Posts by Tim Williams

Tim Williams

221 posts

Owner of PBN. Once ate a 32x Stuf Oreo. Ruled by 4 cats who formed an Anarcho-Syndicalist Commune, each acting as an executive officer of the week to determine when food is served.

The Pirates Have Hard Throwing Relief Prospects Who Are Used to Pitching Multiple Innings

Prospect Analysis

Yesterday at 10:32 am

MLB bullpens have long adopted a structure where they’re expected to cover three innings of a game. If you have five games in a week, you’re expecting at least 45 innings pitched. That means you designate five players — commonly referred to as starting pitchers — to handle 30 or…

First Pitch: It’s Time For a Modern Bullpen Approach in Pittsburgh

First Pitch

Yesterday at 8:22 am

Who is the closer for the Rays? More importantly, does it matter? We’re in the part of the season recaps where I break down the bullpen for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I looked at the 2020 bullpen yesterday, noting the guys who will likely be part of the 2021 group. The…

The Relievers Who Can Help the Pirates in 2021

Analysis

23 Nov at 10:00 am

The Pirates didn’t have a horrible bullpen in 2020. By most metrics they were middle of the pack, with their worst ratings putting them just outside of the worst ten bullpens. The overall results were middle of the pack, but there was some disappointment from the individual results in the…

First Pitch: Breaking Down the Depth For the Pittsburgh Pirates

First Pitch

23 Nov at 7:59 am

For the last few weeks, we’ve been breaking down the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, looking at each position’s production during the 2020 season, along with the prospects who could help in the future. This week we will wrap up those recaps with a look at the bullpen and the bench, getting…

First Pitch: The Final Piece of Development

First Pitch

22 Nov at 9:34 am

That final piece of development is crucial for the Pirates, now more than ever. What is the final piece of development? I can’t tell you. I can’t even tell you where it is taught. For some players, it might be a lesson they missed in the lower levels. For others,…

The Outfield Prospect Depth in the Pirates’ System is Limited

Prospect Analysis

21 Nov at 10:00 am

If all goes well, the future outfield in Pittsburgh projects to have Travis Swaggerty in center field, flanked by Bryan Reynolds in left and Oneil Cruz in right. Things need to all go well in this case. Otherwise, the Pirates have some questions. They might be able to answer those…

Breaking Down All of the Internal Options For the Final Pirates Outfield Spot

Analysis

20 Nov at 10:00 am

The left field position is up in the air right now for the Pirates. In the long-term, I’ve got Bryan Reynolds projected to be the starter for the Pirates in left. Reynolds began the 2020 season as the starter for the Pirates in left field, but moved to center field…

First Pitch: Speeding Up Bats to the Majors

First Pitch

20 Nov at 8:17 am

It only seems appropriate to be discussing Jose Tabata on a day when we’re breaking down the corner outfield positions for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In looking up some information for this article, I learned that Tabata stands out for a very significant accomplishment during his career with the Pirates. In…

The Best Future Spot For Oneil Cruz is in Right Field

Prospect Analysis

19 Nov at 10:00 am

I spent the entire right field recap yesterday discussing how the 2021 season is the last chance for Gregory Polanco to break out with the Pittsburgh Pirates. I’ve followed Polanco on this site for a long time, ever since seeing him as a tall, very skinny teen at Pirate City…

Signs of Hope and Reality For a Gregory Polanco Breakout in 2021

Analysis

18 Nov at 10:00 am

This could be it, guys. This could be the final year I’ll get to write about the unrealized potential of Gregory Polanco with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Polanco has one more year guaranteed under his five-year, $35 million extension that he signed at the start of the 2017 season. Without that…