This story might be frustrating for Pirates fans. Or, in another word: aarrrggghh.
Tyler Glasnow hasn't been with the Pirates since 2018, when he was traded to Tampa Bay as part of the Chris Archer deal. It was always apparent before then that Glasnow had nasty stuff, but for whatever reason was never able to put it together on the mound. He pitched to a 5.79 ERA in 2 1/2 seasons with Pittsburgh's big-league club. Now, we may have a reason why it didn't work out.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Glasnow highlighted the issues with the Pirates' approach to pitchers that made it seem like they were stuck in the days of Old Hoss Radbourn (Pitching deity, Dapper gent).
Tyler Glasnow on the Pirates' pitching program when he was there: "There wasn’t any advanced stuff. There was nothing. I could go maybe check my spin on a computer, but it was very much like, ‘Don’t worry about that. Go and compete." Said default was pitching in/down/to contact.
— Jason Mackey (@JMackeyPG) March 8, 2020
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When it comes to advanced stats, analytics and metrics, what you think is what you think, and there might not be any changing that. But what's not debatable is the way sabermetrics and analytics departments have taken hold across MLB. Most teams are doing everything they can to get peak performance out of players, and analytics play a big role in how they're developed. So for the Pirates to not be in on analytics is, shall we say, questionable organizational strategy.
Glasnow going from the Pirates to the Rays must have been like going from eating Steak-umms in your pajamas to dining at a fancy New York steakhouse with Ric Flair — or giving an iPhone to an Amish guy. The Rays aren't exactly darlings when it comes to spending money or having a nice stadium or selling tickets. But if there's anything they've done well over the last decade or so, it's develop pitching.
Just look at how Glasnow blossomed with the Rays in 2019, his first full season with the squad: He pitched to a 1.78 ERA, with a K:BB ratio of 5.43. He was on a Cy Young arc before an injury sidelined him. That's pretty, pretty good. We already know that Gerrit Cole took his game from good with the Pirates to Cy Young-caliber with the Astros. Then he parlayed all that information into a $324 million contract with the Yankees.
Here's a fun question to ask: If Cole stays with the Pirates, does he make that money in free agency?
But Glasnow's words aren't entirely new — just specific to him. In a lengthy report from The Ringer, Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller highlighted that he had no idea what really, really advanced numbers like FIP were. By the way, FIP is like, a prep course for Algebra 1. It's the most basic of basic "advanced" stats. The most hilarious part? Keller learned of his FIP by looking at the scoreboard in San Francisco during a road game and wondered how the hell that happened.
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"I’m like, ‘Wow, I have a really good (FIP), but how?’” Keller told the Ringer.
In any case, the Pirates not opening the door to more advanced stats like "FIP" and "BAbip" is truly remarkable. The Pirates are often under fire for a myriad of reasons. Former GM Neal Huntington didn't make many moves that put the Pirates on a winning track — though a lot of that seems to come from the top and owner Bob Nutting. The MLBPA filed another grievance this offseason, citing Pittsburgh's reluctance to spend money in free agency.
Well, with a new GM, manager and pitching coach in place this season, maybe the Pirates will be a bit more forward, without having to worry about the days of Old Hoss anymore.
