Some recaps from the Thursday night west coast games before getting into Friday’s action, which included Stetson Allie returning to the lineup and Stolmy Pimentel going two more innings than his first start.
From very late Thursday night in the Mexican League, Carlos Munoz made his winter debut and struck out as a pinch-hitter. He spent the season in the GCL, so this winter league is a huge step up for him. His team had two players out with stomach ailments, including Stetson Allie, so Munoz got his first chance to play.
In that same game that Munoz made his debut, two Pittsburgh Pirates pitchers got work out of the bullpen for Mazatlan. Eduardo Vera threw a scoreless inning despite giving up three walks and a hit. Felipe Gonzalez also threw a scoreless frame, allowing one hit, while picking up two strikeouts.
From Friday night in Mexico, Stetson Allie returned to the lineup after missing a couple games. He was the DH and batted twice before leaving the game for a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning.
Felipe Gonzalez pitched for a second day in a row and gave up one run on two hits in one inning of work. He recorded one strikeout.
In the Dominican, Stolmy Pimentel got his second start and went four innings, giving up two runs on four hits and two walks, with one strikeout. In his debut, he allowed two runs over two innings of work. Between his time with the Pirates and his rehab assignment in the minors, Pimentel pitched just 43 innings this season, so he is making up for lost time in winter ball. In 2013, he threw a total of 178.2 innings.
Willy Garcia saw his first action in five days and doubled as a pinch-hitter. He stayed in the game in left field and grounded out to shortstop for the last out of the game.
Rafael Perez pitched 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits(one homer), one walk and he had one strikeout. He has given up four runs over 4.1 innings in five relief appearances this winter.
Mel Rojas Jr. went 1-for-4 with a double, walk and two runs scored. He is hitting .256 through 43 at-bats, with two extra-base hits, both doubles.
In Venezuela, Junior Sosa went 1-for-4 with a run scored. He reached base four times on Thursday despite not starting the game.
Jose Osuna came on as a defensive replacement at first base and did not get a chance to bat. After a slow start at the plate, this is the first game he has played in eight days.
Ramon Cabrera had a pinch-hit RBI single in his only at-bat. He is now hitting .174 and all eight hits have been singles.
John started working at Pirates Prospects in 2009, but his connection to the Pittsburgh Pirates started exactly 100 years earlier when Dots Miller debuted for the 1909 World Series champions. John was born in Kearny, NJ, two blocks from the house where Dots Miller grew up. From that hometown hero connection came a love of Pirates history, as well as the sport of baseball.
When he didn't make it as a lefty pitcher with an 80+ MPH fastball and a slider that needed work, John turned to covering the game, eventually focusing in on the prospects side, where his interest was pushed by the big league team being below .500 for so long. John has covered the minors in some form since the 2002 season, and leads the draft and international coverage on Pirates Prospects. He writes daily on Pittsburgh Baseball History, when he's not covering the entire system daily throughout the entire year on Pirates Prospects.
Well…Stolmy has to either start or relieve or we risk losing him. Going to be interesting what they do with him going forward.
Yea he has to be given a defined role. He languished in the Bullpen last year and we didn’t use him much. Kinda pointless to have him take up a spot and not use him at all.
This was the main problem. He can be used out of the pen if they like other options better as a SP, but they simply refused to use him as a relief man. If he was hurt, DL. Since they said he wasnt hurt, use the kid.
If you’re not going to use him in a meaningful role, why protect him?
He isnt far off from being a very solid option. Stuff is there he just has struggled with injuries/lack of consistency. Young enough to keep him around.
Far off or not, if he’s hurt DL him. If not, then use him. He’s doing nobody any good being treated like a rule 5 pick.
So the team isnt allowed to have a healthy guy with consistency issues yet clearly still valuable enough to keep? He is now healthy and making up for some lost pitching time. He is a bit too valuable to simply let anyone take, and assuming we sign a FA may not be quite good enough to start over others. We yearn for depth and then have comments like yours.
My comment is to the point. I like Stolmy. That being said, if they like him enough to keep him on the major league staff, he needs to fill a role and not be treated like a rule 5 pick. 2 years of that treatment is too much. If you don’t think enough of him now, when will you?
Imo… your point is well taken.. you desire to throw away resources to obtain a goal for 2015.. I would just like to know who you want to throw away those resources for? Few teams have a should be closer or a #3 starter as their 25th guy
I’m not advocating throwing anybody away. I’m all about giving young guys chances. The Pirates are no longer in try out mode. If Stolmy is one of the top 5 starters or good enough reliever to make the staff, then plug him in and go with him. Pitching 30 or 40 innings and being carried because he has future potential is detrimental to the rest of the staff. Not pitching for long periods of time is not getting him any closer to realizing his potential. Make him the 5th starter or long man and go with it. Otherwise make a move for a usable piece.
I don’t have any other pitcher in mind. But as of yet, he has not shown he is a future #3 or closer. He’s a kid with a live arm that’s terribly inconsistent. Baseball has a ton of these guys.
i don’t think anyone believes stolmy has proved himself to this point.. just saying x player has performed to your standards, get rid of him, irrespective of whom you’re replacing him with, is likely a good way to consistently devalue your team.. most likely the guy you replace him with will be an unproven talent with options in our system, or unproven/unwanted talent not currently on someones 40 man.. it seems the buccos believe they can get stolmy to reach his potential… i think all you’re suggesting is instead of having stolmy and player y develop in the minors.. we should only have player y, and he should develop in the majors… either way we still have a developing talent as our 25th.. so why dispose of talent to reach the same outcome
I have no problem having Stolmy on the roster. I have a problem with any member of the team being stored in mothballs for multiple years. He will never develop being used like he is currently. If he’s good enough to be on the roster, then use him in a defined role whether it be starter, long man whatever. Because he’s out of options, he’s in a bad spot. Hopefully, he gets a shot to perform just like Lambo and anybody else that has reached that point. You have totally missed my point. I’m not advocating dumping him, I merely want them to give him a shot to pitch rather then all these retreads. If he’s going to be on the roster, let him pitch!
Exactly. Stolmy, through no fault of his own, is in a bad spot. Sometimes you have to make a tough call. You can’t keep everyone you’d like to keep. And if we are to believe the hype about the farm system, losing him isn’t going to hurt you in the slightest. Stockpiling talent isn’t the goal right now. Having to make tough decisions about players is a natural extension of the plan actually working. And were not talking about an irreplaceable part here. As evidenced by his not hardly being used at all. If they lose him big deal. He’s not worth hiding on the roster when you have other , more important decision to be made.
ah.. i did miss your point.. i thought he was injured much of the year last year so i sorta breezed by that part.. lol.. i think his opportunities will come this year with gomez out the door.. are you from indy?
I live just north of Indy. My whole take on Stolmy is I want him provided a real opportunity. It’s the only way he’ll reach his potential.
That depends on what type of team you want to have. The “lets see what they can do” period is over as far as the big club is concerned. It’s about getting to, and winning in, the playoffs. If he can’t help them do that get someone that can. None of the pitchers mentioned in this thread are going to play a major role in helping them do that in 2015 and if your seeing them on a regular basis your probably watching a losing team. The lone exception is Taillon who I like very much. Morton, AFAIC is a lost cause. this is his 3rd major injury and at some point you have to call him what he is, a very inconsistent, oft injured pitcher. They’ll need to go outside the ORG to get pitching help this year. Then get Kingham, Glasnow and CO ready for 2016.
Stolmy weather so far for him . I continue to be unimpressed . They keep saying how great his stuff is . Is it a question of not being able to throw it where he needs to or overestimating his talents . My guess is the former so the question becomes how long will it take .
I’m looking forward to Stolmy not stinking.
Stolmy Pimental is one of the many Pirates SP Sleepers during this off-season. I say that because the Pirates have 3 guys they can depend on to start the season in April –
*Gerrit Cole – Our Ace and #1 in the Rotation. The Pirates are going to rely upon he and a few others for the first half of the season.
*Vance Worley and Jeff Locke – with contractual issue involving Liriano and Volquez and a solid chance that neither will return in 2015, Worley and Locke will once again have to step up and help to carry this team in the early going.
Charlie Morton – Hip surgery will keep him on the DL to open the season. Right now he is a possibility for May 2015, but if we look at his past, he has been a notoriously slow healer. Therefore, figure June and then enough work in the minors getting into shape and I fear we will be looking between Mid-June and the AS Break as we did in 2013. So far, he is making that 3 year extension for $21 mil look like a bad investment, because he will miss much of the first two years of that extension.
In order of who I think may be called upon – Brandon Cumpton, Stolmy Pimental, Nick Kingham, Jameson Taillon, and we still have Kyle McPherson who did well in AAA and for the Pirates in 2013 before missing all of 2014 with TJ surgery (I think). In a way, I hope the Pirates do not sign anyone new to join the Rotation because I think it is time to use these young guys.
I sure hope we don’t have to have Pimentel in the starting rotation…that would not be a good sign…….I would much rather have Cumpton, Sampson, Kingham, or even Sadler before Pimentel. I don’t see the infatuation with him.
The fascination with Cumpton is way overplayed IMO. He has shown very little than being a solid 5th option/great depth. It seems many think Cumpton could step in right now and be an above average back end rotation arm. He is solid, but not much more than average back end type (which absolutely has its value). The fact that you think Sadler right now is a better option than Pimentel is confusing, since Sadler has struggled and is heading toward relief work. It’d be disappointing if any of those were options out of ST.
It’s an interesting balance between playing competitive baseball and giving your young talent enough of an opportunity to prove themselves. . The opportunities were much easier to provide when the expectations were low.. I like to lean towards providing unproven prospects an opportunity as well..