☛ THREE UP & THREE DOWN
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OF Matt Fraizer is such a fun, underrated prospect. Was great to see him promoted to Class AA Altoona, and it has been even better to see him thrive. Entering Saturday, Fraizer was hitting .379 with 3 doubles, 2 triples and 1 homer in eight games since his promotion. Only three players in all of MiLB have more total bases this season than Fraizer (196). 2
It was subtle, but Pirates manager Derek Shelton used a forbidden word Tuesday before a game against the Cardinals. “For a team like us that’s rebuilding … ,” Shelton said to a question about September callups. Good. Use the word. It’s OK. For whatever reason, this has been a thorny issue around the Pirates. It shouldn’t be. Just tell fans what you’re doing. 3
I don’t expect Bryan Reynolds, pictured above, to win the National League MVP. He has had a terrific season, but that would be nuts on a team that’s more than 30 games under .500. I also think a Gold Glove would be hard given the amount of competition in center field. That said, he really has become one of the best all-around players in MLB. 1
I struggle with new vs. old school. I love numbers, but they shouldn’t consume us. I understand shifts and looking everywhere for advantages, but I also respect where baseball has come from and believe that still matters. Robo umps? I’m warming to the idea more and more. I’m OK with strikes just outside — if pitchers earn ’em. But the consistent inconsistency is maddening. 2
This season has been tough for Rick Eckstein, who’s a very good man and excellent hitting coach. But given the Pirates roster and continual roster churn, there’s only so much he — or pitching coach Oscar Marin, for that matter — can do. Think about how many different players they’ve had to learn, guys with sporadic track records of success. Yet it’s impossible not to evaluate based on results. 3 Kevin Newman had a .556 OPS last season and is at .541 in 2021. Entering Saturday, he also had appeared in 149 of 175 games in that time. Think about that. I don’t care if it’s Cole Tucker, Michael Chavis, Rodolfo Castor or … well, anyone. Why are the Pirates continuing to give Newman — who has options — regular MLB reps?