Bubba Chandler’s MLB debut Friday night at PNC Park was the latest chapter in the sociological experiment that is Pittsburgh Pirates baseball.
The Pirates are last in the National League Central because they unequivocally belong there. Despite leading MLB with 15 shutouts.
The Pirates have scored fewer runs than any team in MLB. Their team OPS ranks last. Their offense is putrid.
The Pirates stink.
But even the slightest uptick is cause for instantaneous rampant optimism among true believers and the stooge media.
Like Chandler’s debut.
Chandler was very good, pitching four shutout innings to register a save in an era where a four-out save is considered an inhumane workload. His fastball topped out at 100.4 mph. Chandler had command.
Against Colorado, the worst team in baseball. (Who, to be fair, have scored 32 more runs than the Pirates.)
The promise of the future was immediately trumpeted: “What a rotation the Pirates are going to have next year! That rotation could win playoff series!”
OK, but who’s going to hit?
Some think the Pirates are just a couple of bats away. Yeah, Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb. (Roberto Clemente and Dave Parker, if you want to keep it local.)
How do the Pirates add offense?
It won’t be via free agency. Owner Bob Nutting won’t spend. Nobody with a better option wants to play in Pittsburgh.
If the Pirates deal from their pitching surplus to get hitters, they might find out they didn’t have the pitching surplus they thought. Anyway, who trusts GM Ben Cherington to make good trades?
But the bar has definitely been raised.
Moving forward, the Pirates won’t just be wasting Paul Skenes. They’ll be wasting Skenes and bunch of other good pitchers.
Tommy Pham talked about how close the Pirates are.
But Pham only signed with the Pirates this season because nobody else wanted him.
He’s cobbled together a season that might be good enough to get him a contract with a better team next year despite his surliness. If Pham can leave, he will.
Escaping Pittsburgh is the goal. (Too late for me.)
Chandler’s debut was weird.
Chandler had struggled in Triple-A this season. Or perhaps he stagnated mentally because he’d been in Triple-A too long despite talent that dictated promotion.
Chandler was summoned. But not to start, his usual role. His job will be bulk relief, sponsored by Sam’s Club.
It’s every kid’s dream to make the big leagues and pitch bulk relief.
Chandler’s first MLB start could have been monetized via hyping in advance. Sell extra tickets. It’s not like ownership to pass up a chance to squeeze the citizens for an extra buck.
It almost seems a decision made for baseball reasons. How odd.
