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Mangum in Pittsburgh

ZombieKissinger

ZombieKissinger

All-American
May 29, 2013
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It’s been disappointing so far. He feels like a good fit culturally there, but he’s not seeing many at bats, and he’s not made the most of them to this point. He’s getting in defensively late in games or for his base running, but I feel like he’s not getting enough consistent at bats to get into a rhythm. I was hoping he’d be an everyday starter there or starting 60%+ as a 4th but not playing out that way. Cruz has hit well so they’re keeping him in. Ozuna has been dead weight but as long as they keep him in the lineup it decreases outfield playing time by keeping O’Hearn at first.

anyway, wish they’d play him more. Seeing him regularly with Tampa last hear was a lot of fun and kept me interested in sports during the summer.
 
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She Mate Me

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
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I was about to post something about this. Glad you did the hard work.

Yeah, we made fun of Cruz, but he's now having a seriously good offensive start to the season. Lowe, Mangum's trade mate is having a great start as well. And the other outfielders are mostly playing well.

It feels like Mangum has made a spot for himself, and it probably doesn't hurt that the Pirates have gotten hot and currently have the 2nd best record in the NL at 10-6.

The Ozuna situation bears watching. He's currently s serious $12 million problem. A DH batting .070 with a .237 OPS can't keep getting starts for long.

Jake is struggling as well batting .212 with a .520 OPS, but I doubt that lasts if he stays up.

Btw, Konnor Griffin is at .152 right now. MLB is hard.
 
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ZombieKissinger

ZombieKissinger

All-American
May 29, 2013
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jethreauxdawg said:
Didn’t he go 2-4 yesterday with no strikeouts?
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He went 1-4 yesterday in a day where they scored 16, but he’s .212 on the season and not playing a lot. Maybe starting one in three or four now. Was starting more earlier in the year, but it’s decreased in the last couple weeks
 
Perd Hapley

Perd Hapley

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Important to remember that Tampa Bay had what was probably by far and away the worst collection of outfielders in all of MLB last year. Jake was objectively the best out of all of them, which is why he played every day. But on a deeper roster, he is the 3rd / 4th outfielder or a platoon starter against RHP only. That’s fine. He can play for 5 more years just by being a .250 / .650 player in that role, with his speed and defensive ability. And he’ll heat up at some point and get to that level, or well above it.
 
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She Mate Me

She Mate Me

Heisman
Dec 7, 2008
12,920
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113
He definitely has a place on the team, even while not starting much. They work him into games often when the matchups dictate it and that brilliant throw shows he is a legit outstanding outfielder.

I saw a couple of interviews where he said one of his focuses in the off season was improving his long throws. I'd say mission accomplished.
 
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onewoof

onewoof

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Mar 4, 2008
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DesotoCountyDawg said:
Shoutout to the catcher. He didn’t flinch waiting on the ball to get there.
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That's also elite+ speed on the base path there. Takes an elite throw with perfect placement to get Abrams out there. And it also takes a sliding mistake, the front sliding leg lifted off the ground. Abrams was casual in his slide, with his everyday speed and everyday slide, he's never been thrown out like that.

This is the second time in 30 days Jake has gunned someone down from the outfield. It's safe to say now that a plus tool in Jake's toolbox is an arm in the outfield that separates him from the others. I'm biased yes but the way he scraps and competes motivates a team and a fan base. Just like his years at State.
 
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ZombieKissinger

ZombieKissinger

All-American
May 29, 2013
4,988
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113
karlchilders.sixpack said:
He played the whole game yesterday. Left field. They only have four outfielders listed on the current roster.
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Yeah, but they are playing O’Hearn out there frequently and occasionally Yorke. I watch all the games except for blackout. When they have Ozuna DH, they often put Horwitz at first and move O’Hearn to outfield. Pirates fans are generally asking for more playing time for Mangum too. Don’t think Yorke has any business playing over him in the outfield, and he’s better than Cook. Reynolds has occasional power and they’ve favored that more early in the year
 
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