Yah, we know there's still lots of time to alter a lineup or two; it's been that kind of free agent season. But while the Bucs have stood pat, there's been some changes, both by addition and subtraction, in the Central. The 2009 look, YTD:
Chicago Cubs: Added OF Milton Bradley and Joey Gathright, IF Aaron Miles, RP Luis Vizcaino and Kevin Gregg, and C Mark Johnson. Lost RP Kerry Woods and Bob Howry, SP Jason Marquis, and IF Mark DeRosa.
The Cubbies are loaded again. The starting rotation of Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, and youngsters Jeff Samardzija or Sean Marshall is the Central's best. And hey, depending on the whims of new owners, the Cubs are still rumored to be in the Jake Peavy sell-off. Adding him would make the rotation something special.
The relief corp could prove interesting. Carlos Marmol has all the goods to close after an awesome 2008 campaign, but is unproven, and the Chitown Nine will have a bullpen by committee to get the ball to him.
Bradley will add some offense and spunk to the laid-back Cubbies, and the bench is OK, although Miles is no DeRosa. The only thing that these guys lacked last year was a spark, and if Bradley can stay in one piece, he's got enough energy for the whole squad.
Cincinnati Reds: Added RP Arthur Rhodes, CF Willy Taveras, C Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Jorgensen, 1B Wes Bankston, and OF Laynce Nix. Lost CF Ryan Freel and Corey Patterson, RP Gary Majewski and Jeremy Affeldt, and IF Andy Phillips. Unsigned free agents are SP Matt Belisle and Josh Fogg, RP Kent Mercker, C Paul Bako and Javier Valentin, OF Rob Mackowiak, and 2B Jolbert Cabrera.
The rotation is young and sweet. Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, and Johnny Cueto will form the core, with Micah Owings, Daryl Thompson, Homer Bailey, and Ramon Ramirez knocking on the door.
Francisco Cordero leads a bullpen that gained Rhodes and lost Majewski, a pretty fair trade.
Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce lead a lineup that's thin and lacking some muscle after Adam Dunn and Junior were dealt away. Young guns like SS Drew Stubbs and 1B Yonder Alonso are in the pipeline, and could end up in Cincy this year.
The bench is all kids, too. It's a young team and its window is probably 2010, not next season. But GW thinks they can make things interesting this year if they stay healthy and the suits pick up a bat for the middle of the order. Hope the Pirates are paying attention.
St. Louis Cards: Added SS Khalil Greene, C Jason LaRue, OF Joe Thurston and RP Royce Ring and Trever Miller. Lost SS Cesar Izturis, C Mark Johnson, 2B Aaron Miles, 1B Josh Phelps, OF Felix Lopez, SP Matt Clement, and RP Mark Worrell. Unsigned free agents are SP Mark Mulder and Braden Looper, RP Jason Isringhausen, Russ Springer, Ron Villone, and Randy Flores, OF Juan Encarcion, IF Scott Spiezio, and 2B Rico Washington.
The starters for Tony LaRussa look like Chris Carpenter, if healthy, Kyle Lohse, Adam Wainwright, Todd Wellemeyer, Joel Pineiro and perhaps youngster Kyle McClellan. They'll likely add a veteran arm from the free agent ranks, too.
The Cards top candidates to close are Chris Perez and Jason Motte, both rookies last year. Perez had seven saves in 11 chances after taking over for Isringhausen. LaRussa likes a veteran hand to end games, and the Redbirds could still ink a finisher after losing out on Brian Fuentes, or if Carpenter can't handle a starter's load, he could become the closer. The rest of the bullpen is young, a transition begun last season.
Any club that has Albert Pujols, Ryan Ludwick, and Ricky Ankiel has to be respected, and this could be the year wunderkind CF Colby Rasmus breaks into the bigs. The bench could use some work. But the Cards have some $20M left from last year's contracts, and have the flexibility to add the depth they need from the market.
Milwaukee Brewers: Added OF Trot Nixon and Chris Duffy, RP Trevor Hoffman, Jorge Julio, Eduardo Morlan, and Chris Smith, and IF Jason Bourgeois. Lost SP CC Sabathia, RP Solly Torres and Derrick Turnbow, IF Calix Crabbe, OF Russell Braynan and Laynce Nix. Unsigned free agents are SP Ben Sheets, RP Brian Shouse, Guillermo Mota, and Eric Gagne, IF Ray Durham and Craig Counsell, and OF Gabe Kapler.
The rotation looks like this: Yovani Gallardo, Jeff Suppan, Dave Bush, Manny Parra, and Seth McClung, Carlos Villanueva, or maybe Chris Capuano. Gallardo is a star in the making; the rest are run of the mill.
The bullpen pitched the fewest innings in the MLB last year, but will spring some major leaks without Torres and Shouse on board. Hoffman, if he has any gas left in the tank, will fill one gaping hole at closer, but good luck with the rest of the arms.
The starting eight can mash with the best of them, and unless you shoot a few balls at Prince Fielder (a misnomer if there ever was one), they can pick 'em pretty well, too. Alcides Escobar could be ready to take over at short, moving Hardy to third, and if Fielder is traded, Mat Gamel is sitting in the wings.
Right now, the Brew Crew needs to add at least one arm to both its rotation and pen. They have to completely reconstruct their bench. But we don't think this is the team they'll take to camp. They shed some $25M in salary from 2008, and almost surely have a signing or two left in them during the next few weeks.
Houston Astros: Added SP Mike Hampton and Clay Hensley, OF Jason Michaels, 3B Aaron Boone, and 2B Jason Smith. Lost 3B Jose Castillo, C JR House, RP Dave Borkowski, and 2B Mark Loretta. Unsigned free agents are SP Randy Wolf and Runelvys Hernandez, RP Ray King and Chad Paronto, 3B Ty Wigginton and Tomas Perez, C Brad Ausmus, and 2B David Newhan.
The rotation is Roy Oswalt, Wandy Rodriguez, Brandon Backe, Brian Moehler, and hopefully Hampton, Hensley, or Alberto Arias. Ben Sheets cost too much, and they're making loud noises about bringing back Andy Pettitte, but if he already turned down $10M...hey, maybe Oswalt can pull a CC and pitch every fourth day.
The closer is the ever excitable Jose Valverde, and the pen is a quietly dependable group of no-names, led by Doug Brocail and Hawkins.
Not much going on with the starting lineup, and except for Lance Berkman, there's not a whole lot there. The most dependable subs were Loretta and Ausmus, and they're gone, evaporated like every bench in the division.
GW thought the Astros big August was accomplished by smoke and mirrors, and sees them a step below the Cubs, Reds, Cards and Brewers, and a non-factor the wild card race.
GW's early guess at the NL Central:
Chicago
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Milwaukee
Houston
Pittsburgh
(No, we didn't give up on or forget the Buccos - we'll take a look at where they're at tomorrow)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Everything Old Is New Again...
Hey, those of you that stop by regularly have probably figured out by now that GW is into Pirates past. Well, that's only as it should be - your humble blogmeister has lived through half of the Buc's history.
When GW was a pup being whelped in Oakland, everyone spent the summer sitting on their stoops, listening to the Bucs religiously on their transistor radio with an Iron City close at hand. GW has seen games in every Pittsburgh ballyard that's been since they tore Exposition Park down. One's a Pitt building now and the other's a parking lot. That's progress, so they say.
Yep, he has snow on the roof and gonna hit the big 6-0 this year. GW is certainly not a veteran among ball bloggers, but he has been around long enough to be their gramps. So when he gets a note that suggests a return to Pirate roots, he's all ears.
After seeing the post featuring some Gunnerisms written a few days back, long time Pirate fan Lonnie McCartney of Beaver took the time to send an e-mail with a plan to tie the old and new together at PNC Park. Lonnie said:
Well, GW loves the concept, and thinks that if anything, Lonnie's idea should be expanded.
We understand that the Pirate management has been doing everything they can to draw warm bodies into PNC, short, of course, of fielding a team. Fans get fireworks, bands, bobbleheads, cartoons, rock's greatest hits, weenies and t-shirts shot into the stands, pierogie races, and fan interviews, ad nauseam.
While that may be cool with the younger crowd, the oldsters pay to see a ballgame, not a variety show. Do you remember any AC/DC blaring or Jalapena Hannas by the dugout in "The Field of Dreams" or "The Natural?" Yah, some fans are still that old school - like GW.
So instead of blasting stadium rock and flashing lame 'toons across the screen for three hours, why don't the Pirates put that zillion dollar Diamond Vision Jumbotron to a higher use and show some clips of the good ol' days? Hey, it's not like it's tough; any intern worth his salt could put a few together over the winter.
Maybe between innings we could relive Maz's home run, Roberto's throw to third in the 1971 Series, Captain Willie crushin' one, or Candyman's no-no.
Vids of great moments and great players - and Pittsburgh has its share of Hall of Famers, championship-caliber athletes, and retired numbers - might actually add to the PNC experience, unless the suits have written off the fortysomething and older geezers as part of the team's youth movement.
Say what you may, GW still believes that baseball is the ultimate family sport, passed on from dad to the kids, and that connection is what links the generations, not just of families, but of franchises.
And for Lonnie's original idea...imagine a shot into the Allegheny, followed immediately by the face of Rosie, the Gunner, or Lanny on the scoreboard gleefully exhalting "Open the Window, Aunt Minnie," "Kiss It Good Bye," or "Go, Ball, Get Outta Here," then a starburst erupting over the Pittsbugh nighttime skyline. Just sayin'...
When GW was a pup being whelped in Oakland, everyone spent the summer sitting on their stoops, listening to the Bucs religiously on their transistor radio with an Iron City close at hand. GW has seen games in every Pittsburgh ballyard that's been since they tore Exposition Park down. One's a Pitt building now and the other's a parking lot. That's progress, so they say.
Yep, he has snow on the roof and gonna hit the big 6-0 this year. GW is certainly not a veteran among ball bloggers, but he has been around long enough to be their gramps. So when he gets a note that suggests a return to Pirate roots, he's all ears.
After seeing the post featuring some Gunnerisms written a few days back, long time Pirate fan Lonnie McCartney of Beaver took the time to send an e-mail with a plan to tie the old and new together at PNC Park. Lonnie said:
"Most of the current Pirate fans grew up with Lanny. At PNC, when a homerun occurs now we have fireworks and music. With all the available technology why couldn't the Pirates replay some of the famous sayings from Prince and Rosewell? When the young people ask, "who is that?", Dad or Grampa could tell a story about "Raise The Window Aunt Minnie" and "You Can Kiss It Good Bye." They could create a computer enhanced image like the little story before each game on the Jumbo Tron. This storytelling in the stands would educate the present fans about Pirate Voices of the past. Visiting the Gunner's Lounge is one thing, (but) to hear him call a homer at PNC would be awesome."
Well, GW loves the concept, and thinks that if anything, Lonnie's idea should be expanded.
We understand that the Pirate management has been doing everything they can to draw warm bodies into PNC, short, of course, of fielding a team. Fans get fireworks, bands, bobbleheads, cartoons, rock's greatest hits, weenies and t-shirts shot into the stands, pierogie races, and fan interviews, ad nauseam.
While that may be cool with the younger crowd, the oldsters pay to see a ballgame, not a variety show. Do you remember any AC/DC blaring or Jalapena Hannas by the dugout in "The Field of Dreams" or "The Natural?" Yah, some fans are still that old school - like GW.
So instead of blasting stadium rock and flashing lame 'toons across the screen for three hours, why don't the Pirates put that zillion dollar Diamond Vision Jumbotron to a higher use and show some clips of the good ol' days? Hey, it's not like it's tough; any intern worth his salt could put a few together over the winter.
Maybe between innings we could relive Maz's home run, Roberto's throw to third in the 1971 Series, Captain Willie crushin' one, or Candyman's no-no.
Vids of great moments and great players - and Pittsburgh has its share of Hall of Famers, championship-caliber athletes, and retired numbers - might actually add to the PNC experience, unless the suits have written off the fortysomething and older geezers as part of the team's youth movement.
Say what you may, GW still believes that baseball is the ultimate family sport, passed on from dad to the kids, and that connection is what links the generations, not just of families, but of franchises.
And for Lonnie's original idea...imagine a shot into the Allegheny, followed immediately by the face of Rosie, the Gunner, or Lanny on the scoreboard gleefully exhalting "Open the Window, Aunt Minnie," "Kiss It Good Bye," or "Go, Ball, Get Outta Here," then a starburst erupting over the Pittsbugh nighttime skyline. Just sayin'...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Hot Stove Embers
OK, so Rocco Baldelli proved you can go home again when he signed a one-year deal with the Red Sox.
The Rhode Island native got a guarantee of $500,000, roster bonuses of up to $1,750,000 if he gets through the season without landing on the DL, and $3,000,000 more in plate appearance incentives, triggered by 325 ABs and topping out at 600 visits to the dish according to the Boston Herald for a posiible $5,250,000 .
He becomes their fourth OF, and can DH if his fatigue flares up again. So it's a good fit for Rocco. Heck, the Red Sox even gave him Nomar Garciaparra's old number #5. It's hard to beat home cookin'.
Where's that leave the Bucs in their quest for a RH bat? Well, Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette wrote that the Pirates inquired about the X-Man, who the Yankees are allegedly hot to move, but it doesn't look like much a match for a number of reasons.
First of all, the Bucs are unlikely to ship any arms to the Evil Empire, which is their asking price for Nady (or Nick Swisher, who they also talked about). After all, wasn't getting pitching the point of the original deal?
The 30-year old is up for arbitration after earning $3,335,000 last year, is a free agent after the season, and Scott Boras is his agent. Sounds like three strikes to us.
The pickings are kinda slim for a RH bat in the FA market once you scratch Manny off the list. Possibilities are OF Ty Wigginton and Gabe Kapler, 1B Kevin Millar and 3B Joe Crede. Maybe Jonny Gomes could get a nibble.
Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com suggests that the Bucs might look at a lefty stick, but assuming Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn are too pricey, that leaves guys like Eric Hinske and hometown hero Dirt Dog Doug Mientkiewicz.
Less hope remains for moundsmen, even with the news that Phil Dumatrait, already way behind in rehab, has been shut down with shoulder inflammation. Pedro Martinez rumors are still whispered, and Atlanta's Chuck James might be worth a minor league deal.
The possibility of a trade exists, too, but if there are any irons in the fire, the rumor mill has been mum about them.
Frank Coonelly said in a fan chat that "We recognize, of course, that our fans are frustrated... We cannot, however, repeat mistakes of the past by making poor investments in overpriced (and over-the-hill) free-agent players simply in an effort to excite our fan base by providing them with unrealistic hope based on the signing of one or two marginal free agents."
Sure sounds to us like the hot stove is down to its ashes.
The Rhode Island native got a guarantee of $500,000, roster bonuses of up to $1,750,000 if he gets through the season without landing on the DL, and $3,000,000 more in plate appearance incentives, triggered by 325 ABs and topping out at 600 visits to the dish according to the Boston Herald for a posiible $5,250,000 .
He becomes their fourth OF, and can DH if his fatigue flares up again. So it's a good fit for Rocco. Heck, the Red Sox even gave him Nomar Garciaparra's old number #5. It's hard to beat home cookin'.
Where's that leave the Bucs in their quest for a RH bat? Well, Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette wrote that the Pirates inquired about the X-Man, who the Yankees are allegedly hot to move, but it doesn't look like much a match for a number of reasons.
First of all, the Bucs are unlikely to ship any arms to the Evil Empire, which is their asking price for Nady (or Nick Swisher, who they also talked about). After all, wasn't getting pitching the point of the original deal?
The 30-year old is up for arbitration after earning $3,335,000 last year, is a free agent after the season, and Scott Boras is his agent. Sounds like three strikes to us.
The pickings are kinda slim for a RH bat in the FA market once you scratch Manny off the list. Possibilities are OF Ty Wigginton and Gabe Kapler, 1B Kevin Millar and 3B Joe Crede. Maybe Jonny Gomes could get a nibble.
Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com suggests that the Bucs might look at a lefty stick, but assuming Bobby Abreu and Adam Dunn are too pricey, that leaves guys like Eric Hinske and hometown hero Dirt Dog Doug Mientkiewicz.
Less hope remains for moundsmen, even with the news that Phil Dumatrait, already way behind in rehab, has been shut down with shoulder inflammation. Pedro Martinez rumors are still whispered, and Atlanta's Chuck James might be worth a minor league deal.
The possibility of a trade exists, too, but if there are any irons in the fire, the rumor mill has been mum about them.
Frank Coonelly said in a fan chat that "We recognize, of course, that our fans are frustrated... We cannot, however, repeat mistakes of the past by making poor investments in overpriced (and over-the-hill) free-agent players simply in an effort to excite our fan base by providing them with unrealistic hope based on the signing of one or two marginal free agents."
Sure sounds to us like the hot stove is down to its ashes.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Kevin McClatchy: Savior and Pariah
Well, the guy that saved and scavenged Pirate baseball in the same fell swoop has finally called it quits.
Kevin McClatchy, face, principal owner, and CEO of the Pirates for a decade, sold his remaining shares in the team and gave up his seat on the board. For better or worse, an era has ended.
You could see it coming last year, after Bob Nutting became the new boss man and named Frank Coonelly as CEO.
You have to go back to the dark days of the early 1990s to put McClatchy in perspective.
John Galbreath had sold the Bucs in 1985 to a group of civic and institutional suits formed as the Pittsburgh Associates solely to keep the franchise here, and they were chafing to get out from under the business of baseball after a decade of baby-sitting the club.
John Rigas, the owner of Adelphia Cable, was poised to buy the team. But in an almost comical turn of events, he missed a series of deadlines and never did come up with the promised loot. That's a good thing, as he ended up nailed on security fraud charges, and Adelphia was eventually disbanded.
Meanwhile, the franchise looked like it was headed out of town. There were no local heroes with deep enough pockets to keep it in the City. Then media scion and owner of the Modesta A's Kevin McClatchy took a roll of the dice on Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh on him.
McClatchy was undercapitalized, but managed to cobble together a band of investors that met, by a gnats eyelash, the approval of MLB.
Oh, he had a couple of close shaves - Pittsburghers by and large thought he was a carpetbagger that planned to spirit the team away to Sacramento, his home, and the Galbreath's had $6M due them from the original sale to the PA that had to be paid upfront.
Finally, the Pirates became his toy in 1996. McClatchy and his investors purchased the team with the one condition of building a baseball-only ballpark within five years. Ceremonial groundbreaking for PNC Park took place on April 7, 1999 and the Park opened for business just two years later on April 9, 2001, right on schedule.
Getting the Field of Dreams built was, to put it mildly, a challenge. The Regional Renaissance Initiative went on the ballot to build a ballyard and Convention Center and was voted down.
Then-mayor Tom Murphy went to Harrisburg to tub-thump for some help and managed to alienate everyone there, and it looked like time to turn out the lights. But the energizer bunny McClatchy hung in there, worked the aisles, and the state came through.
Alas, the team didn't. He and Cam Bonifay tried to build a sad sack franchise up the traditional way, but after a disastrous 1998 season that saw the team lose 93 games, 20 of their last 25 matches, and draw just barely over 19,000 warm bodies per game to TRS, they changed course.
McClatchy and gang didn't have the wherewithal to ride out bad seasons, and decided on a two-pronged attack to stay competitive enough to hold the fans' interest and tough it out until PNC provided him with the revenues he needed to play with the big boys.
The new plan was to bring in a steady stream of relatively low-cost veterans, and keep them in good times and turn them into trade bait during the bad.
Part two was to invest heavily in pitchers and middle infielders in the draft, even if they were stretches, because their feeling was that those positions were the most difficult commodities to find when stocking a baseball team. Latino talent was ignored; it was too hit-and-miss and took too long to develop.
Bonifay would last three more seasons sticking his finger in the dam without success, and then Dave Littlefield took his spot in 2001 to carry out the McClatchy directive.
Well, we all know how that worked out. The team watched Pat Meares, Derrick Bell, Joe Randa and Kenny Lofton come and go, and as the money ran out, the few stars in the Bucco organization were systematically traded for cheaper and usually much less talented players. His competitive plan ended up a recipe for failure.
The net result? Sixteen straight losing seasons, a farm system that was a standing joke, and a dwindling base of fans. It ultimately cost McClatchy and Littlefield their heads.
Kevin McClatchy embodied both the best and worst of times for the Pirates. He kept the team here, a very iffy thing before he rode in on his white charger, and through sheer willpower and some arm-twisting, he got a new stadium, still considered state of the art, for Pittsburgh and an All-Star game in 2006.
But in the end, his pocketbook and team-building skills weren't nearly equal to the task at hand.
Bob Nutting, whose family has been a member of the McClatchy group from the get-go, has now made it his team. He reversed the philosophy of McClatchy when he brought in Coonelly and Neal Huntington to handle baseball operations.
But he and the familia didn't grouse much when McClatchy was penny-pinching and certainly didn't open the purse strings very wide over the years for the hired hands to dig into.
So for now, the great majority of Bucco fans consider things to be the same old, same old, McClatchy or not. And that's a perception Bob Nutting will have to change to right the Pirate corsair.
Kevin McClatchy, face, principal owner, and CEO of the Pirates for a decade, sold his remaining shares in the team and gave up his seat on the board. For better or worse, an era has ended.
You could see it coming last year, after Bob Nutting became the new boss man and named Frank Coonelly as CEO.
You have to go back to the dark days of the early 1990s to put McClatchy in perspective.
John Galbreath had sold the Bucs in 1985 to a group of civic and institutional suits formed as the Pittsburgh Associates solely to keep the franchise here, and they were chafing to get out from under the business of baseball after a decade of baby-sitting the club.
John Rigas, the owner of Adelphia Cable, was poised to buy the team. But in an almost comical turn of events, he missed a series of deadlines and never did come up with the promised loot. That's a good thing, as he ended up nailed on security fraud charges, and Adelphia was eventually disbanded.
Meanwhile, the franchise looked like it was headed out of town. There were no local heroes with deep enough pockets to keep it in the City. Then media scion and owner of the Modesta A's Kevin McClatchy took a roll of the dice on Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh on him.
McClatchy was undercapitalized, but managed to cobble together a band of investors that met, by a gnats eyelash, the approval of MLB.
Oh, he had a couple of close shaves - Pittsburghers by and large thought he was a carpetbagger that planned to spirit the team away to Sacramento, his home, and the Galbreath's had $6M due them from the original sale to the PA that had to be paid upfront.
Finally, the Pirates became his toy in 1996. McClatchy and his investors purchased the team with the one condition of building a baseball-only ballpark within five years. Ceremonial groundbreaking for PNC Park took place on April 7, 1999 and the Park opened for business just two years later on April 9, 2001, right on schedule.
Getting the Field of Dreams built was, to put it mildly, a challenge. The Regional Renaissance Initiative went on the ballot to build a ballyard and Convention Center and was voted down.
Then-mayor Tom Murphy went to Harrisburg to tub-thump for some help and managed to alienate everyone there, and it looked like time to turn out the lights. But the energizer bunny McClatchy hung in there, worked the aisles, and the state came through.
Alas, the team didn't. He and Cam Bonifay tried to build a sad sack franchise up the traditional way, but after a disastrous 1998 season that saw the team lose 93 games, 20 of their last 25 matches, and draw just barely over 19,000 warm bodies per game to TRS, they changed course.
McClatchy and gang didn't have the wherewithal to ride out bad seasons, and decided on a two-pronged attack to stay competitive enough to hold the fans' interest and tough it out until PNC provided him with the revenues he needed to play with the big boys.
The new plan was to bring in a steady stream of relatively low-cost veterans, and keep them in good times and turn them into trade bait during the bad.
Part two was to invest heavily in pitchers and middle infielders in the draft, even if they were stretches, because their feeling was that those positions were the most difficult commodities to find when stocking a baseball team. Latino talent was ignored; it was too hit-and-miss and took too long to develop.
Bonifay would last three more seasons sticking his finger in the dam without success, and then Dave Littlefield took his spot in 2001 to carry out the McClatchy directive.
Well, we all know how that worked out. The team watched Pat Meares, Derrick Bell, Joe Randa and Kenny Lofton come and go, and as the money ran out, the few stars in the Bucco organization were systematically traded for cheaper and usually much less talented players. His competitive plan ended up a recipe for failure.
The net result? Sixteen straight losing seasons, a farm system that was a standing joke, and a dwindling base of fans. It ultimately cost McClatchy and Littlefield their heads.
Kevin McClatchy embodied both the best and worst of times for the Pirates. He kept the team here, a very iffy thing before he rode in on his white charger, and through sheer willpower and some arm-twisting, he got a new stadium, still considered state of the art, for Pittsburgh and an All-Star game in 2006.
But in the end, his pocketbook and team-building skills weren't nearly equal to the task at hand.
Bob Nutting, whose family has been a member of the McClatchy group from the get-go, has now made it his team. He reversed the philosophy of McClatchy when he brought in Coonelly and Neal Huntington to handle baseball operations.
But he and the familia didn't grouse much when McClatchy was penny-pinching and certainly didn't open the purse strings very wide over the years for the hired hands to dig into.
So for now, the great majority of Bucco fans consider things to be the same old, same old, McClatchy or not. And that's a perception Bob Nutting will have to change to right the Pirate corsair.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Bucs Tend To Housekeeping
The Pirates signed a few more players today, and no, none of them was named Manny or Rocco.
Minor league deals were made for shortstops Anderson Machado, Pedro Lopez, and Altoona LHP Corey Hamman. Latinos Jeffrey Infante, Carlos Vasquez, Jean Ozoria and Angel Reyes, all RHPs; LHP Eduardo Rodriguez; IF Leandro Mejia; and OF Jesus Vasquez were inked to play for the Pirates' Dominican League club.
The 24-year old Lopez has a bit of a pedigree to him. The Dominican was signed in 2000 by the White Sox at the age of 16, and by 2005 he had risen to the #9 prospect in their system. He got a cup of coffee with them that year, but by 2007, he was released from their AAA squad and taken in by the Reds.
Lopez was called up in July, but caught a pitch square in the puss and broke his cheekbone, which was wired shut. The Reds let him go after the season, and the Blue Jays claimed him. He spent the 2008 season in AAA, hitting just .236. Lopez became a minor league free agent at the end of the year, and here he is.
He has some good wheels, though he's not a base stealer, and was twice named the best defensive player in the Chicago organization. His career batting average in the minors is .275, and the Bucs are taking a gamble that he was gunshy after being beaned rather than totally lost at the dish. He projects as a potential utility guy in MLB, having played some second base, too.
Machado is 28, and hasn't seen any MLB action since 2005. He spent last season in the New York Mets' system, mostly at AAA, and hit .226. His lifetime minor league average is .228, and he's a pretty good glove man that provides organizational depth.
What do these two guys bring to the table? They allow Pittsburgh to fill the gap between Brian Friday and Brian Bixler in the organization. If we were Bixler, we'd keep our bags packed, especially seeing how the Pirates have now signed three shortstops and drafted another trio in the past eight months.
Corey Hamman, 28, went 9-9 with a 4.05 ERA for AAA Indy and AA Altoona last year, and will be in the middle of the Curve rotation or the back end of Indy's in 2009.
One other point we'd like to touch on is the hazy-looking Pirate plan, which has set off a blogosphere firestorm today.
We think the new suits started off with an open mind as to whether the team could play as constructed, and when they realized it couldn't, blew it up and started with the ABCs, laying a foundation through the draft and waiver wires to build the bankrupt minors to a point that it would eventually feed the MLB team.
The only mistake we see is that the team didn't share that thought with the fans, and that's causing a huge disconnect between the club and the casual ticket-buying public.
They should come clean, and tell the city that hey, by 2011 Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Shelby Ford, Bryan Morris, Brad Lincoln, and Dan McCutchen will be at PNC if all goes well, along with whatever young guns from the current roster ride out the current storm, perhaps Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Brandon Moss and a pitcher or three.
Promise the faithful a team that'll bust its hump (and a bunch of fireworks and bobbleheads) in the meantime. It may not put many more fannies in the seats, but at least they'll have laid a framework of transparency and maybe even trust to carry them into the future. Don't circle the wagons; that's happened way too often in recent times.
Minor league deals were made for shortstops Anderson Machado, Pedro Lopez, and Altoona LHP Corey Hamman. Latinos Jeffrey Infante, Carlos Vasquez, Jean Ozoria and Angel Reyes, all RHPs; LHP Eduardo Rodriguez; IF Leandro Mejia; and OF Jesus Vasquez were inked to play for the Pirates' Dominican League club.
The 24-year old Lopez has a bit of a pedigree to him. The Dominican was signed in 2000 by the White Sox at the age of 16, and by 2005 he had risen to the #9 prospect in their system. He got a cup of coffee with them that year, but by 2007, he was released from their AAA squad and taken in by the Reds.
Lopez was called up in July, but caught a pitch square in the puss and broke his cheekbone, which was wired shut. The Reds let him go after the season, and the Blue Jays claimed him. He spent the 2008 season in AAA, hitting just .236. Lopez became a minor league free agent at the end of the year, and here he is.
He has some good wheels, though he's not a base stealer, and was twice named the best defensive player in the Chicago organization. His career batting average in the minors is .275, and the Bucs are taking a gamble that he was gunshy after being beaned rather than totally lost at the dish. He projects as a potential utility guy in MLB, having played some second base, too.
Machado is 28, and hasn't seen any MLB action since 2005. He spent last season in the New York Mets' system, mostly at AAA, and hit .226. His lifetime minor league average is .228, and he's a pretty good glove man that provides organizational depth.
What do these two guys bring to the table? They allow Pittsburgh to fill the gap between Brian Friday and Brian Bixler in the organization. If we were Bixler, we'd keep our bags packed, especially seeing how the Pirates have now signed three shortstops and drafted another trio in the past eight months.
Corey Hamman, 28, went 9-9 with a 4.05 ERA for AAA Indy and AA Altoona last year, and will be in the middle of the Curve rotation or the back end of Indy's in 2009.
One other point we'd like to touch on is the hazy-looking Pirate plan, which has set off a blogosphere firestorm today.
We think the new suits started off with an open mind as to whether the team could play as constructed, and when they realized it couldn't, blew it up and started with the ABCs, laying a foundation through the draft and waiver wires to build the bankrupt minors to a point that it would eventually feed the MLB team.
The only mistake we see is that the team didn't share that thought with the fans, and that's causing a huge disconnect between the club and the casual ticket-buying public.
They should come clean, and tell the city that hey, by 2011 Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Jose Tabata, Shelby Ford, Bryan Morris, Brad Lincoln, and Dan McCutchen will be at PNC if all goes well, along with whatever young guns from the current roster ride out the current storm, perhaps Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit, Brandon Moss and a pitcher or three.
Promise the faithful a team that'll bust its hump (and a bunch of fireworks and bobbleheads) in the meantime. It may not put many more fannies in the seats, but at least they'll have laid a framework of transparency and maybe even trust to carry them into the future. Don't circle the wagons; that's happened way too often in recent times.
Monday, January 5, 2009
The Gunner Grill
OK, GW came home from work today, scanned the Pirate boards, and saw that once again, the new suits were sitting tight, waiting for someone to pay them for the privilege of playing baseball in Pittsburgh. What's a blogger to do for inspiration?
And hey, then it hit us. Time to give our much appreciated readers a little pop quiz on some Bucco history. And who better to be our back-in-the-day subject than the ol' Gunner, Bob Prince? Match the Gunnerism to its meaning:
"Bug On The Rug"
a) a crazed, dancing Pirate fan;
b) a gap shot scooting to the wall on TRS's astro-turf
c) an ant marching through your living room towards the kitchen.
"Radio Ball"
a) a fastball thrown so hard that you can't see it, but only hear it whoosh by, as in "that one sounded a little low, ump."
b) a waltz music show broadcast by KDKA 1020
c) what you call your transistor when you whip it through the air after the Bucs lose again
"Bloop And A Blast"
a) a short beer followed by a double shot
b) a Pirate game followed by Zambelli fireworks
c) a Texas League single followed by a homer
"Road Runner"
a) Manny Sanguillen's nickname
b) Wile E. Coyote's feathered friend
c) a Plymouth muscle car
"Hoover"
a) a classic vacuum cleaner
b) an American president that had no grasp of the economy
c) a double play, usually involving Maz and Dick Groat/Gene Alley
"Open The Window, Aunt Minnie"
a) what Uncle Mickey said when he forgot the door keys
b) Rosey Roswell's home run call (the Gunner's predecessor)
c) what Aunt Minnie did when it was hot outside
"You Can Kiss It Goodbye"
a) the Gunner's home run call
b) what happened to Pirate baseball after Sid Bream scored in 1992
c) what happened to Dave Littlefield's rep when he traded A-Ram
"Can Of Corn"
a) a reel from a Three Stooges film
b) the Jolly Green Giant's bread and butter product
c) an easy fly ball, like the one Matty Alou dropped in 1970
"How Sweet It Is"
a) what Pirate fans thought of the 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979 World Series results
b) the Gunner's victory cry after a Bucco win
c) what you say when you realize this post is almost over
"Green Weenie"
a) the Pirate version of the Terrible Towel
b) a seventh inning stretch hot dog
c) an inane baseball blog.
And hey, the other Bucco bloggers are churning out some pretty sweet serial posts to while away the cold days before spring training. Michael at Hyzdu Headquarters is doing Pittsburgh's Ten Greatest Teams, Pat at WHYGAVS is taking the Road To 17, a Pirate chronicle beginning in 1993, and Matt at the Pittsburgh Lumber Company is counting down his Top 25 prospects. Give them a visit.
And hey, then it hit us. Time to give our much appreciated readers a little pop quiz on some Bucco history. And who better to be our back-in-the-day subject than the ol' Gunner, Bob Prince? Match the Gunnerism to its meaning:
"Bug On The Rug"
a) a crazed, dancing Pirate fan;
b) a gap shot scooting to the wall on TRS's astro-turf
c) an ant marching through your living room towards the kitchen.
"Radio Ball"
a) a fastball thrown so hard that you can't see it, but only hear it whoosh by, as in "that one sounded a little low, ump."
b) a waltz music show broadcast by KDKA 1020
c) what you call your transistor when you whip it through the air after the Bucs lose again
"Bloop And A Blast"
a) a short beer followed by a double shot
b) a Pirate game followed by Zambelli fireworks
c) a Texas League single followed by a homer
"Road Runner"
a) Manny Sanguillen's nickname
b) Wile E. Coyote's feathered friend
c) a Plymouth muscle car
"Hoover"
a) a classic vacuum cleaner
b) an American president that had no grasp of the economy
c) a double play, usually involving Maz and Dick Groat/Gene Alley
"Open The Window, Aunt Minnie"
a) what Uncle Mickey said when he forgot the door keys
b) Rosey Roswell's home run call (the Gunner's predecessor)
c) what Aunt Minnie did when it was hot outside
"You Can Kiss It Goodbye"
a) the Gunner's home run call
b) what happened to Pirate baseball after Sid Bream scored in 1992
c) what happened to Dave Littlefield's rep when he traded A-Ram
"Can Of Corn"
a) a reel from a Three Stooges film
b) the Jolly Green Giant's bread and butter product
c) an easy fly ball, like the one Matty Alou dropped in 1970
"How Sweet It Is"
a) what Pirate fans thought of the 1909, 1925, 1960, 1971, and 1979 World Series results
b) the Gunner's victory cry after a Bucco win
c) what you say when you realize this post is almost over
"Green Weenie"
a) the Pirate version of the Terrible Towel
b) a seventh inning stretch hot dog
c) an inane baseball blog.
And hey, the other Bucco bloggers are churning out some pretty sweet serial posts to while away the cold days before spring training. Michael at Hyzdu Headquarters is doing Pittsburgh's Ten Greatest Teams, Pat at WHYGAVS is taking the Road To 17, a Pirate chronicle beginning in 1993, and Matt at the Pittsburgh Lumber Company is counting down his Top 25 prospects. Give them a visit.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Farm Fresh - The Hot Corner
Hey, finally a position with a light at the end of the tunnel! If there's one spot that the Pirates have loaded up on in their system, this is it. There are a pair of number one picks and a number three vying for the hot corner, and that *cross our fingers* should translate into some production in a couple of years.
Andy LaRoche - OK, calm down. He leads the list because he's the only one with any MLB experience, as shaky as that may be. Going into 2008, Baseball Prospectus rated him as a five star prospect and the number two youngster in the LA system, behind only Clayton Kershaw. Well, that and $10 will get you a Starbucks latte.
We're willing to write off 2008 as rookie blues and give little LaRoche a clean slate going into the season. But LaRoche is 25, has 111 MLB games under his belt now, and though that's not many reps in the show, it's time for nerves to be replaced with production.
The Pirates have said they'll keep him on a short leash this season, and we'll see if Ramon Vazquez gets any love platooning with him if he has another car wreck at the hot corner. And that's the only alternative right now.
What's he need to do? Well, at the dish he mostly has to regain his patience. LaRoche showed pretty good plate discipline with LA, drawing 54 walks to 68 Ks as a Dodger, but that ratio was 14:30 in Pittsburgh. Still, he is what he is - in the minors, he struck out 14% of the time; in the majors, 16%. Same with walks; he drew them 12% of the time at both levels.
But he has to resist the off speed, off plate, offerings, the bane of all young players, and that's a function of experience and not trying to pull the ball so much. Stepping into the bucket while behind in the count leads to a lot of whiffs and weak dribblers, and that's what happened to LaRoche during his 2008 Pittsburgh audition.
LaRoche isn't going to be a middle of the order guy. Everything in his past points to him being a six hole hitter with maybe a .265-.270, 15 HR and 65 RBI line being his expected contribution to the lineup. Pedro he ain't, at least by GW projections.
Ah, his glove. He looked unmotivated last year, couldn't come in on a ball to save his soul, had the range of Babar, and threw across his body instead of setting up way too often.
This is the area the scouting reports were most divided on; some thought he could play second in a pinch, others flinched at his mitt. It could very well be that his reaction time isn't the greatest, and second might be an easier spot for him to handle.
At any rate, of all the Buc infielders, this is the guy guru Perry Hill will most need to coach up, especially on his footwork. LaRoche is still a project, and he'll be the a prime demonstration of whether the touted Pirate teaching staff can spin some magic or not.
Neil Walker - Walker was the next big thing at third going into 2008, but a draft, a trade, and a down year at Indy have dimmed his star. After tearing up Altoona in 2007, the former 2004 first round draft pick from Pine-Richland settled back to earth with a very so-so year at Indy, though he still easily led the team with 80 RBI.
He's another hopeful that may be a victim of too-high expectations. Walker made the transition from catcher to third pretty well, is a switch-hitter with a little juice (in the 15 HR range), has a knack for driving in runs, fair wheels, and is only 23 years old. Neil's been around so long people forget that he's still sporting peach-fuzz.
His versatility makes him a valuable guy to have around - he may yet end up at first or the outfield - and he was just 22 during most of his first full season of AAA ball. Walker is probably not the third baseman of the future any more, but we suspect he's still a fair-sized piece of the Pirate puzzle heading into the future.
Pedro Alvarez - The savior. We hope all the drama was worth it at the end, but call us old school; we'd like to see him take a professional at bat before kissing his ring. Now that that's off our chest, he should be this year's Matt Weiter. Alvarez is already Pittsburgh's top prospect, and the only questions seem to be when he'll get to the show and whether he'll play first or third base.
Here They All Come - The Pirates are stacked with third base candidates in the lower levels of the system after drafting a small army of the critters in 2008. They all have the same scouting report: hit for a good average, not enough power for a corner position, and field a ground ball like it's a live hand grenade.
Matt Hague is the top of the crop, being rushed into service briefly at State College and then Hickory, where he hit for a nice average and showed a little pop (combined .322/6/32). He could move up a level this year, but he'll probably leave the hot corner for first or the OF. Hague was drafted in the 9th round from Oklahoma State.
Jeremy Farrell was Pittsburgh's 8th round selection from Virginia, and played at State College (.287/1/23). He struck out every four at bats and fielded terribly at third, though his time was split between the corners, and he showed much better leather at first.
Matthew Payne was a late round pick from NC State and spent the year at State College (.278/0/12). He played some outfield, and like Farrell, was a sub-.900 fielder at third base.
Bobby Spain was a mid-round selection from Oklahoma City U., an NAIA school, in 2007 and after a hot start (.312/5/43), missed most of Hickory's season with a broken wrist. He earned a spot on the Sally League All-Stars, and seems the most likely to hold on to his position somewhere behind Pedro. At least his glove work breaks the .900 mark - he had a .901 fielding percentage.
Expect a lot of shuffling in the organization regarding the hot corner. Where Alvarez plays and how quickly he advances will impact some careers, and the sheer number of infielders the Pirates drafted in 2008 will morph a couple of middle infield types to third with today's third basemen heading to first or the OF, a pair of spots that badly need shored up in the bushes.
The position is top heavy with prospects - a good thing - and allows the suits some time to decide on players' talents and their best positions at the lower levels.
Andy LaRoche - OK, calm down. He leads the list because he's the only one with any MLB experience, as shaky as that may be. Going into 2008, Baseball Prospectus rated him as a five star prospect and the number two youngster in the LA system, behind only Clayton Kershaw. Well, that and $10 will get you a Starbucks latte.
We're willing to write off 2008 as rookie blues and give little LaRoche a clean slate going into the season. But LaRoche is 25, has 111 MLB games under his belt now, and though that's not many reps in the show, it's time for nerves to be replaced with production.
The Pirates have said they'll keep him on a short leash this season, and we'll see if Ramon Vazquez gets any love platooning with him if he has another car wreck at the hot corner. And that's the only alternative right now.
What's he need to do? Well, at the dish he mostly has to regain his patience. LaRoche showed pretty good plate discipline with LA, drawing 54 walks to 68 Ks as a Dodger, but that ratio was 14:30 in Pittsburgh. Still, he is what he is - in the minors, he struck out 14% of the time; in the majors, 16%. Same with walks; he drew them 12% of the time at both levels.
But he has to resist the off speed, off plate, offerings, the bane of all young players, and that's a function of experience and not trying to pull the ball so much. Stepping into the bucket while behind in the count leads to a lot of whiffs and weak dribblers, and that's what happened to LaRoche during his 2008 Pittsburgh audition.
LaRoche isn't going to be a middle of the order guy. Everything in his past points to him being a six hole hitter with maybe a .265-.270, 15 HR and 65 RBI line being his expected contribution to the lineup. Pedro he ain't, at least by GW projections.
Ah, his glove. He looked unmotivated last year, couldn't come in on a ball to save his soul, had the range of Babar, and threw across his body instead of setting up way too often.
This is the area the scouting reports were most divided on; some thought he could play second in a pinch, others flinched at his mitt. It could very well be that his reaction time isn't the greatest, and second might be an easier spot for him to handle.
At any rate, of all the Buc infielders, this is the guy guru Perry Hill will most need to coach up, especially on his footwork. LaRoche is still a project, and he'll be the a prime demonstration of whether the touted Pirate teaching staff can spin some magic or not.
Neil Walker - Walker was the next big thing at third going into 2008, but a draft, a trade, and a down year at Indy have dimmed his star. After tearing up Altoona in 2007, the former 2004 first round draft pick from Pine-Richland settled back to earth with a very so-so year at Indy, though he still easily led the team with 80 RBI.
He's another hopeful that may be a victim of too-high expectations. Walker made the transition from catcher to third pretty well, is a switch-hitter with a little juice (in the 15 HR range), has a knack for driving in runs, fair wheels, and is only 23 years old. Neil's been around so long people forget that he's still sporting peach-fuzz.
His versatility makes him a valuable guy to have around - he may yet end up at first or the outfield - and he was just 22 during most of his first full season of AAA ball. Walker is probably not the third baseman of the future any more, but we suspect he's still a fair-sized piece of the Pirate puzzle heading into the future.
Pedro Alvarez - The savior. We hope all the drama was worth it at the end, but call us old school; we'd like to see him take a professional at bat before kissing his ring. Now that that's off our chest, he should be this year's Matt Weiter. Alvarez is already Pittsburgh's top prospect, and the only questions seem to be when he'll get to the show and whether he'll play first or third base.
Here They All Come - The Pirates are stacked with third base candidates in the lower levels of the system after drafting a small army of the critters in 2008. They all have the same scouting report: hit for a good average, not enough power for a corner position, and field a ground ball like it's a live hand grenade.
Matt Hague is the top of the crop, being rushed into service briefly at State College and then Hickory, where he hit for a nice average and showed a little pop (combined .322/6/32). He could move up a level this year, but he'll probably leave the hot corner for first or the OF. Hague was drafted in the 9th round from Oklahoma State.
Jeremy Farrell was Pittsburgh's 8th round selection from Virginia, and played at State College (.287/1/23). He struck out every four at bats and fielded terribly at third, though his time was split between the corners, and he showed much better leather at first.
Matthew Payne was a late round pick from NC State and spent the year at State College (.278/0/12). He played some outfield, and like Farrell, was a sub-.900 fielder at third base.
Bobby Spain was a mid-round selection from Oklahoma City U., an NAIA school, in 2007 and after a hot start (.312/5/43), missed most of Hickory's season with a broken wrist. He earned a spot on the Sally League All-Stars, and seems the most likely to hold on to his position somewhere behind Pedro. At least his glove work breaks the .900 mark - he had a .901 fielding percentage.
Expect a lot of shuffling in the organization regarding the hot corner. Where Alvarez plays and how quickly he advances will impact some careers, and the sheer number of infielders the Pirates drafted in 2008 will morph a couple of middle infield types to third with today's third basemen heading to first or the OF, a pair of spots that badly need shored up in the bushes.
The position is top heavy with prospects - a good thing - and allows the suits some time to decide on players' talents and their best positions at the lower levels.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
The Ol' Eephus
Hey, GW's ol' bud and reader Mike Broz has been hot for a post on Rip Sewell and the famous eephus pitch that he baffled batters with during the forties. After a little digging, we discovered that aside from throwing the blooper, Sewell was a pretty interesting character in his own rite. Here's his tale:
Born in Decatur, Alabama, on May 11, 1907, Truett Banks Sewell attended Vandy in the 1930 where he played football. He flunked out, and went to work for Dupont, where he played baseball for the company team. The righty pitched pretty well against the semi-pro hitters, and caught the eye of baseball bird dogs.
He signed with the Nashville Vols, who then sold his contract to the Detroit Tigers for $10,000. He pitched one year, 1932, for the Tigers, appearing mostly in relief.
Sewell was shipped back to the minors the day after Jimmie Foxx dumped one of his pitches over the fence. His 12.66 ERA might have had a little something to do with the demotion, too.
In 1934, he got a second chance with the Tigers, getting an invite to spring training with the team. Sewell blew that chance when he got into a fight with Hank Greenberg.
According to Sewell, Greenberg made a comment about Sewell's southern background, and Sewell responded with a crack about Greenberg's Jewish ancestory. The playground spat was eventually broken up by the police.
The next day, Sewell was called in by manager Mickey Cochrane, who told him: "...we've got thirty pitchers and only one first baseman. What do you think I'm going to do?" Sewell spent the season playing for the Toledo Mud Hens.
Greenberg, however, gave a different account of the affair in his autobiography. He said Sewell kept mouthing off, even after Greenberg asked to be left alone. Greenberg described the fight as follows: "As we got off the bus, I grabbed Sewell and started pummeling him. He couldn't fight, so he grabbed me around the knees..."
Other reports agree with Greenberg, as least so far as the results of the scrap were concerned. Rip might have been a heckuva pitcher, but he was apparently more of a lover than street fightin' man.
Sewell and Greenberg later became teammates on the 1947 Pirates. Greenberg hit a double to help Sewell get his first win of the season, and, according to Sewell, the two buried the hatchet and become friends. At least they shared the sandbox peacefully in Greenberg's only season at Forbes Field.
In 1937, the Pittsburgh Pirates bought Sewell's contract from the minor league Buffalo Bisons. After some time in the bushes, he worked his way into the Pirates' starting rotation in 1940, and went 16-5 in 33 games with a 2.80 ERA.
In 1941, Sewell's record fell to 14-17, and his ERA rose to 3.72, but a mishap in the woods would change his future dramatically.
In December 1941, Sewell was injured in a hunting accident when he was shot with two loads of buckshot, costing him his right toe. He had to alter his pitching motion and delivery because he couldn't turn and push off of his right foot any longer. One result was the old eephus.
He threw the ball by holding onto the seam and flipping it off three fingers to get backspin, lobbing the ball some 25' in the air. (wikiHow even has a page that tells you how to throw one.) The first time Sewell threw the blooper in a game was in an exhibition game against his old homies, Detroit, in 1943.
Sewell remembered the pitch, thrown against Tiger OF Dick Wakefield: "He started to swing, he stopped, he started again, he stopped, and then he swung and missed it by a mile. I thought everybody was going to fall off the bench, they were laughing so hard." Wakefield caught the jeers and Sewell got the cheers. The pitch would be a crowd-pleaser throughout his career.
Pittsburgh outfielder Maurice Van Robays allegedly baptized Sewell's blooper as the "eephus pitch," when he blurted, "Eephus (in the baseball lingo of the times) ain't nothin' and that's what that ball is." A more likely story is that Rip called it an ephus ball after an old nonsensical crap-shooting phrase, ephus-iphus-ophus.
There were a slew of other nicknames for the eephus. The better known monikers were the Dew Drop, the Bloop Curve, and the Bugs Bunny curve, based on a Looney Tune cartoon where the batters swung three times at a pitch before the ball reached the plate.
No matter what they called it, it was effective. If a batter caught a piece of it, he usually he popped it up to the second-baseman.
Pitchers that have thrown the eephus include: Casey Fossum (the Fossum Flip), Steve Hamilton (the Folly Floater), Dave LaRoche (La Lob); Bill Lee, (the Space Ball, or the Leephus); Pascual Perez (the Pascual Pitch); Dave Stieb (the Dead Fish), Bobo Newsom, Bob Tewksbury, Liván Hernández, Orlando Hernández, Randy Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and Tim Wakefield.
Using the blooper pitch, Sewell became one of the better pitchers in baseball. He won 17 games in 1942 and followed with 21-win seasons in both 1943 and 1944.
His best season was 1943, when he led the major leagues with 21 wins and 23 complete games with a record of 21-9 and a career-low 2.54 ERA. Sewell was selected to the first of four consecutive NL All Star teams and finished sixth in the 1943 MVP voting.
He finished in the NL's top ten in wins, innings pitched, complete games, and games started from 1941-44.
Sewell's most famous blooper pitch came in the 1946 All Star game, when he went against Ted Williams. He explained "Before the game Ted (Williams) said to me, 'Hey Rip, you wouldn't throw that damn crazy pitch in a game like this.' (Rip replied) 'Sure, I'm gonna throw it to you, so look out.'"
Sewell wasn't expected to pitch because of an elbow injury, but with the American League leading by 9-0, the National League's manager, Charlie Grimm, asked the right-hander to warm up "and throw that blooper pitch and see if you can wake up this crowd."
There were two runners on and Williams shook his head in a "don't do it" pantomime, with Sewell nodding back to warn, "Yes, I am." Sewell worked the count to two balls and one strike with two bloopers and a fastball. Williams then hit what Sewell described as a "Sunday Super Dooper Blooper" into the right-field bullpen.
As Williams rounded the bases, Sewell followed him, yelling, "The only reason you hit it was because I told you it was coming." Williams laughed, the fans ate the moment up, and Sewell received a standing O when he walked off the mound.
Years later, Williams admitted that he had been cheating towards the pitcher’s mound as he hit the ball, and photos do show that he was in front of the batter’s box when he made contact, which is in violation of baseball rules. But why let the rules get in the way of a great show?
He had other tricks up his sleeve, too. Umpire Jocko Conlan once found a hidden resin bag stuck in his back pocket, though its purpose is unclear, since the bag was legal, even if its location wasn't.
Sewell helped himself, too. He was a decent fielder, and set NL records for pitchers with 12 chances and 11 assists in a game in 1941, when he also equaled a ML record with three assists in one inning. And with the threat of the eephus always looming, his fastball gained an extra foot on the batters. It's probably no coincidence, either, that his best years came during the watered-down World War seasons.
Sewell, who never made more than $21,500 per year, still was an up-front critic of the players' guild being organized after WWII by Robert Murphy, who based his organizing efforts in what he hoped would be the union-friendly town of Pittsburgh.
Rip's stance aborted a planned strike for union recognition during 1946. Sewell believed a deal was a deal, and if you signed a contract, you should live up to it, even if everything was stacked in the owners' favor back in the day. And as a good ol' boy, he probably was suspicious of unions by upbringing and nature.
Rip led Pirate players against the union, and was the ringleader in busting it. He was quoted as saying that he was "glad the owners had finally told these ungrateful players where to get off. First they wanted the hamburg, then filet mignon, eventually the cow and the entire pasture" after the union drive went down the drain.
But he wasn't against improving the players' lot or just an owners' toady, and was a key player in the formation of baseball's pension fund. On a train ride to Boston for the 1946 All-Star Game, he and Marty Marion, the St. Louis shortstop, came up with the formula to use receipts from All-Star Games to help retired players.
As for Murphy, well, his efforts eventually led to a minimum wage and uniform contract for the players. He did manage to put some fear of the Lord in the owners, if not Rip Sewell.
Sewell pitched 12 seasons for the Pirates from 1938-1949 and finished with a career record of 143-97 and 3.48 ERA in over 2,100 innings of work in the show.
He remained active in his twilight years, despite declining health. Sewell was an avid golfer even after both legs were amputated below the knees in 1972 because of circulation problems stemming from his 1941 hunting accident. He died of kidney failure and pneumonia in 1989 at the age of 82 in Plant City, Florida, where he had retired.
Three of Rip's cousins also played Major League Baseball - Luke Sewell, Joe Sewell, and Tommy Sewell.
(If you want to read up on Sewell and some of the other old timers, GW found a ton of tales in Don Honig's book "Baseball When the Grass Was Real," published in 1975. For Rip's life and times, read Elson Smith's "Blooper Man: The Rip Sewell Story" released in 1981.)
Born in Decatur, Alabama, on May 11, 1907, Truett Banks Sewell attended Vandy in the 1930 where he played football. He flunked out, and went to work for Dupont, where he played baseball for the company team. The righty pitched pretty well against the semi-pro hitters, and caught the eye of baseball bird dogs.
He signed with the Nashville Vols, who then sold his contract to the Detroit Tigers for $10,000. He pitched one year, 1932, for the Tigers, appearing mostly in relief.
Sewell was shipped back to the minors the day after Jimmie Foxx dumped one of his pitches over the fence. His 12.66 ERA might have had a little something to do with the demotion, too.
In 1934, he got a second chance with the Tigers, getting an invite to spring training with the team. Sewell blew that chance when he got into a fight with Hank Greenberg.
According to Sewell, Greenberg made a comment about Sewell's southern background, and Sewell responded with a crack about Greenberg's Jewish ancestory. The playground spat was eventually broken up by the police.
The next day, Sewell was called in by manager Mickey Cochrane, who told him: "...we've got thirty pitchers and only one first baseman. What do you think I'm going to do?" Sewell spent the season playing for the Toledo Mud Hens.
Greenberg, however, gave a different account of the affair in his autobiography. He said Sewell kept mouthing off, even after Greenberg asked to be left alone. Greenberg described the fight as follows: "As we got off the bus, I grabbed Sewell and started pummeling him. He couldn't fight, so he grabbed me around the knees..."
Other reports agree with Greenberg, as least so far as the results of the scrap were concerned. Rip might have been a heckuva pitcher, but he was apparently more of a lover than street fightin' man.
Sewell and Greenberg later became teammates on the 1947 Pirates. Greenberg hit a double to help Sewell get his first win of the season, and, according to Sewell, the two buried the hatchet and become friends. At least they shared the sandbox peacefully in Greenberg's only season at Forbes Field.
In 1937, the Pittsburgh Pirates bought Sewell's contract from the minor league Buffalo Bisons. After some time in the bushes, he worked his way into the Pirates' starting rotation in 1940, and went 16-5 in 33 games with a 2.80 ERA.
In 1941, Sewell's record fell to 14-17, and his ERA rose to 3.72, but a mishap in the woods would change his future dramatically.
In December 1941, Sewell was injured in a hunting accident when he was shot with two loads of buckshot, costing him his right toe. He had to alter his pitching motion and delivery because he couldn't turn and push off of his right foot any longer. One result was the old eephus.
He threw the ball by holding onto the seam and flipping it off three fingers to get backspin, lobbing the ball some 25' in the air. (wikiHow even has a page that tells you how to throw one.) The first time Sewell threw the blooper in a game was in an exhibition game against his old homies, Detroit, in 1943.
Sewell remembered the pitch, thrown against Tiger OF Dick Wakefield: "He started to swing, he stopped, he started again, he stopped, and then he swung and missed it by a mile. I thought everybody was going to fall off the bench, they were laughing so hard." Wakefield caught the jeers and Sewell got the cheers. The pitch would be a crowd-pleaser throughout his career.
Pittsburgh outfielder Maurice Van Robays allegedly baptized Sewell's blooper as the "eephus pitch," when he blurted, "Eephus (in the baseball lingo of the times) ain't nothin' and that's what that ball is." A more likely story is that Rip called it an ephus ball after an old nonsensical crap-shooting phrase, ephus-iphus-ophus.
There were a slew of other nicknames for the eephus. The better known monikers were the Dew Drop, the Bloop Curve, and the Bugs Bunny curve, based on a Looney Tune cartoon where the batters swung three times at a pitch before the ball reached the plate.
No matter what they called it, it was effective. If a batter caught a piece of it, he usually he popped it up to the second-baseman.
Pitchers that have thrown the eephus include: Casey Fossum (the Fossum Flip), Steve Hamilton (the Folly Floater), Dave LaRoche (La Lob); Bill Lee, (the Space Ball, or the Leephus); Pascual Perez (the Pascual Pitch); Dave Stieb (the Dead Fish), Bobo Newsom, Bob Tewksbury, Liván Hernández, Orlando Hernández, Randy Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and Tim Wakefield.
Using the blooper pitch, Sewell became one of the better pitchers in baseball. He won 17 games in 1942 and followed with 21-win seasons in both 1943 and 1944.
His best season was 1943, when he led the major leagues with 21 wins and 23 complete games with a record of 21-9 and a career-low 2.54 ERA. Sewell was selected to the first of four consecutive NL All Star teams and finished sixth in the 1943 MVP voting.
He finished in the NL's top ten in wins, innings pitched, complete games, and games started from 1941-44.
Sewell's most famous blooper pitch came in the 1946 All Star game, when he went against Ted Williams. He explained "Before the game Ted (Williams) said to me, 'Hey Rip, you wouldn't throw that damn crazy pitch in a game like this.' (Rip replied) 'Sure, I'm gonna throw it to you, so look out.'"
Sewell wasn't expected to pitch because of an elbow injury, but with the American League leading by 9-0, the National League's manager, Charlie Grimm, asked the right-hander to warm up "and throw that blooper pitch and see if you can wake up this crowd."
There were two runners on and Williams shook his head in a "don't do it" pantomime, with Sewell nodding back to warn, "Yes, I am." Sewell worked the count to two balls and one strike with two bloopers and a fastball. Williams then hit what Sewell described as a "Sunday Super Dooper Blooper" into the right-field bullpen.
As Williams rounded the bases, Sewell followed him, yelling, "The only reason you hit it was because I told you it was coming." Williams laughed, the fans ate the moment up, and Sewell received a standing O when he walked off the mound.
Years later, Williams admitted that he had been cheating towards the pitcher’s mound as he hit the ball, and photos do show that he was in front of the batter’s box when he made contact, which is in violation of baseball rules. But why let the rules get in the way of a great show?
He had other tricks up his sleeve, too. Umpire Jocko Conlan once found a hidden resin bag stuck in his back pocket, though its purpose is unclear, since the bag was legal, even if its location wasn't.
Sewell helped himself, too. He was a decent fielder, and set NL records for pitchers with 12 chances and 11 assists in a game in 1941, when he also equaled a ML record with three assists in one inning. And with the threat of the eephus always looming, his fastball gained an extra foot on the batters. It's probably no coincidence, either, that his best years came during the watered-down World War seasons.
Sewell, who never made more than $21,500 per year, still was an up-front critic of the players' guild being organized after WWII by Robert Murphy, who based his organizing efforts in what he hoped would be the union-friendly town of Pittsburgh.
Rip's stance aborted a planned strike for union recognition during 1946. Sewell believed a deal was a deal, and if you signed a contract, you should live up to it, even if everything was stacked in the owners' favor back in the day. And as a good ol' boy, he probably was suspicious of unions by upbringing and nature.
Rip led Pirate players against the union, and was the ringleader in busting it. He was quoted as saying that he was "glad the owners had finally told these ungrateful players where to get off. First they wanted the hamburg, then filet mignon, eventually the cow and the entire pasture" after the union drive went down the drain.
But he wasn't against improving the players' lot or just an owners' toady, and was a key player in the formation of baseball's pension fund. On a train ride to Boston for the 1946 All-Star Game, he and Marty Marion, the St. Louis shortstop, came up with the formula to use receipts from All-Star Games to help retired players.
As for Murphy, well, his efforts eventually led to a minimum wage and uniform contract for the players. He did manage to put some fear of the Lord in the owners, if not Rip Sewell.
Sewell pitched 12 seasons for the Pirates from 1938-1949 and finished with a career record of 143-97 and 3.48 ERA in over 2,100 innings of work in the show.
He remained active in his twilight years, despite declining health. Sewell was an avid golfer even after both legs were amputated below the knees in 1972 because of circulation problems stemming from his 1941 hunting accident. He died of kidney failure and pneumonia in 1989 at the age of 82 in Plant City, Florida, where he had retired.
Three of Rip's cousins also played Major League Baseball - Luke Sewell, Joe Sewell, and Tommy Sewell.
(If you want to read up on Sewell and some of the other old timers, GW found a ton of tales in Don Honig's book "Baseball When the Grass Was Real," published in 1975. For Rip's life and times, read Elson Smith's "Blooper Man: The Rip Sewell Story" released in 1981.)
Friday, January 2, 2009
The Future of the Franchise...
OK, most of the 2009 Pirate prospect ratings are in (Baseball America's won't be released for another three weeks, but it probably won't affect the ratings). Here's the hotshots for the Bucs as they enter the new season, compiled from Wilbur Miller's Pirate Profiles, John Sickel's Minor League Baseball, Scouting Book, Baseball Prospectus, and CBS Sports:
Top Guns: 3B Pedro Alvarez and CF Andrew McCutchen are da bombs. Alvarez has a high ceiling, middle of the order bat, and is already almost MLB ready according to the scouts. McCutchen is a toolsy guy, but the raters are split whether he's a budding star or just a solid MLB player in the making. OF Jose Tabata is third on everyone's list as they wait to see if he develops into a head case or a young Bobby Abreu.
Looking Good: This foursome stands well behind the top three, but a step ahead of the pack. First is 3B Neil Walker, whose lack of offense is countered by youth, a good glove, some switch-hitting pop, and versatility. Next is RHP Bryan Morris, who has MLB top of the rotation stuff but has to prove he's overcome TJ surgery. RHP Daniel McCutchen is a bulldog with heat, though there's still some debate whether his talent translates better as a starter or closer. OF Robbie Grossman is a five tool high school kid that could zoom up the charts.
Don't Forget About Us: The next pack of prospects boasts a lotta arms, a good sign for the Pirates down the road. RHP Jimmy Barthmaier put himself back on the map in 2008 after falling faster than George Bush's ratings in 2007. RHP Brad Lincoln is showing signs of recovering from TJ surgery, and this should be a big year for him. RHP Evan Meek looks like he's tamed his wild thing after a good show in the minors and Mexico. 2B Shelby Ford and Jim Negrych will try to ride their bats to a spot on the roster. LHP Donald Veal hopes his Rule 5 change of scenery will cure his wildness, and young RHP Quinton Miller, a high-school draft pick, looks like he has all the goods to pitch in the show every fifth day.
Guys With A Shot: A mix of young and old that could pop up in the bigs, they're led by 3B Matt Hague, a kid with a good stick that will probably move to the OF. SS Brian Friday is the classic good glove, no hit infielder. LHP Jeff Sues is looking for some bullpen love after a strong 2008. IF Jarek Cunningham, another high schooler, tore it up in Rookie Ball. RHP Romulo Sanchez has closer heat, but needs to find the dish. RHP Ron Uviedo was added to the 40-man roster, and has a power arm and control as his eyes a closer's role. OF/1B Jamie Romek has the power, but the rest of his game struggles. SS Chase D'Arnaud hits for average and can find a gap. LHP Danny Moskos could end up a pretty effective LOOGY. SS Jordy Mercer had a rough minor league start, but a strong finish.
Outside the Top Two Dozen: Brian Bixler, SS; Marcus Davis, OF; Robinzon Diaz, C; Wesley Freeman, OF; Jason Jaramillo, C; Brent Klinger, RHP; Quincy Latimore, OF; Steve Lerud, C; Tony Watson, LHP; and Justin Wilson, LHP.
The most obvious note is that a lucky thirteen of the Top Two Dozen players entered the Pirate system in 2008, and five of the top seven guys are Neal Huntington era pick-ups. The new suits vowed to get the minors back to snuff, and are off to a flying start.
We liked the approach to the draft, too, and especially the emphasis on high school talent. It takes time to replenish an empty system, but the kids and Latino players will provide depth, youth, and steady competition to an organization that was too old at every level.
Top Guns: 3B Pedro Alvarez and CF Andrew McCutchen are da bombs. Alvarez has a high ceiling, middle of the order bat, and is already almost MLB ready according to the scouts. McCutchen is a toolsy guy, but the raters are split whether he's a budding star or just a solid MLB player in the making. OF Jose Tabata is third on everyone's list as they wait to see if he develops into a head case or a young Bobby Abreu.
Looking Good: This foursome stands well behind the top three, but a step ahead of the pack. First is 3B Neil Walker, whose lack of offense is countered by youth, a good glove, some switch-hitting pop, and versatility. Next is RHP Bryan Morris, who has MLB top of the rotation stuff but has to prove he's overcome TJ surgery. RHP Daniel McCutchen is a bulldog with heat, though there's still some debate whether his talent translates better as a starter or closer. OF Robbie Grossman is a five tool high school kid that could zoom up the charts.
Don't Forget About Us: The next pack of prospects boasts a lotta arms, a good sign for the Pirates down the road. RHP Jimmy Barthmaier put himself back on the map in 2008 after falling faster than George Bush's ratings in 2007. RHP Brad Lincoln is showing signs of recovering from TJ surgery, and this should be a big year for him. RHP Evan Meek looks like he's tamed his wild thing after a good show in the minors and Mexico. 2B Shelby Ford and Jim Negrych will try to ride their bats to a spot on the roster. LHP Donald Veal hopes his Rule 5 change of scenery will cure his wildness, and young RHP Quinton Miller, a high-school draft pick, looks like he has all the goods to pitch in the show every fifth day.
Guys With A Shot: A mix of young and old that could pop up in the bigs, they're led by 3B Matt Hague, a kid with a good stick that will probably move to the OF. SS Brian Friday is the classic good glove, no hit infielder. LHP Jeff Sues is looking for some bullpen love after a strong 2008. IF Jarek Cunningham, another high schooler, tore it up in Rookie Ball. RHP Romulo Sanchez has closer heat, but needs to find the dish. RHP Ron Uviedo was added to the 40-man roster, and has a power arm and control as his eyes a closer's role. OF/1B Jamie Romek has the power, but the rest of his game struggles. SS Chase D'Arnaud hits for average and can find a gap. LHP Danny Moskos could end up a pretty effective LOOGY. SS Jordy Mercer had a rough minor league start, but a strong finish.
Outside the Top Two Dozen: Brian Bixler, SS; Marcus Davis, OF; Robinzon Diaz, C; Wesley Freeman, OF; Jason Jaramillo, C; Brent Klinger, RHP; Quincy Latimore, OF; Steve Lerud, C; Tony Watson, LHP; and Justin Wilson, LHP.
The most obvious note is that a lucky thirteen of the Top Two Dozen players entered the Pirate system in 2008, and five of the top seven guys are Neal Huntington era pick-ups. The new suits vowed to get the minors back to snuff, and are off to a flying start.
We liked the approach to the draft, too, and especially the emphasis on high school talent. It takes time to replenish an empty system, but the kids and Latino players will provide depth, youth, and steady competition to an organization that was too old at every level.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Twists and Turnbows...
The Rangers reached a tentative agreement with 30-year old free-agent RHP Derrick Turnbow on a one-year contract, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com's Hot Stove Blog, again leaving the Bucs on the outside looking in.
Turnbow chose the Rangers over the Marlins and Pirates largely because of his comfort zone with new Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux, according to his agent Damon Lapa. Maddux was Turnbow's pitching coach during his Milwaukee stint.
The minor league contract would pay Turnbow $925,000 if he makes it to the show, with another $325,000 in performance incentives. Maddux or not, that seems like a pretty dear deal for him, given his recent pitching performance.
Turnbow's career has had more ups and downs that Kennywood's Steel Phantom.
He was a high school monster in his native Tennessee, and was drafted in 1997 by the Phillies in the 5th round of the draft, only to be quickly lost to the Los Angeles Angels in the 1999 Rule 5 Draft after being mauled for three seasons in the low minors as a starter.
As is the case with most Rule 5 pitchers, the Halos plopped Turnbow in the bullpen, where he would remain, and managed to hold on to him for the season, during which he made 24 appearances with a 4.74 ERA. He then spent the next two years in the bushes, and got a cup of coffee with LA in 2003 and 2004, being pretty effective both times.
He made the record books as an Angel, though in a way he'd probably like to forget. In October of 2003, Turnbow became the first MLB player to test positive for a banned substance.
The positive results came during tryouts for USA Baseball's Olympic qualifying team, and he escaped scot-free because MLB didn't begin testing and penalizing for steroid use until the next season, although he was banned from international play for two seasons.
He was dropped by LA after the 2004 season, and the Brew Crew swooped in. The guy that the Angel's waived suddenly became superman in Milwaukee, putting together a 7-1 slate with 39 saves and a 1.74 ERA, and he made the 2006 All-Star team.
The Cream City is where Turnbow hooked up with pitching guru Mike Maddox, who worked with him to harness his upper 90s heater. After his brilliant 2005 season, Turnbow was rewarded with a three-year, $6.5 million contract, buying out his first two seasons of arbitration.
But 2005 and early 2006 would be the apex of his career. Right around the 2006 All-Star game, he became a poster child for wild things. He converted only 1 of 5 save opportunities and posted a 21.32 ERA in July. Manager Ned Yost saw enough, and yanked Turnbow from the closer role in favor of Francisco Cordero, not a bad Plan B.
He ended 2006 with a 4-9 record, 24 saves, and a 6.87 ERA. 2007 wasn't much better. Turnbow was 4-5 with 1 save and a 4.63 ERA, walking 46 batters in 44 innings. And from there, he went from the frying pan into the fire.
In eight relief appearances with Milwaukee in 2008, he had an 0-1 record with one save and a 15.63 ERA, walking 13 in 6-1/3 frames. On May 1, he was DFA'd by the Brewers.
He still had $3.2M left on his contract, and Turnbow went unclaimed. Rather than lose the loot, he reported to AAA Nashville instead of declaring free agency. Can't fault him for that.
While with the Sounds, Turnbow suffered what was called "a near-total command meltdown" as he walked 41 batters in 18 innings. Shades of Steve Blass and Ricky Ankiel! He was dumped from the roster. And to add injury to insult, he also suffered a slight labrum tear, which is supposed to be fully healed now.
And there he sits, hoping for a Ranger resurrection of his career. In four full seasons of MLB, he's posted an ERA under 4.63 once. He sometimes touches 100 MPH with his fastball, and had that one year in the sun. That was enough to have a couple of teams, including our PBC, risk a low-cost, potentially high-return, dice roll on Turnbow.
Can Mike Maddux turn him around? Well, he was his coach during his superb 2005 campaign. He was also the coach when he imploded, so we don't know that following him to Arlington is going to be the answer.
As for the Pirates interest, it seems to us that there are already plenty of guys on the roster that can bring the heat but can't find the dish. And Joe Kerrigan has enough reclamation projects to deal with right now. Turnbow, to us, was just another arm that fit the power mold the new suits prefer, and they tried him on for size because he matched the current Bucco template.
Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But it's not a great loss, just another example of the management trying to collect physical talent in whatever form it can afford. And with Matt Capps' contract running out after 2009, maybe stockpiling closers isn't such a bad idea.
Turnbow chose the Rangers over the Marlins and Pirates largely because of his comfort zone with new Texas pitching coach Mike Maddux, according to his agent Damon Lapa. Maddux was Turnbow's pitching coach during his Milwaukee stint.
The minor league contract would pay Turnbow $925,000 if he makes it to the show, with another $325,000 in performance incentives. Maddux or not, that seems like a pretty dear deal for him, given his recent pitching performance.
Turnbow's career has had more ups and downs that Kennywood's Steel Phantom.
He was a high school monster in his native Tennessee, and was drafted in 1997 by the Phillies in the 5th round of the draft, only to be quickly lost to the Los Angeles Angels in the 1999 Rule 5 Draft after being mauled for three seasons in the low minors as a starter.
As is the case with most Rule 5 pitchers, the Halos plopped Turnbow in the bullpen, where he would remain, and managed to hold on to him for the season, during which he made 24 appearances with a 4.74 ERA. He then spent the next two years in the bushes, and got a cup of coffee with LA in 2003 and 2004, being pretty effective both times.
He made the record books as an Angel, though in a way he'd probably like to forget. In October of 2003, Turnbow became the first MLB player to test positive for a banned substance.
The positive results came during tryouts for USA Baseball's Olympic qualifying team, and he escaped scot-free because MLB didn't begin testing and penalizing for steroid use until the next season, although he was banned from international play for two seasons.
He was dropped by LA after the 2004 season, and the Brew Crew swooped in. The guy that the Angel's waived suddenly became superman in Milwaukee, putting together a 7-1 slate with 39 saves and a 1.74 ERA, and he made the 2006 All-Star team.
The Cream City is where Turnbow hooked up with pitching guru Mike Maddox, who worked with him to harness his upper 90s heater. After his brilliant 2005 season, Turnbow was rewarded with a three-year, $6.5 million contract, buying out his first two seasons of arbitration.
But 2005 and early 2006 would be the apex of his career. Right around the 2006 All-Star game, he became a poster child for wild things. He converted only 1 of 5 save opportunities and posted a 21.32 ERA in July. Manager Ned Yost saw enough, and yanked Turnbow from the closer role in favor of Francisco Cordero, not a bad Plan B.
He ended 2006 with a 4-9 record, 24 saves, and a 6.87 ERA. 2007 wasn't much better. Turnbow was 4-5 with 1 save and a 4.63 ERA, walking 46 batters in 44 innings. And from there, he went from the frying pan into the fire.
In eight relief appearances with Milwaukee in 2008, he had an 0-1 record with one save and a 15.63 ERA, walking 13 in 6-1/3 frames. On May 1, he was DFA'd by the Brewers.
He still had $3.2M left on his contract, and Turnbow went unclaimed. Rather than lose the loot, he reported to AAA Nashville instead of declaring free agency. Can't fault him for that.
While with the Sounds, Turnbow suffered what was called "a near-total command meltdown" as he walked 41 batters in 18 innings. Shades of Steve Blass and Ricky Ankiel! He was dumped from the roster. And to add injury to insult, he also suffered a slight labrum tear, which is supposed to be fully healed now.
And there he sits, hoping for a Ranger resurrection of his career. In four full seasons of MLB, he's posted an ERA under 4.63 once. He sometimes touches 100 MPH with his fastball, and had that one year in the sun. That was enough to have a couple of teams, including our PBC, risk a low-cost, potentially high-return, dice roll on Turnbow.
Can Mike Maddux turn him around? Well, he was his coach during his superb 2005 campaign. He was also the coach when he imploded, so we don't know that following him to Arlington is going to be the answer.
As for the Pirates interest, it seems to us that there are already plenty of guys on the roster that can bring the heat but can't find the dish. And Joe Kerrigan has enough reclamation projects to deal with right now. Turnbow, to us, was just another arm that fit the power mold the new suits prefer, and they tried him on for size because he matched the current Bucco template.
Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained. But it's not a great loss, just another example of the management trying to collect physical talent in whatever form it can afford. And with Matt Capps' contract running out after 2009, maybe stockpiling closers isn't such a bad idea.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)