PBN Around the Horn

PBN Around the Horn: Pull Those Cookies Out Before They Burn!

Published

2 years ago

January 13, 2022

Welcome to the PBN Around the Horn. Here you’ll find news and notes from across Major League Baseball, your Pittsburgh Pirates, and around the Sports Now network.

UPDATE (3:07 p.m.) Jon Heyman reports on what the league offered the players in the meeting. More money for Super 2’s as one of the takeaways.

MLB raised pay for younger players (higher minimum salary and more money for Super 2s) in their proposal. Players union saw overall offer as “disappointing.” No word about a counter yet. Long way to go (but fortunately there’s still time)

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 13, 2022

UPDATE (2:20 p.m.) Jeff Passan has reported that no deal has come between MLB and the players. There was never an intention for there to be a deal but MLB made an offer, players seem to hate it, so the best goes on and dread sets in.

Baseball labor update: There is no deal. There never was going to be one today. MLB made a proposal. The reaction among the players was not positive. Few on either side expected it to be. The question is how soon the MLBPA counters. Spring training starting on time is in peril.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 13, 2022

UPDATE (12:20 p.m.) The Pirates will be hosting a baseball and softball equipment drive for youths in the Dominican and Venezuela Friday January 14th. Be sure to drop that lightly used equipment off for a better cause!

Our baseball and softball equipment drive is tomorrow at PNC Park!

Drop off your gently used equipment for us to distribute to youth in the Dominican Republic & Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/GZsirYdn2U

— Pirates Community (@BucsCommunity) January 13, 2022

When you hear national sites and players talk about the Pirates and Ben Cherington, you hear a phrase that mentions a non-cookie cutter approach; meaning the organization as a whole isn’t teaching a singular philosophy to an entire batch of prospects (get it, batch, cookie… geez tough crowd.)

Taking a more individualized approach is definitely a player pleaser, but will it garner results? One example is the pitching to contact approach that was preached and preached until throats were bleeding. Now you see an approach of “oh, you throw gas? Well throw gas,” or “your ball has a lot of vertical break, let’s start pitching to the top of the zone more.”

Does every approach have success stories? Sure, but when you take an individualized approach, you may get less burnt cookies than the aforementioned approach. (Yes, I tried a cookie joke again.)

Pittsburgh Baseball Now Notes

Mitch Keller is Changing Some of His Mechanics

Pirates Announce 2022 Development Staff

Pirates, Penguins, and Steelers to Host MLK Day Distribution

Pirates Prospects Notes

In week two of the new P2 format, Tim Williams, John Dreker, Wilbur Miller, Anthony Murphy, and Cody Potanko (Me) gave great pieces on all things Pirates’ prospects.

First, Tim gives us three pieces, the first is on John Baker and a growth mindset, and the second one is Carter Bins and his behind-the-plate work and how he may be underrated. The last one is an opinion piece on gifted and talented players.

Next, John gives us the best pirates prospects by age the position players edition.

The enigmatic Wilbur gives us his weekly roster preview for the High-A Greensboro Grasshoppers.

Anthony Murphy continues his excellent breakdowns of players with video and analysis. This week’s involved Oliver Mateo and that deceptive slider.

Finally, Cody Potanko (Me) gives you an update on four Pirates’ prospects and what they have been working on during the off-season.