tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post6760186091972233047..comments2023-10-10T12:46:47.186-04:00Comments on The Green Weenie: Pirate Starting Pitching - 2013Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-91619727898752794112012-10-07T11:57:23.343-04:002012-10-07T11:57:23.343-04:00P S Speaking of Ciriaco, he managed a .293 average...P S Speaking of Ciriaco, he managed a .293 average this season in 259 at bats with the BoSox while playing mostly 3B and SS. To be sure, he didn't walk enough and he has no power, but he added 16 SB's. In short: a very good utility guy capable of starting for a few weeks at a time without killing you. Think the Pirates could have used a guy like that? I do. <br /><br /><br />Outright blatant errors in player evaluation happen with every organization, but this sort of obvious error was supposed to be on the way out with the new regime. Obviously that hasn't happened. I won't barbecue them for decisions like letting Maholm and Doumit go, but I will roast them on a spit for whiffing on young players that they acquire in trades. The front office not only screwed up royally with Ciriaco---what, he's not even good enough to be a utilityman for the woebegone Pirates?---but also with Brandon Moss, with whom they gave up much too quickly. Neither of those guys were or are worldbeaters, but that's not the point. The point is that the guys who replaced them (Tabata for Moss and Mercer / d'Arnaud for Ciriaco) aren't even as good as they were. These are the kind of repeated errors that get GM's fired, or should. WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-90035662729862453472012-10-07T10:54:50.854-04:002012-10-07T10:54:50.854-04:00I'm not losing any sleep over Mercer, even tho...I'm not losing any sleep over Mercer, even though he did, obviously, get "The Ciriaco Treatment". Ditto with d'Arnaud, though it's a shame to see his great speed go to waste. But like the old timers always said: "Ya can't steal first base, kid". <br /><br /><br />As for the infield, seems to me that depends on how radical they want to be. The safe move would be to bring Garrett Jones back for another year and pair him with Sanchez---a pairing that will probably be good for 30 HR, and that's good enough from your first baseman (though if Jones falls off again and/or Sanchez struggles again, their combined batting average might be a lot lower than we like or need). They could, however, opt to let Jones walk, spend the money on a free agent 3B, and move Pedro to first. Or, they could move Walker to third and spend money on upgrading 2B and SS. I don't see them cutting Barmes, though, not with how much money they're spending on him and how much Hurdle likes him and---to be fair---how good he is defensively. <br /><br />Which brings us back to the starting pitching. I dunno, Ron. Given that Cole is on a fast track to Pittsburgh for the second half of 2013, and given how much money they would save (to presumably spend elsewhere on the roster) by going with at least one rookie starting pitcher coming out of spring training...I think they'd be better off spending on a catcher or perhaps even a starting corner outfielder. Even there, though, "Lunchbox" wasn't brought here to sit. But he will sit if he doesn't get in A LOT better shape. Maybe they blow big bucks on a corner OF and trade Lunchbox. There's a lot of options, but there don't appear to be many affordable options. In other words they would really have to blow up a significant part of the roster to get a definitive upgrade over what they already have. To be sure, they can afford to do it, but....are the free agents this coming offseason worth paying even more than they paid Barmes and Barajas? I dunno 'bout that. And if they don't do that, do they have the guts to play 2 or 3 or even 4 kids coming right out of spring training? I don't think that they do.WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-44364769912609575532012-10-07T09:14:32.531-04:002012-10-07T09:14:32.531-04:00Sounds logical, Will. I think that they'd pref...Sounds logical, Will. I think that they'd prefer to start the year with AJ-Wandy-McDonald, a FA, and one of the Indy gang. The rotation will make for a nice spring sidebar, even if they land a FA.<br /><br />The infield looks like they don't have much faith in what they have beyond The Kid and Barmes. I was hoping to see more of Mercer, but he appears to have turned into 2012's Ciriaco.Ron Ieracihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08784507810080514099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6207200414495313452.post-73344168246952378992012-10-06T21:00:55.765-04:002012-10-06T21:00:55.765-04:00Who'da thunk that we'd all be pulling for ...Who'da thunk that we'd all be pulling for the likes of Charlie Morton to come back and at least stabilize, if not outright save, the staff next season? Whew. <br /><br /><br />I still say Justin Wilson has the most upside of the three starters the Pirates currently have who are ready to graduate from Triple A. As you say, Ron, control is the whole issue with him. But I'd like to see him make the team out of spring training and get 8 or 10 or 12 starts in a row and see what happens. I'm willing to bet that his good-to-dominant outings would outweigh the ones in which he can't hit the ocean with a beach ball. In any case Locke is distinctly unimpressive to this point in his career. McPherson is the middle ground between the two; although it would be risky to start two rookies in the rotation, perhaps the team should bite the bullet, throw Wilson and McPherson into the deep end right out of spring training, and keep Karstens around as the fallback option. Karstens, it seems, simply can't stay in one piece for an entire season, but he is very effective for extended stretches as long as it's not every single time through the rotation. So, 'twould seem that the smart move would be to bring him back for one more year as the long man / sixth starter, and if either of the rookies spits the bit, Karstens can come in for half the year or what have you, and the season won't be blown to smithereens. Meanwhile Cole should be up at around the All Star break. I would think they might try to bring in one more capable veteran so we have reliable options 1 through 3, and audition the rookies at 4 and 5 with the idea that Karstens and, ultimately, Morton are fallback options. At least, that's what I'd do. They need to find out what the kids can do.WilliamJPellashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12774466220683142262noreply@blogger.com