Internal improvements on horizon for Bucs? Just look at Tellez, Cruz
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ATLANTA -- Rowdy Tellez went to bat looking for a splitter up, but didn't strike when he got it the first time in his fifth-inning at-bat against Spencer Schwellenbach.
Schwellenbach couldn’t get away with a pitch there twice, though. He went up again with the split, and Tellez wasn’t gonna let it sneak by, crushing it 421 feet, as projected by Statcast, for a two-run shot -- the insurance runs the Pirates would need to beat the Braves on Sunday, 4-2, at Truist Park.
It also put a nice bow on Tellez’s month of June. After struggling through the first two months of the season, he was one of the team’s most reliable and best hitters in June. His .333 batting average was third among all first basemen this month (min. 50 plate appearances), and it translated to a .925 OPS.
"It feels good,” Tellez said. “It was a long road. Lot of work, lot of time put in, but it is what it is. It's good for me, but we're just focused on winning games. That's what we did this month. I think we had a solid month.”
The Pirates went 14-12 in June, a step in the right direction and a month that certainly keeps them in the National League’s playoff conversation as the season rolls into the second half. They’ve been carried by pitching so far, especially the rotation.
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The Pirates are also getting some good news regarding bullpen injuries, with guys like David Bednar and Hunter Stratton trending in the right direction and Ryan Borucki likely returning from his rehab assignment soon. Plus, they are getting quality contributions from young middle relievers who scuffled early, like Carmen Mlodzinski and Kyle Nicolas, who combined for three scoreless innings after Bailey Falter went five innings with one run allowed.
The offense, on the other hand…
“The position-player side is likely where there’s room for improvement,” general manager Ben Cherington said on his weekly 93.7 The Fan radio show Sunday morning. “That’s not really new. We’ve known that and continue to work on that.”
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The Pirates’ team .655 OPS ranks 28th in baseball, and their 333 runs scored are the sixth-fewest as of Sunday’s final out. Offense is down across the league significantly this year, which explains some of the struggles, but there are positions and players that have not produced nearly enough to make for a consistent, quality offensive attack.
There are calls from fans for the Pirates to make a big splash or two in the trade market to help rectify that, but it’s hard to imagine the team dealing its top-line prospects before the July 30 Trade Deadline. That doesn’t mean they’re going to be quiet, and if they’re still in it, they’ll be looking to add.
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However, as Cherington put it, “we have more players that can improve by far than the number we can acquire.”
“I truly believe the current group of position players can be better in the second half of the season than they were in the first,” Cherington said.
It’s hard to argue that any trade acquisition would be much better than if some combination of Jack Suwinski, Michael A. Taylor, Jared Triolo or Ke’Bryan Hayes had a Tellez-like turnaround, or even hit like they did in 2023. The team has seen what that type of internal spark can bring.
"It feels good to have Rowdy hitting for us,” Oneil Cruz said, via interpreter Stephen Morales. “He's a great hitter. It doesn't take just Rowdy. Sometimes we get Taylor, [Edward] Olivares and all those guys when you're not hot, that they can all contribute.”
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One could include Cruz in the mix of guys who could do more in the second half. He acknowledged it’s possible. Cruz’s .723 OPS is fine, especially when taken in the context of him missing almost all of last season, but he was the one who put the Pirates out in front in the fifth inning with a two-run blast that left the bat 117.3 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 452 feet. The results have been fine, but his potential is immense.
The Pirates showed faith in Tellez and were rewarded for it handsomely this month. There’s faith that this club can produce enough offense to win more in the second half.
“It's the big leagues,” Tellez said. “At any point, anybody can take off. At any point, one swing can change a hitter. I think if we just focus on the little things and take wins at-bat by at-bat, we'll be in a good spot."