There are going to be nights like Saturday night in a long baseball season, where a team looks completely lost from the start. For the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates, this has happened too often.
During the month of August, the Pirates have gotten back to their routine of winning no more than two games in a row. That hasn’t prevented them from going on long losing stretches. They won on Thursday and Friday against the Cincinnati Reds, but lost 10-2 on Saturday.
They’re now 61-68, sitting in last place in the NL Central, and nine games back in the NL Wild Card race.
Less than a month ago, this team was on a rare winning streak, within range of the playoffs, and buyers at the trade deadline. They took their usual passive approach, waiting until the last minute to make a few low-key deals, rather than seeking an impact. This is also a team that has delayed all year making any changes to their hitting approach.
One thing I’ve noticed, as someone who follows the minor league system every single night, is that the system lacks the excitement that can make you forget the Major League losses. The best prospects in the system are upper level pitchers, but that does nothing to solve the problem of this team. Most of the promising hitting prospects are looking like three-outcome performers in the lower levels, which doesn’t translate well to big league success.
The two trades they made that could help in the future were the additions of Nick Yorke and Billy Cook. In each deal, the Pirates traded from their strength of pitching to add to a weakness. Yorke and Cook have both been hitting in Triple-A, and both look like they could be upgrades for this team.
One of the most questionable trades the Pirates made was the deal for left-hander Jalen Beeks. They sent left-handed relief prospect Luis Peralta to Colorado to get the rental Beeks. On Saturday, Peralta made his debut for the Rockies, throwing 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts.
Beeks has done well for the Pirates, including 1.2 scoreless of his own on Saturday, with two strikeouts to match the line from Peralta. The key is that Beeks is a free agent after this season, while Peralta will be under control for six more years. The Pirates traded a long-term lefty reliever for three weeks of a rental. Going forward, they could have had Peralta over Beeks for 2024 and beyond.
The problem with the line of thinking above is that the Pirates haven’t been that aggressive with their prospects. They don’t challenge their most talented players enough, and are slow to promote players who are clearly not being challenged at a level.
Peralta, for example, spent 30 innings in High-A, striking out 50 batters with an 0.60 ERA. He didn’t get a promotion until the end of June. At the Double-A level, he had 14 strikeouts and three walks in 9.2 innings, with a 1.86 ERA. He did the same with the Rockies, with a 1.29 ERA in seven innings, with a 10:2 K/BB. The total line in Double-A: 16.2 IP, 24 strikeouts, five walks, and a 1.62 ERA. Colorado gave him one outing in Triple-A before calling him up.
By comparison at a different position, Yorke was hitting for an .898 OPS in 169 plate appearances in Triple-A with Boston. He’s continued hitting with the Pirates, putting up a .903 OPS in 91 plate appearances. The combination is a .900 OPS in 260 plate appearances.
Cook was hitting for an .857 OPS in 304 plate appearances with Baltimore in Triple-A. He’s stepped up with a .972 OPS in 69 plate appearances with the Pirates. The combination is an .878 OPS in 373 plate appearances.
Again, the Pirates need hitting. A lefty reliever like Beeks, or even Peralta, would have been a minor boost. They added two hitting prospects who were performing well, and continue to perform well. They’ve yet to call either one up. It makes you wonder what they’re waiting for. Especially when you see a team like the Rockies challenging a player who had success with a push to a higher level.
If the Pirates had challenged Peralta with a Double-A assignment earlier in the year, they may have given him enough time to be comfortable going with him in the Majors, instead of trading him for Beeks. That’s a paradox, because their risk comfort level wouldn’t allow for such an aggressive push at any level.
Case in point: They need an offensive spark, and they’re sitting on two hot hitting prospects in Triple-A who they acquired at the deadline when they needed hitting help.
There’s a reason why there have been too many nights like this.
Sleepers in the Lower Levels
This week, I’ve been recapping the best performers in the Pittsburgh Pirates system, as I prepare my latest prospect rankings updates. Earlier in the week, I covered the pitchers and the hitters.
READ: The Best Performing Pitchers in the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League System
READ: The Best Performing Hitters in the Pittsburgh Pirates Minor League System
On Saturday, I looked at 12 players — six hitters and six pitchers — on the rookie ball teams who stood out this season. That article is for Patreon subscribers. For just a few dollars per month, you can read that and other exclusive features, while helping this site operate independently. You’ll also get the full top 50 prospect update when it is released on Monday.
Saturday Sleepers: The Best Pirates Prospect Performances in Rookie Ball
Pirates Prospect Watch
Jack Suwinski homered and hit a double for Indianapolis. Lonnie White, Hudson Head, and Shawn Ross homered for Greensboro. Bradenton won both games of a double header. Read about all of Saturday’s minor league action in the latest Pirates Prospect Watch.
