Friday Insider: Pirates' losses no coincidence

Narratives abound about why the Pirates have been successful the past three years, some of them silly (defensive shifts and pitch-framing!) and some of them flat-out wrong (their oft-cited drafting actually has been abysmal).

The truth is, aside from an internal core of Dave Littlefield/Ed Creech draft picks such as Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes; plus a No. 1 overall pick by Neal Huntington in Gerrit Cole; plus superb Latin American finds in Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and the bulk of the system's top prospects; most of Huntington's best results have come from outside acquisitions. That's where they found A.J. Burnett, Russell Martin, Francisco Liriano, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Josh Harrison, Francisco Cervelli, Jung-Ho Kang and you can probably throw J.A. Happ on the pile, too.

The Pirates haven't spent a ton of money, relative to their peers, but they've made so few mistakes with their spending that it stands out.



A month ago, Marc DelPiano left the Pirates to oversee the Marlins' minor-league operations. He was primarily responsible for the strongest recommendation to spend whatever it took to land Burnett and Martin, the two players generally credited with transforming the Pirates from losers to winners. He also uncovered and signed Grilli, among several others.

A week ago, Jim Benedict left the Pirates to become the Marlins' vice president of pitching, an odd title but a sign that Miami management was willing to get creative to get their guy. He's worth it. He was responsible for an array of duties, from studying video to fixing flaws to reconstructing youngsters to, yes, helping evaluate pitchers being acquired from the outside. He was Huntington's Mr. Everything when it came to pitching, and he was seen by players as every bit as valuable as Ray Searage to the process.

Several months ago, the Marlins named Mike Berger, a Central Catholic grad and Pittsburgh-proud guy, to be their interim GM with the possibility he could drop the interim tag soon. He knows and understands the Pirates as well as anyone in the business.

None of the above is coincidence. Berger knew what was making the Pirates tick. That's why Miami was working not just recently but for months to take DelPiano and Benedict -- as well as one other valuable exec I'm not at liberty to mention -- for themselves.

DelPiano and Benedict both sought more prominence in the Pirates' organization, but they, like most everyone else associated with Huntington's front office since his arrival in 2007, knew his inner circle always would be limited to Kyle Stark and Greg Smith. In fact, it wasn't until the Hoka Hey embarrassment and Bob Nutting's internal admonition for more voices to be heard that people like DelPiano and Benedict finally began to gain influence.

That clearly wasn't enough to keep them.

• I have no details on this, but I'm told to expect Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington to make a case for a multiple-game wild card this winter to Major League Baseball. That hardly means they'll be successful. One person intimately familiar with New York's thinking on this told me on the night of Pirates-Cubs that the extraordinary national TV ratings for these games have MLB types thinking nothing is broke.

• Impersonal as Mike Tomlin is with the local media -- full disclaimer: I couldn't care less -- that's exactly how controlling he can be of the message sent out from within the team.

That's why, when Tomlin was asked at his Tuesday press conference to elaborate on Maurkice Pouncey's second ankle surgery last week -- in the context that Pouncey's girlfriend posted a couple of vague announcements via Instagram -- he barked back: "I’m not playing the Pouncey social media game."

Small wonder. The previous week, Tomlin had stated only that Pouncey hadn't had a second surgery to that point, without elaboration even though he surely would have known if such a thing we're even being contemplated. Because, as this site reported exclusively in detail, he definitely had it.

This bears further monitoring.

• Full marks to Tomlin, by the way, for having painted the best possible picture for the Steelers while they were without Ben Roethlisberger. From what one team vet told me in Kansas City, the coach instilled a healthy survival focus on life without Ben, emphasizing their record in that period and how important it would be to keep their heads above water.

So even though his standard-is-the-standard message remains mostly intact, he also inherently acknowledged that there was no replacing Ben in pushing this.

Good coaches adjust.

• Brandon Boykin's bizarre disappearance from the depth chart at cornerback this season should be accompanied by all kinds of question marks, not least of which is this: When he first showed up at Latrobe, he was full of bombast, he was Mr. Candid on every topic ... and then he just stopped talking. He'd either decline to be interviewed or avoid the locker room during media sessions altogether.

The Steelers didn't just suddenly decide that their current slot corners were better than Boykin. And Boykin didn't just suddenly decide he was cool with that.

Something happened.

• Martavis Bryant might not be a changed man, but he sure is impressing to that effect. Ever since returning from his suspension, he's unfailingly polite and professional, while also choosing his words carefully to emphasize his teammates first.

That's hardly what I saw and heard in Buffalo when he came across as anything but contrite over having hurt the Steelers by being suspended, giggling and looking away all through his questioning.

This isn't everything, obviously. But it's a solid start.

• Had a good talk with Jim Rutherford two nights ago in Washington, and he came across more as relieved than anything that the Penguins have at least gotten good results while generally struggling to get going. He also emphasized that, to date, his team has faced the following gentlemen in the first 10 games: Antti Niemi twice, Mike Smith, Carey Price, Roberto Luongo, Pekka Rinne and Braden Holtby.

"That's some pretty good goaltending," Rutherford said.

The goaltending doesn't explain all of the Penguins' offensive shortcomings, and the GM didn't pretend otherwise, but it's fair to point out that they haven't exactly encountered Sieve Row along the way.

• The Penguins tread lightly when it comes to criticizing Sidney Crosby and/or Evgeni Malkin, but suffice it to say there's an undercurrent that's pointing their way for the power play ranking dead last in the NHL. They want Crosby below the goal line, they want Malkin to gun it from the point, and they want both of them to utilize Phil Kessel much more off the left half-wall.

• Johnston continues to run the power play, but not surprisingly, he's been more open to ideas of late.

• Asserting himself more and more by the day, on and off the ice: Ben Lovejoy.

"I know what kind of defenseman I am, and I know the kind of defenseman I've been my whole career," he told me in D.C. "I'm proud of that."

Don't overthink what he meant: He never wished to be a top-two guy in the most recent playoffs, as he'd never held such a role or so many minutes.

• I asked Daniel Sprong if, like Olli Maatta before him, he'd be able to enjoy hockey a little more if/when he hears from the Penguins that he'll stay all season: "Oh, for sure. That's just normal. You can't relax, but you can play with less pressure."

The kid almost smiled, too. Don't underestimate that. He's a creative, offensive player, and he's working under a coach who seems to magnify his every mistake into something fatal. That stifles development, and neither Sprong nor the organization benefits from that.

• To witness pure joy is to witness Pascal Dupuis right now. Every shift. Every moment.

Good things do happen to good people.