PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – The phrase 'it's April' is no longer factual. Not that it ever was an excuse for losing games, but it was more of a call for patience. It's time for a different call—change.
Now in last place in the NL Central after a quick start to the season, this team needs change to the roster and it's not just the most obvious.
Paul Skenes
What is the argument for keeping him in AAA? You could make one when you were building up his pitch count, but 75 pitches is near that of most major leaguers, especially rookies. He has nothing to work on, nothing to prove at the highest level of minor league baseball.
Forget the 89 pitches at 100 miles an hour, or the 0.39 ERA, or 0.87 WHIP or the 41 strikeouts in 23 innings. Skenes should bring a life to a team that has lost six of seven and won five of its last 20. There is an expectation with him. He's the face of a better future. They need that face in Pittsburgh.
It's not the only move to make.
Henry Davis
Now it's to the point where he's the back-up catcher. He's pull-happy, not using the entire field and hitting .169 with three extra base hits-all doubles. We hear about his intensity and how hard he is working. Take that work to AAA and allow Joey Bart to be the lead catcher.
Bart may not be the answer and struggle and you've still got Yasmani Grandal. Neither are your catcher of the future anyway. Davis needs to improve. Is he doing that in the major leagues?
Rowdy Tellez
You decided Rowdy Tellez could find his 2022 season with Milwaukee and hit 35 home runs. Your $3.2 million gamble was wrong. It's so bad there are celebrations when he hits a fly ball 315 feet.
Designate him for assignment and tell him to work on his game at AAA. If he decides to bolt for free agency, the teams lining up for him will be as long as the line for tickets in Oakland. If he improves, bring him back.
Nick Gonzales/Liover Peguero
After they lost the second base battle this spring, they were told to go back to the minors and work on their games. They did and they've improved.
Nick Gonzales
.379 average/.433 on-base/1.044 OPS/11 doubles/3 home runs/14 RBI
Liover Peguero
.301 average/.327 on-base/.779 OPS/7 doubles/1 home run/19 RBI
It's not the power numbers this team desperately needs, but they are hitting the ball hard in AAA. It's a gamble these numbers would translate, but give them a chance to show they've improved. You can slide Jared Triolo over to first base with Connor Joe right now getting the majority of reps. Joe has the best approach and the best results at the plate right now.
Ji Hwan Bae
Don't know if you make that move right now, but it's close. If you are still hell-bent of figuring out Jack Suwinski's struggles at the majors like last year, then think about what Michael A. Taylor is really giving you? Since a hot start to the season he has seven hits since April 4, all singles. He's three for his last 21 and hasn't shown the glimpses of power from last year's 21 home runs. Love Taylor's defense, but Bae could be a disrupter in the lineup.
The 24-year-old Bae probably needs to prove it a little more in AAA, but he brings a speed element to a lineup that is trying to scratch across runs. He's hitting .350 with a .490 on-base percentage in 11 games with Indianapolis.
Pirates are in a rut. They don't need patience, they need change.
