The Pittsburgh Pirates (2-7) were set to take on the Chicago Cubs (5-4) tonight in the first game of their four game series at PNC Park. The game ended up being postponed, due to rain.
Inside Story: I hit the “Continue” button in OOTP and saw a new lineup for the Pirates. I went back to the main screen and checked to see if the lineups had changed for good. When I hit the “Continue” button this time, I got the message that the game was delayed. I can’t tell you how disappointed I was. I wanted to talk about the .500 hitting Kevin Newman moving up to the leadoff spot…
The Pirates and Cubs will play a day/night doubleheader tomorrow. Chris Archer (0-1, 4.63) will take on Yu Darvish (0-1, 1.38) at 1:05 PM EST. Chris Stratton (1-0, 2.57) will take on Tyler Chatwood (0-1, 5.40) at 7:05 PM.
Disappointment Update: It does kind of suck to see a game cancelled when COVID-19 has wiped out sports as we know it. But it’s going to be cool seeing a simulated doubleheader tomorrow. Think about it. Tomorrow could be the next Rob Mackowiak Doubleheader Performance.
During these daily simulations, we’ll be focusing on the prospects in the system at different levels in their projected careers. We’ll follow everyone in the 2020 simulation. We also have a 2025 simulation where we will look at what the current players might become.
Since the minor league season in 2020 hasn’t started, we’ll look ahead to the 2025 season today to see what the prospects did in the future.
The Pirates had a doubleheader today in the year 2025. Here were the results from the current players (real life, 2020) in their 2025 projection.
Game One – Pirates Win 4-3 vs Diamondbacks
Sammy Siani, CF – 2-for-4, BB
Liover Peguero, SS – 0-for-4, BB
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B – 2-for-3, BB
Bryan Reynolds, LF – 0-for-1, 2 BB
Stephen Alemais, 2B – 0-for-3
Adam Frazier, PH – 0-for-1
Travis Swaggerty, PH – 0-for-1
Dylan Busby, PH – BB
Game Two – Pirates Beat Diamondbacks, 4-1
Sammy Siani, CF – 0-for-4, 2 SB
Liover Peguero, SS – 0-for-4
Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B – 2-for-4, 3B, RBI
Bryan Reynolds, LF – 2-for-4, 3B, HR, 2 RBI
Stephen Alemais – 0-for-3
Travis Swaggerty, PH – BB
Quinn Priester, RHP – 4.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 74/47
Steven Brault, LHP – 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 33/20
Cristopher Cruz, RHP – 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 9/6
Blake Weiman, LHP – 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0BB, 2 K, 14/9
Catching Up With Some Careers
We had some questions in the last article about the status of the following players in 2025:
Jack Herman, RF – Was released by the Pirates prior to the 2025 season. Currently in the White Sox minor league system. 35/40 overall rating. Hasn’t made it out of High-A after three seasons at the level, but had an .871 OPS in 349 plate appearances this past year.
Rodolfo Castro, 3B – He’s with Indianapolis, about to enter his age 26 season. Castro had a .929 OPS in Altoona in 2024, with a career-high 19 home runs.
Jasiah Dixon – He’s currently topped out at a 35 upside, giving him a chance to make the bench. Moved up to Bradenton this year, after two seasons of a sub-.700 OPS in Greensboro.
Jase Bowen – Released by the Pirates after 2023, and signed with the Mets. Had a .643 OPS in High-A last year. Moved up to Double-A for the first time this year.
Juan Pie – Pie made it to Indianapolis for part of the 2024 season. He had an .819 OPS in Altoona over 458 plate appearances. He had a .599 OPS in Indianapolis. He’s back in Altoona to start the 2025 season, but does have 45 overall and potential.
Deion Walker – He was released by the Pirates mid-way through the 2021 season. Retired after the 2024 season, never making it out of rookie ball.
Matt Gorski – The Pirates released Gorski at the start of the 2025 season, which is his age 27 season. He made the jump to Triple-A in 2024 for the first time, but only hit for a .436 OPS in less than 100 plate appearances.
Jared Triolo – The Pirates released Triolo after the 2024 season, which was his fourth season in Double-A. He signed with the Dodgers prior to the 2025 season on a minor league deal, and joined their Double-A team.
Have any questions about any other players? Ask away in the comments.
