Mark Madden: Why can't the Pirates develop talent?

Ben Cherington is in his third season as Pittsburgh Pirates GM. Things aren’t improving.

The Pirates just DFA’d Cole Tucker, their first-round pick in 2014. He’s all teeth and hair, no bat. Lots of charisma, zero pop. He hit .175 with the Pirates this season, .135 in Triple-A.

Cherington inherited Tucker. But the organization didn’t develop him. Tucker has a .211 career average in limited MLB play. Expectations were obviously higher.

But the Pirates still have their second-round pick from 2014. That’s pitcher Mitch Keller. His career ERA is 6.03, his current ERA 6.05.

Keller’s not developing as hoped, either.

Gerrit Cole, Chad Kuhl, Joe Musgrove and Jameson Taillon are ex-Pirates. All are pitching well with their current teams.

That’s not shocking for Cole, Musgrove or Taillon, all of whom had varying degrees of success in Pittsburgh.

But Kuhl was 25-30 with a 4.44 ERA in five seasons with the Pirates. Those rotten numbers got Kuhl a tribute video when he returned to PNC Park with Colorado last week. Thanks for everything, Cy Young!

This year, Kuhl’s ERA with the Rockies is 3.56. Not bad for pitching in Denver’s high altitude.

But the real story is Clay Holmes.

Holmes’ ERA during four seasons with the Pirates was 5.57.

But since joining the Yankees via trade last July, Holmes’ ERA is 1.03 and he’s supplanted Aroldis Chapman as the Yankees’ closer.

Holmes makes just $1.1 million, so he’s exactly the kind of player the Pirates covet: Cheap and good. (They have the cheap part down pat.)

Why did all those pitchers leave and get better, especially Kuhl and Holmes?

Why can’t the Pirates develop talent?

Third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes signed an eight-year, $70 million contract in April. He has one home run in 183 plate appearances.

Outfielder Bryan Reynolds, who avoids a long-term deal like it’s a new covid variant, is hitting just .212.

Those are the Pirates’ only legit talented players and the only ones signed past this season.

Hayes clearly doesn’t trust his talent. Reynolds does and has to be counting the days till 2026 when he can become a free agent. (He likely will be traded before then.)

Baseball America says the Pirates have the third-best farm system in baseball. That’s exactly the kind of distant promise the Pirates specialize in selling, and they surely have stockpiled talent. But can the Pirates develop it? Nothing suggests that.

The Pirates are 20-27. They sit third in the National League Central. That’s rarefied air for the Pirates and testament to how bad the division is.

But the Pirates rank last in MLB in run differential. Their mark of minus-83 is worst by a whopping 15 runs.

The Pirates have the third-most errors in MLB, 35.

Too many of their games turn into lopsided circus acts.

I don’t follow the Pirates closely. I’m proud of that. The Pirates don’t remotely drive sports talk, so why would I? Who does?

Pirates attendance is second-lowest in MLB and deservedly so. It’s a fun night at a great ballpark, especially when the entire team gets out of the same car prior to the game.

You don’t have to be Peter Gammons to figure out that this is a lousy situation and not close to being fixed — that is, unless you believe the evaluation of their system and trust in the organization’s process.

Why would you?

So self-anointed experts and plentiful media stooges … how, exactly, are the Pirates improving at any level? I’ll hang up and listen.

The truth is, it’s all a front for owner Bob Nutting’s con: pay lip service to competing and to a plan thereof while milking Pittsburgh and MLB’s idiotic economic structure for every penny possible. There’s plenty of evidence for that.