* Well, so much for the Virgil Vasquez buzz. The Yankees suited up Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, Mark Teixeira, Hideki Matsui, Xavier Nady, Melky Cabrera and the boys, and the Bucs brought a busload of guys like Jose Tabata, Neil Walker, Steve Pearce, Luis Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Jody Mercer, Jeremy Farrell, Eric Kratz ...we guess you get the idea.
It was the Pinstripes a lot, the good guys a little, or a 9-2 final for those of you with a scoring fetish.
CC and Mariana K'd nine Pirates in five innings, while Vasquez was lit up like a Times Square Christmas tree by the Bronx Bullies. Evan Meek even fell to earth, walking three guys. Mama said there'd be days like this. Mama's always right.
This afternoon's game is more of the same; there aren't many no-name pitchers left in Florida now. The Pirates return to McKechnie Field to face the Twins at 1:05 p.m. when Zach Duke and Francisco Liriano square off in a battle of the lefties.
* Hey, it must be getting near serious baseball time in Florida. The Bucs saw Andy Sonnanstine and David Price last night, and get to take some cuts against CC Sabathia and Mariano Rivera tonight. Now we'll see what the boys have.
They swung the bat pretty well against Tampa, but left a dozen guys on base in falling to the Rays, 6-4. Pittsburgh banged out six hits in 5-1/3 innings against Sonnanstine and Wright, but only scored twice.
They had 13 hits in all, including 5 doubles, but eight guys were left in scoring position during the contest. Robinzon Diaz and Craig Monroe each had a pair of knocks with a double, and Monroe brought a pair home, his 10th and 11th RBI of camp.
Paul Maholm was all that again, going 4-2/3 scoreless innings, lifted only because he hit his pitch count of 55 offerings. He gave up two hits, a walk, and whiffed four (including Evan Longeria and Pat Burrell) as his spring ERA dropped to 0.66. Ah, but the pen.
Five bullpen guys gave up ten! walks, and if Joe Kerrigan is a drinking man, he sure had an excuse last night. TB got four hits total, but the free passes were brutal.
Dave Davidson, Brian Slocum, and Jesse Chavez were particularly ugly. Donnie Veal and Jeremy Powell struggled through a zippo inning apiece, somewhat bloodied but unbowed.
The next round of cuts may not be very hard to make. And John Perrotto of Pirates Report says it appears that there are no free agent arms looming in the Bucco future.
* Ian Snell took the loss to Venezuela last night. He worked 4 innings, giving up five hits, two walks, and a run while collecting five strikeouts. Ramon Vazquez tripled in four at-bats, but K'ed the other three ups. 1-for-4 should be his middle name, at least in the WBC.
* Eric Hinske is on schedule to DH Wednesday, and Brandon Moss may get into some minor league games late in the week. Andy Phillips still has a balky back and is day-to-day. Jason Davis and Steve Pearce have healed from calf strains, so it looks like Phil Dumatrait is the only player down - and he's even long tossing. Minor league guys Shelby Ford and Jose Tabata have both mended up, too.
* To celebrate his 50th season with the team, Steve Blass will toss out the first pitch on opening day. Fittingly, his battery mate will be Manny Sanguillen.
* And hey, thanks to the guys that stopped by for the live blog. We'll run that feature every so often; it seemed to work out OK last night
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Monday, March 16, 2009
Cut Down, Competition, Live Blog (We Hope)
* The Bucs made their first cuts today, sending eight guys to minor league camp.
RHP Jimmy Barthmaier is headed for AAA Indy. RHP Jeff Sues and C Steve Lerud are off to AA Altoona, and 3B Pedro Alvarez and RHP Ron Uviedo will start out at High-A Lynchburg. RHP's Juan Mateo and Daniel McCutchen join 2B Shelby Ford in Pirate City, waiting on their new assignment.
The other players will hang around until the WBC players and walking wounded return to action. April 6th is fast approaching.
* A couple of unexpected battles are being waged in camp. LHP Sean Burnett was ripped for the third straight game; he's may be opening the door for Dave Davidson.
Luis Cruz missed a couple of balls yesterday at 2B; he may drop out of the running for the extra bench infielder and let Andy Phillips and Brian Bixler (who woulda thunk it? But BB is hitting .379 and his glovework is betting better every day) duke it out.
Ryan Doumit's caddies, Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz, are both doing decent jobs and haven't created any real separation between themselves yet. And if Neal Huntington is to be believed, Steve Pearce is giving Craig Monroe a run for his money as the RH'ed OF.
The GM also says that Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Gorzo are fighting for two spots in the rotation. All three did OK in their last start, so we'll see what the next three weeks have in store.
* Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay fought to a 7-7 draw yesterday. Alvarez crushed a two-out ball in the ninth to center to plate three (his first), and Garrett Jones went deep to right during the next at-bat to forge the improbable tie.
Andrew McCutchen tripled, scored and made a great grab in center. Jose Tabata singled, doubled, hit a sac fly, and threw out Carl Crawford at home. The future's so bright we need shades, hey?
* Some bloggers have formed a tag-team to live blog some Pirate games, and Brian McElhinny of Raise The Jolly Roger will take the first shot. If you can't get to a TV - and if GW can cut and paste code, always a challenge - we'll be posting the live blog here at 7 PM.
Paul Maholm will start for the Pirates, then Denny Bautista, Sean Burnett, Craig Hansen, Donnie Veal, and Chris Bootcheck will round out the evening's pitchers.
Andy Sonnanstine will start for the Rays, followed by Mitch Talbot and David Price.
The Weather Channel will be broadcasting live from the game; don't ask why because there's a 60% chance that we don't know.
RHP Jimmy Barthmaier is headed for AAA Indy. RHP Jeff Sues and C Steve Lerud are off to AA Altoona, and 3B Pedro Alvarez and RHP Ron Uviedo will start out at High-A Lynchburg. RHP's Juan Mateo and Daniel McCutchen join 2B Shelby Ford in Pirate City, waiting on their new assignment.
The other players will hang around until the WBC players and walking wounded return to action. April 6th is fast approaching.
* A couple of unexpected battles are being waged in camp. LHP Sean Burnett was ripped for the third straight game; he's may be opening the door for Dave Davidson.
Luis Cruz missed a couple of balls yesterday at 2B; he may drop out of the running for the extra bench infielder and let Andy Phillips and Brian Bixler (who woulda thunk it? But BB is hitting .379 and his glovework is betting better every day) duke it out.
Ryan Doumit's caddies, Jason Jaramillo and Robinzon Diaz, are both doing decent jobs and haven't created any real separation between themselves yet. And if Neal Huntington is to be believed, Steve Pearce is giving Craig Monroe a run for his money as the RH'ed OF.
The GM also says that Ross Ohlendorf, Jeff Karstens, and Gorzo are fighting for two spots in the rotation. All three did OK in their last start, so we'll see what the next three weeks have in store.
* Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay fought to a 7-7 draw yesterday. Alvarez crushed a two-out ball in the ninth to center to plate three (his first), and Garrett Jones went deep to right during the next at-bat to forge the improbable tie.
Andrew McCutchen tripled, scored and made a great grab in center. Jose Tabata singled, doubled, hit a sac fly, and threw out Carl Crawford at home. The future's so bright we need shades, hey?
* Some bloggers have formed a tag-team to live blog some Pirate games, and Brian McElhinny of Raise The Jolly Roger will take the first shot. If you can't get to a TV - and if GW can cut and paste code, always a challenge - we'll be posting the live blog here at 7 PM.
Paul Maholm will start for the Pirates, then Denny Bautista, Sean Burnett, Craig Hansen, Donnie Veal, and Chris Bootcheck will round out the evening's pitchers.
Andy Sonnanstine will start for the Rays, followed by Mitch Talbot and David Price.
The Weather Channel will be broadcasting live from the game; don't ask why because there's a 60% chance that we don't know.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Today's Battles and Tomorrow's Warriors
* The Bucs were blasted by the Yankees B team yesterday, 13-10, in a game that wasn't as close as the score (Pittsburgh scored five runs in the ninth).
What's interesting in the results is how the starting rotation, with the caveat that there are still three weeks of camp left, is beginning to come together.
Ross Ohlendorf (0.96 ERA) went 4 innings of no-hit ball, and looks pretty solid behind Paul Maholm (1.00 ERA), Ian Snell (WBC), and Zach Duke (1.86 ERA). But what happened to the rest of the field?
Jimmy Barthmaier (18.69 ERA) and Daniel McCutchen (11.37 ERA) appear to have pitched their way back to minor league camp, and Tom Gorzelanny (7.50 ERA) and Jeff Karstens (6.75 ERA) have been lackluster, to be generous. Oddly, both claim to be pleased with their stuff, and say they're just suffering from the bumps associated with spring training, working on different pitches and command issues.
Phil Dumatrait just began tossing again, but he'll be on the DL to start the season. Virgil Vasquez and Jason Davis have had their moments, but they're Indy insurance policies.
Well, the Bucs are better off than they were a year ago. But even if Joe Kerrigan can walk on water, it speaks volumes to the organizational gap in pitching talent Dave Littlefield left as his legacy. The Pirates' best young arms are buried deep in the lower levels of the system, and Pittsburgh is still lacking in the NL arms race.
(Jen Langosch of MLB.com looks at the rotation generally in Pirates Need Pick-Me-Up From Pitchers.)
* The Pirates visit the Rays in Port Charlotte today for a 1:05 p.m. contest. It's the first of back-to-back games between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
The Pirates moved Jeff Karstens up a day in the pitching rotation in order to get him off the day that Paul Maholm was pitching, according to Jen Langosch in her blog. Karstens and Tom Gorzelanny will now both be pitching on the same day for the rest of the spring. Head to head for the fifth spot? We like it.
Jason Davis and Tyler Yates are also both scheduled to take the mound. The game will be broadcast on 104.7 FM.
* A couple of guys have taken a look at the Pirates' farm hands. There's no doubt the suits have strengthened that area; now the depth is considered mid-pack instead of bottom feeders, and it could be a couple of drafts away from nudging into the top third.
John Perrotto of Pirates Report features Farm System Making Progress while Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com offers Ten Pirate Prospects To Watch and Pirates Regime Offers Promise.
Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review takes a quick look at the fast track the Bucs' Big Three of Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen, and Jose Tabata are on in his notes Talented Trio Ticketed For Minors.
* Chuck Finder of the Post Gazette highlights Perry Hill, Bucco infield coach. Among the tidbits are how Hill uses golf tees to position his players and has the infielders start warmups on their knees to speed up and soften their hands.
* Team USA got clobbered by Puerto Rico yesterday, 11-1. The game was called in the seventh, thanks to a ten run mercy rule, just like your local little league uses to protect its sad sack teams. Ramon Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored; he's hitting .250 in the WBC. John Grabow pitched a perfect inning with two K's, and has been unscored on in limited work.
* If you're still in a lather about the lack of a cap in MLB circles, prepare to say "I told you so" after looking at the spreadsheet of Final Payrolls 2002-2008 put together by Maury Brown, who runs the Biz of Baseball. The rankings won't surprise you, though the gap between the Evil Empire and the rest of the league may.
What's interesting in the results is how the starting rotation, with the caveat that there are still three weeks of camp left, is beginning to come together.
Ross Ohlendorf (0.96 ERA) went 4 innings of no-hit ball, and looks pretty solid behind Paul Maholm (1.00 ERA), Ian Snell (WBC), and Zach Duke (1.86 ERA). But what happened to the rest of the field?
Jimmy Barthmaier (18.69 ERA) and Daniel McCutchen (11.37 ERA) appear to have pitched their way back to minor league camp, and Tom Gorzelanny (7.50 ERA) and Jeff Karstens (6.75 ERA) have been lackluster, to be generous. Oddly, both claim to be pleased with their stuff, and say they're just suffering from the bumps associated with spring training, working on different pitches and command issues.
Phil Dumatrait just began tossing again, but he'll be on the DL to start the season. Virgil Vasquez and Jason Davis have had their moments, but they're Indy insurance policies.
Well, the Bucs are better off than they were a year ago. But even if Joe Kerrigan can walk on water, it speaks volumes to the organizational gap in pitching talent Dave Littlefield left as his legacy. The Pirates' best young arms are buried deep in the lower levels of the system, and Pittsburgh is still lacking in the NL arms race.
(Jen Langosch of MLB.com looks at the rotation generally in Pirates Need Pick-Me-Up From Pitchers.)
* The Pirates visit the Rays in Port Charlotte today for a 1:05 p.m. contest. It's the first of back-to-back games between Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay.
The Pirates moved Jeff Karstens up a day in the pitching rotation in order to get him off the day that Paul Maholm was pitching, according to Jen Langosch in her blog. Karstens and Tom Gorzelanny will now both be pitching on the same day for the rest of the spring. Head to head for the fifth spot? We like it.
Jason Davis and Tyler Yates are also both scheduled to take the mound. The game will be broadcast on 104.7 FM.
* A couple of guys have taken a look at the Pirates' farm hands. There's no doubt the suits have strengthened that area; now the depth is considered mid-pack instead of bottom feeders, and it could be a couple of drafts away from nudging into the top third.
John Perrotto of Pirates Report features Farm System Making Progress while Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com offers Ten Pirate Prospects To Watch and Pirates Regime Offers Promise.
Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review takes a quick look at the fast track the Bucs' Big Three of Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen, and Jose Tabata are on in his notes Talented Trio Ticketed For Minors.
* Chuck Finder of the Post Gazette highlights Perry Hill, Bucco infield coach. Among the tidbits are how Hill uses golf tees to position his players and has the infielders start warmups on their knees to speed up and soften their hands.
* Team USA got clobbered by Puerto Rico yesterday, 11-1. The game was called in the seventh, thanks to a ten run mercy rule, just like your local little league uses to protect its sad sack teams. Ramon Vazquez went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs scored; he's hitting .250 in the WBC. John Grabow pitched a perfect inning with two K's, and has been unscored on in limited work.
* If you're still in a lather about the lack of a cap in MLB circles, prepare to say "I told you so" after looking at the spreadsheet of Final Payrolls 2002-2008 put together by Maury Brown, who runs the Biz of Baseball. The rankings won't surprise you, though the gap between the Evil Empire and the rest of the league may.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Pellas On The Pirates: Daniel McCutchen At A Crossroad
It's no secret that I have been a fan of Daniel McCutchen ever since he arrived in the Pirates' system last year as part of the Xavier Nady - Damaso Marte trade with the Yankees. After taking a closer look at what sabermetric wonks call his "peripherals", I concluded that he was an even better prospect than he first appeared to be, which is saying something.
"The Other McCutchen" has been a premiere control pitcher throughout his minor league career, with very strong BB/9 and WHIP figures; he even posted fairly good strikeout numbers, at least when compared with most "hit your spots" pitchers. Even a so-so year at triple-A in 2008 didn't cause any alarm. McCutchen's ERA of just over 4 was probably the result of giving up a few too many long balls, but that can be attributed to his exceptional control---he's always throwing strikes---and he still logged nearly 200 innings, which is a respectable milestone for any big league pitcher, let alone a guy in triple-A.
So, everything was in place for McCutchen to seize the day and grab a spot in the Pirates' retooled starting rotation in 2009.
Only now I can't figure him out. The guy has been an absolute terminator througout his minor league career, with a fearless, old school style. Granted, he's been a control pitcher terminator rather than the power pitcher version, but he's been extremely effective nonetheless. Unfortunately he's been getting his head handed to him pretty regularly during spring training. That spells "triple A" for him, but the thing is, there doesn't seem to be much more he can---or should---prove in the minors. What gives?
Two suspicions come to mind: one, that he is a control guy and that many pitchers of his type take longer to get their stuff together every year, since their margin for error is small and they have to hit their spots and it takes them time to hone their game.
The other thought is that maybe McCutchen is one of those guys who has really good breaking stuff compared with most young pitchers and so looks dominant in the lower minors, but because he doesn't throw hard enough, starts getting hit at the triple-A level and then gets killed at the big league level. In other words, the classic "four A" pitcher.
I am really disappointed in McCutchen's performance this spring, the more so when a spot in Pittsburgh's starting rotation was clearly his for the taking and he failed to take it. While it's not over for him yet by any means, his star has definitely dimmed, at least until we see what he does at triple-A Indianapolis.
If he hits the ground running at Indy and turns in a dominant half season---which is still well within his capabilities---we'll no doubt see him in Pittsburgh sometime in the second half of 2009. If he falls back from here, though, it could be his Waterloo as a pro baseball player, as he is in his mid-20s now and it's time for him to make it if indeed he can make it.
Four A, or future cornerstone? We'll find out this season.
(Will Pellas is a regular contributor of the GW, and we're glad that he's back in the saddle after taking an off-season hiatus)
"The Other McCutchen" has been a premiere control pitcher throughout his minor league career, with very strong BB/9 and WHIP figures; he even posted fairly good strikeout numbers, at least when compared with most "hit your spots" pitchers. Even a so-so year at triple-A in 2008 didn't cause any alarm. McCutchen's ERA of just over 4 was probably the result of giving up a few too many long balls, but that can be attributed to his exceptional control---he's always throwing strikes---and he still logged nearly 200 innings, which is a respectable milestone for any big league pitcher, let alone a guy in triple-A.
So, everything was in place for McCutchen to seize the day and grab a spot in the Pirates' retooled starting rotation in 2009.
Only now I can't figure him out. The guy has been an absolute terminator througout his minor league career, with a fearless, old school style. Granted, he's been a control pitcher terminator rather than the power pitcher version, but he's been extremely effective nonetheless. Unfortunately he's been getting his head handed to him pretty regularly during spring training. That spells "triple A" for him, but the thing is, there doesn't seem to be much more he can---or should---prove in the minors. What gives?
Two suspicions come to mind: one, that he is a control guy and that many pitchers of his type take longer to get their stuff together every year, since their margin for error is small and they have to hit their spots and it takes them time to hone their game.
The other thought is that maybe McCutchen is one of those guys who has really good breaking stuff compared with most young pitchers and so looks dominant in the lower minors, but because he doesn't throw hard enough, starts getting hit at the triple-A level and then gets killed at the big league level. In other words, the classic "four A" pitcher.
I am really disappointed in McCutchen's performance this spring, the more so when a spot in Pittsburgh's starting rotation was clearly his for the taking and he failed to take it. While it's not over for him yet by any means, his star has definitely dimmed, at least until we see what he does at triple-A Indianapolis.
If he hits the ground running at Indy and turns in a dominant half season---which is still well within his capabilities---we'll no doubt see him in Pittsburgh sometime in the second half of 2009. If he falls back from here, though, it could be his Waterloo as a pro baseball player, as he is in his mid-20s now and it's time for him to make it if indeed he can make it.
Four A, or future cornerstone? We'll find out this season.
(Will Pellas is a regular contributor of the GW, and we're glad that he's back in the saddle after taking an off-season hiatus)
Friday, March 13, 2009
Mpho Ngoepe - South Africa's Gift To Pittsburgh
19-year old Mpho Gift Ngoepe (pronounced "n-WEEP-ay") is a wisp of a kid at 5'10", 175 pounds, and is said to be the first indigenous African to be inked to an American baseball contract.
And it was your Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club that got him to sign on the dotted line. Never let it be said that the new suits leave any scouting stone unturned.
Ngoepe is from Randburg, South Africa, a suburb of Johannesburg, and is a graduate of Rand Park High. He's a Sotho tribesman who grew up on baseball fields of his local club, which operate teams from pee-wees to a senior division, playing in regular leagues and tournaments.
He was a 2-year old when his mother Hope took a job with the Randsburg Mets as a caretaker for the fields and clubhouse. She moved Gift and a sibling into a room in the clubhouse, so he literally grew up with a baseball field as his personal playground.
Ngoepe played on his first national team as a 10-year old and spent most of his teen years playing against South African men rather than in youth leagues.
He's also a longtime A's fan, thanks to PlayStation; he loves Jason Giambi's video dingers.
He hopes become the first player from South Africa to reach the majors. Ngoepe's got some competition now; five of his countrymen have also signed minor league contracts.
They're pitchers Alessio Angelucci (San Diego), Justin Erasmus (Boston), Dylan Lindsay (Kansas City), and Hein Robb (Minnesota), along with shortstop Anthony Phillips (Seattle). He joined several of them on this year's South African WBC club.
Ngoepe spent the last two summers at the European Baseball Academy, a MLB training school for talented kids from non-traditional baseball countries. He was tutored last season by ex-Red shortstop Barry Larkins, who Ngoepe credits for much of his development.
He first came to MLB attention during a 2007 tournament in Durban, South Africa, and the Pirates brought him into the fold last year after watching him play in a tourney in Pisa, Italy, staged by the Baseball Academy.
The switch-hitting shortstop is a slap hitter along the lines of Juan Pierre, and has the speed to pull it off; besides getting down the line in a hurry, he's an excellent base-stealer.
Defensively, the Pirates compare him to a draftable high school or JC prospect, meaning he has the potential but is still a project. The word "raw" is tossed around so much regarding Ngoepe that one could easily use it to replace "Gift" as his middle name.
He's primarily a shortstop, but played second in the WBC so that he and Phillips could be on the field at the same time. Ngoepe also manned the OF as the youngest player (he was 17) on the South African team that competed in the 2007 Baseball World Cup.
MLB Network talking head Jose Mota went a little further during the Mexico-South Africa game recently televised, saying Ngoepe's style of play resembles that of Angels' utility man Chone Figgins. We're not sure about all that, but he is projected as a utility-type player in the organization.
Ngoepe didn't have much chance to show his skills in the WBC as South Africa went two and out. But he batted 2-for-5, with both hits being triples, and turned a DP. Now he's back in Pirate City, and he's slated to start his career as a GCL Bradenton Pirate in the rookie league.
It's a big jump from South Africa to South Florida. But Ngoepe's got the faith of a nation behind him. Guess who's smilin' face is gracing the cover of the latest South African edition of Sports Illustrated under the tag "Baseball's Great Gift?"
Yep, it's Mpho. Let's hope we see him on the SI's US cover someday.
* Hey, the Bucs played Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today, and thanks to a hot start by Zach Duke and a hot finish by Jeff Salazar, prevailed over the Phillies 6-5.
Duke went 3-2/3 innings, shutting out the Brotherly Lovers on a hit and a walk. He struck out two, and didn't give up a fly ball during his stint. His ERA is now 1.86 for the spring. Dan McCutchen wasn't so fortunate. After a 1-2-3 fourth, he got clocked, giving up five runs and only retiring one batter in the fifth.
But the bullpen was rock steady again, with Dave Davidson, Jeff Sues, Evan Meek, Brian Slocum, and minor-leaguer Jeremy Powell shutting down the Phils the rest of the way.
The heroics came in the ninth, when an unlikely trio of Buccos teamed up for the win. Brian Bixler singled, Anderson Machado walked, and Salazar launched a three run shot, jumping on the first pitch. Bixler, who's hitting .391 in camp, was 3-for-4, as was Steve Pearce, back from a calf pull, who's put together a .385 average.
Salazar is batting just .208, but has two long balls and leads the club with 10 RBI.
The first big cuts are coming next week, and they'll cause a little more deep thinking by the powers that be than they did last season, when the roster was pretty much set in stone. A small step, but it does show that the suits have made some progress in getting the team back on track.
The Pirates are back at McKechnie Field tomorrow for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Yankees. Ross Ohlendorf will get the start for the Bucs, his first outing against his his former teammates. Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck, Sean Burnett, Jesse Chavez, Craig Hansen and Donnie Veal are also scheduled to pitch.
The Evil Empire is bringing a split squad to Bradenton, with RHP Phil Hughes taking the hill for the NY nine.
And it was your Pittsburgh Pirate Baseball Club that got him to sign on the dotted line. Never let it be said that the new suits leave any scouting stone unturned.
Ngoepe is from Randburg, South Africa, a suburb of Johannesburg, and is a graduate of Rand Park High. He's a Sotho tribesman who grew up on baseball fields of his local club, which operate teams from pee-wees to a senior division, playing in regular leagues and tournaments.
He was a 2-year old when his mother Hope took a job with the Randsburg Mets as a caretaker for the fields and clubhouse. She moved Gift and a sibling into a room in the clubhouse, so he literally grew up with a baseball field as his personal playground.
Ngoepe played on his first national team as a 10-year old and spent most of his teen years playing against South African men rather than in youth leagues.
He's also a longtime A's fan, thanks to PlayStation; he loves Jason Giambi's video dingers.
He hopes become the first player from South Africa to reach the majors. Ngoepe's got some competition now; five of his countrymen have also signed minor league contracts.
They're pitchers Alessio Angelucci (San Diego), Justin Erasmus (Boston), Dylan Lindsay (Kansas City), and Hein Robb (Minnesota), along with shortstop Anthony Phillips (Seattle). He joined several of them on this year's South African WBC club.
Ngoepe spent the last two summers at the European Baseball Academy, a MLB training school for talented kids from non-traditional baseball countries. He was tutored last season by ex-Red shortstop Barry Larkins, who Ngoepe credits for much of his development.
He first came to MLB attention during a 2007 tournament in Durban, South Africa, and the Pirates brought him into the fold last year after watching him play in a tourney in Pisa, Italy, staged by the Baseball Academy.
The switch-hitting shortstop is a slap hitter along the lines of Juan Pierre, and has the speed to pull it off; besides getting down the line in a hurry, he's an excellent base-stealer.
Defensively, the Pirates compare him to a draftable high school or JC prospect, meaning he has the potential but is still a project. The word "raw" is tossed around so much regarding Ngoepe that one could easily use it to replace "Gift" as his middle name.
He's primarily a shortstop, but played second in the WBC so that he and Phillips could be on the field at the same time. Ngoepe also manned the OF as the youngest player (he was 17) on the South African team that competed in the 2007 Baseball World Cup.
MLB Network talking head Jose Mota went a little further during the Mexico-South Africa game recently televised, saying Ngoepe's style of play resembles that of Angels' utility man Chone Figgins. We're not sure about all that, but he is projected as a utility-type player in the organization.
Ngoepe didn't have much chance to show his skills in the WBC as South Africa went two and out. But he batted 2-for-5, with both hits being triples, and turned a DP. Now he's back in Pirate City, and he's slated to start his career as a GCL Bradenton Pirate in the rookie league.
It's a big jump from South Africa to South Florida. But Ngoepe's got the faith of a nation behind him. Guess who's smilin' face is gracing the cover of the latest South African edition of Sports Illustrated under the tag "Baseball's Great Gift?"
Yep, it's Mpho. Let's hope we see him on the SI's US cover someday.
* Hey, the Bucs played Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde today, and thanks to a hot start by Zach Duke and a hot finish by Jeff Salazar, prevailed over the Phillies 6-5.
Duke went 3-2/3 innings, shutting out the Brotherly Lovers on a hit and a walk. He struck out two, and didn't give up a fly ball during his stint. His ERA is now 1.86 for the spring. Dan McCutchen wasn't so fortunate. After a 1-2-3 fourth, he got clocked, giving up five runs and only retiring one batter in the fifth.
But the bullpen was rock steady again, with Dave Davidson, Jeff Sues, Evan Meek, Brian Slocum, and minor-leaguer Jeremy Powell shutting down the Phils the rest of the way.
The heroics came in the ninth, when an unlikely trio of Buccos teamed up for the win. Brian Bixler singled, Anderson Machado walked, and Salazar launched a three run shot, jumping on the first pitch. Bixler, who's hitting .391 in camp, was 3-for-4, as was Steve Pearce, back from a calf pull, who's put together a .385 average.
Salazar is batting just .208, but has two long balls and leads the club with 10 RBI.
The first big cuts are coming next week, and they'll cause a little more deep thinking by the powers that be than they did last season, when the roster was pretty much set in stone. A small step, but it does show that the suits have made some progress in getting the team back on track.
The Pirates are back at McKechnie Field tomorrow for a 1:05 p.m. game against the Yankees. Ross Ohlendorf will get the start for the Bucs, his first outing against his his former teammates. Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck, Sean Burnett, Jesse Chavez, Craig Hansen and Donnie Veal are also scheduled to pitch.
The Evil Empire is bringing a split squad to Bradenton, with RHP Phil Hughes taking the hill for the NY nine.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Big Country Holding On to the Dream
* Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post reports today that Brad Eldred is opening some eyes in the Nat camp.
The 29-year old slugger hit .199 for the Pirates in two roster visits in 2005 and 2007, pounding 14 HR and 30 RBI in 236 at-bats. More noticable were his 93 strike outs, a 42% K rate. His career minor league line is .263-157-495 in 2,257 at-bats, with 698 whiffs (31%).
Svrluga also reports a bit of conditional Washington love for newly signed Kip Wells, whom the team is hoping has a come-back year under the tutelage of his former pitching guru Spin Williams.
* The wind was blowing straight out today, and Craig Monroe loved it. The big guy walloped three home runs - and two were really tagged - with 4 RBI as the Bucs took a 6-4 win home today against the Twins. Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth went yard, too.
Virgil Vasquez went three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, as he tries to join the fray for the "fifth man in the rotation" competition. Craig Hansen and Tyler Yates continued their unscored-upon spring streaks, and Jesse Chavez and Chris Bootcheck put up zips.
Denny Bautista gave up a homer, and Sean Burnett gave up three runs when he allowed a two-out, two-run single to Drew Butera.
The Pirates meet the Phillies at Clearwater tomorrow for a 1:05 p.m. game. Zach Duke will start for the Bucs, followed by Daniel McCutchen, Matt Capps, Brian Slocum and returning Canuck WBC lefty Dave Davidson.
* Hey, it's Dan McCutchen day in the media. Jen Langosch covers the righty for MLB.com, while John Perrotto at Pirate Report focuses on his shared Oklahoma background with skipper John Russell. The GW even covered him Friday as "The Other McCutchen."
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review does a piece on Ross Ohlendorf, trying to rediscover his change-up now that he's starting instead of bullpen fodder.
* The beat guys are looking hard at the pitching battles in camp. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette writes of the looming decision for the last spot, so far being contested between Evan Meek and Chris Bootcheck, while John Perrotto of the Pirate Report checks out how the rotation is shaking out.
* DK also mentions that Andy Phillips has missed a few days with a stiff back, the result of a misstep after a bus ride to Saturday's game at Fort Meyers. He may be back for the weekend.
* Jen Langosch in her blog adds that Phil Dumatrait was shut down because of shoulder soreness, and may miss a couple of weeks before he's ready to pitch BP again. We're sure he'll start the year on the DL now, but GW has to wonder if his arm is a blowout waiting to happen after this latest setback.
She also reports that Shelby Ford jammed his wrist and will be out for a few days, too.
* The Altoona Curve are jumping on the Steeler bandwagon. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley will be da man at Blair County Ballpark for the team’s home opener on Thursday, April 16 against the Erie SeaWolves and will toss out the ceremonial first pitch.
* And then there were eight, as the WBC keeps rolling along. The next round will pit the US, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Holland in one pool while the second grouping will have Cuba, Japan, Mexico, and Korea go at it. The two winners from each bracket advance.
The four survivors play single game eliminations on Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, and the two left standing go for all the marbles on Monday, March 23. Then it's MLB, all the time.
"He beat the Houston Astros with a walk-off, two-run homer Monday, then crushed a three-run homer to the opposite field off New York Mets right-hander John Maine on Tuesday.Big Country is on the wrong end of a numbers game, but still carries a thunderous stick.
Eldred spent last season with the Class AAA affiliate of the Chicago White Sox, for whom he hit 35 homers and drove in 100 runs in just 427 at-bats. He also struck out 144 times, and he's stuck behind a slew of Nationals veterans capable of playing first base -- Nick Johnson, Dmitri Young, Adam Dunn and Josh Willingham among them."
The 29-year old slugger hit .199 for the Pirates in two roster visits in 2005 and 2007, pounding 14 HR and 30 RBI in 236 at-bats. More noticable were his 93 strike outs, a 42% K rate. His career minor league line is .263-157-495 in 2,257 at-bats, with 698 whiffs (31%).
Svrluga also reports a bit of conditional Washington love for newly signed Kip Wells, whom the team is hoping has a come-back year under the tutelage of his former pitching guru Spin Williams.
* The wind was blowing straight out today, and Craig Monroe loved it. The big guy walloped three home runs - and two were really tagged - with 4 RBI as the Bucs took a 6-4 win home today against the Twins. Ryan Doumit and Nate McLouth went yard, too.
Virgil Vasquez went three scoreless innings, giving up two hits, as he tries to join the fray for the "fifth man in the rotation" competition. Craig Hansen and Tyler Yates continued their unscored-upon spring streaks, and Jesse Chavez and Chris Bootcheck put up zips.
Denny Bautista gave up a homer, and Sean Burnett gave up three runs when he allowed a two-out, two-run single to Drew Butera.
The Pirates meet the Phillies at Clearwater tomorrow for a 1:05 p.m. game. Zach Duke will start for the Bucs, followed by Daniel McCutchen, Matt Capps, Brian Slocum and returning Canuck WBC lefty Dave Davidson.
* Hey, it's Dan McCutchen day in the media. Jen Langosch covers the righty for MLB.com, while John Perrotto at Pirate Report focuses on his shared Oklahoma background with skipper John Russell. The GW even covered him Friday as "The Other McCutchen."
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review does a piece on Ross Ohlendorf, trying to rediscover his change-up now that he's starting instead of bullpen fodder.
* The beat guys are looking hard at the pitching battles in camp. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette writes of the looming decision for the last spot, so far being contested between Evan Meek and Chris Bootcheck, while John Perrotto of the Pirate Report checks out how the rotation is shaking out.
* DK also mentions that Andy Phillips has missed a few days with a stiff back, the result of a misstep after a bus ride to Saturday's game at Fort Meyers. He may be back for the weekend.
* Jen Langosch in her blog adds that Phil Dumatrait was shut down because of shoulder soreness, and may miss a couple of weeks before he's ready to pitch BP again. We're sure he'll start the year on the DL now, but GW has to wonder if his arm is a blowout waiting to happen after this latest setback.
She also reports that Shelby Ford jammed his wrist and will be out for a few days, too.
* The Altoona Curve are jumping on the Steeler bandwagon. Linebacker LaMarr Woodley will be da man at Blair County Ballpark for the team’s home opener on Thursday, April 16 against the Erie SeaWolves and will toss out the ceremonial first pitch.
* And then there were eight, as the WBC keeps rolling along. The next round will pit the US, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and Holland in one pool while the second grouping will have Cuba, Japan, Mexico, and Korea go at it. The two winners from each bracket advance.
The four survivors play single game eliminations on Saturday and Sunday, March 21-22, and the two left standing go for all the marbles on Monday, March 23. Then it's MLB, all the time.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Double Dutch Treat
* Hey, a couple of Buccos are extending their vacation from camp as their teams move on up in the WBC - Ian Snell, John Grabow, and Ramon Vazquez. A trio of youngsters fared well, too, even if their national nines didn't - Ray Chang, Gift Ngoepe, and Dave Davidson. (Jen Langosch of MLB.com has their tale.)
But the story today is the hellcats from Holland clawing their way to another win over the WBC darlings, the Domincan Republic, claiming a 2-1, 11 inning victory to advance to the next round of play by eliminating the Latinos. And right in the middle of the mess is old Bucco Yurendell de Caster.
You don't remember the ex-Pirate? The infielder toiled at Indy and the other Bucco outposts from 2000-2007 (de Caster is now in the Detroit organization), where he showed a decent stick and some versatility in the field. But his big league line is kinda sad. Yurendell played three games in 2006 for Pittsburgh, and got up twice. He K'ed both times.
Not that he's doing much better for the Dutch. He's hitting a whopping .091 so far in WBC competition, and when he came up with the winning run on third and two outs, he was wearing the collar with three punch-outs.
de Caster didn't exactly crush it, but he did claim a walk-off error to notch the win, when he smacked a hard grounder to first that bounced off Willy Aybar's mitt and rolled gently into right field. Put the ball in play and good things happen, hey? And a walk-off hit is a walk-off hit, whether it bounds off the wall or some leather.
Randall Simon is also on the club, playing first and hitting .200, while Bert Blyleven is the pitching coach. He must be doing something right; his charges went 11 innings against the Dominican without giving up an earned run.
* The real Bucs, meanwhile, came back from their day off with rested arms and wimpy bats, hanging on for a 2-2 tie with Toronto, called after 11 innings when both sides ran out of pitchers.
Paul Maholm was sharp, going four scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out four while getting eight ground outs. It took him 38 pitches, 28 for strikes, to breeze through the Jays. Jeff Karstens wasn't as sharp, staying up in the zone and surrendering a pair in two frames of work.
Matt Capps, Donnie Veal, Evan Meek, Jason Davis, and Jeff Sues all threw zeroes in their inning of work. Capps, Meek, and Sues have yet to give up an earned run.
Old Corsair teammate TJ Beam pitched a perfect eighth inning for Toronto, with a strikeout.
The Bucs scored when Nyjer Morgan singled, stole second, and came around on Adam LaRoche's single. The other run was a ninth-inning longball by Craig Monroe. The Pirates only had four hits to go with six walks, and struck out eleven times. Monroe led the pack with 3 K's.
The Pirates take on the Twins tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. at McKechnie Field. Toeing the rubber for the Pirates are Virgil Vasquez, Tyler Yates, Jesse Chavez, Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista and Sean Burnett. Minnesota is starting Scott Baker.
* John Perrotto features minor-league catching prospect and 40-man roster dude Steve Lerud in today's Pirate Report.
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review has a story on RHP Bryan Morris, who many consider to be the main piece of the Bay deal.
* "Dude, there's a buzz here." Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette has the tale of a team that's doing more than going through the motions at camp this spring.
* The Nationals have inked a minor-league deal with ol' bud Kip Wells, according to MASN Sports. He's 65-94 with a 4.67 ERA in 256 games (205 starts) in 10 big league seasons. He was with the Bucs from 2002-06.
But the story today is the hellcats from Holland clawing their way to another win over the WBC darlings, the Domincan Republic, claiming a 2-1, 11 inning victory to advance to the next round of play by eliminating the Latinos. And right in the middle of the mess is old Bucco Yurendell de Caster.
You don't remember the ex-Pirate? The infielder toiled at Indy and the other Bucco outposts from 2000-2007 (de Caster is now in the Detroit organization), where he showed a decent stick and some versatility in the field. But his big league line is kinda sad. Yurendell played three games in 2006 for Pittsburgh, and got up twice. He K'ed both times.
Not that he's doing much better for the Dutch. He's hitting a whopping .091 so far in WBC competition, and when he came up with the winning run on third and two outs, he was wearing the collar with three punch-outs.
de Caster didn't exactly crush it, but he did claim a walk-off error to notch the win, when he smacked a hard grounder to first that bounced off Willy Aybar's mitt and rolled gently into right field. Put the ball in play and good things happen, hey? And a walk-off hit is a walk-off hit, whether it bounds off the wall or some leather.
Randall Simon is also on the club, playing first and hitting .200, while Bert Blyleven is the pitching coach. He must be doing something right; his charges went 11 innings against the Dominican without giving up an earned run.
* The real Bucs, meanwhile, came back from their day off with rested arms and wimpy bats, hanging on for a 2-2 tie with Toronto, called after 11 innings when both sides ran out of pitchers.
Paul Maholm was sharp, going four scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out four while getting eight ground outs. It took him 38 pitches, 28 for strikes, to breeze through the Jays. Jeff Karstens wasn't as sharp, staying up in the zone and surrendering a pair in two frames of work.
Matt Capps, Donnie Veal, Evan Meek, Jason Davis, and Jeff Sues all threw zeroes in their inning of work. Capps, Meek, and Sues have yet to give up an earned run.
Old Corsair teammate TJ Beam pitched a perfect eighth inning for Toronto, with a strikeout.
The Bucs scored when Nyjer Morgan singled, stole second, and came around on Adam LaRoche's single. The other run was a ninth-inning longball by Craig Monroe. The Pirates only had four hits to go with six walks, and struck out eleven times. Monroe led the pack with 3 K's.
The Pirates take on the Twins tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. at McKechnie Field. Toeing the rubber for the Pirates are Virgil Vasquez, Tyler Yates, Jesse Chavez, Chris Bootcheck, Denny Bautista and Sean Burnett. Minnesota is starting Scott Baker.
* John Perrotto features minor-league catching prospect and 40-man roster dude Steve Lerud in today's Pirate Report.
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review has a story on RHP Bryan Morris, who many consider to be the main piece of the Bay deal.
* "Dude, there's a buzz here." Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette has the tale of a team that's doing more than going through the motions at camp this spring.
* The Nationals have inked a minor-league deal with ol' bud Kip Wells, according to MASN Sports. He's 65-94 with a 4.67 ERA in 256 games (205 starts) in 10 big league seasons. He was with the Bucs from 2002-06.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Lookin' Ahead
Hey, the Bucs have a day off, and the coaches were good enough to let the boys run free today, so we're sure they're out golfing, beach-bumming, or whatever else young guys in Florida with clubhouse fever do with a hooky day.
We're off too, news-wise, so we thought we'd spend the time looking at what's become a big event now that Dave Littlefield and Ed Creech got their walking papers - draft day. Here's a capsule look at some of the young guns:
Top Five Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State - he's da bomb, throws 100 MPH heat with movement plus a slider and change. Scott Boras is his agent, of course, and the Nats couldn't sign their #1 Aaron Crow last year, so we'll see what nest he ends up in. Strasburg is everyone's primo beast this year.
Alex White, RHP, North Carolina - he reaches the mid-90s with a splitter and slider. The junior has 196 K's in 200 innings going into this year. White is still a little on the wild side, with 90 walks over that period.
Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri/Fort Worth Cats - last year, he threw 107 innings for the Tigers, going 13-0 with a 2.35 ERA, 127 strikeouts and yielding 38 walks. Crow was an All-American and won the 2008 Roger Clemens Award, given to the best college pitcher. But he and agent JD Smart ended up about a $1M smackeroos short of a deal with the Nats, so back into this year's pond he goes after some indy ball.
Andy Oliver, LHP, Oklahoma State - he was suspended for having an agent when first drafted in 2006, but that was thrown out of court last month. He dumped the first rep for Scott Boras, and that's what is alleged to have set off the fireworks. Anyway, he's compared to ex-Angel Chuck Finley. His sits in the 89-93 range, touching 95, works inside, has good control and sink, and gets a ton of groundouts. Oliver needs to improve his secondary pitches.
Kyle Gibson, LHP, Missouri - the 6'6" junior's fastball hits the low ninties, and he has a good slider and change. Probably a mid-round pick; he's what the scouts like to call "projectable."
Next Up: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt; Kendal Volz, RHP, Baylor; Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints/Fresno State (yah, him); Jason Stoffel, RHP, Arizona; Sean Black, RHP, Seton Hall.
Top Five Position Players: Grant Green, SS, Southern Cal - last year, the junior batted .390 with 15 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 10 stolen bases and 46 RBI. He made Baseball America's third team All-America and tore it up in Cape Cod over the summer. Green is probably a top-five pick.
Dustin Ackley, 1B/OF, North Carolina - the junior is a pure hitter with good speed, but not enough power to play first. Might be a tweener, but belts line drives out almost every at-bat and has hit over .400 both years at UNC. Ackley projects as a LF and #2 type batter in MLB.
Kentrail Davis, LF, Tennessee - the soph was selected to the Freshman All-America team and is on Rivals and Baseball America's A-A squads this year. He led the Vols in batting average (.330), home runs (13), and RBI (44), hits (68), triples (3), total bases (120), hit-by-pitches (15) and on-base percentage (.435).
D.J. LeMahieu, SS, LSU - he was the Tigers’ starting shortstop as a true freshman in 2008, and hit .337 with 11 doubles, one triple, six homers, 44 RBI and 10 steals. LeMahieu was rated the #6 prospect in the Cape Cod League last year by Baseball America and was his team's MVP.
Ryan Jackson, SS, Miami (FL) - the junior hit .360 in 2008 with 19 doubles. He was one of the top defensive shorstops in the NCAA last season, committing just eight errors in 310 chances (.974) at SS. Jackson was a member of the USA Baseball National Team last year.
Next Up: Blake Smith, OF/RHP, California; AJ Pollock, OF, Notre Dame.
Top Five High School Players: Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (TX) - he's considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in the 2009 high school class. He pitches in the low 90’s with top flight movement to his fastball. Purke has an easy delivery and mixes in his secondary stuff; he projects as a potential #1 pitcher in the show.
Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA) - he's a 6-foot-3, 215-pound pitcher with a 94 MPH fastball. Matzek reestablished himself with a series of post-season tournament games; his junior year was up and down as his dad was fighting cancer during the school year. But his father, we're glad to say, has recovered, Matzek put on 20 pounds and added some velocity to his heater, and looks like an early pick.
Donovan Tate, CF, Cartersville HS (GA) - son of Bulldog and Tampa Bay running back Lars Tate, Donovan is a five-tooler. He profiles similarly to Cameron Maybin. Tate already has Scott Boras for an agent, and is a football star, too, which may or may not affect his draft slot, though he could be a top-five baseball pick.
Mychal Givens, RHP, Plant HS (FL) - he's is a contact hitter who profiles as a number two type batter and also a smooth fielder. And don't question the kid's arm; he throws a mid 90’s fastball. Some thought he was the number two scholastic SS last year, behind top pick Tim Beckham.
Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS (TX) - Miller can do it all. His pitching line last year was 8-2 with a 1.11 ERA and 119 K's in 57 innings of work. He also hit .413-9-32. Miller committed to Texas A&M, so someone will have to show him the money to get him into the fold.
Next Up: Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy (ME), Zach Wheeler, RHP, East Paudling HS (GA); and Luke Bailey, C, Troupe HS (GA).
OK, guys, that's our first look at the draft class; we're sure they'll jockey positions as June approaches. And it ain't that far away - could another Scott Boras soap opera be in the cards?
We're off too, news-wise, so we thought we'd spend the time looking at what's become a big event now that Dave Littlefield and Ed Creech got their walking papers - draft day. Here's a capsule look at some of the young guns:
Top Five Pitchers: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State - he's da bomb, throws 100 MPH heat with movement plus a slider and change. Scott Boras is his agent, of course, and the Nats couldn't sign their #1 Aaron Crow last year, so we'll see what nest he ends up in. Strasburg is everyone's primo beast this year.
Alex White, RHP, North Carolina - he reaches the mid-90s with a splitter and slider. The junior has 196 K's in 200 innings going into this year. White is still a little on the wild side, with 90 walks over that period.
Aaron Crow, RHP, Missouri/Fort Worth Cats - last year, he threw 107 innings for the Tigers, going 13-0 with a 2.35 ERA, 127 strikeouts and yielding 38 walks. Crow was an All-American and won the 2008 Roger Clemens Award, given to the best college pitcher. But he and agent JD Smart ended up about a $1M smackeroos short of a deal with the Nats, so back into this year's pond he goes after some indy ball.
Andy Oliver, LHP, Oklahoma State - he was suspended for having an agent when first drafted in 2006, but that was thrown out of court last month. He dumped the first rep for Scott Boras, and that's what is alleged to have set off the fireworks. Anyway, he's compared to ex-Angel Chuck Finley. His sits in the 89-93 range, touching 95, works inside, has good control and sink, and gets a ton of groundouts. Oliver needs to improve his secondary pitches.
Kyle Gibson, LHP, Missouri - the 6'6" junior's fastball hits the low ninties, and he has a good slider and change. Probably a mid-round pick; he's what the scouts like to call "projectable."
Next Up: Mike Minor, LHP, Vanderbilt; Kendal Volz, RHP, Baylor; Tanner Scheppers, RHP, St. Paul Saints/Fresno State (yah, him); Jason Stoffel, RHP, Arizona; Sean Black, RHP, Seton Hall.
Top Five Position Players: Grant Green, SS, Southern Cal - last year, the junior batted .390 with 15 doubles, five triples, nine home runs, 10 stolen bases and 46 RBI. He made Baseball America's third team All-America and tore it up in Cape Cod over the summer. Green is probably a top-five pick.
Dustin Ackley, 1B/OF, North Carolina - the junior is a pure hitter with good speed, but not enough power to play first. Might be a tweener, but belts line drives out almost every at-bat and has hit over .400 both years at UNC. Ackley projects as a LF and #2 type batter in MLB.
Kentrail Davis, LF, Tennessee - the soph was selected to the Freshman All-America team and is on Rivals and Baseball America's A-A squads this year. He led the Vols in batting average (.330), home runs (13), and RBI (44), hits (68), triples (3), total bases (120), hit-by-pitches (15) and on-base percentage (.435).
D.J. LeMahieu, SS, LSU - he was the Tigers’ starting shortstop as a true freshman in 2008, and hit .337 with 11 doubles, one triple, six homers, 44 RBI and 10 steals. LeMahieu was rated the #6 prospect in the Cape Cod League last year by Baseball America and was his team's MVP.
Ryan Jackson, SS, Miami (FL) - the junior hit .360 in 2008 with 19 doubles. He was one of the top defensive shorstops in the NCAA last season, committing just eight errors in 310 chances (.974) at SS. Jackson was a member of the USA Baseball National Team last year.
Next Up: Blake Smith, OF/RHP, California; AJ Pollock, OF, Notre Dame.
Top Five High School Players: Matt Purke, LHP, Klein HS (TX) - he's considered by many to be the top pitching prospect in the 2009 high school class. He pitches in the low 90’s with top flight movement to his fastball. Purke has an easy delivery and mixes in his secondary stuff; he projects as a potential #1 pitcher in the show.
Tyler Matzek, LHP, Capistrano Valley HS (CA) - he's a 6-foot-3, 215-pound pitcher with a 94 MPH fastball. Matzek reestablished himself with a series of post-season tournament games; his junior year was up and down as his dad was fighting cancer during the school year. But his father, we're glad to say, has recovered, Matzek put on 20 pounds and added some velocity to his heater, and looks like an early pick.
Donovan Tate, CF, Cartersville HS (GA) - son of Bulldog and Tampa Bay running back Lars Tate, Donovan is a five-tooler. He profiles similarly to Cameron Maybin. Tate already has Scott Boras for an agent, and is a football star, too, which may or may not affect his draft slot, though he could be a top-five baseball pick.
Mychal Givens, RHP, Plant HS (FL) - he's is a contact hitter who profiles as a number two type batter and also a smooth fielder. And don't question the kid's arm; he throws a mid 90’s fastball. Some thought he was the number two scholastic SS last year, behind top pick Tim Beckham.
Shelby Miller, RHP, Brownwood HS (TX) - Miller can do it all. His pitching line last year was 8-2 with a 1.11 ERA and 119 K's in 57 innings of work. He also hit .413-9-32. Miller committed to Texas A&M, so someone will have to show him the money to get him into the fold.
Next Up: Jacob Turner, RHP, Westminster Christian Academy (ME), Zach Wheeler, RHP, East Paudling HS (GA); and Luke Bailey, C, Troupe HS (GA).
OK, guys, that's our first look at the draft class; we're sure they'll jockey positions as June approaches. And it ain't that far away - could another Scott Boras soap opera be in the cards?
Monday, March 9, 2009
Shoulda Went For Two...
* Hey, the Bucs scored seven times in the eighth and ninth to take the Red Sox into extra innings, but came up a safety short in a 15-14 loss.
Gorzo had another rough start, giving up four earned runs in two innings, along with two homers, a walk, and a beaned batter. His ERA is an unsightly 7.50 so far this spring. Chris Bootcheck, Brian Slocum, and Juan Mateo, who took the loss, all gave up three spots. The BoSox had eight extra-base knocks, including four homers.
The Pirates pounded out 16 hits, nine for extra bases, and drew nine walks. They were led by Jose Tabata, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and 4 RBI. Garrett Jones and Robinzon Diaz each had a pair of doubles, and Neil Walker and Nyjer Morgan added a pair of hits. Morgan had a tough day on the bases, getting caught stealing and picked off.
Pittsburgh left twelve runners on base.
The 8-4 Pirates have their first off-day of the spring tomorrow, and there's no practice scheduled, so the boys can play in the sun. The Bucs return to action to face Toronto on the road Wednesday afternoon.
* Brandon Moss' thumb is bruised and sprained, but an MRI confirmed that there's no ligament damage. Whether he'll be ready to go when the season starts is still up in the air.
* The Pirates announced their first cuts of camp today. RHP Romulo Sanchez was optioned to Indy, while LHP Daniel Haigwood, SS Pedro Lopez and C Miguel Perez were sent to the minor league camp for assignment.
* Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has an article on Ian Snell and his Puerto Rico ties. His stepdad, Juan Davila, is a native of Yabucoa, and his better half, Angelica nee Oquendo, is a native of Ponce. "My heart and soul is in Puerto Rico," Snell says. So's his arm, at least for the duration of the WBC.
* Jen Langosch of MLB.com has an article on former Twin Garrett Jones, trying to earn a spot on the Bucco roster as a 1B-OF stick.
* Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette did a piece on the slimmed down - well, as slimmed down as you can be at 240 pounds - Matt Capps and how his fastball is coming back to life.
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review writes how the pressure is off of Andy LaRoche now that he's quit trying to impress and just being himself.
* John Perrotto of the Pirate Report takes a look at the shortstop depth in the Pirate system, a pretty timely topic as Jack Splat's Pirate career winds down.
* Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors offers his "Pirates Offseason In Review" op piece.
* Jesse Specter of the New York Daily News has a chat with Sean Forman, founder of the absolutely essential hardball wonk's site, Baseball Reference, covering its beginnings and how he plans to spiff it up in the future.
Gorzo had another rough start, giving up four earned runs in two innings, along with two homers, a walk, and a beaned batter. His ERA is an unsightly 7.50 so far this spring. Chris Bootcheck, Brian Slocum, and Juan Mateo, who took the loss, all gave up three spots. The BoSox had eight extra-base knocks, including four homers.
The Pirates pounded out 16 hits, nine for extra bases, and drew nine walks. They were led by Jose Tabata, who went 3-for-3 with two doubles and 4 RBI. Garrett Jones and Robinzon Diaz each had a pair of doubles, and Neil Walker and Nyjer Morgan added a pair of hits. Morgan had a tough day on the bases, getting caught stealing and picked off.
Pittsburgh left twelve runners on base.
The 8-4 Pirates have their first off-day of the spring tomorrow, and there's no practice scheduled, so the boys can play in the sun. The Bucs return to action to face Toronto on the road Wednesday afternoon.
* Brandon Moss' thumb is bruised and sprained, but an MRI confirmed that there's no ligament damage. Whether he'll be ready to go when the season starts is still up in the air.
* The Pirates announced their first cuts of camp today. RHP Romulo Sanchez was optioned to Indy, while LHP Daniel Haigwood, SS Pedro Lopez and C Miguel Perez were sent to the minor league camp for assignment.
* Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has an article on Ian Snell and his Puerto Rico ties. His stepdad, Juan Davila, is a native of Yabucoa, and his better half, Angelica nee Oquendo, is a native of Ponce. "My heart and soul is in Puerto Rico," Snell says. So's his arm, at least for the duration of the WBC.
* Jen Langosch of MLB.com has an article on former Twin Garrett Jones, trying to earn a spot on the Bucco roster as a 1B-OF stick.
* Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette did a piece on the slimmed down - well, as slimmed down as you can be at 240 pounds - Matt Capps and how his fastball is coming back to life.
* Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review writes how the pressure is off of Andy LaRoche now that he's quit trying to impress and just being himself.
* John Perrotto of the Pirate Report takes a look at the shortstop depth in the Pirate system, a pretty timely topic as Jack Splat's Pirate career winds down.
* Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors offers his "Pirates Offseason In Review" op piece.
* Jesse Specter of the New York Daily News has a chat with Sean Forman, founder of the absolutely essential hardball wonk's site, Baseball Reference, covering its beginnings and how he plans to spiff it up in the future.
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