Kovacevic: These Pirates are readier -- and older -- than most might think

PHILADELPHIA -- "I'm excited. This is exciting, man."

If anyone else speaks those six words, it's no big deal. If it's Bryan Reynolds, in that trademark Johnny Cash baritone with the smallest slice of a smile for an expression ... my friends, that's the rough equivalent of having fireworks shooting out of his nostrils, lasers scorching from his eyes, maybe even a Greg Brown cannonball call shouted from his mouth.

Heck, I almost had to cover my ears.

But he meant it. He's good like that. He was standing at his stall in one corner of the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park late Thursday night, this following the Pirates' 3-2 fend-off of the Phillies that finished their 2023 road schedule and, more relevant toward the surging internal optimism of late, a 5-4 trip through three sets of contenders in Chicago, Cincinnati and, ultimately, here.

As Derek Shelton would word it, “Two teams pushing for the playoffs, one team here that’s in the playoffs ... and to go 5-4? I mean, with the exception of the first game of the trip, we were in every game. The two games here, we lost by a run and played really well. I’m just proud of our group because they played good baseball on this road trip.”

They did, at least after that 14-1 laugher at Wrigley that Shelton referenced, especially on offense with 55 runs over the final eight games. They also pitched well at times, ran aggressively, caught the ball, showed smarts and poise and, oh, hey, here's 96.1 mph worth of punctuation from David Bednar:

Pile that on top of an 11-7 finish on the road, a 14-11 September and, by far most compelling, a 34-30 steadiness since July 19, and it's easy to appreciate the sentiment Reynolds was sharing with me while scanning the room.

"Look at what we've got here," he'd say. "Look at the kids. Look at the guys who've gotten a chance and made the most of it. Look at how the guys who've been here who've grown. It's a good mix, a good group. This is gonna be fun."

That'll get no argument from me. On any count. Least of all about how much fun it'd be to follow this franchise if it's legit for the first time since 2015.

But you know, there's one point within his point up there that I'd love to yellow-marker on this occasion, and that's the middle category he mentioned. Because, for all the fanfare over the prospects always identified with the future, the one thing I never see, hear or read anywhere is that they sure aren't what's happened over these past 64 games.

Consider that, of the seven position players who were 24 or younger on the active roster since the All-Star break, they've batted a cumulative .210 with 16 home runs in 792 at-bats -- that's one every 49.5 at-bats! -- and 76 RBIs, all weighed down by an abominable strikeout rate of 30.7%.

Now consider that, of the 14 position players who were 25 or older, they've batted .255 with 62 home runs in 792 at-bats -- one every 24.3 at-bats -- and 217 RBIs.

Now, listen, I believe in Endy Rodriguez. But he just went 2 for 24 on this trip that's got everyone so stoked. And he's at .202 with three home runs over his first 58 games and 178 at-bats in the bigs. He's had his moments, as each of the kids has, but again, this second half's not his.

I believe in Henry Davis, too. But he's at .220 with a respectable seven home runs and a not-so-great 64 strikeouts. I won't mention his defense in right field, since it's not his fault management couldn't figure out where to put a No. 1 overall prospect over an entire year, but this second half's not his, either.

I believe in Liover Peguero, though nowhere near the level of the above two. The ball erupts off his bat when he makes contact, and he comes with flash in the field. But he's got a dozen hits and 26 strikeouts in his past 70 at-bats. And he's at .220 for the season.

I'm not sure what to believe about Nick Gonzales, but he's a first-round pick and can't-miss bat coming out of college, and now all he does is miss. He can't stop striking out, including four more in seven at-bats here since his recall this week. His last hit in a Pittsburgh uniform came way back on July 24, he was sent back to Indianapolis soon after, and he's now at .202 in the bigs.

I'm not sure what to believe about Quinn Priester, but he's a first-rounder, too, and his greatest shortcoming as a starting pitcher is his fastball. That's an island-of-misfit-toys shortcoming. Seven starts have wrought a 7.86 ERA.

To emphasize anew, I'm not dismissing any of these five, and I'm not even downplaying in any way those first two. When twinned with the imminent arrival of Paul Skenes, there's ample cause to expect that a lot of these players will make bona fide contributions in 2024 and beyond. But the only rookie who's done that in this second half has been Carmen Mlodzinski, with a 2.29 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in his first 34 big-league appearances, and he's all alone.

Whereas ...

Jared Triolo, who'd double twice in this game and drive in two runs ...

... to raise his average to a team-best .302 with a .393 on-base percentage and power returning to his game in the aftermath of hand surgery. He's also seen throughout the organization as being second defensively only to Ke'Bryan Hayes, and he's shown to be flexible, as well, in migrating from third base to first and elsewhere.

Now, he's a rookie, too, but he wasn't as touted as any of the above five, and he turned 25 back in February.

But man ...

“I think we knew there were signs of it when he was in the minor leagues of being able to impact the baseball," Shelton would say of Triolo after this. "It’s just we had to figure out at the major-league level, what was going to be the set up that would allow that to work.”

Don't presume he's a bench piece. Not yet. In the bigs, a player's floor can mean just as much as a ceiling.

Josh Palacios went 2 for 4 here ...

... to raise his September average to .310 and his season totals to .239 with 10 home runs in 243 at-bats -- seemingly all of those in clutch circumstances -- while also impressing management with a National League-best eight RBIs as a pinch-hitter.

It might be safer to presume he's a bench piece -- he's 28 -- but it's even safer to assess he's been a bigger part of this second half than any youngster.

This list could keep going. Connor Joe's 30. Jason Delay's 28. Ryan Borucki's 29 and ... wow, has anyone outside the Borucki household noticed that he's now holding a 2.54 ERA, an outrageous 0.77 WHIP and that, since the All-Star break, he's been one of the best lefty relievers in the game?

I asked Borucki after another scoreless appearance here about what players in his age bracket have achieved with the Pirates this season.

"Hey, I’m not that old yet," he began with a big grin. "But no, it’s been great. I mean, obviously, with an up-and-coming team, it’s definitely good that we were able to get the opportunities we've gotten. I got the opportunity, and I just ran with it.”

I asked Shelton, also, if that age bracket's been a big part of these three months.

“They have," he replied. "Connor's been good. Palacios has done a really good job. We’ve tried to use our whole roster in certain situations. Overall, I think that the guys that our baseball ops group brought in midseason have done a really nice job."

There's no need to see any of what I've shared here as a negative. Borucki, for instance, filled a gaping need upon being signed as a minor-league free agent earlier this summer, and he now might stick around. That's a robust plus. Same goes for the others I've cited. They'll all be needed within the Pirates' now commonly stated goal of making the playoffs in 2024. And as a whole, they'll be that much readier.

But this step ... they did this. Along with fixtures Reynolds, Ke'Bryan Hayes, Andrew McCutchen, Mitch Keller and Bednar. Not the kids. Get it right. It's kinda important and only fair.

Maybe it'll be the kids in 2024.

GETTY

David Bednar and Jason Delay celebrate the victory Thursday night in Philadelphia.

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THE INJURIES

• 60-day injured list: SS Oneil Cruz (ankle), RHP JT Brubaker (elbow), LHP Jarlin Garcia (elbow), INF Tucupita Marcano (knee), LHP Angel Perdomo (elbow), RHP Vince Velasquez (elbow), DH/OF Andrew McCutchen (Achilles)

THE LINEUPS

Shelton's card:

1. Ji Hwan Bae, 2B
2. Bryan Reynolds, DH
3. Jared Triolo, 3B
4. Jack Suwinski, CF
5. Miguel Andujar, RF
6. Josh Palacios, LF
7. Alfonso Rivas, 1B
8. Nick Gonzales, SS
9. Jason Delay, C

And for Rob Thomson's Phillies:

1. Kyle Schwarber, DH
2. Trea Turner, SS
3. Bryce Harper, 1B
4. Alec Bohm, 3B
5. J.T. Realmuto, C
6. Nick Castellanos, RF
7. Edmundo Sosa, 2B
8. Jake Cave, LF
9. Cristian Pache, CF

THE SCHEDULE

The calendar's final three games are at PNC Park against the Marlins, beginning Friday night. First pitch 6:35 p.m. Alex Stumpf will wrap it up.

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