With the announcement that Joel Hanrahan will close, the Bucco bullpen looks to be set through the last three innings; only a pair of long spots remain open.
Hanny will pitch the ninth. Evan Meek and Joe Beimel will set up. It's very likely that Chris Resop and Jose Veras will be the bridge arms. And those last two open spots have a lot of story lines.
If Charlie Morton can't whip Scott Olsen for the fifth starter spot, the FO is between a rock and a hard place; Morton out of options. The question is whether or not the Bucs are out of patience with him.
If Olsen loses, he has options, and we think he and the team would be better served stretching him out at Indy. But he is a lefty, and the Pirates have precious few of those. Brian Burres is another option, and he's on a minor league deal, so he's no harm, no foul if he starts out in AAA either.
Of course, Jeff Karstens has served the role of long guy/spot starter admirably, and has proven he can give you five good innings most nights. Kevin Hart and Jose Ascanio were both injured last season and are out of options, to boot. Do the Pirates want to give them a season to show if they can help the team? Hart can probably be slid onto the DL for awhile; Ascanio is thought to be ready to go.
Sean Gallagher, Tyler Yates, Chris Leroux and Fernando Nieve all have MLB experience. They can also all be sent to Indy safely; we'd expect them to be insurance policies; Gallagher and probably Nieve will get some rotation time there.
They are limited as to how many guys they ship to Indy; Danny Moskos, Mike Crotta and Tony Watson need some upper level work, too.
So determining the last couple of spots will make for interesting decisions. It's a good sign that the Pirates are in a position where they have to make hard choices for a change, even if it is just around the fringes of the club. It sure beats the usual dumpster diving of the past.
Showing posts with label pirate bullpen 2011. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pirate bullpen 2011. Show all posts
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Hanny Da Hammer
The biggest mystery of spring training is over already. Clint Hurdle named Joel Hanrahan as his closer, with Evan Meek his set-up guy.
We're assuming that leaves Chris Resop and Joe Beimel as the seventh inning bridge arms and three spots up for grabs. If you get excited watching a free-for-all over the long (OK, mop-up) pitchers' position, boy, is this is your year!
Hanrahan, 29, was 4-1-6 with a 3.62 ERA and struck out 100 batters in 69-2/3 frames. He saved 14 games in 2008-09 with the Nationals, which makes him the wily veteran of the pair (Hanrahan has 4 years and 269 innings under his belt compared to Meek's three campaigns and 140 innings.)
Meek, 27, was 5-4-4 with a 2.14 ERA and had 70 K in 80 IP. His WHIP was an impressive 1.050 in 2010, but our guess is a little prior experience and the huge whiff rate won the day for Hanny.
Now to find that fifth starter...
We're assuming that leaves Chris Resop and Joe Beimel as the seventh inning bridge arms and three spots up for grabs. If you get excited watching a free-for-all over the long (OK, mop-up) pitchers' position, boy, is this is your year!
Hanrahan, 29, was 4-1-6 with a 3.62 ERA and struck out 100 batters in 69-2/3 frames. He saved 14 games in 2008-09 with the Nationals, which makes him the wily veteran of the pair (Hanrahan has 4 years and 269 innings under his belt compared to Meek's three campaigns and 140 innings.)
Meek, 27, was 5-4-4 with a 2.14 ERA and had 70 K in 80 IP. His WHIP was an impressive 1.050 in 2010, but our guess is a little prior experience and the huge whiff rate won the day for Hanny.
Now to find that fifth starter...
Pirate Bullpen
Unlike the starting rotation, there's lots of mix-and-match possibilities in the 2011 bullpen, especially among the long guys.
Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop and Joe Beimel are locks (Beimel can opt out of his contract if he's not on the 25-man roster and is the only veteran lefty), so that leaves three spots.
Jeff Karstens and Jose Veras are both strong candidates to win a job...except that Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart are both out of options, and the loser of the great #5 starter shootout between Charlie Morton (also out of options)and Scott Olsen could end up stashed in the pen, too.
Olsen, who has options, can be sent down to Indy if he loses out to Morton. But as a lefty, there may be some sentiment to keep him available. Other lefties available are Brian Burres, a southpaw Karstens clone, and Justin Thomas. Both are more likely to start out the year in AAA, as may Daniel Moskos and Tony Watson, the future of the bullpen from the port side.
Donnie Veal is out of the equation this year, though he should resume pitching for keeps later in the season.
The possible options from the right side are more numerous and proven: Chris Leroux, Daniel McCutchen, Sean Gallagher, Tyler Yates, Cesar Valdez, and Fernando Nieve, along with youngsters Michael Crotta and Ramon Aguero.
Of the second group, none are in eminent danger of being lost; the 40-man roster guys have options; the others are signed to minor-league deals.
That alone puts them in second-class citizen status, at least so far as breaking camp with the team, although a lot can happen in six weeks to muddy the picture. But if everyone stays healthy and the Pirates resist picking up any late cuts, the main questions will be:
-- Is Hanrahan or Meek gonna close? Meal Huntington has all but said they've made their decision; GW agrees with most of the blogosphere in expecting Hanny to get the nod; prior experience, better K rate, and two years of team control, making him an easily movable piece if he pitches well.
-- What do they think of Morton, Hart, and Ascanio? All either stick or go through waivers (although Hart may get a brief reprieve on the DL). Are the Pirates in love enough with their potential to have them hang around another year or just them them move along and hope the young guns are ready to move up?
-- If Olsen loses out, do they keep him as a second lefty or ship him down to get his innings at Indy?
-- Will everyone perform as expected in camp? Remember, Morton and Hart were virtually guaranteed spots last year until they both blew up in Bradenton. The possibility remains that although spring training results are the most useless evaluation aids imaginable, a slotted arm or two could underperform its way off of the 25-man roster.
-- Injuries and waiver wire players have been the calling cards of the current FO's rosters, so they may have an effect in March.
Joel Hanrahan, Evan Meek, Chris Resop and Joe Beimel are locks (Beimel can opt out of his contract if he's not on the 25-man roster and is the only veteran lefty), so that leaves three spots.
Jeff Karstens and Jose Veras are both strong candidates to win a job...except that Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart are both out of options, and the loser of the great #5 starter shootout between Charlie Morton (also out of options)and Scott Olsen could end up stashed in the pen, too.
Olsen, who has options, can be sent down to Indy if he loses out to Morton. But as a lefty, there may be some sentiment to keep him available. Other lefties available are Brian Burres, a southpaw Karstens clone, and Justin Thomas. Both are more likely to start out the year in AAA, as may Daniel Moskos and Tony Watson, the future of the bullpen from the port side.
Donnie Veal is out of the equation this year, though he should resume pitching for keeps later in the season.
The possible options from the right side are more numerous and proven: Chris Leroux, Daniel McCutchen, Sean Gallagher, Tyler Yates, Cesar Valdez, and Fernando Nieve, along with youngsters Michael Crotta and Ramon Aguero.
Of the second group, none are in eminent danger of being lost; the 40-man roster guys have options; the others are signed to minor-league deals.
That alone puts them in second-class citizen status, at least so far as breaking camp with the team, although a lot can happen in six weeks to muddy the picture. But if everyone stays healthy and the Pirates resist picking up any late cuts, the main questions will be:
-- Is Hanrahan or Meek gonna close? Meal Huntington has all but said they've made their decision; GW agrees with most of the blogosphere in expecting Hanny to get the nod; prior experience, better K rate, and two years of team control, making him an easily movable piece if he pitches well.
-- What do they think of Morton, Hart, and Ascanio? All either stick or go through waivers (although Hart may get a brief reprieve on the DL). Are the Pirates in love enough with their potential to have them hang around another year or just them them move along and hope the young guns are ready to move up?
-- If Olsen loses out, do they keep him as a second lefty or ship him down to get his innings at Indy?
-- Will everyone perform as expected in camp? Remember, Morton and Hart were virtually guaranteed spots last year until they both blew up in Bradenton. The possibility remains that although spring training results are the most useless evaluation aids imaginable, a slotted arm or two could underperform its way off of the 25-man roster.
-- Injuries and waiver wire players have been the calling cards of the current FO's rosters, so they may have an effect in March.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
The Pen
Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review wrote today that LHP Brian Fuentes is off the Bucco wish list; he apparently wants a multi-year deal at $5M per year, kinda steep for a 35-year old set up/closer type.
But he'll get someone to bite; it's been an odd year for relievers. Usually among the last to be added to a roster, this year they went early and for multiple years.
There's not much left for the Pirates to sort through; the team is pretty well set with RHP and was looking for a couple of lefties for balance. The FO has said they're still searching, but the Bucs may end up with an in-house crew this year, for a couple of reasons.
The back end is set with Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek. The Pirates have said that they didn't plan to have them compete in camp, and they would decide who would close before that. Well, tick tock...
Hanrahan will likely get the call. Not only has he closed for the Nats in his prior MLB life, but he was 6-for-10 in save chances last year and struck out a dazzling 100 batters in 69-2/3 innings.
That 6-for-10 may not sound like money, but compared to Meek, who was 4-for-10 in converting save opps, it is. So we think we're looking at Hanny closing and Meek as the eighth inning set-up guy.
The bridge pitcher out of the gate will be Chris Resop. The hard throwing righty whiffed 26 batters in 21 frames and handled himself pretty well as the seventh inning arm, Meek's position until the Octavio Dotel trade. He'll get a look at the more highly leveraged set-up spot whenever one of the dynamic duo needs a blow.
All three are under team control for the next 3-4 years. Hanrahan entered his first arb year this off-season; Resop and Meek become arb-eligible after the 2011 campaign. They're all locks to make the 25-man, and that's a good thing. Only Meek has any options (2) remaining.
Middle relief is set; in fact, it's logjammed. One can assume that the loser of the Scott Olsen-Craig Morton battle for the fifth spot will claim one seat on the bullpen bench. Both Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart have to be on the 25-man roster or DFA'ed. Ascanio should be healthy; it's possible they could delay a decision on Hart for awhile, although he should be back from labrum surgery by camp.
Jeff Karstens is almost automatic as the long man/spot starter; it's a role he fills perfectly. And that adds up to a full complement of seven bullpen guys, none of whom can be sent to the minors without clearing waivers except Olsen, who has options remaining but could opt for free agency if demoted (thanks to Tim Williams at Pirates Propects for that heads-up).
But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend!" If Olsen wins the fifth start, which given the competition is entirely possible, the Pirates would have no lefties in the pen.
They do have a couple of in-house LHP candidates in Danny Moskos, the answer to "who did the Pirates draft first in 2007 instead of Matt Weiters?" and Tony Watson. Moskos is a back-end pitcher who tore up Altoona but fizzled at Indy, while Watson, 25, is a starter who's a potential LOOGY but hasn't pitched higher than AA ball yet. Justin Thomas, a non-roster invitee who spent some time with the big club in 2010, is also available.
We think all three, for a handful of good baseball reasons, are ticketed to start out at Indy.
But the bullpen situation, while fairly predictable at the moment because of options, is still fluid. There's not much on the market, but between the available FAs, the in-house arms, and where Olsen ends up, adding a lefty or two could change the middle tier of relievers considerably.
And the Pirates still have a couple of trade irons in the fire. If they pull the trigger on a Paul Maholm deal, the pitching fallout will impact both the rotation and the middle relief crew.
But he'll get someone to bite; it's been an odd year for relievers. Usually among the last to be added to a roster, this year they went early and for multiple years.
There's not much left for the Pirates to sort through; the team is pretty well set with RHP and was looking for a couple of lefties for balance. The FO has said they're still searching, but the Bucs may end up with an in-house crew this year, for a couple of reasons.
The back end is set with Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek. The Pirates have said that they didn't plan to have them compete in camp, and they would decide who would close before that. Well, tick tock...
Hanrahan will likely get the call. Not only has he closed for the Nats in his prior MLB life, but he was 6-for-10 in save chances last year and struck out a dazzling 100 batters in 69-2/3 innings.
That 6-for-10 may not sound like money, but compared to Meek, who was 4-for-10 in converting save opps, it is. So we think we're looking at Hanny closing and Meek as the eighth inning set-up guy.
The bridge pitcher out of the gate will be Chris Resop. The hard throwing righty whiffed 26 batters in 21 frames and handled himself pretty well as the seventh inning arm, Meek's position until the Octavio Dotel trade. He'll get a look at the more highly leveraged set-up spot whenever one of the dynamic duo needs a blow.
All three are under team control for the next 3-4 years. Hanrahan entered his first arb year this off-season; Resop and Meek become arb-eligible after the 2011 campaign. They're all locks to make the 25-man, and that's a good thing. Only Meek has any options (2) remaining.
Middle relief is set; in fact, it's logjammed. One can assume that the loser of the Scott Olsen-Craig Morton battle for the fifth spot will claim one seat on the bullpen bench. Both Jose Ascanio and Kevin Hart have to be on the 25-man roster or DFA'ed. Ascanio should be healthy; it's possible they could delay a decision on Hart for awhile, although he should be back from labrum surgery by camp.
Jeff Karstens is almost automatic as the long man/spot starter; it's a role he fills perfectly. And that adds up to a full complement of seven bullpen guys, none of whom can be sent to the minors without clearing waivers except Olsen, who has options remaining but could opt for free agency if demoted (thanks to Tim Williams at Pirates Propects for that heads-up).
But as Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend!" If Olsen wins the fifth start, which given the competition is entirely possible, the Pirates would have no lefties in the pen.
They do have a couple of in-house LHP candidates in Danny Moskos, the answer to "who did the Pirates draft first in 2007 instead of Matt Weiters?" and Tony Watson. Moskos is a back-end pitcher who tore up Altoona but fizzled at Indy, while Watson, 25, is a starter who's a potential LOOGY but hasn't pitched higher than AA ball yet. Justin Thomas, a non-roster invitee who spent some time with the big club in 2010, is also available.
We think all three, for a handful of good baseball reasons, are ticketed to start out at Indy.
But the bullpen situation, while fairly predictable at the moment because of options, is still fluid. There's not much on the market, but between the available FAs, the in-house arms, and where Olsen ends up, adding a lefty or two could change the middle tier of relievers considerably.
And the Pirates still have a couple of trade irons in the fire. If they pull the trigger on a Paul Maholm deal, the pitching fallout will impact both the rotation and the middle relief crew.
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