It is the time of the season in which the Pittsburgh Pirates start to make its September call-ups. With that in mind, general manager Neal Huntington spoke on that topic among others in his traditional Sunday home game press conference.
On A.J. Burnett’s outing: “The report from [pitching coach Ray Searage] was that he threw the ball really well and it was a positive step in his direction. He’ll throw a real sim game in St. Louis and they’ll get a feel for how A.J. is going and if we add pitches and ups or leave it where it’s at. That will be a game day decision based on how the ball is coming out, how A.J.’s feeling and then we’ll be able to make a decision from there what the next decision will be.”
On Tyler Glasnow: “It’s kind of funny I started to think of [Gregory] Polanco and the conversations we had week after week with Gregory. We couldn’t be more excited about Tyler Glasnow and his growth and development and we are looking forward to what he can be at the major league level. We left the door open because he’s been doing some really good things, but there’s still some things he needs to do. At this point he’s not on our radar to come up here in September or October because we feel there is some development left to go.”
Regarding balancing September call-ups “You want to be respectful of the clubhouse and as a general manager, I walk that fine line between making sure I do everything in my power to give Clint [Hurdle] as many weapons as I can to win a game. At the same time, there can be a point where there can be too many bodies and guys aren’t quite as engaged as the 25 that have been battling through it all year long, so you’re sensitive to it.”
Concerning Gregory Polanco’s growth: “That’s the fun part about a young player. When he realizes he has the ability at this level and just plays. He isn’t worried about not starting, about a guy getting a hit. We’re seeing Gregory Polanco turn that corner and it’s been fun to go and watch him go out and play.”
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