Pirates Make GREAT Hire with New Pitching Coach

Pirates Make GREAT Hire with New Pitching Coach

Pirates just made their biggest offseason move and it wasn’t a player, it was a coach. Bill Murphy is in. Oscar Maron is out and the message is clear. Pitching is the plan. [Music] You are Locked on Pirates, your daily Pittsburgh Pirates podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network. your team every day. Hey, welcome to Locked On Pirates. I’m Gary Morgan and today we’re leading off with some breaking news. The Pirates have hired Bill Murphy, former Astros pitching coach to replace Oscar Marin. We’ll get into all the implications here as we start the show. And we’re also going to talk a little bit about um Pirates philosophy of of grabbing up blocked players. And I want to do a couple cool AMAs. So, we’re definitely going to get into a bunch of stuff in this episode, but first, today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. So, Bill Murphy as the pitching coach here. Murphy replaces Oscar Moren after a quietly excellent season, I think, for the Pirates pitching staff. Uh his resume, he joined the Astros in 2016, rose up through the ranks, World Series winner in 2022. Um he’s credited with helping to develop Hunter Brown into the frontline starter. Uh he’s known for blending analytics with mechanics. He’s bilingual, which means he can speak to both Latin players and English-speaking players. Uh he has a real strong rapport with Latin players. I think there’s just a lot of respect in the industry for guys that take the extra step of learning how to speak to them. And uh this is a shift towards development focused analytically driven coaching. We’ve had analytically driven coaching. That was Oscar Morin. That’s what he did. Um mechanical was not his strong suit. And now I think we’re starting to see that’s why they brought Brent Strom in too by the way because Mechanical was his strong suit. He was supposed to marry the two sides. I believe he did. Just seems to me like the Pirates felt like after Stum had made it pretty clear he planned to retire. Oscar Moren was going to be left again with really kind of only lifting one side of this weight that the Pirates felt needed lifted. So, they decide to go out and hire somebody new. And you know, I don’t know what they paid Bill Murphy. I don’t. And I’m not going to pretend to. And I pro it probably won’t be reported bluntly. But I will say if you were going to go out and get somebody that you felt was an obvious upgrade over a Oscar Marin, I don’t think you could get deeper than maybe five names before you would get to somebody like Bill Murphy. I mean, this is this is up there. This is a coup. Frankly, this is a guy who’s done really really good things in Houston. There’s a little bit of a changing of the guard going on in Houston. Some things are changing up. They missed the playoffs for the first time in quite some time. No, I don’t believe this had anything to do with Bill Murphy’s abilities to coach his pitching staff. I just think, you know, attrition caught up with them. Trying to keep a core together of guys that won World Series for you, that’s not easy to do. They were on a long stretch. So change is inevitable for everybody, you know, but this guy’s been around a winning organization. He’s won a World Series. This is something, some pedigree that this team needed. They needed to have some kind of a person that had like actual experience of everything coming together and making it work. Now, he’s not blind. He knows like what’s on the other side of the ball, too, right? I’m sure. But I bet it wasn’t hard for them to woo somebody like this to the Pirates. I mean, they really do have an enviable pitching situation. I I think you’d be hardressed to find a pitching coach in the game that wouldn’t kind of think this would be a lot of fun. you know, I I could understand why you might not be able to woo, you know, the pitching coach from the the Dodgers, but but I think you definitely you definitely should feel like your your team stepped out of a box a little bit here. They did something a little bit out of character. This isn’t something they normally do. They don’t normally go out and get a ready-made coach that other people would openly want. And I’m positive that they just did. You usually get somebody who was kind of the underling of somebody that that did something good or was tangibly involved in getting something good to happen on a team that did something good. You kind of get those degrees of separation from like, hey, I was actually the point man to, hey, I was the guy that ran the Declaration of Independence down the street to make sure that everybody signed off on it before. Like, you’re not the guy that directed it at that point. You were integral to it. Important. You might have skills of your own, but Bill Murphy’s not that. Bill Murphy’s a guy that’s actually done it. and one and he’s turned something into or nothing into something and he’s turned supposed to be into is Oscar Moren can can claim all of those same things and I’m positive that he will get work elsewhere. I I think by the time musical chairs end this off season, I think you’ll find Oscar Marin lands someplace, you know, and I’m not 100% sure it’ll be in a dugout. It could be more of a director of pitching operations or something about administering uh analytics in particular down the line. But this is a little bit of a sea change for the Pirates. They they’ve really leaned heavily into analytics and almost completely assued any need to think beyond those numbers. Almost as though those cold numbers were going to do the coaching for them, give them all of the the information they’re looking for. I think they forgot that there’s like a real world application to this stuff. And I believe that’s what a hire like this brings about. Looking back on it, it sounds as though that’s a lot of what they were looking for with Matt Hey as well. More of an implementation of analytics to the real world as opposed to just providing analytics and believing them or backing everything you do by them or Don Kelly’s also a departure from that. Derek Shelton was very strong on analytics as well. I think this is a along the lines of of an an evolving thought process here. You can hate the guy that hired him. I’m sure you do. Ben Jarington doesn’t make a lot of great decisions. I’m sure that’s the the the the way that we’re all proceeding mentally. We all know that this is something. But when you hire somebody that I think it’s really hard to argue yourself into them being a bad hire like this, I think we can go ahead and forgive who made the hire, right? Let let’s actually give him the kudos that I think he deserves for this. This is a good hire. When you when they moved on from Oscar Moren and Brent Strom was leaving. And I got to be real, I I wasn’t 100% sure that they would do something that I absolutely felt was an upgrade. I thought it was going to be a stretch for me to feel that way. Mostly because I thought I was going to be getting maybe, you know, Bill Murphy’s assistant pitching coach. And I’d have to talk you into believing that through osmosis, he had picked up enough from Bill Murphy that this is a guy that we should believe in. And I would tell you that he had something to do with developing Hunter Brown, right? Or he had something to do with Framber Valdez. And I don’t have to play that game because the Pirates didn’t play that game. They went and got the best you could get. And man, it would be great to see them take that same approach in free agency one time, wouldn’t it? Instead of getting something that might help or something you hope helps or go get something you know will. That might be the best way to sum it up. Bill Murphy is an announcement that we will be moving forward on pitching. We are not taking a step back. This wasn’t an indication that we were in bad shape. This was an indication that we were in good shape and thought we could be in great shape. This is a big win, but only if the Pirates give him the tools and autonomy to make an impact. And I think they will because I don’t think you get to the hiring stage on a guy like this unless you’ve made it pretty clear that your intentions are to let him do his job to the best of his ability. This wasn’t a guy that was desperate for a position. This was a guy that took a position because he thought it was better for him. That’s right. with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He’s certainly got a really nice garage full of tools. Let’s see what he can build with it. When we come back, let’s get into the blocked player philosophy here in Pittsburgh. I I think with this coaching hire, we just talked about how that was stepping outside of the norm for this team. Let’s see if we can’t kind of talk them into moving outside of the norm on the free agent board, too. NFL season is back and honestly there’s nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let’s be honest, getting tickets can be a real hassle between K’s long login screens and prices jumping at checkout. It’s frustrating. That’s why I use Game Time, the app that gives the advantage back to fans. Game time is fast, easy, and backed by Game Time guarantee. You’ll always get 100% authentic tickets delivered on time and at the best price. Plus, all fees are included. So, the price you see is the price you pay. I pulled up Game Time for last night’s Steeler game uh just a couple hours before it started. Saw tickets on there for about a buck 50. Good luck getting those in advance, right? Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code locked on MLB for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, that’s promo code locked on MLB for $20 off. Swipe, tap, ticket, go download game time today. Hey, welcome back to Lockd On Pirates. Make sure you smash that subscribe button and drop a like. Hit me with a comment. loved the comments yesterday after um the show and I appreciated all the feedback. Um really trying to do some different things for you guys. The offseason can get dry and listen, Pirates fans, I just don’t believe want to hear about the World Series every single day. Okay? I I just don’t. Last night’s game in particular, I mean, if you made it all the way, I doubt it. I mean, it was a great game. Unbelievable. Loved it. I bet a few of you are kind of wishing that we had the uh the Manford runner back so that this game could end, but Dodgers pulled it out. They’re up 2-1 in the series. There’s your update on the World Series, everybody. Segment two is about the blocked player philosophy. Ben Cherington is in no way, shape, or form the only GM that goes out and acquires guys that are perceived to be blocked by good teams. There’s a reason for it. You know, the assumption is that, you know, if a player is blocked on a good team, there’s a good chance that there’s some value hidden there. There’s a guy they didn’t have the patience for. There’s a guy they didn’t have the time to give a chance to. There’s a guy that’s just so good they can’t possibly make room for anyone else playing that position. The Pirates take advantage of this. So do other teams. Believe me, I’m not in any way, shape, or form claiming the Pirates are the only ones that do this. But they go out and they get a guys like early on in this um rebuild like Diego Castillo and Hoy Park right now. I don’t have a problem with acquiring guys like that. I have a problem acquiring guys like that when you’re entering a rebuild as we were when we acquired those guys. Now he was trying to fill major league roles and try to catch lightning in a bottle with somebody. So, I understood why you would do that, but this team was going to be really bad for those first few years of this rebuild, as all teams that go into a rebuild tend to be. So, it was a waste of time acquiring guys like that. I would think like instead of that I would have preferred they get like a lottery ticket or a couple lottery tickets for a guy as opposed to trading for somebody else’s 40man problems. And the other thing that the Pirates do in particular that frustrates me to no end when they do make these types of acquisitions, and this is where we’ll get to somebody like Billy Cook, Cam Deany, Nick York even, okay, are they were they were available for the same reason all these other guys were available. They’re available because they’re blocked. And I’m using my quote fingers. Listeners who aren’t watching on video, they they’re blocked. Now, how blocked they are, well, that’s that’s up to your perception. Okay. Billy Cook was blocked, I guess, on Baltimore’s team. Funny, they were still out there looking for another outfielder the last two years in free agency. So, how blocked was he? It’s a It’s a legitimate question. But when the pirates get these guys, the only thing that you’re getting them for is because you think they’re blocked, right? You think there’s hidden talent there that is not being allowed to flourish because they’re not getting a promotion wherever they’re at for whatever reason. So the first thing you should do as the person that acquires that player is to play him, right? So they bring in Cam Deainy and then don’t use him. Like it wasn’t just like the way that the season ended after he had a few failures once he did get the call up. I understood that it wasn’t working out. Let’s just sit him on the bench and see if we can kind of get this situation to write itself or we’ll work in the background on it. But why not call him up immediately? Why not call him up like as soon as you trade for him? So, when I really think about the philosophy the Pirates have had, it it doesn’t work if only because they never try to let it work. I I understand Nick York underperformed this year, but there was no reason with where the Pirates were when they were struggling early on with not having a first baseman or even not having a second baseman because Nick Gonzalez got hurt. There was really no reason why you wouldn’t have just tried these guys that you picked up for this express purpose. Otherwise, you’re just creating the same situation that they just got traded out of, right? Like, what have they done with Cam Deanny? The only reason to acquire Cam Deany was because he hit some home runs in the miners and he was hopelessly blocked behind a generational talent in Kansas City. That was the supposed reason to go and get Cam Deany, right? Well, he comes here. He’s clearly not blocked anymore. We don’t have a shortstop. We traded our third baseman. And yet, the Pirates chose instead to send Cam Deany to the minor leagues for a month. He was already in Kansas City, not playing, but already there. and they decided, hey, instead of like bringing this kid straight here and letting him play because it’s very clear that that’s why we’re acquiring him, they just put him in the miners. Now, we don’t know anything about Cam Deany except for that he stunk in the few opportunities that he got here and that there’s not a whole lot left we can do. So, it just doesn’t make any sense to me. And the more I think about it, the more I think you either stop acquiring those guys or you need to use them as soon as you do. Because again, what is the purpose of bringing in more fodder? If you’re not going to give them a chance, well, then why did you get them? You’re talking about depth. That’s the excuse. Depth is the excuse. Well, it’s nice to have that depth. We’ve got Cam Deainy down there. Well, great. I still don’t know what Cam Deainy can do. And Cam Dei is going to be 29 years old. Like, if he hasn’t made it, he’s probably not going to make it. Do you get what I mean? So, either he’s a part of this and makes the team or he doesn’t. And last year was the time to find that out. I’m sorry. I’m just not all that interested in what a 29year-old does in spring training next year. I’m just not. And and I’m not going to be fooled by spring training home runs again. I mean, I didn’t even bring up Billy Cook. Billy Cook was brought in here as a blocked prospect for the the Orioles. He comes in here. Pirates give him a little bit of a taste in 2024. He looked okay. He sparked some things. Played good defense. I still think he’s one of the better outfield options they have as far as fielding goes. The bat never came along last year in in the Miners. It just never did. But you also you kind of know what Billy Cook is and this team really could have used a utility guy for a good long stretch and nobody was hitting home runs, but I really would have liked to have seen him up here. Another right-handed option that can play just about anywhere. Last year was the time to figure that out. Now Billy Cook’s going to be what, 27, 28? I’m just honestly I’m just starting to really wonder what what the purpose is of bringing in guys that you suppose are blocked. I think it can be an important part of building a team. I really do. I understand a lot of the different reasons that you would go and do it. First, it’s sometimes it’s the only thing that’s available that’s even mildly attractive and it works sometimes. Spencer Horwitz it worked with. I can honestly tell you I think Spencer Horowitz was blocked in um Toronto and I think that’s pretty obvious watching their World Series team. He was definitely blocked, you know, in his next stop because they didn’t even want him long enough to put him on the roster officially before he was dealt again. Although I think the the Guardians probably really could have used him, frankly. But they, you know, they they made the move, too. And to the Pirates credit, what did they do? They as soon as he was healthy anyway, they used him. They acquired somebody for a position they needed. They brought him in because he was blocked, they used him right away. That’s the formula. And if you’re not going to do that, quit bringing them in because all it does is create new guys that we’ve got to find a way to drop. I could go on with my list of evidence. This year, we’ll be talking about dropping guys like Alica Williams. And I I mean, honestly, I could go on and on and on with these types of acquisitions. And I’m not talking about waiver claims. I’m talking about guys they’ve actually gone out and targeted and traded real players for it. It doesn’t matter what you think of Adam Frasier or how much longer he had. The point is you could have probably had Cam Deanny or you probably could have had a lottery ticket. And I’m just saying if you’re not going to use Cam Deanny, get the lottery ticket. And it seemed pretty clear to me that the plan was to not use Cam Deanny. I I just think that that philosophy needs to change, especially if we’re going to be relying on trades as being the only viable path to make this team better. Well, I need their ethos on trades to change then. Let’s take another quick break. When we come back, let’s do a couple AMAs. Hey, welcome back to Locked On Pirates. So, question one in the AMA is, should the Pirates bolster pitching instead of offense? If we’re not going to get good offensive players, why not just double down on the pitching? Well, I got this question in before they hired their new pitching coach. So, I can honestly say I I think that you’re seeing them add to the pitching and and they are focusing on it and they are trying to improve it. The pitching depth does look great heading into 2026, but you know, guys like Jared Jones, I think you’re looking at midseason. I I know a lot of people are going to think that he might be ready come spring and he might be throwing baseballs in spring, but I guess I would just remind you Johan Oedo was too, okay? And it really is not something I like to count on. Guys coming back from injury clean and fast and faster than usual and jump in and be exactly who they are right away. I think I think Jared Jones is going to take a minute, but they’ve got a ton of other pieces obviously. You know, you’ve got a ton of guys to work through. Barco and Harington and Chandler and sheesh Majinski. My goodness, you could really go on. Ashcraft, there’s a lot of guys that that that really could get into this. I’m not sure that adding to that via free agency makes a lot of sense to me. I just I’m not sure there is much out there. I think I’d leave the starting rotation alone. I think I think it’s relievers for sure. You’re definitely going to need to get some relievers. I can’t imagine that Evan Cisk is enough left-handed. I think they’re going to have to go and get some left-handers. And then, you know, I’d like to see somebody who has a little bit of closing experience to at least back up Santana. I think that would be a good move. Honestly, I I’m not sure how much more allin they could go on pitching, if that makes any sense. Like I get what you’re saying and I understand it and and sure I guess you could go and get another frontline starting pitcher and add it to your rotation and you could really feel like that’s going to carry the day. I I could see that. I kind of think like they might be poised to do that without adding. So I’m not sure that that’s the route I’d go on the bullpen side though. I really like where your head is. I I mean I’d go out and try to get like a Ryan Hley, you know, try to get somebody that you think really or Devin Williams. I know he didn’t have the greatest time in in New York, but you bring in a guy like that who’s got closer experience and maybe you don’t ask him to close right away. It’s still an arm that I think you could work in here and I think he’d be a lot more comfortable back in the NL Central than he would staying with the Yankees or going someplace like that. And his reputation took a bit of a hit. might be available. Ryan Helysey, same thing. Struggled this year, really could wind up being available. Those are the types of moves I’d make. I’d go and sign somebody that has closed. Um, if not somebody who is actively closing, I wouldn’t be married to Dennis Santana as my closer either. Why? You know, I mean, he’s only done it for half a season. Like I’m not I’m not overly selling his situation either. Another question here. Is it time to non-tender Colin Holderman and Jack Sinsky? Uh the short answer is yes. Holdman’s inconsistency and injury history. It just leads me to believe that there’s not a whole lot left there. A lot of the things I hoped for, I’m not sure that I can continue to hope for here. Um, I think he’s a a a for sure candidate to go somewhere else and put it together. I really do. I’ve told you this for years. I feel like he is so on parallel with Klay Holmes. really just from when Klay Holmes was here, the type of stuff he throws, the the way that you know you you feel like if he ever gets a handle on it, he’s going to take the league by storm. Same kind of thing. I truly believe Colin Holderman is a guy that is in his own head, has the physical tools. If somebody can reach him, then yeah, I’m just not sure that that’s going to be here. I I certainly don’t think I would pay for the privilege. I I don’t think I would take him to arbitration. So, yes, it’s time to non-tender Colin Holderman. And yes, you might find him pitching really well somewhere else. But them’s the brakes, honestly. And if that’s the approach you take on relievers, good luck being a happy person because you’re going to miss on relievers. And guess what? Your bullpen is probably gonna made be made up primarily of guys that other teams missed as ours is. Isaac Matson, Dennis Santana. Shall I keep going? And I Jack Sinsky. Jack Sinsky is tough for me. First, he’s a great guy. If you ever met him, he’s truly a great guy. And I genuinely feel for him when he struggles because you can you can just see on his face the way that it it kills him. But it’s time. It’s time. The Pirates cannot continue to hold a door half open waiting for Jack Swinsky to run through it. and they can’t afford to have him waiting in the wings as somebody that allows them to go out on the free agent market and get something less than good in the hopes that Jack is going to become more than what he’s been. I think to save them from themselves, Jack Sinsky is probably a guy that they need to just let loose. And yes, again, this is a guy I think could pop up somewhere and show out. You probably think that too because Jack Sinsky goes into those hot streaks and that’s all it takes is somebody to sign him to a minor league deal. He goes off on one of those hot streaks. He hits 25, 30 home runs. Everyone’s crying. The Pirates screwed up. And guess what? They will have screwed up if that’s the case. And and we’ll all call them on it. Even if 95% of us were more than okay with cutting him. That’s truth. And that’s life. The only reason I can see holding on to a guy like Jack Sinsky is if you’re so so petrified of the words of Bob Nutting a few years ago where he said he was tired of seeing our players pop up somewhere else having career seasons. I Jack’s a guy you should legitimately be afraid of with that. If only because he could catch fire and have it happen. You just got to kind of wonder how likely it is. And and have you exhausted everything you could here to make it make it a go for him. And I think they have. I think they’ve given him enough years. I think they’ve given him enough attempts. I really do. So yes, I would I would non-tender both Colin Holderman and Jack Sinsky. Great questions, everybody. For real. The Pirates just made a statement. Pitching is the priority. Bill Murphy’s hire could be a turning point if they let him lead. But this team’s continued reliance on blocked players and tough roster decisions like non-tenders show there’s still a lot of work to do. Foundation might be there. Now it’s about building the rest. Remember, we’re serious about Pirates baseball because somebody has to be. Let’s go Bucks.

Gary Morgan reacts to breaking news that the Pirates have hired Astros pitching coach Bill Murphy to replace Oscar Marin. What does this mean for the team’s pitching development and 2026 outlook? Then, Gary breaks down the Pirates’ flawed strategy of acquiring blocked players and answers two AMA questions: should the Pirates invest even more in pitching, and is it time to non-tender Colin Holderman and Jack Suwinski—even if they might thrive elsewhere?

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