Column: Who needs the little things? Go big!

Yes. Noun. Thanks!

+++ about Byrd DD.

The reds are only 6.5 behind the wild card. 6 games under 500. Byrd likely isnt going anywhere til late August. And even then, the Bucco's are not a good fit for him. He's a starter, not a bench guy.

in all honesty..ill take 5.5 back at the all star break..rather it be 2.5 gb but either way we have been consistant winners for two months while playing inconsistent baseball..division goes down to last weekend..if we dont win it before that

When Marte comes back, Byrd would become a platoon player and a pinch hitter. Would be nice but I dont know how Byrd would respond to this

Byrd, like most players on a team with little to no chance to make the playoffs, would welcome a trade to a real contender for the stretch run in twilight of his career, even if it was as a platoon player or pinch hitter. The desire to win would trump any expectation to be an every day player.

Byrd fit in very well his last time here...so no worries. Acquiring Byrd is not going to require giving away "top talent" and you can't hold on to all prospects anyway. If it strengthens your club, do it.

@steelag70 Byrd didn't come in to steal a position from a five-star prospect at that time. Do I think Byrd would help? Of course, but I don't want to jerk Polanco around any more than necessary.

It's been shown time and time again that teams that decide to stand pat at the trade deadline don't make a serious playoff run. They don't have to be big trades, but there are always trades that can strengthen the bench or provide depth in case of injuries that can make a difference. Team chemistry is important, but with the strong personalities and leadership on the Pirates, the only thing that would be harmful to team chemistry would be to bring in a player who has a bad attitude.

They've been very patient with Polanco. If bringing in a platoon player makes them a more talented team that can hit against lefties, it would be crazy to not do it for fear of "jerk(ing) Polanco around".

Scaldis. Last years royals seemed to go far without deadline deals no?

cutch at 50% all year?

No and no. And no. Then no.

I'm not sure that there are many people who are down on Polanco as the long term right fielder, but his production, as well as his baserunning and fielding struggles, does give fans reason to be down on him as a productive part of this season's lineup. I'm hopeful that his production will continue to improve this season, maybe to the point that there won't be the need to have a platoon solution. But, I think it's perfectly reasonable for fans to want and expect more from the right field position on a team that is looking pretty strong everywhere else except for first base.

JS

I'm with you on your sentiment re Polanco. I think he'll be fine with or without the addition of Byrd. Look at the key game winners he had this week in the 8th inning of consecutive games. The young man is putting it together and he's going to be a force. Plain and simple.

Now. Does Byrd "do" anything to Polanco? I don't think so. He just gives us a bona-fide major league hitter in a key stretch of the season.

Byrd is that right handed bat who might help us fend off a key lefty in an important place like the playoffs. Here's his stats so far this year:

Year AB R H HR RBI SB AVG OBP OPS
2015 Stats 237 30 59 14 32 1 .249 .302 .771

Slightly down from his career averages. To the good, in the middle of the Pirates' lineup he gets a bit more protection. To the bad, in Cincy, he's hitting those 14 home runs in a band box and PNC could mitigate that.

Here's his split vs. lefties this year in 52 at bats:
Avg: .288 OBP: .373 SLG: .538 OPS: .911

Byrd is 1/3 vs Kershaw this year with a double and a strikeout.

More importantly, probably, is that Byrd is 1/16 with four K's against the Cardinals this year.

I suspect someone like the Brewers Khris Davis might be a better addition than Byrd, but I don't know how available he would be. He hits the Cards decent - better than he hits against the rest of the league:
.278 / .381 / .389 / .770.
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"Now you see lil' friend, the one who has the biggest hand wins."
-Wabbit

Can't forgot Fred McGriff in some of those videos too!!

"This is the instructional video you need to get"

Hat perched impossibly high on his head.

Probably not, Chris. Still a mystery.

On the surface, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. But, they apparently have some issues with Tabata that must go beyond production. There have been plenty of rumors about off-the-field reasons why they don't like him on the major league club as a first option, even when his production is almost certain to be better than the likes of Ishikawa or Hernandez. Additionally, Tabata seems to be most effective when he is hungry to produce and stay at the major league level. When he's on the big league roster for more than a month at a time, he seems to become complacent and his production disappears. I'm not sure that I've given a "legit answer", but I think it's pretty much the reality of why he's not been called back up.

Tabata hung out with Simon Depres.

It really is bizarre objectively, though. I mean, at this point, it's almost a reasonable contract if you can forget the past.

Rbilak has got it figured out.

Boom!

Haha

Or regression to the mean, no?

Check that: progression to the mean!