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.

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.