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Pittsburgh Pirates: Stock up, stock down
After ending the month of April 20-9, the Pirates were in first place in the National League Central and one of the hottest teams in all of baseball. Currently 41-49 at the All-Star break, the Pirates have gone 21-40 since that hot start and find themselves 8.5 games behind the Cincinnati Reds for first. With the offense sputtering and the pitching staff failing to give the Pirates consistent quality innings, they will need to find that magic they started the season with.
Here are the Pirates that are trending up and down in 2023.
Stock up
Mitch Keller, pitcher: In his fifth season in the MLB, Keller has had a breakout year in 2023 including his first All-Star selection.
Currently 9-4 with a 3.31 ERA, Keller has 129 strikeouts at the break and is only 9 behind his career-high he set last year he has been able to stay healthy and finally looks like the frontline pitcher they had hoped he would become.
On May 8, Keller had the best game of his young career pitching a four-hit complete game shutout while striking out eight batters against the Colorado Rockies. Of his 19 starts this season, 12 of them have been quality starts which is when the starting pitcher goes at least six innings and allows three runs or fewer.
Mitch Keller has improved so much. His stats at the All Star Break the last 3 years:
— Platinum Ke’Bryan (@PlatinumKey13) July 12, 2023
2021
7.04 ERA, 47.1 IP
.286 BAA, 51 K, 29 BB
1.80 WHIP, 4.97 FIP
2022
4.55 ERA, 89 IP
.274 BAA, 77 K, 34 BB
1.46 WHIP, 3.87 FIP
2023
3.31 ERA, 117 IP
.219 BAA, 129 K, 34 BB
1.12 WHIP, 3.35 FIP pic.twitter.com/Ck3v68wx2M
Keller will look to continue his strong play while leading the Pirates' pitching staff in the second half.
Jack Suwinski, outfielder: The Pirates' best hitter over the last 15 games, Suwinski has already set career bests in virtually every hitting category in 26 fewer games in 2023.
Slashing .235/.360/.514 with 19 home runs and 48 RBI, Suwinski has shown better patience at the plate as well with his walk rate increasing and his strikeout rate decreasing. The 24-year-old has also seen increased starts versus left-handed pitchers after hitting only .122 versus them in 2022.
Already matching the amount of extra-base hits he had in all of last season, Suwinski is proving to be a true late-round gem after being drafted in round No. 15 in 2016.
Acquired from the San Diego Padres along with shortstop Tucupita Marcano for second baseman Adam Frazier in 2021, Suwinski has turned from a low-level prospect to a potential All-Star for years to come in Pittsburgh after six seasons in the minors.
Jack Suwinski is leading the Pittsburgh Pirates offense in WAR through the All-Star Break pic.twitter.com/1RVWZwGmT9
— (@NorthShoreNine) July 12, 2023
Stock down
Roansy Contreras, pitcher: The 23-year-old right-hander came into 2023 looking to build off of a strong rookie campaign last season that saw him go 5-5 with a 3.79 ERA in 21 appearances. The results have been the complete opposite for Contreras, currently 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA he has found himself pitching out of the bullpen after struggling through 11 starts to begin the season and was recently optioned to Triple-A.
The Pirates had big expectations for him coming into the season and have been disappointed with the results, with no one stepping up to help Keller in the rotation the team has seen the impact in the standings as they have slipped from playoff contention to fighting off the St. Louis Cardinals for last place in the NL Central.
Pittsburgh will hope that a trip to the minors will help Contreras reset and find what made him successful in 2022.
Ke'Bryan Hayes, third base: One of the league's best defensive players, Pirates third baseman Hayes has failed to see his bat really produce at the major league level.
Signing a team-friendly eight-year, $70M contract extension in 2022, Hayes has only 23 home runs and 122 RBI in 331 games played for the Pirates since making his debut in 2020.
Far from the production you would expect from a third baseman, Hayes has not been able to consistently find his power stroke since turning pro in 2015. With his minor league career-high being only ten home runs, the Pirates might need to consider if his Gold Glove ability is worth the below-average power at the position.
The Pirates will hope that Hayes can take that next step and add a power element to his game to match the other top third baseman in the MLB as he enters the second half of 2023.
More must-reads:
- Vanderbilt pitcher Patrick Reilly selected by Pittsburgh Pirates in 2023 MLB Draft
- The greatest postseason moment for every MLB team
- The 'MLB-first, all-minority lineup' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Roman Anthony’s Incredible Performance in Yankee Stadium Debut Earns Huge Praise from Red Sox Teammate
Roman Anthony got his first taste of the rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Thursday night. The 21-year-old stole the show with an incredible performance, which included a huge home run and an epic bat flip. This showing earned him some huge praise from one of his Red Sox teammate. Anthony, who was drafted by the Red Sox in 2022, was called up to the majors in June this year. Since being called up, the youngster had lived up to his hype and has become a key member of the Red Sox organization. On Thursday, he made his debut at Yankee Stadium. In the game against his team’s fiercest rivals, he delivered a performance to remember. The matchup between the Red Sox and the Yankees had several moments where the momentum shifted from one team to another. He first made his mark with an RBI single in the 6th inning off Camilo Doval to tie the game at 3-3. After Anthony leveled the game, newly acquired star Nathaniel Lowe put the team ahead with an RBI double in right-center field in the 7th inning. The highlight moment of the game came in the 9th inning, when Anthony announced his arrival. He would crush a towering 2-run home run off Yerry De Los Santos to propel his team to a 6-3 lead. He would follow this home run with a cold bat flip, leading to some jeers from the Yankees fans. Following the game, 3-time All-Star Alex Bregman lauded him. The 3rd baseman expressed that he (Anthony) was the most mature 21-year-old he had been around. He’s probably the most mature 21-year-old in baseball I’ve ever been around in baseball in my life. We’re trying to figure out what he does wrong, honestly. We don’t know if he has any vices or anything. He just does everything the right way. The moment’s never too big for him. Alex Bregman told the reporters This home run was his 5th bomb of his MLB career. With 3 RBIs on Thursday, he now has 26 RBIs for the season while batting with a .286 average and having an OPS of 0.853. Roman Anthony comments on his bat flip against Yankees Roman Anthony made a statement on Thursday with his performance against the New York Yankees. Following a massive 2-run shot, he proceeded to flip his bat. After the game, the youngster commented on this moment. The moment his shot of Yerry De Los Santos’s 85 mph meatball left the bat, he knew he had smashed a no-doubter. After watching his shot for a few seconds, he would unleash an unfamiliar bat flip and tossed it away before rounding off the bases. After the game, the outfielder claimed that he was not sure about where the demonstrative of the bat flip came from. It just happened. I don’t even know. I don’t usually do that. Roman Anthony told the reporters Anthony was just 3 games into his MLB career when the Red Sox swept the Yankees in June at Fenway Park. In that series against left-handed pitchers, he was 0-for-5 with one strikeout and a walk. Roman Anthony’s heroics push Red Sox closer to Yankees in Wild Card Standings At one stage of the season, the New York Yankees were comfortably leading the American League East standings. However, their midseason slump has seen them fall from the top and push for the playoffs through the wild card. Roman Anthony’s heroics from the game on Thursday have pushed the Boston Red Sox one step closer to their rivals in the Wild Card standings. Before this game, the Red Sox were 1.5 games behind their division rivals. With the 6-3 win, the Red Sox (69-59) have cut down that gap to just 0.5 games. Another win on Friday will see them leapfrog the Yankees (69-58) for the top spot in the AL Wild Card Standings. The Red Sox have dominated the season series against the Yankees this year so far. The victory on Thursday was their 6th successive win against their rivals, and they now have a 6-1 record against them in 7 games. After this 4-game series, they will play each other in another 3-game series. These two series could become a major difference in the race for the playoffs at the end of the season.
Green Bay Packers: Mike Macdonald’s First Message to Matt LaFleur After Mayhem-Marred Practice
Joint practices in the NFL can be really heated. Just take for example the one involving the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, with fights erupting on the field between players from both sides. Even though it’s just a practice session with nothing significant on the line, the competitive juices of players can get in the way and spark fiery moments on the field. If anything, at least no one appears to have been seriously hurt from the multiple altercations reported. However, Packers right tackle Zach Tom was reportedly tossed out of the field after throwing punches at a couple of Seahawks players. Despite all the chaos that transpired between the Packers and the Seahawks, Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald had great things to say about Green Bay. Seahawks head coach sends message to Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers Brady Henderson of ESPN noted that Macdonald started his session with the media after the practice, “by thanking Packers coach Matt LaFleur and the organization for hosting them.” In any case, Macdonald felt good overall about his players. “It’s hard to tell what happened, who said what,” Macdonald shared. “Look, you want your guys to defend their [teammates]. There’s a line. Whether we go past the line, I don’t think we did, which is good. Our guys stayed composed. But some of these things do tend to happen, and however it gets started … hopefully it’s not our guys, but people are going to react to a certain extent. I think our guys handled it pretty well.” The Packers and the Seahawks will still see each other on the field this offseason, as they are scheduled to play in their 2025 NFL preseason finale on Saturday at Lambeau Field.
Micah Parsons contract dispute: Dallas Cowboys star posts cryptic video with direct hint on future
As his contract dispute continues, Micah Parsons made another cryptic post on social media. The Dallas Cowboys star used an Allen Iverson quote in the background of a TikTok video. Parsons’ video included photos of him appearing to kiss and wave goodbye as the sound played behind them. It featured Iverson saying: “I’ma win wherever I go. Wherever I go, I’ma win. I don’t care where I go. I don’t give a damn what team I go to. I’ma win.” It’s the latest twist in Parsons’ contract situation as he seeks a new deal with the Cowboys. He also removed any mention of the franchise from his X and Instagram bios Thursday night, nearly three weeks after he went public with his trade request. Talks between Parsons and the Cowboys went on throughout the offseason, but the situation reached a new level of tension in training camp. The former Penn State star has not practiced, and he also has been dealing with a back injury. Earlier in the summer, Jerry Jones said he talked with Parsons about a new deal, but his agent David Mulugheta wasn’t present. Thursday, Jones said when he approached Mulugheta about details of that framework, he got a poignant response. “When we wanted to send the details to the agent, the agent told us to stick it up our ass,” Jones said. “Just so we’re clear … [Micah] and I talked and then we were going to send it over to the agent. We had our agreements on term, amount, guarantees, all that.” The sense is Parsons is on track to become the NFL’s highest-paid non-quarterback with his next contract, which would come as his rookie deal expires. However, the pass-rush market shifted multiple times this offseason. Both Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt received new deals worth $40 million annually. Jones later said he agreed to give Parsons a lucrative deal. He added fans would understand just how bad he wants to keep him in Dallas based on that offer. “The world would know that I want Micah if they knew what I had offered him,” Jones said. “And he knows what I offered him. So, the world would know that I would want Micah on the team and respect what he would bring to the team.” Micah Parsons has been around the Cowboys team during training camp, though he’s not participating in workouts as negotiations go along. As for when a resolution could come, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said the two sides aren’t in good standing. He went so far as to predict Parsons and the cowboys could be heading “towards divorce.”
Golden State Warriors Could Lose Playoff Fan Favorite
The Golden State Warriors have yet to officially do anything in free agency as they try to solve the Jonathan Kuminga restricted free agency dilemma, despite the negotiation period opening nearly two months ago. Golden State has offered Kuminga a two-year, $45 million deal, but he is firm on wanting at least $30 million annually, a number he will not be getting from the Warriors. But until they figure that out, even if it's him accepting his qualifying offer, there are some other forgotten players who may or may not be back with the team. Pat Spencer is one of six players from last year's team who remain free agents, along with Kuminga, Kevin Knox, Taran Armstrong, Gary Payton II, and Braxton Key. Spencer could've been a restricted free agent, but the Warriors decided not to extend him a qualifying offer. For those that remember, Spencer went from a college lacrosse star before rising his way up from Europe to the NBA G-League and then latching onto the Warriors in the 2023-24 season. He only appeared in a few games that first season, but he got into 30 regular-season games this season. Spencer really made a name for himself in the playoffs, scoring 11 points on 5/7 shooting in each of the first two games of the first round series against the Houston Rockets. The bigger issue is that he's already 29 and likely has a limited ceiling as an NBA player. If the Warriors still have some open roster spots after their moves, maybe they will consider it, but it seems unlikely. Golden State Warriors' Free Agency Plans The Warriors won't do anything in free agency until Jonathan Kuminga's restricted situation is solved. That much has been made clear. But what do the Warriors have planned once that has been decided? They've been connected with a few notable players that remain free agents: Al Horford, Gary Payton II, De'Anthony Melton, and Malcolm Brogdon. It seems that they're aware of the Kuminga situation and are willing to wait for now, but would they be willing to wait if the saga stretches into September? That remains to be seen, but a plan is still in place for the Warriors to avoid heading into camp with only nine players.
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