Not much money in the Pirates’ payroll? Not a problem, insist club executives.
Frank Coonelly, Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle painted a rosy picture Saturday during a question-and-answer session with fans during PiratesFest at PNC Park. All three said they believe the Pirates can win on a shoestring budget.
The Pirates, according to research by DKPittsburghSports.com, are on course to have a $71-million player payroll on opening day. That ranks ahead of only the Tampa Bay Rays, who project to spend $60 million.
The Pirates ended last season at $90 million when they went 82-79 for just the franchise’s fourth winning season in the last 26 years. A $71-million payroll would represent a 19 percent decrease and seemingly would make it tough to compete in the National League Central, the only division in the major leagues in which four teams finished above .500 last season.
Unsurprisingly, the first question asked during each 50-minute session was about the low payroll and if it meant the Pirates were just satisfied with being over .500. That drew an ovation from the crowd.
However, Huntington quickly shot down the idea with a line he has used many times before.
“The only reason we’re here is to win World Series No. 6 for our fan base and then wake up the next day and try to figure out how to do it again,” he said.
However, World Series title No. 5 came 40 years ago when the Pirates rallied from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Orioles in seven games in 1979. The Pirates have not been back to the Fall Classic since, or won a division title since 1992.
“That’s too damn long,” Coonelly said, also drawing cheers from the crowd.
The long drought and low payroll are enough to make even the most diehard Pirates fans skeptical. And none of the fans stepped to the microphone to tell management they were happy with the team cutting spending.
“I think in terms of the narrative that spending money wins you games, if you look at the 10 teams that were in the postseason (last year), five were in the top 10 in terms of payroll and five were out of the top 10,” Huntington said. “Historically, we have shown we can win with a bottom-five payroll. The Indians have done it. The Royals have done it. The Brewers are doing it. The A’s have done it. The Rays have done it.”
The Pirates did indeed win the first NL wild card for three straight years from 2013-15 with low payrolls. Yet what Huntington did not mention is that the team with the highest payroll in the major leagues beat the team with the second-highest in last year’s World Series when the Red Sox downed the Dodgers.
The 2013-15 Pirates also had a star player to anchor the lineup in Andrew McCutchen and a top-of-the-rotation pitcher in Gerrit Cole. The 2019 Pirates have just four players who have appeared in an All-Star Game on their projected opening-day roster: Chris Archer, Felipe Vazquez, Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte.
As Hurdle said, “we don’t do any stargazing here.” Huntington, though, feels the lack of star power won’t deter the Pirates from getting to the postseason in 2019.
“When you can spend more money, it gives you a larger margin for error, but we have enough here with talented young players who are ready to win,” Huntington said. “We have a great group of young players in the primes of their career who are turning corners individually, and we feel they are going to let us turn the corner collectively. We can’t control what is written or said about our payroll, but I feel very good about our talent.”
Huntington then added: “Don’t tell this group it can’t win. It’s very optimistic. It believes it can win.”
The session was not contentious, but many seemed rather circumspect about the Pirates’ stated – and repeated – intention that their goal in 2019 is to win the World Series. In fact, the loudest cheer came after the final question in which a fan asked why Bob Nutting never attends any of the ask-the-management sessions.
Nutting was not at PNC Park on Saturday and, according to a club spokesman, was attending to business matters in California. Coonelly deflected the query by giving a Knute Rockne-style answer.
“We’re not happy with 82 wins. Nobody is pleased, satisfied or happy with 82 wins last year,” Coonelly said. “It represents a move in the right direction. But it’s not going to get you into the postseason. Every single man and woman in this organization has one goal and that’s winning the World Series. We know the passion you have, and we have the same passion you do.”
Other news and notes from PiratesFest:
• Shortstop Erik Gonzalez and right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall made their unofficial Pirates’ debuts. Gonzalez was acquired from the Indians in a trade on Nov. 14 and Chisenhall was signed to a one-year, $2.75-million contract two weeks later as a free agent. Both admitted it felt strange to put on a different jersey after spending their entire careers in the Cleveland organization. Chisenhall was the Indians’ first-round draft pick in 2006 and Gonzalez was signed as an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic in 2008.
• Jung Ho Kang made his first appearance in front of Pirates’ fans since the end of the 2016 season and said through a translator that the reception was “all positive.” He missed the 2017 season after being unable to secure a work visa to travel from his native South Korea, then injured his thumb in the minor leagues last year before returning to the major leagues for the final three games of the season at Cincinnati. Kang already has a visa that will carry through the 2019 season.
• Steven Brault and Nick Kingham, who will compete with Jordan Lyles for the fifth starter’s job in spring training, certainly aren’t going to become enemies. Instead, they will be roommates in Bradenton, Fla., during February and March. Lyles, meanwhile, said he looks forward to transitioning from the bullpen back to starting after signing a one-year, $2.05-million contract as a free agent. Kingham is out of minor-league options and Brault has one left.
• Josh Bell spent most of the winter working out in Newport Beach, Calif., with hitting guru Joe DeMarco, who counts Athletics All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman among his pupils. New Pirates hitting coach Rick Eckstein flew to California and spent 90 minutes working with Bell then getting to know him more over dinner.
• Marte wants to add even more power to his game after hitting 20 home runs last season. He has been concentrating on strengthening his legs during offseason workouts in his native Dominican Republic.
• Jameson Taillon says he is no worse for wear after throwing a career-high 191 innings last season. His goal for 2019 is to surpass 200 innings, a mark just 13 major league pitchers reached last year.
• Chad Kuhl and Edgar Santana are scheduled to throw Feb. 13, the first day of spring training, for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Both will miss the 2019 season.
• Mitch Keller admits he is flattered that Baseball America ranks him as the 26th-best prospect in baseball. However, the 22-year-old right-hander, who will likely begin this season back at Triple-A Indianapolis, said the ranking has no effect on him, either positively or negatively.
• In a lighthearted moment, a fan asked what walkup music the three would use if they were players. Coonelly answered with “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin, Huntington said “Still Haven’t Found What We’re Looking For” by U2 and Hurdle picked “I’m No Angel” by Gregg Allman.
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