The Bucs landed their right handed right fielder today and got a veteran backup catcher to boot when they dealt for Marlon Byrd and John Buck.
The Pirates claimed Byrd, who turns 36 this week, and Buck, 33, from the Mets on revocable waivers. It cost West Virginia Power second baseman Dilson Herrera and a PTBNL. There's no hint as who is on that "to-be-named" list, but GM Neal Huntington told the media that “New York’s going to get a pretty good second piece." You can be sure of that; the Mets threw money in as part of the deal to make sure they maximized the player return. We're a little surprised the Reds didn't try to block the move; we'll have five weeks to see if that was smart of them or not.
New York, after holding on to their pieces in hopes of a 2013 rally/2014 resurgence, have gone into fire sale mode since Matt Harvey's ligament tear, placing five players on waivers, including Byrd and Buck.
Byrd has a 2013 line of .285/.330/.518, and his 21 homers, 71 RBI and 135 wRC+ (runs created) are both career highs. More importantly, he's mashing lefties at a .345 rate rate season (.255 v RHP) with a .290 lifetime BA vs. LHP. He'll give Clint Hurdle a bat to insert into Russ Martin's mid-order spot, and provide one less square hole to fill in the lineup card. Byrd also provides the flexibility of taking over in left if Jones is flipped into right, an interesting scenario if the Bucs are indeed still sniffing around Justin Morneau. But a bit of caution: He has an outlandish BABIP of .350, and has struck out 124 times with only 25 walks, so...
The former CF'er is targeted for right field in Pittsburgh, and he has a +6.6 UZR/150 at that spot. Pirate right fielders, on the other hand, hit
.245/.307/.368 this season with a wRC+ of 89, and Travis Snider is the only RF with a positive UZR/150 at 2.6 - Jones, Tabata, Presley, Harrison and Lambo are all negative fielders.
Also playing into the equation is that Starling Marte isn't expected to swing a bat for at least a couple of more weeks. The need for another outfielder was pretty pressing for the Bucs with the low RF production, JT penciled into left for the short term and a bunch of games with the Cards coming up on the dance card.
Byrd is also owed just $130K for the remainder of the season before
he hits free agency, so the pocketbook price is right. The Pirates were thought to have some interest in him in July, so it may be that a preliminary structure was in place for the deal.
Buck started off on fire, but has settled in at .215 with 15 HR and 60 RBI. He's also tossed out 30% of
wanna-be base-stealers, so he'll fit in with the Bucs season-long commitment to reining in the running game. Buck lost his starting job when the Mets called up uber-prospect Travis d'Arnaud to become available and will be a FA after the season, so there's a very good chance that both guys will end up rentals.
They're expected to report tomorrow, and that's when the Bucs are going to have to clear room on the active roster. That puts Felix Pie in the middle of a bulls eye, but with September so close, the second call could go a couple of ways. The 40-man was cleared by DFA'ing Russ Canzler and doing a paper shuffle to flip Kyle McPherson from the minor league DL to the MLB 60-day DL.
Herrera, 19, is hitting .265 with 11 homers, 56 RBI and 69 runs and 11
stolen bases in the Sally League. He played in the All-Star Futures Game, and was ranked as the #20 Pirate prospect by
Baseball America and 11th by MLB.com.
Herrera projects an above-average hitter and excellent runner whose arm strength limits him to second. He's one of the Bucs top 15 minor-league prospects, and including whoever joins him from the PTBNL list - which may include players from the current MLB roster - represents a fairly hefty rental price. But what it really represents is a commitment: the Pirates FO is finally going all in. The message is clear and loud to both the fans and players - "we've got something special goin', and we're not collapsing, not this time." Let's hope Byrd and the boys have enough pixie dust left to continue the 2013 magic carpet ride.
Showing posts with label dilson herrera. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dilson herrera. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Monday, December 17, 2012
Dilson Herrera
Dilson Herrera, a 5' 10" switch-hitting SS from Cartagena, Columbia, was one the Pirates’ bigger Latino signings in 2010, inking a $220K deal after being scouted by Orlando Covo.
The deal was miles behind RHP Luis Heredia's $2.6M bonus, but in the ballpark of Dominican outfielder Willy Garcia's $280K enticement and ended up the third largest contract of the international signing period for the Bucs. The bonus was no surprise; Pittsburgh had its eye on the 16 year old for quite a while.
"Dilson is a player we have been scouting since he was 13-years-old," said Rene Gayo. "He has well above average bat potential, above average run potential, a solid average arm, above average defensive potential and a natural ability to steal bases."
Herrera was assigned to the Venezuelan Summer League in 2011 as a 17 year old, and hit .308 with 16 stolen bases and a .413 OBP. His eye was plenty good, drawing 32 walks in 260 PA. The only red flag was that he played the hot corner for the VSL Pirates, with just a couple of games at second, and made a boatload of boots at third.
The teen spent the fall in the Pirate City instructional camp, and impressed the staff enough to be assigned to the GCL in 2012 at the age of 18, still a little on the peach-fuzz side for a Latin player but a good indication of how well the decision makers perceived his baseball toolkit and maturity.
He didn't disappoint. Herrera was moved to second, where his play was solid and the position better suited to his arm. His bat also played well, as he hit .281 with a .341 OBP and even showed a little pop, banging out seven long balls. The Colombian stole 11 sacks in 15 attempts and his walk rate was still OK at 8%, with an acceptable K rate of 18%, which is a bit high for a projected top-of-the-order guy. He also gave up switch hitting, and now bats from just the right side.
Herrera led the team in seven different offensive categories and was named the GCL's Player of the Year by Topps while Baseball America ranked him as the seventh best prospect in the league.
On August 30th, he was assigned to State College during the Pirates usual end-of-the-year personnel shuffle. Herrera got 29 PA and banged the ball at a .321 clip in his cup of coffee stop, though he did commit three errors in five games at second, somewhat offset by being part of five DPs during that span.
He's drawn comparisons to OF Gregory Polanco and especially SS Alen Hanson, both a year ahead of him in the Pirate system, as a young, rising-with-a-bullet Latino prospect. And if he follows their template, Herrera should begin 2013 at West Virginia in the Sally League, which would be his first full season assignment.
Herrera is another testimonial to the Pirate FO giving Rene Gayo the resources to do his job. He and his Latin American scouts have identified youngsters with potential and tools, and gotten them stateside early enough to develop. Now comes the hard part - getting them through the system and into the show, a road that's not easily traveled.
The deal was miles behind RHP Luis Heredia's $2.6M bonus, but in the ballpark of Dominican outfielder Willy Garcia's $280K enticement and ended up the third largest contract of the international signing period for the Bucs. The bonus was no surprise; Pittsburgh had its eye on the 16 year old for quite a while.
"Dilson is a player we have been scouting since he was 13-years-old," said Rene Gayo. "He has well above average bat potential, above average run potential, a solid average arm, above average defensive potential and a natural ability to steal bases."
Herrera was assigned to the Venezuelan Summer League in 2011 as a 17 year old, and hit .308 with 16 stolen bases and a .413 OBP. His eye was plenty good, drawing 32 walks in 260 PA. The only red flag was that he played the hot corner for the VSL Pirates, with just a couple of games at second, and made a boatload of boots at third.
The teen spent the fall in the Pirate City instructional camp, and impressed the staff enough to be assigned to the GCL in 2012 at the age of 18, still a little on the peach-fuzz side for a Latin player but a good indication of how well the decision makers perceived his baseball toolkit and maturity.
He didn't disappoint. Herrera was moved to second, where his play was solid and the position better suited to his arm. His bat also played well, as he hit .281 with a .341 OBP and even showed a little pop, banging out seven long balls. The Colombian stole 11 sacks in 15 attempts and his walk rate was still OK at 8%, with an acceptable K rate of 18%, which is a bit high for a projected top-of-the-order guy. He also gave up switch hitting, and now bats from just the right side.
Herrera led the team in seven different offensive categories and was named the GCL's Player of the Year by Topps while Baseball America ranked him as the seventh best prospect in the league.
On August 30th, he was assigned to State College during the Pirates usual end-of-the-year personnel shuffle. Herrera got 29 PA and banged the ball at a .321 clip in his cup of coffee stop, though he did commit three errors in five games at second, somewhat offset by being part of five DPs during that span.
He's drawn comparisons to OF Gregory Polanco and especially SS Alen Hanson, both a year ahead of him in the Pirate system, as a young, rising-with-a-bullet Latino prospect. And if he follows their template, Herrera should begin 2013 at West Virginia in the Sally League, which would be his first full season assignment.
Herrera is another testimonial to the Pirate FO giving Rene Gayo the resources to do his job. He and his Latin American scouts have identified youngsters with potential and tools, and gotten them stateside early enough to develop. Now comes the hard part - getting them through the system and into the show, a road that's not easily traveled.
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