Welcome to the Pirates mailbag, where Post-Gazette reporters Andrew Destin and Noah Hiles answer all of your questions about the ball club. If you have a question, tweet them at @AndrewDestin1 and @_NoahHiles or email them at adestin@post-gazette.com and nhiles@post-gazette.com. Andrew and Noah will answer your questions in full length each Thursday. Below are this week’s top questions:
Josh: What are the chances the Pirates part ways with Andy Haines soon?
Andrew: Slim to none. While it is easy to scapegoat the hitting coach, I believe this to be a very different situation than the one the local pro football team had with its offensive coordinator. Haines is in his third season as the Pirates hitting coach, and one has to imagine the organization will give him the same kind of runway it levied to manager Derek Shelton after back-to-back 100-loss seasons. Not to mention, Haines has helped elevate the play of individuals like Connor Joe and Alika Williams above expectations. I firmly believe Haines gets some more time.
Hiles: I would have to agree with Andrew. I don’t see a change in the staff taking place this early in the season. While I can understand the frustration among fans, this organization made a commitment to Haines by bringing him back for 2024. They aren’t going to give up on him after one month of baseball, regardless of how bad the offense has been. Will they make a change mid-season if this continues? Absolutely. But it’s going to be at least another month until that happens.
Sheryl: How seriously should David Bednar’s struggles be taken?
Destin: Very. The two-time All-Star closer just has not looked like himself all season en route to compiling an 11.45 ERA in 13 appearances. The velocity hasn’t dropped, nor has the curveball lost much vertical or horizontal movement. But Bednar has been quite hittable and struggled to strike out hitters, much less get out of innings. All told, Bednar’s pitching has been quite concerning this season.
Hiles: I was in the camp of thinking Bednar just needed a bit more time to get going. Now, I’m not so sure. He’s allowing hard contact and has little to no command or confidence when on the mound. We have never seen him struggle like this throughout his time as a Pirate. Closers go through slumps, even the great ones. And when they do, it stands out because they’re often pitching in high-leverage situations. There are still many games to be played, but when it comes to concerns with this club, I’d put Bednar right behind the offense.
John: If the Pirates call up Nick Gonzales, does that mean Jared Triolo goes into a utility role?
Destin: Though Jared Triolo has done an outstanding job defensively at second base, I think a call-up of Nick Gonzales (or even Liover Peguero) should necessitate Triolo moving into a utility role. In this scenario, Gonzales should get at least 50 at-bats before deciding whether he can stick at second base, both offensively and defensively. Triolo has proven to be an above-average MLB defender, but the bat hasn’t shown that he is unquestionably deserving of an everyday spot somewhere in the field.
Hiles: Why not use them both as utility guys? Sure, Triolo has been a great defender, but you can use his glove at other places than second. You can also get Gonzales at-bats by playing him at shortstop and even third base when Oneil Cruz and Ke’Bryan Hayes need an off day. The way I look at it, there are maybe two or three players on this team who deserve an everyday spot in the lineup right now. The rest can rotate until some find a rhythm.
Jeff: Would the Pirates consider a six-man rotation once they call up Paul Skenes? If not, who gets the boot?
Destin: As hypocritical as it would be because Skenes started the season in Triple-A in part to get him acclimated to pitching every fifth day and build up his pitch count, I think a six-man rotation (at least in the interim) would be in the Pirates’ best interests. It would ease the number of innings both Skenes and Jared Jones have to throw, as well as reward the likes of Bailey Falter and Quinn Priester for their better-than-expected starts. If the Pirates go with a five-man rotation, I imagine it would be Falter that goes to the bullpen.
Hiles: A six-man rotation would be a tremendous idea. It gives your young arms (Jones/Skenes) more rest and allows Shelton to potentially be more creative with who he throws against certain teams. The way things currently stand, the worst starting pitcher is Mitch Keller. He’s not getting demoted to the bullpen. I think long term, it could be Martin Perez, simply because he’s familiar with moving from the rotation to being a reliever, but he’s been too good to change anything right now.
Steve: If you could make one drastic change to the Pirates lineup, what would it be?
Destin: I’ll preface by saying it’s a good thing I don’t get paid the big bucks to make these kinds of decisions. That being said, I would send Jack Suwinski to Triple-A and make sure Connor Joe is in the lineup every day. I understand the rationale of manipulating matchups depending on if it’s a right-handed or left-handed starter. Even so, Joe has been the Pirates’ best and most consistent hitter all season. Whatever it takes to have him in the lineup every day, I’m all for it.
Hiles: Unlike Andrew, I would love to get paid six to seven figures to make baseball decisions. That sounds like a ton of fun. I think a start would be calling up Gonzales, Yasmani Grandal, Ji Hwan Bae and Jake Lamb. I’m putting Rowdy and Suwinski on the injured list and sending Alika Williams and Henry Davis to Triple-A. Gonzales and Lamb would be my everyday second and first basemen. Joe is my primary right fielder, who will still see time at first base against lefties. Bae will play in the corner outfield spots and second base — my goal would be for him to get three starts a week, then use him as a sub in every game he doesn’t start. Andrew McCutchen would still be my DH, but I’d also give Cruz and Reynolds one start per week in his spot, thus allowing Triolo, Bae and Gonzales to see regular time.
Stephen: When is the most likely start date for Skenes? May 10?
Destin: I think you are spot on with the May 10 start date. He’s proven everything he can in Triple-A. The pitch count is up. He’s pitched six innings, and opposing hitters really haven’t stood much of a chance against him all season. As Noah articulates below, getting Skenes a start against an NL Central opponent or two before the Pirates’ next road trip is a nice added bonus. Either way, we’re not far off from seeing Skenes. We should see him soon this month.
Hiles: That’s what we’ve been hearing. It would certainly make sense. Personally, I would pull him up to start May 5 because 1.) He is ready to pitch in the majors and 2.) He would get to make his first two major-league starts at PNC Park. I feel that move would be good for everyone. But it’s looking like he gets at least one more start in Triple-A. They’ll let him throw 80-plus pitches and then he will be ready. May 10 would mean his first two starts would be against the Cubs and Brewers, two NL Central opponents. Perhaps they want him on the hill for those key matchups.
Andrew: Any news on Mike Burrows’ recovery process/timeline?
Destin: Nothing to report as of right now. He is roughly a year removed from Tommy John surgery, so I have to figure there will be more substantial updates in the near future.
Hiles: No recent updates that I can recall. The last thing I’ve heard is he’s still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery.
John: How safe is Derek Shelton? There seems to be no urgency with his leadership. It’s OK if they win or lose — it doesn’t matter. There has to be frustration building.
Destin: Very — at least through the end of this season. The franchise can re-evaluate once the campaign concludes, but for now, they are sticking with Shelton for a fifth season. Personally, I take zero issue with that. He’s built some equity after last year’s 14-win improvement, and it is still so early in the season that making a rash decision like that could have a debilitating effect rather than a motivating one on the clubhouse. Shelton has a lot of respect in the room and organization, and I don’t see him going anywhere barring this season truly falling off the rails.
Hiles: I think Shelton is just as frustrated as everyone else. This guy wants to win. His first few years were tough. There was no talent for him to work with. This current club has more than a few decent players. He believes they can compete, which isn’t happening right now. I don’t see him getting fired mid-season. Now, if this club finishes with a worse record than last year, I could see a change being made. The next few months will be interesting for Shelton. I don’t think the offense’s struggles are completely on him, but he’s got to figure something out. Simply shuffling the batting order isn’t working. Call guys up. Push for a trade to be made. Make a change on your staff. Something. Anything.
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First Published: May 2, 2024, 4:55 p.m.