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Felipe Rivero and Andrew McCutchen celebrate at the end of the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on July 4.
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Pirates mailbag: Why wasn't Felipe Rivero at the All-Star Game in Miami?

Mitchell Leff/Getty Images

Pirates mailbag: Why wasn't Felipe Rivero at the All-Star Game in Miami?

MIAMI — Welcome back, baseball fans. The Pirates pulled into the All-Star break at 42-47, seven games behind the Milwaukee Brewers. They have work to do in the second half. All questions are sic’d, and this week was light on questions. So if you have a question for next week’s mailbag, send it to snesbitt@post-gazette.com or to @stephenjnesbitt on Twitter.

Here we go.


Eric: Why was JHay and not Rivero the pick for the all star game?

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Stephen: Josh Harrison was in Miami on account of being a commissioner’s selection. This year, rather than have each league’s manager round out the roster with reserves of his choice, Major League Baseball left it up to the commissioner’s office to select seven National League players (four pitchers, three position players) and five American League players (four pitchers, one position player). The managers seemed pleased to have those decisions taken out of their hands, trying to decide how to get a representative from every team on the roster, taking heat for their decisions, like when Charlie Manuel selected utility man Omar Infante in 2010.

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Did Felipe Rivero deserve an All-Star spot? Ask Harrison.

Harrison’s eyes lit up when he was asked about it Monday. To Harrison, it was as clear as the cloudless sky above Marlins Park. Take a look at the numbers, he said, the 0.76 ERA, the .134 opponents’ batting average, the 0.718 WHIP and, especially, the 44-appearance workload.

“That’s one guy that everybody that faced him would have said, ‘Aw yeah, he deserves to be here,’ ” Harrison said. He mentioned he held out hope for a few days a replacement would be needed so Rivero, who lives an hour away in Greenacres, Fla., could join at the last minute.

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With every team granted at least one All-Star representative, the commissioner’s office selected Harrison as a National League reserve and added relievers Corey Knebel (Milwaukee Brewers), Brad Hand (San Diego Padres) and Pat Neshek (Philadelphia Phillies) to the bullpen. I suppose the league could have selected Rivero over Harrison and put the Brewers’ Travis Shaw or Eric Thames or the Padres’ ... wait, never mind, none of their everyday players are over .800 OPS. Middle infielders were at a premium anyway, and so Harrison was the pick.

On Tuesday, Knebel, one of Rivero’s peers in the N.L. Central Division, issued this rave review:

“I’ve seen him pop a couple 102s [mph],” Knebel said. “He’s got some [Aroldis] Chapman material. … It’s nasty. He’s going to be doing some great things, just like Chapman.”

Asked whether he thinks opposing hitters have started to see Rivero looming in the late innings, Harrison laughed and replied, “I don’t think. I know.” He recalled Rivero’s performance July 17, 2016, when he threw three scoreless innings for the Washington Nationals in the Pirates’ eventual 2-1, 18-inning win at Nationals Park. The lefty had made an impression.

Gregory Polanco, right, celebrates with Andrew McCutchen.
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“We were all talking about him like, ‘Hey, man. This dude is dirty.’ ” Harrison said. “He got traded over [two weeks later] and we were like, ‘This dude is dirty! Glad he’s on our team.’ I don't think people are starting to realize [how good he is]. People know now. They know.”

So, yes, Rivero has All-Star numbers this year. Perhaps he’ll get the nod next year instead. The 2018 All-Star Game is in Washington, D.C. Wouldn’t the Nationals like to see him again?


Carol: [subject line] Lang [body text] Leave him in Korea. We don't need a drunk on the team,

Stephen: I’ll inform the proper authorities, Carol.


toQrainbow: can we trade kang to the twins or maybe the giants or tigers? if you catch my drift

Stephen: I’m not sure I do, but, sure, I do. If you’re asking whether the Pirates can trade Jung Ho Kang to the LG Twins, Lotte Giants or Kia Tigers in the Korean Baseball Organization, consider your drift caught and consider the answer “no.”


Jason: What happened to Pirates pitching prospect Luis Heredia? He’s been in the minors for at least 5 years now. #Mailbag

Stephen: Heredia, still only 22, moved to the bullpen this season and risen from Class High-A Bradenton (3.64 ERA in 54⅓ innings) to Class AA Altoona (3.94 ERA in 29⅔ innings). He has allowed nearly as many walks (21) as hits (23) in his time with the Curve.


Chad: What is Clint Hurdle's obsession with resting his players? I've watched Major League Baseball for nearly 30 years, and I don't remember any other Manager doing it at the frequency he does. It's not like it's a formula for success with him, given he has 4 winning seasons and 11 losing one's as a Manager on 2 different teams.

Stephen: The obsession, as you termed it, is rooted in feedback from players and input from the front office and analytics team. The idea is that rested players will perform better and remain healthy. The Pirates have played 89 games. Andrew McCutchen has started 85, Jordy Mercer 83, Josh Harrison 81 and Josh Bell 78. Doesn’t seem like all that much rest to me. Others have been injured or were bench players: Gregory Polanco has started 66 games, David Freese 61, Adam Frazier 53 and Francisco Cervelli 51. As a fan, it’s not pleasant to see a Sunday lineup featuring a handful of rookies or bench players, but when teams go a couple weeks without a day off there comes a time when managers need to rest their players, even their best ones.


Joe: sorry if I missed it . What's the rotation next weekend ?

Stephen: Gerrit Cole (Fri), Chad Kuhl (Sat), Trevor Williams (Sun), Jameson Taillon (Mon), Ivan Nova (Tue).


Walt: Any chance Shane Baz gets promoted to penn league soon? Seeing the Black Bears next week just curious to see him pitch,thx

Stephen: It definitely won’t happen by next week, Walt. Baz, the Pirates’ first-round pick last month, has two appearances under his belt for the GCL Pirates. He turned 18 in June. The Class A short-season West Virginia roster is comprised of players between 20 and 25 years old. It’s not where the Pirates tend to send their high-school draftees right off the bat.

Consider Mitch Keller’s path. He pitched for the GCL Pirates in 2014 (age 18 season), rookie-level Bristol in 2015 and reached the Class A level with the West Virginia Power in 2016.

Stephen J. Nesbitt: snesbitt@post-gazette.com and Twitter @stephenjnesbitt.

First Published: July 12, 2017, 4:33 p.m.

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