2026 Pirates Thread
- Thread starter LB99
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Skenes looked like he was drunk/high/tired. Maybe he was preoccupied with Sabrina Carpenter's junk hanging out at her last concert.
For supposedly the best pitcher in the game, which I never have believed (I'll take Skubal any day over him), he very seldom can go deep into games, mainly because he throws so many pitches in the early innings and struggles to get quick outs. With that said, with a competent centerfielder, he would've been out of that first inning with minimal damage amd maybe could've gotten his bearings, like a lot of starters do after the first inning. That dope in centerfield is not a MLB player; he's just a physical freak who can't do anything that a pro baseball player needs to do except be able to steal bases and hit a prodigious home run every once in a while. There's a reason why an organization like the Dodgers traded him.
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Disagree about Skenes not being able to go deep in to games, the Pirates dont let him. He easily could go 120 pitches and has asked to go longer but was not really allowed. You are spot on about Cruz though, that guy should go back to the island and play, he is not able to play MLB caliber baseball
Just compare Cruz to Crow-Armstrong. One is a physical freak who obviously never was trained in the fundamentals of baseball and also obviously can't process the instruction that he's received, and the other is a true baseball player who does all of the little things that it takes to win games as well as a lot of the big things. The only similarity between the two is that they both play centerfield.
No matter how good a pitcher is, sometimes they just have "one of those games". Christopher Sanchez pitched in the WBC for the DR and he was lights out for the Phils in the opener. 6 innings, 0 runs, 3 hits, 10 Ks, zero walks. While the WBC isn't officially spring training, players are still getting work in against solid competition. I look for Skenes to be his old self in his second start, if Cruz' defense improves by then.
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trade Cruz for a couple pierogies and a low A ball guy, start Mangum in CF and bring up the password
Mangum definitely should be the starting centerfielder. He's another real ballplayer who was trained in the fundamentals of baseball and played on a College World Series winning team; he knows his craft.
Boom.
www.espn.com
Pirates call up No. 1 prospect Konnor Griffin for home opener
The Pirates are calling up 19-year-old shortstop Konnor Griffin, the No. 1 prospect in baseball, ahead of Friday's home opener against the Orioles.
www.espn.com
Raise it. 
Griffin looks good in MLB debut.
www.espn.com
Griffin looks good in MLB debut.
Pirates 5-4 Orioles (Apr 3, 2026) Game Recap - ESPN
Expert recap and game analysis of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles MLB game from April 3, 2026 on ESPN.
www.espn.com
he definitely was the ignitor in the big inningRaise it.
Pirates 5-4 Orioles (Apr 3, 2026) Game Recap - ESPN
Expert recap and game analysis of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles MLB game from April 3, 2026 on ESPN.
I’m sure he will have the ups and downs of a typical rookie, however, they have to ride with him going forward. He adds a level of energy and excitement around the club that hasn’t been felt in a while. Yes, there was plenty of buzz with Skenes, and rightly so, but he is a pitcher and only plays every fifth day. A position player adds more buzz and ability to have an effect on the club IMO. O’Hearn and Lowe were good offseason additions. They need to find a real center fielder. Cruz is a liability.
Raise it.
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Pirates 3-2 Orioles (Apr 4, 2026) Final Score - ESPN
Game summary of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Baltimore Orioles MLB game, final score 3-2, from April 4, 2026 on ESPN.
www.espn.com
Chipped, BBQ Islay’s ham. it’s very own unique Pittsburgh Food group. Delicious.
Yup! I’m from Beaver County; my grandma made the best ham BBQs. I must get to PNC Park this year!!
Cruz leading the NL in homeruns.....has hit 3 against lefthanded pitching.....maybe the light is turning on for Mr. Cruz.
Pirates finally have some pieces......... stay competitive, add another bat for the second half. Could be a year to be in top 2-3 in NL.
Pirates finally have some pieces......... stay competitive, add another bat for the second half. Could be a year to be in top 2-3 in NL.
If they stay healthy, which is always problematic, their starting rotation is really good and probably in the upper third in all of MLB; they should be a handful in most series. They’re also going to get Jones back probably sometime in June, who can be a nasty bullpen pitcher if he doesn’t immediately get put into the starting rotation.
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Cruz has physical abilities that almost no other player can match; he’s a gigantic human who can run very fast. In a good season for him, he definitely can be a 40-40 type of player, especially since he’s a lefty who plays half of his games in PNC Park. His problem is that he’s shown that he’s just not an intelligent player.
That would be great if he were a DH, but they already have a DH. They need him to be able to play the field and that’s where his WAR probably drops dramatically.
You’re right about that. The coaches just have to keep working with him and hope that he eventually applies that instruction. It would be such a waste not to take advantage of his raw physical abilities which, like I said, very few other players have.
He’s not, and he also has a history of not working hard. This is one of the reasons that Ozuna was potentially targeted for the roster rather than others. They wanted someone besides the pitching staff to be able to communicate with him in the locker room and show him how to be a pro from a hitter’s standpoint.