When the 2020 season for Major League Baseball’s Pittsburgh Pirates began, the organization had a new General Manager in Ben Cherington and a new field Manager in Derek Shelton. The club proceeded to post a 19-41 record in the Covid-shortened campaign. In the two years since, the Pirates finished at 60-102 and 61-101. As wins and losses go, the three-year total, represented by a victory percentage of 37%, was the worst in baseball. Pitching, hitting, and defensive performances were consistently poor in that span. Further, attendance for home games plummeted with the on-field regression. And it was not uncommon, late in 2022, for more spectators among the scattered gatherings to cheer on the visiting team instead of the Pirates.
Players came and went. The roster, as seasons progressed, often featured more unproven types over established veterans since the veterans, due to their higher salaries, would be dealt before the trade deadline. During Winter months, the club’s customary practice was, and remains, to obtain a few notable names to be showcased early on before subsequently divesting themselves of such players in favor of middle-level prospect acquisitions from contending teams. It was as if the Pirates relished the role of feeding quality performers to competitive clubs under the guise of "building for the future"—a future that constantly remains quite distant.
Reaction by local fans to the ongoing failures largely have been justifiably jaded, as they perceive the treadmill nature of personnel moves with no genuine effort to upgrade the roster. However, a fringe but vocal coterie of pro-Cherington sentiment exists as well. Some of the passionate contrarians appear suspiciously-sanctioned by the organization, as if to stem the tide of negative public perception. And they are operated by diehards on social media fansites/wannabe media, several of whom operate feel-good podcasts. Their steadfast optimism in the wake of utter failure evokes the emoji of a patron contently sipping a drink in a room surrounded by flames while claiming "This is fine." Further, the normally-reticent Team President Travis Williams, in a recent interview, attempted to spin the Pittsburgh baseball experience as attractive by touting merits of the delightful yet 20+ year-old PNC Stadium. Emphasizing that the franchise was in the entertainment business as much as the sports business, the remarks by Williams attempted to shift attention away from the flawed on-field product. Major league clubs like the Yankees and Dodgers set the World Series as a goal. But the Pirate administrator stressed the aim of fans purchasing food concessions, etc., while enjoying a "good time" at the ballpark. Such comments underscore a wildly-divergent set of objectives between the haves and have-nots.
Similarly, the Bucco TV and radio announcers, who are employed by the club, sound indifferent to the team’s failures. Their focus often involves touting upcoming peripheral events, such as Fireworks Night or a bobble-head giveaway promotion. Occasionally, they convey an obscure but "silver lining" player statistic, such as a pitcher’s low ERA over a short-term stretch, material likely provided by the organization’s analytics department.
Presently, negotiations on a contract extension ostensibly continue with, arguably, their top commodity—star outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds is seeking what seems to be reasonable market value compensation for the duration proposed. But the initial offer proposed by the club, unsurprisingly, fell considerably below what MLB players with comparable statistics at the same age have received. The impasse goes on. Yet, team-friendly media declare that progress toward a suitable arrangement is occurring and the extension is imminent. Still, skepticism regarding fan-pleasing closure for Reynolds remaining a Buc is expressed by most observers.
Meanwhile, most oddsmakers estimate the Pirate 2023 win total, the fourth year of the Cherington-Shelton regime, to be about 67. If so, one should anticipate that critics will be undaunted in their assessment of the regime as a failure while those who relentlessly applaud the front office will laud the uptick in victories as substantial progress. And the perceptual farce, rather than reality, will go on.
Hold Back The Nite 