Let me preface this article by saying the following:
Ben Cherington has as tough a job as any general manager in professional sports. A good comparison to what the Pirates general manager has in front of him is to give your wife a $20.00 bill and tell her to take care of Thanksgiving dinner next year.
This past Thursday the Pittsburgh Pirates fired manager Derek Shelton after a 12-26 start. This move was a long time coming, the team wasn’t just losing games, but they were making plays that would make a little league manager pull his hair out. The Pirates hitters step into the box without a gameplan, the team has misplayed fly balls, ran through stop signs..etc. The team has been shutout a league high seven times already and have only scored 121 runs which is last in baseball. The Pirates are hitting only .218 as a team and are 27th in home runs.
So there had to be a scapegoat and Derek Shelton was a reasonable choice, but should not have been the only one.
If Enmanuel Valdez is your AAA affiliate starting first basemen, there are some questions about your prospect depth in the organization. If he is starting for the big league club, you are in some serious trouble. Valdez is a 5’9” player who has struggled at the plate and in the field. In one game he had trouble making a simple catch and tag on pickoff throws by Paul Skenes. The organization does not put the needs at first base and outfield anywhere on their radar. The Pirates would rather make Ji-Hwan Bae an outfielder than going out and signing a legit outfielder who has some upside. Tommy Pham is past his prime, Alexander Canario is a lottery ticket that is now hitting .136 with two homers. The team has been forced to use 38-year-old Andrew McCutchen in the outfield, because of their lack of outfield depth.
Ben Cherington has done an above average job of drafting talent since he has been here, but let me ask you something? Who is the last home grown hitter we have drafted that has become a legitimate MLB hitter? Josh Bell? We have a ton of pitchers in our organization and two of them have started the season strong. Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco look legit and appear to be part of a future starting pitching staff that could be one of the best in baseball. But even with the best starting five in baseball, what good does it do when you can't score runs?
Besides the signing of catcher Joey Bart last season, what has Cherington been able to do to help the team on the field? Everybody knows that the Paul Skenes window is very limited, the Pirates need to get better now.
Although Derek Shelton was deserving of getting his walking papers, Ben Cherington should not be too far behind. We all know the bottom line is that owner Bob Nutting will not open his wallet and spend more money to help the team today, so Cherington will have to be perfect on any moves he makes.
Don Kelly brings a breath of fresh air to the organization, but how is he going to be able to improve Canario, Valdez and other players who most likely should not be in the Majors?
There is no doubt that Bob Nutting is the main problem and that MLB needs to do something about what teams spend. The NHL has a salary cap where teams have a floor that they have to at least spend up to. MLB may need to try and incorporate something like this in the future. As a die-hard baseball fan, the last thing I want to see is a strike, but when the current agreement ends in December of 2026, fans need to hope for some sort of agreement on salary structure.
So honey, how is that $20.00 I gave you for Thanksgiving dinner?