Neal Huntington - 2008 Review

After taking a couple months off to concentrate on Football, I'm back to thinking about the Pittsburgh Pirates. With the season only a couple weeks away, the Pirates roster is starting to take shape. I must also admit that I'm more excited for this year's minor league teams than I am about the major league team. To the more hardcore fans, I'm sure I am not alone in this thought.

All of this is due to the moves Neal Huntington made during his first year as General Manager. I'm going to rate these moves as positive, negative or indifferent. Keep in mind that some of these moves have not played themselves out yet, and others could still swing from positive to negative or vice-versa.

1. November 16th, 2007 - Cesar Izturis granted free agency
Izturis was picked up during the 2007 season from the Chicago Cubs for a player to be named later. Before the trade, Izturis was hitting .246 in 191 AB's and no power. He had a sub-.300 OBP and was worth nothing. Dave Littlefield traded for Izturis to fill in for an injured Jack Wilson. He hit .276 after the trade and played his usual good defense. With Jack Wilson returning to health for 2008, non-tendering Izturis was a no-brainer. In 2008 with the Cardinals, Izturis hit .263 in 414 AB's.
Rating: Positive

2. November 20th, 2007 - Selected Jimmy Barthmaier off waivers from the Houston Astros
Barthmaier was coming off a season on Houston's AA team in which he went 2-9 with a 6.20 ERA in 90 IP. Prior to that, he was one of the Astros' top pitching prospects. At 23, however, he proved much too young to give up on, and Houston surely regrets putting him on waivers. Splitting time between AA and AAA in 2008, Barthmaier bounced back to go 5-5 with a 4.37 ERA in 115 1/3 IP. More importantly, he showed he had regained the stuff he showed early in his career, and earned a call-up to Pittsburgh late in the year. Barthmaier also has a chance to earn a roster spot out of spring training in 2009.
Rating: Positive

3. November 28th, 2007 - Released Josh Phelps
Phelps was acquired by Dave Littlefield off waivers from the New York Yankees. Phelps hit .351 with 5 HR's in only 77 AB's with the Bucs, but doesn't play defense. Despite coming up as a catcher, by this point in his career Phelps could only play 1B, and was not cost-effective for the Pirates to retain. In 2008 with the Cardinals, Phelps spent most of the season at AAA, hitting .291 with 31 HR's in 461 AB's. He also got a September call-up, but amassed only 34 AB's. He would have provided good depth at AAA, but was arbitration eligible.
Rating: Indifferent

4. November 28th, 2007 - Shane Youman selected off waivers by the Philadelphia Phillies
Youman got a shot with the Pirates in 2007, and went 3-5 with a 5.97 ERA in 57 1/3 IP. Huntington sensed that Youman was not major league material, and exposed him to waivers, where the Phillies took a shot. Youman, at AA, in 2008 went 0-1 with an 11.28 in 22 1/3 IP for the Phillies before they released him. No loss here.
Rating: Positive

5. December 3rd, 2007 - Selected Ty Taubenheim off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays and Josh Wilson off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays
Taubenheim was 6-8 with a 5.24 ERA in 120 1/3 IP between AA and AAA for the Blue Jays in '07. In 2008, Taubenheim went 4-9 with a 5.60 ERA in 98 IP at AAA with the Bucs. The Pirates released him in September. This is a tough call, because these are the types of players the Pirates needed to take chances on, even if most don't pan out.
Wilson played servicably with the Rays in '07, hitting .251/.291/.645 in 263 AB's. He lost out to Luis Rivas and Chris Gomez in spring training of 2008, went to AAA and hit .276/.347/.743 in 293 AB's before finishing the year with Pawtucket, AAA team of the Boston Red Sox.
Rating: Indifferent

6. December 6th, 2007 - Released Jose Castillo
This was a very interesting move. Castillo was eligible for arbitration, and was out of a starting role because of the emergence of Freddy Sanchez and Jose Bautista. In 2007, Castillo hit .244/.270/.605 in only 221 AB's. The Marlins took a chance on Castillo, matching him against Dallas McPherson and Jorge Cantu to determine a 3rd baseman. Cantu won, McPherson was sent to AAA, and Castillo was released. Picked up by the Giants then the Astros, Castillo hit .246/.292/.668 in 421 AB's, and will be fighting for a roster spot somewhere this year. Keeping Castillo to replace Chris Gomez or Luis Rivas would have a good move, but not at arbitration price.
Rating: Indifferent

7. December 6th, 2007 - Selected Evan Meek from the Tampa Bay Rays in the Rule 5 draft
Meek went 2-1 with a 4.30 ERA in 67 IP for the Rays' AA team in '07 as a 24 year old. He was exposed to the draft because the Rays' system was so rich in pitching already. Huntington loves power arms, and Meek certrainly had that. Reaching 99mph regularly, Huntington ignored the control problems, a common theme. Meek was exposed terribly at the major league level however, and was not able to be hidden in the bullpen with the Pirates due to their starters' inability to pitch late into the game. Meek was retained, per Rule 5 draft rules, in exchange for some amount of money, and pitched well in the minors, going 1-1 with a 2.51 ERA between AA and AAA. He will be given evey opportunity to win a bullpen spot with the Bucs in '09.
Rating: Positive

8. December 7th, 2007 - Traded Salomon Torres to the Milwaukee Brewers for Marino Salas and Kevin Roberts
In an attempt to rid the team of clubhouse problems, Torres, a dependable bullpen arm, was traded for a couple suspect prospects. In 2007, Torres went 2-4 with a 5.47 ERA in 52 2/3 IP. After almost retiring, he went 7-5 with a 3.49 ERA and 28 Saves in 80 IP in '08. He decided to retire following the season at age 36. Salas was 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA between AA and AAA in '07 as a 26 year old. In 2008, Salas went 4-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 57 IP at AAA, and was not successful in several brief stints with the Bucs. 2009 is crucial for him to show he can be a piece of the Pirate bullpen. Roberts was 6-3 with a 3.50 ERA in 64 1/3 IP at high-A ball as a 23 year old in '07. He then went 1-6 with a 4.76 ERA between A+ and AA. He needs to rebound this year, or this trade will look even worse than it already does.
Rating: Negative

9. December 11th, 2007 - Signed Luis Cruz as a free agent
In 2007, while in the San Diego Padres system, Cruz hit .219 with 9 HR's in 393 AB's between AA and AAA. Mostly around for his defense, he hit .279 between AA and AAA last year as a 24 year old. He also played pretty well in a short stint as the Pirates starting short stop when Jack Wilson was injured. Cruz has an opportunity to earn a bench rols in 2009.
Rating: Positive

10. December 12th, 2007 - Granted Brad Eldred and Brian Rogers free agency
Eldred had a monster year in 2005, was injured almost all of 2006, then bounced back to hit .209/.275/.674 in 309 AB's at AAA and even worse in 46 AB's for the Bucs in '07. After signing a minor league deal for 2008 with the Chicago White Sox, Eldred hit .244/.305/.851. Despite hitting 35 HR's and 100 RBI's, Eldred took only 28 walks against 144 K's. Without the batting eye, he'll never be a major leaguer.
Rogers was obtained in a trade for Sean Casey from the Detroit Tigers. In '07, he went 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 65 IP as a 24 year old. He was resigned for the '08 season, but was released after an issue with the team. He went a combined 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 53 2/3 IP between four different teams in AA and AAA. It's possible he becomes a bullpen arm for someone next year, but he was unhappy with the Pirates and keeping him probably would not have been in either's best interest.
Rating: Positive

11. December 12th, 2007 - Signed Chris Gomez as a free agent
Gomez played for Baltimore and Cleveland in 2007, hitting .221 with 1 HR in 299 AB's as a 36 year old. No longer able to play short stop effectively, Gomez was limited to mostly playing 3B and 2B for the Bucs. Without the bat for third, he is only effective if playing 2B. In 2008, he hit .273/.322/.655. He was not retained for 2009.
Rating: Indifferent

12. December 21st, 2007 - Signed Michel Hernandez, Mike Thompson and Jorge Velandia as free agents
Hernandez spent 2007 in the minor leagues, hitting .297 with 7 HR's and 35 RBI's in 246 AB's as a 28 year old. He was brought in as competition for the backup catching role in spring training. He was cut and spent 2008 with AAA Indianapolis, hitting .266 with 3 HR's and 17 RBI's in 252 AB's. He was bought in September by the Tampa Bay Rays as insurance at the catcher position
Thompson was a former big-time prospect who had a disappointing 2007 with San Diego's AAA team, going 4-11 with a 6.25 ERA in 132 2/3 IP as a 26 year old. He didn't fare any better in a brief call-up that year. The Pirates brought him in to pitch at AAA, and he went 3-3 with a 4.25 ERA in 59 1/3 IP as a swingman. He'll probably be brought back for the same role this season.
Velandia was next in a long line of middle infield filler for the Pirate's AAA team. Much in the same vein as Luis Ordaz, Gookie Dawkins, Alfredo Amezaga, Luis Figueroa and a host of others the Pirates signed to play shortstop at AAA through the years, Velandia doesn't hit enough to play in the majors, but has a decent glove. In 2007, Velandia hit .249/.294/.654 with Tampa Bay's AAA team. Velandia didn't make the Bucs in a utility role and was released in spring training 2008. He bounced around in AAA, but ended up hitting .233 with 3 HR's and 20 RBI's in 300 AB's.
Rating: Indifferent

13. January 7th, 2008 - Signed Adam Bernero and Elmer Dessens as free agents
Bernero was a typical AAAA pitcher before undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2007. The Pirates signed him as a free agent to see if he had anything left. He went 0-0 with a 3.24 ERA in 16 2/3 IP. He'll be in the mix for a bullpen spot somewhere this year.
Dessens split 2007 between the Milwaukee Brewers and Colorado Rockies as a 35 year old, going 2-2 with a 7.15 ERA in 34 IP. The Pirates signed him to see if there was anything left. After determining there wasn't, he was released during spring training. The Atlanta Braves signed him in August, and he finished 2008 at 0-1 with a 22.50 ERA in just 4 IP.
Rating: Indifferent

14. January 11th, 2008 - Signed TJ Beam, Raul Chavez and Jose Macias as free agents
Beam spent 2007 in the New York Yankees farm system. He went 4-3 with a 3.59 ERA in 47 2/3 IP while showing good command. He was regarded as a decent bullpen arm by the Yankees, but was granted free agency after 6 years in the minors. The Pirates signed him, and Beam went to AAA, posting a 2-1 record with a 3.09 ERA in 43 2/3 IP. Beam also impressed at the major league level in 2008 as a 27 year old, going 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA in 45 2/3 IP. Beam looks to lock down a bullpen spot in spring training with the Bucs this year.
Chavez was a journeyman catcher, playing for the Yankees AAA club in 2007 as a 34 year old. He ended the year at .221/.265/.575 in 290 AB's, which is absolutely horrible. The Pirates signed him for his defense and stashed him away at AAA. He spent the year bouncing between AAA and the Bucs, playing pretty well in both places. He may be brought back as insurance again this year. Chavez was a good pick-up for a team needing to show Ronny Paulino wasn't guaranteed a roster spot.
Macias played for the Milwaukee Brewers' AAA team in 2007, hitting .242/.276/.599 while playing just about every position on the diamond. The Pirates decided to give him a shot at their open untility spot, but Macias was cut in spring training.
Rating: Positive

15. January 24th, 2008 - Signed Hector Carrasco, Casey Fossum and Jaret Wright as free agents
Carrasco was signed after a 2007 season with the Los Angeles Angels where he went 2-1 with a 6.57 ERA in 38 1/3 IP. After not pitching well in spring training, he was released. The Chicago Cubs signed him to their AAA affiliate, where he went 5-6 with a 3.86 ERA in 67 1/3 IP as a 39 year old. No loss here.
Fossum is a classic soft-tossing lefty, who has stayed around because he nibbles at the corners. In 2007, as a 29 year old, Fossum went 5-8 with a 7.70 ERA in 76 IP. The Pirates found no use for him, and granted him free agency at the end of the 2008 spring training. He was signed by the Detroit Tigers and went 3-1 with a 5.66 ERA in 41 1/3 IP. Despite his record, Fossum was not reliable in relief.
Wright is a pitcher who had been overused early in his career with the Cleveland Indians, and was only brought in due to Neal Huntington's past with the Tribe. Wright was injured for most of 2007, and managed to go 0-3 with a 6.97 ERA in 10 1/3 IP with the Baltimore Orioles. Wright was cut in spring training and hasn't played since.
Rating: Indifferent

16. February 1st, 2008 - Signed Carlos Maldonado, Luis Rivas and Brian Rogers as free agents
Maldonado had been a Pirate farmhand since 2005, and was resigned to backup at AAA. In 2007, he hit .219/.325/.595 in 137 AB's at Indianapolis as a 28 year old. Despite getting a brief call-up, he is not major league material. With AAA in 2008, Maldonado hit .248/.312/.704 in 125 AB's. He'll probably be back this year.
Rivas was a former starting second baseman for the Minnesota Twins. In 2007, as a AAA player with the Cleveland Indians at 27 years old, Rivas hit .263/.341/.741 in 410 AB's. He earned a utility role with the Bucs in 2008, and hit .218/.267/.578 in 206 AB's. Despite what Huntington says, Rivas is not a useful major league bench player. Hopefully he won't be back this year.
See December 10th for info on Rogers.
Rating: Negative

17. February 1st, 2008 - Claimed Ray Olmedo off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays
Olmedo was 26 years old in 2007 playing for Toronto's AAA team. He hit .290/.345/.686 in 328 AB's playing short stop. The Bucs decided he wasn't the answer in spring training and cut Olmedo. The Washington Nationals signed him to their AAA team, where he went .252/..292/.632 in 353 AB's. Looks like the right move was made.
Rating: Positive

18. February 11th, 2008 - Signed Doug Mientkiewicz as a free agent
Somehow, after a 2007 season with the New York Yankees as a 33 year old hitting .277/.349/.789 in 166 AB's, there was no major league contract for Mientkiewicz. The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract with a virtual promise that he would make the team. Mientkiewicz did make the team, and hit .277/.374/.753 in 285 AB's. In addition to his solid play, Mientkiewicz provided some much needed fire to the 2008 Pirates. Both Mientkiewicz and the Bucs would like him back next year, but that has yet to happen.
Rating: Positive

19. February 24th, 2008 - Signed Byung-Hyun Kim as a free agent
Kim was once a dominant reliever, but had a horrible 2007 season split between the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Florida Marlins as a 28 year old. He went 10-8 with a 6.08 ERA in 117 1/3 IP. Kim was signed to a $1 million dollar contract, but the Pirates ate that after he did not make the team out of spring training. He did not pitch elsewhere in 2008.
Rating: Negative

20. March 26th, 2008 - Released Juan Perez
Perez was a Pirate farmhand, who in 2007 at the age of 26 spent some time with the Bucs, but primarily pitched in AAA going 3-2 with a 4.69 ERA in 55 2/3 IP. He was released at the end of spring training 2008, but was resigned to AAA and went 2-2 with a 3.57 ERA in 22 2/3 IP before undergoing surgery and missing the rest of the season. He is a free agent and should resume minor league pitching sometime in 2009.
Rating: Indifferent

21. March 26th, 2008 - Traded Todd Redmond to the Atlanta Braves. Received Tyler Yates
Redmond pitched at high-A and AA in 2007 for the Bucs, going 8-13 with a 4.39 ERA in 160 IP as a 22 year old. Redmond has exceptional control, but less than average stuff. For the Braves' AA team in 2008, Redmond went 13-5 with a 3.52 ERA in 166 1/3 IP. He projects as a 5th starter in the major leagues, probably in 2011 or 2012.
Yates spent 2007 in the Braves bullpen, compiling a 2-3 record with a 5.18 ERA in 66 IP as a 29 year old. He really had a tale of two seasons, pitching rather badly after the all-star break. The Pirates bought low, and in his first season in their bullpen, 2008, went 6-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 73 1/3 IP. He is seen as a middle reliever going forward, but without better control Yates will never be the overpowering pitcher his stuff gives him the capability of being.
Rating: Positive

22. April 8th, 2008 - Signed Craig Wilson as a free agent
Wilson had fallen on hard times since being traded from Pittsburgh and, after undergoing a significant shoulder operation, was unable to land a bench spot in the major leagues. In 2007 Wilson hit .172/.304/.563 in just 58 AB's before being released by the Atlanta Braves. After signing with the Bucs to play 1B at AAA, Wilson hit only .230/.327/.723 in 217 AB's before being traded for future considerations. The Seattle Mariners picked him up for the remainder of the season, again as insurance at AAA. Wilson fared marginally better, but still did not get a major league call-up. He'll be looking for a bench spot elsewhere in 2009.
Raring: Indifferent

23. April 27th, 2008 - Released Matt Morris
The day couldn't have come soon enough. In one of Dave Littlefield's last dashes to completely destroy the franchise, he had traded for Matt Morris and his $10 million dollar salary in exchange for a young outfielder named Rajai Davis. Morris' 2007 was ugly. All together, he went 10-11 with a 4.89 ERA in 196 2/3 IP. However, after the trade Morris was 3-4 with a 6.10 ERA in just 62 IP. As a 33 year old in 2008, Morris started the year 0-4 with a 9.67 ERA in 22 1/3 IP. Fans around Pittsburgh rejoiced as Morris was cleaning out his locker, a clear sign Neal Huntington wasn't lying in his quest for accountability.
Rating: Positive

24. June 4th, 2008 - Signed Franklyn German as a free agent
As a 27 year old toiling away in the minor leagues of the Texas Rangers, German went 2-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 59 1/3 IP in 2007. German was a flame thrower, and like many flame throwers floating around, had no idea where the ball was going once it left his hand. He made the Rangers out of spring training and went 1-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 21 1/3 IP before being mysteriously released. The Bucs picked him up, and later traded him to the Chicago White Sox. All in all, German went 2-2 with a 3.71 ERA in 34 IP at AAA. If he can ever figure out the control issues, he may stick around as a reliever.
Rating: Indifferent

25. June 25th, 2008 - Traded Kyle Pearson to the Detroit Tigers. Received Denny Bautista
Pearson went 1-6 in 2007 as a 22 year old in A-ball. Deceivingly, his ERA was 3.66 in 78 2/3 IP. The Pirates were betting Pearson wouldn't hold up to better hitters, and thus far they look to be right. His total 2008 stats look much less impressive, at 2-2 with a 6.75 ERA in only 33 IP. If he ever makes the majors, it will likely be as a mop-up man or long reliever.
Bautista was a classic case of a guy with so much potential able to do so little with it, that teams will give him a chance time after time. In 2007, Bautista went 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 64 2/3 IP as a 24 year old. He struck out twice as many as he walked, and earned a call-up to the big leagues for a brief time. with the Pirates, Bautista pitched poorly (surprise). He ended 2008 with a 5.22 ERA in 60 1/3 IP split between the Bucs and Detroit Tigers. He is back with the team in 2009 and is trying to earn a roster spot.
Rating: Indifferent

26. June 25th, 2008 - Released Kevin Thompson
Thompson played sparingly for the Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees in 2007, getting only 35 AB's at the major league level. Thompson has historically been a speed guy in the monir leagues but has not hit well enough in the upper levels to merit an actual look in the bigs. Playing for AAA Indianapolis at 28 in 2008, Thompson hit .282/.358/.768 before being released. With Andrew McCutchen in AAA, there was no need for Thompson any longer.
Rating: Positive

27. July 10th, 2008 - Bryan Bullington selected by the Cleveland Indians off waivers.
Bullington, a failed Dave Littlefield pick, never made it back successfully after shoulder surgery. After a somewhat ok season in 2007 for Indianapolis in which Bullington went 11-9 with a 4.00 ERA in 150 2/3 IP, and more importantly stayed healthy all year, Bullington was expected to fight for a roster spot with the Bucs in '08. This never materialized and he was sent back to AAA at age 27. In 15 starts, Bullington went 4-6 with a 5.52 ERA in 75 IP before being released, then went 0-2 with a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 IP for Cleveland after a brief September callup. He was released this offseason and picked up by Toronto. He will be playing for a roster sopt in spring training with the Blue Jays.
Rating: Indifferent

28. July 10th, 2008 - Traded Craig Wilson to the Seattle Mariners for PLTBNL.
Wilson, for some reason, was not given a bench spot at the beginning of 2008, after cutting his 2007 short for shoulder surgery. The Pirates picked him up shortly after spring training '08 at the age of 31 and assigned him to AAA in hopes of having a bench player. Wilson, of course, had spent several previous seasons with the Bucs. Wilson did not hit especially well and was shipped off for nothing. His overall AAA numbers for 2008 were not bad, hitting .256-22-67 in only 391 AB's. Wilson would be a solid guy to have around this season, but it's unclear if his shoulder injury is preventing him from playing outfield. the Pirates, likely, will only see cash in return.
Rating: Indifferent

29. July 26th, 2008 - Traded Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte to the New York Yankees. Received Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen and Jose Tabata.
For months GM Neal Huntington had said he was serious about rebuilding, and on this day it came to fruition. This trade was met with mixed reviews. Some saw the potential of Tabata and Ohlendorf. Some saw the same old Pirates. Looking back months later, this trade is turning out very well for the Pirates.
Xavier Nady was in the midst of his best year as a regular, and possibly the ceiling of his ability. He finished the year at .305-25-97 after a fall-off last couple months with the Yankees. Nady is under contract this year for New Yrok and will be a Scott Boras free agent after the season. The Pirates would not have been able to afford Nady.
Damaso Marte was also in the best year of his career, and was a type-A free agent this offseason. He resigned with the Yankees in large part because he wouldn't have gotten much interest outside the organization. Nobody particularly wants to give up a 1st round draft pick for a LOOGY. Marte, 33, also played poorly after the trade, raising his cumulative 2008 ERA to 4.02 in 65 IP. Before the trade he was at 3.47 in 46 2/3 IP.
Jeff Karstens, 25, was a fringe major league starter for the Yankees, and it looks like his future is as a 5th starter/long reliever for the Bucs. He finished 2008 with the Pirates after the trade, going 2-6 with a 4.03 ERA in 51 1/3 IP. That includes a near perfect game against the DiamondBacks. Karstens will most likely start 2009 in the rotation, but a move to the pen looks likely.
Ross Ohlendorf is a 26 year old RHP with a blazing fastball, but not much else. The Pirates are going to try him as a starter, but it seems likely his future is in the bullpen. In 2008, Ohlendorf went 1-4 with a 6.46 ERA in 62 2/3 IP, split between the Yankees and Pirates. He'll be the 4th starter this season.
Dan McCutchen is a throw-in to the trade, who could turn out to be the best pitcher out of the three. He is old for a prospect, at 26, but wasn't in the minor leagues until age 23. In 2008, split between AA and AAA McCutchen went 11-12 with a 3.57 ERA in 171 1/3 IP. He'll open 2008 in the Indianapolis rotation with a shot at coming up during the season if he can keep the ball in the yard.
Jose Tabata is by far the most interesting piece of this trade. He has the potential to make Yankee fans sick for years. He'll be turning 21 in August with a full year of AA already under his belt. The Yankees soured on him after several attitude problems and a couple injuries. Tabata seems happy now, and finished 2008 in strong fashion. The overall numbers, .272-6-49 in 383 AB's, are not very impressive. However the bat speed and build of this youngster have power written all over them. Tabata his .348 after the trade, and will take his stick back to Altoona to open the year. Once Andrew McCutchen is called up to play in Pittsburgh, Tabata will most likely find himself in AAA.
Rating: Positive

30. July 31st, 2008 - As part of a 3-team trade, traded Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox. Received Andy LaRoche and Bryan Morris from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss from the Boston Red Sox. In addition, the Boston Red Sox sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
This trade was rumored for months, and as of 4pm on the 31st, looked to be dead in the water. It's hard to think that confusion was not part of this deal because the Pirates ended up getting a lot in return as compared to the other teams involved.
Jason Bay was having a bounce-back season in 2008 at the age of 29 after a disappointing 2007. He would finish the year hitting .286-31-101, and played well for Boston in the postseason. Due to contract demands, it does not seem likely he'll sign an extension. The Red sox may have overpayed for a year and two months of Bay, especially if they can't win the world series with him in left this year.
Andy LaRoche was once a top prospect in baseball, but had floundered after a couple of quick trials with the Dodgers. Still only 25, the Pirates installed himas their 3rd baseman after the trade and he didn't look like himself at all. The 2008 numbers were ugly - .165-5-18 in 224 AB's. He is retaining the 3rd base job this year largely due to an impressive minor league track record. It seems likely he'll turn out to be solid or better, but no results thus far.
Bryan Morris spent 2008 coming back from Tommy John surgery at 21. He has #2 starter potential, and flashed it after the trade at Hickory in low-A ball before injuring a toe. The overall numbers were 2-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 96 IP. He'll start in high-A this year with a good chance to finish the year in AA.
Craig Hansen is a bit of a wild card. Actually a lot of the wild part. The 2005 1st round pick of the Red Sox has not yet put the ball over the plate nough to merit his status. Armed with a 96 mph heater, Hansen hasn't been able to develop the secondary pitches he'll need at the major league level. In 2008, Hansen spent considerable time in the big leagues, going 2-7 with a 6.22 ERA in 46 1/3 IP. The reliever is now out of options, so the Pirates will let him sink or swim in the bullpen. If he sinks, it will be interesting to see how far the Pirates allow him to fall before they cut bait.
Brandon Moss was a former top-10 Red Sox prospect who had earned a bench spot with the team in 2008. He started the last 2 months of the year in left and right field for the Pirates, ending the year at .246-8-34 in 236 AB's. Moss will start in right field for the Pirates, but looks to be cut out as a reserve outfielder once McCutchen and Tabata make their debuts, probably sometime in 2010.
Rating: Positive

31. August 10th, 2008 - Traded Franklyn German to the Chicago White Sox. Received PTBNL.
In another cash deal, 28 year old Franklyn German was sent out after being picked up earlier in the season from the Texas Rangers. It's hard to figure out what was wrong with German, as the Rangers cut him after going 1-3 with a 2.08 ERA in 21 1/3 IP for them. Regardless, German spent the rest of the year in AAA. He seems to be someone the Pirates should have taken a look at.
Rating: Negative

32. August 21st, 2008 - Traded Jose Bautista to the Toronto Blue Jays. Later, the Toronto Blue Jays sent Robinzon Diaz to the Pirates.
It's hard to believe a young third baseman like Bautista, 27, is only worth a backup catcher. Bautista finished 2008 at .238-15-54 in 370 AB's. After a promising start to his career, Bautista went steadily downhill as an everyday player. His future with Pittsburgh seemed to be as a super-utility player, but that never came to be for reasons unknown. He is athletic enough to play every position save catcher. He'll be playing for Toronto this year once Scott Rolen gets injured, which will probably be sooner than later.
Robinzon Diaz is a 25 year old catcher. He was brought in to be the heir apparent to Ronny Paulino, who was traded earlier this offseason. Diaz bounced around quite a bit last year, but ended up at .290-4-29 in 214 minor league at bats. He has a good enough stick not to be a deadbeat backup catcher.
Rating: Negative

33. August 31st, 2008 - Sold Michel Hernandez to the Tampa Bay Rays.
An organizational catcher most of his career, Hernandez, 29, was hitting .266/.317/.690 when the Rays decided they needed a backup catcher for September who couldn't hit in AAA. Hernandez will be back in AAA somewhere this year, as catchers can play forever in the minors.
Rating: Indifferent

34. September 2nd, 2008 - Released Ty Taubenheim.
An interesting player, Ty Taubenheim is the quintessential AAAA player. He's not old at 25, has decent stuff, can be a starter or reliever, but has been abysmal in the major leagues. The Pirates stashed him in AAA where he went 4-9 with a 5.60 ERA in 98 IP before getting a spot-start. The Pirates resigned him this offseason, and Taubenheim will bring his antics back to Indy to start 2009.
Rating: Indifferent

The totals:
Positive: 14
Negative: 5
Indifferent: 15

That's it for now, check back later this week for the 2009 Season in Preview part 1.

Long Time, No Post

It's finally winter, and I finally have some time to update the site. Duckworth and I have been talking about some changes we'd like to make to the site, involving a possible weekly podcast as well as some other ideas being thrown...err kicked (it's football season) around.

Let's go over what has happened since the last post, all the way back in August:

8/3/08 - Freddy Sanchez returns to Pirates - Sanchez returns strong for the last 2 months of the season, the Pirates hope someone will trade fresh meat for him this offseason. The same can also be said for Adam LaRoche and Matt Capps.

8/6/08 - Jeff Karstens nearly no-hits the Diamondbacks - Some thought Karstens was Jesus in a uniform. We thought better. We were right.

8/8/08 - Phil Dumatrait has shoulder surgery - So much for him...maybe.

8/13/08 - Bucs option Jose Bautista to AAA - In a move I didn't like, Bautista was sent down. A platoon with LaRoche probably would've worked out better. In a move I did like, the Pirates would then trade Bautista to Toronto.

8/13/08 - Bucs ink 5th rounder Justin Wilson - Not that he's going to turn out any good (is there any doubt TJ is in his future?), but at least the guy is a proven winner and can gut it out from the left side.

8/14/08 - Bucs sign 6th rounder Robbie Grossman - Never enough talent. Even in the outfield.

8/16/08 - Pedro Alvarez joins the fold - Note the date on this one.

8/22/08 - Pirates option Steve Pearce to AAA - Precarious at best, there was no reason to do this. Then again, there was no reason not to give him playing time with the Pirates either.

8/23/08 - Tom Gorzelanny returns to Pirates - He may be the biggest question mark of 2009. Oliver Perez part 2?!

8/25/08 - Robinzon Diaz is PTBNL - A backup to the backup to the backup (that would be Raul Chavez and Ronny Paulino, and hopefully this year, no backup).

8/28/08 - Pirates, Scott Boras battle over Pedro Alvarez deal - The day of infamy. Probably never before have their been so many scenarios and what-ifs running through Pirate fans' heads.

9/2/08 - Bucs bolster roster with 10 call-ups - Nowhere among them were Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata, but some useful faces emerged, including Ross Ohlendorf and Luis Cruz.

9/20/08 - Jim Negrych, Jeff Sues earn Bucs' minor honors - Talk about unlikely, this probably shows more than anything why the Pirates needed to trade Xavier Nady and Jason Bay.

9/21/08 - Jack Wilson's pinch-hit highlights home finale - Hopefully we'll never be put in the position again where a no-hit, decent-field shortstop avoids the disabled list for a standing ovation at the home finale. Pitiful (no offense, Jack).

9/22/08 - Pedro Alvarez, Pirates agree to deal - At long last.

9/23/08 - MRI reveals knee issue for Pirates' Brandon Moss - This would turn out to be serious, and should have a large bearing on spring training.

9/29/08 - Pirates make immediate changes - Firing pitching coach Jeff Andrews may not have been necessary, but Joe Kerrigan is a step in a better direction. Hopefully the Bucs can rehire Andrews for AAA, he's not the problem.

10/1/08 - Voice of the Pirates turns off his mic - I'm not a huge Lanny Frattare fan, but you have to respect a man that has given 100% through all of this.

11/5/08 - Nate McLouth snares first Gold Glove Award - And most certainly his last.

11/7/08 - Chris Duffy leaves Bucs - This on the other hand, will undoubtedly be his last.

11/21/08 - John Van Benschoten parts ways with Bucs - Amicable? YES! I do, however, think Van Benschoten has a future in the bigs, unlike Bryan Bullington.

11/24/08 - Pirates sign two pitchers from India - Hmm...why the hell not?!

And here we are, ready for the Winter Meetings. Bye, bye Jack!

A New Era for Pirates Fans

It's August, the MLB non-waiver trade deadline has passed, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are in a familiar position: last place. See, for Pirates fans, Christmas comes on the first day of the regular season, because it's virtually the only day of the entire year when we're in the pennant race. Optimism is abound, and even Bob Smizik can outline the positive aspects of that year's team.

But with a new CEO and GM who resemble change in an organization nearly bereft of talent, die-hard fans may have a reason to hope for the future of the franchise. General Manager Neal Huntington has done his best to dismantle his predecessors grand plan, and has not failed in doing so. Gone are Salomon Torres, Bryan Bullington, Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, and Jason Bay. Tom Gorzelanny and Ronny Paulino have been demoted as part of the new management's promise to take a no-nonsense attitude.

The new-look Pirates are full of Major-League-ready AAA players, as opposed to AAA players who had no business being on a Major League team. Make no mistake about it, there have been times this season when management has had to promote such players. The difference is that Huntington did not disguise that fact, where former GM Dave Littlefield most likely would have stressed how important such players will be to the future of the franchise.

The difference Pittsburgh fans can expect to see will most likely take place next year in Altoona. Curve fans going to the ballpark in 2009 can expect to see real talent, possible future Pirates like Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Brad Lincoln, Dan Moskos, Jim Negrych, Jamie Romak, Brian Friday, and Bryan Morris could all see time there next year.

Huntington has made a name for himself in his first year as GM because he is a risk-taker. Something neither Cam Bonifay or Dave Littlefield will ever have mentioned in the same sentence. Huntington's approach has been almost an exact 180-degree turn from Littlefield, in fact. Hard-throwing pitchers and high-ceiling bats are being brought in with as much regularity as Littlefield signed over-the-hill free agents.

The Littlefield-era was built upon taking two star position players, first Jason Kendall and Brian Giles then later Jason Bay and Jack Wilson, and meshing them with sub-par free agents, with a few less than stellar farm products thrown in there as well. The worst part though, is that Littlefield always wanted to build a team through pitching. His idea of pitching, however, was in line with the word finesse. In this era, finesse pitchers who succeed at the major league level are few and far between. Anyone could see that this fact alone would render Littlefield's teams useless.

By making trades, signing players off the scrap heap, and putting existing Pirates in new positions (both literally and figuratively) Huntington has begun the first true rebuilding process the Pirates have had in this soon to be record breaking losing streak. To the casual fan, these are the same old Pirates. I caution that where there's smoke, there most certainly is fire. When the Altoona Curve are smoking everyone next year, let's hope the fire is lit in Pittsburgh. While we're at it, let's hope that fire burns us into contention with guys like Pedro Alvarez, Brad Lincoln, Andrew McCutchen, Andy LaRoche, Jose Tabata and a few others leading the way. Let's Go Bucs!

Trades, Anyone pt. 2

With the trading deadline quickly approaching, let's take a look at some of the Pirates who might be putting on a new uniform in August, and which uniforms that might be. After talking about catcher, let's jump over to first base this time...

Adam LaRoche 1B
-Why he will be traded: Adam "0-for-April" LaRoche, much like Ronny Paulino, has also wore out his welcome. LaRoche presents a very large conundrum, however, for the Pirates. Do they sell low in the middle of the season, knowing he hits so well the second half of the year, or do they sell high at the end of the season, and still probably not get much for him because of his now legendary first-half slump? The Braves were able to get a high-end pitcher from the Bucs in the form of Mike Gonzalez because LaRoche, at that time, did not have the track record he does now. Conventional wisdom would say that the best place for an Adam LaRoche-type player would be an American League version of the Pirates, that is some team with the DH that can afford to sit LaRoche quite a bit the first half of the season. However, with the second half tear that he is capable of, maybe a contender will take a shot at him, hoping to once again pawn him off in the winter. Regardless, it's obvious the Bucs cannot win with LaRoche at first.

-5 teams to trade to:
1. Oakland Athletics - Daric Barton needs to be replaced, and LaRoche would be an ok stopgap until Barton is ready for full-time play again.
2. Texas Rangers - Perhaps I'm just hoping the AL West doesn't pay attention to what the Pirates do the first half of the season, but I still think LaRoche has a better second half in him than Chris Shelton and Hank Blalock combined.
3. Seattle Mariners - Another AL West team who needs help at 1b, the Mariners recently cut Richie Sexson, and could have LaRoche for next season too.
4. San Francisco Giants - McCovey Cove needs a left handed bat with some power.
5. Chicago White Sox - A platoon of Paul Konerko and LaRoche could be quite a boost for the Sox offense.

-Why he won't be traded: LaRoche is a tough sell. The Pirates would have to convince teams that he's worth a decent prospect, and that he can be playable in the first half of 2009. Also, there's nobody behind him in the Pirates' system. Management seems content to have Steve Pearce in the outfield, and Jason Delaney is still at least a year away, if he's even a legitimate prospect.

Trades, Anyone?

With the trading deadline quickly approaching, let's take a look at some of the Pirates who might be putting on a new uniform in August, and which uniforms that might be. One at a time, and we'll start slowly...

Ronny Paulino C
-Why he will be traded: Paulino has wore out his welcome in Pittsburgh. Whether it's the passed balls, not catching throws from the outfield or his step-in-the-bucket stance, it appears Ronny Ballgame has played his last...err ballgame...in Pittsburgh. Many teams will be looking for catching help, as it may be the hardest major league position to fill, and if you look around, there's a lot worse on rosters right now.

-5 teams to trade to:
1. Boston Red Sox - The BoSox could teach Ronny to catch the knuckler, and Ronny could teach Jason Varitek how to hit .220...wait a second...
2. Philadelphia Phillies - The Phillies need to let go of the Carlos Ruiz idea, and who knows, maybe Paulino could do a bit better. Stranger things have happened.
3. Florida Marlins - Word is out that Florida wants a catcher. They are apparently worried about Matt Treanor. Could be a possibility.
4. Kansas City Royals - Just in case John Buck fractures his other testicle.
5. Cincinnati Reds - There's no good reason not to trade him to the Reds, they could always use another ex-Pirate catcher.

-Why he won't be traded: Nobody really wants a lazy catcher. Especially not a hurt and lazy catcher. Paulino has been hobbled recently by a sprained ankle. You can be sure, however, he was not hurt while blocking the plate. Also, Paulino has holes in his offensive and defensive game that seem to be spreading like wildfire.

Through 81 Games

At the half-way point of yet another disappointing season, let's take a look at where we're at.

Rotation: Right now it's in flux. That doesn't mean it's been all bad. In this case, it means it's been 2/5 bad. But those 2/5 are represented by Tom Gorzelanny and Ian Snell. There's the reason we're 4 games under .500 rather than 4 games over .500. In last year's stats I think it would be reasonable to see an extra 8 wins between the two of them.

Relief: Aside from a few road bumps here and there, the bullpen has held up relatively well. This holds especially true when you consider the state of flux it was in entering spring training. Really, the only relievers the Bucs rely on (Capps, Marte, Grabow, Yates) have done quite well. The long relief has been abysmal, however most of that can be attributed to Franquelis Osoria and his rubber arm.

Bats: Offense has kept the games close, and in most cases has given us plenty of runs to win. I think the Pirates have only been shut out twice, which is acceptable. The addition of Jason Michaels has been huge, as his at-bat to RBI ratio is downright amazing. We are also enjoying above-average production at catcher, short-stop and all three outfield positions. The bench has been good if not great, and we have been able to score runs late in games.

Here are the year-end projections through the half-way point of the season. Again, this is taking into account player's career averages, as well as what they have done up to this point in the season.

NAME AVG-HR-RBI in x AB's

Doumit............306-19-57 in 399 AB's
LaRoche...........243-19-74 in 540 AB's
Sanchez...........265-9-67 in 616 AB's
Bautista..........254-17-66 in 482 AB's
Wilson............288-5-38 in 422 AB's
Bay...............283-32-93 in 576 AB's
McLouth...........271-24-77 in 544 AB's
Nady..............297-20-87 in 514 AB's

Mientkiewicz......268-6-44 in 386 AB's
Gomez.............291-3-40 in 356 AB's
Rivas.............246-8-41 in 370 AB's

Now let's look back to a previous post, where we had projected at the quarter season mark. Ryan Doumit's numbers were projected at .273-18-64 in 463 AB's. The fact that he's been hurt a couple times has obviously helped his average, though we still can expect it to fall a little. I think it's pretty reasonable to expect him to be around 400 at-bats when the season's over. Adam LaRoche was at .253-24-86 in 550 AB's. His average and power numbers have not risen in June as was expected. Sanchez was at .292-6-74 in 613 AB's. He has obviously been a disappointment. Jose Bautista differs only in batting average (.237 - .254) significantly. Jack Wilson had been out because of the injury, and so his numbers have varied more than the rest, though only in batting average. Interestingly enough, Jason Bay, who has long been known to be a streaky hitter, has been so consistent his numbers are virtually identical. Nate McLouth also looks to be right on track, proving his fall was predictable. The same can be said for Xavier Nady. Here's the pitchers:

NAME.........IP...W...L...BB...K...ERA

Duke........200...9...11..56...87...4.08
Snell.......184...8...13..90...148..5.32
Gorzelanny..175..12...12..99...103..5.50
Maholm......200..11...12..65...125..4.49
Dumatrait...151...5...10..82...100..5.67

Capps........74...3....4..11....54..2.75....23 SV
Marte........70...5....1..24....74..3.22
Grabow.......70...6....4..28....57..4.07
Yates........73...5....2..49....54..4.18
Osoria.......97...4....5..24....51..5.72
Burnett......96...4....4..53....54..5.46

Look at those walk totals! No way the Pirates can approach .500 with our strikeout-to-walk ratios. Oh, and pitching Osoria and Burnett in long relief won't help either. Snell and Gorzelanny have seen their ERA's rise almost a full run since the last time they were projected. Neither have had the velocity they had previously, which would lead one to suspect they've been pitching injured. We now know they both were/are. Again, I have faith Phil Dumatrait is not going to implode like the projections insist, however it would be foolish to expect he'll end up with an ERA less than 4.50. Everyone else seems on track.

As always, these are only projections, but I am relatively encouraged by how close the ones from before were. If these players can stay away from injuries, I'd imagine this will be very close. Just in case of injury, I projected a few bench players in order to give us an idea what we'd be looking at. I also did this with Sean Burnett, in case we trade Damaso Marte and/or John Grabow.

Speaking of trades, I believe this illustrates how closely Xavier Nady is actually hitting to what he should be. The sole reason he's "having a career year" as many have proclaimed, is because he's been healthy. In trading him, we as fans, should not expect a huge return. One mid-level prospect should be about fair in all reality.

Pirates at Baltimore Orioles (Series Review)

Record after Series: Pit (34-36) Bal (34-34)

Game 1 (L 9 - 6) Tough one to lose (you'll hear that again). Top of the order killed us in this one, as Freddy Sanchez and Nate McLouth went a combined 0 for 9. With the way Sanchez is playing right now, there's no reason to bat him leadoff, even though I must concede it did work earlier in the season. Doug Mientkiewicz and Jason Michaels, two members of the Pirate's unusually strong bench, came up huge in this one. Michaels delivered a clutch Home Run to keep us in it, though the 2008 White Flag-to-be Franquelis Osoria, would render it useless. Thanks Luke Scott. In other notes, Phil Dumatrait couldn't throw a ball over home plate after the 3rd inning and just about lost the game. Sean Burnett didn't do much better. An assist also goes to the Bucco offense, who went something like 5 innings without a hit after putting Brian Burres on the ropes early on.

Game 2 (L 8 - 7) Tough one to lose (common theme here, eh Lanny Frattare?). Top of the lineup does marginally better for itself in this one, 1 for 8 total, with a Sanchez homer. The Pirates also get long balls from Xavier Nady, Adam LaRoche and Jose Bautista. LaRoche and Bautista were the unlikely (unlucky) almost-heroes here. Not much else nice to say about this one, especially from the pitching perspective. The bullpen fails again, though this time it's John Grabow and Matt Capps, both of whom gave up hugely deflating home runs.

Game 3 (W 5 - 4) A feel-good win if there ever was one, lightning actually struck thrice in this one, but Capps, thankfully, was able to wiggle his way out of it. This was a showcase for Jason Bay, as he went 2-3 with 2 walks, a double and a stolen base. Orioles starter Daniel Cabrera, despite his best efforts to injure every Pirate position player in the starting lineup with a fastball to the neck, somehow made it through 6 innings in this one, with Paul Maholm mostly cruising on the other side. Maholm pitched well, the only blemishes being a couple of home runs. The Pirate bullpen held up relatively well in this one, despite Capps' best efforts to screw it up again, and the Bucs were able to putt it out.

Series Record: 8-10-5. The Bucs lose the series, their 10th loss this year.

1 Big Point: Most glaring in this series, I thought, was the Pirate pitchers being unable to throw strikes. Not just in clutch situations, not when they were ahead of the count, just anytime. The walks are killing this team, and it's plausible that the Pirates would be above-.500 with better control. Several of this team's pitchers have lackluster control, and when you compound that with a low strikeout rate, the recipe for losing baseball games is nearly complete, without even figuring in the offense.

Next Up: at Chicago White Sox (38-31)

Game Review 6/9 W 5-3

Well I got my wish. I wanted a split, and the Bucs did it the hard way. They even showed a little bit of bite to them on the way. The Bucs move out of last place, if only momentarily, with the win. Two games below .500 with a sub-par Washington Nationals team up next.

This game seemed marred with controversy. Most folks are talking about the Randy Johnson, Doug Mientkiewicz scuffe, but I'd also point to the missed call on Mark Reynolds' double. As I mentioned yesterday, I was afraid he was starting to heat up. That's now confirmed. What I don't understand is why ballparks, PNC included, are allowed to have walls that are not clearly marked with the bright yellow line.

I realize I'm arguing for the enemy in this case, but I'm sure the day is not too far off when the Pirates are bitten by the beast as well. I also realize that a fan reached over the wall to catch the ball, but I still think the "highlite stripe" would be a good idea on the top of the fence there at the Clemente wall.

It was refreshing, for once, to see the other team make more mistakes than our team. Especially against the better teams in the league, it's been the Pirates that have choked in the field this year. With their 4 errors on Monday, the DiamondBacks sure shot themselves in the foot, and lost a winnable game. All that said, it felt good to get away with one.

Hopefully yesterday's game brought about some growing up from our young Bucs, and I think games like this often do. Much has been said about the talking that went on, so I won't go into it much further, but I do think that Mr. Johnson should be more careful with his words. Saying that someone "would be on a stretcher" if he cared, is not very nice. Not professional of him either. Maybe he has some growing up to do too.

Game Review 6/8 W 6-4

The Pirates take their first game of the four game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'll be honest, I'd be real happy with a split of this series. The Pirates have to be going through a four game stretch against opposing starting pitchers like they haven't gone through this year. Possibly like they won't go through again this year either. Just look at the stats for Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Doug Davis and Randy Johnson.

Mark Reynolds has to drive the D'Backs fans crazy. The guy is more streaky than a pet-store window. Hopefully they get out of town while he's just getting hot. I'm not sure what the big fuss about Chris Young is. He hits some home runs and is young, but he looks to have a lot of holes in his swing. For the first time in a long time, I can say I like our outfield better than theirs.

I also think they've rushed Max Scherzer. The guy's gonne be crazy good, but this isn't the year. Especially not with their starting rotation. They probably won't need a long man very often, so you have to wonder if he wouldn't be better off getting a regular turn in AAA. Seems to me he's got some control issues to work out.

Every time I think about the Pirates lineup I get excited for Andrew McCutchen. Come to think about it, there's not much that doesn't make me excited about Cutch. Assuming he can hold down hitting leadoff, we can move Freddy Sanchez to the second spot, and Jack Wilson will FINALLY have no reason to show his face batting second. In all honesty, I think that gives us a huge advantage over what we have now. Even putting McLouth second in the order would be a huge step up from Sanchez/Wilson, McLouth/Sanchez or McLouth/Wilson.

I also wonder what management is going to do with Adam LaRoche. I was much in favor of trading for him from the Braves, even at the expense of a guy like Mike Gonzalez, however I can now understand why Atlanta made this trade. I would be curious to find out if LaRoche had this same early season slump problem in the minor leagues. I'd imagine LaRoche's trade value has dropped significantly in his time with the Pirates, since this is now turning into an annual problem.

While I may be getting ahead of myself here, the Pirates seem to be falling in love with veterans again. Doug Mientiewicz is a fine first baseman, but offensively he lacks quite a bit of what Jose Bautista has. It now seems as though the Bucs learned their lesson, and can stick with Jose Bautista for a while. I predict a similar outcome with Ronny Paulino. Raul Chavez is nothing more than a AAAA player. I mean, the guy hit .221 last year in AAA and .255 the year before in AA. And now, all of the sudden, because he has a decent arm and "handles pitchers extraordinarily well" he is better than Ronny Paulino? Has Paulino played poorly enough to get sent to the minor leagues?

Most fans (and apparently management too) say yes. I disagree. If you look at Paulino's stats from the last week he was with the club, here's what he hit: .357 with 2 home runs and 5 RBI in 14 AB's. So what happened? Paulino promptly went down and has hit .700 in 10 AB's with 2 doubles and 2 HR's since his demotion. I'm not suggesting he would have done this in the majors, but it sure would be nice to have that bat on the bench right about now. Especially since Chavez really hasn't been all that great defensively, consider in roughly 10 games he's had 2 passed balls, 2 wild pitches and an error. Paulino's stats are these: 30 games, 1 passed ball, 8 wild pitches and an error. The only place Chavez looks better is on wild pitches, which are on the pitcher, and not the catcher! It's also been proven that CERA (catcher's ERA) is not indicative of anything, so there goes that idea. Paulino may be lazy, he may not be playing to his capability, and he may not be a good catcher. But he is a better option than Raul Chavez.

The Pirates '08 Draft

The Pirates' '08 draft looks impressive on paper. Most obvious to long-time fans is the difference in legitimate prospects. Dave Littlefield & Company always seemed to be 3 (hundred) steps behind all the other teams. In the long run, Littlefield's legacy of overdrafting players may be remembered as much as his inability to develop the players he had.

Considering that the '08 Pirates, who are essentially built on Littlefield's players with different roles (Ryan Doumit catching, Jack Wilson batting 8th, Nate McLouth in center, Zach Duke encouraged to throw strikes, etc.)are now playing pretty well, for our standards at least, maybe Littlefield deserves some credit for kind of having an idea.

A new emphasis has obviously been put on drafting players with skills who know how to play the game, as opposed to the Ed Creech way of thinking, which seemed to be to get guys that look like ball players and attempt to show them how to swing a bat and throw a ball. As refreshing as this is, the Pirates took a lot of risks here. They must now spend twice as much money as the previous regime committed. They must now deal with Satan himself (Scott Boras). They must now convince these new Pirates they are for real. And most of all, they must sign their top two picks, to show the fans that are left, the future is bright.

With all that said, here's a look at the Pirates '08 draft:

1. Pedro Alvarez 3b (Vanderbilt)
-Alvarez should turn out to be the best player in this draft. Most scouts are predicting a .300-35-100 player. Another plus for the Bucs, Alvarez hits left-handed. His swing reminds some of Chipper Jones, which isn't bad since he's chasing .400 right now. It's still up for debate whether Alvarez can stick to 3b, due to a lack of range.

2. Tanner Scheppers rhp (Fresno St.)
-Scheppers represents a high risk pick for the Pirates. A player with huge upside, including a fastball reaching 99mph, Scheppers has been diagnosed with a partially torn labrum. If he can remain healthy, Scheppers should be a beast.

3. Jordy Mercer ss (Oklahoma St.)
-Mercer is a big short stop, who can hit the ball. Some scouts have compared Mercer offensively to Barry Larkin, which of course the Pirates would love.

4. Chase D'Arnaud ss (Pepperdine)
-A common theme in this draft was the Pirates drafting short stops. D'Arnaud doesn't have the upside that Mercer does, but can provide depth at short or third.

5. Justin Wilson lhp (Fresno St.)
-Wilson is a left-handed pitcher with an above-average fastball. He will probably move to the bullpen later in his career if he can't develop another plus pitch.

6. Robert Grossman cf (Cypress, TX H.S.)
-Grossman should prove to be a tough sign, as he's committed to Texas. If the Pirates do sign Grossman, he'll be fun to watch. Not the most talented player in the draft, but very headsy according to scouts.

7. Benjamin Gonzalez ss (Puerto Rico B.A.)
-The third short stop picked in the first seven rounds, Gonzalez is your typical Creech draftee. Supposedly a decent fielder, Gonzalez lacks plate discipline, and a bat in general.

8. Jeremy Farrell 3b (Virginia)
-Farrell is the son of former major leaguer John Farrell. It appears the Pirates overdrafted here, though that is tough to say with any confidence, given the track record of former player's sons. Farrell could play first or third in the pros.

9. Matthew Hague 3b (Oklahoma St.)
-Another sign that the Pirates draft team is concerned about draftees hitting pro, Hague played in the Cape Cod league, and tore it up. He often works the count, and has legit power. Some publications projected him in the outfield, but the Pirates seem intent on leaving him at third. Could be a sleeper.

10. Andrew Gagnon rhp (Liberty Union, CA H.S.)
-Gagnon will be a tough sign, and it seems debatable whether it would even be worth it to sign him. Gagnon is a power pitcher, but needs a lot of work to succeed in the pros. He seems likely to go to San Diego St. (he's committed there unless we blow him away with an offer) and be drafted a few rounds higher in a couple years.

11. Andrew Rubenstein cf (Appalachian St.)
-Rubenstein is a player with gap power and average speed.

12. Calvin Anderson 1b (Southern A & M)
-A big, powerful looking man (6'7" 240lbs) with no speed and a much below average eye at the plate. Let's hope he doesn't sign.

13. Robert Gardner cf (Highland Park, TX H.S.)
-Gardner continues the trend of centerfielder's drafted by the Bucs. Fast little guy committed to Arkansas.

14. Michael Colla rhp (Arizona)
-Colla looks to be a reliever without much hope of making it to the majors.

15. Christopher Aure lhp (North Pole, AK H.S.)
-Aure is supposedly the best prospect from Alaska since 1999. Since nobody's mentioning the name of the guy that was better than him, you have to take that as not meaning he's going to be great. Maybe he'll beat the odds.

16. Wesley Freeman cf (Winter Haven, FL H.S.)
-Freeman looks like a legit prospect, with a major hole in his swing. If he can correct it, he should be a major leaguer someday.

17. Jason Shepherd cf (Navarro)
-Shepherd is a tough guy without a lot of upside. He may return to college and hope for a better draft next year.

18. Jarek Cunningham ss (Mead WA H.S.)
-Cunningham probably won't sign, which isn't such a big deal considering the Pirates drafted three short stops ahead of him. Cunningham could be a guy with 5 tool potential if he can grow into his body.

19. Jason Haniger c (Georgia Tech)
-Haniger would be a fringe prospect if he signs. He appears to have some power, but figures to be below average in most other offensive categories.

20. Quinton Miller rhp (Medford, NJ H.S.)
-Miller is a player the Pirates need to sign if possible. His motion is erratic and he has many mechanical issues, however he would seem to be a project worth the undertaking.

21. Brent Klinger rhp (Glendale Arizona)
-Some publications proclaim Klinger to be pretty solid, however judging from his stats he looks quite average.

22. Patrick Palmeiro 3b (Colleyville, TX H.S.)
-Palmeiro is a Mississippi St. college recrruit and son of steroid user Rafael Palmeiro. Should be a tough sign, but has the pedigree to play in the major leagues.

23. Austin Wright lhp (Hoffman Estates, IL H.S.)
-Wright is a rare player who projects pretty well as both a pitcher and a hitter. It appears the Pirates plan for him is as a pitcher.

24. Brian Litwin 3b (Hickory, NC H.S.)
-Litwin is a big guy with good speed. Once he fills out, he figures to have above-average power and average speed. Looks like a good pick if we can sign him.

25. Brian Leach rhp (Southern Miss)
-Leach is a raw pitcher with a mid 90's fastball. He's ranked fairly high for 25th round, but doesn't seem to be ready for the pro's.

26. Zachary Wilson 3b (Los Angeles, CA H.S.)
-Wilson will most likely go unsigned. He could be a first round pick in 3 or 4 years.

27. Edwin Roman cf (Puerto Rico B.A.)
-Roman has the speed to play for anyone, but looks like Rob Deer with 2 strikes.

28. Kyle Saukko rhp (Sierra)
-Saukko is an athletic pitcher, which really doesn't mean anything. He should be a good pinch runner.

29. Kevin Komstadius 1b (Yakima, WA H.S.)
-Komstadius has the type of name you pray doesn't have to be spelled a lot. He should wreak havoc on equipment managers for years to come, as he has the potential to be a decent power hitter.

30. Daniel Martin rhp (Panola)
-Martin is a classic big guy without much between the ears. He probably won't sign and blow out his arm, costing him bonus money. We'll see.

31. Ryan Hinson lhp (Clemson)
-Hinson is a good value pick at round 31. Projects to have average stuff in the pro's.

32. TJ Forrest rhp (Bossier Parish)
-Forrest fell a long way after having elbow surgery in '06. If he can realize his prior potential, he could be a big-time sleeper.

33. Mark Carver c (North Carolina - Wilmington)
-Carver is a good pick. He is a project behind the plate, but should hold up offensively. Is comparable to David Ross, former Pirate, though not a switch-hitter.

34. Matthew Payne 3b (North Carolina St.)
-Payne should turn out to be a career minor leaguer.

35. Tyler Cox lhp (Illinois St.)
-Cox is a pitcher who does not throw exceptionally hard, but is a good locator.

36. Kyle Morgan cf (San Francisco)
-Morgan doesn't have much upside, and should top out in the low minors.

37. Matthew Curry 1b (Howard)
-Curry is a good gamble in round 37. He could be a bit of a sleeper.

38. Alan Knotts rhp (Louisiana Tech)
-Knotts has below average stuff, but a knack for pitching.

39. AJ Fagan rhp (no schooling)
-Fagan may not sign. He's got good size, so he may grow into a fastball.

40. Beau Didier 3b (Tacoma, WA H.S.)
-Didier comes from a baseball family and is committed to Louisiana St.

41. Chris Simmons c (United States Military Academy)
-Natural hitter with above average receiving skills. Doesn't have anything outstanding, but could reach AA.

42. Cole White rf (United States Military Academy)
-A converted pitcher, White represents the only right fielder taken in the draft.

43. Johnny Gunter rhp (Chattahoochee Valley)
-Gunter was not expected to be taken in the draft, so you can imagine what expectations for him should be.

44. Mike Williams lhp (Mount Olive)
-Skiipping the obvious name comparison, Williams transferred to Mount Olive last season and pitched well enough to be drafted in the 44th round. He does have some potential, however.

45. Allen Ponder rhp (Auburn - Montgomery)
-Ponder is a reliever with some strikeout potential. He will prove interesting if put at the right level.

46. Scott McGough ss (Pittsburgh, PA H.S.)
-Obvious homer pick, McGough will likely be at Oregon St. in the fall instead of in the Pirates minor league system.

47. Jordan Kraft cf (Kennesaw, GA H. S.)
-Craft has stated he'd like to play professionally out of high school, but has also committed to Kennesaw St.

48. Owen Brolsma rhp (Texas Tech)
-Brolsma is a pitcher with some potential, who like others the Pirates drafted, is coming off an injury.

49. Zachary Foster rhp (Pittsburgh - Bradford)
-Foster is a big righty who has also played some first base. He throws hard, but needs a lot of work on secondary pitches.

50. Craig Parry lf (South Dakota St.)
- Parry is a left handed power hitter who can also play some infield.

More Loose Change

Pitcher's turn. Again, here's how the Pirate pitching stats would look if multiplied by four, representing the end of the year's stats.

Snell 8 W, 12 L, 4.84 ERA, 96 BB, 152 K in 231 IP
Duke 8 W, 8 L, 4.23 ERA, 76 BB, 80 K in 221 IP
Maholm 8 W, 20 L, 5.03 ERA, 80 BB, 152 K in 215 IP
Gorzelanny 12 W, 16 L, 6.64 ERA, 124 BB, 96 K in 163 IP
Dumatrait 4 W, 8 L, 4.39 ERA, 100 BB, 112 K in 164 IP

Capps 40 S, 2.61 ERA, 12 BB, 48 K, in 83 IP
Grabow 12 W, 4 L, 1.33 ERA, 16 BB, 80 K, in 82 IP
Marte 12 W, 0 L, 4.15 ERA, 20 BB, 96 K, in 87 IP
Osoria 8 W, 4 L, 4.88 ERA, 24 BB, 44 K, in 125 IP
Yates 8 W, 0 L, 3.05 ERA, 68 BB, 44 K, in 83 IP

As with the offensive projections, these need to be taken with a block of salt. These aren't good for a whole lot, besides illustrating how awful the starting rotation has been to this point. As further proof, take a second look at those relief win-loss totals. These will obviously not end up near what they look now. Here are the average projections. Again, these are produced using three fourths of the player's career averages, then adding that number to the results thus far.

Snell 10 W, 11 L, 4.53 ERA, 83 BB, 164 K in 207 IP
Duke 10 W, 11 L, 4.21 ERA, 64 BB, 98 K in 209 IP
Maholm 10 W, 16 L, 4.73 ERA, 77 BB, 136 K in 208 IP
Gorzelanny 12 W, 13 L, 4.84 ERA, 95 BB, 121 K in 190 IP
Dumatrait 2 W, 12 L, 6.67 ERA, 87 BB, 87 K, in 141 IP

Capps 18 S, 2.83 ERA, 11 BB, 49 K, in 71 IP
Grabow 5 W, 3 L, 3.41 ERA, 22 BB, 62 K, in 65 IP
Marte 5 W, 2 L, 3.49 ERA, 27 BB, 74 K, in 68 IP
Osoria 2 W, 5 L, 4.88 ERA, 25 BB, 43 K, in 98 IP
Yates 4 W, 3 L, 4.32 ERA, 46 BB, 56 K, in 72 IP

Similarly to the hitters, these projections can give us a pretty good idea of where the Bucs are heading (barring injuries to any of these players of course). One other interesting bit of information revealed here is that the combined record of these pitchers would be 60-75. Fifteen games below .500 is about where this team was expected to be by most experts.

If these projections are anywhere close to being a reality, and they should be, the Pirates will not be a buyer at the trading deadline. Based on John Grabow's career year up to this point, both he and Damaso Marte should be traded. This would hold especially true should Sean Burnett show he belongs in the Major Leagues. Should this happen, expect the Pirates to get some sort of a left handed reliever in return since they have nobody left in AAA, and none of the guys in AA seem relatively close to ready either.

On the plus side, it certainly seems as though the starting rotation is destined to put up some major innings soon.

My 25 cents.

With the year just over a quarter of the way complete, let's take a look at how the 2008 Pirates figure to end the season. As always, take these projections with a grain of salt (especially Nate McLouth's and Adam LaRoche's).

R. Doumit .350-20-60 in 412 AB
A. LaRoche .207-20-80 in 580 AB
F. Sanchez .260-4-84 in 692 AB
J. Bautista .228-16-68 in 508 AB
B. Bixler .171-0-8 in 304 AB
J. Bay .258-27-72 in 604 AB
N. McLouth .306-48-144 in 692 AB
X. Nady .309-20-144 in 648 AB

Nobody but Jose Bautista looks to be spot on in all 4 categories. I'd love for Ryan Doumit's average to stay close to .350, but otherwise I'd say 20 hr's is not out of reach for him. LaRoche's average figures to creep up, but the rest of his stats look ok. Freddy Sanchez has some work to do, though I was pleasantly surprised about his RBI totals. Brian Bixler we know won't be around much longer, much to Paul Meyer's chagrin for some odd reason. Bay looks on track, save maybe for his RBI totals, which should be higher by the end of the year than 72 I hope. McLouth will fall to earth at some point, bringing his numbers down a bit, and I don't expect Xavier Nady's average or RBI totals to be close to where they are now.

Based on career averages, let's project where the Pirates players are more likely to end up. All I'm doing is taking career norms and multiplying by 3/4, then I'll add those numbers to what the player did in their first quarter of the year.

R. Doumit .273 - 18 - 64 in 463 AB
A. LaRoche .253 - 24 - 86 in 550 AB
F. Sanchez .292 - 6 - 74 in 613 AB
J. Wilson .264 - 7 - 42 in 467 AB
J. Bautista .237 - 15 - 61 in 511 AB
J. Bay .275 - 32 - 93 in 585 AB
N. McLouth .276 - 26 - 74 in 500 AB
X. Nady .284 - 19 - 92 in 556 AB

As you can see, these are relatively realistic. The biggest determining factor, besides injuries, will be whether or not the Pirates decide to trade Nady. If they do, his batting average could stay near .300 (traditionally Nady has fared well in platoons), but the RBI total will come way down. A Nady trade could positively affect McLouth because he would figure to drop a few spots in the order to third. A speedy Andrew McCutchen getting on-base in front of Sanchez and McLouth will only help RBI chances. Add in Nate the Great's ability to hit in clutch situations and you may have a recipe for a 100 RBI season from a player that spends half the year in the leadoff spot.

Tomorrow we'll take a look at the pitchers.

The Curse is Broken! Bucs Win 7-6.

It would figure that in order to finally win a game against the Cubbies, it wouldn't be an easy contest. As it turned out, we needed Nate the Great to do something - well, great. Most know we here at The White Flag consider Carlos Marmol to have the best stuff of any reliever in our division. He had it today, and so did McLouth. This win could prove to be ginormous. Tomorrow, the Bucs go for their third straight series win. They'll send Phil Dumatrait (1-1 3.96) to the mound against Jason Marquis (1-3 5.26).

Marquis is just the type of pitcher the Pirates seem to have trouble with. He's as mediocre as they come, in the same vein as Brett Tomko and countless others. In fact, looking at his baseball-reference page lists the following players as most similar, among others: Joel Pineiro, Gil Meche, Armando Reynoso, Kris Benson, Adam Eaton, Jaret Wright, Ted Lilly, Mark Clark, Rodrigo Lopez, Pedro Astacio, Todd Stottlemyre, Jason Schmidt, Vicente Padilla, Jack Wilson (?!), Sterling Hitchcock, and Kip Wells. Now if that's not enough to convince you of the mediocrity, consider the fact that almost half of them have played for the Pirates during the Streak at some point. That should do the trick.

I'm telling you, one of the other Central teams could make a killing by just signing Marquis, Tomko, Matt Belisle, Rich Hill and Doug Davis. We'd never win a game against them. However the Pirates normally do well against ace pitchers. Today was no exception. Good thing we've got Carlos Zambrano's number!

Pirates Win the First Series (Part 3)

After an awesome Pirates win today, it got me thinking about the lineup. Jack Wilson should be back soon, and though Ryan Doumit won't be back on the field for a month or so, Ronny Paulino still has to be considered an above average offensive catcher. We won't get into his defensive shortcomings (not today, at least). The offense should still be potent enough to keep the Bucs around the .500 mark. Hopefully, that scenario won't deter Neil Huntington & company from dealing Jason Bay and/or Xavier Nady for a top pitching prospect. Here's a detailed look at the Pirates' offense compared to the Cardinals and the Cubs.

Name...........AB....D....T....HR....RBI....BB....K....AVG....OPS

N.McLouth.....161...13...2....11....33.....21....21...304....1.007
F.Sanchez.....160....9...0.....1....21......6....22...250......603
X.Nady........153...14...0.....5....34.....14....28...320......894
J.Bay.........142....6...0.....8....17.....30....32...268......872
A.LaRoche.....132....5...0.....4....16.....19....40...197......624
J.Bautista....127....8...0.....4....17.....12....36...228......682
R.Doumit......103....8...0.....5....15......5....14...350......955
R.Paulino......67....4...0.....0....13......7....13...224......577

R.Ankiel......147....9...0.....7....21.....20....28...293......876
S.Schumaker...147....8...1.....2....13.....17....17...286......755
A.Pujols......143...10...0.....8....27.....41....15...357....1.097
T.Glaus.......140...14...0.....2....26.....26....28...264......786
Y.Molina......126....6...0.....2....14.....15.....5...302......770
R.Ludwick.....112...11...2.....8....25.....14....34...330....1.077
C.Izturis.....108....5...0.....0.....7.....13.....6...250......643
A.Kennedy.....106....3...1.....0....13......9....17...283......666

D.Lee.........168....11...1....10....29.....19....23...310......943
R.Theriot.....152.....7...1.....1....11.....20....17...329......816
K.Fukodome....148....11...2.....2....16.....27....26...324......892
A.Ramirez.....136....12...0.....6....26.....25....27...294......934
G.Soto........131....13...1.....7....29.....24....34...321....1.018
M.DeRosa......129.....7...0.....3....22.....22....30...287......810
R.Johnson.....121.....6...0.....1....17......9....19...256......674
A.Soriano.....113.....6...0.....6....18......7....20...257......767

I only took the top 8 players from each team based on at-bats. Notice that McLouth and Bay possess the Pirates top threats to reach via walk. Other than those two, the Pirates are a free swinging offense that has been lucky thus far. That luck will run out eventually, probably starting with Xavier Nady, if they don't start taking more pitches out of the strike zone. The Pirates, for far too long have coveted power hitters without an eye for the strike zone. Rich Aude, Brian Hunter, Freddy Garcia, Brant Brown, Chad Hermansen, Alex Ramirez, Jose Hernandez (twice), Carlos Rivera, J.J. Davis, Brad Eldred, I could go on forever. These guys each struck out around 3 times as often as they walked in the minor league career. Various Pirate GM's actually have labeled several of these guys as the future face of the organization at one time or another!

Actually, a superstar who struck out three times as often as they walk (like the guys I just mentioned) while still in the Minors comes along, on average, once every 5 years. In the whole major leagues. Yet our braintrust, if that's what you want to call it, thought we had one of those guys every year. Unfortunately, Dave Littlefield has left us with plenty of left overs. We'll call them Brad Corley's. Xavier Nady strikes me as more of a Brad Corley than an Albert Pujols. Speaking only about their betting eyes of course. Nady is a free swinger, just like the rest of the Pirates. Winning baseball takes patience. Especially for a Pirates fan - and especially from the Pirates offense.

1-0 So Far (Part 2)

Part two of the comparison will focus on the relievers. There are not many big names in the bullpens of the NL Central. Unless you count Kerry Wood and his 2003 season, that is. Let's see if we can make some sense of this.

Name............IP......W.......L.......H.......BB......K.......ERA

J. Grabow.......18......2.......1.......15......4.......16......1.50
D. Marte........20......2.......0.......16......5.......24......4.58
T. Yates........18......2.......0.......13......16......8.......3.00
F. Osoria.......27......2.......1.......41......6.......9.......5.60
M. Capps........18......0.......0.......14......3.......10......2.55

R. Franklin.....20......1.......1.......17......8.......9.......1.80
J. Isringhausen.17......1.......4.......20......8.......12......7.02
K. McClellan....19......0.......1.......18......5.......16......2.79
R. Flores.......10......1.......0........8......7.......9.......1.86
R. Villone......15......1.......1.......11......10......14......3.52

C. Marmol.......24......1.......0.......10......6.......32......1.13
M. Wuertz.......20......0.......0.......16......6.......11......3.60
B. Howry........19......0.......2.......28......2.......13......5.79
K. Wood.........19......2.......1.......11......3.......17......3.79
S. Marshall......9......0.......0.......8.......7.......5.......4.15

Several points to make. First, I have no doubt that Piniella will destroy Marmol's arm, if not by the end of this year, then definitely by the middle of next season. Kind of reminds me of the situation the Tigers were in a couple years ago with Zumaya. It's almost as if the temptation is too great for the manager. You've got a guy that throws way too hard to give anybody at the plate a chance, so you bring him in during every close game and sooner or later, he blows out his arm. As much as I hate the Cubs, Marmol is fun to watch, and I really don't want to see that happen to him. Here's to hoping Lou gets smart.

Second, notice the Pirate relievers' record. 8-2. Not bad. This obviously demonstrates the fact that Bucs have come back to win several games in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. The IP's are a bit inflated due to all of those early season extra innings games. It's a shame the rotation didn't hold up its end in the beginning of the year, we could be in 2nd or 3rd place right now, well above .500.

Thirdly, the comparison of innings pitched leads me to believe the Pirates may just have the best rotation of all three of these teams. Before you laugh, hear me out. I honestly doubt the Cardinals can stay afloat with the talent and track records of the players they're going to have to count on to get to the trading deadline in a position of "buyer". The Cubs seem injury-prone, though they may get lucky, and they surely have the offense to get to the playoffs. As I already mentioned, the Pirate relievers have more innings pitched because of the crazy extra inning contests. Also, the inevitable Matt Morris effort added what amounts to be an extra 3 innings per every 5th day. Luckily, that's now out of the equation. Couple that with the addition of an effective (for a 5th starter) Phil Dumatrait and the hopeful rediscovery of form for Gorzo and Snell, and you have a solid staff, without the flash of a Zambrano or Wainright.

Contrary to my belief before the season started, I now wonder aloud that the Pirates may actually end up with an above average bullpen this year. How, I don't know. The stats don't lie, and compared to their counterparts, are actually quite favorable early in the year. And we finally have a manage that seems to know how to use John Grabow. Either that or he learned to pitch. I guess time will tell...

The Big 6 (Part 1)

The next 6 games should determine a lot. Not just about the Pirates, but about the National League Central Division. The Cardinals are fighting with the Cubs for 1st place, and though it's only May, there are reasons to believe that this could be the outcome of the Central at the end of the season. On paper, the Cardinals hardly look impressive. On paper, the Cubs look awfully impressive. On paper, the Pirates look, at least up until the last week, like a badly balanced check book. All kinds of zeros in the wrong places, and huge numbers where there should be small ones (like, ERA's for instance).
Let's take a moment to compare the Pirates to the Cardinals and the Cubs.

Name.............IP.....W....L....H....BB....K....ERA

Z. Duke..........49.....2....2....61...18....16....4.04
I. Snell.........48.....2....2....54...21....30....4.53
P. Maholm........41.....2....3....44...15....27....4.79
T. Gorzelanny....35.....3....3....32...29....21....5.97
P. Dumatrait.....30.....1....1....31...15....22....3.86

A. Wainright.....58.....3....2....46...13....39....2.95
T. Wellemeyer....48.....3....1....41...16....42....3.56
B. Looper........47.....5....2....49...11....20....4.21
K. Lohse.........44.....3....2....49...15....18....4.87
J. Pineiro.......33.....2....2....35....9....14....4.05

C. Zambrano......62.....6....1....53...16....43....2.03
R. Dempster......49.....4....1....29...23....36....2.76
T. Lilly.........45.....3....4....42...16....39....5.24
J. Marquis.......34.....1....2....43...15....21....5.08
R. Hill..........20.....1....0....13...18....15....4.12

So what's the huge difference? Walks! Our pitchers either need to miss more bats or quit throwing the ball out of the zone. The Pirates have pitchers that can be successful in this division. This proves it. Especially considering Gorzelanny and Snell have both competed well below expectations. If one of them, most likely Snell, can develop into a legitimate ace, based on the starting pitching we should be able to at least contend for the division title. More to come...

5/11 Doubleheader

Today's rainout is being rescheduled as a doubleheader tomorrow. The Bucs will start Phil Dumatrait, the 26 year old waiver claim who has stepped in admirably for the not-so-admirable Matt Morris. Through two starts I think we've seen a good bit of why Dumatrait can be successful. He throws low 90's heat from the left side and can be deceptive. He has also been erratic at times, but seems capable of being the 5th starter.

In the second game the Bucs will give a spot-start to 28 year old former No. 1 pick John Van Benschoten. I remember Van Benschoten as the guy we picked instead of Casey Kotchman, Jeremy Bonderman or David Wright. I suppose it could be worse, the Cubs could have let Mark Prior slip to us.

This actually brings up an interesting point. As busy as Dr. Andrews has been with Pirate pitchers, does Mark Prior have us beat in terms of arm surgeries? I bet it's close.

Getting back to Van Benschoten, I say there's a decent chance he sticks with the team for a while this time. I've always liked the guy, but you can't argue with the track record shoulder surgeries have. Maybe he can be one of the few to overcome one. It's about time someone in this organization came back from arm trouble and does ok. Let's hope Johnny V is it.

Speaking of shoulder issues, not even the spectacular outing Tom Gorzelanny had the other night can change my mind about his shoulder. There's something wrong in there, and his 88 mph heat may have kept the Braves off-balance, but I don't think he's healthy. The back problem also raises my eyebrow. I say it's very possible he caused his back strain by overcompensation. Mechanical problems or not, he's not the same finger-flipping bobblehead we saw last year. Though he does still look an awful lot like Sloth. HEYYY YOUUU GUUUUUYS!!!!

Bay, Nady...Going, going, gone?

DThe Pirates, today traded for former Phillie and Indian Jason Michaels. This move, as far as I can tell, solves two problems. One potentially, and one presently. Presently, the Pirates bench is much improved. Michaels offers some much-needed experience, as well as some pop that the Bucs did not have with Nyjer Morgan, who has been sent down.

I have a feeling that the Pirates also made this move in order to cover for the possible trade of Jason Bay and/or Xavier Nady. As well as Andrew McCutchen is hitting, the Pirates have to admit he probably will not be ready for a full-time gig in the majors this season at age 21. It's also safe to assume they will not keep McCutchen in AAA if he keeps up that OPS of 1.400. Even though they both bat right-handed, a platoon would still possibly be best for the youngster.

I don't think the Pirates will trade Bay or Nady within the next 2 months. I would be very suprised if anything went down before July. Most teams consider themselves still in contention (including our lovable losers), don't know what they need, or don't know what they have. Most of the time, teams are going to wait as long as possible in order to keep their options open. The Pirates, no doubt, are in a couple of the above boats and won't get their best available trade offer for Bay or Nady until July. Expect them to do better than the usual 2 relief "prospects", but don't expect a top 100 prospect either. Wait, they did fire Littlefield. Ok, maybe we can get lucky.

In other news, the Pirates organization has won another prestigious award. Awesome. Plus, I'm sure the press was free, which is always a huge selling point to the ownership.

Giants @ Pirates 5/7/08

Going into this game I was concerned about Barry Zito dominating the Bucs and gaining the confidence necessary to fully regain his starting job. Yes, you read that correctly. See, the Pirates can’t hit awful pitching. They can leave perfectly capable pitchers like Brett Myers wondering what went wrong. They even held their own against Johan Santana. I wouldn’t be surprised if they lit up Brandon Webb for 8 runs but they can’t hit awful pitching.

A perfect example can be seen in the Nationals’ series. The starting pitchers the Pirates faced were Odalis Peres, John Lannan and Matt Chico. Not exactly Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz. If one were to ask most GM’s which of those three they would take the unanimous answer would be 23-year-old John Lannan. After all, he was entering the game 2-2 with a 2.64 era. Anyway, the Pirates drop 2 of three. Take a wild guess which one of these pitchers the Pirates roughed up for their only win. Now you see why Zito concerns me.

Luckily, the Pirates had Phil Dumatrait. A former 1st round draft pick, Dumatrait was once the focal point in the Red Sox deal for former flash in the pan Scott Williamson. He came to the Pirates after being placed on waivers by the Reds this off-season after getting his first cup of coffee in the bigs which ended up being extremely forgettable. While to this point he has been the best off-season acquisition (time will tell but I believe that Marino Salas will ultimately be the best player the Bucs picked up this off-season), one would hardly confuse him with the dominant pitcher that the Bosox believed they had drafted back in 2000. Fortunately, Dumatrait was facing the pathetic San Francisco Giants.

Dumatrait gave the Bucs nearly 6 inning of shutout ball while striking out five and only walking one. Xavier Nady provided the entire offense with a 2-run homer off of Zito in the 4th and a rare run producing GIDP in the 8th. In reality, those were the only stories of the game. I’m happy to get the win but the only thing to really take away from this game is that while our beloved Buccos may be bad, The San Francisco Giants are much, much worse. Brian Sabean had one decent year as a GM in 1997 when he traded Matt Williams for Jeff Kent and Julian Tavarez. Since then he had just been riding the Bonds express while doing just enough to keep his job thanks to the occasional brain dead GM offering one sided deals that he couldn’t refuse (Hello Littlefield’s Schmidt for Vogelsong and Rios masterpiece) and Bonds turning into a superhuman. I’m reaching out to San Francisco fans here. We know how you feel and maybe we can help each other. Keep the faith and perhaps someday the Bucs will be playing the Giants in the playoffs.

The Month that Was: April '08

Ahh April. It's the time of hope all across the country. The winter weather is starting to subside and all major league baseball teams are essentially tied for first place. As Pirates fans, we had no idea that our team had already peaked on the last day of March with the heroics of Xavier Nady. Now as I sit here looking at a 13-19 record, I am reminded of a month ago when hope was the word of the day when describing the 2008 version of our baseball club. Some of you may ask "Duckworth, why now? It's May 7th. Even you have paid your rent by now. Why so late on the inaugural monthly review?" Well, we didn't think to start a blog until yesterday and I had a day off which happened to fall on Cinco de Mayo and Buck Night so I said screw it and drank too much. You're lucky I do this at all.

By the first of April, we had worked ourselves up into frenzy about the upcoming baseball season. I have no idea why I continue to ignore all of the clues. There were no significant moves in the off-season, the new regime was preaching patience and rebuilding, and our new manager is our former 3rd base coach that was actually fired by the team at one point in time. Still, when they started talking "accountability" and acquiring power arms I couldn't help but take notice. Eventually, it became like every other season. I would talk about their chances and start playing the "what if" game. By the time I was sitting on the couch eagerly awaiting the first pitch on opening day I was certain that we had four 20 game winners and an unstoppable powerhouse lineup. Who cares? This is what opening day is all about. Would you have listened to a Rockies fan on April 1, 2007 if he/she said that the season will end in Denver that year? No. So why not us?

It didn't take long for reality to set in. I think it happened right around the 12th inning of the home opener when Evan Meek turned into the right-handed, no-bat Rick Ankiel. I watched in horror as my beloved Buccos dropped winnable games. Worst of all, I watched Mash Morris pitch the team out of games before Nate McLouth even had the chance to lead off.

That said I would be lying if I said that there was nothing to enjoy about April. Xavier Nady is playing like a man who plans to be in the pennant race this year… with or without the Pirates. Nate McLouth surpassed the expectations placed on him after a decent spring and has provided the Pirates with the most stable CF option since Kenny Lofton’s brief tenure. Have you notice we seem to win more games with Ryan Doumit behind the plate than Ronny Paulino? Not a coincidence. Even “Erratic Evan” Meek had some outings that weren’t abysmal.

That list makes me want to believe that our failure franchise may me turning the corner. Unfortunately, I only allot myself three instances of misguided optimism a season and we still have our inevitable dominant late May stretch and the draft with a new regime ahead of us so I don’t think I’ll be cashing in one of those chips right now. There are many holes on this team. Only two guys on the bench (Mientkiewicz and Paulino) have any right being in the majors, Gorzo seems destined for an appointment with Dr. Andrews, Ian Snell has been okay but nowhere close to expectations and Maholm, Dumatrait and Duke can range from capable to Morris-esque on any given night.

Keys to Improvement:


-Adam Laroche needs to leave his annual April swoon in April. I loved the homerun tonight and hopefully he can keep it up.

-Better starting pitching. Duke and Maholm have shown flashes this year but need to stop hitting their Josh Fogg self destruct switch so often.

-The return of Jack Wilson. Jack, if you ever read this, we’re sorry. Pirates’ fans have been torn on you for years. I even suggested at the beginning of the season that you should be traded if you have another decent year. I was wrong. We all were wrong. You don’t even have to hit when you come back. I guess we all just took the unbelievable glove work of #2 for granted.

-Freddy and Bautista turning it around. No one is worried about Freddy. The man can straight up hit and is extremely underrated on defense. As for Bautista, I hope he can bottle what he did against the Nationals. He can be great and I think he really works at his craft. Hopefully it will all come around for him.

-Fan cynicism. Hey, I’m as guilty as anyone. When I attended the Matt Morris’ swan song/Gorzo’s obscene bobblehead game I had a girl in front of me that continued to give me the finger and tell me to stop complaining about the state of our team. Granted, she was from Philadelphia and was wearing black nail polish which means she has no valid opinion but maybe she was right. I was kicking back, drinking beers and watching baseball with my homies. Life could be a hell of a lot worse.