In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates …& more.
A Most Unusual Winter
When thinking about the moves the Pittsburgh Pirates have to make this off season, the thought occurred to me that this could end up as one of the finest winters in Neal Huntington’s tenure as the team’s general manager.
And that is because he can attack it with laser-focus.
Persistent Andrew McCutchen trade rumors aside, the club is set positionally. The bullpen, while much maligned, is more or less stable, save for perhaps one long relief piece. Contrast that to last year in which Huntington had to find a first baseman, figure out who would play third regularly in Jung Ho Kang‘s absence, and put together a completely new bench. Oh, and he then had to fill out a rotation that was in a great deal of flux.
In the upcoming winter, Huntington can now focus in on starting pitching – as he is stated before – with the rest of the club more or less set. When your club has such a deficiency in one particular area, having the luxury of narrowing your focus can only help.
Dodgers Doing Work
Pittsburgh Pirates fans often wonder what the 2016 season would have looked like if the club landed Rich Hill. By many reports, the club was dangerously close to signing the well-traveled veteran.
Last night, Hill was remarkable for the Los Angeles Dodgers, holding the vaunted Cubs lineup scoreless and pitching the Blue Bombers to a 2-0 lead in the NLCS. Hill struck out six, walked two, and scattered just two hits across four innings.
The Cubs are in trouble. Their offense has completely sputtered out. Their starting pitching is getting matched by the Dodgers – Jake Arrieta has a 7.20 ERA in the postseason- and their most tenured bat is putting together a horrifically bad postseason resume.
Anthony Rizzo has struggled in his #postseason career. #NLCS pic.twitter.com/X6xSzaYqZG
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 19, 2016
It is only two games, but the Dodgers get to throw Hill and Clayton Kershaw once more in this series if necessary. You have to like their chances.
Gradeouts You May Have Missed
As we continue with our 2016 gradeouts, here a few you might have missed. Keep in mind you can check the full archive right here.
- Josh Bell earned a solid grade for a solid debut.
- Everyone knows that Ivan Nova had a fantastic stint with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Does that translate to a high letter grade?
- Gregory Polanco took huge strides this season. Did his grade take a stride as well?
- Tyler Glasnow made his much-anticipated debut in 2016. How did he grade out?
Baseball Talk on the Web
- Craig Calcaterra of HardBall Talk points out the Cubs have actually lost four out of seven games quite a few times this season.
- MLB Trade Rumors has a detailed offseason outlook for a team that is consistently mentioned in those McCutchen rumors: The New York Yankees.
- Our pals over at Jays From the Couch are reveling in the Blue Jays staving off elimination.
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