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.

"Consistency is the Key"

It was the summer of 1997, I remember it like it was yesterday. I stepped foot onto my first high school football practice. We all gathered into a big circle as Coach Tim Krysiak began his opening season speech about the upcoming year. "Consistency is the key," he said to us. That year we pulled out a strong 0-10 showing. We went on to win 5 games total the following two years before I quit. I'm sure I'm not alone.

Every year, like that 15 yr old kid in us, we line up our vehicles in the parking lot awaiting the first pitch of the new year. Then, like in practice, we tune in our TV's endless nights hoping for change. What exactly are John Russell and the Pirates orginization doing much different from my favorite Coach K?

I value the hard work Sean Burnett has put into this orginization after multiple surgeries. I also have to give a nod to John Van Ben. for his triumphant return, but lets be honest with each other. Are we really excited about the fact that two top draft picks, be it from different years, have made it to the majors once again? Or are we excited about thier level of play since thier return?

Looking into a bullpen once filled with Rule 5 draft pick Evan Meek and this years white flag Franquelis Osoria, it feels like Thomas Ian Nicholas is trotting onto the field when thier numbers are called. I dunno whether to celebrate or cry while my PTSD from the last 15 years succombs my brain. Thier play has been average at best, but like every Pirate pitcher in years past, we'll wait and pray to a God who I swear thinks we don't exist.

Meanwhile, lets focus on the batting order. While I agree with Russell's decision to drop McLouth in the order tonight, he didn't drop him far enough. Now batting for your Pittsburgh Pirates, number 38 Jason Bay. While 6 home runs in the month of April is admirable, we're still left with the fact he's posted 11 RBI's this season and I don't care how many times he walks. If he wants to be a sissy and never swing at the ball unless the bases are empty, then why is he in the 3 hole?

Doumit steps in next. It sucks he can't catch everyday, enough said. Nady's 2 RBI's put him ahead in the NL RBI lead by one. Well done. What a 5 hitter is supposed to do. Adam Laroche...well he hit another dong tonight. Just enough to keep you hoping for the opening year slump to end, but I'm not sold. He's still batting below the Mendoza line while Bautista, after the series of his career, was batting behind the Pirate killer. It makes my head hurt.

Duke's stellar outing proves what we all know through basic baseball knowledge. Keep your team in the game and your offense will try and win one for you. I guess it was Duke's turn to earn his job for another month. I swear they must draw straws in the locker room every week.

I haven't given up yet. But after losing 3 of 4 to our nations capital, if we don't pull out a series and we're already down by one when Barry Zito is scheduled for his return to the rotation tommorrow night I might have to check myself into a psychiatric ward. Worse yet go to the horse track and gamble a lot of money because I suck. I will inevitably lose all the money I take with me and that might numb the pain of being a Pirates Fan.

Nate the Great?

After reading today's article in the Post Gazette about Nate McLouth, several things jumped out at me. First off, while Nate is having a heckuva season, I'm still a bit skeptical. I don't think McLouth's a 4th outfielder, but let's face the facts. We're Pirates fans, we've seen this before. Several times. The rise and fall of Adrian Brown, Tike Redman and, more recently Chris Duffy, makes it seem as though this was meant to happen. The only question should be whether we're dreaming and this is really the second half of the season (in which case, like Brown and Redman, we can assume McLouth hits the usual .200 come next spring) or when he will have the unavoidable hamstring-followed-by-a-shoulder injury, which will no doubt reduce McLouth to a machine that takes the first 2 strikes and then whiffs wildly at the third.

By the way, has anybody noticed how many players Dave Littlefield was just plain wrong about? Counting McLouth, I'd say roughly half of our roster contains players in capacities Mr. Littlefield thought were impossible. Of course, a large helping hand was thrust forth by Jim Tracy, too. Let's look at the difference in personnel here:

Ryan Doumit c - Right Field, anyone? First base?! He can't be a Major League catcher! No way!

Freddy Sanchez 2b - Remember when it was Freddy or Bobby Hill for pinch hits? Thank God Wigginton sucked so badly.

Chris Gomez ss - Ok, you're right. This one is typical Littlefield. Though I doubt Littlefield/Tracy would have ever tried anyone else at short in Jack's absence.

McLouth cf - See article above.

Ian Snell sp - I still remember when the light bulb came on. Futures Game, thanks!

Matt Morris released - With Littlefield, he'd still be here to bontribute his share of 30 losses for the year.

Zach Duke sp - Perfect example of Jim Colborn's excellent instincts. Maybe Zach will never be "The Duke", but atleast he has a slider again.

Phil Dumatrait sp - Finally getting a chance, despite not being one of our #1 picks. How did this happen?

Doug Mientkiewicz util - It takes some big ones to tell a 35-year old gold glove 1b he should try some new positions. He'd be platooning at first with Littlefield. On second thought, maybe he should still be.

Ronny Paulino bench - Thanks to Jeff Manto, we still haven't fixed that step-in-the-bucket stance of his. Atleast his confidence is back

John Van Benschoten rp - Relief pitcher? Why? He's a #1 pick! Ahh, I can hear it still.

Sean Burnett rp - See above.

Jack Wilson ss - "Well we had a similar situation a few years ago with Aramis Ramirez, where he was able to avoid the DL, he just kept pinch-hitting for a month or so, he ended up fine. Just ask the Cubs." - Probable Littlefield quote.

Tyler Yates rp - A guy that can throw 98? Why would Littlefield want him?

While this is all speculation of course, the above hints at where the future was heading. I like the new management, believe it or not, and do think we're heading in the right direction. Not in the "you take a right, then a left and it's right there - you can't miss it" sort of way. More of a hopeful kind of way.

Intro to The White Flag

Well after months of contemplation (and 15+ years of the Pirates losing), we've decided to do it. We've finally had enough of bending over and taking the McClatchy and Nutting soft-serve. The name pretty much sums it up. The White Flag. We've now endured season after season of losing, bad decisions, bad personnel moves, bad...well just plain bad. Bad everything.

So rather than turning a new page, or giving the new management some time to prove themselves, we have decided it is time to "go big or go home". We're gonna let everything hang out and hope that if nothing else, we can spark some more interest in the lovable losing Pirates.

The White Flag has several meanings. In addition to the aforementioned losing streak, we would also like to commend the following pitchers for being the White Flag of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last 15 years. Here are the nominations:

1993: Mark Petkovsek
1994: Blas Minor
1995: Jim Gott
1996: Steve Parris
1997: Dave Wainhouse
1998: Todd Van Poppel
1999: Jose Silva
2000: Jeff Wallace
2001: Omar Oliveras
2002: Ron Villone
2003: Brian Boehringer
2004: Ryan Vogelsong
2005: Ryan Vogelsong
2006: Victor Santos
2007: Tony Armas Jr.

Each one of these names should bring back a certain ire to any Pirates fan, along with the constant notion of "why?". At any rate, those 15 names represent a whole bunch of worthless as far as I'm concerned, and I'm happy to debate the early stages of 2008's White Flag (think Meek, Osoria, Morris).