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Spider-Man on Broadway

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Years ago, I went to New York City and saw Spider-Man: Live on Broadway.

If you haven’t heard anything about the now former production, it was notorious for its mishaps. The performance includes Spider-Man and the Green Goblin flying around the arena using wires and harnesses. Many performances were interrupted due to harness issues, and some were even ended early due to injuries to the performers.

The night I was there was incident free, and it led to a positive overall experience. Spidey and the Goblin landed five feet from me in their fight, webbing was fired into my area of the crowd, and they took off to the rafters above. It was easy to cheer the successful performance.

Imagine what it would have been like on the nights where the performers fell down crashing to the ground. Imagine if someone who paid their money to see the show started to boo out of frustration.

*****

The Pittsburgh Pirates lost on Tuesday afternoon, dropping a game against the Detroit Tigers in which they entered the ninth inning leading 3-1.

David Bednar came on for the save, and gave up four runs with one out recorded, before leaving the game for Roansy Contreras to take over. This was the third blown save by Bednar during the young season, but only the first time where the Pirates have lost as a result.

Some in the home crowd booed the home town Bednar following the performance where he fell flat on his face.

After the game, as the media was about to interview Bednar, Rowdy Tellez stepped in and delivered a message against the booing, while talking up Bednar’s history and saying that he would get on track.

There are so many aspects to this situation. The obvious is that Bednar is struggling. He had a shortened camp due to an injury, and it doesn’t seem like he’s in the form he’s shown the past few years. Meanwhile, the Pirates have Aroldis Chapman who is pitching lights out at the moment. Chapman will eventually have a bad outing or two, but at the moment, he’s pitching well and Bednar is not looking ready for the season.

As a result, you would be justified in suggesting that the Pirates temporarily remove Bednar as the closer, until he gets back on track.

There’s also the aspect of booing. I don’t know if you’ve realized this, but most of the media members who support the right to boo at a game are radio hosts or those who curate fan opinion. A lot of radio hosts generate programming from callers expressing their opinions, and nothing gets people listening like an aggrieved party. Pittsburgh has long been an almost toxic environment in this regard, mostly because a lot of the spoken media coverage gravitates toward angry callers.

The argument in favor of booing is that people paid money for their tickets, and they can respond however they wish. No one questions the elated response when Edward Olivares hit a home run in the second inning today to tie the game at 1-1. No one questioned the same cheerful response when Olivares hit another homer in the sixth inning to give the Pirates an extra run for their lead. That’s because fans were entertained by the home team result. The fans pay money to hopefully have a reason to cheer.

That feeling is momentary, and fans ultimately want to take that home. Sporting events allow us all to invest our potential moods in the performance of others. This has become more explicit with the emergence of legalized gambling. Everyone seems to have some type of deep investment into the game, whether it’s the person with Bednar on their fantasy team, the person with a six-team parlay, or the person who just relies on the Pirates as a favorite form of content to escape life. With this investment, when the team wins, you win. When they lose, you lose.

What is to be won? That same feeling from the Olivares home run, only lasting. If Bednar pitches a perfect inning, the fans get to ride that feeling of elation through the rest of the day. It’s like winning a bet or taking a lead in your fantasy contest. It’s also like a high.

I wrote an article at the end of last year titled “Addiction, Baseball, Confidence, Drugs, and Equilibrium“. I wrote that not because of my own addictive tendencies in chasing highs, but because this site and this job exposes me to enough people who use sports like a drug that it almost ruins the sport for me. There are a lot of people in Pittsburgh who use sports as an escape in the same way that drugs or alcohol are escapes. When that escape doesn’t go well, those people get upset, and start lashing out like an angry addict looking for their fix to comfort.

Deep down, it’s the person who boos who is hurting. The person who boos is in need of the external form of elation. They needed to feel good, and can’t get there themselves, so they turn to the odds of a team winning. For whatever reason, they turn to anger when that good feeling is taken from them, and they boo any human being they deem worthy of their condemnation.

In reality, it is better for these people to boo Bednar or any other professional athlete making big bucks, than the alternative of taking that energy home with them for anyone in their path. The players are still human beings, but they get paid to perform on a grand stage, with every success and mistake broadcast to the world for all time and all reactions, in a sport where the best still fail 70% of the time. Baseball is a mind game, and it is about how to deal with adversity. The people who boo need that lesson the most, as it becomes up to them to create their own happiness following a loss. In reality, that type of adjustment happens in therapy, not a baseball stadium. So, we get a society where those angry fans have targets who are paid to take the boos.

Pittsburgh can trend negative as a sports town. That is especially true when discussing the Pirates, who have been one of the worst franchises in sports for the better part of the last 40-50 years. Even when they’re in a good stretch, there is an underlying anger, like a junkie needing the next fix, ready to burst if this winning isn’t real. No one can really enjoy the high, because you end up having to argue with a fan projecting inevitable doom.

This isn’t the first time Tellez has spoken up about this. He was on Foul Territory after signing with the Pirates. During that interview, he was asked a question which took a “Typical Pirates” approach. The tone was down and negative, with a question that assumed Tellez was just biding his time with the Pirates before getting traded to a real team. We’ve all seen those comments on Twitter, heard them on the radio from callers, and that sentiment eventually makes it into the questioning of the players — even if it’s just to ask how the players respond to the fans who need to use baseball as a mood booster. Tellez responded then much like he did with Bednar on Tuesday, by stating that he’s here to win, but also showing that he’s leading by changing the way this team is discussed.

This raises a question about how much of an impact the 27th man in the stands can have. None of it really matters after the lead has been blown, but what effect will the booing have on Bednar’s next outing? What effect will Tellez sticking up for him have?

Ultimately, the Pirates have been an entertaining team to watch this year, and the addition of Tellez as one of their leaders shows they are trying to change the narrative about “the same old Pirates”. That can only be done by some when the Pirates become a reliable source of positive energy, and that takes more than 12 games in what hopefully will be their first winning season in five years. You can understand why fans would be historically frustrated.

At the same time, Tellez is actually five months younger than Bednar, and has one more season in the majors. The story today is that Tellez stuck up for Bednar and showed leadership in condemning the fans who booed. The reason for the boos was that Bednar blew a save, which is becoming a real concern at least in the short-term.

Eventually, it will need to be Bednar who addresses this, whether it be with words or better performance. We’ll never really know what kind of answers or thoughts he had after this outing, because Tellez set the tone for the interview. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens in Bednar’s next outing. And the fans looking for a fix will hold their breaths with anxious anticipation as Bednar is alone on the mound to express himself in his profession.

PROSPECT WATCH

Altoona was the only minor league affiliate that won on Tuesday. They also faced Dylan Crews, who was a candidate for last year’s first overall pick. The outfielder homered on a multi-hit day. Bradenton took on outfielder Max Clark, who was another first overall pick candidate.

Indianapolis lost 6-5.

  • SS Liover Peguero went 4-for-5 with a double. He’s now batting .425 with a .979 OPS on the season.
  • 2B Ji Hwan Bae made his latest rehab appearance, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run.
  • 3B-2B Nick Gonzales went 1-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. It was his fifth double of the young season, with Gonzales batting for a 1.042 OPS.
  • LHP Michael Plassmeyer pitched five innings, allowing five runs on seven hits, with two walks and four strikeouts.
  • RHP Carmen Mlodzinski pitched a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout in his latest rehab appearance.

Altoona won 8-7 in 10 innings.

  • 1B Aaron Shackelford went 2-for-5 with two homers and five RBIs, fueling the Curve offense for most of the night.
  • SS Tsung-Che Cheng went 1-for-2 with three walks, two runs, and two stolen bases.
  • 3B Kervin Pichardo, acquired in the Jackson Wolf trade, went 1-for-5 with the game winning hit in the tenth inning.
  • RHP Braxton Ashcraft got the start, allowing four runs on six hits in three innings, with three strikeouts and no walks. He gave up two homers, including one to Crews.
  • RHP Brad Case pitched three shutout innings, allowing two hits, a walk, and striking out three.

Greensboro lost 1-0.

  • RHP Wilber Dotel made the start, throwing four shutout innings with two hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. Dotel pitched in Bradenton last season, mostly working as a starter, with a 3.09 ERA and a 58:44 K/BB in 78.2 innings.
  • CF Lonnie White Jr. went 1-for-3 with a walk and zero strikeouts. He homered twice over the weekend as his first two hits of the year, while having a lot of swing and miss. This was a good overall game, with his hit being a triple.
  • 2B Mitch Jebb went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. He has a strikeout in 50% of his at-bats so far in the young season, which is uncharacteristic to his profile.
  • SS Termarr Johnson went 0-for-1 with three walks and a strikeout. Johnson walked over 100 times last year, and looks to be back at it with his plate patience.
  • LHP Julian Bosnic, who is from Pittsburgh, pitched two shutout innings with one hit, no walks, and two strikeouts.

Bradenton lost 8-1.

  • RHP Carlos Jimenez made the start, throwing 1.2 innings and dealing with control problems. He walked four, struck out two, and didn’t allow a hit.
  • Garret Forrester made his first start behind the plate, after converting to catcher this season. Forrester was the team’s third rounder last year. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts tonight.
  • Omar Alfonzo, the other catcher on the roster, was playing first base. He went 1-for-3. Alfonzo is a sleeper to follow at this level.
  • RF Jack Herman went 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. He and Alfonzo had the only two hits on the day for Bradenton.
  • RHP Fineas Del Bonta-Smith made a rehab appearance, throwing a scoreless inning.

STATCAST HEROES

It was the Edward Olivares show on offense. Meanwhile, Martin Perez picked up 10 whiffs, getting three on the sinker, four on the curve, two on the cutter, and one on the changeup. He had a 36% called and swinging strike rate. I keep pointing that number out because Perez has been closer to 20% his entire career. He’s been around 30% or higher through spring and three games into this season. The swing and miss has come from more than his changeup, which is traditionally the pitch that gets all of his whiffs. Olivares was a good pickup, but Perez might end up the best offseason addition the Pirates made for this season. STATS

Ji Hwan Bae seems like a guy who could replace Alika Williams on the bench when he returns from his rehab work. STATS

Carlos Jimenez had a rough night, but he’s a pitcher I like. His changeup is one of the best in the system, and was on tonight. He threw it ten times, getting six swings and two whiffs. His fastball lacks control, only being thrown in the zone 33% of the time, and only generating a swing on 19% of pitches outside of the zone. The pitch sits 95-96 MPH, and touched 97.3 tonight with 2333 average RPM on his spin rate. When he starts attacking hitters with that pitch, he should set up his changeup for better results. STATS

DAILY VIDEO RUNDOWN

Edward Olivares has been a good pickup for the Pirates. Added in a trade for a lower level lottery ticket, the outfielder is hitting .321/.367/.679 with three home runs after today’s two homer performance. Here’s the first one.

And the second home run from Olivares.

Here is a look at that filth from Martin Perez.

The home run from Ji Hwan Bae.

https://twitter.com/indyindians/status/1777866345683501106

Nick Gonzales bringing in two runs with a double off the wall.

Home run number one from Aaron Shackelford.

And in his next at-bat, Shackelford went yard again.

Braxton Ashcraft picks up a strikeout on a 97 MPH fastball.

In addition to the offense, Tsung-Che Cheng showed off the glove at shortstop today.

The walk off winner from Kervin Pichardo.

Sammy Siani shows off the glove with a diving catch for Greensboro.

ROSTER MOVES

**After the game, the Pirates optioned RHP Ryder Ryan to Indianapolis. They will make a corresponding move ahead of Thursday’s game. They have Colin Holderman likely returning from a rehab assignment, although Carmen Mlodzinski is also getting close.

**Mlodzinski and Ji Hwan Bae both moved their rehab assignments from Bradenton to Indianapolis.

TODAY: PIRATES (9-3) OFF

The Pirates are off on Wednesday, following a split two game series with the Tigers.

In the Minors…

  • Indianapolis plays at 6:35 PM EST with LHP Eric Lauer on the mound. This will be his first start, after pitching in extended relief in each of the Paul Skenes starts this year. The next start for Skenes is on Thursday.
  • Altoona takes on Harrisburg at 6:00 PM, with Po-Yu Chen on the mound.
  • Greensboro sends RHP Alessandro Ercolani to the mound for the first time this season.
  • Bradenton plays Lakeland at 6:00, with RHP Hung-Leng Chang on the mound.

PIRATES PROSPECTS DAILY

Tuesday is the day for the best articles on Pirates Prospects. Check out the premium article drop lineup below. Ironically enough, it is led by an article which details the path from rookie ball to the majors, while discussing the challenge of proprioception at the Major League level. Today with Bednar was a perfect example.

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THIS WEEK ON PIRATES PROSPECTS

Last week’s premium article drop looked at the top 50 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. This week looks at five hitters who can grade inside the top 30, plus a look at the path from rookie ball to the majors.

**Williams: The Path From Rookie Ball to the Major Leagues

In this subscriber-exclusive column, I give my view of the journey from Rookie Ball to the Major Leagues, and the elements that every player deals with along the way.

**Jack Brannigan is the Next Gold Glove Quality Third Baseman in the Pirates System

The Pirates have Gold Glove third basemen in Ke’Bryan Hayes and Jared Triolo. They’ve got another candidate in the system in power hitter Jack Brannigan.

**Mitch Jebb Brings Elite Speed and Swing Decisions to Greensboro

With so many three-true-outcome approaches in pro ball, 2023 second round pick Mitch Jebb brings a refreshing style of contact, speed, and hustle.

**Jase Bowen Has a Power/Speed/Defense Combo to Dream Upon

Following a 20-20 season in Greensboro, and with the ability to play center field or first base, Jase Bowen is a prospect with a lot of upside to dream upon.

**Tres Gonzales Brings Advanced Hitting Approach to Altoona

One of the most advanced hitters I watched last year was Tres Gonzales. His approach isn’t flashy, but he gets the job done with contact, on-base skills, and a bit of power.

**Rodolfo Nolasco Has Huge Power and Huge Swing and Miss

Some of the best raw power in the system belongs to Rodolfo Nolasco. He showed that with 20 homers in Single-A in 2023. He’ll need to improve the swing and miss to repeat at the higher levels.

SONG OF THE DAY

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Tim Williams
Tim Williams
Tim is the owner, producer, editor, and lead writer of PiratesProspects.com. He has been running Pirates Prospects since 2009, becoming the first new media reporter and outlet covering the Pirates at the MLB level in 2011 and 2012. His work can also be found in Baseball America, where he has been a contributor since 2014 and the Pirates' correspondent since 2019.

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