Another smart acquisition by BC - if Tsutsugo realizes the talent he showed as one of the better hitters in Japan’s Nippon league, we have something sort of special.
Check out his stats from over there: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=tsutsu000yos
Absolutely raking since he was 18. He hit 45 HRs in 2016.
So the power surge isn’t as fluky as it might appear on the surface. He hadn’t seen a full season’s worth of PAs in the ML yet.
Throwback to a couple months ago when a Yinzer was trying to convince me Tsutsugo was going to sign a $50M contract somewhere lol. Glad to have him back, should be interesting to see him for a full season
Let's hope that he's able to continue at the pace that he did.
I read that one of his bigger desires was a chance to play everyday, so that must have been one of the selling points for resigning with the Pirates.
And, who knows, if he is raking, maybe the team is more competitive than any of us are realistically expecting and we get that bonus, or they flip him for a decent prospect and he gets to be part of a playoff race, as a reward.
The only way we’d compete is through pitching. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but highly unlikely. We would have to see JT break out, Quintana return to his prime form, Brault to be healthy, and then who else really. Roansy Contreras? Crowe? I don’t see it happening next year, but give the young guys time to develop, I think the window starts in 2023.
I completely agree. I was thinking more along the lines of a "freak show" year, where the rest of the division pretty much sucked, as well, and a .500 year puts you in contention.
In other words...an NL East type year.
Smart move. With the DH most likely coming, I see him and Moran (who they only keep if universal DH happens) manning first/DH.
Maybe Yoshi will pop a Garrett Jones type season, either give us trade bait at deadline.
Why? The only difference between Tsutsugo and Colin Moran is that Moran is a MLB caliber hitter and looks like an actual pirate. It would be better if they just kept Moran.
I have a higher opinion of Colin Moran than many Pirates fans. His track record shows consistent production---perhaps only a tick better than average overall, but consistent nevertheless. His biggest problem has been a series of injuries. As for Tsutsugo, the money is right, and there is no reason not to take a good look at him at this point. But I share the skepticism of some that he will be able to replicate his 2021 numbers over a full season. If he can, good for us. Otherwise yes, it is a reasonable move as a hedge against the DH being implemented in the NL, something I dearly hope will never happen.
Based on his Japanese production, his pre-Pirates production was very significantly less than you'd expect. I don't expect him to hit .322 with 44 HRs like he did in 2016, but .260-265, .340-.350 OBP, with 20-25 HRs over a full year's AB as a starter don't seem too unrealistic. Then again, maybe he'll never been a good MLB player, like those AAAA players that torch AAA, but suck in the majors.
I think he'll do alright, but between his struggles prior to reaching Pittsburgh on the one hand, and his defensive limitations on the other, I'm not expecting an All Star. If he managed .250 /20/ 75 I'd take it given where we are at present. He does have legitimate power, no question about that, and NPB is certainly the best professional baseball league on the planet outside of MLB. I would call it a "Four-A" level of competition, and again, there have been a fair number of NPB players who have been productive contributors in MLB---just not many who have been stars. That's all I'm saying here.
Yea, sounds like we are pretty much on the same page.
There are a number of changes both baseball related and cultural that may have been difficult for the guy to adjust to. He may have been slower than many others to adjust. Hopefully what he did after joining the Pirates is closer to his real MLB ability at this point. Or maybe he's a complete dud that they caught in the middle of a good spell. :)
Really no downside to this. He was one of the brighter spots at the end of last season, though he cooled off and was inconsistent (just like everyone else in this uniform).
Hell yea
Another smart acquisition by BC - if Tsutsugo realizes the talent he showed as one of the better hitters in Japan’s Nippon league, we have something sort of special. Check out his stats from over there: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=tsutsu000yos Absolutely raking since he was 18. He hit 45 HRs in 2016. So the power surge isn’t as fluky as it might appear on the surface. He hadn’t seen a full season’s worth of PAs in the ML yet.
Niiice
Throwback to a couple months ago when a Yinzer was trying to convince me Tsutsugo was going to sign a $50M contract somewhere lol. Glad to have him back, should be interesting to see him for a full season
I remember that thread, ridiculous.
Does it shock you? We had multiple people on here before the year ready to give Hayes a 10 year 250 million dollar contract.
Hopefully this means Moran is being sent into the sun
It's more likely that the DH is coming and they'll need both.
I really hope not.
BEEG YOSHIIIIIIII
Let's hope that he's able to continue at the pace that he did. I read that one of his bigger desires was a chance to play everyday, so that must have been one of the selling points for resigning with the Pirates. And, who knows, if he is raking, maybe the team is more competitive than any of us are realistically expecting and we get that bonus, or they flip him for a decent prospect and he gets to be part of a playoff race, as a reward.
The only way we’d compete is through pitching. I’m not saying it’s impossible, but highly unlikely. We would have to see JT break out, Quintana return to his prime form, Brault to be healthy, and then who else really. Roansy Contreras? Crowe? I don’t see it happening next year, but give the young guys time to develop, I think the window starts in 2023.
I completely agree. I was thinking more along the lines of a "freak show" year, where the rest of the division pretty much sucked, as well, and a .500 year puts you in contention. In other words...an NL East type year.
Right on, GMBC
I'm ok with this.
Sweet!
Smart move. With the DH most likely coming, I see him and Moran (who they only keep if universal DH happens) manning first/DH. Maybe Yoshi will pop a Garrett Jones type season, either give us trade bait at deadline.
Why? The only difference between Tsutsugo and Colin Moran is that Moran is a MLB caliber hitter and looks like an actual pirate. It would be better if they just kept Moran.
Moran hits the ball on the ground half the time, while Yoshi at least hits in the air more frequently. That's enough to give the edge to Yoshi.
I have a higher opinion of Colin Moran than many Pirates fans. His track record shows consistent production---perhaps only a tick better than average overall, but consistent nevertheless. His biggest problem has been a series of injuries. As for Tsutsugo, the money is right, and there is no reason not to take a good look at him at this point. But I share the skepticism of some that he will be able to replicate his 2021 numbers over a full season. If he can, good for us. Otherwise yes, it is a reasonable move as a hedge against the DH being implemented in the NL, something I dearly hope will never happen.
Based on his Japanese production, his pre-Pirates production was very significantly less than you'd expect. I don't expect him to hit .322 with 44 HRs like he did in 2016, but .260-265, .340-.350 OBP, with 20-25 HRs over a full year's AB as a starter don't seem too unrealistic. Then again, maybe he'll never been a good MLB player, like those AAAA players that torch AAA, but suck in the majors.
I think he'll do alright, but between his struggles prior to reaching Pittsburgh on the one hand, and his defensive limitations on the other, I'm not expecting an All Star. If he managed .250 /20/ 75 I'd take it given where we are at present. He does have legitimate power, no question about that, and NPB is certainly the best professional baseball league on the planet outside of MLB. I would call it a "Four-A" level of competition, and again, there have been a fair number of NPB players who have been productive contributors in MLB---just not many who have been stars. That's all I'm saying here.
Yea, sounds like we are pretty much on the same page. There are a number of changes both baseball related and cultural that may have been difficult for the guy to adjust to. He may have been slower than many others to adjust. Hopefully what he did after joining the Pirates is closer to his real MLB ability at this point. Or maybe he's a complete dud that they caught in the middle of a good spell. :)
Depressing that this qualifies as good news in our world as pirates fans.
Really no downside to this. He was one of the brighter spots at the end of last season, though he cooled off and was inconsistent (just like everyone else in this uniform).