Bucco Bits

Those dang Mayans might as well work out another long count; looks like this cycle wasn't the big one. Just a guess, but maybe 82 Bucco wins will be the omen.

• Chris Cwik, who covers Fangraph's fantasy beat, wonders if James McDonald's second half fizzle had to do with a string of extended pitch counts. 
• Jon Heyman of CBS' Baseball Insider tweets that the Dodgers and Red Sox have interest in Hanny.  Several other reports say the Bucs still would like to land Rick Porcello, but Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review says the Tigers won't swap for Hanrahan straight up.
• Daniel Rathman of Baseball Prospectus has the charts on Hanny's 2012 pitch selection, accuracy and velocity, and they don't paint a pretty picture. He writes that "The Dodgers, Red Sox, and any other teams phoning Huntington about Hanrahan are counting on some reversion in those numbers." It helps explain why the market hasn't developed for Hanny the way the Pirates may have envisioned.
• Think the Pirates overpaid for Russell Martin? According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, one of the clubs they had to outbid for him was the Rangers.
• David Brown of YahooSports! Big League Stew rated the GM by sexiness; Neal Huntington came in eighth. Add your own comment.
• If you missed it, ESPN the Magazine featured Roberto Clemente's bat. Kevin Guilfoile tracks the three bats that had a claim to The Great One's 3,000th hit.
• Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors posts that RHP Daniel McCutchen has multiple offers to pitch in Japan. He has an escape clause in his minor league deal with Baltimore if he decides to head way East.
• RHP Jose Veras signed a one year deal with Houston for $1.85M plus an option, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN.
• LHP Tom Gorzelanny just inked a two-year deal with the Brewers for nearly $6M.
• IF Bobby Crosby announced he plans to make a comeback. Please don't tell Neal Huntington, OK?
• Remember RHP Edwin Jackson turning down the Bucs three year, $27M offer last season to pitch a season for the Nats? Jon Heyman asks who's laughing now - Jackson just signed a four year, $52M deal with the Cubs.

Barrett Barnes

Growing up in Sugarland, Texas, Barrett Barnes was focused on one goal: to play major league baseball. Barnes' uncle Anthony Young fueled his big league dreams. The Houston-born righty pitched 460 innings (15-48/3.89) in six MLB seasons with the Mets, Cubs and Astros between 1991-96 and gave Barnes a face to his dream. After graduating from Austin High undrafted, Barnes moved on to play ball in the Big 12 for Texas Tech.

In his three year career at Lubbock, Barnes started all 169 games the Red Raiders' played during his stay. He became only the second player in Tech history to bat .300, record 500 at bats, score 150 runs, collect 200 hits, 50 doubles, 30 home runs, 100 RBI, 100 walks and 50 stolen bases, joining Raider alum Clint Bryant (1993-96).

He ranks fifth in school history in doubles (51), runs (171) and total bases (371), sixth in walks (113), seventh in at bats (637), ninth in home runs (33) and tied for ninth in hits (203). Barnes became the fourth player in school history to earn All-Big 12 honors in three consecutive seasons; he was second-team in 2010 and first-team in both 2011 and 2012.

One of the more highly recognized players in school history, Barnes received 58 individual awards, honors and recognitions while a Red Raider, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year in 2010, numerous Freshman All-America teams and four preseason All-America squads.

So while he may have been a somewhat unknown name to Pirate fans, the scouts had the 6'1" 210 lb. outfielder squarely on their radar.

The Brewers and Padres showed some early round interest in him while Bucs hadn't spoken to Barnes at all before the draft, but no matter. They had a five minute phone chat with him a few selections before they went on the clock during the sandwich round (his slot was compensation for the Dewey free agent loss), agreed on $1M bonus, and viola - the 45th overall pick was in the fold. He made it official on June 14th, accepting a nudge under the slot amount of $1,136,400.

Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com had him as the #57 player on his board (Baseball America had him at #41), and wrote this about him: "Before every Draft, college hitters who perform well move up boards late and end up being taken much sooner than many anticipated at the start of the spring. The more Barnes hit in 2012, the more his name was on the rise."

"Strong and athletic, Barnes is a little raw as a baseball player, but he has some offensive upside. His best tools are his raw power and his speed, and some of both have shown up in his performance this year. A center fielder currently, Barnes might be best suited for a corner spot when all is said and done. That might mean left field, as his arm is fringy average. He gets high marks for his intensity on the field."

The Pirates started him at short season State College, and he had a dismal June. But the Texan heated up with the weather, and the 21 year old finished with a slash of .288/.401/.456 with five homers, 24 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 38 games. It wasn't all roses; his season ended in early August when a sprained ankle led to a stress fracture, ending his rookie campaign. Still, he showed enough that Baseball America rated Barnes as the 10th best prospect in the New York-Penn League even missing a month of action.

As with all lower level players, he's raw and still has a punchlist to complete. Barnes played center in college and at State College, but he's projected to be a corner outfielder because of his average arm strength. That's OK, especially for the Pittsburgh template; his range makes him the prototypical left fielder for the organization.

The bigger question is whether he can make consistent contact as he advances. While his K-to-walk rate was sweet for the Spikes (21/17), he is a swing-and-miss guy though willing to take a free pass. His power stroke also comes with a caveat. Barnes is a RH pull hitter, and that doesn't translate so well at PNC Park.

His speed is good, but not plus. He has enough to plug into any of the three OF spots, but it showed up in his stolen base success in the pros. Barnes was an excellent 50-for-56 in stolen base attempts at Tech, but just 10-of-16 (63%) for the Spikes, so he has some work to put into that aspect of his game.

With that, his glove, bat speed and raw power make him a guy to watch. Barnes is one of those rare animals in the Pirate system, a true three hitter who projects as fitting into the middle of the lineup. If he reaches his projected ceiling, we've seen comparisons of him to a budding Nolan Reimold or Marlon Byrd. At any rate, he joins Gregory Polanco and Josh Bell as the lower level trinity of the OF class.

If there are no lingering affects from the ankle injury (and it's reported to be healing on schedule), the Pirate MO is to skip a level for their top guys in short season ball, so we'd expect him to bypass West Virginia and open 2013 in High A Bradenton, a good spot for a 21 year old (his birthday is July 29th) prospect.

Alen Hanson

Ya know, it was pretty depressing news when the Bucs missed out on signing Miguel Sano in 2009 thanks to some head-butting between Rene Gayo and Sano's agent, Rob Plummer. But Gayo didn't drop his head - or the ball. Two weeks later he announced a batch of Latino kids whom he inked for the Bucs.

One of them was 16 year old second baseman Alen Hanson from La Romana of the Dominican Republic, scouted by Ellis Pena. He came at the modest price tag of $90-100K, about three million less than it took to lure Sano to Minnesota. And while Hanson may not be quite at Sano's level, he's one heck of a Plan B.

He spent time at the Dominican Academy (Alen started picking up English from the Academy, teammates, and three years of Rosetta Stone, and is a fair speaker now) and played his first ball in the DSL in 2010. The 17 year old switch hitter put up a slash of .324/.383/.447 playing second, third, and the outfield. The Bucs decided to bring him stateside, and he started 2011 in the GCL.

Hanson was steady enough there, too. His slash was .263/.352/.429, though he was sometimes fooled by pitches. He flashed his plus speed with 24 steals in 30 attempts (80%) and made the transition to shortstop. The teen got to visit State College briefly, getting in three games and collecting a couple of hits and a walk.

The Dominican was raw but toolsy, and though an unheralded signing, began popping up on some radar screens. After the season, Baseball America rated him the 14th best prospect in the GCL and the #27 prospect in the Pittsburgh organization, while Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Propectus ranked him #17 in Pirate system.

The Pirates moved both him and Gregory Polanco straight to Low Class A ball at West Virginia in the Sally League, skipping the State College level, in 2012. Neither disappointed; Hanson's line was .309/.381/.528 with a sudden burst of power. He hit 16 homers, 13 triples and 33 doubles, driving in 62 runs and scoring 99 from his leadoff spot.

Hanson had a 10% walk rate, although his 19% whiff rate was a little on the high side for a top-of-the-order guy, but totally acceptable if his power repeats and he drops toward the middle of the lineup. All in all, it was a sharp enough performance to earn him the #40 spot of BA's Mid-Season Top Fifty MLB Prospects and the 6th best prospect in the South Atlantic League.

It wasn't all peaches and cream. He padded his average early in the season and crashed a bit in the second half, especially in July, and was hampered in August by recurring hip flexor problems. Hanson stole 35 bases for the Power, but was caught 19 times, a 65% success rate that needs some work considering his wheels.

The Pirates hope he can hang at SS, a premium position that doesn't feature many bats like Hanson's. He booted 40 balls at WV and barely cleared .900 in fielding percentage in 103 games at the spot. There are several schools of thought on that.

One is that his arm, while above average, is better suited to second or the outfield. Another is that the game hasn't slowed down enough for him yet (Hanson was only 19 at WV) and he rushes too many plays, a problem that repetition and some coaching should solve. Another is that he just doesn't focus in the field, ala Ronnie Cedeno, and that can be overcome, even if RC never quite figured it out.

Be assured of this - the value he brings to SS is pretty high, and the Pirates will keep tossing him there until he either masters the position or goes down trying, in which case a switch to 2B/OF will be in line. They'll find a spot for him because of the way his bat plays.

The Pirates need a disruptive leadoff guy, and Hanson is the best fit for the job currently in the Bucco system. He covers the plate well, has a good enough eye, even with the occasional flail, to have a career 10% walk rate, and is a line drive, contact hitter that uses the whole field. Hanson does the little things, too - he steals, bunts, and isn't afraid to work a count. The only drawback is that he whiffs a bit much for leadoff.

Oh, and that surprising power surge. Hanson is a little bigger than when he was signed, now maybe 5' 11" and 160 pounds in a driving rainstorm, but if he keeps pounding the horsehide like Cutch, he may find himself a little lower in the lineup. We'll see how that plays out as he moves along in the system.

And he's moving like a bullet. MLB.com ranks him as the #47 prospect in baseball and Scouting Book at #95. Scouting Book ranks him as the #3 Pirate prospect and Baseball Prospectus has him at #5. When BA comes out with their team ratings in mid-January and prospect list in February, we'd expect to see his name prominently displayed again.

But it will take some time to get him to Pittsburgh; 2015 looks like his ETA if all goes well.

Gregory Polanco

When the Pirates signed Gregory Polanco in 2009, they weren't sure what exactly they had. The 17 year old from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic claimed a $75K bonus, and was selected because he looked like a ballplayer - at 6' 4", 170 lb., he was tall, lanky, and athletic with plus speed and a good arm, with the added advantage of being a lefty. The teen had the textbook body type, and the scouts hoped his hitting would follow as he filled out.

He spent the 2009 campaign in the DSL, where he hit .267 with a .370 OBP as a right fielder. Polanco showed little power, with a 19% K and 13% walk rate. Nothing was out of line considering his age, and he was moved along to the GCL in 2010 after some time at the Academy (which is the home of the DSL/DWL Pirates).

The Dominican began at the bottom of the rung in Bradenton. He hit just .202, again showing little power. His peripherals took a beating: his K rate rose to 21% and his walk rate dropped to 5%. One bright spot was his base stealing - he swiped 19-of-21 bases, fourth in the league. Polanco also got a taste of center field, his natural spot, though he mostly played right again.

Repeating in the GCL in 2011, the light began to come on, although his stats didn't jump out at all. He hit .237 with little power, but his OBP jumped from .245 in 2010 to .333 in 2011. Polanco's K rate was more manageable at 16% and his walk rate was back in double figures at 12%. He was a perfect 18-for-18 in steals, and was moving into a more premium spot at center, splitting time with Willy Garcia, a highly touted product from Polanco's hometown who signed in 2010 for $280K. Polanco responded to the challenge well, throwing out eight baserunners.

He got a cup of coffee at State College, playing three games for the Spikes. Polanco then skipped a level and was moved to Low A West Virginia in the Sally League for 2012, as his improved eye and continued strong play in the pasture indicated to the Bucs that he was ready for full-season baseball. They were right.

Polanco blew up for the Power. He put together a slash of .325/.388/.522, and got stronger as the year went on. The 20 year old was now 6'5" and up to maybe 210 lbs, and he banged 26 doubles and 16 homers with his new found bulk - and he still has room to grow. The plate recognition continued, too. Polanco worked deep counts, and his K rate was 13% with a walk rate of 9%, so he wasn't trading plate discipline to swing for the fences. The youngster stole 40 sacks in 55 tries, a 73% success rate. And he became the full-time center fielder.

His breakout year earned him a cabinet full of hardware. He was named to the Sally League's mid and post season All-Star teams, the SAL's Outstanding MLB Prospect, Topp's Sally League Player of the Year, and Baseball America rated him as the league's #3 prospect. The Pirates selected Polanco as their 2012 Minor League Player of the Year. Not too bad a year for a guy who was unranked among Pirate prospects entering the season; you can bet he's in everyone's Bucco Top Ten now.

His only bummer was an ankle injury in early August that caused him to miss three weeks of the season. There were reports that he reinjured it during the Bucs' military training drills, but if he did, it wasn't of any major consequence. He's now playing winter ball for Leones del Escogido in the DWL with teammates Starling Marte and Altoona pitcher Kris Johnson.

Polanco will likely open 2013 with High Class A Bradenton at age 21, which puts him on track if all goes well to arrive in Pittsburgh sometime in 2015. And even with his toolkit, he's a raw product and still has a fairly extensive punchlist before he's ready for the show.

His swing needs some work; it's a little on the long side, mostly due to his size and long arms. Polanco does have quick hands, so shortening the swing shouldn't be a major issue; he's already worked on it at WV. Ditto with his fielding. Polanco is already an above average fielder, but like many athletic guys, his speed makes up for read and route mistakes, and more experience should bring more efficiency to his jumps.

Base running and stealing are also on his "to-do" list. He's a little slow out of the box, though his long strides make up for that in a hurry. The stride is what he needs to work on; it sometimes makes him choppy on the basepaths getting to a sack and making a turn. That's probably nit-picking, but after watching the big team run the bases, it would be nice to see a polished product off to the races in Pittsburgh.

Polanco is going to be a different sort of player when he arrives at PNC Park; he'll probably have matured enough physically to be a corner, rather than center, fielder. But with that should also be increased power. It could be that the Pirates finally have their right fielder, even if he's a couple or three years away.

Dilson Herrera

Dilson Herrera, a 5' 10" switch-hitting SS from Cartagena, Columbia, was one the Pirates’ bigger Latino signings in 2010, inking a $220K deal after being scouted by Orlando Covo.

The deal was miles behind RHP Luis Heredia's $2.6M bonus, but in the ballpark of Dominican outfielder Willy Garcia's $280K enticement and ended up the third largest contract of the international signing period for the Bucs. The bonus was no surprise; Pittsburgh had its eye on the 16 year old for quite a while.

"Dilson is a player we have been scouting since he was 13-years-old," said Rene Gayo. "He has well above average bat potential, above average run potential, a solid average arm, above average defensive potential and a natural ability to steal bases."

Herrera was assigned to the Venezuelan Summer League in 2011 as a 17 year old, and hit .308 with 16 stolen bases and a .413 OBP.  His eye was plenty good, drawing 32 walks in 260 PA. The only red flag was that he played the hot corner for the VSL Pirates, with just a couple of games at second, and made a boatload of boots at third.

The teen spent the fall in the Pirate City instructional camp, and impressed the staff enough to be assigned to the GCL in 2012 at the age of 18, still a little on the peach-fuzz side for a Latin player but a good indication of how well the decision makers perceived his baseball toolkit and maturity.

He didn't disappoint. Herrera was moved to second, where his play was solid and the position better suited to his arm. His bat also played well, as he hit .281 with a .341 OBP and even showed a little pop, banging out seven long balls. The Colombian stole 11 sacks in 15 attempts and his walk rate was still OK at 8%, with an acceptable K rate of 18%, which is a bit high for a projected top-of-the-order guy. He also gave up switch hitting, and now bats from just the right side.

Herrera led the team in seven different offensive categories and was named the GCL's Player of the Year by Topps while Baseball America ranked him as the seventh best prospect in the league.

On August 30th, he was assigned to State College during the Pirates usual end-of-the-year personnel shuffle. Herrera got 29 PA and banged the ball at a .321 clip in his cup of coffee stop, though he did commit three errors in five games at second, somewhat offset by being part of five DPs during that span.

He's drawn comparisons to OF Gregory Polanco and especially SS Alen Hanson, both a year ahead of him in the Pirate system, as a young, rising-with-a-bullet Latino prospect. And if he follows their template, Herrera should begin 2013 at West Virginia in the Sally League, which would be his first full season assignment.

Herrera is another testimonial to the Pirate FO giving Rene Gayo the resources to do his job. He and his Latin American scouts have identified youngsters with potential and tools, and gotten them stateside early enough to develop. Now comes the hard part - getting them through the system and into the show, a road that's not easily traveled.

Luis Heredia

As a 15 year old in Mazatlan, Mexico, Luis Heredia was considered the top pitching prospect in the 2010 international market by many scouts. No wonder - the teen was already 6'5" and throwing 92 MPH fastballs. The Pirates, Yankees, and Blue Jays were on him seriously and the Dodgers, Giants, Rangers and Mariners were also poking around.

The Bucs were considered the front runner. Scout Jesus "Chino" Valdez was almost a family member, and Rene Gayo had steered the youngster to the Vera Cruz Red Eagles, a team he and Valdez had connections with. That was key, because Latino players signed to a team are somewhat like Japanese players in free agency in that the team gets the major share of the bonus, like a guaranted posting fee, while the player keeps the rest and gets to go to El Norte. But with the Miguel Sano debacle a year before fresh in everyone's memory, it was finger-crossing time until the deal was sealed.

This time, it worked out just fine. Mamá Maria was a big fan of the Pirate scouts, and Heredia joined the organization in August, a week after he turned 16. He received a $2.6M bonus (his cut was $650K; the rest went to Vera Cruz), far and away the biggest honeypot that the Pirates had ever given an international amateur. Before that, Venezuelan OF Exicardo Cayones held the record, signing for $400K in 2008.

The Bucs didn't assign him anywhere that year, but brought him to Pirate City in early 2011 to evaluate him thoroughly. He displayed enough raw stuff, maturity and an eagerness to dive into American baseball culture, so instead of weaning him at the Academy or in a Latin league, they pretty aggressively sent him to the GCL.

It was risky; the FO was having him compete against kids that were a couple of years older and been through high school. But they thought he had the physical tools, and he had faced older players while stashed with the VC Reds. The cultural differences were another issue. The team had only brought one other 16 year old to the GCL before him, Dominican IF Andury Acevedo in 2007, and he was sent back home a couple of seasons later after failing to adjust, not to return stateside again until he was 20.

But Heredia embraced the culture, learning English from TV and his teammates and buying his mom a house near Bradenton. He already had some family close at hand in Florida, so that helped in the transition, too.

It would be nice to say that he blazed his way through the league, but that's not what happened. The Pirates were very careful to limit his workload, and he ended up tossing just 30-1/3 frames. Heredia's line was 1-2/4.75, with 23 strikeouts against 19 walks. His velocity remained in the low nineties, and though he was inconsistent with his control, Heredia had streaks of excellent ball. Baseball America ranked him as the 3rd best prospect in the GCL that season.

Pittsburgh wasn't sure whether to keep him there in 2012, but after extended spring training decided to bump him up a notch to State College in the short season New York-Penn League. Again, it was an aggressive move; he was 17 years old and pitching in a league of primarily college players. In fact, Heredia was the youngest player in the NYPL last year and the youngest to ever play for the Spikes.

It was a good move; he improved in every stat other than whiffs. His slash was 4-2/2.71. Heredia cut his hits from 8 to 7 per nine, walks from 5.6 to 2.7 per game, and though he doubled his innings to 66-1/3, he actually gave up fewer home runs (two; he surrendered three in 2011) than he did in the GCL. His heater touched 96, and sat in the low nineties, plenty impressive enough for a teen. Baseball America tabbed his as the #2 prospect in the NYPL.

The improvement came even while the Bucs kept him on a short leash. He was generally limited to 60-65 pitches per outing, and 90% of his pitches were gas, in keeping with the Pirate protocol of fastball command for its young pitchers.

When he was signed, it was said that he had a six-pitch repertoire. The Pirates have cut that to three - fastball, change up, and curve.

A point of emphasis was keeping his fastball down, and Heredia made considerable strides in that regard. The heater will be his bread-and-butter pitch, and his velocity should improve as he matures physically. He still has work to do, though. His four seamer has some run, but he has yet to master cutting and sinking the two-seamer, and he still has problems moving the ball in and out.

Heredia's circle change is on track to become a plus pitch. It comes in about 8-10 miles slower than his fast ball, which is an excellent spread, and has good fade, but he doesn't have command of it yet. It's probably the pitch he uses the most after the fastball, and one that the Pirate staff like to have in their pitchers' toolkit. Once he has his heater command in hand, he'll get to throw it more often and should grow into it.

The curve should become his chase pitch. It already shows nice movement, but it's a little bit loopy. When he gets the spin a little tighter, it will become his swing-and-miss offering. Again, he should get more comfortable with it after the coaches allow him more leeway in his pitch selection at the higher levels.

So right now, he's busy assembling his pitching package. His command isn't consistent yet, but for a big guy, he has an easy, over-the-top delivery that he mostly repeats. His stuff is delivered a nice downhill plane, and Heredia is keeping it at the knees more often than not. So everything looks to be right on schedule for a kid who's still three summers away from legally ordering a Corona from the neighborhood cantina.

The main concern we've seen in various scouting reports is his body. He weighed 185 pounds when he was signed, and it was said he couldn't do a push-up. He's bulking up now (we've seen his weight listed between 205-220 lbs.; his height between 6'6"-7", so he's still a growing boy), and strength and conditioning will be an important part of his routine. It could be the difference between an inning-eater or a guy who's prone to physical breakdowns. So far, so good in that regard, but it may bear watching as he makes his way through the minors.

Heredia is considered to be part of the Pirate minor league trinity of aces, along with Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon, and John Sickels rates him as baseball's #66 prospect. Cole is 22 and just about ready to join the parade; Taillon is 21 and is more likely to show up sometime in 2014 than next season. Heredia is 18 and will likely start at West Virginia next year, and 2016 is projected to be the earliest he'll make his MLB debut. After all, he's just a high school senior in age, and the Sally League is a pretty fair prep division.

A lot can happen between now and then; pitchers travel a particularly rocky career road. But right now, Luis Heredia and his two amigos are the bright lights shining at the end of the tunnel for long suffering Bucco fans.

Notes and Quotes

From PirateFest and beyond:

• Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reiterates that "Hanrahan has been linked to both the Tigers and Dodgers, but both clubs are wary of his salary, sources say." LA has been shopping Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang, while the Anibal Sanchez signing leaves the Tigers with a starter (ie, Rick Portobello) too many. 
• Scratch John Lannan from the Bucco wish list. The Phils have signed him to a one year deal worth $2.5M with an equal amount in performance bonuses.
• The Pirates told the media that they expect their payroll to "approach" the $70M range this season (it was around $61M last season). He also tossed in that the Root Sports TV deal is better than reported, but wouldn't give specifics. The deal has been reported as worth $16-20M/year, but its terms are confidential.
• When asked about non-tendering Jeff Karstens, Neal Huntington said, as reported by Bill Brink of the Post Gazette, that the decision was partially financial and partially injury-based: "At $4 million or thereabouts, in some markets, that's (the $4M salary) a no-brainer. Right or wrong, we felt we were best doing something else. When healthy the last two years, he's pitched very well, but the biggest concern there is the 'when healthy' part of it...It may turn out to be a really bad decision, and we know that." Apparently JK caught wind of his statement, and left a twitter response: "...if you wanna see that I'm healthy...fly to Florida and come to the performance compound and see for yourself!"
• The GM added that the Pirates can afford to begin the season with both Joel Hanrahan, who will earn roughly $7M in 2013, and Jason Grilli, who recently agreed to a two-year, $6.75 M contract that will pay him $2.75M this season, on the 2013 roster. That's a tacit admission that the return on Hanny hasn't approached what the FO considers to be his true value on the market.
• Huntington said of the return of Garrett Jones, "Our plan is yes. But I can't promise anything." GI has been mentioned in a couple of trade rumors so far during the hot stove season.
• Neil Walker on a long-term deal: “This is the city I want to be in,” Walker said Friday at the annual Hot Stove Luncheon that kicks off PirateFest. “I‘m excited about my first year of arbitration, (but) I can‘t really speak too much more on that. I hope to be a Pirate for a long, long time. We‘ll see how it goes. I know if I take care of myself and stay healthy, everything will work out,” according to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review
• The Pirates restated that they're pleased with their internal starting options. We'll see in the next few weeks if that's so or just a ploy in trying to land another arm without appearing too desperate.
• Brink was told that pitchers Justin Wilson, Vin Mazzaro, Zach Stewart, and Andy Oliver are preparing as starters entering spring camp. It's not that they're all expected to compete for the rotation, but because it's "easier to reduce innings rather than increase (them)." We'd guess that the Bucs would much prefer Wilson and Oliver to start sooner or later (hopefully sooner) rather than head to the pen.
• The GM also told the gathering after being asked about the Mark Appel selection that they're committed to signing the top player on the board in the draft. Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects quoted him as saying " (We've) signed about 100 picks. (We) would have passed on 40 if (we) listened to agents."
• Tom Singer of MLB.com wrote that one of the assignments for new first-base coach Rick Sofield will be to help Andrew McCutchen's defense. "Subjectively, Andrew won a Gold Glove. Objectively, he doesn't score so well," GM Neal Huntington said. "Sofield can be of help to Cutch; he can help drive up his metrics."
• Jeff Branson, Indy's hitting coach, was promoted to the Pirates' assistant hitting coach. He'll help Jay Bell in perking up the Bucco bats.
• The Bucs unveiled a third jersey for Sunday home games, inspired by the seventies gear except with a name plate and mustard cap.
• John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus tweeted some local news: "RHP Cory Mazzoni, a Seneca Valley graduate, ranked as the Mets No. 10 prospect by Baseball America."

Phil Irwin

The Bucs have been cranking out a steady line of guys with average stuff and great control from Indy, with pitchers like Rudy Owens, Jeff Locke and Kyle McPherson. Now you can add Phil Irwin to the list.

Irwin, who will turn 26 in February, attended Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, Tennessee (he still lives in Collierville, the Memphis suburb he was raised in, during the offseason). The Purple Lions claimed the State Championship in 2003-04 and were runner-ups in 2005.

At Christian Brothers, he posted a 21-4 record over three years, and won All-State, All-Region and All-Metro honors in both 2004 and 2005. Irwin was also named to the USA Classic All-Tournament team in 2004 and 2005 and the Toyo Tire Classic All-Tournament team in 2004. After graduation, he went off to toss for Ole Miss.

Irwin had TJ surgery in his freshman year of 2006, but by his senior campaign in 2009, he was part of a pretty good rotation at Oxford. Their staff took them to the co-championship of the SEC and to the CWS Super-Regionals before Virginia ended their run. Mississippi finished the season ranked 17th in the nation.

The Rebels were led by sophomore Drew Pomeranz (also from Collierville), who would go on to be drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the first round of the 2010 draft, and is now pitching for the Rockies. Next was All-America pitcher Scott Bittle, who was drafted by the Cards in the fourth round of the 2009 draft, but has so far had more surgeries than starts in his career. The Ole Miss back end was apparently well-scouted by the Pirates.

They took Nathan Baker in the fifth round of the 2009 draft, and he has been a disappointment for the Bucs, pitching last year at Altoona and none too well (4-7, 4.94). But the same can't be said for the last guy standing, 21st-rounder Irwin, who was left waiting in the wings because of the lack of smoke and no really dominant secondary pitch (though he did show a promising curve), while putting up an 8-3/3.84 slash with 73 K in 87 IP for Ole Miss.

He signed in late June, and was sent to short-season State College, the usual launching pad for later-round college picks. In 10 appearances, he went 1-2/2.12 with 32 K in 29-1/3 IP, and was named to the New York-Penn Mid-Season All-Star team.

Irwin moved up a level in 2010 to Low Class A West Virginia Power. He spent the season there compiling a 6-3/3.35 slash with 111 whiffs in 113 innings, showing a bit more velocity with his four seamer, and a WHIP of 1.053. The righty also was recognized with a Sally League "Pitcher of the Week" award.

The Bucs continued their step-at-a-time approach with Irwin, and he began the 2011 season at High Class A Bradenton. In ten starts, he went 5-0/2.12. That was plenty good enough to get him promoted to a more age appropriate level at Class AA Altoona. There, even though his heater had picked up a couple ticks, the coaches worked on developing a sinking two-seamer.

His fastball returned to its more usual upper-80s to low-90s range, to go with his out pitch, the hook, and a show me change. Irwin's results were mixed during the transition with a line of 8-4/3.81, but his peripherals were still in line, with a WHIP of 1.156 and seven K with one walk per nine in 87-1/3 frames. And though he didn't win any league awards during the campaign, he did get to sing the National Anthem at Blair County Ballpark on August 18th.

The FO wanted him to work some more at Mesa in Arizona, but Irwin suffered a strained elbow during the Arizona Fall League. He aggravated again it in spring training, and missed the first month of the season. Then he got a warm-up start at Bradenton and was assigned to the Curve in early May.

He definitely showed some rust, but it didn't take too long for it to fall off. In his first nine outings, his ERA was 5.05; in the next nine, it was 1.24 with a "Pitcher of the Week" recognition by the Eastern League. Irwin had 18 appearances with 16 starts and a 4-7/2.93 slash line overall for the Curve. His peripherals were solid again, with a 1.093 WHIP, 7.2 K and 1.5 walks per nine, and he was selected as Altoona's Pitcher of the Year.

Irwin wasn't quite done; the FO promoted him to Indianapolis to replace the September call-ups. He threw four games, including a couple of big ones. In his second start, he surrendered one run on five hits and a walk while striking out nine over six innings against Louisville to clinch the International League West Division title by a 6-1 score. Once in the playoffs, Irwin put up a two hit, one walk goose egg against Charlotte with 11 punch outs in seven innings for the Indians' only post-season win over the Knights, an easy 8-0 victory.

After the year, the Bucs added him to the 40-man roster, and he should start the 2013 campaign with the Indy Indians with a good shot at seeing some time in Pittsburgh.

His heater sits at 90 MPH and touches 93. The slow curve is his out pitch, and his change is still a work in progress. The transition to the sinker has helped Irwin keep the ball down and increased his ground ball rate, he changes speeds and isn't afraid to work inside. Irwin has walked 46 batters in the past two seasons; he's hit 27. His peripherals are a testament to his pitch command. In his career, he has a WHIP of 1.100, a hit rate of 8.3, a K rate of 8 and a walk rate of 1.6 per game.

With all that, he will be in his 26 year old season, and his upper limit is probably as a 4-5 starter. But for a 21st round draft pick, that's a pretty nice ceiling. Of all the guys the Bucs have stockpiled or brought in this year, Irwin is the most similar to the departed Jeff Karstens, and that's a role the Pirates are hoping one of the pups step up to claim.

Chad Beck

Chad Beck, the Bucs' new 27 year old righty, got his start at Woodville High School in Texas. He then played at Panola College, which competed at the JC level. Beck was drafted in the 43rd round in 2004 by the Toronto Blue Jays after his freshman season with the Ponies, but passed on their offer.

He returned to the community college for another season but was sidelined with elbow tendonitis. Moving on, he next signed with Louisiana at Lafayette, where he closed for the Ragin' Cajuns in 2006. The righty put up a 2-2-5/3.23 slash there, with 38 K in 30-2/3 IP, and was tossing some serious mid-nineties gas.

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected him in the 14th round of the 2006 draft, and he signed up quickly and was assigned to the short-season Yakima Bears of the Northwest League. He went 1–5/6.25 ERA in 16 outings covering 40-1/3 innings pitched. But he did average 10 K per nine innings, which helped gloss over his otherwise ho-hum peripherals.

The next season, Beck moved up to the Low Class A South Bend Silver Hawks of the Midwest League, and made 31 outings from the pen. His slash there was 1–2-1/4.33 ERA in 52 IP. His hit, walk, HR and WHIP numbers all dropped, and he still managed 8+ whiffs per game.

He started 2008 still at South Bend, and went 2–0/2.04 ERA, with 19 K in 17-2/3 IP. That earned him a promotion to High Class A Visalia of the California League. Beck became a swingman for the Oaks, appearing in 25 games,with 15 starts. He compiled a 6–5/3.98 line in 95 innings while keeping a decent K rate by punching out 89 hitters.

Someone noticed. On August 31st, Arizona traded Beck to the Blue Jays for David Eckstein. Toronto didn't assign him anywhere, being pretty much the end of the minor league campaign.

Beck's first club as a Blue Jay was Low Class A Lansing of the Midwest League, as Toronto continued his conversion to a starting pitcher. In 20 starts, Beck went 6–8/5.94 ERA for the Lug Nuts. His walk and K rate remained OK, but he was hit pretty hard, giving up 11 knocks per game.

He also got a little time with High Class A Dunedin of the Florida State League in 2009. They worked him out of the bullpen there, and the only number that he put up in the FSL worth noting was 14 K in 10-1/3 frames.

Beck spent 2010 with Dunedin, and apparently the starter experiment was put on the back burner. He became a swingman, starting 11 of his 41 outings. The righty was 3–6/3.72 ERA in 101-2/3 IP, and his peripherals were again fine, though his K rate was down to seven per game, a trend that would continue.

He started 2011 at Dunedin, but after one game was moved to Class AA New Hampshire in the Eastern League. The Blue Jays still weren't sure what role to slot Beck in; he started 14 of the 22 games he appeared in for the Fisher Cats. His slash there was 7–4/3.69 ERA in 22 games, starting 14 of them and working 95 frames. Beck was then promoted to Class AAA Las Vegas of the Pacific Coast League. As a 51, he made eight starts with a slash of 2–4/6.70 ERA in 41-2/3 IP.

Despite a weak showing at the AAA level, Toronto called him up to the show in early September. Beck made his first major league appearance on September 13th. He was called on three times and worked 2-1/3 scoreless innings.The righty had spent five seasons at various A levels; suddenly in Toronto he zoomed through four classifications in one year, from High A to the big club.

Toronto apparently decided that they prefer Beck coming in from the pen and after the season sent him to the Arizona Fall League to get some work as a closer (and you think the Pirate FO has problems deciding a role for their pitchers!). He was pretty strong, pitching eight goose egg frames in the AFL, giving up just two hits and a walk with five whiffs.

Beck opened the 2012 season with the Las Vegas 51s, from where he would dizzily yo-yo back and forth with the Blue Jays. He was called up four times during the year, twice for brief durations.

At Vegas, he went 2-0-18/1.31in 43 outings with nice peripherals other than Ks, which were by now down to 4.5 per game, and was named to the 2012 Mid-Season PCL All-Star squad. With Toronto, well, not so hot. In 15-2/3 IP, he had a 6.32 ERA with nine K, five walks and 21 hits surrendered.

On October 22, 2012, the Blue Jays claimed catcher Bobby Wilson from the Angels and DFA'ed Beck. The Bucs claimed him three days later.

Beck tosses a four-seamer that hits the mid-to-upper ninties and a sinking two-seamer that's a couple of ticks less. He also throws a slider and changeup, though neither are very highly regarded. In his tiny MLB sample, he has a 49% groundball rate, though he was considered more of a flyball pitcher in the minors. His splits are scary; he's average against righties, but lefty sticks have put up a line of .323/.400/.645 with a +OPS of 152 against him.

The FO likes taking flyers on power arms, particularly when they have a large body attached to them, as Beck does with his 6'4" 255 lb. frame. But even though he's a big tree and a hard thrower, his age (27), MLB strikeout rate of six per game and split issues probably limit him at best as mid-relief or mop-up material, and it's entirely possible that he ends up nothing more than AAAA/organizational filler.

He's another guy who has been swapped out between starting and relieving his entire career, so he could just need to focus on the bullpen role. Beck has a pair of options left for the Bucs to work with if he remains on the 40-man roster, which is no sure thing.

Bucco Bits

A little holiday news and notes on the Buccos...

• Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLB Trade Rumors reported that "Rick Porcello, 23, posted a 4.59 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.2 BB/9 and a 53.2% ground ball rate in 176 1/3 innings this past season. He earned $3.1MM in 2012 and has a projected salary of $4.7M for 2013. He’s under team control through 2015 and could be a fit for the Rockies, Padres or Pirates in my view." John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus tweets that Motown will give up OF Brennen Boesch, but not Porcello, for Hanny, as if the Pirates need another sub outfielder.
• Kristy Robinson of Pirates Prospects says of another current rumor: "I am told the Pirates would want a second player in addition to Chris Capuano if they were to trade Joel Hanrahan to the Dodgers."
• Ben Nicholson Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus picks the Bucs Top Ten Prospects.The prospect list is on the page; the individual reports are behind a subscriber wall. The roster is awfully young; #1 Gerritt Cole is the only one we could see in Pittsburgh this season.
• Man, the Twins sure like old Pittsburgh Pirates. They took Dewey last year and now have added Kevin Correia to the fold, agreeing on a 2-year, $10M deal with the righty. Minny also signed minor league FAs Jeff Clement, Eric Fryer and Tim Wood from Indy this year.
• Tim Williams of Pirates Prospects guesses that Starling Marte's winter ball is done at the Dominican Winter League All-Star break, as the Pirates want to limit his 2012 inning count. Marte had a .304/.381/.464 line with four doubles, four triples, two homers and twenty RBI’s, so it was a productive few weeks of ball.
• Jason Bay signed a one-year deal with Seattle. He got a hefty separation agreement from the Mets, and inked a contract with the Mariners worth $1M if in the majors, $500K if in the minors.
• The Pirate Caravan starts today when it rolls into the Children's Institute in Squirrel Hill. The Bucs big pre-season blow out, PirateFest, begins Friday at the Convention Center.