I’ve been thinking of myself as an artist the last few years.
Maybe part of that is because I’ve spent the last three years split between three career idea paths:
- Writing about baseball and expanding this site to continue to allow me to cover things my way. Future goals of starting a weekly podcast and a “show” about development with 8-12 episodes per season.
- Writing a Time Travelers vs Vampires novel series. I’ve got ten novels spanning multiple unique characters across three Multiversial realities that share links with our own. This has been fun to create every Saturday for the last three years, based originally on the music from Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, Kurt Cobain, and Eddie Vedder.
- Running a vinyl record shop and leaving baseball and writing behind. Though, I’d likely still be attached to the second project here, and would still be attached to baseball.
Those were my deliberate career paths, with a few years to sort out my priorities and my mind.
Today, if I were to continue this site in 2024, it would be written article drops each week, like the site had at the start of 2022. My goal would be to add a podcast each week to recap what is happening in the system. With the right monetization, I could expand to allow for someone else to come in as a daily writer, giving the “P2Daily” newsletter format a go. I might even choose to do a newsletter over a podcast each week, but honestly, I’m tired of nightly reports and updates after so many years.
That brings me to the most important thing. Every September, I have a stockpile of articles to publish, and no one really knows that I start planning the following season’s coverage around this time. The first question, before I dial in any of the “What does this site need and what am I capable of?” is “Do I want to do this one more year?”
The answer this year isn’t a “No.” But it’s not a “Yes.”
As I wrote in my column last week, my preference right now would be to work inside the game of baseball. At this point in my life, with my unique career path and perspective, I know that I could provide value anywhere inside of an MLB organization. Specifically, I would like to work with the Pirates, to help further their chances of winning a World Series. This site requires so much focus on so many things just to be able to focus on writing about baseball every day/week/month/year for the last 15 seasons for the enjoyment of Pirates fans. It’s a tremendous grind. I do it because I know how many people are looking for such a space. I hang out here, too. I’m also a baseball junkie who will spend more than several of the next 365 days around the sun completely consumed with the sport. But my mind would be better suited on one goal at this point.
As the season winds down, I’ve been preparing my final articles like an artist. If you’ve paid and supported along the way, I’ve got three weeks of article drops remaining, which together will comprise a nice mega-album about where the Pirates’ minor league system stands right now, heading into the 2023-24 offseason.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
**I’ve got a column tomorrow about pitching and chess to kick things off.
**My feature on the short season from first overall pick Paul Skenes breaks down how he hasn’t even begun to operate on an MLB routine as a pitcher, or begin his MLB development. He still pitched well at the Double-A level in his brief preview after the draft. I’m looking forward to the real start to his pro career next year.
**Anthony Solometo was one of the best pitching development stories in the system this year, reaching Double-A at the age of 20, and having success at the level. He’s a lefty with a lot of confidence, who can start in the majors one day. And he already knows it.
**The Pirates added LHP Jackson Wolf as one of three prospects in the Rich Hill/Ji Man Choi trade with San Diego. I talked with Wolf about the origins of his rhythmic windup, his spot start in the majors with the Padres earlier this year, and the trade to the Pirates.
**Aaron Shortridge spent the 2023 season in Altoona in his second year returning from Tommy John surgery. Shortridge got comfortable pitching over the course of a full-season again, while getting back to having consistent success in August, before finishing in Triple-A Indianapolis for his final start.
**Braxton Ashcraft ended up in Altoona at the end of his first year returning from Tommy John. The focus for Ashcraft was getting back on the mound, healthy again. I talked with Ashcraft about his 2023 season in his journeys back to the mound.
**Check out PiratesProspects.com later this week for the remainder of the Altoona player features, including “Who is Z Cheng?”
**Check out PiratesProspects.com next week for a look at who to watch for in Altoona in 2024, moving up from High-A Greensboro. Early preview: J.P. Massey, Thomas Harrington, Jack Brannigan, Tres Gonzalez, and Jase Bowen, who was promoted to Altoona to finish the 2023 season.
THIS WEEK IN PENNSYLVANIA
The Pirates take on the Phillies for three games across the state, before returning for three games at home against the Miami Marlins to finish the season.
The Pirates are 74-82 entering the week. They’ve officially been eliminated from the playoffs, and have officially secured a losing season. At the start of the year, my analysis projected 79 wins. They’ve taken a much different outcome to get here, but the talent level on this team and the depth has objectively looked like a mid-70s win-level or higher.
They started 20-8. They’re 13-9 in September, after playing around .500 for the previous six weeks leading into this month. This team that is slowly getting better isn’t a team built on the play of veteran leaders, but the energy of young players pushing for a career in the Majors.
What I like about this time of year is the perspective it brings on the development process. Two years ago, I was writing features about Jack Suwinski in Altoona. Today, he enters the final week of the season with 26 home runs and a .797 OPS in the majors. Last year, I was writing about Endy Rodriguez and Liover Peguero, among other players like Henry Davis, Jared Triolo, and Nick Gonzales. They’re all leading the current charge each night, while each holding their own in their MLB debut seasons.
Of that group, the Pirates could get creative for 2024. Triolo can play everywhere. Gonzales, recalled today, can play up the middle. His hitting has improved since going down to Indianapolis — with power and fewer swing and miss, due to better extension with his arms. Peguero gives another up-the-middle option. Oneil Cruz will eventually return, providing another up-the-middle option. Davis and Rodriguez can both catch, and would look good in a time-share at first base — with Jason Delay and Alfonso Rivas as defensive bats off the bench. This group provides a base with upside, allowing the Pirates to focus their finances on pitching this off-season. And perhaps a center fielder.
This is a team that shows promise heading into the 2024 season, with prospects arriving from the minors, and the budget to add to the big league squad.
SONG OF THE DAY
