Humiliating management sets stage for humiliating balls.

April 22, 2024 emilysportnews-admin Pittsburgh Pirates 0

Attempt to remove the emotional aspect from it.

I mean, give it a shot, though it might be challenging.

Because it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone can do that.

Give the Pirates credit for one thing and one thing only: their passion. They don’t approach their current six-game losing streak, which continued with a 6-1 loss to the Red Sox yesterday at PNC Park, with indifference. They don’t ignore the fact that they’ve been outscored 36-9 during this stretch, highlighted by a lackluster performance at the plate that’s been consistent throughout Andy Haines’ tenure as hitting coach.

The players are driven to improve. They still believe they can bounce back, just as they did when they started the season 9-2, despite now falling to 11-11.

“I don’t think we’re too far off, and I don’t think we’re panicking,” Connor Joe, one of the few regulars in the lineup who hasn’t succumbed to the hitting struggles, said afterwards. “Our confidence in ourselves and each other remains consistent and strong, which is a positive sign for us.”

Perhaps. As Clint Hurdle used to say, “If it’s in there, it’s in there.” It has shown itself at times.

But the statement from Derek Shelton after the game that struck me the most was related to evaluating the team’s poor fundamentals on display that day, both in the field and on the bases: “You can’t judge it based on one game.”

No, you can’t. Not with anything in baseball. Ever.

This marks the fifth year for this front office, with Ben Cherington leading baseball operations.

Year.

Five.

It’s not just that the team hasn’t improved nearly enough within such a lengthy period, and that’s not even the most concerning part. It’s that individual players haven’t improved… hardly at all. Regardless of their talent or potential, they either plateau or regress, except for rare cases like Mitch Keller (who faced numerous setbacks), David Bednar (who developed entirely within the San Diego system), and Ke’Bryan Hayes (whose development was aided by Class AA Altoona hitting coach Jon Nunnally, before Cherington eventually let him go at season’s end).

If there’s anyone else, I’m all ears. I’ll even pause typing for a moment and wait.

(Taps fingers next to mouse a few times.)

So, no one?

And could anyone argue that the talent hasn’t been there? With Oneil Cruz, who possesses immense raw talent, in the mix? With Henry Davis, the top overall pick, in the mix? With Nick Gonzales, Cherington’s first-round pick at No. 7 overall, in the mix? With Jack Suwinski, who had a promising rookie season in 2022 but has since stagnated, in the mix?

Cruz is struggling right now, both on and off the field. He’s 4 for his last 44, with half of those at-bats ending in strikeouts. After what he went through in 2023, it’s painful to watch.

He’ll bounce back. I have faith in him as a player and as a person. But there’s little reason to believe he’ll reach his full potential. Not in Pittsburgh. Not under this hitting coach and this management. Because there’s hardly any precedent to support such a belief.

Davis’ development has been mishandled to the point where it’s a joke within the baseball industry, I’m told. Some think he was overdrafted — though I believe he would have gone in the top 3-5 picks regardless — but most agree that the Pirates simply don’t know what they’re doing with him. It doesn’t take an expert to see that, especially considering how they’ve shifted a No. 1 pick all over the field and only decided to try him at his natural position after Endy Rodriguez was ruled out for 2024.

These two aren’t just supposed to be regular contributors. They’re supposed to be, at the very least, above average. That’s what happens in Baltimore and St. Petersburg and other places where… well, they know what they’re doing.

And what’s next for two other players, Jared Jones and Paul Skenes, who are at a similar level or better?

It’s not just that Jones was unexpectedly pulled from a great start in New York on Wednesday after five innings and just 59 pitches, which goes against any pattern in his entire professional career. What’s worse is that Cherington seemed to blame Shelton, Oscar Marin, and the field staff for this move… unilaterally?

“I really respect their decision,” Cherington said of the coaching staff on his weekly show on 93.7 The Fan, “to recognize that this is a long season we’re in.”

Their what now?

In New York, Shelton explained why Jones was pitching on the fifth day after his previous start: “It was decided he was going to pitch on five days, and we had a pitch count for him today. It’s his first time pitching on five days. I mean, this guy’s one of our really good, young pitchers, as he showed today. We knew going into the game that it was going to be five.”

Good thing I recorded that:

Does Cherington seriously believe that, for the first time in five years, a decision of such importance wouldn’t have come from the top brass at 115 Federal, or at least as part of a discussion involving everyone concerned?

Seriously, what was that? How did that even happen?

And how is anyone supposed to have even a shred of confidence in the broader process at hand after that?

What a joke. All of it.

Not just this losing streak. Not just the first month of this season. Literally, everything. All five years up to now.

They don’t have forever. They can’t keep kicking a can that’s already full of dents. They can’t keep making decisions based on what might make them look smarter instead of what might actually help them win.

Or can they?

I could remind you that it took Bob Nutting twelve years to decide that Neal Huntington and his team had to go, and that’s in the context where Huntington and his team tasted success in 2013-15, which feels like light-years away from where this team stands now. Despite all the issues in the minors, Huntington listened to wise advice about free agents from some smart lieutenants, and he did lead the team to three playoffs.

Maybe Nutting will wait a few more years. Maybe not. Once he finally reached the end of his rope with the previous regime, he coughed up $17.2 million to send them packing, almost as if he’d accumulated enough disappointment that it all exploded at once.

One thing I know for sure: Cherington isn’t going to fire Haines, no matter how terrible the results, no matter how much of a burden Haines becomes, whether in his performance or in public perception. The loyalty there is strong, both to Haines and to Haines’ hitting philosophy, which Cherington passionately shares. You know, the one where the main goal is to run up the opposing starter’s pitch count rather than, you know, actually hitting. The one where players get so comfortable with keeping the bat on their shoulder that when the chance comes to drive in a run, they’re still stuck in default mode and watch third strikes fly by right down the middle.

Also, it’s not like Shelton is any exception to this. The poor fielding and baserunning yesterday were a direct reflection on him. And remember, he’s a former big-league hitting coach, and he’s not making a difference in that category either.

Reynolds described the collective offensive struggle yesterday as “Maybe not aggressive enough. Maybe a little passive. Have to capitalize with runners in scoring position. Just the things that lead to winning, really.”

“A little passive?” I followed up on that.

Imagine hearing that from the team’s best player and not immediately tearing apart the coaching rooms and clubhouse to find out how and why that’s happening, but instead, protecting a hitting coach and program and some vague philosophical stance.

Imagine thinking that even if Haines deserves only a small portion of the blame for what we’ve seen, it wouldn’t be more important to try something new after all this time.

Imagine being in charge of something, anything, and the only emotion shown—whether outwardly or through action—was the protocol-driven firing of a minor-league hitting coach for improving one of your most important players, or this proud celebration for being the very worst at what they do:

Can’t believe they’ve never taken that video down.

Reynolds would say of the team’s general state, “Everybody’s frustrated.”

Everybody? Really?

• On a brighter note: There’s no scene in all of sports quite like a Winnipeg Whiteout, the original and only Whiteout in sports, and the NHL made a smart move by featuring it last night as the only game in its prime-time slot. It’s truly incredible. Just press play on this:

https://youtu.be/CZlk7wpHzfk

• Going all-football for a week straight after this. The NFL Draft opens Thursday night. And that’s fine by me. I could barely stay awake at the ballpark, and I’m not exaggerating. Sports are supposed to be fun, not, you know, a steaming pile of inexplicable excrement.

• Thanks for reading.

• Thanks for listening, too:

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