PITTSBURGH -- September is important for a lot of players on the 2021 Pirates, who have already been eliminated from postseason contention with 22 games to play.
The Pirates will regularly play a few guys who have seen inconsistent action, whether it was because they were formerly on a strong, established Major League roster (such as Anthony Alford with the Blue Jays) or because they had meager production in the chances they already received (such as Cole Tucker). Others could be thrust into new roles, as Chad Kuhl has in the bullpen, and Ke’Bryan Hayes moved into the leadoff spot, where he batted on Friday.
However, the concept of a late-season “tryout” for players doesn’t mesh with general manager Ben Cherington’s belief in continuous development. And with the majority of his active roster composed of players 27 years of age or younger, he would rather see them work toward bigger progress than deal with a ton of pressure.
“My hope would be that the rest of the season is more about really getting specific about how we need to improve in the offseason, bringing that into Spring Training and then continuing that process, more than it is a tryout,” Cherington said. “That’s how I’d look at it, anyway.”
September results are not the be-all-end-all of who a young player is, either. Though there may be growing pains early on, the season's opening months matter as much to the Pirates’ development team as the final month in terms of getting a full picture.
“Even if the player was in the Minor Leagues for part of the season, I still hope we’re evaluating the whole season and not just September,” Cherington said. “In terms of player development paths moving forward and how that would influence offseason decisions and things like that, hopefully we’re taking everything into consideration and not just a few weeks.”
Cherington knows there needs to be nearly wholesale improvements for the club to win at the level he and his staff expect. “A million things” could go into that, as he put it, in the offseason and the spring, such as trades, signings, promotions or individual gains for existing players.
"I think we need to be urgent about improvement, for sure. Absolutely,” Cherington said. “I believe we can improve at the Major League level next year. We need to be focused on what we can do to go ahead. That may involve individual player decisions. That's always part of it.
“But again, so much of it is going to be continued improvement from the players already here and/or finding the best way to use players who are already here.”
Bell returns to Pittsburgh
Josh Bell was drafted by the Pirates in 2011 and spent the next 10 years in the organization, including 2016-20 with the big league team.
But on Friday he made his return to PNC Park for the first time as a visitor after being dealt to the Nationals in the offseason. It took him a second to get adjusted to coming out of the opposing tunnel to the dugout. But even with the adjustments, the ballpark still feels like a piece of home.
“Being back here and going through the tunnel again, getting the same initial feeling that I got 10 years ago when I was drafted, it’s definitely pretty cool,” Bell said.
Naturally, Bell isn’t without plans or recommendations in his former city. He plans to take his new teammates to the Clemente Museum in downtown Pittsburgh, then maybe hit up a few of his favorite Mexican restaurants.
Manager Derek Shelton will have the challenge of guiding his team to success against Bell, who is familiar with the right-field seats and the Allegheny River; the slugger is one of only four players to reach it on the fly for a home run.
“I enjoyed the year I got to spend with Josh,” Shelton said. “I wish Josh very well except for these next three games.”