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Pirates Morning Report: Shortstop

The combination of three Pirate shortstops ranked 18th at that position out of 30 teams, in terms of defense and offensive production. Konnor Griffin seems to be the heir apparent at this position, showcasing a blend of promising skills and potential. He is the primary reason they are as high as they are in the rankings. The other two, Jared Triolo and Jacob Gonzalez, really could not hit consistently, making it challenging for the team to rely on them in crucial moments of games. Specifically, Gonzalez is a below-average fielder at shortstop, which raises concerns about the team’s defensive capabilities. It is always fascinating how the Pirates think strategically in terms of player placement and development. Despite being an average fielder at 1st and 3rd base, they chose to place him at shortstop, where his defensive runs saved statistic sits at an alarming -4. This decision is perplexing, especially considering he never played shortstop for the White Sox, leading one to wonder how they arrive at such unconventional strategies. Although he did play shortstop in the minors, he had never stepped onto the field in that position at the MLB level until he joined the Pirates. Compounding the issue, both Gonzalez and Triolo’s OPS+ stats are significantly below league average, with figures of 75 and 68 respectively, This certainly casts doubt on their contributions to the Pirates’ lineup. This raises the question of how the team intends to rectify these performance issues moving forward.

Konnor Griffin will be and should be the main shortstop for the Pirates next year. He was a 2.1 WAR player in 80 games. For a full season, that would be close to 4.0. He has an excellent glove, every bit as good as Triolo. Both have defensive runs saved of 4 at the position. Griffin is only going to be 21 next April. Hopefully, he is over the injury problems and can go for a complete season. Presumably, we have seen the last of Jacob Gonzalez. I know he fits the perfect Pirate prototype: can’t field, can’t hit, so let’s play him every day. If he is one of the bench players next year, this team is in trouble. Jared Triolo has also shown he cannot hit. Over his 4-year career in 1,393 plate appearances, he has a slash line of .237/.317/.335 for a lifetime OPS+ of 80. There is no question he is a great glove at all 4 infield positions. If the Pirates can add more slug at other positions, then I still think Triolo will be an asset. I really do not know that the Pirates are capable of doing that. The good news is that Konnor Griffin looks like the real deal.

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Pirates Morning Report: Third Base

The Pirates had the 23rd ranked third baseman in baseball this year, a position that contributed significantly to the team’s overall performance. Nick Gonzales had the most plate appearances at that position, which highlights the team’s reliance on him despite some glaring issues. Gonzales had his best year at the plate with a commendable slash line of .303/.367/.388, showcasing his ability to make consistent contact and get on base. However, his lack of power severely limited his potential, leading to an OPS+ of 107, which means he is just 7% above a league average hitter. This highlights the need for an improved power hitter at that position. Where Gonzales falters is in the field, a crucial aspect of his position. He was the worst fielding third baseman in the league, marked by a disappointing defensive runs saved of -15, which contributed to the team’s defensive struggles. He made 11 of his 15 errors at third base, a statistic that raises concerns about his defensive consistency and reliability. This is another corner infield position that has very poor fielding skills that the bat does not quite make up for. The Pirates do have Ryan O’Hearn, who can play first base, providing some flexibility, but they have no one that would be an adequate replacement at third base for the moment. If they are not going to sign Brandon Lowe during the off-season, that should be the Pirates’ number one priority, as solidifying the third base position is essential for improving both the batting lineup and the overall defensive integrity of the team moving forward.

As far as Gonzales is concerned, a move to second base would not only be good for him but also significantly benefit the team. He is only just a little below league average there at a -2 defensive runs saved, which indicates that while there is room for improvement, he shows potential to excel in this position. As a versatile player, Gonzales would be a great candidate to DH once in a while, allowing him to contribute offensively while minimizing the strain of fielding. Over the last three years, Nick Gonzales has made slow but steady progress as a hitter, showcasing flashes of brilliance that suggest he could develop into a reliable presence in the lineup. Injuries may be another factor that has slowed him down somewhat, causing intermittent setbacks in his development, but he has remained resilient and focused on improvement. Regardless of the challenges he has faced, he should definitely be on the team next year. Hopefully, he will never touch third base again, allowing him to fully embrace his role at second base where he can thrive.

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Pirates Morning Report: Second Base

The Pirates had the 2nd best second baseman in baseball, only behind Brice Turang of the Milwaukee Brewers. Of course, Brandon Lowe was responsible for that ranking. Brandon Lowe had a spectacular offensive season by Pirate standards, with a slash line of .260/.331/.493 for an OPS+ of 121. Defense was supposedly his Achilles’ heel, but it wasn’t this year. He was an outstanding +13 in defensive runs saved, by far the best defensive player the Pirates had this season. The only other complaint about Lowe was that he had trouble staying on the field. From 2022 to 2024, he never played in more than 109 games in a season, and in 2022, he appeared in only 65 games. However, he seems to have solved that problem, as in 2025, he played in 134 games, and this year with the Pirates, he played in 150 games. Coming off the year Lowe had, should the Pirates make a real effort to sign him to a long-term deal? Let’s take a dive in.

The first question to answer is whether the Pirates should make Lowe a qualifying offer. I believe it would be around 23 million dollars. The answer is an emphatic yes. First, there is about a zero chance that he would accept it. This would allow the Pirates to receive compensation when he signs with somebody else. Lowe will be heading into his age 33 season, turning 33 right in the middle of the 2027 season. He is approaching his declining years. Despite the fact that he has essentially stayed healthy the last 2 years, it is far from a guarantee that he will remain on the field for the next 3 or 4 years. The real question is what he will bring on the open market. There is a lot of negative history concerning teams signing free agents in their 30s. One of the big negatives for the Pirates is that Tremar Johnson, the so called second baseman of the future, did not have a very good year in AAA, and then seriously injured his knee. I am sure Lowe is looking for a 4-year deal. If he were to settle for a 3-year deal, I think 90 million or 30 million a year would be something the Pirates could manage. There always seems to be somebody willing to overpay these players. So, let’s assume that the Pirates are unable to keep Lowe, which I think is a pretty good assumption. I think this would put Nick Gonzales back at second base. He is close to league average when he plays second. At third base, he is horrible. To me, signing Brandon Lowe is a difficult call despite a lot of people clamoring for him to be signed. I think he will probably get a 4 or even 5-year deal, which the Pirates cannot afford. There are other younger players that the Pirates will need to sign. Who knows what the new labor agreement will eventually bring, but it won’t be so different that the Pirates would have a better chance to sign Lowe.

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Pirates Morning Report: The First Basemen

I am now glad that I am doing the position evaluations at the end of the season. Even with only 7 days to go in the season the catching position went from 19th to 15th in the league. That didn’t change my mind on what to do with the position but the catching position is now in the top half of the league. Unfortunately you cannot say the same thing about first base. I don’t know what it is about 1st base and the Pirates. They just cannot seem to find a really good one. The Pirates first basemen this year were ranked 27th in the league.

First base was held down for most of the season by Spencer Horwitz. He had to go on the IL at the end of June, came back the beginning of August and quite frankly never seemed to be right. In those last 39 games he appeared in, he only had 2 hits in 5 games. His slash line for the period was .180/.263/.201. He did not hit a home run. It’s hard to say if the injury was still bugging him or what. The bottom line is the Pirates were getting zero production from one of the offensive positions. Horwitz wound up the season with a minus 2 defensive runs saved. In other words this is not what you want at first base a way below average hitter (94 OPS+) and a below average fielder.

The Pirates need to find a new home for Horwitz even if it was a nagging injury that contributed to his bad 2nd half. Ryan O Hearn should be the main first basemen in 2027. Horwitz won’t bring much on the trade market but maybe the Pirates will luck out and a get a bullpen piece for him. If he is on the team next year this is not a good sign.

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Pirates Morning Report: Two Stats That Sum Up The Season

It is rare that you can look at a season and boil it down to two crucial stats where, if the team had just performed at the league average, they would undoubtedly be in the playoffs. The first stat has some speculation tied to it. This inefficiency in converting chances into runs not only highlights the team’s inconsistency at the plate but also serves as a reminder of missed opportunities that could have changed the course of their games. Conversely, the second stat presents a more straightforward narrative, as it illustrates a pitching failure that stands out starkly against league averages. The lack of effectiveness from key pitchers not only put additional pressure on the bullpen but also allowed too many runs to score, ultimately bridging the gap between a respectable season and one that could have seen the team competing in the postseason.

Even though the Pirates were a solid run-scoring team that wound up 6th in the league in runs scored, they were shut out 15 times. There were 3 teams that were shut out just as many times: the Mets, the Mariners, and the Angels. The Guardians were shut out 16 times, and the Reds 17 times. There were 7 teams in baseball that were shut out 8 or 9 times, which put them in the 10th through 16th positions in the league. The Pirates had 6 games where they lost 2 or 3 to nothing. I do not think it is much of a stretch to say that if the Pirates had scored some runs in those games, they could have won half of them. That would have added 3 wins to their total. Granted, just because you are not shut out does not mean you are going to win the game, but it at least gives you a chance. The Cubs had the number 1 offense in the league, and they were shut out 14 times. Other than that, all the other bottom 10 teams in terms of being shut out had much worse offenses than the Pirates. Of the teams that were tied or worse than the Pirates, the highest-ranked offense was the Mets at 19th in the league. We are speculating on the possible extra wins here; we could be off in either direction. The next stat we do not have to speculate on to know that this alone cost the Pirates a spot in the postseason.

In games where the Pirates scored 7 runs or more, they unfortunately lost 10 of those contests, highlighting a troubling trend in their performance. The only team worse in the league than the Pirates was the lowly Colorado Rockies, who suffered a staggering 12 losses under similar circumstances. Overall, the Rockies ended up losing 104 games during the season, underscoring their struggles. In striking contrast, two teams, the Mets and the Red Sox, showcased remarkable consistency, failing to lose a single game throughout the year whenever they managed to score 7 runs. Additionally, there were 4 teams that only lost one game in these high-scoring scenarios, while another 4 teams faced defeat just twice. Remarkably, a total of 18 teams only lost 4 games when scoring 7 runs or more, yet it’s worth noting that half of these teams did not secure a spot in the playoffs. If the Pirates had merely performed at or slightly above league average, it’s entirely possible they could have added an extra 10 to 12 wins to their season total. Such an improvement would have effectively catapulted them into playoff contention. The reality is, the Pirates essentially gave away far too many games throughout the season. This sense of disappointment and unfulfilled potential will inevitably make this winter seem even longer as the team evaluates their performance and prepares for the challenges ahead.

Speaking of the playoffs they are about ready to move into the division series. The White Sox, Yankees and Padres have won the Wild Card series 2-0 to advance. The Braves and Phillies play an elimination game tonight. The visiting teams have a chance to go 2-2. Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: Pirates Have Winning Season Big Whoop

The Pirates beat the Tigers 4-2 to finish the season 82-80. It was nice to see Konnor Griffin lead off the game with a home run. It was also nice to see Mason Montgomery bounce back from his blown save on Saturday. He did not throw a curve ball yesterday. Another nostalgic moment as a second Pirate played his last game in the Major Leagues, Billy Cook. He went out with a bang getting a double that drove in a run and he later scored the final run of the season. This winter he is one of the three nominees for the Wasted Roster Spot award. No matter how you spin this season it wound up being a big disappointment. This team had the talent to make the playoffs but was mismanaged into mediocrity.

I will be traveling a lot during the next week which will cut into my ability to watch the wild card round of the playoffs. Here are my fearless predictions. Red Sox over the Yankees. White Sox over the Astros. Padres over the Cubs. Braves over Phillies. I would love to see a Rays-Brewers World Series especially with the labor dispute looming over the horizon. Playoff baseball is my favorite time of the year.

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Pirates Morning Report: Tigers Walk It Off

Final Score: Pirates 3 Tigers 4

Why The Pirates Lost: Everything was going well for the Pirates going into the bottom of the 9th. The score was 3-1 Pirates and the bullpen had held the Tigers to 1 run on 7 hits to go along with 3 walks. The way Mason Montgomery has been pitching the game looked in the bag. It started out fine with Javier Baez striking out. Max Clark singled and Hao-Yu Lee doubled. Both balls were hit 100 MPH. Kevin McGonigle hit a weak ground ball to second for the 2nd out of the inning. A run scored to make the score 3-2. Eduardo Valencia came to the plate. He pulled a curve ball barely foul down the third base line. Montgomery threw 3 straight fast balls. One was a ball and 2 were fouled off. That’s when the decision was made to throw the curve ball. Valencia hit it out for the walk off win.

Key Moments Of The Game: Again the Pirates failed miserably at situational hitting. Henry Davis got thrown out at third for the last out of the 5th inning. Even when he gets a rare hit Davis finds ways to make outs. We only have one more game to go. Thank God

Next Game: This afternoon Tigers in Detroit. This is the last chance for the Pirates to have a winning season. If they win today they will have 82 wins, 10 short of what I thought they would have. Jared Jones is going for the Pirates today. I am not too sure why he is pitching today. All year long the Pirates have talked about limiting innings and now they are going to pitch Jones in a meaningless game. Let’s hope he survives it. Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: Seven Runs Not Enough

Final Score: Pirates 7 Tigers 8

Why The Pirates Lost: For the 9th time this year the Pirates scored 7 or more runs but lost the game. Last night the pitchers reverted back to their old selves. They gave up 10 hits and walked 7 for the game. It was a comedy of errors in the field as the Pirates could not catch pop ups, line drives, had ground balls go between their legs, and best of all, struck out a batter with 2 outs and the bases loaded that scored 2 runs when the ball got away from Flores. This was in the bottom of the 3rd when the Tigers scored 4 runs on 2 hits after there was 2 outs and nobody on base. No other way to say it, this game was a debacle.

Key Moment Of The Game: Bubba Chandler as usual could not find the strike zone. In 2 and 2/3 innings he walked 4 and was charged with 6 earned runs. Nice way to end a very disappointing season. This game could have been a lot worse if it were not for the Tigers going 2 for 17 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 men on base. The Pirates made a game of it by scoring 5 runs in the 8th highlighted by Rafael Flores Jr. 3 run homer. The Pirates went out quietly in the 9th to put the fans out of their misery.

Next Game: This afternoon, Tigers in Detroit. This game is significant because Justin Verlander is making the final start of his Hall of Fame career. The Pirates will be trying to get their 82nd win so they can have a winning season. They did not look like they were that interested in doing that, the way they played last night. Maybe it was that exhausting trip to Detroit that did them in. Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: Skenes Finishes Strong

Final Score: Pirates 2 Cardinals 1

Why The Pirates Won: Paul Skenes pitched a strong 6 and 1/3 innings giving up 1 run on 3 hits, walking 2, while striking out 8 to reach 200 for the season. The bullpen went the last 2 and 1/3 innings with Mason Montgomery striking out the side in the top of the ninth to get his 17th save. The Cardinals bullpen game was almost just as effective but the Pirates were able to score a run in the bottom of the 8th without getting a hit. The Pirates will at least have their first non losing season since 2018. The San Diego Padres clinched a playoff berth last night beating the Dodgers 4-2. They still have a chance to be the top Wild Card team and host all 3 games in the first round.

Key Moment Of The Game: In the bottom of the 8th Ronnie Simon drew a 7 pitch walk with one out. The 3rd pitch to Spencer Horwitz was in the dirt and bounced away from the catcher. Simon took off for 2nd and the throw went into center field allowing Simon to go to 3rd base. Horwitz lifted a 98 MPH fastball just above the knees some 337 feet to center field to easily score Simon. Montgomery was dominant in the 9th to preserve the 2-1 win.

Next Game: Tonight the Tigers in Detroit. The Pirates do have a chance at a winning season. Bubba Chandler will go for the Pirates. On another note the position evaluations for the Pirates will have to be delayed until at least September 30th. It is too hard to maneuver around Baseball Reference on my I pad. I will mix those in during the playoffs. The season is winding down. Hopefully the Pirates will get to 82 wins. Stay tuned.

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Pirates Morning Report: Just Can’t Win 6 In A Row

Final Score: Pirates 1 Cardinals 5

Why The Pirates Lost: The Pirates offense was pretty much out to lunch. They could only muster 6 hits as 5 players in the lineup went hitless. The bullpen game was not good early with Brandon Eisert and Khristian Curtis giving up 5 runs on 7 hits during the 3rd and 4th innings. The Pirates were never in this one as they just cannot win more than 5 games in a row. The Pirates won’t do this but everyone that attended this stinker should be given their money back.

Key Moment Of The Game: There really weren’t any except the way the Pirates limped home in this one. Their last hit was in the 6th inning. In the bottom of the 5th Ryan O’ Hearn opened the inning with a double. As usual the Pirates could not move him around to score. This team has no concept of what baseball is all about. That is why they will be watching the playoffs.

Next game: This afternoon, Cardinals in Pittsburgh. Paul Skenes will be making his final start of the season. It has been one strange season for last years Cy Young award winner. A mystery season to say the least. Maybe he can finish it with one last great start. Stay tuned.