The big event during get-away day of the winter meetings was the Rule 5 draft. The Pirates picked up a big lefty, lost a big lefty, and added three Latino arms to their minor league arsenal.
> The Bucs selected LHP Donnie Veal from the Cubs with the fourth pick of the Rule 5 draft.
The 24-year-old Veal spent 2008 at AA Tennessee, where he went 5-10 with a 4.52 ERA in 29 starts while being named to the Southern League mid-season All-Star team. He also recorded a total of 123 strikeouts, which ranked fourth among Southern League hurlers.
Veal was originally selected by the Cubs in the second round of the 2005 draft. In 2006, he was named the organization's Minor League Pitcher-of-the-Year along with Rich Hill, and was ranked by Baseball America as Chicago's second-best prospect.
He features a low-90s heater with a decent change and a work-in-progress curve. As with so many other Pirate reclamation projects, he can't hit the broad side of a barn with a pitch, and his walk rate has kept him buried in the minors.
In his four year minor league career, Veal has walked 256 batters in 469-2/3 innings. He's also struck out 476 batters, and that's the stat that caught the Pirate staff's attention. With those kind of K and BB numbers, we can only imagine how quickly his pitch count hits the roof in games.
Our guess is that Pittsburgh plans to drop him from the rotation and work him out of the pen for now. The Bucs will see if he can stick as a LOOGY and replace John Grabow in spirit if he gets moved to another team during the winter.
If he makes it through the season, Veal will probably spend some time in a winter league and 2010 at Indy, where the Pirates will try to flip him back to a starting role.
Wouldn't it be sweet if he turned into another Bob Veale?
> Ah, but there's a price to pay in Rule 5. Pirate LHP Kyle Bloom was claimed by the Tigers in the 8th round. We suppose all that Jack Wilson talk led them to scouting the system a little, and they stumbled onto Bloom, who was steady at Altoona and pitched lights-out in Hawaii.
We've read that the pitching-challenged Tigers may try to plug him into the back end of their rotation, replacing Kenny Rogers. At worse, they'll use him as a long man and spot starter.
Bloom, btw, was the only Pirate farmhand selected during the three phases of the draft, a league commentary on the strength of the Pittsburgh organization today.
> In the minor-league segment of the draft, Pittsburgh added 22-year old LHP Andres Santos from the evil empire. He went 3-2 with a 1.85 ERA in 13 games, nine as a starter, striking out 49 in 48-2/3 innings in 2008 with the DSL Yankees.
Then RHP Rafael Quintero joined the club via Cleveland. He posted a 5-1 record with one save, a 1.36 ERA, and 48 strikeouts in 23 outings covering 46-1/3 innings while walking 5 with the DSL Indians. The 21-year old is an interesting story, as he's a converted infielder and should have a lot of upside as a pitcher.
Finally, Pittsburgh took RHP Gerardo Esparza from Seattle. Esparza went 4-5 with one save and a 1.81 ERA in 15 games, 13 as a starter, in 2008 with the VSL Mariners. Esparza made 15 appearances, with 13 starts, in the VSL, striking out 59 and walking 22 in 69-2/3 innings. Tomorrow is his 21st birthday.
We'd expect with their background that they'd start in one of the Pirates A clubs, with the hope that one or two of them can make the jump to Altoona sometime during the 2009 season.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette mentioned the rarity of picking up Rule 5 players from Latin America, and how it came about from the Pirate's end.
And we're wondering, with the influx of Latino's, a stress point for the new suits, if it isn't time to bring a couple of Latin American coaches into the system?
> Jenifer Langosh of MLB.com reports that "The Pirates should know on Friday whether or not free agent Ramon Vazquez will accept a two-year, $4 million offer from the Pirates. Vazquez's agent, Melvin Roman, confirmed that the two sides are in negotiations, and that the Pirates are currently the front-runner to land the utility infielder.
'We are in very serious discussions,' Roman said. 'He should have a decision made by [Friday], and right now it's 90 percent that he'll be signing with the Pirates.'"
The well-traveled 32-year old Puerto Rican native has suited up for five teams in his eight year career. He can play all four infield positions, though he's spent most of his time recently at third. Vazquez has also logged a lot of innings at short and second.
He hit .290 for Texas last year, with 6 HRs and 40 RBI in 300 ABs. Vazquez is a lifetime .257 batter, and an experienced utility guy to anchor the bench. What's held the left-handed hitter back is his terrible splits at the plate - he's a career .273 hitter against RHP, but just a .195 batter against southpaws.
Vazquez made $810K last year, so if the numbers have been reported correctly, he's hit the jackpot, relatively speaking.
> The Pirate suits left the Bellagio to head home, and Jack Splat is still a Bucco. The Twins just signed Nick Punto to a two-year deal, so that's one less customer.
The Bucs no doubt did some under the radar groundwork while schmoozing with the MLB decision makers regarding him, but Wilson may yet be the 2009 opening day shortstop for the Pirates. That would be a Ripley moment.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
And They Pull The Trigger...
The Bucs reeled in their first fish of the Hot Stove season...and it's *tada* Jason Jaramillo, the AAA catcher of the Phils. The Pirates had to give up their AAA catcher, Ronny Paulino, to seal the deal.
Jaramillo is the anti-Paulino. The 26-year old switch-hitter is a hard worker, supposedly an outstanding handler of pitchers, calls a good game, and is pretty solid defensively. His hitting is pedestrian, and he runs, well, like a catcher.
He was looked at as Mike Lieberthal's eventual replacement once upon a time, but was passed by a couple of other guys in the organization and is now thought of as MLB back-up material. So he'll be fighting Robinzon Diaz and maybe Raul Chavez to be Ryan Doumit's caddy in 2009.
Jaramillo is the son of a former migrant farm hand that moved to Wisconsin to find steady work, and eventually formed a construction company. He and his bro's learned early on that swinging a bat beats swinging a pick any ol' day; his brothers Francisco Jr. and Lee both played minor league ball.
JJ graduated from Racine's Case HS in 2001 and was rated the top senior high school baseball prospect in Wisconsin by Baseball America. He went to Oklahoma State, bypassing the Phillies after high school when they drafted him in the 39th round.
They eventually got his name on the dotted line in 2004, as a second round selection and the draft's 62nd pick overall.
After signing with the Phillies, he moved quickly through the system, spending 2004 in short-season Batavia, 2005 in A- Lakewood, and 2006 in AA Reading, skipping a level or two in the process.
In 2005, Jaramillo also played in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the AFL top prospect team and led all catchers with a .379 batting average.
The last two seasons were spent in AAA, where he hit .271 and .266, and showed little power, with slugging percentages of .361 and .371. Jaramillo caught for then-Ottawa manager John Russell in 2007, and we're sure JR had considerable input into today's deal.
JJ strikes out every 5 or 6 at bats, and gets his share of walks - his OPS was .711 in 2007 and 2008. He threw out 35.8% of runners that took off against him, a pretty good rate for the minors.
Jaramillo joined Team USA in 2007, and hit .316 in the Baseball World Cup while splitting catching duties with Bryan Anderson. Baseball America ranked him as the Phillies' #10 prospect going into 2008 (he was 15th in 2007), and the Phils protected him on their 40-man roster.
But Carlos Ruiz is da man in the City of Brotherly Love, and that made Jaramillo expendable. He was essentially blocked by Ruiz, Chris Conte and Lou Marson. Paulino's presence is rumored to be greasing Conte's exit now, as Philly is clearing its logjam behind the plate.
So what do the Bucs have in Jaramillo? Well, he's a catch-and-throw receiver, compared by Baseball Prospectus to Johnny Estrada defensively, and is considered a MLB prospect by the Phils, even if not a starter.
Jaramillo has two options left and Diaz one, so the Pirates can put Steve Lerud in Altoona and not worry about the catching at Indy. And catchers are notorious for developing later in their careers than other position players.
USA Today isn't so keen on the deal. They said:
"It's clear the Pirates badly wanted to be done with Paulino, but that's still not much of an excuse. At 26, Jaramillo is only a year and a half younger than Paulino, and his one decent offensive season came in low-A ball in 2005.
His defensive reputation is pretty strong, and he'd be a fine long-term backup if he could post .700 OPSs in the majors. Still, that's probably a stretch. Unless the Pirates add a veteran, Jaramillo could enter camp as the favorite to play behind Ryan Doumit."
Baseball America added: "The Pirates sold low on Paulino, who is a career .278/.331/.382 hitter, and ended up with a watered-down version of him in return, albeit one who switch-hits and has yet to accrue any big league service time."
As they say, mostly Pittsburgh got Ronny Paulino gone. Paulino was lobbying for a move, and he got it. The new suits have shown themselves to be more than happy to give Dave Littlefield's problem children a ticket out of town.
Whether the move will give the Pirates a guy with some future upside, just adds a little depth to the organization, or is a case of addition by subtraction will soon enough be seen. If nothing else, two guys get to change dugouts with the chance to start over again with a clean slate and new organization. And hey, that's a win-win in our book.
Jaramillo is the anti-Paulino. The 26-year old switch-hitter is a hard worker, supposedly an outstanding handler of pitchers, calls a good game, and is pretty solid defensively. His hitting is pedestrian, and he runs, well, like a catcher.
He was looked at as Mike Lieberthal's eventual replacement once upon a time, but was passed by a couple of other guys in the organization and is now thought of as MLB back-up material. So he'll be fighting Robinzon Diaz and maybe Raul Chavez to be Ryan Doumit's caddy in 2009.
Jaramillo is the son of a former migrant farm hand that moved to Wisconsin to find steady work, and eventually formed a construction company. He and his bro's learned early on that swinging a bat beats swinging a pick any ol' day; his brothers Francisco Jr. and Lee both played minor league ball.
JJ graduated from Racine's Case HS in 2001 and was rated the top senior high school baseball prospect in Wisconsin by Baseball America. He went to Oklahoma State, bypassing the Phillies after high school when they drafted him in the 39th round.
They eventually got his name on the dotted line in 2004, as a second round selection and the draft's 62nd pick overall.
After signing with the Phillies, he moved quickly through the system, spending 2004 in short-season Batavia, 2005 in A- Lakewood, and 2006 in AA Reading, skipping a level or two in the process.
In 2005, Jaramillo also played in the Arizona Fall League, where he was named to the AFL top prospect team and led all catchers with a .379 batting average.
The last two seasons were spent in AAA, where he hit .271 and .266, and showed little power, with slugging percentages of .361 and .371. Jaramillo caught for then-Ottawa manager John Russell in 2007, and we're sure JR had considerable input into today's deal.
JJ strikes out every 5 or 6 at bats, and gets his share of walks - his OPS was .711 in 2007 and 2008. He threw out 35.8% of runners that took off against him, a pretty good rate for the minors.
Jaramillo joined Team USA in 2007, and hit .316 in the Baseball World Cup while splitting catching duties with Bryan Anderson. Baseball America ranked him as the Phillies' #10 prospect going into 2008 (he was 15th in 2007), and the Phils protected him on their 40-man roster.
But Carlos Ruiz is da man in the City of Brotherly Love, and that made Jaramillo expendable. He was essentially blocked by Ruiz, Chris Conte and Lou Marson. Paulino's presence is rumored to be greasing Conte's exit now, as Philly is clearing its logjam behind the plate.
So what do the Bucs have in Jaramillo? Well, he's a catch-and-throw receiver, compared by Baseball Prospectus to Johnny Estrada defensively, and is considered a MLB prospect by the Phils, even if not a starter.
Jaramillo has two options left and Diaz one, so the Pirates can put Steve Lerud in Altoona and not worry about the catching at Indy. And catchers are notorious for developing later in their careers than other position players.
USA Today isn't so keen on the deal. They said:
"It's clear the Pirates badly wanted to be done with Paulino, but that's still not much of an excuse. At 26, Jaramillo is only a year and a half younger than Paulino, and his one decent offensive season came in low-A ball in 2005.
His defensive reputation is pretty strong, and he'd be a fine long-term backup if he could post .700 OPSs in the majors. Still, that's probably a stretch. Unless the Pirates add a veteran, Jaramillo could enter camp as the favorite to play behind Ryan Doumit."
Baseball America added: "The Pirates sold low on Paulino, who is a career .278/.331/.382 hitter, and ended up with a watered-down version of him in return, albeit one who switch-hits and has yet to accrue any big league service time."
As they say, mostly Pittsburgh got Ronny Paulino gone. Paulino was lobbying for a move, and he got it. The new suits have shown themselves to be more than happy to give Dave Littlefield's problem children a ticket out of town.
Whether the move will give the Pirates a guy with some future upside, just adds a little depth to the organization, or is a case of addition by subtraction will soon enough be seen. If nothing else, two guys get to change dugouts with the chance to start over again with a clean slate and new organization. And hey, that's a win-win in our book.
Winter Meetings Day Three
> Well, it looks like the evil empire got their man. CC Sabathia is said to have agreed to a seven year, $161M contract, worth a smidgeon more than Johan Santana's deal. The key seems to be an "opt out" clause after three years (the same mechanism AJ Burnett used to hit the market) that allows Sabathia to put his services up for bid again or move to the coast in 2012 if his NYY gig isn't all that.
So CC ends up with a minimum of three guaranteed Big Apple years worth $69M and a second four year segment guaranteed at $92M if he so desires. Nice work if you can get it, hey? And you wonder why baseball salaries are so otherwordly? Thanks, young Mr. Steinbrenner.
It'll be easy to spot Derrick Lowe, AJ Burnett, and Ben Sheets at the meetings. They and their agents will be the ones strolling around the Bellagio with ear to ear grins and dollar signs dancing in front of their eyes. Now that the benchmark has been set, they can look for that extra year and $15-17M per season.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reported a hotstove rumor and squelched it all in one news cycle.
He heard some noise suggesting Pirate C Ronny Paulino and SS Rob Adino of the Fish, both blocked in their current digs, could be exchanged. Five hours later, he says it doesn't look like it's getting past the talking stage. Oh well. It made too much sense to work.
DK added that Pittsburgh's suits are finally talking turkey with Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm. In fact, Doumit's agent, Paul Cobbe, will sit down with them tonight. Thank God for small favors.
Jenifer Langosh says they're going to be offered long-term deals on the Hot Stove Blog.
He noted that C Raul Chavez turned down his assignment to Indy, but the Bucs would like to sign him up for another tour of duty. They'd also like to keep RHP Jason Davis, but John Perrotto thinks he's heading east...way east, to Japan (see below).
> Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review writes that there's some interest in Matt Capps. The Mets eye him as a set-up man for K-Rod, who they just signed for 3 years, $37M (must be sweet to have a NY budget) and the Cards are lurking, seeking a closer.
MLB.com says the Mets are looking at Capps and Huston Street, among others, while St. Louis also have JJ Putz and Jon Rauch on their short list.
Jenifer Langosch posted in the Hot Stove Blog that "While it's likely that both clubs have inquired about the possibility of working a trade for the Pirates closer, there are certainly no indications that the Pirates' asking price for Capps is reasonable enough to allow those conversations to develop further."
> John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times offers these tidbits: RHP Jason Davis, DFA'ed by the Pirates, will decline the assignment to Indy for free agency and pursue options in Japan.
Two former Pirates, LHP Dave Williams and RHP Kris Benson, are FAs and at the meetings looking for work. Williams spent last season with the Yokohama Bay Star in Japan while Benson hasn't pitched in the MLB since 2006 while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Ex-Pirate bullpen coach Terry Collins is expected to manage China in the World Baseball Classic.
> Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com checked out Dirt Dog Doug's plans.
His agent, Greg Landry, wants to pow wow with GM Neal Huntington before the end of the meetings. Mientkiewicz has been contacted by several teams, and said "I want an opportunity to win a job. I want the chance to know I'm in the mix. I want the chance to know that if I play well, I'm going to play. That's how I'm approaching this winter."
We wish him well wherever he lands, whether here or someplace where he can get his at bats without sitting behind little LaRoche. He was about all the fire the Pirates had on the field last year and helped make a long season a bit more bearable.
> Scratch another Jack Splat suitor off the dance card. The O's are supposed to have inked SS Cesar Izturis to a 2 year, $6M deal, according to several sources.
> But Gerry Fraley of Fox Sports said Wilson's still poised to change uniforms. "Pittsburgh believes it will soon be able to trade veteran shortstop Jack Wilson. Kansas City, Oakland and the Los Angeles Dodgers are among a group of teams looking for a front-line shortstop."
You can probably add the Twins in with LA and Oakland. The losers of the Furcal free-for-all will almost by necessity have to join in the Jack Wilson waltz. He's a blue light special compared to Orlando Cabrera.
> Tomorrow is the Rule 5 draft. The Pirates have a short list of five players, its been reported, and since they pick fourth...although DK thinks there are only a pair they really want. So tune in.
The suits expect to grab some minor-league draftees, too, for the Buc's barren system. And they'll get to sweat out the futures of OF Jamie Romak and LHP Kyle Bloom, a pair of unprotected Pirate prospects that may change addresses via the draft.
Can they last a year on someone's MLB roster? Pittsburgh bet no by leaving them off the 40-man roster. We'll see what the league thinks of the gamble tomorrow.
So CC ends up with a minimum of three guaranteed Big Apple years worth $69M and a second four year segment guaranteed at $92M if he so desires. Nice work if you can get it, hey? And you wonder why baseball salaries are so otherwordly? Thanks, young Mr. Steinbrenner.
It'll be easy to spot Derrick Lowe, AJ Burnett, and Ben Sheets at the meetings. They and their agents will be the ones strolling around the Bellagio with ear to ear grins and dollar signs dancing in front of their eyes. Now that the benchmark has been set, they can look for that extra year and $15-17M per season.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reported a hotstove rumor and squelched it all in one news cycle.
He heard some noise suggesting Pirate C Ronny Paulino and SS Rob Adino of the Fish, both blocked in their current digs, could be exchanged. Five hours later, he says it doesn't look like it's getting past the talking stage. Oh well. It made too much sense to work.
DK added that Pittsburgh's suits are finally talking turkey with Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm. In fact, Doumit's agent, Paul Cobbe, will sit down with them tonight. Thank God for small favors.
Jenifer Langosh says they're going to be offered long-term deals on the Hot Stove Blog.
He noted that C Raul Chavez turned down his assignment to Indy, but the Bucs would like to sign him up for another tour of duty. They'd also like to keep RHP Jason Davis, but John Perrotto thinks he's heading east...way east, to Japan (see below).
> Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review writes that there's some interest in Matt Capps. The Mets eye him as a set-up man for K-Rod, who they just signed for 3 years, $37M (must be sweet to have a NY budget) and the Cards are lurking, seeking a closer.
MLB.com says the Mets are looking at Capps and Huston Street, among others, while St. Louis also have JJ Putz and Jon Rauch on their short list.
Jenifer Langosch posted in the Hot Stove Blog that "While it's likely that both clubs have inquired about the possibility of working a trade for the Pirates closer, there are certainly no indications that the Pirates' asking price for Capps is reasonable enough to allow those conversations to develop further."
> John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times offers these tidbits: RHP Jason Davis, DFA'ed by the Pirates, will decline the assignment to Indy for free agency and pursue options in Japan.
Two former Pirates, LHP Dave Williams and RHP Kris Benson, are FAs and at the meetings looking for work. Williams spent last season with the Yokohama Bay Star in Japan while Benson hasn't pitched in the MLB since 2006 while recovering from shoulder surgery.
Ex-Pirate bullpen coach Terry Collins is expected to manage China in the World Baseball Classic.
> Jenifer Langosch at MLB.com checked out Dirt Dog Doug's plans.
His agent, Greg Landry, wants to pow wow with GM Neal Huntington before the end of the meetings. Mientkiewicz has been contacted by several teams, and said "I want an opportunity to win a job. I want the chance to know I'm in the mix. I want the chance to know that if I play well, I'm going to play. That's how I'm approaching this winter."
We wish him well wherever he lands, whether here or someplace where he can get his at bats without sitting behind little LaRoche. He was about all the fire the Pirates had on the field last year and helped make a long season a bit more bearable.
> Scratch another Jack Splat suitor off the dance card. The O's are supposed to have inked SS Cesar Izturis to a 2 year, $6M deal, according to several sources.
> But Gerry Fraley of Fox Sports said Wilson's still poised to change uniforms. "Pittsburgh believes it will soon be able to trade veteran shortstop Jack Wilson. Kansas City, Oakland and the Los Angeles Dodgers are among a group of teams looking for a front-line shortstop."
You can probably add the Twins in with LA and Oakland. The losers of the Furcal free-for-all will almost by necessity have to join in the Jack Wilson waltz. He's a blue light special compared to Orlando Cabrera.
> Tomorrow is the Rule 5 draft. The Pirates have a short list of five players, its been reported, and since they pick fourth...although DK thinks there are only a pair they really want. So tune in.
The suits expect to grab some minor-league draftees, too, for the Buc's barren system. And they'll get to sweat out the futures of OF Jamie Romak and LHP Kyle Bloom, a pair of unprotected Pirate prospects that may change addresses via the draft.
Can they last a year on someone's MLB roster? Pittsburgh bet no by leaving them off the 40-man roster. We'll see what the league thinks of the gamble tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Winter Meetings Day Two
> According to Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors.com, Derrick Turnbow has three teams kicking his tires - Pittsburgh, Colorado, and San Francisco. He'll audition for them in January.
Turnbow throws in the mid-to-upper 90s, but hasn't been effective since 2005. He's been a victim of the dread Steve Blass disease, walking 13 in 6-1/3 innings for the Brew Crew last year, and issuing 41 free passes in 18 innings at AAA Nashville while uncorking 10 wild pitches. We guess hope does spring eternal.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette confirmed that the Pirates have contacted David Eckstein, verified by his agent Ryan Gliechowski.
He also says that Atlanta has asked Pittsburgh about Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm, according to his sources. DK warns that although his grapevine says the interest is real, the price the Pirates will seek may be prohibitive, even for the talent-deep Braves.
> Rob Beirtempfel of the Tribune Review adds that at least four teams other than the Bucs, including the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, reportedly are after Eckstein, too.
He also writes that the Pirates have not yet signed minor-league free agent Chi-Hung Cheng, as reported. However, a Pittsburgh official confirmed that negotiations are under way with the left-hander.
Cheng, 22, spent the past five seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays' system. He went 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA in 25 games (14 starts) last season for Class A Lansing.
> John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times reports that "Minnesota and Baltimore have some interest in Wilson but there doesn’t appear to be anything imminent. The Orioles are willing to offer right-hander Daniel Cabrera, who led the American League in walks last season, but it is unclear if the Twins would trade left-handed hitting outfielder Delmon Young for a one-year rental at shortstop."
He thinks LA is out of the mix.
Perrotto also adds that "Atlanta has interest in a couple of Pirates starting pitchers, left-hander Paul Maholm and right-hander Ian Snell, but won’t give up top pitching prospect Tommy Hanson in a trade. Washington also has interest in Snell."
> The Mark Loretta to Pittsburgh rumors bit the dust. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dodgers in the wee hours this morning.
> The Mets are interested in keeping Pedro Martinez and plan to meet with the Dominican's agent soon, GM Omar Minaya informed Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com. today. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette has Pedro on the Buc's shopping list, too.
> Phil Dumatrait hasn't begun his pitching program yet after surgery, and may start the year in the pen or on the DL, says Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.
She adds that Brandon Moss is on schedule for camp, but will be babied by the Bucs until they're sure his bum wheel can take a MLB pounding.
> Pirates' pitchers and catchers will report to Bradenton on February 13th, and position players will be reporting on the 16th. The pre-season schedule will be 35 games this year, reflecting an extra week of scrimmaging because of the World Baseball Classic. The season starts on April 6th at St. Louis, and the home opener will be on the 13th against the Astros.
> 73-year old Tony Kubek, the All-Star shortstop of the Yankees who was the voice of NBC's "Game of the Week" telecasts for over two decades, won the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award on Tuesday. Long-time Pirate broadcaster Lanny Frattare, who just recently announced his retirement, was one of the 10 finalists for the honor.
Frattare spent 33 years as Pittsburgh's play-by-play man, leaving as the team's longest tenured broadcaster. He passed the Gunner, Bob Prince, in 2004 when Lanny rang up his 29th year in the Buc booth.
John Mehno of the Altoona Mirror says that Frattare is looking at some options for the future. He's expressed an interest in the unfilled AD job at Upper St. Clair High School, left vacant when Ted Peterson took a college job.
Frattare is also checking out openings in the Atlanta Braves' broadcast booth, and made his interest to get behind a mike again known to the new MLB network that launches next month.
Turnbow throws in the mid-to-upper 90s, but hasn't been effective since 2005. He's been a victim of the dread Steve Blass disease, walking 13 in 6-1/3 innings for the Brew Crew last year, and issuing 41 free passes in 18 innings at AAA Nashville while uncorking 10 wild pitches. We guess hope does spring eternal.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette confirmed that the Pirates have contacted David Eckstein, verified by his agent Ryan Gliechowski.
He also says that Atlanta has asked Pittsburgh about Nate McLouth and Paul Maholm, according to his sources. DK warns that although his grapevine says the interest is real, the price the Pirates will seek may be prohibitive, even for the talent-deep Braves.
> Rob Beirtempfel of the Tribune Review adds that at least four teams other than the Bucs, including the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres, reportedly are after Eckstein, too.
He also writes that the Pirates have not yet signed minor-league free agent Chi-Hung Cheng, as reported. However, a Pittsburgh official confirmed that negotiations are under way with the left-hander.
Cheng, 22, spent the past five seasons in the Toronto Blue Jays' system. He went 5-9 with a 4.88 ERA in 25 games (14 starts) last season for Class A Lansing.
> John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times reports that "Minnesota and Baltimore have some interest in Wilson but there doesn’t appear to be anything imminent. The Orioles are willing to offer right-hander Daniel Cabrera, who led the American League in walks last season, but it is unclear if the Twins would trade left-handed hitting outfielder Delmon Young for a one-year rental at shortstop."
He thinks LA is out of the mix.
Perrotto also adds that "Atlanta has interest in a couple of Pirates starting pitchers, left-hander Paul Maholm and right-hander Ian Snell, but won’t give up top pitching prospect Tommy Hanson in a trade. Washington also has interest in Snell."
> The Mark Loretta to Pittsburgh rumors bit the dust. He signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract with the Dodgers in the wee hours this morning.
> The Mets are interested in keeping Pedro Martinez and plan to meet with the Dominican's agent soon, GM Omar Minaya informed Enrique Rojas of ESPNdeportes.com. today. Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette has Pedro on the Buc's shopping list, too.
> Phil Dumatrait hasn't begun his pitching program yet after surgery, and may start the year in the pen or on the DL, says Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com.
She adds that Brandon Moss is on schedule for camp, but will be babied by the Bucs until they're sure his bum wheel can take a MLB pounding.
> Pirates' pitchers and catchers will report to Bradenton on February 13th, and position players will be reporting on the 16th. The pre-season schedule will be 35 games this year, reflecting an extra week of scrimmaging because of the World Baseball Classic. The season starts on April 6th at St. Louis, and the home opener will be on the 13th against the Astros.
> 73-year old Tony Kubek, the All-Star shortstop of the Yankees who was the voice of NBC's "Game of the Week" telecasts for over two decades, won the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award on Tuesday. Long-time Pirate broadcaster Lanny Frattare, who just recently announced his retirement, was one of the 10 finalists for the honor.
Frattare spent 33 years as Pittsburgh's play-by-play man, leaving as the team's longest tenured broadcaster. He passed the Gunner, Bob Prince, in 2004 when Lanny rang up his 29th year in the Buc booth.
John Mehno of the Altoona Mirror says that Frattare is looking at some options for the future. He's expressed an interest in the unfilled AD job at Upper St. Clair High School, left vacant when Ted Peterson took a college job.
Frattare is also checking out openings in the Atlanta Braves' broadcast booth, and made his interest to get behind a mike again known to the new MLB network that launches next month.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Winter Meetings Day One...
And on the first day...
> Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has a couple of tidbits of interest to Pirate fans. First he reports that 33-year old David Eckstein has five suitors, and one is our PBC. He plays both middle infield positions, and hit .265 for Arizona and Toronto last year; he's a .284 lifetime batter. Eckstein made $4.5M in 2008 and the same in 2007.
He also adds that the Tigers have signed Adam Everett for one year, $1M and incentives pending his physical, as does ESPN.com. So you can lay to rest any dreams of a lefty thunderstick from Motown for Jack Splat. The field continues to dwindle.
> The LA wheelin' and dealin' for Jack Wilson looks to be on hold, at least temporarily, as the Dodgers are scheduled to sit down with Rafael Furcal, the dude they really want, during the meetings.
> Al "Scoops" Oliver didn't get into the Hall of Fame. Neither did Ron Santo, Joe Torre, Gil Hodges, Dick Allen, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Vada Pinson, Luis Tiant or Maury Wills, as for the fourth bi-annual election in a row, no one garnered the 75% of the vote needed for entry into Cooperstown for modern era vets.
Joe Gordon, old Yankee/Indian 2B with a great glove and a booming bat was the only guy elected, and he was from the pre-1943 class.
> Greg Maddux announced his retirement Monday morning at the Bellagio Hotel, the winter meeting headquarters. The 42-year old had a career mark of 355-227 with a 3.16 ERA, a full run lower than the league average. Maddux ran off a string of 19 consecutive 15+ win seasons in his 23 year career.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reports that "No contract offers are known to have been made to (Nate) McLouth or (Ryan) Doumit, the two players management began to discuss as possibilities for long-term extensions last summer. The same is true of (Paul) Maholm."
We suppose that Adam LaRoche and John Grabow are out of the mix, too, and they're both in their final arbitration year, meaning they'll be free agents in 2010. It appears as if that pair aren't very prominent in future Pirate plans and are gonna be shopped around pretty heavily in Vegas this week and over the winter.
It seems kinda odd to us that they wouldn't tie up the younger guys, though, unless they're waiting to see how their efforts to retool affect the Nutting purse strings and the $54M budget cap they're operating under for 2009. For a team that claims to be in the financial pink, there's a lot of penny-pinching going on.
DK also adds that the Marlins have some interest in C Ronny Paulino, whose mid year demotion has drastically reduced his trade value, and that there are still some irons in the fire for Jack Wilson's services, now including the Twins. The Bucs are apparently kicking the tires of Mark Loretta and Kevin Millar, too.
> The Tribune Review's Rob Biertempfel writes "Scratch another free agent off the list. Matt Clement's agent, Barry Axelrod, said he has not spoken with the Pirates 'in a long time' and has moved on. 'We've made significant progress with other clubs,' Axelrod said.
The Pirates sniffed around Clement last year, too, but were unwilling to offer a major league contract."
This contradicts a Sunday report in the Beaver County Times saying that the Pirates had entered into talks with the Butler resident.
> Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com notes that the Pirates signed RHP Brian Slocum and OF Yohan Silva to minor league contracts today.
The 27-year-old Slocum spent most of the 2008 season with Cleveland's AAA affiliate, Buffalo. He pitched in 30 games, including 11 starts, and went 3-7 with a 4.85 ERA the New York nine. Slocum made a quick summer pit stop with the Indians, allowing six runs in two innings of relief. He also is invited to camp.
Silva, 23, spent last season in Atlanta's lower farm system, where the switch-hitting CF combined to hit .205 with 11 doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs in 53 games.
We're not sure how these two guys help the system, based on recent performance. We'll have to trust the scouts on this one.
> Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has a couple of tidbits of interest to Pirate fans. First he reports that 33-year old David Eckstein has five suitors, and one is our PBC. He plays both middle infield positions, and hit .265 for Arizona and Toronto last year; he's a .284 lifetime batter. Eckstein made $4.5M in 2008 and the same in 2007.
He also adds that the Tigers have signed Adam Everett for one year, $1M and incentives pending his physical, as does ESPN.com. So you can lay to rest any dreams of a lefty thunderstick from Motown for Jack Splat. The field continues to dwindle.
> The LA wheelin' and dealin' for Jack Wilson looks to be on hold, at least temporarily, as the Dodgers are scheduled to sit down with Rafael Furcal, the dude they really want, during the meetings.
> Al "Scoops" Oliver didn't get into the Hall of Fame. Neither did Ron Santo, Joe Torre, Gil Hodges, Dick Allen, Jim Kaat, Tony Oliva, Vada Pinson, Luis Tiant or Maury Wills, as for the fourth bi-annual election in a row, no one garnered the 75% of the vote needed for entry into Cooperstown for modern era vets.
Joe Gordon, old Yankee/Indian 2B with a great glove and a booming bat was the only guy elected, and he was from the pre-1943 class.
> Greg Maddux announced his retirement Monday morning at the Bellagio Hotel, the winter meeting headquarters. The 42-year old had a career mark of 355-227 with a 3.16 ERA, a full run lower than the league average. Maddux ran off a string of 19 consecutive 15+ win seasons in his 23 year career.
> Dejan Kovacevic of the Post Gazette reports that "No contract offers are known to have been made to (Nate) McLouth or (Ryan) Doumit, the two players management began to discuss as possibilities for long-term extensions last summer. The same is true of (Paul) Maholm."
We suppose that Adam LaRoche and John Grabow are out of the mix, too, and they're both in their final arbitration year, meaning they'll be free agents in 2010. It appears as if that pair aren't very prominent in future Pirate plans and are gonna be shopped around pretty heavily in Vegas this week and over the winter.
It seems kinda odd to us that they wouldn't tie up the younger guys, though, unless they're waiting to see how their efforts to retool affect the Nutting purse strings and the $54M budget cap they're operating under for 2009. For a team that claims to be in the financial pink, there's a lot of penny-pinching going on.
DK also adds that the Marlins have some interest in C Ronny Paulino, whose mid year demotion has drastically reduced his trade value, and that there are still some irons in the fire for Jack Wilson's services, now including the Twins. The Bucs are apparently kicking the tires of Mark Loretta and Kevin Millar, too.
> The Tribune Review's Rob Biertempfel writes "Scratch another free agent off the list. Matt Clement's agent, Barry Axelrod, said he has not spoken with the Pirates 'in a long time' and has moved on. 'We've made significant progress with other clubs,' Axelrod said.
The Pirates sniffed around Clement last year, too, but were unwilling to offer a major league contract."
This contradicts a Sunday report in the Beaver County Times saying that the Pirates had entered into talks with the Butler resident.
> Jennifer Langosch of MLB.com notes that the Pirates signed RHP Brian Slocum and OF Yohan Silva to minor league contracts today.
The 27-year-old Slocum spent most of the 2008 season with Cleveland's AAA affiliate, Buffalo. He pitched in 30 games, including 11 starts, and went 3-7 with a 4.85 ERA the New York nine. Slocum made a quick summer pit stop with the Indians, allowing six runs in two innings of relief. He also is invited to camp.
Silva, 23, spent last season in Atlanta's lower farm system, where the switch-hitting CF combined to hit .205 with 11 doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs in 53 games.
We're not sure how these two guys help the system, based on recent performance. We'll have to trust the scouts on this one.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
A Decade of Rule 5
OK, everyone's drooling over the Rule 5 draft, where the have-nots like Pittsburgh can raid the talent-rich systems of clubs that have a clue.
And while it's true that a couple of big name players have gotten their break through the draft, it's really not the bonanza that it's often portrayed as being. But as in any crapshoot, the payoff can be considerable with a sharp eye and good roll of the dice.
The purpose of the Rule 5 draft is simple - it's just a mechanism to keep teams from hoarding and hiding talent in its minor league system. It's been around for a long time.
From 1959 until the creation of the Rule 4 draft (the amateur draft of college & high school players) in 1965, top first-year prospects of teams were exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Variations of this share-the-wealth scheme have existed in baseball since the 1930s.
The current rules are simple enough, too. If a player is signed at 18 or under, he gets a four-year free ride; older and he's off-limits for three seasons. After that grace period, the player goes on the forty man roster or can be claimed by another club.
There are a couple of safeguards built in - the player has to stay on a MLB roster for an entire season or be returned to his original team (he becomes a free agent if he clears waivers and neither club wants him).
He also has to be on the roster for 90 days over a two-year period if he's put on the injured list to prevent phantom twinges and a convenient early-season trip to the DL.
The player can be traded, sold, or waived, but he's under the same proviso - he has to finish out the year on someone's 25-man roster. After he meets the full season criteria, the player can be sent down to the minors the following year.
In the past decade, there have been some notable players taken in the Rule 5 draft. Johan Santana was chosen in 1999 by the Florida Marlins from the Houston Astros.
The Marlins traded Santana to the Minnesota Twins for minor leaguer Jared Camp, and the Twins kept him on their roster despite his 6.49 ERA. Then they sent him down in 2001, and by the 2002 season, they had themselves a sweet little pitcher.
Shane Victorino was selected in 2002 by the San Diego Padres from LA, played in 36 games, and was returned to the Dodgers. But he'd be back with a vengeance.
Victorino was again selected in 2004, this time by the Phillies, and again failed to stick. He was offered back to the Dodgers. LA declined, so Philadelphia kept his contract, ala Evan Meek, and assigned him to their minor league club in Scranton-Wilkes Barre.
Now the Flyin' Hawaiian is a key member of the World Series champ Phils, and became the first player in post-season history to have a home run, a double, and two steals in a single game.
Sometimes, the player provides a quick fix. Dan Uggla was drafted by the Marlins from the Diamondbacks in 2005 and became the first Rule 5 pick to be named an All-Star in his inaugural season, hitting .285 with 27 HRs.
2006 had a trio of bell ringers, too. Josh Hamilton, a former #1 draft pick who was bedeviled by coke problems, was selected by the Cubs from Tampa Bay, and Chicago immediately sold him to the Reds. They flipped him to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez the following season.
Hamilton was runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2007 and got some MVP love in 2008.
The Royals took Joakim Soria from the Padres. He had spent most of the 2006 season in the Mexican League before being signed by San Diego, who hoped that he was hidden from prying bird-dogs in the baseball backwaters. He wasn't.
A year later, Soria was closing games for KC, amassing 59 saves over two years with a 2.05 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 136-1/3 innings.
Jesus Flores was claimed from the Mets by the Nats after he led the High-A Florida State League with 21 homers as a 21-year old. The Mets thought no one could carry a raw youngster on the roster (tho he was NY's top-rated catching prospect), but the Nats were rebuilding and thin behind the dish, so they took a shot.
In two years, Flores has hit .252 with 12 HRs and 84 RBI and backstopped 169 games. He's got a lock on Washington's catching job and has the look of a future All-Star.
But before waxing ecstatic over the possible haul, remember that 161 players were picked in the MLB portion of the draft between 2007-1998, with many more going in the minor league draft. A bookie would get rich on Rule 5 odds - especially Pittsburgh's.
Just how have the Pirates stacked up in Rule 5? Well, despite the general gnashing of teeth over Dave Littlefield's failure to land a Hall of Famer in the draft, the last decade hasn't really seen any difference makers entering or leaving the organization, although gaffes galore in scouting judgment were obvious.
Last year, the Bucs picked up RHP Evan Meek from Tampa. They couldn't give the wild child back to the Rays, worked out a cash deal to keep him here, and Meek will be in the 2009 bullpen mix. He's the first Rule 5 player from outside the organization to stick since Scott Sauerbeck, selected back in 1998 from the Mets.
In 2006, they grabbed RHP Sean White from the Braves, and sold him to Seattle. They also picked up RHP Moises Robles from the Mets in the minor league phase of the draft, and he's pitched out of the pen everywhere from State College to Altoona in his two seasons in the Pirate system.
The Pirates took RHP Victor Santos from Kansas City in 2005, and sold him to the Phils. There was no real action in 2004, and 2003 was the year the MLB suits picked Pittsburgh clean. Five of the first six Rule 5 picks were Pirate minor-leaguers.
1B Chris Shelton, OF Rich Thompson, LHP Frank Brooks, RHP Jeff Bennett, and IF Jose Bautista were all snapped up. Who woulda thunk the Bucs were so loaded with talent?
Shelton had two nice seasons with the Tigers in 2005-06, hitting 34 HRs, but the truth was he never spent a whole year in the majors. He's at Texas now, and looks like he's settled into the life of a AAAA player, an apparent Pirate specialty.
Jeff Bennett lasted the out year at Milwaukee, and disappeared from the show again until 2007, where he popped up as a solid piece of the Atlanta Brave bullpen.
Jose Bautista's selection by Baltimore started a long, weird trip that ended where it started. The O's cut him, and he was claimed by Tampa Bay. The Rays then sold him to KC. The Royals traded him to the Mets, and he came back to the 'Burg in the Kris Benson deal. And this all happened between December of 2003 and July of 2004.
Rich Thompson and Frank Brooks were both returned to Pittsburgh. The Pirates didn't add anyone to their roster via Rule 5 that year.
So the year everyone points to as disaster for the Pirate farm system really ended up with the loss of just two players, and neither was a building block, though Shelton and Bennett should have at least rated a return of some sort for the Bucs.
But it did show the gaping chasm between Pirate talent evaluators and the rest of the league's scouts. It wasn't one of Ed Creech's shining moments, if he indeed had any.
The Pirates lost three more players in 2002, RHP DJ Carrasco, RHP Chris Spurling, and C Ronny Paulino.
Carrasco worked out of the KC bullpen for three seasons, and after a two-year stay in the minors, was back in 2008 with the White Sox, where he was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA.
Spurling, selected by Atlanta, notched 4 years in MLB, with a 6-8 record and a 4.32 ERA out of the pen. He was released by the Brew Crew last year, and didn't catch on anywhere else.
Paulino was returned to Pittsburgh by Kansas City. The Pirates may be trying to give him back.
They did pick one player in the draft, RHP Matt Roney, who they sold to the Tigers. He would later get a 50-game suspension for drug abuse.
In those two years, the Pirates had a record of 147-176, yet had eight players taken from their minor leagues. Seems like the league knew Pittsburgh's roster better than its own suits did.
In 2001, the Bucs took IF Luis Ugueto from Florida, and sold him to Seattle. Spot a trend here? All four of the Littlefield MLB Rule 5 picks were sold; he apparently looked at the players as cash cows rather than potential talent. That deal about closed out the action on this decade's Rule 5 merry-go-round.
So what's Rule 5 meant for Pittsburgh? Well, basically nada. It was a completely ignored tool. During the Littlefield era, they lost a handful of marginal MLB talents, and didn't even make an attempt to pick up a potential big league player in the process.
Considering the Pirates' record during that span, it shows the complete lack of player evaluation rampant in the organization, both in-house and regarding the league. There were players that should have been protected, and others that should have been drafted. Pittsburgh lacked the foresight to do either.
Evan Meek is the best selection of the decade, and that tells the tale of the Littlefield years. The new suits are already one player up.
We'd expect them to pick up another player in the MLB Rule 5 draft with their fourth selection, and to be be busy in the AAA and AA portions, too, trying to stock the shallow upper levels of the organization.
And while it's true that a couple of big name players have gotten their break through the draft, it's really not the bonanza that it's often portrayed as being. But as in any crapshoot, the payoff can be considerable with a sharp eye and good roll of the dice.
The purpose of the Rule 5 draft is simple - it's just a mechanism to keep teams from hoarding and hiding talent in its minor league system. It's been around for a long time.
From 1959 until the creation of the Rule 4 draft (the amateur draft of college & high school players) in 1965, top first-year prospects of teams were exposed to the Rule 5 draft. Variations of this share-the-wealth scheme have existed in baseball since the 1930s.
The current rules are simple enough, too. If a player is signed at 18 or under, he gets a four-year free ride; older and he's off-limits for three seasons. After that grace period, the player goes on the forty man roster or can be claimed by another club.
There are a couple of safeguards built in - the player has to stay on a MLB roster for an entire season or be returned to his original team (he becomes a free agent if he clears waivers and neither club wants him).
He also has to be on the roster for 90 days over a two-year period if he's put on the injured list to prevent phantom twinges and a convenient early-season trip to the DL.
The player can be traded, sold, or waived, but he's under the same proviso - he has to finish out the year on someone's 25-man roster. After he meets the full season criteria, the player can be sent down to the minors the following year.
In the past decade, there have been some notable players taken in the Rule 5 draft. Johan Santana was chosen in 1999 by the Florida Marlins from the Houston Astros.
The Marlins traded Santana to the Minnesota Twins for minor leaguer Jared Camp, and the Twins kept him on their roster despite his 6.49 ERA. Then they sent him down in 2001, and by the 2002 season, they had themselves a sweet little pitcher.
Shane Victorino was selected in 2002 by the San Diego Padres from LA, played in 36 games, and was returned to the Dodgers. But he'd be back with a vengeance.
Victorino was again selected in 2004, this time by the Phillies, and again failed to stick. He was offered back to the Dodgers. LA declined, so Philadelphia kept his contract, ala Evan Meek, and assigned him to their minor league club in Scranton-Wilkes Barre.
Now the Flyin' Hawaiian is a key member of the World Series champ Phils, and became the first player in post-season history to have a home run, a double, and two steals in a single game.
Sometimes, the player provides a quick fix. Dan Uggla was drafted by the Marlins from the Diamondbacks in 2005 and became the first Rule 5 pick to be named an All-Star in his inaugural season, hitting .285 with 27 HRs.
2006 had a trio of bell ringers, too. Josh Hamilton, a former #1 draft pick who was bedeviled by coke problems, was selected by the Cubs from Tampa Bay, and Chicago immediately sold him to the Reds. They flipped him to the Texas Rangers for Edinson Volquez the following season.
Hamilton was runner-up for Rookie of the Year in 2007 and got some MVP love in 2008.
The Royals took Joakim Soria from the Padres. He had spent most of the 2006 season in the Mexican League before being signed by San Diego, who hoped that he was hidden from prying bird-dogs in the baseball backwaters. He wasn't.
A year later, Soria was closing games for KC, amassing 59 saves over two years with a 2.05 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 136-1/3 innings.
Jesus Flores was claimed from the Mets by the Nats after he led the High-A Florida State League with 21 homers as a 21-year old. The Mets thought no one could carry a raw youngster on the roster (tho he was NY's top-rated catching prospect), but the Nats were rebuilding and thin behind the dish, so they took a shot.
In two years, Flores has hit .252 with 12 HRs and 84 RBI and backstopped 169 games. He's got a lock on Washington's catching job and has the look of a future All-Star.
But before waxing ecstatic over the possible haul, remember that 161 players were picked in the MLB portion of the draft between 2007-1998, with many more going in the minor league draft. A bookie would get rich on Rule 5 odds - especially Pittsburgh's.
Just how have the Pirates stacked up in Rule 5? Well, despite the general gnashing of teeth over Dave Littlefield's failure to land a Hall of Famer in the draft, the last decade hasn't really seen any difference makers entering or leaving the organization, although gaffes galore in scouting judgment were obvious.
Last year, the Bucs picked up RHP Evan Meek from Tampa. They couldn't give the wild child back to the Rays, worked out a cash deal to keep him here, and Meek will be in the 2009 bullpen mix. He's the first Rule 5 player from outside the organization to stick since Scott Sauerbeck, selected back in 1998 from the Mets.
In 2006, they grabbed RHP Sean White from the Braves, and sold him to Seattle. They also picked up RHP Moises Robles from the Mets in the minor league phase of the draft, and he's pitched out of the pen everywhere from State College to Altoona in his two seasons in the Pirate system.
The Pirates took RHP Victor Santos from Kansas City in 2005, and sold him to the Phils. There was no real action in 2004, and 2003 was the year the MLB suits picked Pittsburgh clean. Five of the first six Rule 5 picks were Pirate minor-leaguers.
1B Chris Shelton, OF Rich Thompson, LHP Frank Brooks, RHP Jeff Bennett, and IF Jose Bautista were all snapped up. Who woulda thunk the Bucs were so loaded with talent?
Shelton had two nice seasons with the Tigers in 2005-06, hitting 34 HRs, but the truth was he never spent a whole year in the majors. He's at Texas now, and looks like he's settled into the life of a AAAA player, an apparent Pirate specialty.
Jeff Bennett lasted the out year at Milwaukee, and disappeared from the show again until 2007, where he popped up as a solid piece of the Atlanta Brave bullpen.
Jose Bautista's selection by Baltimore started a long, weird trip that ended where it started. The O's cut him, and he was claimed by Tampa Bay. The Rays then sold him to KC. The Royals traded him to the Mets, and he came back to the 'Burg in the Kris Benson deal. And this all happened between December of 2003 and July of 2004.
Rich Thompson and Frank Brooks were both returned to Pittsburgh. The Pirates didn't add anyone to their roster via Rule 5 that year.
So the year everyone points to as disaster for the Pirate farm system really ended up with the loss of just two players, and neither was a building block, though Shelton and Bennett should have at least rated a return of some sort for the Bucs.
But it did show the gaping chasm between Pirate talent evaluators and the rest of the league's scouts. It wasn't one of Ed Creech's shining moments, if he indeed had any.
The Pirates lost three more players in 2002, RHP DJ Carrasco, RHP Chris Spurling, and C Ronny Paulino.
Carrasco worked out of the KC bullpen for three seasons, and after a two-year stay in the minors, was back in 2008 with the White Sox, where he was 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA.
Spurling, selected by Atlanta, notched 4 years in MLB, with a 6-8 record and a 4.32 ERA out of the pen. He was released by the Brew Crew last year, and didn't catch on anywhere else.
Paulino was returned to Pittsburgh by Kansas City. The Pirates may be trying to give him back.
They did pick one player in the draft, RHP Matt Roney, who they sold to the Tigers. He would later get a 50-game suspension for drug abuse.
In those two years, the Pirates had a record of 147-176, yet had eight players taken from their minor leagues. Seems like the league knew Pittsburgh's roster better than its own suits did.
In 2001, the Bucs took IF Luis Ugueto from Florida, and sold him to Seattle. Spot a trend here? All four of the Littlefield MLB Rule 5 picks were sold; he apparently looked at the players as cash cows rather than potential talent. That deal about closed out the action on this decade's Rule 5 merry-go-round.
So what's Rule 5 meant for Pittsburgh? Well, basically nada. It was a completely ignored tool. During the Littlefield era, they lost a handful of marginal MLB talents, and didn't even make an attempt to pick up a potential big league player in the process.
Considering the Pirates' record during that span, it shows the complete lack of player evaluation rampant in the organization, both in-house and regarding the league. There were players that should have been protected, and others that should have been drafted. Pittsburgh lacked the foresight to do either.
Evan Meek is the best selection of the decade, and that tells the tale of the Littlefield years. The new suits are already one player up.
We'd expect them to pick up another player in the MLB Rule 5 draft with their fourth selection, and to be be busy in the AAA and AA portions, too, trying to stock the shallow upper levels of the organization.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Hot Stoves Around the League
OK, it's snowing and the Pirates are adding to the chill by sitting on their hands so far during the free agent frenzy. But hey - so's everyone else. Some frenzy.
Here's the action leading into Monday's winter meetings in Vegas:
> Atlanta picked up RHP Javier Vazquez and LHP Boone Logan from the White Sox in exchange for C Tyler Flowers, INFs Jonathan Gilmore and Brent Lillibridge, and LHP Santos Rodriguez. It's the kind of deal Neal Huntington can only dream of pulling off. He's probably four years away from having a fully stocked minor league system to use as trade bait, ala the Braves.
> The Cards roped in SS Khalil Greene from San Diego for RHP Mark Worrell and a player to be named later. It's amazing, the larceny you can pull off if you're willing to take on some contract. Greene is due to make $6.5 million in the final season of a two-year, $11 million contract, and is eligible for arbitration after 2009. Sure beats Cesar Izturis if Greene recovers his pre-2008 batting eye.
> In an actual free-agent signing, the Giants inked SS Edgar Renteria to a two-year contract worth $18.5 million, with a $10.5 million option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. They way overpaid for a guy that's going to kill a young pitching staff in the field, a lesson the Tigers learned last season.
> There's been a spate of minor FA signings this month - C David Ross (Atlanta), RHP Mike Lincoln (Cincinnati), RHP Jorge Julio (Milwaukee), LHP Mike Hampton & RHP Doug Brocail (Houston), RHP Bob Howry (San Francisco), INF Russell Branyan (Seattle), and LHP Trever Miller (St. Louis).
> In a noteworthy non-signing, SS Rafael Furcal declined the A's offer of 4 years for $35-40M. Oakland suits shook their heads and pulled the deal off the table. Maybe Furcal, who's missed huge hunks of time from two of the past three seasons, isn't quite the item he thought he was. There's a chance he may have passed up his best offer; we'll see how the market plays out.
We're curious to see the market in action after CC, AJ, and Tex ink deals and set the top level (which we believe will be irrelevant to most of the remaining players). Our sense so far in the mating game is that teams are actually counting their dollars; that's why we hear of so many trades being discussed instead of straight up signings.
GW thinks the agents are holding back on jumping at deals in the hope that the usual dynamic of panic sweeps the suits as the players fall. We know that it's early in the FA dance card and the bucks could fly, but we're not so sure that'll be the case this year. At any rate, we're looking forward to one of the more interesting free agency seasons in awhile (outside of Pittsburgh, that is).
Here's the action leading into Monday's winter meetings in Vegas:
> Atlanta picked up RHP Javier Vazquez and LHP Boone Logan from the White Sox in exchange for C Tyler Flowers, INFs Jonathan Gilmore and Brent Lillibridge, and LHP Santos Rodriguez. It's the kind of deal Neal Huntington can only dream of pulling off. He's probably four years away from having a fully stocked minor league system to use as trade bait, ala the Braves.
> The Cards roped in SS Khalil Greene from San Diego for RHP Mark Worrell and a player to be named later. It's amazing, the larceny you can pull off if you're willing to take on some contract. Greene is due to make $6.5 million in the final season of a two-year, $11 million contract, and is eligible for arbitration after 2009. Sure beats Cesar Izturis if Greene recovers his pre-2008 batting eye.
> In an actual free-agent signing, the Giants inked SS Edgar Renteria to a two-year contract worth $18.5 million, with a $10.5 million option for 2011 with a $500,000 buyout. They way overpaid for a guy that's going to kill a young pitching staff in the field, a lesson the Tigers learned last season.
> There's been a spate of minor FA signings this month - C David Ross (Atlanta), RHP Mike Lincoln (Cincinnati), RHP Jorge Julio (Milwaukee), LHP Mike Hampton & RHP Doug Brocail (Houston), RHP Bob Howry (San Francisco), INF Russell Branyan (Seattle), and LHP Trever Miller (St. Louis).
> In a noteworthy non-signing, SS Rafael Furcal declined the A's offer of 4 years for $35-40M. Oakland suits shook their heads and pulled the deal off the table. Maybe Furcal, who's missed huge hunks of time from two of the past three seasons, isn't quite the item he thought he was. There's a chance he may have passed up his best offer; we'll see how the market plays out.
We're curious to see the market in action after CC, AJ, and Tex ink deals and set the top level (which we believe will be irrelevant to most of the remaining players). Our sense so far in the mating game is that teams are actually counting their dollars; that's why we hear of so many trades being discussed instead of straight up signings.
GW thinks the agents are holding back on jumping at deals in the hope that the usual dynamic of panic sweeps the suits as the players fall. We know that it's early in the FA dance card and the bucks could fly, but we're not so sure that'll be the case this year. At any rate, we're looking forward to one of the more interesting free agency seasons in awhile (outside of Pittsburgh, that is).
Friday, December 5, 2008
Scorecard Smorgasbord
Lotsa of fine tuning going in the Pittsburgh today. The names on the move (and no, Jack Splat isn't one of them, not yet, anyway)...
> RHP Jason Davis and C Raul Chavez were unceremoniously dumped from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Indy. They can accept the assignment, or much more likely, refuse it, which would make them minor league free agents.
Pittsburgh could conceivably sign the pair to new contracts, for less than they would get if they had been offered arbitration. The Bucs will put them on the backburner for now; they need the 40-man openings for any Rule 5 guys that may catch their eye next week.
There are a handful of pitchers that may be keepers available via Rule 5, and a couple of decent catchers if they intend to replace Chavez with a pup and keep Diaz at Indy or carry three on the 24-man. (We're assuming Ronny Hustle won't break camp as a Pirate).
> Speaking of minor league FA's, the Pirates hauled in a pair. First is LHP Daniel Haigwood, who pitched for Boston's AA Portland Sea Dogs last year. He was 2-3 with a 3.36 ERA out of the pen.
Haigwood was thought to be a hot property a couple of years ago, and features a low-to-mid 90s heater, curve, slurve, and change-up. He was a starter until 2008, and we're not sure in which role the Pirates plan to utilize Haigwood.
The 25-year old is considered a legit prospect, but has never pitched above AA and been in four different organizations since 2005. But he was invited to camp, and is a low-risk arm to add to the Buc's depth chart at the AA or AAA level. Could be that they're looking for Phil Dumatrait lightning to strike twice.
The other pick-up is OF Maiko Loyola, who started with Pittsburgh in 2002 and was taken by Tampa Bay in the 2005 AAA Rule 5 draft. He hit .280 with 45 steals for Columbus in the A Sally League.
The 23-year old has lots of speed, a pretty good OPS, and is a sweet base-stealing threat. With all that zip, he's still thought better suited to play corner outfield rather than center. Loyola isn't considered a great prospect, but he does have some upside and should fit into the AA or AAA level nicely.
Loyola sounds very much like a player cast in the Nyjer Morgan mold, with maybe a little less pop at the plate and a little more polish as a baserunner. He is a prototypical lead-off hitter, and those players are in short supply in the organization.
All in all, a pair of good moves to help shore up the very thin upper levels of the system. Both could well end up on Indy's roster to start 2009 after the broom has swept through its 2008 roster.
> The Pirates also added three players for their VSL club, SS Ashley Ponce, SS Jorge Bishop, and LHP Julio Denis. We won't be googling them unless they make it stateside.
> 30-year-old IF Matt Kata signed a minor league contract with the Astros with an invitation to major league camp in the spring. He spent some time in 2007 with the Bucs and 2008 at Indy. Kata will try to win a utility IF spot at Houston from a crowded field of contenders.
> RHP John Van Benschoten signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. Indy will never be the same; an era has ended.
> The Reds inked RHP Mike Lincoln, who started as a Pirate but lost four years of his career to a pair of TJ surgeries. His contract is for 2 years and $4M.
> RHP Jason Davis and C Raul Chavez were unceremoniously dumped from the 40-man roster and outrighted to Indy. They can accept the assignment, or much more likely, refuse it, which would make them minor league free agents.
Pittsburgh could conceivably sign the pair to new contracts, for less than they would get if they had been offered arbitration. The Bucs will put them on the backburner for now; they need the 40-man openings for any Rule 5 guys that may catch their eye next week.
There are a handful of pitchers that may be keepers available via Rule 5, and a couple of decent catchers if they intend to replace Chavez with a pup and keep Diaz at Indy or carry three on the 24-man. (We're assuming Ronny Hustle won't break camp as a Pirate).
> Speaking of minor league FA's, the Pirates hauled in a pair. First is LHP Daniel Haigwood, who pitched for Boston's AA Portland Sea Dogs last year. He was 2-3 with a 3.36 ERA out of the pen.
Haigwood was thought to be a hot property a couple of years ago, and features a low-to-mid 90s heater, curve, slurve, and change-up. He was a starter until 2008, and we're not sure in which role the Pirates plan to utilize Haigwood.
The 25-year old is considered a legit prospect, but has never pitched above AA and been in four different organizations since 2005. But he was invited to camp, and is a low-risk arm to add to the Buc's depth chart at the AA or AAA level. Could be that they're looking for Phil Dumatrait lightning to strike twice.
The other pick-up is OF Maiko Loyola, who started with Pittsburgh in 2002 and was taken by Tampa Bay in the 2005 AAA Rule 5 draft. He hit .280 with 45 steals for Columbus in the A Sally League.
The 23-year old has lots of speed, a pretty good OPS, and is a sweet base-stealing threat. With all that zip, he's still thought better suited to play corner outfield rather than center. Loyola isn't considered a great prospect, but he does have some upside and should fit into the AA or AAA level nicely.
Loyola sounds very much like a player cast in the Nyjer Morgan mold, with maybe a little less pop at the plate and a little more polish as a baserunner. He is a prototypical lead-off hitter, and those players are in short supply in the organization.
All in all, a pair of good moves to help shore up the very thin upper levels of the system. Both could well end up on Indy's roster to start 2009 after the broom has swept through its 2008 roster.
> The Pirates also added three players for their VSL club, SS Ashley Ponce, SS Jorge Bishop, and LHP Julio Denis. We won't be googling them unless they make it stateside.
> 30-year-old IF Matt Kata signed a minor league contract with the Astros with an invitation to major league camp in the spring. He spent some time in 2007 with the Bucs and 2008 at Indy. Kata will try to win a utility IF spot at Houston from a crowded field of contenders.
> RHP John Van Benschoten signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. Indy will never be the same; an era has ended.
> The Reds inked RHP Mike Lincoln, who started as a Pirate but lost four years of his career to a pair of TJ surgeries. His contract is for 2 years and $4M.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
On the Road to Vegas...
> Frank Coonelly said that, in spite of the 40-man roster being full, that "we have the ability to make a roster move or two to give us an opportunity to select a player or players in the Rule 5 Draft. I fully expect us to be below 40 on our 40-man roster when we are in Las Vegas for the Rule 5 Draft."
Doesn't sound good for Jason Davis or Raul Chavez getting tendered during arbitration. Then again, maybe he plans on a couple of deals in the next 10 days, with the return being guys young enough to leave off the 40-man.
> Jack Splat and Detroit are still an item, according to the Detroit Free Press: "Detroit is involved in ongoing discussions with the Pittsburgh Pirates regarding shortstop Jack Wilson, according to one industry official familiar with the talks.
The teams have not yet exchanged concrete trade proposals, the official said, but there appears to be genuine interest on both sides."
Wilson, by the way, was quoted as saying that he's open to dropping his limited no-trade clause to go to Detroit. The 32-year-old is the only remaining Pirate who was on the roster when PNC Park opened in 2001. Talk about breakin' up the old gang...
> Dejan Kovacevic reports in the Post Gazette today that Doug Mientkiewicz said he will give the Pirates the right of last refusal if he has a deal elsewhere, and also that the Dodgers are still players in the Jack Wilson raffle, too.
In fact, it could very well be that Huntington and Coonelly are playing LA and Motown off one another right now. Maybe Splat will fetch a fair price, after all.
> MLB.com picked its Top 50 Prospects List, and Andrew McCutchen is sittin' pretty at number #12. He's 22 now, and even if the Bucs aren't sure, we think he's about ready to make his move to the show. After all, he was the #8 prospect last year; we'd hate to see him keep regressing. We expect to see him in Pittsburgh by June or July.
> Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com announced something completely different - "General Manager Neal Huntington announced that Marc DelPiano will be joining the organization as a special assistant.
The hiring of DelPiano marks the fourth new special assistant that Huntington has brought on board since the conclusion of the 2008 season. DelPiano, along with new hires Jim Benedict, Joe Ferrone and Keith Champion, join returning assistants Larry Corrigan, Jax Robertson, Doug Strange and Pete Vuckovich on Huntington's team.
As for DelPiano, he most recently served as a special assignment scout with Boston, a post he had been at since 2006. Before moving to the Red Sox organization, DelPiano spent a combined 10 years with the Expos and Marlins. During that time, DelPiano worked as an area scout, a scouting supervisor, a director of player development and an international scouting director."
Maybe they should look for a couple of guys that they can put in the field instead of the front office.
> The Pirates announced today they are freezing the prices of individual game tickets for the 2009 season. They had previously announced that season ticket prices would be frozen and in some cases, even discounted. Sanity prevails.
> Former Buc prospect, SS Brent Lillibridge, is moving on. The Braves sent him to the White Sox in the pending Javier Vazquez deal. The 25-year old's speed and glove are outstanding, but he only hit .200 at Atlanta, and he couldn't win a spot on the club. He's expected to challenge for Chicago's wide-open second base job during camp.
> Free agent Russell Branyan and the Seattle Mariners agreed Wednesday to a $1.4 million, one-year contract, according to the Sporting News.
The left-handed-hitting Branyan batted .250 with 12 homers and 20 RBIs in just 132 at-bats with Milwaukee last season. He has hit 133 home runs in 11 major league seasons, including 24 in 2002 and 18 in 2006. He can also play first base, third base and be a designated hitter.
Branyan said Pittsburgh also was serious about giving him a one-year contract.
Doesn't sound good for Jason Davis or Raul Chavez getting tendered during arbitration. Then again, maybe he plans on a couple of deals in the next 10 days, with the return being guys young enough to leave off the 40-man.
> Jack Splat and Detroit are still an item, according to the Detroit Free Press: "Detroit is involved in ongoing discussions with the Pittsburgh Pirates regarding shortstop Jack Wilson, according to one industry official familiar with the talks.
The teams have not yet exchanged concrete trade proposals, the official said, but there appears to be genuine interest on both sides."
Wilson, by the way, was quoted as saying that he's open to dropping his limited no-trade clause to go to Detroit. The 32-year-old is the only remaining Pirate who was on the roster when PNC Park opened in 2001. Talk about breakin' up the old gang...
> Dejan Kovacevic reports in the Post Gazette today that Doug Mientkiewicz said he will give the Pirates the right of last refusal if he has a deal elsewhere, and also that the Dodgers are still players in the Jack Wilson raffle, too.
In fact, it could very well be that Huntington and Coonelly are playing LA and Motown off one another right now. Maybe Splat will fetch a fair price, after all.
> MLB.com picked its Top 50 Prospects List, and Andrew McCutchen is sittin' pretty at number #12. He's 22 now, and even if the Bucs aren't sure, we think he's about ready to make his move to the show. After all, he was the #8 prospect last year; we'd hate to see him keep regressing. We expect to see him in Pittsburgh by June or July.
> Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com announced something completely different - "General Manager Neal Huntington announced that Marc DelPiano will be joining the organization as a special assistant.
The hiring of DelPiano marks the fourth new special assistant that Huntington has brought on board since the conclusion of the 2008 season. DelPiano, along with new hires Jim Benedict, Joe Ferrone and Keith Champion, join returning assistants Larry Corrigan, Jax Robertson, Doug Strange and Pete Vuckovich on Huntington's team.
As for DelPiano, he most recently served as a special assignment scout with Boston, a post he had been at since 2006. Before moving to the Red Sox organization, DelPiano spent a combined 10 years with the Expos and Marlins. During that time, DelPiano worked as an area scout, a scouting supervisor, a director of player development and an international scouting director."
Maybe they should look for a couple of guys that they can put in the field instead of the front office.
> The Pirates announced today they are freezing the prices of individual game tickets for the 2009 season. They had previously announced that season ticket prices would be frozen and in some cases, even discounted. Sanity prevails.
> Former Buc prospect, SS Brent Lillibridge, is moving on. The Braves sent him to the White Sox in the pending Javier Vazquez deal. The 25-year old's speed and glove are outstanding, but he only hit .200 at Atlanta, and he couldn't win a spot on the club. He's expected to challenge for Chicago's wide-open second base job during camp.
> Free agent Russell Branyan and the Seattle Mariners agreed Wednesday to a $1.4 million, one-year contract, according to the Sporting News.
The left-handed-hitting Branyan batted .250 with 12 homers and 20 RBIs in just 132 at-bats with Milwaukee last season. He has hit 133 home runs in 11 major league seasons, including 24 in 2002 and 18 in 2006. He can also play first base, third base and be a designated hitter.
Branyan said Pittsburgh also was serious about giving him a one-year contract.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Afraid of the Dark...?
Hey, things are getting kinda boring here in Pittsburgh. You can only spend so much time pondering if the Pirates will sign Mark Loretta or Derrick Turnbow, if anyone will take Jack Splat, John Grabow, or Ronny Paulino off Neal Huntington's hands, or if the Bucs will set a league record for special assistants for the GM.
GW knows that Halloween is pretty far back in the rear view mirror, but still, these cold, dark nights are perfect for gathering around the internet campfire and swapping spook stories. How about this one from Dan Gordon and Mickey Bradley's Haunted Baseball...?
An entire chapter of the book is dedicated to the ghost stories from players staying at the Vinoy in St. Pete, home for teams playing the Tampa Bay Rays. Reds relief pitcher Scott Williamson told of running into a ghost at the Vinoy in 2003, as did some Pirates and Blue Jays reliever John Frascatore.
Water faucets turning on by themselves. Doors opening and closing mysteriously. Money flying through the air and midnight visitations. All these pranks and more are supposedly the results of mischievous spirits floating through the Vinoy. In fact, several Bucco's sighted one old, well-traveled spook during their stay.
Here's the chapter featuring the things going bump in the night and the 2003 Pirates, Stompin' at the Vinoy.
Andrew Stockey of Channel 4 Sports even did a spot on the spooks and the Great One's death premonition:
As that old Danish skipper Hamlet said "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." And somehow, it's not at all surprising that this all happened under Dave Littlefield's watch, hehe. Pretty spooky, hey?
GW knows that Halloween is pretty far back in the rear view mirror, but still, these cold, dark nights are perfect for gathering around the internet campfire and swapping spook stories. How about this one from Dan Gordon and Mickey Bradley's Haunted Baseball...?
An entire chapter of the book is dedicated to the ghost stories from players staying at the Vinoy in St. Pete, home for teams playing the Tampa Bay Rays. Reds relief pitcher Scott Williamson told of running into a ghost at the Vinoy in 2003, as did some Pirates and Blue Jays reliever John Frascatore.
Water faucets turning on by themselves. Doors opening and closing mysteriously. Money flying through the air and midnight visitations. All these pranks and more are supposedly the results of mischievous spirits floating through the Vinoy. In fact, several Bucco's sighted one old, well-traveled spook during their stay.
Here's the chapter featuring the things going bump in the night and the 2003 Pirates, Stompin' at the Vinoy.
Andrew Stockey of Channel 4 Sports even did a spot on the spooks and the Great One's death premonition:
As that old Danish skipper Hamlet said "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." And somehow, it's not at all surprising that this all happened under Dave Littlefield's watch, hehe. Pretty spooky, hey?
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