#22 Robbie Grossman

The Bucs stirred a little debate in 2008 when they picked Robbie Grossman, a switch-hitting high school outfielder from Cypress Fairbanks HS in Texas, with the sixth round selection.

His prep bona-fides were sterling. Grossman hit 11 home runs and was awarded the Josh Beckett Award as the Houston-area Player of the Year, and was also a First-Team All-District selection.

Before his senior season, Grossman participated in the Pan American Junior Championships as a member of the USA Baseball Junior National Team, where he hit .450 and was named to the All-Pan American team.

But he's anything but a "can't miss" player. The 6-1, 190 pounder is the classic tweener whose most obvious tool is an engine that won't shut down. Scouts were concerned that with his average (but accurate) arm, average range, and a line-drive rather than long ball bat, he wouldn't be able to handle center with the mitt or a corner with his stick.

Ah, but that motor. Every phrase used to describe him on a baseball diamond starts with the word "aggressive," and some clipboard guys compared him to Lenny Dykstra, and others to Nate McLouth, both classic overachievers. And hey, that's not bad company.

That spark was enough that Baseball America rated him the 49th best prospect in the draft, and many people thought he'd be a late first or early second-round pick. But he was signed to attend Texas and apparently meant to honor his John Doe, dropping his pro stock in the process.

In mid-August, though, the Bucs waved a million smackers under his nose and promised to pay for him to go to college later, and so it was bye-bye Longhorns and hello Pirates.

MLB.com says this about Grossman:

"Grossman is the kind of player that can be fun to watch because he knows only one speed: full. A real grinder, he plays the game hard and makes the most of his tools, which include decent speed and some strength at the plate. He doesn't really profile well at any outfield position, but it's also evident he won't be outworked and is the type to exceed expectations."

He had a cup of coffee in the GCL, and began playing for real in 2009 at West Virginia. As a 19 year-old (he turned 20 in September, after the season), he didn't exactly tear it up in A ball, but he wasn't a fish out of water, either.

Grossman hit .266/5/42 and scored 83 times in 535 top-of-the-order at-bats, stealing 35 bases in 47 tries - no, he's not bashful about taking off - a 75% rate. The teen had a .373 OBP, drawing 75 walks, tops in the Pirate organization.

Unfortunately, he also whiffed enough to supply a fair-sized windmill with sufficient breeze to power New York City; he had 164 K's, a 31% rate. And his average dropped 30 points over the last few weeks of the year, from a high of .295 at All-Star break. But that's not an unusual path for one's first full pro season.

He played about 2/3's of his games in center; the rest in left (he was moved over when Starling Marte joined the club), booting five balls and throwing out eight runners from the pasture. All in all, it went as expected for a peach-fuzzed rook - a learning experience with some ups and downs.

Still, for a 19 year-old that for all intents skipped rookie and short-season ball, not a bad start. And we'll see in 2010 if jumping those levels was justified. We expect him to start the season in High A Bradenton, a big leap for a kid that never played college ball and then by-passed State College.

(Next - #21 Justin Wilson)

Rainblast Pre Game

The Bucs signed sixth round pick Robbie Grossman, a Texas high school OF'er. He's 18, 6-1, 190 pounds. He won the Josh Beckett Award for the Houston area's top player in 2008 as a senior at Cypress-Fairbanks HS after he hit 11 home runs.

Grossman was a member of USA Baseball's junior team in 2007, batting .450 at the Pan-Am Junior Championships and earning a spot on the all Pan-Am team.

Grossman's bonus is for $1 million, plus money for a college education. That makes the switch-hitter the most costly Pirate draftee so far and gives him signing money equal to a late first-round pick.

He lasted until the sixth round because he was considered next to impossible to sign, with a scholarship to Texas already in hand. The Pirate suits considered him the equivalent of a second rounder. He'll report to Bradenton in the GCL.

> Dejan Kovacevic wrote that 5th rounder LHP Justin Wilson signed exactly at slot value, for a bonus of $195,000.

> The much-anticipated Adam and Andy LaRoche debut is finally expected to take place tonight, weather permitting, when the Pirates wrap up a three-game series against the Reds at PNC Park. It'll be the first time they've ever played on the same team.

> State College Spikes' infielders Chase d'Arnaud and Jeremy Farrell were named to the New York-Penn League All-Stars. The game will be played Tuesday in Troy, N.Y.

d’Arnaud is hitting .302 for the Spikes in 23 games. The shortstop has collected six doubles, four triples and 10 RBI. 3B Farrell, who was voted in at 1B, is also hitting .302 with six doubles. In 31 games, Farrell has 16 RBI and two triples.

> Pittsburgh's suits really were working the phones at the trade deadline, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark:

Speaking of Pirates deals that almost happened, it's incredible how many teams thought they were on the verge of some kind of pre-deadline trade with Pittsburgh that fell through when the Jason Bay/Ramirez extravaganza came together.

Indications are that, with only minutes left until the deadline, the Rays still thought they were in line to trade for Bay, the Rockies apparently thought they had a shot to reel in Ian Snell, the Marlins believed they'd be the third team in the Manny/Bay deal, and the Phillies thought that the Grabow trade was very much alive.

Then the Pirates opted to focus all their last-minute energies on that Boston/L.A. blockbuster. So the only thing those other clubs got out of it was fewer rollover minutes on their cell phone bills in August.

In the hours after the trading deadline, we were critical of the Pirates for dealing three high-profile players without getting back a single can't-miss, centerpiece prospect back. But in the days since, we've been convinced by executives of several teams that the Pirates actually did better in their two big deals than we originally gave them credit for.

"There are no stars in there, but they need that depth of talent," an official of one club said. "They need numbers. And they accomplished that."

"I think they're on the right track," one NL scout said. "At least they decided they couldn't keep doing the same thing they've been doing and took some chances."

One NL executive even defended them on the widely hammered Xavier Nady-Damaso Marte deal, saying: "If they got three major league pitchers in that deal, and I think they did, then great for them. And all three guys (Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf and Daniel McCutchen) are either ready or close. So that's a good deal, not a bad deal."

Nevertheless, when asked to name the best player of the eight this team received in those trades, the baseball men we spoke with had a tough time finding a clear-cut Pirates acquisition they'd buy stock in. The name we heard most: 21-year-old right-hander Bryan Morris (3.15 ERA in low Class A). "If he stays healthy, he's definitely the best talent in that group," one GM said.

Houston, we have ignition...

Paul Maholm rode out a rough start, and backed by the bats of the Jay boys, Michaels and Bay, knocked off the Astros 4-3 tonight.

In the first couple of innings, Maholm couldn't get the ball down, and the Buc fielders couldn't get it out of their mitts. It was 3-3 after two, thanks to Jason Michael's three-run shot, and settled into a pretty nice ballgame after that.

Maholm gave the Pirates' rotation their third quality start in a row. He gave up five hits in his first two innings, then retired 20 out of the next 23 batters to earn his 4th win of the year against 5 losses.

Maholm surrendered two earned runs and got 14 ground-outs, while throwing just 86 pitches - 64 for strikes. His start marks the first time the Pirates have had starters go into the eighth inning in back-to-back games since Aug. 12-13 of last season.

Pittsburgh notched the winner in the fifth when Jay Bay tripled off the glove of Jose Cruz Jr. in center, who was focused more on the wall than the ball. Hey, Jose, if you're gonna crash into the fence anyway, you might as well catch the ball.

Matt Capps came in to close it. He looked more like Mike Williams than the Mad Capper, but he got the job done. For Capps, it was save #13.

Pittsburgh finished its 22 game stretch against the Central division with an 11-11 slate. They're 9 games behind the pace setting Cubbies and 29-31 overall.

On the draft front: Pittsburgh took HS CF Robert Grossman from Cypress-Fairbanks High of Texas in the 6th round. He's 18, 6' and 200 lbs, throws lefty and is a switch hitter. His main selling point seems to be a motor that never quits.

According to MLB.com, "Grossman is the kind of player that can be fun to watch because he knows only one speed: full. A real grinder, he plays the game hard and makes the most of his tools, which include decent speed and some strength at the plate.

He doesn't really profile well at any outfield position, but it's also evident he won't be outworked and is the type to exceed expectations."

They see him as a Lenny Dykstra clone, and that's not a bad style of player to have in the organization.