For those of you who have been asking “when is the podcast coming back”, you’ll be happy to know that the answer is…soon. In fact, there’s a 90% chance that the podcast will return next week, and I’ve already lined up the first guest.
On the surface, what you see me doing with this job involves the writing, podcasts, and anything that shows up on the site. Behind the scenes, I’ve had a lot going on this year involving a few projects that we hope to roll out this season, along with a few side projects that you’ll find out about soon enough. I’ve also been adding writers throughout the season, as you’ve already seen with the great work that Ryan Palencer is doing in Indianapolis, and which you will see with a few new writers over the next few weeks. Most of the writers we added are just finishing up with school, and will be making their “debuts” shortly.
In the process of adding writers, working on behind the scenes stuff, and my general role of managing the site, I haven’t had time to do any podcasts until now.
But if you’re looking for a podcast now, you should check out The River Avenue Blues podcast, which I was a guest on this week, discussing the upcoming series between the Yankees and the Pirates. Joe Pawlikowski and I discussed the Pirates this year, including looking at some of the former Yankees who are now Pirates, along with a quick preview of the pitching matchups this weekend. A few of the highlights:
**We talked about the reputation Jose Tabata has with Pirates fans of being lazy, which was the same reputation he had with the Yankees.
**We discussed why pitchers like Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon, and Edinson Volquez have gone from some of the worst numbers in the league, to respectable numbers.
**I found out that Gerrit Cole is the Yankees version of Miguel Sano. Every time a prospect list comes out, or every other week (whichever comes first) I hear something about Sano. I always wondered if other teams fan bases do the same thing with “the one that got away”. Apparently they do, even when it’s the Yankees.
To listen to the podcast, head over to River Avenue Blues. Hopefully by this time next week, I’ll be announcing the first episode of the new season of our podcast.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
How many more games is this team going to throw away by trotting Volquez out there? Please cut him and bring up Crumpton.
Just needed to post/vent after watching part of the latest debacle from Austraila. This team is starting to look like shades of 2010! The way they are playing 70 – 92 is looking ambitious. 2 more against the Yanks, 2 against the O’s and then 4 against the Nats, they could easily go 1 – 7, 2 – 6 and they will be looking at crowds of under 10,000 at PNC for the rest of the year. They needed to build on last year, not regress. Should have gone hard after Abreu, should never have lost Sano (so what if it would have cost them $2 m more to sign him, Volquez looking like a terrible signing for $5 m, Davis and Pedro looking lost, you could go on and on! They look like a 2 player team at the moment, Marte and Cutch, with major holes in the rotation beyond Cole and Liriano. I know the injuries to Taillon and Holmes hurt but 7 years into NH where are the other young starting pitching prospects, where are the infield prospects (none ready to help this year, maybe not to 2016. I would be shaking this club up tomorrow, pay Polanco whatever it takes to get him up, Vilquez and Wandy out of the rotation (I would bet Locke and Cumpton would be at least as good or stretch out Justin Wilson, Tony Watson or Pimentel. Sign Drew after the draft unless they are hopelessly out of it which they may well be. Discouraging! They looked like the Washington a Generals today. A few more games like this in the next few days and you can kiss this season goodbye!
NH has had a terrible off season and season of player personnel decisions – beginning with:
– not giving AJ a QO,
– not re-signing Byrd – when he had no intention of letting Polanco play in Pittsburgh before mid June.
– Retaining stiffs like Snider and Barmes for another year.
– Signing a no hit wonder backup catcher in Stewart, when he has Tony Sanchez ready to play this year.
– Giving $5m to Volquez, totally disregarding the past 2-3 seasons of horrific results – and stubbornly throwing games away by keeping him on the roster and in the rotation.
– Trading a potential significant prospect for a first baseman, Davis, who has become nothing but a singles hitter now – and is a complete mess at the plate.
– Not pursuing Abreau, when the team desperately needed a first baseman.
– Trading a decent 1B prospect in Dickerson, for an extra career minor league outfielder which we do not need.
– Not bringing up Lambo or Chris Dickerson, when the team could use a spark – and instead keeping worthless players like Gomez, Barmes, Snider, McGuiness, Stewart, and Decker on the 40 man roster.
– not keeping Crumpton up.
In 6-9 months, NH has managed to destroy all of the excitement and enthusiasm carryover from last year to this year.
Yes, some of the players have had terrible seasons so far and are also at fault – Alvarez, Liriano, Morton, Mercer, etc. – but NH could have improved this team and strengthened it over the Winter, instead he essentially did nothing. In fact this team was weaker going into Spring Training, then the team that finished the season last year – because of loss of AJ and Byrd and no additions of significance.
He performance this year has been worse than the team’s performance to date.
If remember,his Dad,who is a PHD, thought that getting a degree was a better way to go in the long run. I don’t remember the Yankees even making an offer as far as a $ amount is concerned.
It looks to me like the Coles had it figured out correctly. They thought that Gerritt could get his degree and then more than likely get drafted even higher, which he did. And obviously with a better financial offer than coming out of high school. Remember, the Yankees never even made an offer.
I see. Well I’m a CPA and not a PHD and proud of what I do. But if either of my sons get picked 28th or wherever I’m telling them to take the money. Neither appear to throw left handed like I hoped which is dissapointing but they’re only 3 years and another is 9 months so I might be able to mold them.
Funny you mention the Sano thing. I really thought that was a done deal and it still somewhat stings even with the injury. But one of my best friends is a Yankees fan and he feels the same way about Cole. Do you remember or does anyone remember the discrepancy in offers when he was drafted out of HS?