PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Pirates GM Ben Cherington said Sunday they need to win more games, but he is encouraged by the level of competitiveness this month. He’s also happy with the energy considering the number of players who are experiencing Major League Baseball for the first time.
Cherington also discussed some of his young pitchers during his show on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network. Not just Paul Skenes, but others who had recent outings in the minors.
Skenes reaction
The first-round pick gave up four runs in his AA debut on Saturday. Cherington said it was just a bad night, but he was impressed by the maturity and accountability of how Skenes handled it. The 6’6”, right-hander will get another start for Altoona this week and remain there until the end of their season.
“That’s the plan for now,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network. “I said before he was going to pitch in minor league games in 2023. That’s what I will emphasize, he will pitch in minor league games in 2023. He has an incredibly bright future. The whole plan this summer was to look toward 2024 Spring Training and early season 2024.”
“How do we help him be best prepared to have a full professional season in 2024?”
Young pitching performances
Some names to watch to compete for the Pirates starting rotation for next season and in the future, had good outings the last few days.
· Jared Jones on Sunday—6 innings, 2 hits, one run, 4 walks, 10 strikeouts. Other than Skenes, the right-hander has the best stuff in the Bucs minor league system.
· Roansy Contreras in AAA on Saturday—5 innings, 6 hits, 2 runs, no walks, 6 strikeouts. “Starting to see a full assortment of pitches, during the later part of his time in the big leagues, he was getting a little bit predictable,” Cherington said on 93.7 The Fan and the Pirates Radio Network. “The full repertoire of mix wasn’t there for him. What we are seeing more recently, the use of all four pitches. The mix-the curveball and change-up are more effective and in the strike zone. He’s on a good track.”
· Quinn Priester in AAA on Friday—5 innings, 2 hits, run, walk, 9 strikeouts “Really encouraging, he went back down to Indy with some very specific work that we wanted him to do,” Cherington said Sunday. “One was the cutter was an important pitch. He had worked on that pitch in Indy. It is an important pitch, especially against left-handed hitters. He’s working to get it in a consistent spot.”
“He had started working on some delivery stuff while he was in the big leagues to try and free his body up to be more athletic, to where he was in the past. He has showed a little more velocity in the last outing.”
“He got a taste of what that is like, what it’s like to compete in a Major League game and now he’s applying that to AAA. He’s a better pitcher in AAA now than he was when we called him up.”
· Anthony Solometo in AA on Friday—the 20-year-old left-hander went 5 innings, 2 runs, 2 walks, 2 hits, 5 strikeouts
· Jackson Wolf in AA on Thursday—5 innings, one hit, one walk, five strikeouts, no runs. The left-hander acquired in the Rich Hill trade to San Diego has a 2.50 ERA in 4 starts with the Curve.
· Bubba Chandler in High A on Tuesday—7 innings, 4 hits, no runs, no walks, 6 strikeouts. The 20-year-old Chandler had a 2.57 ERA in July and a 2.74 ERA in August with 46 strikeouts to 14 walks.
Oneil Cruz
“I don’t think it’s a setback from the recovery or rehab,” Cherington said about Cruz hitting a plateau with his recovery. “We thought it would be one of the scenarios. It’s not going to be perfect, pretty common for an injury this severe.”
“It’s a bit of a setback in terms of the likelihood of him playing games. We are not ruling that out, but it is being impacted by the calendar.”
Cherington said he’s been impressed with how focused, engaged in the game and how much Cruz is learning while watching over this time on the injured list.