Today on Pirates Prospects, I wrote about trochoid patterns, and touched on my burnout throughout this year. My first mini-burnout of the 2023 season was in May. I published an article at midnight on May 22nd, then took a few days off, returning to the daily schedule with an article published at midnight on May 25th. There was an update in between, explaining the next phase of this site. If you read that update, you’ll see that everything to follow played out as I said it would, especially with the contributors. At the time, each contributor needed more from me than I was already doing. There was even a threat from one to take everyone and start a new site if I didn’t add his featured section to the site immediately. At the time, when I was burning out from the existing work, that behind-the-scenes threat sounded great to me.
My next break was in July, around the time of the draft. This wasn’t as noticeable as the site going completely dark, since there were a lot of articles planned ahead. Behind the scenes, I was resting, then cramming with all available draft information on the top pick. Then, having a fallout with the contributors over the same issues, which ultimately center around a need for control. I have it, I’m giving zero of it up on this site, and they wanted an operation with more personal control. Following the draft, which I covered alone to measure the full workload of the event, I took a day off from publishing. I took a few more days off, and my biggest break came with four days off from July 21st through July 24th. I was in Pittsburgh during this time, checking out potential places to live for 2024, while the former contributors were starting Bucs on Deck.
Since that point, I decided to take more breaks, simply for my life and mental health. The vacuum of content helped Anthony Murphy, and that was one intent. One of my goals on this site over the last two years was to try and make this a full-time job for him, as it was for me starting many years ago. At this point, he’s been writing for two full seasons, and with the subscribers he got from the exposure (and eventual absense) from this site, he now has a stronger personal position than I had after four years of daily writing. My plan in 2024 is to have a subscription product, with an uninterrupted production flow, and a look at the game which you can’t find anywhere else. I’m not interested in covering this system in the way I have in the past. You can find that on a lot of other sites, and Anthony’s site is currently working with my old blueprint. If you want the old site’s coverage, I’d go over to Bucs on Deck and support him, since he’s the next me. As for the next version of me, I’ve been keeping that very close to the vest. Mostly because I’m afraid that my new performance circle size, centered dot of self, and point of expression may lead to burnout. If you don’t understand that, check out today’s column.
THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
I’ve been reworking this feature to have three paragraphs per day on whatever topic I feel like discussing with authenticity. Yesterday, I looked at value, and how my views have changed on iconic players like Andrew McCutchen.
FEATURES
**Williams: Curtate and Prolate Players in Baseball Development. I’ve been working on theories of baseball player development, after spending 15 years following things up close. This column taps into Geometry and Calculus to explain how I see the player development task at hand for each individual organization.
**Williams: The Battle of the First Overall Picks. The NBA has been my own sports escape this offseason. Recently I had a chance to watch the battle of two first overall picks from the NBA draft, and it had me thinking about the right approach for the Pirates to take with Henry Davis and Paul Skenes.
**Williams: Are the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates a Winner Yet? I looked at the ZiPS projections to see where the Pirates stand after their additions so far.
TRANSACTIONS
**Andrew McCutchen Returns to the Pirates. This move was expected, but a good one. Not only is McCutchen the face of the modern-day Pirates franchise, he’s also still one of their more productive bats in the lineup.
**Pirates Sign LHP Martin Perez. The Pirates have had success the last few years getting reliable innings out of lefty starters. They went back to this strategy by signing Martin Perez yesterday.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“My own case of the internal sign is hardly worth mentioning, for rarely, if ever, has such a monitor been given to any other man. Those who belong to this small class have tasted how sweet and blessed a possession philosophy is, and have also seen enough of the madness of the multitude; and they know that no politician is honest, nor is there any champion of justice at whose side they may fight and be saved. Such an one may be compared to a man who has fallen among wild beasts –he will not join in the wickedness of his fellows, but neither is he able singly to resist all their fierce natures, and therefore seeing that he would be of no use to the State or to his friends, and reflecting that he would have to throw away his life without doing any good either to himself or others, he holds his peace, and goes his own way. He is like one who, in the storm of dust and sleet which the driving wind hurries along, retires under the shelter of a wall; and seeing the rest of mankind full of wickedness, he is content, if only he can live his own life and be pure from evil or unrighteousness, and depart in peace and good-will, with bright hopes.” – Socrates
-Plato, Republic (VI)
SONG OF THE DAY
Chains is cool to cop, but more important is lawyer fees (Uh)
That’s how it is now (Uh), that’s how it always be (Uh)
I never change, this is always me
From the womb to the tomb, from now ’til my doom
Drink Army from one cup, pass it around the room
That’s the ritual (Yup), Big Ran, I ain’t forget you, fool
And all that bullshit you tryin’ to get through
This is crew love, move music or move drugs
Rival crews, get your black suits up, I’ll never change
