Andrew McCutchen's time with the Pirates appears to be drawing to a close

Pirates drafted Andrew McCutchen what feels like a short 12 years ago, and since that moment, he has known nothing but playing in the Pirates organization his entire professional baseball life. Conversely, Pittsburgh Pirates fans over the years haven't known a Pirates team that didn't feature Andrew McCutchen. 

The star center fielder has been the icon, the figure, the face of the Pirates. When you think about the Pirates, Andrew McCutchen is the guy that pops into your head almost immediately. It seems like, no matter what, he will be associated with Pittsburgh and vice versa. 

However, baseball has to be a business at times and teams must transition their roster every so often in order to remain competitive and phase out the older players in exchange for the next wave of potential stars. This has lead to trade rumors swirling around him. This has become a sad reality, a cloud over the head of the superstar that helped bring winning back to the Pirates. 

As we all know, Pirates nearly traded McCutchen in the offseason before a deal reportedly fell through with the Nationals. For better or for worse, it happened. McCutchen started off 2017 even worse than 2016 as he fell to the Mendoza line (.200 batting average) and wasn't producing for the better part of April and May. Since, however, he's been possibly the hottest hitter in baseball and his stats look wonderful now. This, coupled with the fact the Pirates may sell a bit at the trading deadline depending on where they stand as well as a looming Austin Meadows, has lead to the inevitability that a McCutchen trade may happen within a month when MLB teams do their bi-annual swapping marathon (The Winter Meetings being the other one). 

Many fans are clinging on the hopes that he isn't traded and can remain a Pirate for life, an optimistic look but not one that dawns itself in this current reality. McCutchen, like so many others, just don't stand a chance to stay with one team their entire careers. The same will seem to hold true for McCutchen, unfortunately. He will either be traded this July, in the offseason, next July, or walk as a free agent. Either way, his time with the Pirates will be reaching a conclusion much sooner than we think. 

So, Pirates fans: I think we should enjoy potentially the very last month we have with McCutchen as a Pirate because his last game could be almost every game in July, so enjoy every one like it's his last. Pirates fans will look back fondly on McCutchen no doubt as he has been one of the very special ones in Pirates history, and we can't forget that. We truly got to witness a great player form right before our very eyes, and it was remarkable. 

When the inevitable moment of McCutchen's departure occurs, it is okay to cry (I know I will) because McCutchen left us all with lasting memories that will not be forgotten. He was a true great on and off the field, and we can't thank him enough for what he brought to the Pirates. 

But as the curtain begins to close on Andrew McCutchen's Pirates career, it's important to know that each end is a new beginning. A new beginning for McCutchen to play elsewhere, meet new people, and have a new city hopefully embrace him. And a new beginning for the Pirates who will look to continue to field greats that we will never, ever forget. 

If this is the last hurrah...........

Thank You, Andrew McCutchen. 

Scouting report: Shane Baz

Pirates selected high school pitcher Shane Baz with the 12th pick in the MLB draft recently, and he has already agreed to a deal with the Pirates after he was reportedly going to be a hard guy to sign, maybe even the toughest sign of the draft, because of his strong commitment to one of the nation's best baseball schools in Texas Christian University (TCU). Now that he is going to be a member of the Pirates organization and was a top pick, we are going to hear about him for years to come. So, I think it is a good idea that we all get to know this young right-hander. 

Shane Baz is a 6"3', 190 lbs RHP out of Concordia Lutheran HS (same school Ke'Bryan Hayes went to) and is from Cypress, Texas. 

He's characterized as an athletic guy with a live arm that has his fastball topping out anywhere from 93-98 mph (regularly at about 94-96 mph) with somewhat of an inconsistent delivery, which is a problem that plagues a majority of guys his age. His fastball is rated as a plus pitch for him, but he owns at least 2 offspeed pitches that are also rated very highly, possibly 3, even though he has 5 pitches in his arsenal at the moment. His cutter has developed nicely and is seen as almost as good as his fastball grade-wise, he also mixes in a slider that could become as good as his cutter as well, his changeup could end up being a big pitch for him if it develops, and his curveball is a pitch he likes to use but it's far less developed than his others. His changeup and curveball are the furthest behind development-wise but both could still be average. The possibility also exists that one of the two may be eventually abandoned so he can focus on a 4-pitch mix and mastering them. He is seen as having great "stuff" and is potentially overdeveloped for his age, which could lead to a quicker development for him than many that turn pro at his age, as he already has 3 pitches that are considered plus offerings. 

Strengths:

Baz already having a great feel for 3 pitches in his arsenal at his age is something you don't see much. This highly-developed aspect to him is a major bonus to have, especially if he dreams of getting to the majors as quick as possible, and I'm sure he and the Pirates would like that very much. 

Weaknesses:

Like many pitchers his age, maintaining a consistent delivery and showing consistent control and command of his pitches is kind of troublesome, but as I said, not many pitchers his age has mastered that yet. His control and command is seen as below average right now but not to the point where it is seen as any sort of issue given his age and his "stuff". He will have plenty of time to develop control and command of all his great pitches. 

The main problem most people had with Baz was his commitment to TCU, not what he showed on the field. Now that he has seemingly committed himself to the Pirates, work can begin on this super-talented righty that certainly has potential to be a top-end rotation starter in the MLB in a few years if he doesn't hit too many snags along the road. 

Who should be the Pirates starting catcher?

There has been ongoing debate over the last few weeks as to who the Pirates should trot out every night at catcher. The last few weeks, there has been stirring that it should be Diaz given what he's done the last week or so and his reputation of great defensive work in the minors. However, now that Cervelli has returned from the concussion DL, people have started a seemingly endless argument to this topic. Today, I will aim to squash all questions about who the starting catcher should be because the answer is rather obvious. 

First, let's look at numbers for this season. Offensively, Cervelli has actually been quite solid, owning a .346 OBP, a .325 wOBA, and a 101 wRC+ in 182 plate appearances on the year. Even though he's not been outstanding at throwing out base stealers (throwing out about 20% of base stealers), his defense behind the dish overall is still rock solid.

Now, as for Diaz, he has been hot at the plate, but it's been an extremely small sample size. In 48 plate appearances, he owns a .396 OBP, a .381 wOBA, and a 139 wRC+, but his .382 BABIP suggests he is due for regression, and his small sample size doesn't help matters as he has never shown to be a particularly good hitter throughout the minor leagues. As for defense, Diaz certainly excels, and we don't need numbers to back it up, and the sample size of his defense in the MLB is so small that it's hard to discern, but he has an elite arm and is great at throwing out baserunners. 

The next thing to go over is circumstance. Cervelli is, by many accounts of knowledgeable baseball fans, in the top half of catchers in the league and is heralded for above average offensive output overall as well as great pitch-framing skills, game-calling skills, and is good enough at throwing out baserunners to make him a very good all-around player. As for Diaz, there is a chance he could be these things, but he is a 26-year old rookie that has never shined enough in the minors that he would be considered a starting catcher unless someone got hurt, and the way the Pirates have used him makes that clear. 

So the answer is very clear as to who the Pirates starting catcher should be, and the answer is Cervelli. Love him or hate him, it's hard to see why he shouldn't be the catcher of the Pirates. He is a bonafide catcher in this league that has caught a lot of games at a high level. Don't get me wrong, Diaz playing well while filling in for Cervelli was a major boost, but let's not pretend that one good week in the MLB means that player should become the starter over one of the better catchers in the league.