{"id":81999,"date":"2024-08-01T17:44:58","date_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=81999"},"modified":"2024-08-01T17:44:58","modified_gmt":"2024-08-01T21:44:58","slug":"pirates-trade-cook-best-of-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/08\/01\/pirates-trade-cook-best-of-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Under-Radar Minor League Deal May Be Best Of All For Pirates"},"content":{"rendered":"

One trade deadline deal that got overlooked brought Baltimore Orioles prospect Billy Cook<\/a> to the Pittsburgh Pirates. To get Cook, the Pirates gave up pitcher Patrick Reilly<\/a>. The trade was made before Tuesday\u2019s 6:00 PM Eastern deadline but announced much later. Perhaps the timing of the announcement and its insignificance to the 2024 pennant races caused the media (including me<\/a>) to give it little or no attention. However, a deeper dive indicates it may possibly be the Pirates\u2019 best deadline deal in the long run.<\/p>\n

Under-Radar Minor League Deal For Cook May Be Best Of All For Pirates<\/h2>\n

Reilly, 22, was the Pirates\u2019 fifth-round pick in the 2023 June Amateur Draft out of Vanderbilt. The right-handed starter was the Pirates\u2019 No. 9 prospect before the trade, according to MLB Pipeline. In High-A Greensboro this season, he was 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA and 1.159 WHIP. He\u2019s struck out 108 batters against 41 walks in 88 innings.<\/p>\n

Opinions differed widely on the right-handed-batting Cook. MLB Pipeline ranked the 25-year-old as the Orioles\u2019 No. 28 prospect. Others were less generous, not ranking him at all. He\u2019s been described by some as a utility man in the majors, while MLB Pipeline says \u201che has the skillset [sic] to turn in 20-20 seasons.\u201d They rank him as the Pirates\u2019 No. 18 prospect. The Orioles drafted him in the 10th round in the 2021 draft out of Pepperdine. Cook has played all over the outfield and infield in the minors. Since his April 25 promotion to Triple-A Norfolk<\/a>, he\u2019s hit .279\/.372\/.485, 11 HR, and 43 RBI to go with 12 SB in 70 games.<\/p>\n

The Pirates feel that Cook merits the more generous prospect ranking. It was a swap of convenience for both teams. The Pirates system needed more hitters, while the O\u2019s system<\/a> was lighter on pitching. It was a good deal for the Orioles, too. The Pirates gave up the higher prospect for the one who was closer to the major leagues. Cook may be closer than one thinks. Joshua Palacios<\/a> is currently on the injured list, and Ji Hwan Bae<\/a> may be next to follow. Help in the outfield might be needed, and the Bucs might prefer to keep Jack Suwinski<\/a> in Triple-A<\/a> for a while.<\/p>\n

David Bowie sang of being a hero \u201cjust for one day.\u201d It seems Cook is a hero almost every day.<\/p>\n

Daily Heroics<\/h3>\n

It took him more than a minute to launch his first Triple-A home run. He finally got it on May 2 in Nashville, a first-inning solo shot that padded Norfolk\u2019s lead to 3-0. Norfolk eventually won, 10-6.<\/p>\n

Norfolk got some revenge two days after a 20-4 loss at Worcester on May 21. With the score tied 3-3 to begin the Tide\u2019s ninth, Heston Kjerstad<\/a> hit a one-out double. Up next, Cook, protecting the plate with the count 2-2, somehow hit a low, inside sweeper at his ankles for a double to left field to drive in the winning run in a 6-3 victory.<\/p>\n

By June, Cook had become a hitting machine. He accomplished a rare feat on the 14th with two run-scoring hits in one inning in a 9-2 triumph over Memphis. Cook started the fourth inning with a 417-foot homer to left field, exiting the bat at 109.6 mph. Later in the inning, he drove in two more runs with a sharp ground-ball single to left field. He began July with a grand slam in a losing effort against Durham. Bulls left fielder Tristan Peters<\/a> barely moved for it.<\/p>\n

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\ud83d\udea8GRAND SLAM ALERT\ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n

Billy Cook blasts the Tides’ sixth grand slam of the season to take the lead!#DefendTheHarbor<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3zSVI1hsnL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Norfolk Tides (@NorfolkTides) June 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n