Presley & D'Arnaud Recalled.

[Burgh Sports Rule]

Bucs Dugout is reporting, that Alex Presley & Chase D'Arnaud have been recalled from the minors & activated by the Pirates.

This is Great news, I think, as I have been wanting to watch Presley, McCutchen & Tabata play in the OF together for a long time now.

Good news, on Chase D'Arnaud as well, he adds a further element of speed to our lineup.

Hopefully, we can do a lot of damage on the basepaths & put that spark back in to our lineup that we had earlier in the yr. Before all the injuries that is. Speed & Small Ball is back for the Bucs!

What do you guys think?

 

[evolver115]

I like it. Presley and Chase need to see some regular at bats to close this season to see what they have in them. I'm really hoping Presley can get back to the way he was hitting before his injury. That kid was on fire.

 

[element1286]

Good news, hopefully Presley keeps on chugging, he will be a huge upgrade if he can OPS .800+.

Hopefully d'Arnaud get's it this time. He looked like he was playing on adrenaline last go round, and wasn't using all his tools to the best of their maximum potential. Harrison seems to have settled down, and is contributing now. Chase could do the same.

I definitely like the speed element of the team. Although I wish they would DFA Paul already, he is becoming increasing redundant, and he isn't very good.

 

[magnumo]

A few thoughts

Harrison and Paul look like very similar players offensively, although Paul is quicker and draws an occasional walk.

I'd dump Diaz before Paul. I know Diaz is a righty and is under contract for 2012, but Paul contributes more on O and D and remains cheap.

I don't think D'Arnaud is ready, but since we're so close to Sept. 1, I guess it doesn't matter.

Biggest questions for me are all about Alvarez. Will he come back in September? Will he play? Will he perform?

 

[sychmd]

i agree with the dump diaz mentality. too bad we couldnt have traded him for a low minors prospect or something before the deadline. paul is young, can be used as a pinchrunner, bunter, or defensive replacement late. although with cutch, tabata, presley, not really sure who he would replace unless we had jones in OF.
paul also seems to be a proficient basestealer, unlike cutch, so maybe paul can tutor cutch in that area because he doesnt seem to be growing very much in his wisdom on the basepaths. his speed isnt as dangerous as it could and should be.

 

[element1286]

Meh, Paul (15/21) and McCutchen (20/28) both have the same success ratio on stolen bases this year. McCutchen has the better career ratio, and has stolen 4x times as many bases in his career than Paul. Paul was pretty mediocre in the minors as well.

 

[sychmd]

he accomplishes that when he isnt nearly as fast or quick as cutch.

 

[thecrow124]

Not sure if anyone has noticed before, but Cutch seems to me that he has a slow first step and it takes him a good 3 or 4 strides to get to top speed. IMO this will likely keep him from being a. 300 hitter and from ever being a great base stealer.

 

[Burgh Sports Rule]

Not sure if anyone has noticed before, but Cutch seems to me that he has a slow first step and it takes him a good 3 or 4 strides to get to top speed. IMO this will likely keep him from being a. 300 hitter and from ever being a great base stealer.

One thing that I will say, & this will sound Crazy to many of you, I am sure.

I don't know about his 1st step but, I agree to a point.

Cutch has disappointed me this yr & really since he has come to the Big Leagues for the most part, in one area.

He does not use his legs enough on offense for my liking. I think, that by now he should be a MUCH BETTER base staler than he is. I don't know if that quality is a learned skill or a natural one. However, I think that a player with McCutchen's wheels should be a far better base stealing threat than he has been to this point in his career.

He does not use his legs enough for my liking on the bases & it seems to me, when he tries to steal, he gets thrown out more times than he really should.

I don't think that McCutchen will become the truly Elite All Around player that we expect him to be, until he uses his legs more effectively on the bases.

It upsets me that to this point in his career, McCutchen is not more dominate on the bases.

I think that this one missing factor in his game, could play a roll in his contract talks with the Pirates as well.

Am I completely off base in my opinions?

Thoughts Everyone.

 

[element1286]

Eh, stealing bases are overrated imo, as is baserunning in general, the difference between the best and the worst isn't much over the course of a season.

Yea, McCutchen should be better, especially at general baserunning, and not just stealing bases.

 

[26 elroy face]

Eh, stealing bases are overrated imo, as is baserunning in general, the difference between the best and the worst isn't much over the course of a season.

Yea, McCutchen should be better, especially at general baserunning, and not just stealing bases.

Please elaborate

 

[thedddd]

I think basestealing is overrated when you have Pujols, Holliday and Berkman (this year) hitting after you, Braun/Fielder or the Red Sox and Yankee lineups.

For the Pirates they need to generate runs and basestealing should be a part of that but not the most important part. But if you can't get on base who cares how fast you are and if you aren't smart on the bases speed doesn't matter.

 

[26 elroy face]

I think basestealing is overrated when you have Pujols, Holliday and Berkman (this year) hitting after you, Braun/Fielder or the Red Sox and Yankee lineups.

For the Pirates they need to generate runs and basestealing should be a part of that but not the most important part. But if you can't get on base who cares how fast you are and if you aren't smart on the bases speed doesn't matter.

Are we talking about base running or just stealing bases. Granted you can't steal first, but I thought the dynamics changed when the Pirates inserted Presley, Harrison, and d'Arnauld. They could pick up the extra base on base hit, tag up on a fly ball, beat out out an infield hit, and steal a base. For an organization that's never going to have a lineup of Pujios, Holliday, and Berkman how is baserunning overrated.

 

[thedddd]

Are we talking about base running or just stealing bases. Granted you can't steal first, but I thought the dynamics changed when the Pirates inserted Presley, Harrison, and d'Arnauld. They could pick up the extra base on base hit, tag up on a fly ball, beat out out an infield hit, and steal a base. For an organization that's never going to have a lineup of Pujios, Holliday, and Berkman how is baserunning overrated.

I never said baserunning. In my opinion just stealing bases is overrated since the other aspects like you mention extra base hits, tagging up and sacrafices in general are probably more important and more likely to occur with better percentages of success.

I agree the dynamics changed with those three in the lineup but honestly with Alvarez and others they should have been playing the same way.

 

[thedddd]

26 Elroy Face...Anyway didn't get a chance but welcome!

 

[element1286]

With thedddd about base stealing, unless a guy is over 75% he is more than likely hurting the team, there are a few guys on the Pirates who are helping the team by stealing bases this year, much more than in previous years for sure.

Definitely agree that smart baserunning is important, and would stress that more than stealing, but still the difference between the best baserunning team this year and the worst is 3 WAR.

 

[element1286]

Are we talking about base running or just stealing bases. Granted you can't steal first, but I thought the dynamics changed when the Pirates inserted Presley, Harrison, and d'Arnauld. They could pick up the extra base on base hit, tag up on a fly ball, beat out out an infield hit, and steal a base. For an organization that's never going to have a lineup of Pujios, Holliday, and Berkman how is baserunning overrated.

I think the dynamics changed, but the magnitude that the change created is overrated, IMO. Harrison and d'Arnaud were as bad of hitters as Pedro, they certainly were upgrades in other areas, defense and baserunning. But since they were replacing a guy who wasn't hitting, playing defense, or anything the magnitude of the upgrade/dynamics is overblown. If Pedro was OPS .800+ and hitting homeruns when he got hurt, they would have been a different dynamic for sure, but severe downgrades overall.

Harrison looks like he is getting it, and Presley looks like a major league player in some capacity (I'm not sure how good either are yet), but d'Arnaud still looks overwhelmed out there, whether he brings a different dynamic or not, he isn't contributing in any way except filling space right now.