Among all the hoo-hah generated by the Bucs bringing in a boatload of new blood through their deadline deals, one home grown talent has continued to shine bright as a pure hitter in the Pittsburgh organization, infielder Jim Negrych.
The 5'10", 180-pound second sacker is from Buffalo, where he was born on March 2, 1985. He starred at St. Francis HS, where he hit .500 with 91 RBI, 11 home runs and 35 stolen bases before going on to have a lights-out career for Pitt.
Negrych was the Beast of the Big East during his three years with the Panthers.
He started out by being named the Big East Rookie of the Year in 2004, earning Freshman All-America honors from both Baseball America and Louisville Slugger. Negrych finished second in the conference in batting with a .378 average and sixth in on-base percentage (.464) and slugging percentage (.592).
In 2005, Negrych hit .349 and set a Pitt record by drawing 44 walks. He led the Big East with 16 homers, was second with 59 RBI and was selected All-Conference. Baseball America christened him as an All-America as the best second baseman in NCAA Division I.
As a junior, Negrych continued raking with a .396 average, 11 homers and 60 RBI. His .515 OBP was 7th in NCAA Division I and BA picked him as an All-America for the second time. He became one of three Panthers to collect 200 hits during their Pitt careers.
The Pirates made him a fourth-round draft pick in 2006, and Negrych was off to an OK start at short season Williamsport, hitting .267 with a .711 OPS while making the transition to wooden bats, heating up as the season went on. But the year ended abruptly for him in August, when he tore thumb ligaments while sliding into third base.
He was shut down for three months after surgery, and began 2007 at Class A Hickory. Negrych hit .287 there with a .705 OPS in 84 games. But he was hurt again, missing several weeks of action with an oblique strain. Negrych played second for the Crawdads, and did OK, committing 10 errors.
This year, he finally dealt with the fact that he's not the long ball threat in the pros that he was in college, and quit trying to yank pitches.
Negrych cranks out line drives, and has pretty good gap power. He's patient at the dish, and his walks to K's ratio is almost 1:1. Throw in the fact that he finally had an injury-free year, and it added up to a break out season.
Negrych was named the Pirates' Minor League Player of the Year after posting a .359 batting average between Lynchburg and Altoona, fifth best in the entire minor leagues. He also ranked fifth in on-base percentage (.438), ninth in hits (170) and 12th in doubles (41).
Ah, but that glove. If Perry Hill needs a poster child for his infield voodoo, Negrych is it. Not very toolsy, his speed, range, and arm are considered average to below-average, and the Bucs played him primarily at third, probably trying to groom him for a job as a MLB utility guy. Still, he booted 31 balls in 2008.
The Pirates sent him to Hawaii to play second, his position at Pitt and one that better fits his bat. He's only hitting .225 there, but the injury bug that he avoided during the season bit him again at West Oahu, as he lost a couple of weeks to a finger sprain. So that winter audition is a washout for the scouts.
His good hit/mediocre field, overachiever rep could fit Freddy Sanchez's profile - or Bobby Hill's.
He'll be 24 next season, and should be the starting second baseman at Altoona, with Shelby Ford moving up to Indy. The clock's ticking on him, and the suit's eyes will be watching his performance carefully.
The Pirates are faced with a decision. Is Negrych's bat solid enough to overcome his glovework? The answer to that question will ultimately determine his future role in the bigs.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
They're Walkin'...
OK, out of sheer boredom and utter lack of inspiration, here's the Pirate guys that were declared minor league free agents yesterday:
AAA Indy: RHP Adam Bernero, RHP Ryan Drese, RHP Marino Salas, RHP Mike Thompson, RHP John Van Benschoten, RHP Franquelis Osoria (November 6), LHP Corey Hamman, C Carlos Maldonado, 2B Matt Kata, IF Luis Ordaz, OF Jorge Cortes, OF Chris Duffy.
AA Altoona: RHP Blair Johnson, RHP Juan Mateo, RHP Dan Reichert, LHP Juan Perez, 2B Melvin Dorta, 3B: Jason Bowers, OF Jonel Pacheco, OF Anthony Webster.
A+ Lynchburg: RHP Jean Garavito, LHP Brian Holliday, LHP Josh Shortslef, C Milver Reyes.
A- Hickory/West Virginia: LHP Wanell Macia, 1B Josh Bonifay.
SS State College: C Steven Suarez.
A quick look tells you that there were a heckuva lot of organizational depth players in the Pirate minors along with the wash-outs.
Indy has eight players and one coach left, though there will be a small horde of guys now on the 40-man that will eventually be sent back down. We think the suits may try to sign Hamman, Mateo, Holliday, Shortslef and maybe JVB, Salas & Pacheco; the rest depend on where the suits & scouts see the Pirate pups starting out in 2009.
It should be interesting. At least Indy will get a long overdue make-over, we can only hope.
And here's the list of ex-Pirate properties that are free to deal: Tike Redman, Josh Wilson, Mark Redman, J.R. House, Josh Phelps (signed by Giants), Jorge Velandia, Chris Shelton, Don Kelly, Mike Burns, Franklyn German, Scott Sauerbeck, Brad Eldred, Rob Mackowiak, Wil Cordero, Humberto Cota, Matt Peterson, Nelson Figueroa, Brian Rogers, Abraham Nunez, Victor Zambrano, John Wasdin, Josh Sharpless, Craig Wilson, Jonah Bayliss, Pokey Reese, Yurendell De Caster, and Ray Olmedo.
A real trip down memory lane, hey?
AAA Indy: RHP Adam Bernero, RHP Ryan Drese, RHP Marino Salas, RHP Mike Thompson, RHP John Van Benschoten, RHP Franquelis Osoria (November 6), LHP Corey Hamman, C Carlos Maldonado, 2B Matt Kata, IF Luis Ordaz, OF Jorge Cortes, OF Chris Duffy.
AA Altoona: RHP Blair Johnson, RHP Juan Mateo, RHP Dan Reichert, LHP Juan Perez, 2B Melvin Dorta, 3B: Jason Bowers, OF Jonel Pacheco, OF Anthony Webster.
A+ Lynchburg: RHP Jean Garavito, LHP Brian Holliday, LHP Josh Shortslef, C Milver Reyes.
A- Hickory/West Virginia: LHP Wanell Macia, 1B Josh Bonifay.
SS State College: C Steven Suarez.
A quick look tells you that there were a heckuva lot of organizational depth players in the Pirate minors along with the wash-outs.
Indy has eight players and one coach left, though there will be a small horde of guys now on the 40-man that will eventually be sent back down. We think the suits may try to sign Hamman, Mateo, Holliday, Shortslef and maybe JVB, Salas & Pacheco; the rest depend on where the suits & scouts see the Pirate pups starting out in 2009.
It should be interesting. At least Indy will get a long overdue make-over, we can only hope.
And here's the list of ex-Pirate properties that are free to deal: Tike Redman, Josh Wilson, Mark Redman, J.R. House, Josh Phelps (signed by Giants), Jorge Velandia, Chris Shelton, Don Kelly, Mike Burns, Franklyn German, Scott Sauerbeck, Brad Eldred, Rob Mackowiak, Wil Cordero, Humberto Cota, Matt Peterson, Nelson Figueroa, Brian Rogers, Abraham Nunez, Victor Zambrano, John Wasdin, Josh Sharpless, Craig Wilson, Jonah Bayliss, Pokey Reese, Yurendell De Caster, and Ray Olmedo.
A real trip down memory lane, hey?
Friday, November 7, 2008
The Only Constant Is Change...
The Pirates landed the guy they wanted from the get-go as their first base coach today, naming Perry Hill to their final coaching position.
The 56-year-old Hill has 14 years of MLB coaching experience with the Rangers, Expos, Marlins and Tigers. His last job was with Florida, where he served as the Marlins' first-base coach and infield instructor.
Hill will also wear the infield tutor cap for the Pirates. During his time with the Fish, four different Marlins - 1B Derrek Lee, 2B Luis Castillo, 3B Mike Lowell, and SS Orlando Cabrera - earned Gold Glove awards. The last Pirate IF to earn that honor was Jay Bell in 1993.
Bone, as he's known by the players, left Florida in 2007 to tend to some family business. Hill and his wife, Olivia, have a daughter, Alexis Madison, and a son, Perry Jr. They live in Lantana, Texas, between Dallas and Denton.
Hill didn't have much of a playing career. He balled for six seasons, five in the Mexican League with Reynosa and Saltillo, and one at Rio Grande of the Gulf States League. Hill played 622 games in Mexico, batting .257 with eight home runs and 228 RBI, and batted .194 in his minor-league season.
But hey, he's not the hitting coach.
He made his name as the roving infield instructor for the Rangers, and cemented it with the work he did at Florida. Hill even put out a DVD titled "Ultimate Infield," an all-level instructional video on the fundamentals of fielding.
And with all the soft-tossers on the Pirate staff, his performance may ultimately be as valuable to the Bucs as Joe Kerrigan's contributions.
BTW, though the MLB coaching slots are filled, the Pirates still have managing vacancies at AAA Indy, AA Altoona, and short-season A State College.
This comes as no surprise, but Chris Duffy recently filed for free agency in true Chris Duffy fashion. The Bucs sent the outfielder to Mexico for winter ball, but after playing in only three games, he left his Mazatlan team.
"He just didn't want to be there," Huntington explained. "The information that I have is that he just shut it down." Hmmmm...where have we heard that line before?
Duffy told the suits that he had no desire to return to the Pittsburgh organization that drafted him in the eighth round of the 2001 draft. And so ends the Duffy saga in Pittsburgh.
He joins a posse of Pirate minor league free agents. There are 26 Buc minor-leaguers on the market now, including Juan Mateo, Josh Shortslef, and Brian Holliday.
If you're curious about what farm team free agents are out there, Baseball America has all 561 of them listed. There's a bevy of former MLB players and ex-Pirates included.
You can bet Neal Huntington and Greg Smith are taking a good look.
The 56-year-old Hill has 14 years of MLB coaching experience with the Rangers, Expos, Marlins and Tigers. His last job was with Florida, where he served as the Marlins' first-base coach and infield instructor.
Hill will also wear the infield tutor cap for the Pirates. During his time with the Fish, four different Marlins - 1B Derrek Lee, 2B Luis Castillo, 3B Mike Lowell, and SS Orlando Cabrera - earned Gold Glove awards. The last Pirate IF to earn that honor was Jay Bell in 1993.
Bone, as he's known by the players, left Florida in 2007 to tend to some family business. Hill and his wife, Olivia, have a daughter, Alexis Madison, and a son, Perry Jr. They live in Lantana, Texas, between Dallas and Denton.
Hill didn't have much of a playing career. He balled for six seasons, five in the Mexican League with Reynosa and Saltillo, and one at Rio Grande of the Gulf States League. Hill played 622 games in Mexico, batting .257 with eight home runs and 228 RBI, and batted .194 in his minor-league season.
But hey, he's not the hitting coach.
He made his name as the roving infield instructor for the Rangers, and cemented it with the work he did at Florida. Hill even put out a DVD titled "Ultimate Infield," an all-level instructional video on the fundamentals of fielding.
And with all the soft-tossers on the Pirate staff, his performance may ultimately be as valuable to the Bucs as Joe Kerrigan's contributions.
BTW, though the MLB coaching slots are filled, the Pirates still have managing vacancies at AAA Indy, AA Altoona, and short-season A State College.
This comes as no surprise, but Chris Duffy recently filed for free agency in true Chris Duffy fashion. The Bucs sent the outfielder to Mexico for winter ball, but after playing in only three games, he left his Mazatlan team.
"He just didn't want to be there," Huntington explained. "The information that I have is that he just shut it down." Hmmmm...where have we heard that line before?
Duffy told the suits that he had no desire to return to the Pittsburgh organization that drafted him in the eighth round of the 2001 draft. And so ends the Duffy saga in Pittsburgh.
He joins a posse of Pirate minor league free agents. There are 26 Buc minor-leaguers on the market now, including Juan Mateo, Josh Shortslef, and Brian Holliday.
If you're curious about what farm team free agents are out there, Baseball America has all 561 of them listed. There's a bevy of former MLB players and ex-Pirates included.
You can bet Neal Huntington and Greg Smith are taking a good look.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Keepin' It In the Family...Lawrenceville's Sadowski Boys
Ed, Ted, and Bob Sadowski were part of a twelve kid clan raised in Lawrenceville in the thirties and forties. Both of their parents were Polish immigrants, and their dad worked in a steel mill until his death, when Bob, the baby of the family, was 12-years old.
But there must have been something special about growing up in that Allegheny River neighborhood, rough and tumble as it was. The three brothers all made it to MLB. They became one of only 18 families to claim a trio or better of major league siblings. Ed and Ted made the show in 1960; Bob joined them three years later.
Ed, born on January 19, 1931, caught for the Boston Red Sox (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961-63) and Atlanta Braves (1966).
He was 29-years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 20, 1960, with the Boston Red Sox. Ed served as a backup catcher for Russ Nixon in Boston; Earl Averill and Buck Rodgers with the original Angels, and Joe Torre in Atlanta.
In 1963 he appeared in a career-high 80 games and collected four home runs with 24 runs and 15 RBI, also career-numbers. He played his last game on October, 1966. In his five seasons, Sadowski was a .202 hitter with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 217 games.
After he hung up the spikes, he worked as a pitching coach for the Montreal Expos. He retired from baseball in 1970, and became a phys ed teacher in California. He died in Garden Grove on November 6, 1993 at age of 62, after battling ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.
Ted, born on April 1, 1936, was a RH relief pitcher who played for the Washington Senators (1960) and Minnesota Twins (1961-62). In a three MLB seasons, he posted a 2-3 record with a 5.76 ERA and one save in 43 games.
He died in Shaler Township on July 18, 1993 at the age of 57, and is buried in Allegheny Cemetery.
Bob Sadowski was born on February 19, 1938. The RH pitcher both started and worked as a long man.
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent in 1958, then was traded to the Milwaukee Braves along with Gene Oliver for Lew Burdette in 1963. His most productive season came in 1964, when he posted career-highs in wins (9), games pitched (51), starts (18), saves (5) and innings (166-2/3).
Bob was the last Braves starting pitcher in their final home opener in Milwaukee, beating the Chicago Cubs 5–1 on April 15, 1965. He pitched his final major league season for the BoSox in 1966.
In four years (1963-66), Sadowski had a 20-27 record with a 3.87 ERA, eight saves, and 257 strikeouts in 115 games (54 as a starter).
It would have been a story-book tale if they had played for the hometown team. Well, Ed, Ted, and Bob didn't, but the Sadowski's story doesn't end with them.
Nephew Jim, born on August 7th, 1951, inherited the same genes. He played ball for Lawrenceville's Ninth Ward Baseball Association as a kid under the tutelage of legendary youth coach John "Baldy" McGrane Sr., and went on to star at nearby Central Catholic High.
The Bucs signed him in 1970, and he got to do what his uncles didn't - pitch for the Pirates. It wasn't exactly an All-Star career. He only stayed in the show for three weeks. But it was enough time for him to fulfill the Sadowski destiny.
He made his debut on April 27 at Three Rivers Stadium. "I realized the dream of pitching for the hometown team," Sadowski proudly told MLB.com.
After appearing in four games in 1974 (0-1, 6.00 ERA), he was back riding the bus for the farm systems of the Bucs, Reds and Royals. By 1978, in his ninth year in pro ball, he knew that it was time call on his old Viking sheepskin and return to the books.
He got his degree, and has been in banking and finance for the past three decades. But that brief spell with the Pirates lit a long-time flame within him.
Sadowski was buds with Nellie Briles, who was the head of the Pirate Alumni Association, and became a regular member of the club. Then, in 2005, while Jim was golfing with Briles, Nellie passed away on the course. The alumni reins were turned over to Sadowski.
So he's using that font of financial knowledge to raise some bucks for the alumni cause, youth baseball and clinics. And if a kid from Lawrenceville with a pedigree a mile long can't turn the lives of hometown children around - and hey, maybe even get one or two to dream big-league dreams like he did - then baseball is done in this town. We're betting it isn't.
But there must have been something special about growing up in that Allegheny River neighborhood, rough and tumble as it was. The three brothers all made it to MLB. They became one of only 18 families to claim a trio or better of major league siblings. Ed and Ted made the show in 1960; Bob joined them three years later.
Ed, born on January 19, 1931, caught for the Boston Red Sox (1960), Los Angeles Angels (1961-63) and Atlanta Braves (1966).
He was 29-years old when he broke into the big leagues on April 20, 1960, with the Boston Red Sox. Ed served as a backup catcher for Russ Nixon in Boston; Earl Averill and Buck Rodgers with the original Angels, and Joe Torre in Atlanta.
In 1963 he appeared in a career-high 80 games and collected four home runs with 24 runs and 15 RBI, also career-numbers. He played his last game on October, 1966. In his five seasons, Sadowski was a .202 hitter with 12 home runs and 39 RBI in 217 games.
After he hung up the spikes, he worked as a pitching coach for the Montreal Expos. He retired from baseball in 1970, and became a phys ed teacher in California. He died in Garden Grove on November 6, 1993 at age of 62, after battling ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease.
Ted, born on April 1, 1936, was a RH relief pitcher who played for the Washington Senators (1960) and Minnesota Twins (1961-62). In a three MLB seasons, he posted a 2-3 record with a 5.76 ERA and one save in 43 games.
He died in Shaler Township on July 18, 1993 at the age of 57, and is buried in Allegheny Cemetery.
Bob Sadowski was born on February 19, 1938. The RH pitcher both started and worked as a long man.
He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals as a free agent in 1958, then was traded to the Milwaukee Braves along with Gene Oliver for Lew Burdette in 1963. His most productive season came in 1964, when he posted career-highs in wins (9), games pitched (51), starts (18), saves (5) and innings (166-2/3).
Bob was the last Braves starting pitcher in their final home opener in Milwaukee, beating the Chicago Cubs 5–1 on April 15, 1965. He pitched his final major league season for the BoSox in 1966.
In four years (1963-66), Sadowski had a 20-27 record with a 3.87 ERA, eight saves, and 257 strikeouts in 115 games (54 as a starter).
It would have been a story-book tale if they had played for the hometown team. Well, Ed, Ted, and Bob didn't, but the Sadowski's story doesn't end with them.
Nephew Jim, born on August 7th, 1951, inherited the same genes. He played ball for Lawrenceville's Ninth Ward Baseball Association as a kid under the tutelage of legendary youth coach John "Baldy" McGrane Sr., and went on to star at nearby Central Catholic High.
The Bucs signed him in 1970, and he got to do what his uncles didn't - pitch for the Pirates. It wasn't exactly an All-Star career. He only stayed in the show for three weeks. But it was enough time for him to fulfill the Sadowski destiny.
He made his debut on April 27 at Three Rivers Stadium. "I realized the dream of pitching for the hometown team," Sadowski proudly told MLB.com.
After appearing in four games in 1974 (0-1, 6.00 ERA), he was back riding the bus for the farm systems of the Bucs, Reds and Royals. By 1978, in his ninth year in pro ball, he knew that it was time call on his old Viking sheepskin and return to the books.
He got his degree, and has been in banking and finance for the past three decades. But that brief spell with the Pirates lit a long-time flame within him.
Sadowski was buds with Nellie Briles, who was the head of the Pirate Alumni Association, and became a regular member of the club. Then, in 2005, while Jim was golfing with Briles, Nellie passed away on the course. The alumni reins were turned over to Sadowski.
So he's using that font of financial knowledge to raise some bucks for the alumni cause, youth baseball and clinics. And if a kid from Lawrenceville with a pedigree a mile long can't turn the lives of hometown children around - and hey, maybe even get one or two to dream big-league dreams like he did - then baseball is done in this town. We're betting it isn't.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Pirates in the News
A couple of Pirates were rewarded for their play of last season, in different but equally satisfying ways.
In a surprise, Nate McLouth won one of the Rawling Golden Gloves, joining Carlos Beltran and Shane Victorino in the OF. It's a nice honor, being voted on by the managers and players.
Now if you look at run replacement, zone ranges, VORP's and all that other Billy Beane mumbo-jumbo, McLouth is near the bottom of the NL pack as far as snagging a baseball.
And while he did a nice job patrolling PNC (yah, Will, even I admit it), Nate won't be mistaken for Andy Van Slyke, Billy Virdon, or heck, maybe even Kenny Lofton, among Bucs that could fetch a ball like a dog chasing a frisbee.
Your eyes will tell you that McLouth has trouble with balls hit at him, and that he leaves his feet a little more often than a sensible CF should.
But ya know what? The kid came to camp and he had to earn the job. His motor ran at 100% all year, and for every ball that ricocheted past him, he ran down three. Nate was great enough to play the All-Star game, and his throw kept it interesting.
While he only made one error all year, we understand the honor went to him just as much for his bat as his mitt. We also understand that the reason the stat freaks don't give him any love is because of the terrible Pirate pitching. Willie Mays couldn't glove the shots that were roped like clockwork into center.
So we say great job, Nate, and we can't wait until you're in left field, where you'll be a gold glover without any caveats.
Happy Bucco camper #2 is Evan Meek. He made it from Pittsburgh's Rule 5 Wild Thing, a player whose original team wouldn't take back, to being slipped quietly onto the 40-man roster.
Will he end up as another in the long line of AAAA pitchers that the Pirate system methodically churns out of its minor-league factories? Maybe. But for now, he's a neat little success story for a squad that doesn't have all that many of them to tell.
There are 39 spots filled now, counting DL'd Phil Dumatrait and Tom Gorzelanny. Looks like the Pirate suits plan to milk all the drama they can out of the moves, which have to be made by November 20th.
Frank Coonelly said in his chat that "Our plan is to put ourselves in a position where we have roster slots available if we see the right player or players available in the (Rule 5) draft." Should make for a couple of interesting weeks on the roster watch.
Rich Kubatko of MASN On-Line has the latest Jack Wilson rumors from the GM's winter workshop.
An ex-Pirate that's angling for a tummy-rub is Jay Bay. His agents are letting it be known loud and clear that he's all for signing long-term with the BoSox, though Boston hasn't sat down with them yet.
Dave Cameron of Fan Graphs says that one guy definitely missing out on a pat on the head is Damaso Marte. He may be too solid a pitcher for his own good.
How's Jose Bautista's star been shining in Toronto? Patrick at NPB Tracker says that he's on the Japanese League Hanshin Tigers' radar now.
In a surprise, Nate McLouth won one of the Rawling Golden Gloves, joining Carlos Beltran and Shane Victorino in the OF. It's a nice honor, being voted on by the managers and players.
Now if you look at run replacement, zone ranges, VORP's and all that other Billy Beane mumbo-jumbo, McLouth is near the bottom of the NL pack as far as snagging a baseball.
And while he did a nice job patrolling PNC (yah, Will, even I admit it), Nate won't be mistaken for Andy Van Slyke, Billy Virdon, or heck, maybe even Kenny Lofton, among Bucs that could fetch a ball like a dog chasing a frisbee.
Your eyes will tell you that McLouth has trouble with balls hit at him, and that he leaves his feet a little more often than a sensible CF should.
But ya know what? The kid came to camp and he had to earn the job. His motor ran at 100% all year, and for every ball that ricocheted past him, he ran down three. Nate was great enough to play the All-Star game, and his throw kept it interesting.
While he only made one error all year, we understand the honor went to him just as much for his bat as his mitt. We also understand that the reason the stat freaks don't give him any love is because of the terrible Pirate pitching. Willie Mays couldn't glove the shots that were roped like clockwork into center.
So we say great job, Nate, and we can't wait until you're in left field, where you'll be a gold glover without any caveats.
Happy Bucco camper #2 is Evan Meek. He made it from Pittsburgh's Rule 5 Wild Thing, a player whose original team wouldn't take back, to being slipped quietly onto the 40-man roster.
Will he end up as another in the long line of AAAA pitchers that the Pirate system methodically churns out of its minor-league factories? Maybe. But for now, he's a neat little success story for a squad that doesn't have all that many of them to tell.
There are 39 spots filled now, counting DL'd Phil Dumatrait and Tom Gorzelanny. Looks like the Pirate suits plan to milk all the drama they can out of the moves, which have to be made by November 20th.
Frank Coonelly said in his chat that "Our plan is to put ourselves in a position where we have roster slots available if we see the right player or players available in the (Rule 5) draft." Should make for a couple of interesting weeks on the roster watch.
Rich Kubatko of MASN On-Line has the latest Jack Wilson rumors from the GM's winter workshop.
An ex-Pirate that's angling for a tummy-rub is Jay Bay. His agents are letting it be known loud and clear that he's all for signing long-term with the BoSox, though Boston hasn't sat down with them yet.
Dave Cameron of Fan Graphs says that one guy definitely missing out on a pat on the head is Damaso Marte. He may be too solid a pitcher for his own good.
How's Jose Bautista's star been shining in Toronto? Patrick at NPB Tracker says that he's on the Japanese League Hanshin Tigers' radar now.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Dana Point
The results of the Obama-McCain game seven clash won't be final for a bit, so we thought we'd take a quick look at the first GM meeting of the off season. We think they do more than shovel sushi, melon, and white wine down their gullets, but wanted to make sure.
The day started off with a depressing vid on the state of the economy, not by the presidential dudes, but by Bud Selig. The suits somberly shook their heads while Scott Boras begged to differ, proclaiming that there's still lots of loot for his minions to collect.
The Pirates must agree with Bud, as they announced that they won't be raising season ticket prices this year, although they wouldn't promise that the same would hold true for single-game ducats.
A smart move, whether driven by hard economics or soft performance, and hopefully the price of admission to PNC will hold across the board next year.
Then the hardball don capos broke into their little groups, with today's topics being instant replay - 2 plays out of 7 were overturned upon review - and arbitration niceties, along with the extended season starting in snow and ending in the same.
The GM's huddled in pairs throughout the day, talking trade, but not much news regarding the hometown nine broke today.
Tracey Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News said that the Bucs were willing to deal Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez if the price was right. Our guess is that the suits will wait, like they did for Jay Bay and Xavier Nady, and hope that their value increases.
They're both at lows thanks to injury-filled, sub-par 2008 seasons. No one is in the system to replace them. And finally, they're both under contract next year, with a club option for 2010, so there's no urgency to pull the trigger. Unless the suits are blown away, we expect them both to be back, at least until the 2009 deadline approaches.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors suggested the Pirates might be looking at Paul Byrd as the experienced bottom-of-the-order mentor they want for their young staff.
The 37-year old was 11-12 for the Indians and BoSox last year, with a 4.60 ERA in 180 innings of work. Byrd's a 13-year vet, with a lifetime 4.38 ERA and 108 scalps on his belt.
The Pirates are also one of the teams in the Junichi Tazawa hunt, but have only the longest of shots to land him. Boston is on him, and the Braves have already offered him a MLB contract, supposedly for Pedro money - or better. The 22-year old has a mid-90s heater, a straight drop curve, and split-finger.
He's thought to still be a project, comparable to drafting a first round college pitcher, and should start in AA or AAA for whatever team wins his signature.
And scratch Dale Sveum from the Lou Frazier replacement list. He's all but signed, sealed, and delivered as the Brewer's hitting coach, a position he requested.
Now back to that Obama-McCain thing.
The day started off with a depressing vid on the state of the economy, not by the presidential dudes, but by Bud Selig. The suits somberly shook their heads while Scott Boras begged to differ, proclaiming that there's still lots of loot for his minions to collect.
The Pirates must agree with Bud, as they announced that they won't be raising season ticket prices this year, although they wouldn't promise that the same would hold true for single-game ducats.
A smart move, whether driven by hard economics or soft performance, and hopefully the price of admission to PNC will hold across the board next year.
Then the hardball don capos broke into their little groups, with today's topics being instant replay - 2 plays out of 7 were overturned upon review - and arbitration niceties, along with the extended season starting in snow and ending in the same.
The GM's huddled in pairs throughout the day, talking trade, but not much news regarding the hometown nine broke today.
Tracey Ringolsby of the Rocky Mountain News said that the Bucs were willing to deal Jack Wilson and Freddy Sanchez if the price was right. Our guess is that the suits will wait, like they did for Jay Bay and Xavier Nady, and hope that their value increases.
They're both at lows thanks to injury-filled, sub-par 2008 seasons. No one is in the system to replace them. And finally, they're both under contract next year, with a club option for 2010, so there's no urgency to pull the trigger. Unless the suits are blown away, we expect them both to be back, at least until the 2009 deadline approaches.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors suggested the Pirates might be looking at Paul Byrd as the experienced bottom-of-the-order mentor they want for their young staff.
The 37-year old was 11-12 for the Indians and BoSox last year, with a 4.60 ERA in 180 innings of work. Byrd's a 13-year vet, with a lifetime 4.38 ERA and 108 scalps on his belt.
The Pirates are also one of the teams in the Junichi Tazawa hunt, but have only the longest of shots to land him. Boston is on him, and the Braves have already offered him a MLB contract, supposedly for Pedro money - or better. The 22-year old has a mid-90s heater, a straight drop curve, and split-finger.
He's thought to still be a project, comparable to drafting a first round college pitcher, and should start in AA or AAA for whatever team wins his signature.
And scratch Dale Sveum from the Lou Frazier replacement list. He's all but signed, sealed, and delivered as the Brewer's hitting coach, a position he requested.
Now back to that Obama-McCain thing.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Ken Macha
Ken Macha was born on Friday, September 29, 1950, in Monroeville. He played ball for the Gateway Gators and Pitt, and hit the hometown trifecta when the Pirates selected him sixth in the 1972 draft.
Macha was the Eastern League batting champ in 1974 with the Thetford Mines Pirates, batting .345 with 21 homers, 100 RBI, and stealing 22 bags in 27 tries. One of his teammates was pitcher Doug Melvin, and that bit of fate would eventually prove handy.
At the age of 23, he made it to the show on September 14, 1974, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a September call-up that season, going 3-5. He wouldn't return to the big leagues until 1977, when the Bucs brought him back up as a reserve.
Macha was an infielder (actually, the dude was everywhere, playing both corner OF spots, 1B, 3B, and even catching a few games) with the Pirates, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays for six seasons (1974, 1977-81), strictly as a bench-warmer.
He hit a combined .258 in 180 MLB games, and also spent four years in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons.
Macha retired as a player in 1985 and joined the Expos as a major league coach in 1986. He spent six seasons with the Expos before moving to the California Angels as bullpen and later third base coach. He then joined the Boston Red Sox organization in the fall of 1994.
By 1997, he was managing the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox. Before that, he skippered the AA Trenton Thunder to back-to-back first place finishes. Macha was chosen as 1996 Eastern League Manager of the Year, and picked to manage the AA All-Star game.
Macha left the BoSox and joined the A's as a bench coach, serving under former Pirate teammate Art Howe from 1999 through 2002. In March 2002, the A's denied permission for the Red Sox to talk to Macha about their managerial vacancy. Boston then hired Grady Little, and Macha spent another season as a coach.
It worked out OK for him. He was tapped to succeed Howe, who became skipper of the New York Mets after the 2002 season ended. From 2003-2006, Macha ran up a 368-260 record with Oakland, almost a 57% winning percentage.
He led them to the AL Western Division championship in his first season and followed that with second-place finishes in both 2004 and 2005. The A's once again captured the AL Western Division championship in 2006.
It was anything but a smooth road. Macha was a baseball lifer who did things his way, straightforward and direct. GM Billy Beane loved the nuances of numbers, a stratagem that uniquely lends itself to baseball. It came to a head after the 2005 season.
Macha's three year deal was done, and it looked like there was no way he and Beane would again crawl into the same bed together.
He made overtures to the Pirates, who were busy looking for Lloyd McClendon's replacement. To this day, no one is absolutely certain if he jilted them, McClatchy passed him over, or he was just working Beane. No one's talkin'.
But a week after his Oakland deal looked dead in the water, Billy Beane did a 180 and signed Macha up for another year before other suitors could. The A's won the division, but after being swept by the Tigers in the playoffs, Macha was out the door for good. He was fired on October 16th, two days after the Tiger debacle.
Beane said that the reason was a "disconnect at several levels" between Macha and his team, with the player ringleader allegedly being Pittsburgh's own Jason Kendall.
Seattle offered him a job as Mike Hargrove's right hand man after the ax dropped, but Macha said he'd rather take the year off and regroup.
They countered with a deal for him to become a senior adviser to Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, but he had other plans. On April 2007, Macha took a position as an analyst for New England Sports Network, which airs Boston Red Sox games. It's pretty ironic that a guy that supposedly couldn't communicate became a talking head.
Good career move? You betcha. On October 30, 2008, Doug Melvin, Milwaukee GM and old Thetford Mines pitcher, announced Macha as the Brew Crews' new manager, inking him to a 2-year contract, good through the 2010 season. In fact, Melvin wanted him in 2003, but the A's kept him and the Brewers brought in Ned Yost.
Melvin played up the redemption bit in explaining the hiring. He used Terry Francona, Joe Torre and Charlie Manuel as proof positive that managers who get a second bite at the apple can win titles.
Macha himself quickly tried to dispel the rap that he lost touch with his players in Oakland, especially Jason Kendall, who as fate would have it is now the Brewers catcher.
"I've got a couple things to say about that. No. 1, the job of the manager is really not to be buddies with all the players" Macha told the AP. "You have to make very difficult decisions over the course of the year. Sometimes players...think it's personal. It really isn't."
For his part, Kendall is more than willing to kiss and make up.
"That whole thing got blown way out of proportion," Kendall explained to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "His track record speaks for itself. He's a great baseball man. I think it was more miscommunication between him and the general manager."
Kendall also said he enjoyed playing for Macha, and Macha threw some love back by saying that "Jason Kendall won't be a problem."
Maybe he won't, but if they lose CC and Ben Sheets and have to deal Prince Fielder...well, that might be a problem. But at least he didn't lose the job to Jim Tracy this time.
Macha lives in Murrysville during the offseason with his family, and is a cousin of Tiger HoF pitcher Hal Newhouser. He also sports a degree in civil engineering as well as a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do. So if the Brewer gig doesn't work out, hey, at least he should be one heckuva kick-butt engineer if he ever needs a day job.
Macha was the Eastern League batting champ in 1974 with the Thetford Mines Pirates, batting .345 with 21 homers, 100 RBI, and stealing 22 bags in 27 tries. One of his teammates was pitcher Doug Melvin, and that bit of fate would eventually prove handy.
At the age of 23, he made it to the show on September 14, 1974, with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a September call-up that season, going 3-5. He wouldn't return to the big leagues until 1977, when the Bucs brought him back up as a reserve.
Macha was an infielder (actually, the dude was everywhere, playing both corner OF spots, 1B, 3B, and even catching a few games) with the Pirates, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays for six seasons (1974, 1977-81), strictly as a bench-warmer.
He hit a combined .258 in 180 MLB games, and also spent four years in Japan with the Chunichi Dragons.
Macha retired as a player in 1985 and joined the Expos as a major league coach in 1986. He spent six seasons with the Expos before moving to the California Angels as bullpen and later third base coach. He then joined the Boston Red Sox organization in the fall of 1994.
By 1997, he was managing the AAA Pawtucket Red Sox. Before that, he skippered the AA Trenton Thunder to back-to-back first place finishes. Macha was chosen as 1996 Eastern League Manager of the Year, and picked to manage the AA All-Star game.
Macha left the BoSox and joined the A's as a bench coach, serving under former Pirate teammate Art Howe from 1999 through 2002. In March 2002, the A's denied permission for the Red Sox to talk to Macha about their managerial vacancy. Boston then hired Grady Little, and Macha spent another season as a coach.
It worked out OK for him. He was tapped to succeed Howe, who became skipper of the New York Mets after the 2002 season ended. From 2003-2006, Macha ran up a 368-260 record with Oakland, almost a 57% winning percentage.
He led them to the AL Western Division championship in his first season and followed that with second-place finishes in both 2004 and 2005. The A's once again captured the AL Western Division championship in 2006.
It was anything but a smooth road. Macha was a baseball lifer who did things his way, straightforward and direct. GM Billy Beane loved the nuances of numbers, a stratagem that uniquely lends itself to baseball. It came to a head after the 2005 season.
Macha's three year deal was done, and it looked like there was no way he and Beane would again crawl into the same bed together.
He made overtures to the Pirates, who were busy looking for Lloyd McClendon's replacement. To this day, no one is absolutely certain if he jilted them, McClatchy passed him over, or he was just working Beane. No one's talkin'.
But a week after his Oakland deal looked dead in the water, Billy Beane did a 180 and signed Macha up for another year before other suitors could. The A's won the division, but after being swept by the Tigers in the playoffs, Macha was out the door for good. He was fired on October 16th, two days after the Tiger debacle.
Beane said that the reason was a "disconnect at several levels" between Macha and his team, with the player ringleader allegedly being Pittsburgh's own Jason Kendall.
Seattle offered him a job as Mike Hargrove's right hand man after the ax dropped, but Macha said he'd rather take the year off and regroup.
They countered with a deal for him to become a senior adviser to Mariners GM Bill Bavasi, but he had other plans. On April 2007, Macha took a position as an analyst for New England Sports Network, which airs Boston Red Sox games. It's pretty ironic that a guy that supposedly couldn't communicate became a talking head.
Good career move? You betcha. On October 30, 2008, Doug Melvin, Milwaukee GM and old Thetford Mines pitcher, announced Macha as the Brew Crews' new manager, inking him to a 2-year contract, good through the 2010 season. In fact, Melvin wanted him in 2003, but the A's kept him and the Brewers brought in Ned Yost.
Melvin played up the redemption bit in explaining the hiring. He used Terry Francona, Joe Torre and Charlie Manuel as proof positive that managers who get a second bite at the apple can win titles.
Macha himself quickly tried to dispel the rap that he lost touch with his players in Oakland, especially Jason Kendall, who as fate would have it is now the Brewers catcher.
"I've got a couple things to say about that. No. 1, the job of the manager is really not to be buddies with all the players" Macha told the AP. "You have to make very difficult decisions over the course of the year. Sometimes players...think it's personal. It really isn't."
For his part, Kendall is more than willing to kiss and make up.
"That whole thing got blown way out of proportion," Kendall explained to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "His track record speaks for itself. He's a great baseball man. I think it was more miscommunication between him and the general manager."
Kendall also said he enjoyed playing for Macha, and Macha threw some love back by saying that "Jason Kendall won't be a problem."
Maybe he won't, but if they lose CC and Ben Sheets and have to deal Prince Fielder...well, that might be a problem. But at least he didn't lose the job to Jim Tracy this time.
Macha lives in Murrysville during the offseason with his family, and is a cousin of Tiger HoF pitcher Hal Newhouser. He also sports a degree in civil engineering as well as a first-degree black belt in tae kwon do. So if the Brewer gig doesn't work out, hey, at least he should be one heckuva kick-butt engineer if he ever needs a day job.
Buc Moves... Or How Neal Huntington Kills The Winter
OK, today starts the GM meetings at Dana Point, California. And besides the usual hot stove talk and some early preening in anticipation of the December 8th winter meeting wheeling and dealing in Vegas, what better time to give up the Pirate's post-season moves?
First, all the Bucs that could declare free agency did. Doug Mientiekwicz, Chris Gomez, Jason Michaels, Luis Rivas, Franquelis Osoria and Ty Taubenheim (in September) have opted for the open market. The contract's up on the first four players; Ty and Frankie got cut. Pittsburgh says it would like to bring Dirt Dog and Jay Michaels back if the price is right.
Needless to say, none are A or B Type free agents (see below), so the Pirates won't be getting any draft picks when they go.
John Van Benschoten, Marino Salas, Ron Belisario and Yoslan Herrera were all removed from the 40-man roster. They're still in the organization, but have a long road ahead of them to get back to the promised land. JVB, Salas, and Belisario can declare for minor-league free agency, but the suits say they'd like to keep them.
That leaves 36 slots filled on the 40-man, though two are being kept warm for Phil Dumatrait and Tom Gorzelanny, who are on the 60-day DL. The roster has to be set in stone by November 20th for the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings, held on December 11th.
Ten Pirate players are arbitration eligible this season: LHP Paul Maholm, LHP Zach Duke, LHP John Grabow, RHP Denny Bautista, RHP Jason Davis, RHP Tyler Yates, C Raul Chavez, C Ryan Doumit, 1B Adam LaRoche, and CF Nate McLouth. All but Davis are expected to get offers, and LaRoche may yet get a contract.
He's signed one-year deals the past two seasons and by-passed arbitration, but couldn't come to terms for a long-term deal before the 2008 season. The Pirates, as we hear, plan to offer long-term contracts to Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit, too.
The first Pirate signing of the year is Gift Ngoepe, a 5'9", 165 pound shortstop from suburban Johannesburg, South Africa. He'll play in the World Baseball Classic next year and then report to the Pirates. Ngoepe is an 18-year old switch-hitter, and a protege of Barry Larkin. At his age, he's probably off to GCL rookie ball.
All the injured Pirates - Phil Dumatrait, Brandon Moss, Tom Gorzelanny and Freddie Sanchez - are expected to be ready to go by camp in February, although Moss is iffy after getting his knee scoped a month ago.
Joe Kerrigan took over the pitching reins from Jeff Andrews after stops in the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox and Expos organizations. They're still looking for Lou Frazier's replacement as first base coach.
Jim Benedict was named a special assistant to the GM, with Jim Flores being given the West Coast scouting gig. Benedict's forte is in scouting and pitching, working previously with the Indians, Yankees, Dodgers, Expos, and Rangers.
Lou DePaoli was tabbed as the Chief Marketing Officer. He'll oversee all of the team's marketing, ticket sales and corporate sales efforts. DePaoli previously worked for the Atlanta Spirit organization, where he pushed the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL, and Phillips Arena. He was responsible for all marketing, ticket sales, and sponsorship sales efforts for the organizations.
So if you're a season ticket holder, expect a letter from Lou shortly.
The free agent listings came out. Three ex-Pirates are Type A free agents - Brian Giles, Ollie Perez, and Damaso Marte. Type B free agents with Bucco bloodlines are Solly Torres, Brian Shouse, and Moises Alou.
Not all these players have declared yet; some may re-up with their current team.
Guys with Pirate ties that are just plain ol' free agents as of Sunday are Sean Casey, David Ross, Dennys Reyes, Emil Brown, Julian Tavarez, Jon Lieber, Matt Herges, Arthur Rhodes, Joe Biemel, Tony Armas, Jr., Daryle Ward, Josh Fogg, Mike Lincoln, Cesar Izturis, and Ron Villone. They've all opted for the market.
All the talk is about who's gonna land Manny, Mark Teixeira, CC, Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, AJ Burnett... it's funny how the Pirate's name hasn't come up in conversation yet.
First, all the Bucs that could declare free agency did. Doug Mientiekwicz, Chris Gomez, Jason Michaels, Luis Rivas, Franquelis Osoria and Ty Taubenheim (in September) have opted for the open market. The contract's up on the first four players; Ty and Frankie got cut. Pittsburgh says it would like to bring Dirt Dog and Jay Michaels back if the price is right.
Needless to say, none are A or B Type free agents (see below), so the Pirates won't be getting any draft picks when they go.
John Van Benschoten, Marino Salas, Ron Belisario and Yoslan Herrera were all removed from the 40-man roster. They're still in the organization, but have a long road ahead of them to get back to the promised land. JVB, Salas, and Belisario can declare for minor-league free agency, but the suits say they'd like to keep them.
That leaves 36 slots filled on the 40-man, though two are being kept warm for Phil Dumatrait and Tom Gorzelanny, who are on the 60-day DL. The roster has to be set in stone by November 20th for the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings, held on December 11th.
Ten Pirate players are arbitration eligible this season: LHP Paul Maholm, LHP Zach Duke, LHP John Grabow, RHP Denny Bautista, RHP Jason Davis, RHP Tyler Yates, C Raul Chavez, C Ryan Doumit, 1B Adam LaRoche, and CF Nate McLouth. All but Davis are expected to get offers, and LaRoche may yet get a contract.
He's signed one-year deals the past two seasons and by-passed arbitration, but couldn't come to terms for a long-term deal before the 2008 season. The Pirates, as we hear, plan to offer long-term contracts to Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit, too.
The first Pirate signing of the year is Gift Ngoepe, a 5'9", 165 pound shortstop from suburban Johannesburg, South Africa. He'll play in the World Baseball Classic next year and then report to the Pirates. Ngoepe is an 18-year old switch-hitter, and a protege of Barry Larkin. At his age, he's probably off to GCL rookie ball.
All the injured Pirates - Phil Dumatrait, Brandon Moss, Tom Gorzelanny and Freddie Sanchez - are expected to be ready to go by camp in February, although Moss is iffy after getting his knee scoped a month ago.
Joe Kerrigan took over the pitching reins from Jeff Andrews after stops in the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox and Expos organizations. They're still looking for Lou Frazier's replacement as first base coach.
Jim Benedict was named a special assistant to the GM, with Jim Flores being given the West Coast scouting gig. Benedict's forte is in scouting and pitching, working previously with the Indians, Yankees, Dodgers, Expos, and Rangers.
Lou DePaoli was tabbed as the Chief Marketing Officer. He'll oversee all of the team's marketing, ticket sales and corporate sales efforts. DePaoli previously worked for the Atlanta Spirit organization, where he pushed the Atlanta Hawks of the NBA, Atlanta Thrashers of the NHL, and Phillips Arena. He was responsible for all marketing, ticket sales, and sponsorship sales efforts for the organizations.
So if you're a season ticket holder, expect a letter from Lou shortly.
The free agent listings came out. Three ex-Pirates are Type A free agents - Brian Giles, Ollie Perez, and Damaso Marte. Type B free agents with Bucco bloodlines are Solly Torres, Brian Shouse, and Moises Alou.
Not all these players have declared yet; some may re-up with their current team.
Guys with Pirate ties that are just plain ol' free agents as of Sunday are Sean Casey, David Ross, Dennys Reyes, Emil Brown, Julian Tavarez, Jon Lieber, Matt Herges, Arthur Rhodes, Joe Biemel, Tony Armas, Jr., Daryle Ward, Josh Fogg, Mike Lincoln, Cesar Izturis, and Ron Villone. They've all opted for the market.
All the talk is about who's gonna land Manny, Mark Teixeira, CC, Ben Sheets, Derek Lowe, AJ Burnett... it's funny how the Pirate's name hasn't come up in conversation yet.
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Free Agent Follies
OK, not much here. After the debacle in the early 90s when Barry Bonds, Bobby Bo, Andy Van Slyke and Doug Drabek walked out of town, even Cam Bonifay and Dave Littlefield realized that you have to move your guys before their contract runs out if you can't re-sign them.
The Pirates were never free agent players historically, and that certainly is true of this decade. The list reminds us of a walk down a spooky old lane, waiting to see what apparition of an over-the-hill ballplayer will pop up next and yell "Trick or Treat, Pittsburgh!"
Still, you wonder if they'd kept a couple around, or at least gotten more than a bag of BP balls for them (except, notably, for Jeff Suppan and maybe Roberto Hernandez), if Pittsburgh might have won a game or three more...nah, probably not.
Here's the stuff that fueled the last ten local hot stove leagues (and don't rag over the year listed - some of these guys have been brought back two and three times. GW doesn't know if it's the players that never learn, or the Pirates):
2008 - Mike Burns, Raul Chavez, Elmer Dessens, Casey Fossum, Chris Gomez, Michel Hernandez, Byung-Hyun Kim, Jose Macias, Doug Meintkiewicz, Luis Rivas, Craig Wilson, Jaret Wright;
2007 - Mike Edwards, Jose Hernandez (they just love this guy!), Matt Kata, Danny Kolb, Victor Zambrano;
2006 - Jeremy Burnitz, Masumi Kuwata, Joe Renda, John Wadsin;
2005 - Ben Grieve, Roberto Hernandez, Albie Lopez, Marty McLeary, Todd Ritchie;
2004 - Pat Mahomes, Carlos Maldonado, Ruben Mateo, Orlando Merced, Jose Mesa, Raul Mondesi, Rick Reed, Randall Simon (especially useful for those road trips to Milwaukee), Chris Styne, Daryle Ward;
2003 - Jeff D'Amico, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Reboulet, Dennys Reyes, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Suppan, Julian Tavarez;
2002 - Brian Boehringer, Mark Corey, Wayne Gomes, Josias Manzanillo, Brian Meadows, Curtis Pride, Pokey Reese, Scott Service, Matt Stairs, Ron Villone, Mike Williams;
2001 - Mike Lincoln, Mendy Lopez, Ramon Martinez, Solly Torres, Marc Wilkins;
2000 - Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell, Terry Mulholland; (manager Lloyd McClendon actually said of these two signings that "This sends shock waves. Pittsburgh is no longer a doormat in the free-agent market." Good thing he wasn't a scout.)
1999 - Wil Cordero, Pat Meares, Todd Von Poppel, Luis Sojo, Dale Sveum (Meares inked a $14 million, four-year contract, and then hurt his hand, virtually ending his career).
Might the Pirates sign a mid-level free agent this year? Maybe, but we're betting against it. Kinda makes you wonder about all this buzz around free agency, hey?
BTW, do you guys think Pittsburgh should be kicking the tires of Juan Uribe now that he's on the market?
(The filing period for free agency began Thursday, October 30th, and will run through Thursday, November 13th, so we'll have more on that when everybody has declared.)
The Pirates were never free agent players historically, and that certainly is true of this decade. The list reminds us of a walk down a spooky old lane, waiting to see what apparition of an over-the-hill ballplayer will pop up next and yell "Trick or Treat, Pittsburgh!"
Still, you wonder if they'd kept a couple around, or at least gotten more than a bag of BP balls for them (except, notably, for Jeff Suppan and maybe Roberto Hernandez), if Pittsburgh might have won a game or three more...nah, probably not.
Here's the stuff that fueled the last ten local hot stove leagues (and don't rag over the year listed - some of these guys have been brought back two and three times. GW doesn't know if it's the players that never learn, or the Pirates):
2008 - Mike Burns, Raul Chavez, Elmer Dessens, Casey Fossum, Chris Gomez, Michel Hernandez, Byung-Hyun Kim, Jose Macias, Doug Meintkiewicz, Luis Rivas, Craig Wilson, Jaret Wright;
2007 - Mike Edwards, Jose Hernandez (they just love this guy!), Matt Kata, Danny Kolb, Victor Zambrano;
2006 - Jeremy Burnitz, Masumi Kuwata, Joe Renda, John Wadsin;
2005 - Ben Grieve, Roberto Hernandez, Albie Lopez, Marty McLeary, Todd Ritchie;
2004 - Pat Mahomes, Carlos Maldonado, Ruben Mateo, Orlando Merced, Jose Mesa, Raul Mondesi, Rick Reed, Randall Simon (especially useful for those road trips to Milwaukee), Chris Styne, Daryle Ward;
2003 - Jeff D'Amico, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Reboulet, Dennys Reyes, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Suppan, Julian Tavarez;
2002 - Brian Boehringer, Mark Corey, Wayne Gomes, Josias Manzanillo, Brian Meadows, Curtis Pride, Pokey Reese, Scott Service, Matt Stairs, Ron Villone, Mike Williams;
2001 - Mike Lincoln, Mendy Lopez, Ramon Martinez, Solly Torres, Marc Wilkins;
2000 - Derek "Operation Shutdown" Bell, Terry Mulholland; (manager Lloyd McClendon actually said of these two signings that "This sends shock waves. Pittsburgh is no longer a doormat in the free-agent market." Good thing he wasn't a scout.)
1999 - Wil Cordero, Pat Meares, Todd Von Poppel, Luis Sojo, Dale Sveum (Meares inked a $14 million, four-year contract, and then hurt his hand, virtually ending his career).
Might the Pirates sign a mid-level free agent this year? Maybe, but we're betting against it. Kinda makes you wonder about all this buzz around free agency, hey?
BTW, do you guys think Pittsburgh should be kicking the tires of Juan Uribe now that he's on the market?
(The filing period for free agency began Thursday, October 30th, and will run through Thursday, November 13th, so we'll have more on that when everybody has declared.)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A Decade of Drafts
After a couple of decades of futility, the reward that MLB gives you is a chance to draft your way back into respectibility. The Pirates, instead of taking them up on the offer, chose to leave a lot of talent on the table thanks to understaffing, under budgeting, and underachieving. We took a look at 1999-2008 Bucco drafts:
1999 - The Pirates took Bobby Bradley, a RHP who was released in 2005. Barry Zito and Ben Sheets were the two picks right after him, with Carl Crawford lasting until the top of the second round. But Pittsburgh did OK there, signing Ryan Doumit.
The next three selections were OF Aron Weston, RHP Justin Reid (both of whom were let go in 2006) and JR House, who is in Houston's AAA system. The Pirates drafted LHP Brian Tallet in the 19th round, but he didn't sign. He's been in the majors since 2002, and is now with Toronto.
2000 - It wasn't a strong class when Pittsburgh took Sean Burnett. Adam Wainright and a couple of familiar faces, Phil Dumatrait and Xavier Nady, went after him. The Pirates third rounder, Chris Young, is with San Diego and pitching lights out for the Padres.
The team did a good job in the later rounds, grabbing Jose Bautista 20th, Nate McLouth 25th, and Ian Snell 26th. Josh Shortslef, a LHP picked 6th, is with Altoona. The 2-4-5 picks, RHP Dave Beigh, OF Patrick Boyd, and RHP Jeff Sharber, are all out of organized baseball.
2001 - John Van Benschoten was the much maligned top pick this year, although the big names had gone before him (Joe Mauer, Mark Prior, and Mark Teixeira), with Jeremy Bonderman, Bobby Crosby, Noah Lowry, and David Wright being the first round notables to follow him.
The big debate, still raging today, is whether he should have been developed as an everyday player - he led the NCAA D-I in HRs - or used as a pitcher, as he was the closer in college. Most MLB teams had him pegged as a firstbaseman, but Cam Bonifay and Mickey White took him as a pitcher, and Dave Littlefield and Ed Creech kept him there when they took over a few days later.
The Pirates picked a couple of big-league guys in rounds 2 & 3, RHP Jeff Guthrie, who didn't sign but is now pitching in Baltimore, and Jeff Keppinger, traded away and now playing SS for the Reds. The second round did have some players, like JJ Hardy, Kelly Shoppach, and Dan Haren, available.
We can't find anything on 4th and 5th rounders 1B Travis Chapman (and no, he's not the old Phil), and LHP Andrew Friedberg, so we assume that they're long gone. The Bucs did pick Zach Duke 20th and Rajai Davis, who's now with Oakland, 38th.
Chris Shelton, the 33rd round pick, is on Texas' AAA farm club, and Shane Youman, taken 43rd, was just released last season by both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
2002 - This was the year the Pirates should have landed an impact player or two. It was a deep draft, and they started the day by taking Bryan Bullington, who has left and joined Toronto. First rounders behind him were BJ Upton, Prince Fielder, Jeremy Hermida, Khalil Greene, Joe Blanton, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Jeff Francoeur, Cole Hamels, and Matt Cain.
The next pick was spent on HS-RHP Blair Johnson, who is still in the system and pitching at Lynchburg. Players taken after him in the 2nd round were Joey Votto, Micah Owings, David Bush, Jon Lester, and Brian McCann.
The third and fifth round picks, SS Taber Lee and RHP Alex Hart, were released. Fourth round selection Wardell Starling was on the DL in 2008, and hasn't gotten above AA yet.
A couple of Pirates were mulled from the later rounds - Matt Capps was a 7th round pick, and Nyjer Morgan came on the 33rd go-around. LHP Dave Davidson was picked in the 10th round and is at Altoona, and LHP Brian Holliday, a 12th rounder, is on Lynchburg's roster. This is also the year Pittsburgh picked Brad "Big Country" Eldred, who is in the White Sox system at AAA.
This is the draft that began the downfall of the Pirate system. Not only did they miss out on some serious talent, but from 2002-2005, only 30 players are still left in the organization, four with the big club and a half dozen in AAA.
The Pirate's inability to draft solid players during this span drained the farm rosters, and the new suits are still trying to plug the holes. But you can't over come four years of neglect in one, try though you may.
2003 - This draft had some pretty strong arms, and the Pirates took Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzalenny 1-2. Other choices in between included Chad Billingsley, John Danks, Chad Cordero, Carlos Quinton and Andre Ethier. Still, not a terrible day's work if Gorzo comes around.
Altoona C Steve Lerud was the 3rd rounder, and is approaching a make-or-break point in his career. 4th round pick RHP Kyle Pearson was traded to the Tigers for Denny Bautista and is pitching high A ball for them. Fifth pick 2B Craig Stansberry is playing AAA ball for San Diego.
Other draftees still around are 1B Adam Boeve at Indy, RHP Jake Cuffman and 2B Greg Picart at Lynchburg, and RHP Dustin Molleken at West Virginia. Josh Sharpless, taken 24th, is working for the Giant's AA squad.
2004 - The Bucs selected Neil Walker and Brian Bixler in a year that wasn't particularly deep. Other players picked in the first two rounds were Jered Weaver, Stephen Drew, Huston Street, Phil Hughes, Hunter Pence, Dustin Pedroia, and Kurt Suzuki.
Only four other players are still in the system from this draft - 3B Eddie Prasch at Lynchburg, RHP Bradley Clapp at West Virginia, plus LHP Kyle Bloom and RHP Derek Hankins at Altoona. None are on the 40-man roster.
A couple of other notable picks for the Bucs were 4th round RHP Joe Bauserman and 9th round OF Chris Covington, who both played a year and quit for college football, pretty high picks for guys whose heart wasn't in it.
And on the 39th round, they chose Todd Redmond, who they dealt for Tyler Yates. He set the AA Mississippi Braves single-season record for wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched this year.
2005 - They got a couple of guys that can play ball in this draft. The first rounder was Andrew McCutchen, the 5th round was used for Jeff Sues, Steve Pearce came in the 8th round, and the 16th round choice was Eric Krebs. Brent Lillibridge, the fourth round selection, was sent to Atlanta as part of the Adam LaRoche deal.
The Pirates' Cutch is on course to match up with the other top choices Matt Garza, Clay Bucholtz, Joey Devine - and Craig Hansen.
Brad Corley was the second round pick - Chase Headley and Yunel Escobar went after him - and James Boone the third pick. Boone and 12th round pick Jason Delaney finished at Indy; Corley and Sues were in Altoona, along with 7th round pick RHP Justin Vaclavic, who was on the DL; and Krebs, 10th round pick RHP Derek Antelo, and 14th selection OF Albert Laboy were at Lynchburg. 1B Justin Byler, a 36th round pick, was a low A player and on the DL this year.
2006 - This was the draft that the Bucs used to reload the organization. 25 of its selections are still on the farm: 5 in Altoona, 8 in Lynchburg, 5 at Hickory/West Virginia, 6 at State College, and 1 was in the GCL.
In a year touting some top arms, the Pirates chose Brad Lincoln, who's recovering nicely from arm woes at Lynchburg. Other hurlers taken in the first round were Tim Lincecum, Ian Kennedy, Bryan Morris (he's at West Virginia, and just pitched his first season since TJ surgery), Joba Chamberlain, and Clayton Kershaw.
Altoona has the remaining cream of the crop, with Shelby Ford, Jared Hughes, Pat Bresnehan, Jim Negrych, and Mike Crotta.
2007 - This is the draft that stuck a fork in scouting director Ed Creech. When Pittsburgh selected Dan Moskos over Matt Wieters and Matt LaPorta, the merry-go-round ground to a halt. The new suits couldn't wait to bring Greg Smith in when they got the reins.
Oh, 23 players selected are still with the organization, but that's more a result of a devasted farm system than bubbling talent. There's just a handful of marginal ballers culled from this year - Moskos, Brian Friday, Andrew Walker, and Marcus Davis come to mind - and this draft is considered as much a disaster as the 2002 fiasco, which at least produced Matt Capps.
It's telling that not one of the players selected has risen as high as AA ball for the Pirates yet.
2008 - The new suits had their first stab at a draft. They brought the first middle-of-the-order player since Brad Eldred when they finally inked Pedro Alvarez. They spent almost $10,000,000 on 32 players, rebuilding the farm from the bottom up.
Two guys - Jordy Mercer and Matt Hague - were immediately thrown into A ball, and the rest split between Bradenton and State College.
And they need at least two more good drafts, maybe three, to match this year's effort to stock the system to any appreciable degree, although the Nady/Bay trades have helped plug a couple of gaps.
The draft boss over the past decade? Mickey White was in charge of them in 1999-2001, and while his picks were shallow in numbers, he did come up with Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Ian Snell, Sean Burnett, Jose Bautista, Chris Young, Brian Tellet, Jeff Keppinger and Jeremy Guthrie.
Ed Creech ran the show from 2001-2007, and not only were his drafts spectaculary lacking in depth, but his MLB nose count after six years (his first draft class was 2002) consists of Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps, Nyjer Morgan, and Rajai Davis. Not one player that he selected after 2003 has started the year with an MLB team.
Greg Smith? Too soon to tell, but if he can keep his budget competitive, he sure looks like he has a handle on the players. We particularly like his emphasis on high school kids, signing 5 this year. And letting Rene Gayo poke around Latin America will pay dividends in the long term, but not in the immediate future.
Smith has a lot of years of neglect to overcome, but GW thinks that by 2010 or 2011, the minors will again be a farm system and not a graveyard. And we're not just whistlin' in the dark.
1999 - The Pirates took Bobby Bradley, a RHP who was released in 2005. Barry Zito and Ben Sheets were the two picks right after him, with Carl Crawford lasting until the top of the second round. But Pittsburgh did OK there, signing Ryan Doumit.
The next three selections were OF Aron Weston, RHP Justin Reid (both of whom were let go in 2006) and JR House, who is in Houston's AAA system. The Pirates drafted LHP Brian Tallet in the 19th round, but he didn't sign. He's been in the majors since 2002, and is now with Toronto.
2000 - It wasn't a strong class when Pittsburgh took Sean Burnett. Adam Wainright and a couple of familiar faces, Phil Dumatrait and Xavier Nady, went after him. The Pirates third rounder, Chris Young, is with San Diego and pitching lights out for the Padres.
The team did a good job in the later rounds, grabbing Jose Bautista 20th, Nate McLouth 25th, and Ian Snell 26th. Josh Shortslef, a LHP picked 6th, is with Altoona. The 2-4-5 picks, RHP Dave Beigh, OF Patrick Boyd, and RHP Jeff Sharber, are all out of organized baseball.
2001 - John Van Benschoten was the much maligned top pick this year, although the big names had gone before him (Joe Mauer, Mark Prior, and Mark Teixeira), with Jeremy Bonderman, Bobby Crosby, Noah Lowry, and David Wright being the first round notables to follow him.
The big debate, still raging today, is whether he should have been developed as an everyday player - he led the NCAA D-I in HRs - or used as a pitcher, as he was the closer in college. Most MLB teams had him pegged as a firstbaseman, but Cam Bonifay and Mickey White took him as a pitcher, and Dave Littlefield and Ed Creech kept him there when they took over a few days later.
The Pirates picked a couple of big-league guys in rounds 2 & 3, RHP Jeff Guthrie, who didn't sign but is now pitching in Baltimore, and Jeff Keppinger, traded away and now playing SS for the Reds. The second round did have some players, like JJ Hardy, Kelly Shoppach, and Dan Haren, available.
We can't find anything on 4th and 5th rounders 1B Travis Chapman (and no, he's not the old Phil), and LHP Andrew Friedberg, so we assume that they're long gone. The Bucs did pick Zach Duke 20th and Rajai Davis, who's now with Oakland, 38th.
Chris Shelton, the 33rd round pick, is on Texas' AAA farm club, and Shane Youman, taken 43rd, was just released last season by both Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
2002 - This was the year the Pirates should have landed an impact player or two. It was a deep draft, and they started the day by taking Bryan Bullington, who has left and joined Toronto. First rounders behind him were BJ Upton, Prince Fielder, Jeremy Hermida, Khalil Greene, Joe Blanton, Scott Kazmir, Nick Swisher, Jeff Francoeur, Cole Hamels, and Matt Cain.
The next pick was spent on HS-RHP Blair Johnson, who is still in the system and pitching at Lynchburg. Players taken after him in the 2nd round were Joey Votto, Micah Owings, David Bush, Jon Lester, and Brian McCann.
The third and fifth round picks, SS Taber Lee and RHP Alex Hart, were released. Fourth round selection Wardell Starling was on the DL in 2008, and hasn't gotten above AA yet.
A couple of Pirates were mulled from the later rounds - Matt Capps was a 7th round pick, and Nyjer Morgan came on the 33rd go-around. LHP Dave Davidson was picked in the 10th round and is at Altoona, and LHP Brian Holliday, a 12th rounder, is on Lynchburg's roster. This is also the year Pittsburgh picked Brad "Big Country" Eldred, who is in the White Sox system at AAA.
This is the draft that began the downfall of the Pirate system. Not only did they miss out on some serious talent, but from 2002-2005, only 30 players are still left in the organization, four with the big club and a half dozen in AAA.
The Pirate's inability to draft solid players during this span drained the farm rosters, and the new suits are still trying to plug the holes. But you can't over come four years of neglect in one, try though you may.
2003 - This draft had some pretty strong arms, and the Pirates took Paul Maholm and Tom Gorzalenny 1-2. Other choices in between included Chad Billingsley, John Danks, Chad Cordero, Carlos Quinton and Andre Ethier. Still, not a terrible day's work if Gorzo comes around.
Altoona C Steve Lerud was the 3rd rounder, and is approaching a make-or-break point in his career. 4th round pick RHP Kyle Pearson was traded to the Tigers for Denny Bautista and is pitching high A ball for them. Fifth pick 2B Craig Stansberry is playing AAA ball for San Diego.
Other draftees still around are 1B Adam Boeve at Indy, RHP Jake Cuffman and 2B Greg Picart at Lynchburg, and RHP Dustin Molleken at West Virginia. Josh Sharpless, taken 24th, is working for the Giant's AA squad.
2004 - The Bucs selected Neil Walker and Brian Bixler in a year that wasn't particularly deep. Other players picked in the first two rounds were Jered Weaver, Stephen Drew, Huston Street, Phil Hughes, Hunter Pence, Dustin Pedroia, and Kurt Suzuki.
Only four other players are still in the system from this draft - 3B Eddie Prasch at Lynchburg, RHP Bradley Clapp at West Virginia, plus LHP Kyle Bloom and RHP Derek Hankins at Altoona. None are on the 40-man roster.
A couple of other notable picks for the Bucs were 4th round RHP Joe Bauserman and 9th round OF Chris Covington, who both played a year and quit for college football, pretty high picks for guys whose heart wasn't in it.
And on the 39th round, they chose Todd Redmond, who they dealt for Tyler Yates. He set the AA Mississippi Braves single-season record for wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched this year.
2005 - They got a couple of guys that can play ball in this draft. The first rounder was Andrew McCutchen, the 5th round was used for Jeff Sues, Steve Pearce came in the 8th round, and the 16th round choice was Eric Krebs. Brent Lillibridge, the fourth round selection, was sent to Atlanta as part of the Adam LaRoche deal.
The Pirates' Cutch is on course to match up with the other top choices Matt Garza, Clay Bucholtz, Joey Devine - and Craig Hansen.
Brad Corley was the second round pick - Chase Headley and Yunel Escobar went after him - and James Boone the third pick. Boone and 12th round pick Jason Delaney finished at Indy; Corley and Sues were in Altoona, along with 7th round pick RHP Justin Vaclavic, who was on the DL; and Krebs, 10th round pick RHP Derek Antelo, and 14th selection OF Albert Laboy were at Lynchburg. 1B Justin Byler, a 36th round pick, was a low A player and on the DL this year.
2006 - This was the draft that the Bucs used to reload the organization. 25 of its selections are still on the farm: 5 in Altoona, 8 in Lynchburg, 5 at Hickory/West Virginia, 6 at State College, and 1 was in the GCL.
In a year touting some top arms, the Pirates chose Brad Lincoln, who's recovering nicely from arm woes at Lynchburg. Other hurlers taken in the first round were Tim Lincecum, Ian Kennedy, Bryan Morris (he's at West Virginia, and just pitched his first season since TJ surgery), Joba Chamberlain, and Clayton Kershaw.
Altoona has the remaining cream of the crop, with Shelby Ford, Jared Hughes, Pat Bresnehan, Jim Negrych, and Mike Crotta.
2007 - This is the draft that stuck a fork in scouting director Ed Creech. When Pittsburgh selected Dan Moskos over Matt Wieters and Matt LaPorta, the merry-go-round ground to a halt. The new suits couldn't wait to bring Greg Smith in when they got the reins.
Oh, 23 players selected are still with the organization, but that's more a result of a devasted farm system than bubbling talent. There's just a handful of marginal ballers culled from this year - Moskos, Brian Friday, Andrew Walker, and Marcus Davis come to mind - and this draft is considered as much a disaster as the 2002 fiasco, which at least produced Matt Capps.
It's telling that not one of the players selected has risen as high as AA ball for the Pirates yet.
2008 - The new suits had their first stab at a draft. They brought the first middle-of-the-order player since Brad Eldred when they finally inked Pedro Alvarez. They spent almost $10,000,000 on 32 players, rebuilding the farm from the bottom up.
Two guys - Jordy Mercer and Matt Hague - were immediately thrown into A ball, and the rest split between Bradenton and State College.
And they need at least two more good drafts, maybe three, to match this year's effort to stock the system to any appreciable degree, although the Nady/Bay trades have helped plug a couple of gaps.
The draft boss over the past decade? Mickey White was in charge of them in 1999-2001, and while his picks were shallow in numbers, he did come up with Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Ian Snell, Sean Burnett, Jose Bautista, Chris Young, Brian Tellet, Jeff Keppinger and Jeremy Guthrie.
Ed Creech ran the show from 2001-2007, and not only were his drafts spectaculary lacking in depth, but his MLB nose count after six years (his first draft class was 2002) consists of Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny, Matt Capps, Nyjer Morgan, and Rajai Davis. Not one player that he selected after 2003 has started the year with an MLB team.
Greg Smith? Too soon to tell, but if he can keep his budget competitive, he sure looks like he has a handle on the players. We particularly like his emphasis on high school kids, signing 5 this year. And letting Rene Gayo poke around Latin America will pay dividends in the long term, but not in the immediate future.
Smith has a lot of years of neglect to overcome, but GW thinks that by 2010 or 2011, the minors will again be a farm system and not a graveyard. And we're not just whistlin' in the dark.
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