Pirate Notes

A few weekend notes...

• Travis Sawchik of the Tribune Review gives the pro and con of the Pirates sustainability, balancing the veteran free agents now on the roster being replaced through the farm system.
• Matt Kajtka of City of Champions makes his case for Cutch batting second.
• Pedro dropped the anchor, a Vanderbilt pre-game ritual, Saturday before the Georgia game. It's the second time he's dropped anchor; the first was in 2011 with other ex-Commodore ball players Mike Baxter, Ryan Flaherty and Matt Buschmann. 
• RHP Phil Irwin made his first appearance after May surgery in the Arizona Fall League, and looked pretty good. He went three innings, retiring eight batters in a row. 1B/OF Alex Dickerson is holding his own after six games with a .292 BA and .745 OPS, though 11 K in 24 AB is a bit of a small sample red flag.
• After a slow start, SS Alen Hanson is hitting .286 in the Arizona Fall League. The Dominican League just started, but OF Gregory Polanco has homered in both games he's played.
• Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects noted that the Bucs sent minor league 2B Jimmy Rider, who was born in Pittsburgh and went to Kent State, to the Red Sox for a PTBNL in a housecleaning move.
• It ends up that the Cards' Michael Wacha wasn't just a Bucco killer in the playoffs; he owned the Dodgers, too. The righty is the third rookie starter to win two games in NLCS (the first was Bucco twirler Tim Wakefield in 1992; the other was Tim Belcher in ’98) and was named NLCS MVP. Watching him and Gerrit Cole toss in the NL Central for the next few years will be special.
• Speaking of the division, the player the Pittsburgh fans love to hate, Brandon Phillips of the Reds, may not be around to boo next season. He's reported to be on the block this off season.
• In case you're wondering when the hot stove league begins up in earnest, free agents can declare and begin negotiating five days after the World Series ends. The Winter Meetings are scheduled for December 9th-12th, with the Rule 5 draft on the last day.
• And in case you were on a football binge yesterday, it's a St. Louis-Boston World Series on tap.