Within moments of my flight touching down on the far side of Florida over the weekend, my iPhone buzzed to notify of a text.
It’s almost as if he knew.
Which would’ve been appropriate considering he’s the Scout Who Knows Everything.
No, really, I’ve known the man for years, and I’d fondly refer to him as a friend except for this specific, singularly annoying trait that he’s never, ever wrong about anything having to do with baseball. We all know the type.
The text: 'Not looking great for the Buccos, huh?'
It'd actually crossed my mind, however briefly, that he might’ve meant Jared Jones being shut down by elbow pain. Or David Bednar’s carryover struggles. Or heck, maybe even our special report last week that the team's losing money.
Nope. It’s always the same.
Next text: 'Other than Bryan Reynolds, who’s gonna hit?'
Exactly that. Again.
This began between us a couple springs ago when the Pirates were slugging all kinds of Grapefruit League home runs, running up blowout scores against the likes of the Yankees and the Red Sox. And I'll confess I fell prey to it myself, to an extent. I began to envision what it'd feel like to have a lineup capable of more than killing the clock. I began to envision ... things that people in our city really shouldn't envision. Which was when Mr. Buzzkill, lounging with me in the LECOM Park bleachers to observe a batting practice, predicted that only Reynolds would emerge a contender-level hitter from the pack. And that Andrew McCutchen would keep having professional at-bats but understandably fade. And that Oneil Cruz would labor to find consistency and even to stay healthy with "all those moving parts." And that Jack Suwinski's power would only flash. And that Henry Davis shouldn't have been anyone's No. 1 overall pick. And much, much, much, much more.
Didn't need to elaborate this time.
Final text: 'Man, have fun with that.'
____________________
This Thursday on the other side of the state, the Pittsburgh Baseball Club will embark on its 144th season, beginning with a 4:10 p.m. first pitch against the Marlins at Miami's loanDepot Park.
Today, though, for those involved, was far more about what was ending than any beginning. Andrew McCutchen's stride through the dugout tunnel and back near the clubhouse where I was standing came with an audible sigh, an awesome smile and a "Getting there!" Six weeks of spring training were complete. Three buses and two equipment trucks were being loaded behind Hammond Stadium, readied for the two-hour trek across Alligator Alley.
I'd arrived about halfway through the Pirates' eventual 5-1 loss to the Twins, having been stuck behind an accident on that same Alley driving in the opposite direction after covering the Penguins the previous night in Sunrise. And by the time I entered this place, five full innings had passed, and the visitors, who'd been no-hit Saturday by the Orioles, had two whole hits.
Author of both hits: Reynolds.
See what I mean by annoying?
Because he was so right in 2023 when this team’s offense ranked 22nd in runs, 28th in home runs, 22nd in OPS. Reynolds was the only above-average performer.
Because he was so right in 2024 when this team’s offense ranked 24th in runs, 25th in home runs, 27th in OPS. Reynolds was the only above-average performer.
And because, barring some magical acquisitions out of nowhere these next 48 hours, he'll probably be so right again.
Probably.
It would've provided the easiest counter, had Ben Cherington added a bat or two or three of consequence, but he did no such thing. He traded for Spencer Horwitz, a platoon first baseman with a known bum wrist who'll open the season on the injured list, And he signed a 37-year-old-and-declining Tommy Pham. So the two glaring holes in the lineup at the outset of the offseason remain exactly that.
Derek Shelton's lineup for the opener won't be made public until Thursday morning, but here's my stab at how it'll unfold over time:
1. Jack Suwinski, LF 2. Bryan Reynolds, RF 3. Oneil Cruz, CF 4. Joey Bart, C 5. Andrew McCutchen, DH 6. Spencer Horwitz, 1B 7. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B 8. Nick Gonzales, 2B 9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
Looks a little familiar, yeah?
Looks like another 76 wins, doesn’t it? Maybe 82 if all goes well, including health?
Well, this time of year being what it is and in the interest of balancing out even the Scout Who Knows Everything, I decided today to collect input from the three individuals in this fold who will probably have the greatest influence in the process.
I started with -- who else? --Reynolds.
And I asked, in essence, the same question that'd been asked of me: Other than Reynolds, who here is going to hit?
“Honestly, I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys who are really close to reaching that potential," he replied in a hallway outside the visiting clubhouse here. "I think we’re counting on Cruz to have a big year for us and take that next step. Excited to see Bart build off of last year. A healthy Endy. Gonzo. Jared Triolo. Pretty much top to bottom, I feel like we have guys that are gonna hit.”
Good stuff. I’ll take it. Neat approach to answering in that Cutch was omitted since Cutch long ago reached his 'potential.' Everyone around them needs to rise up.
I’ll take another 20 bombs from Cutch, but I'll need a breakout from Cruz, even if he’s been bugged by a back injury the past couple weeks, as I've been told here. I’ll take Bart Part II over a full schedule. I’ll take Gonzales with more peaks and fewer valleys. I'll take Endy Rodriguez's swagger lighting up the dugout, regardless of the glove he's wearing.
And you better believe I’ll take Jack Suwinski after a remarkable .375/.422/.600 spring with a home run, six doubles, nine RBIs and only 10 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances.
He was next.
"I’m not sure there was any big change," he'd tell me in that same hallway of what's been different. "But it’s funny how a couple of little things can add up to that, you know what I mean? I’m feeling really comfortable, really confident."
The importance of that last adjective can’t be overstated when it comes to Suwinski. As Reynolds put it, "Confidence is always everything with Jack. We know he can hit. Everybody knows he can hit." And they're right. At least to the extent that, when he makes contact, it ranges from solid to very strong.
If he does hit, even if it's just enough to return to his 26-home-run, 74-RBI form from 2023, it's a game-changer for the entire lineup. Because, as he demonstrated most of this spring, he's also got the speed and savvy to lead off and check off multiple boxes. Not to mention covering the extra ground in PNC Park's left field that gets abandoned by Reynolds' shift across to right.
Reiterating for emphasis: If anyone can stick it to my Scout, it's Suwinski. He's the swing vote in this election.
Coincidence or not, his spring‘s come with new instruction. Andy Haines was fired after last season and replaced by Matt Hague from the Blue Jays' fine system. Hague's not easy to label, but I'll give it a shot: He's got an old-school look and feel to him even as he's all over the advanced analytics, and he'd prefer to see his hitters -- gasp! -- hit. Be aware of the zone but be aggressive. And per the people with whom I’ve spoken, he’s been the hit of the spring.
He was next.
"Oh, we’ve got some hitters," he was telling me near one of those buses. "And it’s not just the guys you’d automatically think of. I like what we saw from a lot of guys. Lots of good things. Lots of encouraging things. We didn’t necessarily end up all that great."
With that, he pointed back to the field.
"But we feel good about the progress that we made, and now we just need to take that into the games. And for some guys, they just need to take it and spread it out over a full season."
With that, he cited both catchers. Rodriguez, having been told a day earlier he made the team as Bart's backup and maybe a first baseman, was the system's top prospect just three years ago, then lost 2024 to elbow surgery.
"Those two," Hague would say of the catchers, "can hit."
Hayes has been able to hit at points in his career, but he's all about that wonky back and related maintenance. He told me the back's as strong as it's been, and Hague told me he loved seeing some of the violent hard pull to the swing. When Hayes burst onto the scene in COVID times, he was doing a ton of that, while also delivering heavy velocity to the opposite field, an odd but electric combination.
"I just need to stay out there," as Hayes told me.
Gonzales just needs to get it all together. He's 25, he's the second-baseman-for-real now, and he'll do well once he's more quickly capable of escaping slides. If all he did was cut down on a few more Ks, this after already making progress there, his OPS could slide from .709 to .750 with nobody noticing. The bat tool's always been there.
Kiner-Falefa's coming off the third-most productive season of his seven in the bigs, which isn't exactly the norm at age 30. But at .269/.306/.376 and a career-high-tying eight home runs, that's not the highest of bars, even if almost any team would welcome that from a No. 9, presuming that's where he aligns.
This won't sway the Scout, and I get that. But out of the expected starting nine, including Horwitz and throwing Rodriguez in there, more than half wouldn't figure to have peaked.
____________________
Know what else wouldn't hurt?
I already mentioned Rodriguez's swagger, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it were to spread? Even a little?
I think of this the same way I think of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jones walking around as duos or trios around Pirate City. It's not for any show-off BMOC reason or anything. They just happen to keep good company. ... But I'll be damned if it doesn't give off a vibe. That they're who you think they are. That they're capable of walking into any stadium anywhere and taking all three from a given series.
The Pirates' offense hasn't had that since ... oh, don't make me dig through the archives.
Rodriguez, one of the great characters anyone could encounter in life, let alone baseball, three years ago showed me two beautiful bats he'd just had custom engraved. And pressing play here is an absolute must to see what he says next in his second tongue:
"My God," he'd marvel at those bats, "it's too much homer."
Naturally, then, he'd be the last one I'd pester today:
"Everybody's gonna hit, man," he'd reply. "Not just me."
We still sticking with the Scout?
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THE ASYLUM
Dejan Kovacevic
10:49 pm - 03.24.2025Fort Myers, Fla.DK: OK, so, who's gonna hit here?
Within moments of my flight touching down on the far side of Florida over the weekend, my iPhone buzzed to notify of a text.
It’s almost as if he knew.
Which would’ve been appropriate considering he’s the Scout Who Knows Everything.
No, really, I’ve known the man for years, and I’d fondly refer to him as a friend except for this specific, singularly annoying trait that he’s never, ever wrong about anything having to do with baseball. We all know the type.
The text: 'Not looking great for the Buccos, huh?'
It'd actually crossed my mind, however briefly, that he might’ve meant Jared Jones being shut down by elbow pain. Or David Bednar’s carryover struggles. Or heck, maybe even our special report last week that the team's losing money.
Nope. It’s always the same.
Next text: 'Other than Bryan Reynolds, who’s gonna hit?'
Exactly that. Again.
This began between us a couple springs ago when the Pirates were slugging all kinds of Grapefruit League home runs, running up blowout scores against the likes of the Yankees and the Red Sox. And I'll confess I fell prey to it myself, to an extent. I began to envision what it'd feel like to have a lineup capable of more than killing the clock. I began to envision ... things that people in our city really shouldn't envision. Which was when Mr. Buzzkill, lounging with me in the LECOM Park bleachers to observe a batting practice, predicted that only Reynolds would emerge a contender-level hitter from the pack. And that Andrew McCutchen would keep having professional at-bats but understandably fade. And that Oneil Cruz would labor to find consistency and even to stay healthy with "all those moving parts." And that Jack Suwinski's power would only flash. And that Henry Davis shouldn't have been anyone's No. 1 overall pick. And much, much, much, much more.
Didn't need to elaborate this time.
Final text: 'Man, have fun with that.'
____________________
This Thursday on the other side of the state, the Pittsburgh Baseball Club will embark on its 144th season, beginning with a 4:10 p.m. first pitch against the Marlins at Miami's loanDepot Park.
Today, though, for those involved, was far more about what was ending than any beginning. Andrew McCutchen's stride through the dugout tunnel and back near the clubhouse where I was standing came with an audible sigh, an awesome smile and a "Getting there!" Six weeks of spring training were complete. Three buses and two equipment trucks were being loaded behind Hammond Stadium, readied for the two-hour trek across Alligator Alley.
I'd arrived about halfway through the Pirates' eventual 5-1 loss to the Twins, having been stuck behind an accident on that same Alley driving in the opposite direction after covering the Penguins the previous night in Sunrise. And by the time I entered this place, five full innings had passed, and the visitors, who'd been no-hit Saturday by the Orioles, had two whole hits.
Author of both hits: Reynolds.
See what I mean by annoying?
Because he was so right in 2023 when this team’s offense ranked 22nd in runs, 28th in home runs, 22nd in OPS. Reynolds was the only above-average performer.
Because he was so right in 2024 when this team’s offense ranked 24th in runs, 25th in home runs, 27th in OPS. Reynolds was the only above-average performer.
And because, barring some magical acquisitions out of nowhere these next 48 hours, he'll probably be so right again.
Probably.
It would've provided the easiest counter, had Ben Cherington added a bat or two or three of consequence, but he did no such thing. He traded for Spencer Horwitz, a platoon first baseman with a known bum wrist who'll open the season on the injured list, And he signed a 37-year-old-and-declining Tommy Pham. So the two glaring holes in the lineup at the outset of the offseason remain exactly that.
Derek Shelton's lineup for the opener won't be made public until Thursday morning, but here's my stab at how it'll unfold over time:
1. Jack Suwinski, LF
2. Bryan Reynolds, RF
3. Oneil Cruz, CF
4. Joey Bart, C
5. Andrew McCutchen, DH
6. Spencer Horwitz, 1B
7. Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B
8. Nick Gonzales, 2B
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, SS
Looks a little familiar, yeah?
Looks like another 76 wins, doesn’t it? Maybe 82 if all goes well, including health?
Well, this time of year being what it is and in the interest of balancing out even the Scout Who Knows Everything, I decided today to collect input from the three individuals in this fold who will probably have the greatest influence in the process.
I started with -- who else? --Reynolds.
And I asked, in essence, the same question that'd been asked of me: Other than Reynolds, who here is going to hit?
“Honestly, I feel like we’ve got a lot of guys who are really close to reaching that potential," he replied in a hallway outside the visiting clubhouse here. "I think we’re counting on Cruz to have a big year for us and take that next step. Excited to see Bart build off of last year. A healthy Endy. Gonzo. Jared Triolo. Pretty much top to bottom, I feel like we have guys that are gonna hit.”
Good stuff. I’ll take it. Neat approach to answering in that Cutch was omitted since Cutch long ago reached his 'potential.' Everyone around them needs to rise up.
I’ll take another 20 bombs from Cutch, but I'll need a breakout from Cruz, even if he’s been bugged by a back injury the past couple weeks, as I've been told here. I’ll take Bart Part II over a full schedule. I’ll take Gonzales with more peaks and fewer valleys. I'll take Endy Rodriguez's swagger lighting up the dugout, regardless of the glove he's wearing.
And you better believe I’ll take Jack Suwinski after a remarkable .375/.422/.600 spring with a home run, six doubles, nine RBIs and only 10 strikeouts in 49 plate appearances.
He was next.
"I’m not sure there was any big change," he'd tell me in that same hallway of what's been different. "But it’s funny how a couple of little things can add up to that, you know what I mean? I’m feeling really comfortable, really confident."
The importance of that last adjective can’t be overstated when it comes to Suwinski. As Reynolds put it, "Confidence is always everything with Jack. We know he can hit. Everybody knows he can hit." And they're right. At least to the extent that, when he makes contact, it ranges from solid to very strong.
If he does hit, even if it's just enough to return to his 26-home-run, 74-RBI form from 2023, it's a game-changer for the entire lineup. Because, as he demonstrated most of this spring, he's also got the speed and savvy to lead off and check off multiple boxes. Not to mention covering the extra ground in PNC Park's left field that gets abandoned by Reynolds' shift across to right.
Reiterating for emphasis: If anyone can stick it to my Scout, it's Suwinski. He's the swing vote in this election.
Coincidence or not, his spring‘s come with new instruction. Andy Haines was fired after last season and replaced by Matt Hague from the Blue Jays' fine system. Hague's not easy to label, but I'll give it a shot: He's got an old-school look and feel to him even as he's all over the advanced analytics, and he'd prefer to see his hitters -- gasp! -- hit. Be aware of the zone but be aggressive. And per the people with whom I’ve spoken, he’s been the hit of the spring.
He was next.
"Oh, we’ve got some hitters," he was telling me near one of those buses. "And it’s not just the guys you’d automatically think of. I like what we saw from a lot of guys. Lots of good things. Lots of encouraging things. We didn’t necessarily end up all that great."
With that, he pointed back to the field.
"But we feel good about the progress that we made, and now we just need to take that into the games. And for some guys, they just need to take it and spread it out over a full season."
With that, he cited both catchers. Rodriguez, having been told a day earlier he made the team as Bart's backup and maybe a first baseman, was the system's top prospect just three years ago, then lost 2024 to elbow surgery.
"Those two," Hague would say of the catchers, "can hit."
Hayes has been able to hit at points in his career, but he's all about that wonky back and related maintenance. He told me the back's as strong as it's been, and Hague told me he loved seeing some of the violent hard pull to the swing. When Hayes burst onto the scene in COVID times, he was doing a ton of that, while also delivering heavy velocity to the opposite field, an odd but electric combination.
"I just need to stay out there," as Hayes told me.
Gonzales just needs to get it all together. He's 25, he's the second-baseman-for-real now, and he'll do well once he's more quickly capable of escaping slides. If all he did was cut down on a few more Ks, this after already making progress there, his OPS could slide from .709 to .750 with nobody noticing. The bat tool's always been there.
Kiner-Falefa's coming off the third-most productive season of his seven in the bigs, which isn't exactly the norm at age 30. But at .269/.306/.376 and a career-high-tying eight home runs, that's not the highest of bars, even if almost any team would welcome that from a No. 9, presuming that's where he aligns.
This won't sway the Scout, and I get that. But out of the expected starting nine, including Horwitz and throwing Rodriguez in there, more than half wouldn't figure to have peaked.
____________________
Know what else wouldn't hurt?
I already mentioned Rodriguez's swagger, but wouldn't it be wonderful if it were to spread? Even a little?
I think of this the same way I think of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jones walking around as duos or trios around Pirate City. It's not for any show-off BMOC reason or anything. They just happen to keep good company. ... But I'll be damned if it doesn't give off a vibe. That they're who you think they are. That they're capable of walking into any stadium anywhere and taking all three from a given series.
The Pirates' offense hasn't had that since ... oh, don't make me dig through the archives.
Rodriguez, one of the great characters anyone could encounter in life, let alone baseball, three years ago showed me two beautiful bats he'd just had custom engraved. And pressing play here is an absolute must to see what he says next in his second tongue:
"My God," he'd marvel at those bats, "it's too much homer."
Naturally, then, he'd be the last one I'd pester today:
"Everybody's gonna hit, man," he'd reply. "Not just me."
We still sticking with the Scout?
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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