It’s hard to believe there will be baseball on TV this week, as the Pirates are expected to host the Cleveland Indians for an exhibition game Saturday at PNC Park.
It’s equally as crazy to think that Sunday was their 10th day of summer camp — or, as Pirates manager Derek Shelton would prefer, spring training 2.0.
Whatever you want to call it, we’re less than two weeks from opening day, which will be July 24 in St. Louis. Eight of those days are expected to include practices and intrasquad games, meaning there’s not much time left.
With that in mind, let’s examine what we’ve seen and also look ahead at what’s to come.
Infield
It looks like the opening day lineup — at least for the starting eight position players — is pretty much set.
Josh Bell at first. Adam Frazier at second. Kevin Newman at shortstop. Colin Moran at third. Moran is the lone (semi) surprise here, as some thought Ke’Bryan Hayes might have a chance; however, Hayes has yet to take part in summer camp for undisclosed reasons, making this an easy call for Shelton.
It’s hard to imagine anything other than Hayes starting the season in Altoona at this point, and that actually makes sense from a business standpoint, let alone his delayed start.
But enough about Hayes. Moran’s defense must improve and so far there hasn’t really been any noticeable difference. Then again, games are much, much different.
At the plate, Moran has displayed a fluid stroke. He has driven the ball to all fields and has done everything within his power to keep his lineup spot, even if it’s as the designated hitter.
Bell has re-debuted his new throwing motion, and his arm angle is even lower than the previous one. The Pirates first baseman looks a little like Kent Tekulve, but that’s not really worth worrying about because the throws have been accurate.
Also, hold the Bell-should-DH talk, please: The guy should be the Pirates’ face of the franchise. (Whether or not they make the move is a discussion for another day.) But as such, he deserves the opportunity to give first base a shot, which is what he wants to do.
Outfield
Jarrod Dyson is a tough one to read: On the surface, it looks like he’s half-checked out, collecting a final paycheck before riding off into the (Mississippi) sunset.
But if you watch Dyson work, there’s nobody more upbeat, nobody who’s more into joking with his teammates and having a good time.
To draw a hockey parallel, if you would’ve judged Ron Hainsey solely on his practice habits or public comments, the same narrative would’ve been formed — veteran, here for the money, isn’t really invested, etc.
There isn’t a Penguins fan out there who would believe that perception of Hainsey now because he performed when it actually mattered. Same goes for Dyson.
It’s hard not to love how Gregory Polanco looks right now. His throws have been hard and accurate. His swing has been (mostly) compact. Polanco is bouncing around and having fun.
But it’s also hard to completely believe that it will continue. As another Penguins legend (Mike Lange) might say: We’ve seen this fish before, meaning we’ve seen Polanco look terrific ... and then get hurt.
Maybe it’s the new regime, most notably Shelton. Maybe it’s Polanco’s age (28) or stature (longest-tenured Pirate), but there’s something more believable to it this year.
Funny how Bryan Reynolds didn’t warrant a mention. Just keeps raking, exactly the way he likes it.
Rotation
Joe Musgrove deserves the ball on opening day. He’s that sort of leader for this team. The only sort of adjustment I could see Shelton making is starting Trevor Williams for the season opener, then giving Musgrove the home opener. But with no fans in the stands, just give the ball to Musgrove.
The big intrigue here, though, might not be so much with the micro as it is with the macro, even though I want to see Musgrove’s new two-seamer (essentially a seventh pitch), Williams’ refined curveball and Mitch Keller be allowed to pitch the way he’s capable.
There’s also a lot to love about the Steven Brault-Chad Kuhl pair, and I’m cautiously optimistic Derek Holland might be able to revive his career here, assuming he can keep the ball down.
But the big picture involves new pitching coach Oscar Marin and what we’ve already seen him do: integrating analytics more than the previous regime. Not only has Marin collected more data, but he has made it infinitely more easily accessible to pitchers.
The million-dollar question will be whether or not this positively affects performance.
And speaking of Kuhl, he might be the one to watch in this group. The velocity is there, same with the breaking stuff. If he stays healthy, he could have a really good year.
Bullpen
A little more than two weeks ago, this was an unquestioned strength and potentially one of the few areas of depth the Pirates could lean on.
Now, not so much.
Edgar Santana was suspended 80 games for PED use. Keone Kela has yet to participate in a summer camp workout. Kyle Crick only threw live for the first time on Sunday.
Nick Burdi has looked terrific, but his health remains a concern. Your last remaining high-leverage options are Richard Rodriguez and Michael Feliz, who were great at times last season but also struggled during long stretches, too, specifically with the home run.
This must shake out over the final 10 days or so. The Pirates will need to get Kela working out again, Crick’s arm built up and figure out the proper path to the back end of the bullpen.
One pleasant surprise here has been JT Brubaker, who threw three scoreless innings Sunday and needed only 32 pitches to do it. He could be a sneaky option for the rotation should something happen.
Bench
The way things are going, it looks like Jose Osuna might be the Pirates’ DH on opening day. That’s fine, too, as Shelton has previously said they plan to rotate heavily in that spot.
Luke Maile, Guillermo Heredia and JT Riddle are fine as depth options, at least for now. Erik Gonzalez, too.
The tricky part here becomes development. Hayes’ health and contract status give the Pirates an easy out, but Cole Tucker’s situation is different. He’s a former first-round pick who needs to play.
Tucker has looked solid in the field and has all the intangibles you could ever want. But the Pirates will likely want and need to see more out of his bat during the rest of summer camp.
Intangibles
There was a noticeably different/positive vibe around the Pirates during spring training 1.0. Despite a monthslong break, none of that excitement has dissipated.
The Pirates might lack in depth. They certainly need to infuse more talent into their minor league system. And it’s certainly fair to question the pitching staff, which struggled plenty in 2019.
But there does seem to be a healthy work environment that was sorely missing last season, a fun and laid-back vibe that wasn’t even around when the Pirates were (sort of) contenders during the first half.
“Everybody’s excited to be back and ready for baseball,” Shelton said Sunday, praising small things such as everybody being flexible and shifting practice times to avoid rain. “The players have been great, the staff’s been great, and by staff, I mean not just the coaching staff but everybody involved.”
Will Shelton be able to make the ultimate adjustment and reverse the Pirates’ fortunes? Only time will tell on that one.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: July 13, 2020, 10:00 a.m.
