The Off Day Beat: Bucs Switch Allie, Draft & More

• The big news is Dejan Kovacevic and Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review reporting that Stetson Allie, the high school pitcher who could hit 100 MPH, is being converted to a position player.  Not really much of a bombshell; Allie couldn't find the strike zone and only began pitching as a senior so he was always a project on the mound. In fact, many scouts questioned whether he'd be better off in the field than on the bump. So it might have cost them a couple of misspent bonus bucks (he was selected in the second round of the 2010 draft and signed to a $2.25M deal as a pitcher - he probably would drop a round or two as a hitter), but we like the FO pulling the plug now and getting the 21 year old ready to play some ball. He played the hot corner in HS, showing raw power with a lot of swing-and-misses, and that's where he's getting his first look in Florida.
• Pedro was on the pine yesterday. Clint Hurdle was giving Alvarez a R&R day - he wasn't allowed to touch a bat yesterday as the manager told the media that he wanted El Toro "to clean the deck" mentally.
• The Bucs tweaked their pitching rotation a little. AJ Burnett will go tomorrow against the Reds, with Brad Lincoln being bumped to Wednesday. That move puts rehabbing Jeff Karstens in line to rejoin the staff without missing a beat on Sunday.
• BTW, the Pirates enter today in second place, three games behind the Reds and a half game ahead of the Cards with a 27-26 record.
• Today's draft begins at 7PM and the first round/sandwich picks will be shown on the MLB Network. The Bucs pick eighth, and there's no slam-bang selection as they'll have to wait to see if any of the top guns fall to them. Tomorrow will be the interesting day, when rounds 2-25 are held. With the new CBA, the Pirate philosophy of overdrafting is a thing of the past. Tuesday & Wednesday action won't be shown on TV, but will be streamed live through MLB.com.
• Tony Sanchez got the call to Indy. The 2009 first rounder was hitting .277 for Altoona. The move also frees up for backstop time for 22 year old prospect Ramon Cabrera, who was Sanchez's caddy for the Curve.
• Jeff Snedden of Rumbunter takes a look at the future of Jeff Clement, who is finally having a healthy year at Indy.