LAS VEGAS -- If one was to look for reasons to draw hope for the 2023 Pirates, they could turn to the farm system. Class AA Altoona was home, at one point or another, to seven players who at one point or another appeared on a top 100 prospect list -- Henry Davis, Nick Gonzales, Endy Rodriguez, Liover Peguero, Quinn Priester, Mike Burrows and Luis Ortiz -- and all of them should be on the major-league radar for next year.
And talking to them, they aren't coming up to the majors with the intention to lose.
"It's a lot of fun watching these guys play, and it's fun being a part of it," Gonzales told me Tuesday in Scottsdale, Ariz. before his Arizona Fall League team, the Saguaros, took the field. "I think we have a lot of exciting baseball ahead of us. Right now, we're getting better. When our time comes, I know for a fact every single one of us is going to be ready to put in the work."
Gonzales isn't the only one who feels that way. Davis and I talked about the subject and building a winning culture this week as well, and it's been a theme that has come up during my trips to minor-league affiliates this season.
When I relayed that to the Ben Cherington Wednesday at the General Manager meetings in Las Vegas, he smiled.
"It’s exactly what I want any player, major or minor-league, to say," Cherington responded in our one-on-one chat. "We want to win. There’s an expectation to win. We’ve gone through a very difficult part of our team building, and we think it’s time to get better too. We want to take a step towards getting better. I’ve been hearing that feedback consistently from our minor-league player group. They don’t like the idea of losing games.”
It's the right mindset, but will those young players have the supporting cast to put themselves in a position to win? It does sound like the Pirates are going to be more aggressive on the free agent and trade markets this winter than they have been the past couple years, with Thursday's trade for Ji-Man Choi supporting that. The rotation is a priority, to the point that the Pirates could bring in multiple pitchers, and not necessarily just reclamation projects. But how big are they willing to go there? There was some cold water thrown on to a possible José Quintana reunion when I broached the subject. The left-hander will be paid handsomely this winter, but if MLB Trade Rumors' prediction of a two-year $24 million deal is too rich for the Pirates, it does limit the pool of players they could target.
It should be a busier winter for the Pirates, one where the big moves could be adding to the roster rather than regrouping because they traded an impact player. But it will still be the prospects and development leading the way.
“We’ll be young," Cherington said. "We’re not going to be afraid to challenge our players. We’re going to continue to do that in Pittsburgh and give opportunities to young players.”
MORE PIRATES
2. The Pirates needed help at first base and got Choi, who graded out positively at the plate in the field last year. Does that mean the Pirates are done looking at first basemen this winter? Maybe not. By the time Cherington and I talked in Las Vegas, the Pirates had already cleared an extra roster spot on the 40-man, indicating a deal was probable, if not already complete, and it sure sounded like they were still looking for more depth there. Choi profiles best as a platoon, so it wouldn't hurt to pair him with a right-handed hitter. Perhaps it's as simple as an internal option like Miguel Andújar, but it sure sounds like the Pirates will keep looking. Perhaps not just for another traditional first baseman, but someone else who can play first, which is still a rather thin position depth wise.
And one random Choi note to close the Choi notes: In the series I covered in Tampa, his walk-up music was just a drum where fans would chant "Ji-Man Choi" to the same rhythm as "Let's Go Bucs." I think that could catch on at PNC Park too. -- Stumpf
3. Tuesday is the deadline to add prospects to the 40 man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 draft. A couple players are no-brainer decisions, like Endy Rodriguez and Mike Burrows. Blake Sabol's case is less clear. Talking to him Tuesday, he thinks he'll get added, and I've heard league buzz that if the Pirates do not add him, there's a good chance he'll be taken in the draft. The 24-year-old catcher/corner outfielder has only had an ok showing in the Arizona Fall League, but he was one of the Pirates' best performing hitters in the minors this past year. And while the odds are good that he is going to reach the majors in 2023 even if the Pirates don't roster him, there's no doubt in his mind that he wants to make the leap to the majors with the team that drafted him.
"I think that I put my best foot forward this year, and I'm hoping that I stick around with the organization," Sabol told me
4. I would recommend catching an Arizona Fall League game if you ever happen to be in the right neighborhood. Probably the most chill, low-stress baseball environment I've been around.
And it's a preview for what's to come with next year's bases, which are going to be bigger. I don't know if this photo really does it justice...
ALEX STUMPF / DKPS
What 18 square inches looks like.
But you'll be able to tell when looking at the diamond. It just looks a bit off, but we'll get used to it. -- Stumpf
PENGUINS
5. Earlier this week, Rickard Rakell and I were discussing his stick preferences. I asked him if he had been toying around with his blade curve or stick length at all this season, to which he responded, “Not yet,” followed by a smirk as he looked up to me out of the corner of his eye. “I always like to play around, always have a few different [sticks] I’m rotating between, but I’ve stuck with the same one so far,” he said. Rakell then told me his stick blade is modeled after an old Jason Spezza curve that he’s made his own. “I like my shot I have with it. I feel like that gives me something special in the game. I’m not the fastest guy, not the most skilled guy, don’t have the hardest shot, but I think at least that gives me deception in my shot and brings me something extra to my game.” The blade is lengthier than most with a pretty hefty toe curve, and the height of the blade is also higher than average. -- Danny Shirey in Toronto
6. The offensive impact Rakell has brought to the Penguins is obvious. So far this season, he leads the Penguins in shot attempts and shots on goal, and ranks second on the team in expected goals. That said, and it’s nothing close to an indictment of Rakell, it really is sticking out that the Penguins haven’t had a true “shutdown” fourth-line since they acquired him, sending a package to the Ducks including defensive stalwart Zach Aston-Reese and possession hound Dominik Simon. The Penguins finished last season ranked fifth in the NHL in the rate at which they allow expected goals against at 5-on-5, but this season they currently rank 16th, according to Evolving-Hockey. -- Shirey
7. The Penguins' Winter Classic jerseys will be inspired by the NHL Pirates team of the late 1920s, as I first reported back in July. I've learned that the jerseys will be cream-colored, while the Bruins will wear darker jerseys. No, blue is not involved. -- Haase
8. Some young fans and their families had the opportunity to venture into the Penguins’ locker room after practice in Cranberry earlier this week. Even though the locker room was a zoo between the media, the families and the players coming in and out, several players, including Sidney Crosby, made it a point to stop and say hi to every single kid in there. Crosby then plopped down at his stall, massive smile on his face, kind as could be, and signed autographs and joked around for quite some time, all mired in one of the worst losing streaks of his career. You already know Crosby is an outstanding human being, but the way he handles himself in these situations is quite the sight to behold. -- Shirey
9. Danny's story above reminded me of a time back in the 2019-20 season when the Penguins had a group of children come to a practice through Make-A-Wish. They got to come to the rink and meet players, got outfitted in their own Penguins equipment, got set up with temporary stalls in the locker room, and then skated with some players after practice. One little boy, he couldn't have been more than six years old, seemed overwhelmed by the whole experience and the busy locker room after practice and was crying. Patric Hornqvist noticed and took the boy aside, pulled him onto his lap and sat with him in his locker stall, and quietly spoke with him until he calmed down. -- Haase
10. Filip Hållander changed the pronunciation of his name this season. That "å" makes an "oh" sound in Swedish, so his name is pronounced like "HOH-lan-der," and that's how he asked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton broadcasters to say it last season. You'd still hear players, management and other team's broadcaster's pronounce it with an "ah" sound, of course. This season Hållander decided to Americanize the pronunciation of his name while over here and is now asking for it to be pronounced "HAH-lan-der," the way I'm sure many of you were already saying it. SImon Despres did something similar when he was in Pittsburgh. His first name is supposed to be pronounced like "see-MOH," but people here often pronounced it "see-MOHN," which would be the feminine version of the name. To make it easier on everyone he just asked for it to be pronounced "sigh-mon" toward the end of his time in Pittsburgh. -- Haase
11. I'm always amused by the intricate rituals players have during warmups and even in the tunnel before warmups. A lot of them involve teammates, like with Bryan Rust hitting Jake Guentzel into the boards and Guentzel spinning along the glass back-and-forth. A new one I noticed this week happens in the tunnel before warmups. Chad Ruhwedel and Rust stand facing each other, and Rust sticks his stick between Ruhwedel's legs and alternates smacking either leg pretty hard in quick succession. Pretty funny. -- Haase
12. I don't know if Washington has the most Penguins fans of any road city -- Buffalo and Columbus come to mind as cities that draw particularly well for the Penguins when they're on the road. But Penguins fans in Washington might just be the loudest. From being at that game on Wednesday, it sounded pretty darn close to a home game after Penguins goals. Marcus Pettersson told me a few weeks ago that Washington is his favorite road arena to visit simply because of the fan support they get there. That's really saying something, too, given that Capital One Arena is widely regarded as having one of the worst visiting team locker rooms around. It's pretty small, the shower situation is apparently pretty small too, and there's no designated area for players to work out or stretch after games so they're usually just out in the hallway after. -- Haase
13. I feel like most people know that Conor Sheary is married to Mike Sullivan's niece. A fun fact I learned this week is that Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy got engaged this summer to Sullivan's daughter, who he met during their time at Boston University. The hockey world is a small one. -- Haase
STEELERS
15. The list of complaints in Matt Canada's offense is endless, but the lack of a running game has to be near the top. And now, with the defense on the verge of welcoming T.J. Watt and Damontae Kazee back into the fold, it lessens the chance of the offense having to become one-dimensional to play catch up. I've written on DK Pittsburgh Sports how switching to more outside zone runs was going to take time for the offense to figure out, but it can't come at the detriment of a completely ineffective running game.
Without giving anything away, I asked Mason Cole if there was something the offense was looking to do coming out of the bye week, specifically changing up the run schemes a bit. "We're going to do some different things here and there," Cole tole me. "I just think we're still searching for our identity. Until we have a game where Najee [Harris] or Jaylen [Warren] get loose and we really have a solid running game, we won't know what that identity is yet. We did some soul searching on the bye week. We'll see what comes to fruition during the second half of the season." -- Chris Halicke on the South Side
16. Cole mentioning the lack of an identity in the running game should alarm folks. Cole earned praise this week from both Canada and Mike Tomlin for stepping in and becoming a leader on the offensive line in his first year with the organization. I asked Cole what that means to him. "I don't put too much into that. It's great to have the coach and coordinator talk about you. When it comes down to it, this is our job. This is why they signed me here. I came here to do a job, and that's all I can do each day. Just come in here, go to work and be the best professional I can be." -- Halicke
17. There is a growing suspicion on the South Side that Ahkello Witherspoon will be placed on injured reserve to make room for Watt on the 53-man roster prior to Sunday's game. Witherspoon re-aggravated his hamstring during Monday's practice, and has been very scarce around the complex since then. -- Halicke
18. Despite not practicing Wednesday and Thursday, Myles Jack has told me twice this week he's confident that he can play Sunday. "I just need a little rest," he told me. When I asked again if he'll be good to go Sunday, he told me, "That's the goal." -- Halicke
19. DeMarvin Leal is on track to return by the end of the original 4-to-6 week prognosis for the surgery done on his knee. He's eligible to return as early as this Sunday's game, but the prognosis puts him in line to return no earlier than the Monday Night matchup with the Colts on Nov. 28. Leal has been doing some running and has been progressing in his rehab, but has not sniffed the practice field, and likely won't for at least another week or two. -- Halicke
20. Every player does something different during the bye week. Some want to do extra film study. Some want to completely unplug and not think about football. I asked Warren what he did during the bye week, and he responded, "I played Call of Duty and rested." I almost didn't, but I had to follow up and ask how much he played. "Probably more than I should have," he laughed. It turns out he's not a big fan of the new maps in the newest game which was released last month. -- Halicke
21. Taysom Hill provides a difficult and unique challenge for any team facing the Saints, as the quarterback is deployed in a number of ways. Hill is most dangerous as a runner, but he can obviously make throws and also run routes in the passing game. To prepare for him, the Steelers have had Mitch Trubisky play as Hill on the scout team during practice. I chatted with Trubisky about it this week, and he seems to be having some fun with it. I asked if he had any experience as a receiver, even in high school, and he told me he had none at all. “I’ve gotta work on my route-running," Trubisky told me with a smile, "but I’d like to think I’ve got some hands.” -- Halicke
