DK’s Daily Shot of Pirates: Overspending?

19 comments

1. Yeah, that's why I don't get excited about these "young pirates" the team is always touting. It's just hype to give false hope to fans to keep them coming.

2. They could have gotten a ton of goodwill by extending Skenes for the largest deal in club history, but alas that was never going to happen

3. DK… you are a true master at finding new and interesting ways to explain how inept this organization is. It's beautiful, really.

4. Please forward to Bob Nutting …. Cheap bastasd.

5. Davis is being set up as another prospect who, when he eventually washes out and is acquired by another team, says something like: “I never had this type of coaching before…I’m excited to get out there.”
   I.E. a passive-aggressive shot at the Bucs’ developmental dept.

6. Why again is this management team still here, they are not good their jobs.

7. The only thing I can say to defend here is that this is mostly an ode to how awful Huntington was at drafting. What would've been interesting is a rundown of how much of the drafting group is actually the same. Dellicarri? Who else?

8. I don't get how someone could own, or work for, an MLB team and just be completely indifferent to the idea of winning. What is with this front office, including Travis Williams or whatever the fuck his name is, from the Penguins. What does he even do? What do any of them do?! I really didn't expect them to get WORSE when Nutting's dad made him clean house in 2019. Now that the Coyotes have relocated I can't think of a more consistently pathetic pro team in any sport & they deserve all the ridicule they get.

9. NH had no idea how to draft. BC can't identify MLB talent. This team has been screwed for quite a while.

10. I still don't think that Henry Davis is a bust. He has time to grow yet.

11. The fWAR statistics that were presented in this episode are illuminating. The enormous sum of money that Cherington has already spent on the draft classes — coupled with the international spending — is maddening (when you consider the outcomes so far).

    Around the time of the Winter Meetings, I listened to an interview with Zack Scott, a consultant and a former MLB executive. A specific part of his interview actually dovetails with this episode (including the J1Q). I've paraphrased his answer in a couple of places for brevity and clarity purposes:

    QUESTION: Do you ever look at an organization and think, "they're just not getting the value out of this player?" Because he's never been in an organization that has good devices to make a player better?

    Zack Scott: I think that's a good point. There are real opportunities for hitters with teams that have good programs in place. Does the team actually have the right infrastructure? It's one thing to have the tools to be able to be able to do sophisticated analysis of biomechanics, all those things, but you have to have people who are really good at communicating and connecting with the players. I find a lot in my consulting work– I find that's where people hit a wall. They're not a well-oiled machine to go from some insight that they've learned from the technology and the analytical work that they can do, and actually applying it and making players better. Some organizations are really good at that. Some aren't.

    I wonder if Zack Scott considers the Pirates to be a team that's "really good at that." Lol

    Three specific comments within Zack Scott's answer stood out to me regarding what's atrociously wrong with the Pirates: 1) the right infrastructure; 2) communicating and connecting with the players; and 3) the ability to competently apply analytical insights in order to make players better.

    It appears that the Pirates struck out long ago.

12. DK, all I can say about this is…fpirates. Just seemed appropriate today. Happy New Year to you and yours.

13. I personally don't view Henry as a 1:1 pick. He was an underslot pick which allowed us to pick up Bubba Chandler and two other overslot picks. So if Henry produces lower and Chandler higher than their draft position, it is still a win. Although I'm really pulling for Henry to make it. He seems to be a very fine young man.

14. I don't think it's a matter of overspending on the draft. You want your team to spend every dollar available in the draft, and most teams do. The problem is their failure to identify and develop prospects who can be legit big league players. I often think our scouting department don't get nearly the criticism they deserve.

15. A New Jersey kid like Anthony Volpe being developed into a gold glove short stop by the Yankees illustrates what you're saying, DK. High picks are being squandered here, and it's a catastrophe.

16. Thank you DK. Deep thoughts about the shuffle and I thought about it before the holiday break. What will they think of next. I thought they were close, not so much now. Really good DK

17. When you do these excellent breakdown type shows, I just cannot fathom how Bob Nutting can give this management team a sixth year. It's like he's blind to what is obvious to everyone else.

18. Happy New Year DK

19. I'm surprised how many Pirates fans still are watching. Myself included