◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
◆NEWSPirates Notes: Keller, Pitching Pursuits, Lineup◆ROSTERSigned free agent RHP Enmanuel Nunez to a minor league contract◆STATPaul Skenes ranks 4th in the NL in strikeouts (200)◆STATNick Gonzales ranks 4th in the NL in batting average (.303)
The Pirates took two of three from the Angels despite scoring only three runs all weekend, putting the spotlight squarely on a pitching staff that suddenly looks like a strength. DiNardo and Jim discuss Jared Jones‘ dominant breaking ball, Braxton Ashcraft‘s workload, Paul Skenes‘ improved command, Mason Montgomery‘s incredible run, Carmen Mlodzinski settling into the bullpen and Luke Weaver‘s bizarre poison ivy issue before previewing six games in Chicago.
Watch the latest Bucco Brew on North Shore Nine.
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The Debate
Would you pay Doval around $7 million to come back to the Pirates' bullpen next year?
No comments yet — be the first to weigh in.
With Anthony DiNardo and Jim Rosati.
Chapters
Key takeaways
1
Mason Montgomery has been so good that he alone is worth Mike Burroughs straight up, and the Pirates would laugh at that offer today.
2
Looking back, the Brandon Lowe trade (Lowe, Mangum, Montgomery) is easily the best work Ben Cherington has ever done.
3
Carmen Mlodzinski handled his move to the bullpen badly, and he's one of the reasons the Pirates are in this spot.
4
At Doval's expected ~$7M price tag, he won't be back. With Weaver, Montgomery and Bachar cheap, that money belongs elsewhere.
5
Braxton Ashcraft has been the Pirates' best starter, making Paul Skenes look pedestrian, and his 3.65 ERA doesn't do him justice.
Yo. Welcome to the North Shore Nine podcast presented by FanDuel. This is Bucco Brew, powered by Defer Coffee and Tea. I'm your host, Anthony DiNardo. With me, we got you. Whoa. Well, that's not Jim. You look different. You look different.
We got Ty. Yeah, that Louisville loss last night just really set Jim back. He couldn't make it. He's crying in a corner. So, naturally, on Labor Day, I have to do labor.
Well, the people are excited. No, they're not. But they are excited that Jim lost. That's true. I am. I didn't know that happened. Yeah. Yeah. Big loss for Louisville last night. Who do they play?
It was Ole Miss. It was a really good game. Oh. Good. Good. All that for nothing, Jim. Yep. Jim got sent home sad. Darn. Darn. Well, good morning. I'm glad we could wake you up at 7 a.m. on Labor Day to do work. -huh. Thanks.
But with that said, we're going to talk about the Pirates. The Pirates did take two out of three from the Angels this weekend.
They took two out of three, scoring three runs in total this weekend, which goes in the side of what we'll talk about today.
I think the majority of the show is, this pitching. we've been discussing about the bullpen a bit, since the trade deadline and how they've improved.
But also, the starting pitching seems to be turning around to some level. But, before we go deep into the pitching side of things and everything, just talk about this weekend a bit.
So, again, like they did take out the Angels two of three games. What was your what was your take on this series?
they should have won the series. The Angels are not a good baseball team.
Unfortunately, where the Pirates are right now, they have to win every single game and losing that second game.
There is leaves that one a little bit disappointing, I feel like, because you needed a sweep and the Angels aren't good.
All three were winnable games, I feel like. And yeah, it's hard to complain about taking two out of three.
You do that all year and you're in good shape, but they haven't done it often enough.
But you have to do it all year. But with where they are right now, it's nice to win series, I guess.
Mm.
And that's something they've been doing. they have been winning series.
It's just when they lose them, they get swept.
Yeah. But like, to your point, they did take two out of three.
The one they lost was against the left..
Granted, Tyler, right. They scored three runs the entire series.
It's not as if, well, when they faced the righty, they showed out either, but also, once again, it just exposes team, even further.
Just what they are. When they face any type of lefty, they look completely incompetent.
it's such a struggle. And there, it almost feels as if there's no hope.
There's no hope. It was Kikuchi and or not Kikuchi.
Yeah, it was Kikuchi.
Yeah, it was Kikuchi.
Yeah. And again, like he's it's been an injury riddled season.
It's not the same Kikuchi. It's been the past, although Kikuchi's been good.
He's not great, obviously. And he looked he looked great.
It's the way it's gone all year, DiNardo.
They can't hit lefties.
It's similar to all the issues we've brought up throughout the year.
They've been issues since before the season.
They were issues early in the season, and there's still issues here in September.
The big one was what one of the big ones, aside from the bullpen, was they can't hit lefties.
They don't have right handed bats.
They had the opportunity to address it.
They didn't.
And that's where they're at this point.
They don't have anybody coming to save them.
you're just praying that somebody can get hot.
Like, you need someone to have that Valdez type of run again.
Right.
they did have Cruz come back.
They had to have Connor come back.
And, it's one game.
I'm not here to say, like, oh, they fail.
it's one game.
But those were the people that you're hoping that, they have coming back to help against lefties.
And they didn't for that game.
But line up first left-handed pitching.
Still a big, major issue.
But you didn't mention the bullpen.
The bullpen has looked really good.
That was addressed.
the one thing that was addressed at the deadline was the bullpen.
We know how needed that was, even though there's still some more things that could have happened and should have happened that didn't, which is what helped lead to where they are today.
And, I think what the bullpen is doing is allowing the starting pitching to also look a lot better than what it is because they can help shorten the game out.
You can take guys out when they go 5.1 games now because you feel safe with the team covering the other 3.2.
Yeah.
It didn't really feel possible before the trade deadline.
And let's be honest.
Like, the bullpen probably won that series for the Pirates.
They don't win this series against the Angels if they have the bullpen they did before the trade deadline.
They might get swept.
Yeah.
And you're talking like the Angels.
It's the you got swept by the Angels.
Right.
That's a huge problem right now this late in the season.
That's a team that you need to sweep in the end of getting swept.
they can mention it.
They could have easily went one into the series without that bullpen.
And because of the newfound bullpen, they take two out of the three.
So, yeah, man.
So, I guess kudos for that part.
They did shore up that part of their issues.
And they won a series because of it.
But, yeah.
Just to go back to the lineup you were talking about against lefties.
It's what they trot out there is tough.
It's tough to look at.
the one against Kikuchi wasn't bad.
But some of these lighters we saw against lefties throughout August were just 2022-esque.
2021-esque.
Well, you figure you have, you're in a spot where you need to do something.
Again, like they didn't address the issue at the trade deadline.
So, all you had was internal.
And, again, the definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and over again.
And expecting different results.
we already know that's not going to happen.
So, they're at the point of, well, let's just call up Ronny Simon and see if that's going to be the help.
You know?
So, like you mentioned, it's 2022-esque.
Well, yeah.
Because you have, like, people like Ronny Simon up in here in this lineup.
Trying to be your catalyst.
Hey, that was a fun couple days, though.
I was like, yeah, Tyler, we have people changing their Twitter AVI's.
Again, like, we really liked that trade to begin with.
We really liked it.
And the fact that we really liked it was, again, there's the potential there.
Breno Brandon Lowe.
Like, that alone we thought was.
And then you get Mangum in there who's controllable.
And he's later in his years.
And, like, even just we thought he was going to be good enough, right?
he is basically what he is.
And just being that is fine, you know?
And he's later in his career, right?
As far as, like, the age.
So, you have to worry about, like, extension.
Like, you're just going to let him ride out until he's a free agent, probably.
And then there's this other one.
Like, if there's something there.
And now that something is, like you said, turning into something.
Yeah.
If you traded him straight up for Mike Burroughs, the league would laugh at you.
Yeah.
Looking back at that trade, that's probably the best work Ben Cherington's ever done.
I think, like, easily.
Hands down.
Yeah, Mangum's.
Excuse me.
Mangum's turned into basically exactly what you thought he would be.
Which never happens.
Like, let's be honest.
As Pirates fans, I figured he'd come over and hit 220.
Just because that's how it works for us.
But let's just say this, too.
like, take off the Pirates lenses.
He was a 29-year-old rookie.
Like, right?
Like, most, it's like.
Yeah.
In most cases, the odds are someone like him, especially with a skill set, it's like, all right, there was, like, lightning in the bottle.
He had a nice year.
But he was a 29-year-old rookie.
he'll probably turn back into a pumpkin or something.
It's not even just a pirate thing in most cases.
Unless you're a Cardinal.
Then it was an absolute guarantee that this was going to happen.
Like you said, especially with his type of profile, where it's a contact hitter that really doesn't show much pop, strikes out a decent bit for being a contact hitter.
And he's going to be close to a two-win player this year.
I don't think you can complain about that at all.
And then.
No.
And like you said, we talked about Mason Montgomery like a lottery ticket.
But like an expensive lottery ticket because there was a good chance he was going to be good.
It was just, I don't know if, at least I didn't think it was going to be this quickly.
Yes.
It basically took him, like, three outings to get it to click for him.
And since then, he's just been, he's been so good.
And I felt, it's been a progression, you know?
Like, yes, it was, I don't want to say worrisome, but it was like, yeah, this is the guy that's, again, this is who he is.
It's going to take some time if it does click, you know?
But also, like, I felt like he was going to be the type that even when it does click, he's still going to have the command issue.
Like, that's just always going to exist.
And for relievers, that's usually, like, fine, you know?
That's why they can be frustrating because they're all short samples.
You got there for one inning, you have a run, it's a nine ERA in that outing, you know?
And who knows?
That could lose the game for you.
You have to be nails all the time.
But regardless, it's like, with relievers, you can give up walks.
You can have, like, a three walks per nine rate.
And that's fine, if you're not giving up hits or such.
You can even have a four, and that can be fine if you're not giving up hits and such.
He has not even been that guy.
Like, he hasn't been the version that you probably thought best case scenario.
That, okay, this will exist, but he has such good stuff, people can't hit it.
So, yeah, he'll have a guy on first base because he walked him, but he'll strand him.
Right.
He doesn't walk people either, Tyler.
That just doesn't happen anymore.
He did just walk someone like this.
He did.
Right.
He did, but the thing I highlighted yesterday was that was his second walk since August.
Right.
Yes.
Well, he walked one on August 25th.
And one yesterday, and since then, it was July 31st, so, yeah.
Yeah.
Like, that, he doesn't walk people either.
He's just completely turned around to becoming an elite arm all the way, through and through, every aspect of what you want from a reliever.
From the left side.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, he's...
He's definitely got potential to be a top-flight reliever in this league.
Potential, huh?
right.
It's still a small sample.
Like, it is still a small sample.
We've seen runs.
Everyone's seen runs.
It's baseball.
It's not...
Like, what he's doing isn't by the stroke of luck.
Like, you don't just luck into not throwing walks.
Well, balls, I guess.
Throwing balls.
like, that's absolutely a skill.
And especially with the stuff he possesses.
It's a skill to use that and still strike people out.
And I also guess what by that is, like, seeing him develop into this later inning role as well.
Because a lot of this has been done not in the highest of leverage throughout this year.
Now we're seeing him in the highest of leverage.
Yeah, if he puts it together and continues to look like this in this spot, yeah, it's a top-flight reliever.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Again, it's still new.
it's still new.
But if you have a calendar year from today, seeing this, he is one of the best relievers.
One of the best closures in baseball.
-huh.
I'm not here, I'll say, like, Mason Miller type.
Like, that's a whole level of elite type of stuff.
But it's what he's doing and what he possesses from the left side.
Like, that's Mason Miller-lite.
It's money, Mason.
Yeah, he doesn't throw 103, but...
But it's close.
It is.
It's amazing that this guy throws 100, and it's like, yeah, but he doesn't throw 103.
Right, and that's why, yeah, that's the whole crazy thing.
Like, he throws 100 as a lefty.
It's ridiculous, but that's why Mason Miller is a whole other level of ridiculous.
Sure is.
But anyways, like, even, like, you go to StatCast page.
It's nice to see.
And that's what, again, like, alluded to.
Like, what he is, what he possesses.
He has just become this elite guy, you know?
And, as mentioning, like, he doesn't give up hits anymore.
He certainly doesn't give up barrels when he does give up a hit.
Like, everything.
He just...
It is so nice to see.
And, again, he is controllable throughout the ass right now.
So...
Well, throughout the ass?
Absolutely.
So, like, you're talking a cheap, long-term closer.
Problem solved right now.
Still young.
So, like, again, like, that's not even good.
Like, we're not...
This isn't just a this year thing.
Like, going into next year, it's a whole different mindset, whole different vibe than what it was last year into this year.
To an extent.
I think we thought the back end was going to be a lot better.
Like, we thought it would still be good this year.
Like, Dennis Santana coming into this year.
We still expect it to be good.
Now, Soto, you spent the money on him.
You expect him to be good.
After that, yeah.
There were certainly a good bit of question marks.
So, yeah, you probably feel better about the bullpen going into next year.
But they're still relievers.
Weird things happen.
Yeah, that's absolutely true.
Relievers are volatile.
We get that.
and again, like, no one here has...
Like, you don't have the track record for a lot of these guys yet, per se.
But, again, you feel a lot comfortable.
Because the difference is, too, like, yeah, you did expect Santana to be solid.
But he's never really been in the closer role.
And when he was last year, there were some struggles.
And I know it's Colorado.
And, like, you take Colorado out.
It was fine.
But it was new.
But he doesn't possess the dominant stuff that you usually want to see from a closer.
but you can't take away what he's done.
since he came over from that trade and you take away that, like, first appearance in a Pirates uniform from the Yankees, he's been as dominant as anyone as far as a reliever goes.
We look at, like, ERA in numbers.
But he doesn't have the stuff.
Can't say that about Montgomery.
He's got the stuff.
He has the entire pedigree.
And, again, that's what's most impressive to me is to go back to what you said.
It has progressively gotten better over the year.
And what you've seen over the year is him being thrown into more meaningful situations until he got to the most meaningful as being the actual closer.
And when he's been in the highest leverage, that's when he's been at his best.
it's not like he's taking a step back.
He's actually taking a step forward in these situations.
So that's what makes you feel so good about him as, this future closer.
you said it there.
And according to fan graphs, in 19 innings of what they consider high leverage situations, his batting average against is 164, which is the lowest of low, medium, and high.
So you throw him in those situations, and so far he's taken it to another level.
Yeah.
So he's actually the worst in low leverage.
Well, again, it's probably because that was more in the early season, like when he was at his worst.
Probably is.
But, again, just showing, like he's progressed and he's taken on that role of being the guy.
Which, yes, to me, yeah, that feels better than Soto Santana.
Oh, a lot better.
A lot better.
Again, you have the track record.
Yeah.
Now.
Truthfully, the stuff, like you said about Santana, like you got two dudes with stuff there.
Mm-hmm.
A little more stuff that you wanted, I could deal without the Poison Ivy.
Right.
But it sucks so bad.
But, like, of course, like hearing, because, again, it's, you said a great best on the postgame show when you're talking about him that last outing when he gave up the runs.
It's not what you wanted.
Like, you didn't want to see this Weaver, since the trade deadline, he's, he hasn't been helping the team out as much as you anticipate he would.
But you're not worried about, like, you're not worried about Weaver.
He's just, Leavers are weird.
And it's short outings.
You have two bad games.
It makes your entire area look terrible, right?
And that's essentially what's happened with Weaver.
But then to find out, it's like, oh, it's because you have this poison ivy that you can't get rid of.
Yeah, and you haven't slept in a month.
Because the likelihood is if you take the medicine, it's banned from the league?
That sucks.
Oh.
That's, I can't imagine.
Just, like, a couple days of poison ivy is brutal.
That just sucks.
Like, that's got to be miserable.
He says he's had it for how long?
it's the Marlins series, and he can't sleep at night.
Man, that's got to be awful.
You can't take anything, really?
You're probably just living on Benadryl.
Yeah, so now it makes sense.
Which, again, it's like the most pirate-y thing ever.
It's like, oh, our reliever that we traded for, the big name of the deadline, we actually landed him.
It was a pirate to go.
At least you have him next year.
It's like the Moneyball meme, right?
It's just like, yeah, well, his defect is he has poison ivy all over his body.
At least he doesn't have it on his hands.
I guess.
Maybe he should start hitting batters and spreading it around the league.
Yeah.
Yeah, if there's not enough teams to make the playoffs, the Pirates can make the playoffs.
There you go.
Yeah.
But, right.
getting back to Weaver, like, he's controlled over next year.
And basically got his salary paid down.
So, it's not going to make this enormous cost.
So, your back end of bullpen is cheap.
And you expect it to be very productive and fruitful.
And, like, that's not even the only, like, it's not that it just stops there either.
there's more to this.
Like, Bachar has looked good.
he's done it in a very multi-inning role in different ways, whether it's starting a game, whether it's, in the middle relief innings or whatever.
He's looked good, too.
That's another guy who's controllable.
Not out the ass, but he's controllable.
He's not controllable out the ass.
But controllable, nevertheless.
He's been really good since coming over and being used in that role that I think we wanted Carmen Mlodzinski to be used in all year.
He's been good doing it.
It's almost like it would have been cool to have another guy doing that all year.
Well, I'm glad you bring that up.
Because, like, I do want to bring him up, too, here.
Carmen Mlodzinski, not in the same way I'm bringing everyone else up, but it seems as if Carmen Mlodzinski is going back to this bullpen role.
And we can use you in multiple innings if we need to, which, he did the one time.
And he said, like, yeah, he could have went out for a fourth inning, but, yeah, you know what?
Three is probably fine.
But then he goes out last night to just one inning.
But Carmen's back in the bullpen, which you would have liked to have seen for more than now.
But let me ask you this, because, again, like this, there's a Carmen Mlodzinski experience that has brewed and it presented itself this year.
Is he on the team next year?
Is he not?
I don't know.
But what I will say is that's why Blocker has been nice to see using this role and succeed.
Because I find the value in these relievers.
Like, the Pirates have done it.
They've done it way back with Oviedo, with Luis Ortiz, right?
Then it was Carmen.
You had, these pitchers that would come up and they would give them two to three multiple innings.
And there's great value in that.
And they were successful in those roles.
So, with the Pirates and the pitching, the young staff and stuff, like, there's a lot of value in this multi-inning reliever.
And that was what you thought Carmen was going to be.
And it really wasn't this year, at least to the level that and in the way that it should have been.
But maybe Blocker's the replacement.
Maybe they trade Mijinsky and he can find his wishes to start somewhere.
And Blocker's the guy that comes in and be that pitcher now.
If it's up to me, he's not here next year.
Okay.
But it's not up to me.
Right.
Yeah.
But you do.
Having a Swiss Army knife like that in your bullpen is really valuable.
Having a guy that can, not on a schedule, but whenever you need them, go out there and give you, two, three innings when your starter goes four.
Or go be an opener this day.
Or give you one inning when you need it.
Like, having that guy is important.
Or maybe not so.
It's not the most important thing.
You'll just take a bunch of good relievers anyhow.
But it's a valuable role to have when it's used correctly.
And you can't really plan it out and say, all right, we're going to throw you every fifth day for three to four innings.
It's got to be an as-needed basis.
Right.
Like, sometimes you go winning.
Yeah.
Carmen, not so much.
Carmen's available and Carmen wants to be available.
Until lately, but that's a little too late.
I really, you know my thoughts on Carmen.
Yeah.
He went about this totally wrong.
It sucks.
Again, I feel for him in the sense of he was asked to do something.
And he was actually doing it in a way that helped the team.
the team was winning ballgames when he started.
Much better than they were with Bubba at the time.
So, I get, being told you're the guy to come out here when you've helped the team more than others in the rotation have helped.
I might put up a fight too.
Like, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
This is, you told me to do this.
I'm doing it with, I know with help, right?
In different ways and situations, but we're winning ballgames.
What are you doing?
But the way he left it was just terrible.
And again, like the reason it was him to leave is because it made the most sense.
again, I understand you're winning ballgames and you're starting, but you going to that bullpen to do the stuff that you just said, Tyler, was going to help this team out tremendously more probably because Jared's coming back.
And again, you could debate, you could debate who should stay in the bullpen if it's him or Jared or Bubba.
And again, I said, Bubba doesn't make sense going to the bullpen.
Like his struggles, I don't think his thing is going to play up and make him better.
Like you just stay in the rotation.
Just keep doing what you're doing.
Keep progressing.
But you can make the argument, is it Jared or is it Carmen?
And for a little bit of time there, it looked like they made the wrong decision.
Again, it just is what it is.
But you can say like you made it.
But regardless, what Carmen could do for that bullpen helps his team in a big way.
And they didn't have that.
They didn't have that.
One of the reasons they're in this situation today is because of Carmen.
Sure seems like they're in this position because a good bit of egos in this clubhouse.
Just across the board, it just seems like just enough ego around there that didn't get put in check.
So if Carmen does get traded this offseason, I still would like that role to exist for this upcoming team because I think it still would be important.
this pitching staff is still young.
Bachar looks like he's handling the job pretty well.
And again, what's important is it's in different roles.
Whatever he's told to do, he does.
And he's done it well.
And if it's not Bachar, they do have some other options to do that as well.
I think Khristian Curtis could be a guy to do something like that.
Like they have options if they need that type of role.
Yeah, very true.
Where you don't have to use one of your best relievers to do it.
Yeah.
And that's why it all comes down.
We talked about Weaver.
You've talked about Montgomery.
We've now talked about Bachar.
There is karma that exists.
Whether he's on the team or not, that's to decide.
But that's why when you talk about, Doval, it's like even if he finishes the season strong, we've already mentioned three guys as like the fourth person in your bullpen.
The one that you want making $8 million, like he's the one that's going to cost money.
We were talking about how, Weaver's going to be cheap because it's paid down.
Montgomery's obviously cheap.
Bachar's going to be cheap.
Like, do you invest that money into Doval?
That just seems like a luxury.
Like you can just reinvest that somewhere else because.
Yeah.
This is the Pirates.
The payroll's not going to be that much.
Are you putting 7% of your payroll, 8% into a middle reliever?
Yeah.
At the price tag that Doval's going to come back at, I don't see any Planeteers here next year.
Yeah, I think it's very unlikely.
You spent 7.75 on Gregory Soto.
You're not going to spend almost that on Doval here.
And nor should they.
He has been good since coming over.
He's been valuable.
There's too many walks for sure.
Well, yeah.
But that goes back to the, what we thought with Montgomery.
Like, but he's not giving a whole lot of hits.
Like you can get away with that as a reliever to some extent, as long as you're not giving up hits.
But again, like it's more than what you want to see still.
He's walking a lot.
Yeah.
But yeah, at that price tag.
I'd welcome him back.
Not at that price.
There's just, and I don't know.
I don't know if there's many teams out there that want to pay that for him.
7 million for a middle reliever is a lot of money.
Right.
And that's just, that's why this month was important.
How do you see?
Again, he's using the slider a lot more.
How does this, season finish?
How does he look after the trade deadline in total?
I gotta, he's certainly one that I want to see, but ultimately I think because of what we've seen from the rest, you feel comfortable to say, you know what?
It was a trade we needed to make.
It did your job, but thank you.
and again, that's more, well, there's two things here.
It's more as a positive because of what the pirates do have that they, this is a luxury to have, but again, of course it's a luxury because $7 million is quite meaningful for this type of a payroll.
It's the pirates tax.
It's like, listen, yeah, there's teams out there that could spend $7 million on just a middle reliever.
Like, there's probably a handful that would do so with him, maybe more than a handful, but the pirates probably aren't one of them.
And again, it's because the situation they're in now, maybe it's different if they don't have Weaver next year or something, you know what?
Like that's what I'm going to do, but maybe it's different if it's like you said with Soto was fine because when Soto comes here, he's probably like your setup man.
That's what you envisioned.
He has some closer experience.
Like he's a setup man investing $7.5 million for a lefty setup man who has experience makes sense.
If Doval is coming back as like your setup man, maybe you can talk yourself into it, but he's not.
You're good.
You can find another Doval.
Yeah.
And like, if you non tender him and can find a new deal with him, sure.
I'll bring him back, but it's just gotta be the right price with him.
Yep.
So again, bullpen really good, but honestly too, that's not just the bullpen.
again, as earlier, the bullpen is helping the rotation because you can get guys out maybe a little bit earlier than you want to, because you trust the bullpen.
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It was a good setup.
I didn't know how to close it, though.
So, I don't know, 50% Paul Skenes next year, maybe?
And even like, he was amazing and one of the best pitchers ever for the first two years.
I don't know if it ever just looked like super easy.
And maybe that's just because it's Paul Skenes's and he throws with a lot of intent, throws hard.
But he also throws a lot of pitches.
Ashcraft just, he's always in attack mode.
He's in the zone constantly.
He's able to get weak contact.
And he doesn't walk guys.
Like, that's so much of it as well.
He just doesn't walk guys.
He doesn't give you free bases.
He's the real deal.
He attacks guys.
That's the biggest thing.
We've always...
And I'm not here to tell you Paul Skenes isn't that dude anymore.
You know?
Like, if he comes back next year and he's that dude, no, I'm not going to be shocked.
And neither should most people.
But we've all felt like Paul Skenes's on this pedestal.
And it starts here.
And it's like, how much can Paul Skenes's rub off on the other pitchers to make them better?
And honestly, right now, it's like, Braxton, you need to be talking to Paul.
Like, right?
This two-strike problem that Paul has.
Paul, I need you to get with Braxton.
Let's work this thing out.
You need to talk with Braxton to solve this problem.
Not the reverse way.
I need you to get with Braxton to fix yourself.
Because he doesn't walk people.
Why?
Because this stuff is so good.
And he trusts this stuff.
And if he doesn't throw it for a strike, he's pissed off.
If he misses his spot, he's pissed off.
And he sure as hell better not balk a guy.
Because then he's really pissed off.
But you want to talk about a competitor, and a competitor within who's able to channel it.
That was also the difference between him and Bubba for a lot of time.
Like, they're both fiery.
They're both competitors themselves.
But I've always felt Braxton, and of course a little bit older, so a little bit more mature, but has such a way to channel it and internalize that.
Opposed to just losing your composure through it.
And that was something that Bubba seemed to need to work through.
But Braxton always had that.
Braxton was fiery on the mound too, but he had a way to internalize this.
And, well, I'm going to go at you next time, and you're not hitting it.
Opposed to, I'm just mentally out there, and I'm going to throw hard, but I'm going to miss spots, and it's getting my own head.
Like, Braxton's able to do that.
And I think that's what makes him so good, is because even when he's off, he's in attack mode.
And his stuff is good.
So, batters still miss.
And if they don't, it's weak contact.
Yeah, he can just throw a 99-mile-an-hour sinker at you.
Like, yeah, his stuff is outrageous.
And we talk about, like, not that we talk about him like his stuff's not good, but, like, I feel like he doesn't get enough credit for how good his stuff really is.
That's what happens when you have Jared Jones, Bubba Chandler, and Paul Skenes in your rotation.
I guess, and maybe it's just because, I don't know.
Part of it is that.
How do you answer that?
Is it just because he's so efficient?
That, like, when he needs to, he turns into, like, the contact guy?
I think some of it's just that he is, like, you hear the term of people being pitchers versus throwers.
Like, he is a pitcher.
Like, a lot of the guys, you talk about the stuff we're talking about, they have the potential to get there.
Ashcraft feels like he's already there.
He's gone through the ups and downs of learning how to harness this stuff.
He's learned how to pitch down, and I don't, like, I don't know.
It's weird.
He's just good.
He's just all around good.
that's what it is, because he's just good.
He does, like, just everything he has is above average.
And here to add on, as mentioned, like, the very, I'm not going to say important, right, but the thing that stands out, he's already thrown 47 more innings this year than he did all of last year.
That includes the minors, and the majors.
So, his total last year of innings thrown, he's already 47 over.
Again, like, the big thing with him this year was, how are you going to manage him?
How are you going to get through a full year?
And they've done it in a way of, we're giving you basically a full work.
And, again, part of that also is because of him, because of how efficient he is.
When he goes seven, it's Paul's four, or it's Bubba's five.
You know what?
That's what I'm saying.
Like, part of it also is because the pitch count isn't all that high.
So, he's giving you innings that are better than others.
But, regardless, still with that being said, I don't think you envisioned this year from him.
He was going to have to go in the bullpen, maybe, for a little bit to save his arm or, maybe have a phantom IL stand over the all-star break, where he extends it a little bit here.
But, he has it.
He's going out there every day.
Every day.
And giving you basically six or more.
Yeah, and I think a lot of it.
And without any breakdown.
Right.
And I think a lot of that is early in the year, the innings weren't that high stress.
So, while he had the innings amount, they weren't the most stressful of innings.
And, like you said, early in the year, when he was throwing seven innings, it was on 80 pitches.
So, it's not like, I'm sure they have all the data of, like, how many pitches he's thrown this year versus last and blah, all that fun stuff.
And, I'm sure it's more, but I do like how they've just let him, let him be their guide of what they're going to do with him.
Like, if you're going to struggle, then we'll reel it in.
But, as long as you're good, we're going to let you go.
And, so far, so good.
you haven't seen the velo drop.
The stuff doesn't look really different.
When he had his rough stretch, the stuff wasn't down, I don't think.
It was just command stuff wasn't there.
Got that figured out.
Nothing really wavered.
And, now we're in September, and he still looks like he's going strong.
Yeah.
I don't see any, like, oh, we'll shut you down.
He doesn't need to.
Like, they're listening to him.
Everything seems fine.
He seems fine.
So, I also want to say this, because, it's a dumb question, obviously, at this point.
But, like, heading into this year, there was the injury tag with him.
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