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Pirates Morning Report: World Series, Game 4

Final Score: Yankees 11 Dodgers 4

Why The Yankees Won: The Yankee bats came alive, Dave Roberts decided to use the B squad in the bullpen game, and the Dodgers failed to execute basic baseball plays in the 8th inning that helped break the game open. The one bat that finally broke out of a huge slump was Austin Wells going 2 for 3 with a walk, including a home run and a double. We will see if Aaron Boone will move him up in the batting order tonight. Dave Roberts decision to go with the B squad will be looked at as brilliant, if the bullpen has a big game tonight with the extra day of rest. On the other hand, if the Yankees make a series of it, he will be second guessed for allowing the Yankees to get off the mat. I am not a big Dave Roberts fan but, in this case, I have to agree with him and give him credit for a very gutsy move. Tonight’s game is the one the Dodgers should win. If they don’t then we have a series that might even go 7 games. This was another game marred by walks and foul balls. The Dodgers walked 6 batters and hit another. The bad news for the Yankees is that their big 3 did not contribute much to this win. They went 2 for 11 with 1 RBI. There is no question that Shohei Ohtani is greatly affected by his shoulder injury. The Yankees need to challenge him more until he shows he can do more than just hit line drives to the middle of the outfield.

The Key Moments Of The Game: In the bottom of the 3rd B squad leader Daniel Hudson entered the game with the Dodgers leading 2-1. He threw 6 straight sliders to Juan Soto to strike him out. He hit the slumping Aaron Judger on a first pitch fast ball. The first pitch fast ball to Jazz Chisholm got ripped 110 MPH into right field for a base hit sending Judge to third. He walked Giancarlo Stanton on 6 pitches but none of them were in the strike zone, 4 sliders two fastballs. He did get Anthony Rizzo to pop out after falling behind him 2-0. Anthony Volpe took a first pitch slider on the lower inside of the plate and golfed it into the seats for a grand slam home run to turn the game and maybe the series around giving the Yankees a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the 8th with Yankees leading 6-4 and preparing to use their closer Luke Weaver for 2 and 1/3 innings, the Dodgers failed to execute a tag and made a bad throw to the plate from a drawn-up 2nd base. The dropped ball on the tag saved the Yankees from the consequences of another base running blunder and opened the floodgates for a 5 run inning. This enabled the Yankees to keep their closer on the bench for the 9th.

Next Game: Tonight, in Yankee Stadium. It is ridiculous to say that this is a must win for the Dodgers tonight, but they did everything last night to set themselves up to end this series in 5 games. Yes, the Yankee bats came alive last night, but they did it against the B squad of the Dodger bullpen. Unless the Dodgers break open one of the games, we may never see them again the rest of the series, with the exception Landon Knack, who distinguished himself with 4 solid innings to help keep the A squad well rested. If somehow some way the Yankees win tonight, then the pressure of the Series will equal out. Maybe we will see history after all.

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Pirates Morning Report: World Series, Game 3

Final Score: Dodgers 4 Yankees 2

Why The Dodgers Won: The Dodger’s pitching continued to shine, the defense came up big, and even the umpires helped the Dodgers to their 3rd straight win over the Yankees. This game got into post season mode 2024, by both teams walking a combined 12 batters and the Yankees hitting 2 just for good measure. There were lots of foul balls just to make things perfect. Freddie Freeman hit another homer for 3 games in a row and 5 games in a row going back to the Atlanta series. The Yankees made it a little interesting in the 9th with a 2 out 2 run homer, but it was too little too late. The Dodgers are one win away from a World Series Championship and unless something radically changes, they should get it tonight. The Yankees do not play sound baseball and with such a good team like the Dodgers you are going to lose.

The Key Moments Of The Game: This game had a lot of big plays. In the bottom of the 4th with one out Giancarlo Stanton doubled to left field. Jazz Chisholm Jr. hit a sinking line drive that Mookie Betts, after getting a late jump made a spectacular catch. Anthony Volpe lined a single to left but Stanton was thrown out at the plate on a great throw by Teoscar Hernandez and tag by Will Smith. There was no room for error and the Dodgers executed the play perfectly to end the inning. In the bottom of the 6th Tommy Edman made a great play to catch a bad throw by pitcher Brusdar Graterol to get a force out at 2nd. If he does not make that play, most likely the Yankees go on to score a run in the inning. The Yankees had 1st and 2nd with 2 out in the bottom of the 7th with Gleyber Torres at the plate. He had worked the count to 2-2 when a pitch that was at least 2 baseballs above the strike zone was called a strike. This should have been ball 3 and the at bat would have continued but with that call the inning was over. Electronic strike zone HELP! The Yankees never threatened after that other than the home run and are on the brink of elimination.

The Next Game: Tonight, Yankee Stadium. Even though I do not see the Yankees coming back to pull off the miracle, there is one interesting historical note. Dodger manager Dave Roberts was a member of the Boston Red Sox team that came back from the 3-0 deficit to defeat the Yankees in the League Championship Series in 2004. In fact, he stole 2nd in the bottom of the ninth and scored the tying run to send game 4 into extra innings, that the Red Sox won to start that amazing comeback. Could the fates even things up here? I do not see that happening, because the Dodgers are simply out baseballing the Yankees. Could be the last baseball game of 2024.

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Pirates Morning Report: World Series, Game 2

Final Score: Dodgers 4 Yankees 2

Why The Dodgers Won: Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched an outstanding 6 and 1/3 innings giving up a home run for the only Yankee hit, walking 2 and striking out 4. The bullpen took over from there until a shaky 9th inning. The Dodgers hit 3 more home runs to account for all 4 runs. Freddie Freeman and Tommy Edman hit solo shots and Teoscar Hernandez hit a 2 run home run. It was pretty much a standoff with the big 3. The Dodger big 3 went 3 for 11 with a walk and a home run and RBI. The Yankees big 3 went 3 for 12 with a home run and 2 RBI’s. The bad news for the Yankees is that Aaron Judge is still in a funk going 0 for 4 striking out 3 times. The Dodgers seemed to have this game under control until the top of the 9th

Key Moment Of The Game: It was 4-1 Dodgers going into the 9th inning when Juan Soto led off with a single off Blake Treinen. Treinen struck out Judge thanks to him taking a 2nd strike and swinging at a ball out of the strike zone. During the at bat Soto moved to 2nd on a wild pitch. Giancarlo Stanton singled Soto home to make the score 4-2. Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled and Anthony Rizzo was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Anthony Volpe had a worse at bat than Judge, if you can believe that. He received 6 pitches and swung at 3 pitches out of the strike zone to strike out. If he would have just stood there with the bat on his shoulder, the Yankees would have scored a run. Dave Roberts had seen enough and brought in the left hander Alex Vesia to face the struggling Austin Wells. Aaron Boone countered with Jose Trevino. One pitch and Vesia got Trevino to fly out to centerfield to end the game. The lack of plate discipline really hurt the Yankees in the 9th

Next Game: Tomorrow night, Yankee Stadium. The Yankees trail in the series 2 games to none. I mentioned this in the history of this rivalry, that in 11 World Series meetings 4 times the team that won the first two games lost the series including the last 2. It will not happen a 5th time if Aaron Judge does not come out of his slump. It will be a must win situation for the Yankees come Monday night. The other big news in last night’s game was the injury that Shohei Ohtani suffered when sliding, a rare and unusual baseball maneuver. The Dodgers are hopeful that he will be able to play on Monday. Let’s hope they teach him to slide today.

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Pirates Morning Report: World Series, Game 1

Final Score: Dodgers 6 Yankees 3 10 innings

Why The Dodgers Won: Despite not being able to get runners in from 3rd base twice with less than 2 outs, the Dodgers were able to rally in the 10th inning scoring 4 runs on Freddie Freeman’s walk off grand slam home run. The game started out as a pitching duel between Jack Flaherty and Gerrit Cole. After 6 innings the score was 2-1 Yankees thanks to a 2 run one out homer by Giancarlo Stanton in the top of the 6th. He could have been the hero of the game, but the Yankees could not make a basic baseball play and it cost them the game. After the Stanton home run the Yankees loaded the bases with 2 outs but could not score a run. Tommy Edman made a great play on a ground ball that kept a run from scoring. It was a run that the Yankees would desperately need.

The KEY Moment Of The Game: Going into the bottom of the 8th the Yankees were clinging to that 2-1 lead. Shohei Ohtani lined a drive off the top of the right field wall and had to run hard to just get a double the ball was hit so hard. Juan Soto threw the ball in, and Gleyber Torres made a half-assed effort to catch the ball, with the ball going off his glove at a crazy angle allowing Ohtani to get to third base. Even though Soto was charged with the error Torres tried to short hop the ball when he did not have to, and it got by him. With Ohtani on third base and 1 out, Mookie Betts hit a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield that scored Ohtani with the tying run.. If the Yankees make this routine play, Ohtani is on 2nd base and the Dodgers do not score a run. The Yankees would have gone on to win the game 2-1 and there are no 10th inning heroics by Freddie Freeman.

Next Game: Tonight, Game 2 in Dodger Stadium. It will be Carlos Rodon going for the Yankees and Yoshinobu Yamamoto for the Dodgers. The big three for the Dodgers did better than the big three for the Yankees. Freeman, Betts and Ohtani went 3 for 13 with a home run and driving in 5 runs. Soto, Judge, and Stanton went 3 for 13 with a home run driving in 2 runs. Overall, the Dodgers put the ball in play better than the Yankees only striking out 4 times to the Yankees 13. It was an exciting tense opening game of the World Series, that boiled down to not making a basic routine play, allowing the Dodgers to go on and win the game. If the Dodgers win it in 7 games remember this one.

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Pirates Morning Report: Dodger, Yankee, World Series History

Since 1941 the Dodgers and the Yankees have meant each other 11 times in the World Series. No two teams have played each other more in the fall classic than these iconic franchises. The Yankees have had the decided edge in the series winning 8 out of the 11 match ups. They haven’t met since 1981. From 1949 to 1956 they met 5 times. The Yankees won 4 out of 5. They were the Brooklyn Dodgers during those years making the rivalry extremely heated. Let’s take a brief look at each series and the highlights of each one.

1941: The Yankees won in 5 games winning games 1,3,4, and 5. Joe Dimaggio was the Yankee big name. The most interesting stats of this series are that there were only a combined 3 home runs, the Yankees only struck out 18 times and there were a combined 5 complete games by starting pitchers. They were mostly low scoring tight games with the Yankees sweeping the Dodgers at Ebbets Field to take the series. No game took 3 hours to play and the one that came close, 2:54, there were 11 runs scored.

1947: The Yankees won in 7 games. Again, the home run was not a big weapon with only 5 being hit for the entire series. This was Yogi Berra’s first World Series and he would hit one of those 5 home runs. He would appear in 13 more Series, the most in history. The Yankees won game 7, 5-2, trailing 2-0 after 1.5 innings. They broke back in the bottom of the 2nd to score one run, and added 2 in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead that they never relinquished.

1949: The Yankees won in 5 games in a series that was dominated by pitching in the early going. The Yankees and the Dodgers split the first 2 games by the same score of 1-0. Teams started hitting better as the series went on and Yankees won a slug fest in the 5th game 10-6 to complete a 3 game sweep in Brooklyn for the 2nd time in their first 3 meetings.

1952: Even having the home field advantage for the first time could not help the Dodgers as they lost to the Yankees in 7 games. The Yankees continued to have success in Ebbets field by winning the last two games there 3-2 and 4-2. Mickey Mantle gave the Yankees the lead in the top of the 6th in game 7, hitting a solo home run to make the score 3-2. The Dodgers had 1st and 2nd with one out in the bottom of the 7th but could not score. They never threatened after that, and Yankees had won 4 straight series against the Dodgers.

1953: The Yankees won in 6 games, and it looked like they might sweep the series when they won the first two games. Finally, Ebbets was kind to the Dodgers as they won the next two games to even the series. The Yankees won game 5, 11-7 to take a 3-2 lead in the series. Game 6 was one of the more exciting games in the rivalry, the Yankees had a 3 to 1 lead going into the top of the 9th. After one out with Allie Reynolds pitching Duke Snyder walked. Carl Furillo lit up Reynold for a home run and the Dodgers tied it up 3-3. Reynolds settled down to strike out next two batters to end the inning. Hank Bauer walked to start the bottom of the 9th. After one out, Mickey Mantle hit a swinging bunt down 3rd to put runners on 1st and 2nd. Billy Martin capped off a great World Series performance by driving in the winning run with a single up the middle. Martin had 12 hits in 24 at bats, hitting 2 home runs and driving in 8 runs. It was the Yankees 5th World Series championship in a row.

1955: FINALLY, the Dodgers won, but it was a struggle. The Yankees won the first two games of the series at home and looked like the Dodgers were going down again. This time Ebbets field was their friend as they won the next 3 games, as the offense scored 21 runs. The Yankees won game 6 behind Whitey Ford. In the pivotal game 7 Johnny Podres scattered 8 hits and 2 walks to shutout the Yankees and send the Dodgers to their first World Series win. The Yankees scored 5 runs in the bottom of the 1st in game 6 and never scored another run for 17 innings. Dead bat syndrome even happened in the 50’s

1956: The Yankees bounced back to win the Series in 7 games. This time it was the Dodgers that jumped out to the 2-0 edge in games. The Yankees won the next 3 games in Yankee Stadium highlighted by the perfect game thrown by Don Larson in game 5. The Dodgers forced a game 7 with a tight 1-0 win where Jackie Robinson playing in his last World Series drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th. Game 7 was a runaway as Johnny Kucks shutout the Dodgers on 3 hits with the Yankees winning 9-0. This was the series of the journeyman pitcher with both Kucks and Larson winning the big games for the Yankees.

1963: The Dodgers buried the Yankees with strong pitching performances from Sandy Koufax, Johnny Podres and Don Drysdale. For the 4 games the Yankees managed only 4 runs on 22 hits with 5 extra base hits. The Dodger pitchers only walked 5 batters and struck out 37. Koufax won 2 games, and the Dodgers had the sweep. Ron Perranoski pitched 2/3 of an inning to wrap up game 2, to be the only other pitcher to appear for the Dodgers in the 4 games. We all know that will never happen again. One side note, Al Downing, who lost game 2, gave up Hank Aaron’s 715th home run to break Babe Ruth’s long standing home run record.

1977: It was 14 years before the Dodgers and the Yankees would meet again. The Yankees won the series in 6 games with the 6th game being the Reggie Jackson 3 home run game, that catapulted the Yankees to an 8-4 win. It was the ever volatile Billy Martin who was the manager that year. Even though the Yankees would go on the win the pennant again in 78 Martin did not last the year being fired after 94 games.

1978: It was rematch time and the Yankees put it to the Dodgers again 4 games to 2. The Dodgers got off to a hot start winning the first 2 games at Dodger Stadium but the Yankees swept the next 4 games scoring 28 runs. The pivotal game was game 4. Reggie Smith hit a 3 run home run to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead in the top of the 5th. The Yankees scored 2 in the bottom of the 6th thanks to a botched double play that allowed the 2nd run to score. Thurman Munson doubled home Paul Blair in the bottom of the 8th to tie the game and eventually it went into extra innings. Lou Piniella drove in the winning run with 2 out in the bottom of the 10th as a leadoff walk came back to haunt the Dodgers. The next 2 games were blowouts for the Yankees and they defeated the Dodgers for the 8th time in the World Series.

1981: The Dodgers got to exact revenge on the Yankees winning in 6 games. It was another series where the team that jumped out to the 2-0 lead in games wound up losing the series. The Dodgers won 3 nail biting one run games in Los Angeles. In game 4 the Dodgers trailed 4-0 and 6-3 before scoring 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game and 2 in the bottom of the 7th to take the lead that they never relinquished. In game 5, Pedro Guerrero who hit 12 home runs during the regular season, and Steve Yeager who hit 3, hit back to back home runs in the bottom of the 7th to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. The Yankees got a runner on first base in the top of the 9th but could not score. The Dodgers blew the Yankees away in Yankee Stadium 9-2 to win the series.

We now have the 12th meeting between these teams in the World Series. It took 43 years to get to number 12. With the star power we will be seeing I think it was worth the wait. In 1981 even though game 5 was tight and the Yankees got a runner on first base in the top of the 9th, Jerry Reuss went on to complete the game. It is a guarantee we will not see that in this series. It will be surprising if any starter goes longer than 7 innings. If history has anything to say about it if I was the Dodgers or Yankees, I would not win those first two games. Four times the team that won the first two games went on to lose the series. This has only happened 10 times in the history of the World Series and has not happened since 1996. I still like the Dodgers to win. It all starts tonight.

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Pirates Morning Report: World Series Preview, Goliath vs. Goliath

Baseball got its wish, with both no. 1 seeds making their way through the post season to face off in the World Series. It will be a star-studded World Series and should be a rating bonanza for baseball. The Yankees beat the Guardians in 5 games simply because the Guardians were not ready for the big stage. The Guardians big strengths, the bullpen and defense fell flat on their face. The Guardians failed to make routine plays in the field and it cost them dearly. The Dodgers eliminated the Mets in 6 games with the Mets bullpen simply running out of gas. It is a Goliath vs. Goliath World Series. Let’s take a look at how these team compared during the regular season and there are some surprises.

Both teams have big time offenses with a slight edge to the Dodgers. The Dodgers were 2nd in runs scored and on base percentage. They had the highest OPS+ which says they are the best hitting team in baseball. The Yankees are not far behind being 3rd in runs scored and on base percentage. They were 4th in OPS+. Pitching is where the surprise is. Neither team had what you would call great pitching, and the Dodgers were in the lower half in the key stats. The Yankees were 9th in runs allowed, 18th in fielding independent pitching, and 6th in ERA+ The Dodgers were 13th in runs allowed, 21st in fielding independent pitching, and 18th in ERA+, mediocre at best. The Yankees starting rotation ranked 9th and the bullpen came in at 13th. The Dodgers pitched worse than the Pirates with their rotation coming in at 25th and the bullpen 24th. They did have a lot of injuries, but you can see why people are always saying how shaky the Dodger pitching is. Despite that they have managed to throw 4 shutouts in the last 8 playoff games. When you look at WAR the Dodgers have a clear advantage at 7 or the 9 positions. Only Aaron Judge and Juan Soto are better than what the Dodgers have at each position. Two other areas where the Dodgers are clearly better. They were the 2nd best defensive team in baseball with the Yankees coming in at 13th. The Yankees were the worse baserunning team in baseball and the Dodgers one of the best. When you look at the teams’ stats, the Dodgers have the clear edge. What will be the key to victory. I think there will be four things.

How will the super stars perform? For the Dodgers, we have Ohtani, Betts, and Freeman. For the Yankees, we have Judge, Soto, and Stanton. Freeman has the ankle issue but this 4 day layoff can only help him. How will the regular 6 play? The super stars cannot do it all on. Will someone get to play because of injury and have an outstanding series like Kiki Hernandez. No matter how it happens, the supporting cast has to contribute heavily in order for their team to win the series. I think the biggest key to this series will be how do Gerrit Cole and Carlos Rondon pitch. Can they have an outing where they go 7 or 8 innings and give the bullpen a stress-free day. Even in Cole’s good outings in the post season he had some hard-hit ball off of him. Even with this break in the schedule the bullpens have been used heavily and could be at the breaking point for both teams. To me these two pitchers are the only ones capable of pitching such a game. If a Dodger starter goes beyond 6 innings I will be surprised. Then there is this ridiculous break in the action. The Yankees have not played since Saturday and the Dodgers since Sunday. Both offenses were pretty hot at the end of the Championship Series. I have written about some of the benefits of this break but the biggest detriment of having a break like this could be the effect it might have on the hitters. Since the Dodgers seem to have an offensive advantage it may affect them more. Only time will tell.

Overall, the Dodgers seem to have the better team, and play better fundamental baseball than the Yankees. I hate to put such a burden on two players, but Cole and Rondon I feel will be the key if the Yankees are going to pull this series out. How well will Freddie Freeman be able to play on that bum ankle will be another big factor. I am a National League guy, so I will be rooting for the Dodgers, and I do think they will win the series. The two no. 1 seeds going head-to-head. All is right with the baseball playoff system. (Not really) The star power will be on full display. It should be a great series. I will blog after each game and use the same format as I used summing up Pirate games. I will use the same title Pirate Morning Report but expect to see some reports in the afternoon as these games will be long and I will probably finish up watching them in the morning. This has been the post season of walks and foul balls. Despite the pitch clock a lot of these games have really dragged on because of this. Not a lot you can do about foul balls, but for God’s sake let’s hope these pitchers can get the ball over the plate. Have some guts, after all this is the World Series.

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Pirates Morning Report: Championship Series Brief

The number one seeds are making statements in the championship series especially the Dodgers. They have blown out the Mets in 3 out of the 4 games to take a 3-1 lead in the series and can advance to the World Series with a win today. On the American League side, the Yankees were on the verge of going up 3 games to 0 when the Guardians hit a 2 out home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game 5-5 and then did the same thing in the bottom of the 10th to win the game 7-5, in one of the best games of the playoffs so far. The question remains will this turn around this series or did it just delay the inevitable. The Guardians do have the next 2 games at home, and I feel they must win both games to have any chance. The Mets are definitely reeling and even if they win today, it will be a tall order to win the next 2 in LA. It has been done before but their bullpen looks shot. Max Muncy is the epitome of the modern day batter. In his last 13 at bats, he has struck out once, hit a home run, and walked 11 times. In what would be considered enough at bats to cover 3 games he has not put a ball in play on the field. It is a good thing that there have been some exciting games in this post season, because so far this post season may be known for foul balls and walks. Yawn. The Yankees and Dodgers still have the possibility to clinch in 5 games. If they both clinch in no matter how many games, it results in both number 1 seeds getting to the World Series and the match up that most people want to see. Right now, it looks like a good bet that this will happen, but you never know, stranger things have happened.

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Pirates Morning Report: Division Series Brief

All is right in the American League as the no. 1 and no.2 seeds will meet in the Championship Series. The Cleveland Guardians grabbed the final spot with a 7-3 win over the Detroit Tigers. They will face off against the New York Yankees tomorrow in New York. The Guardians were the only team to survive what I call dead bat syndrome as they went 20 innings without scoring a run. Fortunately for them, it was in games 2 and 3, breaking the streak in the first inning of game 4 which they won 5-4. The San Diego Padres were not so fortunate as they took dead bat syndrome to new heights by not scoring a run for the final 24 innings of the division series to be eliminated by the Dodgers. The Dodgers and Mets meet today to start the National League Championship Series, in Los Angeles. The Guardians and the Mets are the flies in the ointment as we head into the Championship Series’s. The Mets because it would mean the National League would send the 6th seed to the World Series for the 3rd consecutive year. The Guardians because they would continue to frustrate the Yankees efforts to get into their first World Series since 2009. My feeling is that these flies are going to be very successful.

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Pirate Morning Report: Division Series Brief

Both the Mets and Yankees are moving on to the Championship Series. The Dodgers and Padres are going to play an elimination game today in LA. Tomorrow the Guardians and Tigers do the same thing in Cleveland. These are the first elimination games in the division series since October 18, 2022, when the Yankees beat the Guardians 5-1 to take game 5. We all know who MLB will be pulling for today to keep alive the possibility of a Yankee-Dodgers World Series. I am sure they wouldn’t mind Cleveland winning tomorrow, just so the top two seeds would be in the American League final. This would end any speculation of a format change in the playoffs, which I think should be done anyway. The dead bats syndrome continued for the two teams that got eliminated. The Phillies and the Royals scored only 3 runs total in the 2 games they lost at home. The Phillies had only 9 hits in the two games and only one of those was an extra base hit, a double. The Royals didn’t do much better getting 12 hits in the two games with 3 of them being doubles. Neither team hit a home run during the two games at their home park. This seems to be a pattern in these expanded playoffs. The Padres were shut out at home in game 4. If they are going to beat the Dodgers they better hope it was a one game thing or they will make MLB very happy when the Dodgers take the series. Stay tuned.

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Pirate Morning Report: 2024 Season Wrap Up, The Players

Sit back, relax, have a vomit bag by your side, as we go through the Pirate roster and how they performed in 2024. I will discuss whether they should be on the team next year and at the end of this blog write about what the Pirates will need if they are to be successful next year. We are going to look at what each player’s wins above replacement is. Those not familiar with WAR, it is a way of evaluating a player’s overall performance. The way he bats, fields, pitches, and runs the bases. It is simply a number. A number 0 or less says he belongs in the minors. 0-2 he is a good bench player. 2-4 is a starter. 5+ is an All Star. If you reach 8, it means you are an MVP. Trust me you are not going to see any position players for the Pirates over 5. I will admit WAR is not perfect but all in all it is a very good way to evaluate players. We will discuss other aspects of a player’s year when needed. We will look at the comparison stat of OPS+ for hitters and ERA+ for pitchers. Again, this is simply a number with 100 meaning you are league average. Don’t expect to see many Pirates even at this level. To give some perspective Aaron Judge who will most likely be the MVP in the American League has a WAR 10.8 and an OPS+ 223. Pirate faithful can only dream about having such a player. Without further ado here are your 2024 Pirate player performances taking them in the order that you find them on Baseball Reference.

Yasnani Grandal: WAR 0.6 OPS+ 95 Grandal perked up some toward the end of the season but given his age and injury history he should not be back next year. Endy Rodriguez will be returning and I am satisfied with Jason Delay as a backup catcher. The most surprising thing about Grandal is, he graded out an average defensive catcher. I thought he was much worse than that. Regardless he is gone.

Rowdy Tellez: WAR minus O.4 OPS+ 91 Even though Tellez is already off the team there were some out there that thought he should be resigned for the same price. You have got to be kidding. He is a below average fielder and basically a terrible player. Glad he did not get that bonus. Hopefully never to be seen again on any team but I doubt it.

Nick Gonzales: WAR 0.9 OPS+ 96 Gonzales did show big improvement over his smaller sample size 2023, but he is still a below average hitter but not by much. He is an average defender which is not bad. For a free swinger he did not hit many home runs and slugged only .398. Hopefully he will continue to make progress. Most likely will be starting in the infield. Player no. 1 to be back.

Oneil Cruz: WAR 2.4 OPS+113 Cruz is the first Pirate listed that deserves to start in the major leagues. His WAR would be higher if he was not such a horrible defender. Cruz has an unlimited ceiling and coming off his ankle injury, his season was a definite success. He finished poorly at the plate, hitting only .167 over the last 15 games. With a spring training under his belt next year in centerfield let’s hope he gets comfortable out there. A big year from Cruz will go a long way toward making the Pirates contenders next year. Player no. 2.

Ke’Bryan Hayes: WAR 0.8 OPS+ 61 I thought Hayes would be one of the keys to the season and I was right. He never came remotely close to performing the way he did in the last 2 months of 2023. It could have been his back but who knows. There is no question he is an elite defender. His contract is very club friendly. Despite all of that I think the Pirates should cut ties and hope to get a couple of mid prospects. He might be part of a bigger trade but in my mind unlikely.

Bryan Reynolds: WAR 3.7 OPS+ 119 Reynolds had a solid year in 2024 ending a downward slide since 2021. The fact remains he did not approach his 2021 season. It is probably unlikely that he ever will. There is talk of moving him to first base. I don’t have a big problem with that. He is still not a player who is going to put a club on his back and carry it for a couple of weeks. Player no. 3.

Michael Taylor: WAR 0.9 OPS+ 51 Michael Taylor had a bad year at the bat even for him, Still an elite fielder but not enough to compensate for a very weak bat in 2024. Should not be back.

Bryan De La Cruz: A trade deadline pick up that needs to be just thrown away. WAR negative 1.8 OPS+ 77. Those were his numbers for the year. He was even worse than that with Pirates. A negative fielder, I see no plus side to Cruz and he should be dropped like a hot potato.

Andrew McCutchen: WAR 0.8 OPS+ 105 The Pirates had the 20th best DH in baseball. McCutchen took the majority of bats at DH by far. I do not know if the Pirates will resign him. I was ambivalent last year on whether the Pirates should have signed him. This year if this team is really going to improve then he should not be signed. We will see what happens.

Jared Triolo: WAR 1.3 OPS + 71 Another one of the big disappointments this year. He digressed greatly in every offensive area. Batting average dropped 82 points. On base percentage dropped 92 points! Slugging dropped 83 points. He did perk up a bit at the end of the year but he did that last year for a longer period of time. You know that old saying fool me once. Despite that I am willing to give Triolo one more shot because of his versatility, especially if they get rid of Hayes. Player no. 4

Connor Joe: WAR 0.6 OPS+ 92 I did not like that they signed him last year. He got off to a hot start and I felt like I had to eat some crow. His last 30 games his batting average was .167. He should not be on team next year. If he is then 2025 is another loser.

Joey Bart: WAR 2.0 OPS+ 120. Bart had never hit this well in the past but maybe he found something. Regardless he should be the no.1 catcher next year. Player no.5

Jack Suwinski WAR Negative 1.8 OPS+ 63. Another reason the Pirates did not make a run. His production was off by 50%. Didn’t even do that well in AAA with slash line of .239/307/444. Also a negative defender big time. Time to cut him loose.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa: His Pirate numbers. WAR .4 OPS+63 The Pirates insisted in using him as a lead off hitter which is the best way to kill an offense that is close to death anyway. Needs to settle into one position with my preference being 3rd base where he won a gold glove. Player no.6.

Henry Davis: WAR Negative .7 OPS+28. Yikes. Did impress in AAA 307/401/555. I don’t think you can give up on Davis quite yet. Player no.7 if he has a good spring.

Ji Hwan Bae. The mystery man of 2024. His AAA Slash line 342/433/504. Why he can’t come close to those numbers in the majors may be one of the big failings of the Pirates. He is one of the fastest men in baseball and an average fielding outfielder. With his tools you would think he would be an asset. A new hitting coach may help both he and Davis. Player no.8

Nick Yorke and Billy Cook: Two late season call ups that seem to have potential. Yorke is only 22 and Cook is 25. They both had their moments but nothing spectacular but it was a very small sample size. One or both could be on the team next year especially if the Pirates trade Triolo.

Before we go to the pitchers it is obvious what the Pirates need. A corner outfielder and a first basemen. Endy Rodriguez if healthy will be player no.9. If they sign McCutchen he will make 10. 3 players need to be obtained by trade or free agency, depending on what they do with the last two young players mentioned and McCutchen. If Reynolds does move to 1st base then 2 corner outfielders will be needed. Now to the pitchers.

Mitch Keller: WAR 2.0 ERA+99. Keller is Keller, a solid mid-rotation starter. Like any mid-rotation starter he is going to have his ups and downs. The only problem with Keller is the Pirate broadcast booth trying to make him into one of the best pitchers in baseball, which he is not. However, a definite asset and pitcher no. 1, rotation.

Bailey Falter: WAR 1.7 ERA+95. After that horrendous 1st start I thought he should never take the mound again. I was wrong on that one as Falter had a very good season considering he had a lot of hard luck, not a lot of run support and most of the time was going up against the other teams best pitcher. All in all he held his own. Pitcher no 2, should be considered for the bullpen with all the help they need.

Paul Skenes: WAR 6.0 ERA+214. What can you say except the Pirates better lock him up on a long term deal. Some people think 25 mil. for 6 years but frankly that is not enough. I think you have to go 30. Do one thing right management, for a change. Pitcher no. 3, rotation ace. Opening day starter.

Jared Jones: WAR 1.8 ERA+101 Jones definitely has the tools. His Achilles heel was the long ball. Had an injury that set him back but unlimited potential here. Pitcher no.4, rotation but could he be the future closer. A novel idea that is way too out of the box for the Pirate brain duds.

Luis Ortiz: WAR 3.1 ERA+126 Many people are saying that Ortiz should be used in a trade to get a bat. No way. Had a great turn around year and needs to stay on this team. Pitcher no.5, rotation but again what better way to shore up the bullpen than using Ortiz as a high leverage set up man.

David Bednar: WAR negative 0.9 ERA+73 By far the most disappointing year of any of the pitchers. His problem was easy to see but evidently hard to fix. Ever since the All Star break of 2023 he has lost command of his secondary stuff. In the first 90 games of 2023 he walked 2 batters and one of those was intentional. Ever since, he walks almost one every outing. You’re not going to get rid of Bednar just because of one bad year. Pitcher no.6, bullpen but what role hard to tell.

Aroldis Chapman: WAR 0.4 ERA+111. Chapman still has the velocity at age 36. The only question with Chapman is would he even want to resign with the Pirates after watching the debacle of this past season. If yes, should the Pirates try to resign him. Short answer, no.

Kyle Nicolas: WAR: 0.2 ERA+106. Nicolas has great stuff but control is the issue. Hopefully someone will finally teach these guys to get the ball over the plate. Pitcher no.7, bullpen.

Colin Holderman: WAR 0.7 ERA+133. Mr. Colin Holderman, I create my own jams and most of the time I get out of them. Had the mysterious wrist injury coinciding with a period of ineffectiveness. I unenthusiastically keep him on the team. Maybe a new bullpen coach helps him. Pitcher no. 8, bullpen.

Carmen Mlodzinski: WAR 0.8 ERA+125. Not quite as effective as he was in 2023, but still solid none the less. Hopefully can stay healthy next year. Pitcher no. 9

Dennis Santana: WAR 1.3 ERA+173. Santana had the best stretch of his career once he got with the Pirates. Whatever he or the coaching staff found let’s hope it lasts. Pitcher no. 10, bullpen

Jalen Beeks and Ryan Borucki: I put these guys together because neither one should be on the team next year. I will admit Beeks’s stats are not that bad but most of those were obtain in low leverage situations. As far as Borucki is concerned he has had physical issues almost every season. He has only appeared in 30 games twice in 7 seasons.

The Pirates should have 2 additions to their staff to start the season Bubba Chandler to move into the rotation and Johan Oviedo coming off Tommy John surgery possibly starting him in the bullpen before easing him in the rotation. That makes 12 pitchers with one more to obtain through trade or free agency. I would not rule out getting a starter by that method. I still think the best way to improve the bullpen is to consider putting Falter, Ortiz, and Oviedo there. Remember no matter how good your starting rotation is, in this day and age it only gets you through 2/3 of the game most of the time. You have to have a good bullpen if you are going to win. The rotation could look like this, Skenes, Jones, Keller, Chandler, New Player with eventually Oviedo starting in case of injury. Ortiz and Falter could move in to start if needed for the same reason.

There you have it, the pathetic 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates. For this team to move out of this mode they will need to add 3 to 4 additional position players, depending if they sign McCutchen, and to add one solid pitcher, whether it be a starter or reliever. To me this is a very tall order for this regime and all of this still does not eliminate Derek The Fox, who will personally lose at least 5 games on his own no matter who is on the field.