After losing 6-1 to the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, the Pittsburgh Pirates dropped to .500 on the season, finishing their week by getting swept twice.
The Pirates have only played 22 games, which is 13.6% of the MLB season. That’s not an insignificant amount, but it’s also not a big enough amount to draw significant conclusions over. There are some players right now who are under-performing, who could pick up the pace over the next month. Others are performing well, and might cool off. Overall, it’s still early in the season.
There are a few situations where the Pirates might be forced to make an earlier move. Here are the big three.
The Catching Jam
Yasmani Grandal is currently rehabbing in Indianapolis, after being added this offseason not as the starting catcher, but as a catcher who could fill a lot of time. The assumption was this time would come next to Henry Davis, who would work into the starting mix.
Davis is batting .182/.288/.236 this season in 67 plate appearances. The plus power hitting catcher has no home runs, and a 29.9% strikeout rate. Drafted first overall in 2021 as a catcher, there have been some concerns about his skills behind the plate leading into this season. At the moment, his offense is the biggest concern.
Complicating matters is the addition of Joey Bart, who the Pirates traded for earlier this month. Bart is hitting .313/.450/.750 in his first 20 plate appearances with the Pirates. He’s also out of options. That means when Grandal returns, the Pirates could either send Davis down or designate Bart for assignment.
The Pirates could get creative and move Davis to another position, but his bat hasn’t shown it belongs in the big leagues right now. A combo of Grandal and Bart, with Davis getting his first regular workload behind the plate in the minors wouldn’t be a bad approach for a few months, until Davis can turn things around.
Middle Infield Madness
This spring featured a competition between several middle infield options for the starting second base job. The position eventually went to Jared Triolo, a 26-year-old with impressive defense all over the field, coming off a good rookie season at the plate that was fueled by a .440 BABIP. Triolo had another high BABIP performance this spring, beating his competition.
Nick Gonzales and Liover Peguero were the main competition for Triolo. They also represented keys to the Pirates’ current build. Peguero was acquired for Starling Marte as one of the first prospects brought in during the rebuilding of the MLB roster. Gonzales was the first draft pick under General Manager Ben Cherington, taken seventh overall in 2020.
Triolo has struggled early in the season, batting .222/.296/.278 in 81 plate appearances. His BABIP has dropped, perhaps to a point where he’s now unlucky. He’s not hitting for power, but wasn’t hitting for a lot of power last year. The upside for Triolo looks like a super utility player off the bench, who can add some value with his contact skills, plus defense all over the field, and might add a bit of pop with his size.
Gonzales has stepped up the most out of the infielders sent to Triple-A. After Sunday’s contest, he’s riding a 12-game hitting streak, and has reached base safely in all 19 games this season. He has hits in 18 of those games. Gonzales is batting .285/.435/.590 in 85 plate appearances this season in Triple-A. More importantly, he’s striking out in just 16.5% of his plate appearances, cutting down on his biggest issue from the past for his best strikeout results of his career.
If these trends continue with both players, Gonzales will deserve a shot at the big leagues and the starting second base job.
Pitching Help On the Way
The Pirates have already turned to their pitching depth with a few bullpen additions, and this weekend’s replacement of Quinn Priester for the injured Marco Gonzales in the rotation. Priester should remain in the mix for a few starts, but will need to limit the home runs that hurt him last year and in that Friday appearance.
The obvious help in Triple-A is top prospect and 2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes. The Pirates are bringing Skenes along slowly, extending him to 65 pitches in his most recent outing. This week’s start should see him at 70-75 pitches, which would be enough for his first start with four full innings.
Skenes is ready for the majors right now. He’s making Triple-A hitters look like someone created a player and turned the level into a video game. In 12.1 shutout innings so far, he has 27 strikeouts.
Once Skenes is ready from a pitch and innings perspective, nothing should hold him back. Not even Super Two. Until then, Priester will get his shot, and the Pirates will eventually have to find a way to make room for one of the most anticipated prospects in the game.
My own personal guess is that Skenes should be ready after the start of May.
STATCAST HEROES
If you only looked at the Statcast leaders, you’d think the Pirates won this game 6-1. STATS
The minor league Statcast Heroes can be found in the nightly Pirates Prospect Watch.
DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN
Yasmani Grandal homered in his latest rehab appearance for Indianapolis.
https://twitter.com/indyindians/status/1782135151364870557
Eric Lauer struck out eight batters in five perfect innings today.
We weren't lying, Lauer really got 'em with the strikeouts today. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/P3QP6Xxnti
— Indianapolis Indians (@indyindians) April 21, 2024
Matt Fraizer homered for the second time this weekend for Altoona.
Matt Fraizer has his second home run of the season in the ninth inning! pic.twitter.com/a9eggK3aoT
— Altoona Curve (@AltoonaCurve) April 21, 2024
Javier Rivas hits his first homer of the season in a three hit day.
First HR of the season for Javier Rivas! pic.twitter.com/pH3UxEt7zZ
— Bradenton Marauders (@The_Marauders) April 21, 2024
Jesus Castillo walks it off for Bradenton in the bottom of the tenth.
NEVER SAY DIE! Walk-Off winner for Jesus Castillo! pic.twitter.com/oUDQsQX1Qe
— Bradenton Marauders (@The_Marauders) April 21, 2024
PROSPECT WATCH
The Bradenton Marauders won on Sunday in comeback, walk off fashion. Tall shortstop Javier Rivas led the comeback, showing a lesson on team and individual perseverance.
TODAY: PIRATES (11-11) VS BREWERS (14-6)
Game Time: 6:40 PM EDT
Watch: SportsNet-PIT
Listen: KDKA-FM 93.7
Pirates Starter: Jared Jones, RHP (1-2, 3.13)
Brewers Starter: Joe Ross, RHP (1-1, 4.91)
In the Minors…
The minor leagues are off on Monday.
PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY
Last week, I hit a milestone, spending 100 days in my car as I use this site and a few other tactics to establish new life routines.
First Pitch: 100 Days of Being Homeless in a Honda For Science and Routine
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LAST WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS
In my premium column for Patreon subscribers, I looked at the cautious approach the Pirates are taking with Paul Skenes. I agree with the approach, but broke down how it could have limits that would call for him being up before the Super Two dates pass.
**Williams: The Pirates Should Be Taking a Cautious Approach With Paul Skenes
I wrote two articles this week looking at depth options who stand out to me in Triple-A.
Nick Gonzales was taken seventh overall in the 2020 draft. He’s dealt with swing and miss issues, which have kept him in Triple-A. In the early part of the season, he’s showing positive overall improvements with his strikeout rates, while still having some underlying concerns about swing and miss.
**Examining the Swing and Miss of Nick Gonzales
Malcom Nunez is a stocky corner infield prospect who can play third, but has the power for first base. After hitting three home runs to start the season, I looked deeper at the power bat of Nunez, and his brief history in Triple-A already as a 23-year-old prospect.
**Malcom Nunez Brings Plus Power Bat to Indianapolis
This week I also highlighted three lower level pitchers who have stood out to me in early looks as potential MLB starters.
The Pirates drafted Hunter Barco in the second round of the 2022 draft, while the lefty from Florida was out with Tommy John. Now fully recovered, Barco is pitching in Greensboro, and has thrown seven shutout frames in his first two starts of the season, with an advanced mix of pitches.
**Hunter Barco is Showing Why the Pirates Invested in Him
Alessandro Ercolani is a 19-year-old pitcher from the small country of San Marino, with a mix of six pitches that all show promise. The Pirates gave him the assignment of pitching in High-A Greensboro, which he embraced with four shutout innings in his debut.
**Alessandro Ercolani is a Big Talent From a Small Country
Patrick Reilly was drafted as a reliever out of Vanderbilt last season, but with a mid-90s fastball that gets up to 98, and a plus slider, it’s easy to see why the Pirates are giving him a shot in the rotation. He’s showing promising control results in the early games, reversing the issue that has held him back the most.
**Patrick Reilly Features An Elite Fastball, With Early Positive Results in Control
SONG OF THE DAY
