In a normal season, it’s only two series or six games, hardly enough to formulate any sort of opinion. In 2020, however, we’re talking about 10% of the season or the equivalent of around 16 games. Over the course of 162, that would at least tell us something.
But as the Pirates have dropped two of three to both the Cardinals and Brewers, we’ve seen a couple things worth noting, some of them good, others troubling.
Here’s a look at six things we think we know about the 2020 Pirates so far:
1. The fielding isn’t necessarily better, but it’s also not worse.
A year after committing an MLB-worst 121 errors, Pittsburgh’s defense has still been something of a mixed bag, the latest snafu coming Wednesday as Colin Moran dropped an easy foul pop at first base.
That was the Pirates’ fifth error in six games, resulting in a per-game mark (.83) that’s actually worse than how the Pirates fared in 2019 (.75).
It’s important, however, to point out that two of those belong to pitchers (Kyle Crick and Geoff Hartlieb). Kevin Newman is responsible for the other two.
Bryan Reynolds (MLB-best three outfield assists) has been terrific. Ditto for Jacob Stallings, who has thrown out both runners trying to steal on him and has once again excelled with pitch-framing.
Josh Bell’s throwing remains a work in progress; he still appears tentative with his new sidearm motion, while Jarrod Dyson and Phillip Evans have acquitted themselves well thus far.
2. The Pirates may need to consider appropriating their pitching resources differently.
They entered 2020 thinking they would use Steven Brault and Chad Kuhl together for the fifth rotation spot. And while neither has done anything to get banished to the bullpen, that part of the pitching staff could probably use some help.
Edgar Santana is suspended. Keone Kela has dealt with COVID-19 testing issues. Kyle Crick and Clay Holmes are hurt. Manager Derek Shelton has also been wary of going pedal to the metal with other relievers, specifically Nick Burdi.
As soon as Brault or Kuhl — both of whom are coming off injuries — is capable of manning a rotation spot alone, it might be time to look at using the other one as a true reliever.
3. The belief that the Pirates would play an aggressive style hasn’t really translated, although the slow start offensively is at least partly to blame.
Shelton talked plenty this offseason about fans potentially seeing more bunts and stolen bases, a small-ball approach necessitated by the shortened season.
But we’ve seen the Pirates bunt very little and struggle when they’ve tried. Certainly not for a base hit. John Ryan Murphy’s sacrifice has been their only successful attempt.
Meanwhile, they have just one stolen base through six games, and they’ve been caught twice (Newman and Evans).
Although he has stolen 30 or more bases five times, Dyson has been stuck in neutral, in large part because he has hit just .091 (1-for-11).
4. The Pirates need to get the meat of their order going.
They entered the season with Newman leading off, Reynolds hitting second, Frazier third, Bell fourth and Gregory Polanco fifth.
As of Thursday morning, those guys had combined to hit .111 (10-for-90) with two extra-base hits and strikeouts (25) in nearly 28% of their at-bats.
That’s obviously not good enough.
Sure, they’ve seen some terrific pitching performances with Jack Flaherty and Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals, as well as Milwaukee’s Brandon Woodruff on Wednesday.
But if the Pirates are going to have any sort of chance, they can’t hit less than Dyson’s weight (165 pounds).
5. Their trade deadline options may be severely limited.
Think back to the offseason. It made a ton of sense, in a normal season, for the Pirates to flip Chris Archer and Kela at the deadline. Both have performed well in the past, and they probably didn’t fit into the Pirates’ future.
Good luck getting anything for either now.
Chances are the Pirates will decline Archer’s option, while Kela — through no fault of his own — has hurt his stock because he simply hasn’t pitched.
No way another team would take a chance on Dyson — who would be 36 by the deadline — given his offensive struggles, which leaves Derek Holland and Adam Frazier as pretty much their only attractive options.
Holland has made one good start, hardly enough to bring other teams to their knees. Frazier was a hot commodity at MLB’s Winter Meetings, but like Dyson, the offense would absolutely have to improve.
6. The Pirates are learning about some young guys who could be crucial building blocks.
Mitch Keller is an obvious one. Their top prospect, Keller did not have his best stuff Sunday in St. Louis but still helped the team get a key win. He figures to improve, too.
Meanwhile, with the bullpen in tatters, Burdi has been a pleasant surprise now that he’s finally healthy. Touching triple digits with a nasty slider will always play.
JT Brubaker has looked every bit like a future piece, potentially as a starter, and Geoff Hartlieb even showed promise while picking up his first MLB win Tuesday against the Brewers.
It looks like Cole Tucker can handle the defensive part of playing the outfield. The only question mark there — and it’s big — will be his hitting, and Stallings has quietly become one of the better defense catchers in baseball.
So while a 2-4 record is hardly ideal, and there really is a bunch of time left, the first six games haven’t been a complete waste for the Pirates.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG
First Published: July 30, 2020, 2:23 p.m.
