2021 MLB Draft Prep: An NBA draft pick comparison
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Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images
Occasionally, I have a yen for college basketball from the late 1980s and before. Sometimes I run into a gem. Occasionally, favorites disappear. I’m on the hunt for more late 1970s or very early 1980s DePaul games, when Ray Meyer ran the diamond-and-one zone trap most of the time. Here’s why I bring all this up: I recently ran into an early 1980s Duke game, and remembered Gene Banks. Suddenly, my draft prep had a new spirit animal.
Banks was a very good college player in an elite conference. Announcers raved about his intangibles. Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round (28th overall), he started 81 games in his second pro season. After four years with the Spurs, he played for the Bulls for two seasons. Then, he was gone. Banks was the guy the team trusted as a reserve, but he wasn’t purely a power forward or a small forward.
May 5, 2021
Building off of yesterday’s American League conference call agendas, let’s move on to the National League and see what’s on the docket for the teams of the senior circuit.
Arizona Diamondbacks
We’re over .500 and we’re banged up. This team is better than people on the outside thought. That said, I don’t think we’ll be exceptionally busy in terms of buying this summer. We’re not catching the Padres or Dodgers, and let’s not forget about the Giants. Let’s stick to the plan and just keep getting better long-term.
The rotation has been up-and-down, and Corbin Martin is probably the only minor league piece with a chance to contribute in that area. Let’s get some ideas going as to how we get through 162 games with depth issues in that department.
PITTSBURGH After a strong stretch that helped catapult the Pirates above the .500 mark, the team’s pitching unit faltered on Wednesday night in a 9-6 loss to the Royals at PNC Park.
The nine runs (eight earned) allowed in the series finale were the most yielded by the Bucs
Pittsburgh Pirates Series Preview: They’re surprisingly not terrible
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Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals will get their first taste of pitchers batting since 2019 when they take on the Pirates in Pittsburgh for a two-game set. The Pirates were widely expected to be one of the three worst teams in baseball this season, along with the Rangers and Orioles, and they still might be, but they’ve gotten themselves off to a nice start. They started the season 1-6, but have gone 10-5 since then to get to their 11-11 mark, finally reaching .500 after taking two of three from the Twins, so that was helpful to the Royals. Looking up and down their roster, especially without the amazing Ke’Bryan Hayes, it’s hard to see this keeping up, but good for their fans for getting to see a nice stretch.