Kovacevic's 21 Takes: No shortcuts for Pirates' pick, understanding JuJu, pushing Angello

Twenty-one takes to take you through today ...

• Baseball isn't football or hockey when it comes to the draft: There are no trades, there's less certainty about all prospects, there's no real timetable for anyone to arrive, and there's never, ever an emphasis on positional need.

Well, almost never, as I affirmed Sunday with Ben Cherington.

"I’d say not at all at 1-1," the GM told me, referring, of course, to the Pirates' No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft July 11. "It becomes a small factor later in draft, but that's more about opportunity in the minor leagues, like if you have eight outfielders who all should be at one level, or something like that."

Makes sense. Across the board, actually. Plainly put, amateur acquisition in baseball is the most fickle of all sports.

The projections change all the time. Check out the ongoing rankings of this class alone, which have seen Vanderbilt pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter go from consensus No. 1 candidates to plummeting out of many experts' top five. Tell me when was the last time that happened in football or hockey. Only in baseball could Mike Trout be chosen at No. 25 overall. Or Albert Pujols in the 13th round.

The prospects take forever, too. Even the best of the best take a couple years. Gerrit Cole was No. 1 overall in the summer of 2011, his frame was fully built up even while at UCLA, he was whisked up the ladder, and he still didn't make it until mid-2013. And he's the exception, with most taking four, even five years. A ton can change in that span, not least of which is the prospect's position.

This, my friends, is why the Pirates remain legit undecided about their pick -- down to four finalists, per our Alex Stumpf -- and this is why they need to base their decision completely on one clear criteria.

“Our approach is to add the most impactful, talented player that we can,” Steve Sanders, Cherington's assistant GM, said Sunday on 93.7 The Fan. “That’s really our goal in all forms of acquisitions, but especially this year going into an immensely important draft with the first pick. The draft pool has continued to evolve. We continue to learn about it. We’ll continue to learn over the course of the next month."

That's it. That's really it.

Would it help if the prospect could hurry up?

Sure. I could argue that the Pirates' window of opportunity is comprised of every at-bat Ke'Bryan Hayes takes in Pittsburgh. And in turn, I could argue that taking any of the top three collegiate players in this class -- Rocker, Leiter and Louisville catcher Henry Davis -- would bring its own benefit over taking high school shortstops such as Texas' Jordan Lawlar, California's Marcelo Mayer and North Carolina's Kahlil Watson, all just 18 years old.

Would it help if the prospect were, oh, a catcher or an outfielder? Or, for that matter, a starting pitcher, given the industry-wide cost of acquiring those from the outside?

Sure. Ideally.

But good luck convincing me that any of that supersedes getting the bona fide best talent.

• The next lazy narrative in line regarding the Pirates, as I've already read and heard, is that they'll take the high school talent to further delay having to raise the big-league payroll.

That's insane on so many levels I don't know where to start, but hey, here's one: Cherington might not be employed long enough for that to matter.

My goodness.

• Derek Shelton's made some questionable decisions in handling his pitching staff of late, lowlighted by a couple apparent whoppers over the weekend in Milwaukee.

In the 5-2 loss Sunday, Wil Crowe was pitching quite well through five innings -- two runs, two hits, eight Ks with a pitch count of just 82 -- and had been allowed to bat for himself with bases loaded and the score tied in the top of the sixth. But after walking his very first hitter of the bottom half, and that on an awfully close call, Shelton came and took the ball. And the Brewers, in turn, took the win by hammering David Bednar.

Why?

"It was the 10-pitch at-bat," Shelton explained, referring to Crowe's walk to Tim Lopes. "He'd been pounding the zone, so we let him hit. He was at 72 pitches. But then, that at-bat got extended and, all of a sudden, the tying run's on. So we went to Bednar. If Wil gets Lopes more efficiently, then he probably gets another hitter."

Probably?

As managers have bemoaned for a century and change, they're only as smart as their relievers make them appear. That's fair to bring up here. At the same time, Shelton's got room to improve in this regard ... but I also can't help but wondering if something else was afoot. Crowe had suddenly started shaking off Jacob Stallings for the first time in the game, and that's always a red flag.

• Comparing Mitch Keller -- and his potential future -- to that of Tyler Glasnow is misguided to the extreme. For one, Glasnow's got stuff that Keller can't concoct in his daydreams. For another, Glasnow's Class AAA career brought a 1.93 ERA, .189 opponents' batting average and 11.8 strikeouts every nine innings. Keller's Class AAA career, which is now unexpectedly about to resume, has brought a 3.98 ERA, .256 opponents' batting average and 10.4 strikeouts every nine innings.

They aren't the same.

Trading Glasnow was a massive mistake. If the Rays weren't going to fix him, someone else would've.

If Keller does get traded, he won't be haunting anyone. His cross to bear is an inability or unwillingness to command the fastball. That might or might not be a courage issue, but if it is, that's not magically cured.

• I'm still all-in for an Adam Frazier trade, but it had better be a trade that makes a meaningful difference in the system. Not another Josh Bell trade.

That's not to compare Frazier to Bell -- the former's been among the majors' top hitters, while Bell's slashing a meager .214/.273/.410 for the Nationals -- and it's also not to suggest the Pirates won't eventually get value from Crowe and 19-year-old pitching prospect Eddy Yean. But it is to suggest the Bell trade felt like the only one Cherington made that was just accepting whatever he could cull from the highest bidder.

There's no need for that with Frazier. He's a good ballplayer with the professionalism and versatility to be counted upon for years. He won't bring the haul Joe Musgrove did because he's not a starting pitcher, but it's got to be something that makes the ears perk up the first time it's heard.

• Oneil Cruz blasted two moon shots into Altoona's historic Skyliner rollercoaster beyond right field for the Class AA Curve, one of which had our Jarrod Prugar rummaging through the amusement park scouring for the ball:

Cruz, a 22-year-old shortstop who's one of the Pirates' precious few prospects with power, comes with enough to compensate for the entire system at times. He's 6-7, 210, with blinding bat speed, and the ball erupts off his bat. To boot, he's shown productivity with a .305/.369/.593 slash line to go with his eight home runs and 16 extra-base hits. He looks very much like he's ready for a promotion to Indianapolis.

But it's looking like it's time to accept he won't be the desperately needed outfielder. All 262 of his innings in the field for Altoona have been at shortstop, and Curve manager Miguel Perez told Prugar over the weekend that's how it's staying for the foreseeable future. Despite his size. Despite how strange it appears.

Is that so awful, though?

It's not as if the shortstops in Pittsburgh are tearing it up, to be kind. And on top of that, picture having that type of power at that position. 

• Cole's a cheater. 

And if it emerges, as many are expecting, that as many as three-quarters of all pitchers in the majors were using banned substances or tools to doctor the ball, then they'll be cheaters, too. Every last one of them. That's not even an opinion. Anyone knowingly breaking the rules to gain a competitive advantage in sports is cheating and, hence, a cheater.

Rather than stating the obvious, though, I've got this question: Who at Scott Boras' mega-corporation allowed Cole to walk into that interview session that unprepared for that question?

More cringeworthy than Larry David seeking out a seat at the symphony, right?

Let me share a little something here: It's not the domain of teams to coach up players for interviews. They can advise if they'd like, but in professional sports, that's the realm of agents. They're supposed to protect their clients at all costs, particularly from stepping in doo-doo like this.

Sample conversation between Boras and Cole, earlier that day:

Scott: 'Hey, G, just wanted to let you know there's a lot of fuss right now about this sticky stuff. Good chance you'll get asked about it.'

Gerrit: 'Cool, thanks. How should I handle it?'

Scott: 'Just say you have no idea what they're asking about and, even if you did, you're not the commissioner to do anything about it.'

Gerrit: 'Anything else?'

Scott: 'Yeah, just tell 'em you're there to talk about ... wait, no, don't do that one.'

Gerrit: 'Sammy?'

Scott: 'Uh-huh. Just do the other thing.'

As it was, Boras, whose every slice of advice Cole has heeded all his life, left his guy to hang.

• For the billionth time, maybe Ray Searage wasn't such a bonehead, after all.

CAITLYN EPES / STEELERS

Mike Tomlin shouts instructions Thursday at OTAs on the South Side.

• The Steelers' minicamp opens Tuesday morning, and it'll be different from OTAs in three ways:

1. Not voluntary
2. Shifting to Heinz Field
3. Matters a little more

And by the latter, I mean still not a ton. It's still Mike Tomlin's proverbial 'football in shorts,' not a single job will be won or lost over the course of three measly sessions, and the closest we'll come to any actual news would be something that a player might say. But since JuJu Smith-Schuster just spoke last week, that probably won't be the case, either.

My principal focus there will be the offensive line.

I know that's never the sexiest subject, but good luck finding another facet that'll represent more of a swing vote toward the 2021 season. The defense is still mostly the defense, and the offense still has all the same skill people plus Najee Harris. But all of it can be undone by a lousy O-line, and that's no O-verstatement.

Who'll start at center, Kendrick Green or a vet?

(I think it'll be Green.)

Will B.J. Finney push Green and/or Kevin Dotson?

(Don't doubt B.J. He didn't return to settle into the background after being buried in Seattle and Cincinnati.)

Will Zach Banner be healthy to resume his battle with Chuks Okorafor and other tackles?

(I don't think so. Not after staying off to the side in OTAs.)

Will David DeCastro be up for being the guy when he's never had to be that?

(Here's hoping.)

I might be more optimistic about this group than most, based on a potential upgrade over the largely lifeless performance in 2020. But that can't and won't be the bar.

• Know all those times JuJu says something, then gets criticized for it, and then the media gets blamed for ... I don't know, not getting who he is or something?

Here's a verbatim quote from that session last week in which he discussed returning to the Steelers for one year at $8 million after a brief foray into free agency: "My value is my value. I thought everything that happened this year was different, with the cap being low. So next year, with the cap being so much bigger and knowing I'll be on the market again, other teams are going to want to offer something to my value. But this year, I want to make sure I go out and make my value better."

I don't have to say a thing about that. Not one thing.

• That's a lie. Because there was more.

"I think to come back for another four more years and have nine years as a Steeler would be tremendous and remarkable," JuJu continued, this time referring to how he'd want his next contract to go. "It would be unheard of from a receiver standpoint. No doubt. Don't get it wrong. Pittsburgh is definitely still an option on the table, and I know that they'll fight hard and they're one of the teams that have the most cap."

Good Lord.

He ranked 36th among all NFL wide receivers in receiving yardage in 2020. He went public before that season that he wanted a four-year contract, then entered that season knowing free agency was coming ... and still ranked 36th.

Now, he describes the team that's currently employing him as "still an option on the table," when there's zero chance anything resembling any such discussion has been contemplated much less activated.

OK, I'm done. Go right ahead and love him.

• While the Nation's reaction to JuJu's remarks was mostly muted, that wasn't the case for Mason Rudolph, who was roundly ripped for having the gall to state in his own session last week that -- gasp! -- he hopes to be the Steelers' starting quarterback someday.

"That’s my goal, to be a starting quarterback in this league and for our team," he said. "I’m working toward that goal every single day. I can only control myself and the way I prepare and the way I approach and play in OTAs and camp. That’s on the forefront of my mind. I’m not worried about ’22 or anything like that. I’m trying to live in the moment and be the best I can for my team."

Horrors!

How dare he?

Who does he think he is?

Well, here's who he is: The only quarterback with a Pittsburgh-issued contract for 2022. Ben Roethlisberger doesn't have one. Josh Dobbs doesn't have one. Dwayne Haskins sure doesn't have one.

Doesn't mean that can't change, but that's the status right now, and here's guessing that's not an accident. The Steelers believe in Mason. They did so when they hung a first-round grade on him. They did so when they made no outside move to replace Ben in 2019. They did so a month ago when, on the eve of the draft, they had him -- and only him -- put pen to paper.

What would anyone want him to think in that circumstance?

• If Pat Freiermuth can block better than Eric Ebron, which shouldn't be hard if Freiermuth even wants to block, he should be the starting tight end. Pending how he shows at camp, of course.

Ebron's value as a receiver is diminished in the context of having JuJu, Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington. Either all four are on the field, or three of them plus Derek Watt -- who will finally get utilized this fall, by the way -- and go with the tight end who offers the best blocking support. That'll buoy the top priority in the running game, and it'll buy Ben time to throw downfield.

Really, this seems obvious. Use Ebron in the red zone, where he's most effective, in a two-tight set. Support what needs to be supported.

• That's a yes-please to Malik Hooker. And a no-thanks to Steven Nelson.

Hooker would add much-needed safety depth and maybe more depending on how he'd be used. And Nelson ... man, there's no point even debating whether or not he and Tomlin could reconcile. Nelson used the H-word -- 'hostage' -- and was released within an hour. That's a no-no, and not just here. He came across as a malcontent and, hey, he's still available on the open market.

He blew it big-time.

Speaking of ...

• Just checking: Le'Veon Bell ripped the Steelers' management, then the Jets' Adam Gase and now ... Andy Reid? Of whom a negative word's never been spoken? Saying 'I'd rather retire' than return to the Chiefs after a giftwrapped trip to the Super Bowl?

Dude, you blew it. You just plain blew it.

And honestly, I'm hard-pressed to come up with anyone in recent Pittsburgh history who's blown it at your scale. Even Antonio Brown. Because AB at least had the excuse of being certifiably nuts.

EVAN SCHALL / PENGUINS

Anthony Angello.

• Everyone fusses over the NHL expansion draft, but if I'm the Penguins, I'm far more focused on that other draft a couple days later.

Ron Francis builds the Seattle roster July 21, and Ron Hextall begins rebuilding the Penguins' sorry system July 23-24.

Well, actually, it's just July 24, since only the first round occurs on the first day, and Jim Rutherford left Hextall with only five total picks this year, three of those not until the seventh and final round. The first pick will be in the second round, 58th overall, and the next will be in the fifth round.

Here's a revolutionary thought: Acquire some picks.

Yeah, I know, I know. But hear me out: It's not a great class, with still no consensus No. 1 overall, and scouts will never have had a harder time evaluating prospects than through a pandemic year. There'll be steals galore in the second, third, even later rounds. The Penguins believe in their scouting, as Patrik Allvin reminded our site last week, and they believe they're capable of later-round finds.

So, get them some. Move, for example, a Marcus Pettersson and his $4 million-plus annual cap hit for a mid-round pick -- he's worth that -- and, in turn, elevate P.O Joseph to take his place in Pittsburgh. That solves two problems and arguably two more in that Pettersson wouldn't need to be protected from Seattle and that freed-up cap space could go to signing a goaltender.

See what I mean?

• On a somewhat similar note: Let's not pretend management can wave some magic wand and make the Penguins bigger while maintaining their level of speed and skill. 

As Hextall worded it a few days ago, "It would be nice, but there's not a lot out there. We'll look at what's there this summer, and we'll make adjustments. But if we go into the next season with this group, we're comfortable."

That might sound ominous. It shouldn't. When Hextall's referring to this group, know that he's not just referring to the group that skated off the ice last month on Long Island but, rather, to the organizational roster, as all GMs do. And when it comes to the organizational roster, let's not forget that none of Radim Zohorna (6-6, 220), Anthony Angello (6-5, 210) or Sam Lafferty (6-1, 195) took a solitary shift in the playoffs.

Zohorna's an offensive player but, as Jeff Carter demonstrated, there's value to being a bigger offensive player even if not throwing one's weight around. Angello's got enough skill to have reached the NHL and might mature into more, the coaching staff believes, if he can unearth some snarl. And Lafferty ... look, I'm not about to tout a 26-year-old who just logged 34 games and zero goals, but he's got a mix of size, speed and some skill that he shouldn't get forgotten.

Put it this way: There's an infinitely better chance of one or more of these three being part of a solution than some miracle acquisition of a third Tkachuk brother or something.

• I'm holding my nose regarding the Lightning's cap circumvention, too, but the Bolts were correct to reject any accusations that they cheated:

If Julien BriseBois, Jon Cooper and everyone else in Tampa's guilty of anything, it's lying. 

The backstory: The Bolts set up Nikita Kucherov's hip surgery at a time when his recovery would coincide with the opening of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Kucherov and also-injured Steven Stamkos were placed on Long-Term Injured Reserve, so neither counted against the cap in the regular season. Other pricy players were added. And because there's no cap in the playoffs and, magically, Kucherov and Stamkos were ready and raring to go for Game 1, the whole roster's now on hand at $18 million over the cap.

If the Bolts win, yeah, they should be branded for this. They didn't violate the rule, but they violated the spirit. And again, they did lie.

Dougie Hamilton, Carolina defenseman, had this to say after the Bolts eliminated his Hurricanes: “We had a great season and lost to a team that’s $18 million over the cap or whatever they are. ... You realize how many weapons they have. If you think about how many more players you could add with that money, you realize how much deeper you’d be.”

He's right. But the egg's ultimately on the NHL's face. There's a glaring loophole, and the Bolts aren't the only team to try to exploit it.

Simple solution: Carry the cap, maybe with a modification or two, into the playoffs.

Duh.

• Nothing that the Islanders achieved after eliminating the Penguins, not even their impressive 2-1 stifling of the Bolts in Game 1 of their semifinal series Sunday in Tampa, means a thing toward redefining the first round. Tristan Jarry was awful. End of analysis, including any revisited analysis. Had Jarry not been awful, the Bolts would've spent the weekend in Pittsburgh. 

• Golden Knights in 3.5. These Canadiens might be the worst team to reach a semi in my lifetime.

• I miss hockey, this summer more than most. The Penguins wouldn't have been anyone's favorite among these four teams, but they easily would've belonged. This is just stupid.