick off the all-star break on a high note. Vibes have been really low for the Buccos lately. They’re losing games at a rapid clip. Most of their biggest stars are currently out of the lineup. Drafting Paul Skenes is helping lift the spirits of the fan base.
Instead of using Bucco Blasts to analyze the past week’s games, I’ll discuss the Skenes pick and some observations I’ve got from the first half of the season. Let’s get down to it.
Skenes Ultimately Right Move For Pirates
There had been a discussion for weeks around baseball about who is the best prospect in this draft. Of course, that can’t be officially determined until each guy makes the major leagues. However, the Pirates did well selecting Skenes at number one over Dylan Crews and Wyatt Langford.
The argument could be had that Crews and Langford could be more valuable because of their ability to play everyday. Skenes obviously will pitch just every fifth day. However, the penny-pinching Pirates do not have the budget to be a player on any elite starting pitcher that hits the open market. Drafting Skenes allows the Pirates to get a near-surefire elite starting pitcher. He’ll be under their control for five-plus years and the Pirates could fast track him to the big leagues.
The moment Paul was picked No. 1 🥹@Paul_Skenes | #ThePowerhouse pic.twitter.com/pbfEIzLdoZ
— LSU Baseball (@LSUbaseball) July 9, 2023
Many have compared Skenes to the likes of Stephen Strasburg in terms of hype. Strasburg’s career is derailed currently due to injuries. The obvious arm concerns come in to play with Skenes because of his hard-throwing ability. That is just a risk the Pirates have to take in order to get a starting pitcher of Skenes’ ilk.
Many fans wanted Crews but “settled” for Skenes. If he lives up to the hype, the Pirates could be looking at a monstrous difference-maker in their rebuild knowing that someone with Skenes’ abilities will be taking the mound every fifth day.
In Fact…Play All The Kids!
No, I won’t be calling for Skenes to be in the dugout when the Pirates resume on Friday. However, there are a handful of prospects that should be making their full-time MLB debuts very shortly.
The Pirates have done good in calling Henry Davis and Nick Gonzales to the big leagues. Both players have fared well in the short time at the major league levels. Now 8-games out of the wild card race and 8.5-games back in the NL Central, the season is pretty much moot at this point. It is time to bring up the kids, weed out the roster fat, and allow the ‘Young Bucs’ to begin their trek towards relevance.
Endy Rodriguez needs to be here sooner rather than later as the Pirates’ catcher. Austin Hedges‘ OPS entering the all-star break is .462. His services really aren’t necessary at this point. Quinn Priester has pitched to a 3.86 ERA over his last five starts in Triple-A. With Luis Ortiz back in Triple-A Indianapolis, there is an open spot in the rotation that should be overtaken by Priester.
Infielder Liover Peguero is a top-10 Pirates prospect awaiting his turn. 24-year old Infielder Alika Williams is a former first-round pick the Pirates acquired in a trade earlier this season. There are even more youngsters at the mid-to-lower levels of the minor leagues. Bring the kids up. Let them all take their lumps now so next season they are ready to make at least a push towards a playoff spot.
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Pirates Infield Decisions
There is no secret that the Pirates’ organizational depth is in the middle infield. Most of their top minor league prospects are at second base or shortstop. Eventually this will be a problem as there is not enough playing time to go around. However, someone could be traded if the Pirates eventually become buyers at a future trade deadline.
Right now though, the Pirates could use some of that depth at the major league-level. Gonzales is playing well and seems to be with the Pirates for good. However, Rodolfo Castro and Tucupita Marcano have been disappointing for quite some time now. Castro is batting .200 in his last 30 games while Marcano is batting .205 in the same span. They’ve been disappointing at the plate and don’t offer enough with their gloves to make up for it.
Nick Gonzales is on FIRE. What a response from the Young Bucs…
Nick now has 11 RBI. It's his 13th game in MLB. pic.twitter.com/a8IVwTBawx
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 7, 2023
Of course, Oneil Cruz was injured earlier in the season and is out indefinitely. He is a difference-maker and the Pirates miss his bat in the lineup. His presence would fix a lot of problems with the Pirates’ lineup right now. However, with the Pirates nearly out of the race, Cruz may not return this season.
Gonzales has risen through the ranks with Peguero as they’ve been double play partners at a few levels of the minors. Reassembling this duo, at least for the remainder of the season if Cruz doesn’t return, might not be a bad idea. Toss Termarr Johnson into the equation within the next two years or so and the Pirates have a plethora of good players down the middle of their infield.
Get Cutch Extended…NOW!
For much of the past eight months, the Pirates have been nailing the PR-moves. They’ve struggled to do that in the past and have turned a lot of fans away. One thing all Pirates supporters can agree on is the importance of Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen isn’t just important to the current Pirates but his place in franchise history as well. The 1970’s Pirates had a lot of big names on them. However, any Pirates Mt. Rushmore has to include McCutchen.
The 36-year old represents an entire era of Pirates baseball. His arrival in Pittsburgh was a massive deal and he was the driving force behind the Pirates’ three-year run from 2013-15′. McCutchen’s re-signing in Pittsburgh this offseason was a huge story all across the sport. He just looks right in the black and gold and should’ve been there his whole career.
This is why the Pittsburgh Pirates need to quell all offseason chatter around this subject and get McCutchen extended beyond this season.
The trade rumors began flying a few weeks ago but it would be a massive mistake to trade McCutchen even if you promised him a reunion in the offseason. He wants to be in Pittsburgh and he surely wants to see this through. He’s still a good player despite his age. He provides tons of experience. The move would do wonders for fans as the trade deadline approaches.
Pittsburgh might have other things on their plate at the moment. However, making sure ‘Cutch’ feels wanted and appreciated should be up high on that list. He’s made his intentions clear and the Pirates should fulfill that wish with an early contract extension.
Photo Credit- Rich Storry-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Wyatt Langford, Stephen Strasburg, Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Endy Rodriguez, Austin Hedges, Quinn Priester, Luis Ortiz, Liover Peguero, Alika Williams, Rodolfo Castro, Tucupita Marcano, Oneil Cruz, Termarr Johnson, Andrew McCutchen
