Chapter 1: What predictions do the hosts have for the Pirates' win total?
Bob, I thought we learned a very valuable lesson today. Perhaps. Granted, this isn't a scientific sampling. It's not a scientific experiment. Bob, are you okay?
You need help getting off the floor.
Bob's getting helped off the floor. Are you okay, Bob?
Everything all right over there? Yes, Mary Ann Ritchie was very kind to help me out here. She is very kind. I was actually doing a little bit of stretching.
Your outfit actually doesn't match today, Bob. It's a red hat with a purple. What are you talking about? Your hat should be purple.
No, it's a burgundy. You are going to sit here and start attacking my color schemes? I agree.
Is that what you're doing? What did I do? I think I look great today. I have the new fan shirt on. It's a fan sweatshirt for the Marconi. What would you have wanted? Here's the Marconi Award on the side of the sweatshirt. That's a rare, rare thing. Do you see that, Bob?
The station is still celebrating a Marconi Award, which is hard to get. So they should celebrate.
And I still say we won the Marconi. I honestly believe this because of Malzi the snowman in your solo. I'm not kidding. Yeah. People don't believe that. I don't. I think those people who voted for this, I think in New York were they? I think somebody played that for them.
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Chapter 2: How do injuries affect player performance predictions for the Pirates?
It has to be. It has to be? Yes.
What if he just says 25 homers this year? He doesn't have to be the MVP.
I want him to have 30-plus home runs. I want him to have a better strike zone awareness and drive in 100, steal 40 bases. My God. That would be a lot, Bob. He had 38 stolen bases last year. He'd be an MVP candidate at that rate. That's two more stolen bases. But I'm looking at the production and the hitting more than just power shots. How about you, Austin? Who are those three for you?
Yeah, for me, I have 85 wins. I think they sneak into the playoffs as the final wild card. And the MVP for me, and you're going to be, well, maybe I don't know. Other than Skeens. Yeah, other than Skeens. I'll give you two, and I'll give you the one that I don't think will be MVP but will play like an MVP for them. I think Ryan O'Hearn is the most underrated player on this roster. I do.
Who's underrating him? Well, I feel like we're talking about Ozuna a lot and Brandon Lau a lot, and some of the attention has gone away from O'Hearn, who signed the first multi-year free agent deal since Yvonne Nova a decade ago. And is a really good bat-to-ball hitter? Is a left-hander that can hit lefties?
Are there any good non-bat-to-ball hitters? What else do you do in hitting other than put your bat on the ball? O'Neal Cruz hits 200. He's not a very good bat-to-ball hitter. Henry Davis put bat-to-ball? Not really. He did strike out 109 times last year, Malzi.
He did. He was also an all-star and is capable of playing two different positions for you. Who can hit 20 home runs. I know he's topped out at 17, but I think he'll benefit from the Clemente wall. He's never hit 20 home runs in his entire life. That's what I just said. And I think he will benefit from the ballpark.
So I think Ryan O'Hearn is an underrated MVP choice, but it should be Brian Reynolds. Brian Reynolds needs to be their MVP.
He needs to be their MVP.
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Chapter 3: Who are the key players that could influence the Pirates' success this season?
Give me combined batting. How many home runs between them do you want to see? Do you think you will see?
I'm a little bit surprised that Joey Bart is still here. I'll say that. There was a lot of trade talk in the offseason with him. Especially since they had Andy Rodriguez and also Flores that they just sent down. Here's one prediction I'll make. When are we doing our official predictions limits?
Time capsule. Bob, you want to do it Thursday at 11 or we want to do Wednesday?
Bob, are you going to be here Thursday? I will be here Thursday, yes. No, we have to do it Wednesday because the actual season starts Wednesday and we're picking World Series and all that stuff.
That's true. We'll have to do it Wednesday.
Bob, you're here Wednesday, or are you playing golf? I'm here Wednesday. Golf season, when it begins, I'm just giving you the fair warning.
Did you play yesterday? No, I haven't played at all. We should have played yesterday. You're the beat writer. I know. It was so nice before. I walked up to the Penguin game and watched that game.
You are the beat writer, Bob. What was the question again? The time capsule. What are we doing? The time capsule.
Yeah. Oh, here's my prediction. My pirates surprise. Andy Rodriguez at some point will be recalled and will be a major contributor this season. You like that one, Bob?
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Chapter 4: What factors determine if the Pirates can make the playoffs?
A couple years ago, it was hisā What do you mean a good fundamental all-around player? He's not that good of a hitter or fielder. I think his fielding at third base will be all right. It won't be fantastic, but he's a hitter that hit .270 two years ago, .260 a year ago.
Sure, he's not breaking any records or winning batting titles, but it's still consistently better than a lot of the batting averages that other players have put up in Major League Baseball now.
And for the Pirates, where they have power coming from a lot of different areas, if you tell me that Nick Gonzalez can get on base for them and he had, I think it was five game-winning hits in 2024 with a better all-around roster and more opportunities, I think Gonzalez can have a decent year.
Better than Jared Trelo at the plate. I'm not buying it. I hope. I hope he does, but I'm not buying it based on what I've seen so far from him. Are you, Bob?
I don't know. There are a lot of things here I want to see happen, but normally I get disappointed when it comes to this kind of stuff. I'm just hoping Henry Davis just finds it because, man, you talk about having the three best picks. He won't ever be looked at that way, but as 1-1, if he can be a regular player and an impact kind of guy on your offense ā
In a limited version, it would be such a big ā because you don't get ā if you look around the league, not many catchers are really good offensive players. Outside of people like Will Smith, Rio Muto, and others.
If you can get a guy who can be a steady offensive guy, and for him that would be 220 average, again, between 10 and 15 home runs, I think that's unexpected offense that you don't expect necessarily from most people who follow the Pirates, but that would be a nice shot in the arm.
All right, Lemons, let's hit the phones.
Let's go to J.D. in the North Hills.
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Chapter 5: How important is player consistency for the Pirates' overall performance?
I'm on my way to physical therapy. My predictions are 86 wins make the wild card playoffs and Brandon Lyle because we need home runs so bad. We need runs.
Good picks. I like all those picks. Maureen, I would take his 31 home runs from last year, and if I could get it this year, I'd be very happy with that. Second baseman hits 31 home runs.
Me too. I'll be so excited because I was at the 2013 playoffs game, you know, the blackout one, and it was the most exciting baseball game I was ever at in my whole life, and I've been to two World Series.
Ron Cook will tell you, and so will I, but I haven't been around as long. What'd you say?
I think I'm even older than Ron Cook, if that's possible.
That's possible. We appreciate the call. What would Ron say to that, Limits, I wonder?
Like, you'd be mean to Maureen?
No, he wouldn't be. He would never say that to Maureen. But Ron will tell you, Bob, that of all the sporting events he ever covered, and he covered everything, that that Pirate playoff game was the best one.
It was unbelievable. I remember the people who, as soon as the gates opened, we were doing live on the field, Ken Rice and I at the time for TV. And the gates open. It was like the wasted management 16th hole when people open the gates at 5 in the morning and there's a stampede of people. They went up to the rotunda because they were standing room only.
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