7:05 PM, FSNP, WPGB
Todd Wellemeyer (3-3, 4.79) vs. Zach Duke (3-8, 5.83). Here's the box.
While you're waiting for this one to start, here's a good essay by WTM on the R word. I agree with WTM that this is a perplexing situation - this isn't like 2001, when there were some stars at the major league level and a lot of talent in the low minors, which WTM notes would've created perfect conditions for rebuilding. Instead, there are a lot of decent big-league players but no superstars, and not a lot in the minor league system. One solution WTM proposes has been in the back of my mind for a while - try to contend with the players currently in Pittsburgh while building up the farm system for a couple years through the draft and international signings. But with the way the Pirates have played this year, I wonder whether it's counterproductive even to bother with this core of big league players. It seems to me that it would take a very significant investment to make these guys into a contending team, and I'm not sure they're worth it.