Paul Skenes is barely getting into his second season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and he already appears determined for the group to develop into aggressive. He additionally threw down the gauntlet this weekend and set larger expectations and targets for the group than anyone throughout the group has voiced in years.
In response to a query from MLB.com author Alex Stumpf, Skenes gave a passionate reply concerning the group needing to win — and win now — as a result of town of Pittsburgh deserves it.
There’s a lot to unwrap from that remark, starting from the “we owe it to town,” to additionally expressing a frustration of nonetheless listening to concerning the group’s 2013 wild-card win in opposition to the Cincinnati Reds as if it was a significant accomplishment to win a single playoff recreation.
It’s such an eye-opening remark as a result of no one within the Pirates entrance workplace ever speaks definitively about what they anticipate from the group or what they need to see. It’s all the time imprecise platitudes about “working towards a championship” or “making an attempt to get higher” and “doing it the correct manner.” There’s by no means a agency expectation. There’s by no means a significant aim. It’s all the time simply imprecise vacancy, which is adopted by a group that by no means has the roster to significantly compete.
Outdoors of a quick three-year window between 2013-15 (Andrew McCutchen’s peak), and a quick three-year window between 1990-92 (Barry Bonds finest years with the Pirates), the group has been a very non-factor because the 1979 season. They by no means compete, not often end with a profitable file and largely function as a farm group and participant improvement group for the remainder of the league.
Pretty much as good as Skenes is, and he already appears to be like like he is without doubt one of the finest pitchers in baseball, if not the most effective pitcher in baseball, there’s already an expectation that he’s going to cost his manner out of Pittsburgh throughout the subsequent 5 years. It already occurred as soon as with Gerrit Cole, and appears prone to occur once more right here.
Which means the Pirates solely have possibly 4 or 5 years to construct a winner with him.
This offseason, coming off a second straight 76-win season and sixth consecutive dropping season, the Pirates did nearly nothing to meaningfully add to their roster. The beginning rotation on paper appears to be like sturdy, however the lineup is brief on influence gamers with few on the horizon within the farm system. Barring some dramatic and sudden enhancements, it appears probably the Pirates will waste one other of the few seasons they are going to have with Skenes.
Followers don’t need to see that occur. He doesn’t need to see that occur. He additionally appears to care extra concerning the scenario than anyone concerned within the entrance workplace.
