Bucs Trade Winds

What Is Coming On BTW?

2009-11-08T22:47:00.001-05:00

In addition to trade rumors and free agent rumors, this offseason I will take a look back at 2009 player by player from the 40 man roster as well as a look into their future. I will be trying to get a new look back look forward every other day starting November 14th.

I’ll start with the 25 man roster and work my way through the rest of the 40 man. After the look back look forward for the 40 man, I’ll take a look at a few interesting prospects Pirates fans can look forward to seeing.

You may wonder why I will start November 14th? Personal reasons, but I will share them. I will be in training this week at work with a few hours of homework each night. Hopefully I will be Red Hat Certified after this week of training.

What Is Next?

2009-11-07T10:41:00.001-05:00

With the trade for Akinori Iwamura out of the way, second base seems to be set for 2010. This trade is so far to the polar opposite of what Huntington has done so far in his tenure, it leads to a few questions…

1) What move is next?

Knowing that Alvarez is not far away. There are still questions about 1B, RF and SS. Garret Jones will likely fill either RF or 1B. Jeff Clement is sitting on the Indy roster waiting for a chance at 1B. Steve Pearce has relegated himself to bench duty or more seasoning in AAA with his offensive (in more ways than one) showing at the end of 2009. Brandon Moss has proven to be a 4th outfielder on a bad team, canon fodder on a good team. Where does Huntington look?

A name that stuck out to me as being “bought out” is Jermaine Dye. I know I have been hyping him as a target for years now, but at 35 he is an excellent bridge to Jose Tabata’s reign in right for the Pirates. Dye would fill a nice power hole in the middle of the order and bring some pretty decent defense in right to PNC. A potential lineup that starts with McCutchen and Iwamura that leads to a combination of Jones, Dye, Alvarez, Doumit and Milledge… That lineup has the feel of one that could carry a light hitting short stop without problem.

You can replace Dye in RF with Clement at 1B and still have an intriguing lineup, but Jones at first is a more natural position for him. Remember also, Jones is unproven, he had one half of a great season. Adding the proven Dye in RF give the Pirates a backup at 1B in Clement. It also gives Tabata at least one more season of seasoning in AAA.

Is it possible this team is a big bat away from respectability?

2) Have the Pirates turned the corner from rebuilding to building?

Iwamura is a nice complimentary player that rounds out a good team. What he means to the Pirates is yet to be determined by the rest of the off season moves. This should be a fun offseason to see what lies in the future for the Pirates and their fans.

What does the blueprint hold for the next moves by the Pirates?

3) Who will be Iwmura’s DP partner?

Will it be Cedeno? A returning Wilson? Someone as yet undetermined. Time will tell, but I don’t think Cedeno has a lock on the position.

I’m looking forward to some comments on these questions, as I really haven’t answered any of them.

Also, in the next day or so, I will be posting my offseason plans for BTW. Rest assure, The Winds are blowing again.

BTW, I hate the Yankee$.

Another Trade?

2009-09-04T15:14:00.001-04:00

I just received word the Pittsburgh Pirates have been contacted by the Texas Rangers about the availability of a third baseman. The name given to me was none other than Andy LaRoche. With the injury to Michael Young for the Rangers and the recent addition of Neil Walker to the the team, this seems like a good possibility. With the depth the Pirates have at 3B in the system at this time, remembering Pedro Alvarez is close, it will be interesting if anything develops from this inquiry.

BTW Take:

This would not be a surprising move considering the offense that Texas carries. A lighter hitting 3B with a good to great glove would fill their needs until Young is healthy, estimated to be in two to three weeks. LaRoche would not be eligible for the post season so he would seem to be a good inexpensive fit for a team rumored to have financial concerns. Other names thrown around in Internet rumors include Garrett Atkins, Melvin Mora, Troy Glaus and Jamey Carroll. LaRoche would be by far the least expensive player of the list I have seen.

Second Guessing

2009-08-11T13:56:00.001-04:00

I have seen a flurry of articles and posts recently on how well Ronnie Cedeno is playing. I might add he is playing well enough to make a few fans miss Jack Wilson a little less. That is not the point of this post, I am going to focus on the other half of the Pittsburgh Pirates double play combination.

Over the course of the last dozen or so games, I have notice Delwyn Young regressing in his defensive play at second base. Perry Hill has his work cut out for him.

Young’s footwork around the bag is atrocious at best. His glove work at the bag has caused more than one rally in the recent 8 game skid the Pirates are in.

I have two theories as to why this is happening:

1) His brain is getting in the way. You can see it in his eyes at times, as he attempts to take a throw from anywhere, he is more focused on getting a tag down or firmly planting his foot on the bag and not catching the ball that is coming his way.

He has also had some lapses where he failed to make a play where the second baseman has to take control. A couple games back, Garrett Jones had to make a very difficult over the shoulder catch on the foul line. A play Young had a much better angle at, Young simply slowed up and let Jones attempt the catch.

He has been charged with errors receiving throws at second on steals and should have had another that Pearce was charged with. When playing second, the most important part of the play is catching the ball, he has failed at this a few times over.

On one instance that I have seen, he was destroyed at second on a force out when he failed to move off the bag to attempt to make the throw to first. His feet were firmly planted. If he continues to do this, he will be on the DL before the season ends. Throwing flat footed on a double play pivot is a sure fire way to get injured.

Young needs to get to a point where he is reacting rather than thinking, otherwise second base will end up a higher priority than left handed reliever in the offseason.

2) He needs a bigger glove. This is more a personal preference than anything factual. More than once in my life I have switched positions in baseball, or softball, and the glove switch was always a difficult one. Unlike many infielders, I used a larger glove due to my large hands. Every time I have ever tried a smaller glove, I have had issues with balls coming off the tip of the glove. It is like your favorite pillow in bed, if you sleep on a different one, you just aren’t as rested or can’t get comfortable.

I always used my old reliable glove as I learned a new position, until I felt comfortable at the position. Comfort is always an important part of learning a new position. Even today, I have a new glove slightly smaller than old reliable, I find drop or miss balls I never missed before playing catch with my son. As soon as I dig out old reliable I am catching anything near me.

If Young can’t find his way at second, the Pirates do have some options. Neil Walker or Andy LaRoche may be forced to learn another position. LaRoche played some second in his career. Walker is said to be very athletic and may be able to pick up the position quickly. There are others, but with Pedro Alvarez on the horizon, I would figure the Pirates would love to keep LaRoche and Walker as viable MLB options as both of their bats would fit well at second. Much like Youngs does. Unfortunately the glove doesn’t.

Here is a list of 2009 free agent second basemen who could be on the market in the offseason:

Second basemen
Ronnie Belliard (35)
Jamey Carroll (36)
Alex Cora (34)
Craig Counsell (39)
Mark DeRosa (35)
David Eckstein (35)
Jerry Hairston Jr. (34)
Orlando Hudson (32)
Akinori Iwamura (31) - $4.25MM club option with a $250K buyout
Adam Kennedy (34)
Felipe Lopez (30)
Mark Loretta (38)
Pablo Ozuna (35)
Placido Polanco (34)
Freddy Sanchez (32) - $8MM club option with a $600K buyout; vests with 600 PAs
Juan Uribe (31)

from:

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/12/2010-mlb-free-a.html

Not a dazzling bunch is it? Any thoughts or ideas, leave them in the comment section.

More Trade News

2009-08-08T11:45:00.001-04:00

I was just informed by General Manager Neal Huntington this morning that I cleared waiver and have been traded to Cleveland for a pair of young prospects who type in the mid 90 WPS in the Micro Blogging League. Bucs Trade Winds will become Tribe Smoke Signals as part of the trade.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Pirates and can see the direction of the team is with younger more inexpensive talent. I am looking forward to joining my new team but will miss the city of Pittsburgh and it’s fans.

P.S. This is a joke, I ain’t going nowhere. I was just wondering what 90% of the opening day roster felt like when making their comments.

Actual Post:

For more than a week I have been struggling with the Grabow/Gorzelanny trade. I have been supportive of most of the trades made, but this one completely baffled me. With no help in the upper levels of the minors, how could Huntington trade the last two left handed options (excluding rule V pick Veal) available who can pitch from the bullpen? The only answer to this is 2009 is officially a punt.

Trading Grabow made sense, if only because he was scheduled to be a free agent at the end of the year. Gorzelanny is the one that really sent me into a spiral. Gorzelanny proved he was back to a MLB level in AAA and his brief call up earlier in the year when he worked from the pen.

I have no answers.

Draft Picks Signed:

Left-hander Zack Dodson, the Pirates' fourth-round pick who was committed to Baylor, and Colton Cain, the Pirates’ eighth-round pick who was committed to the University of Texas, signed yesterday. Both will join the Gulf Coast League followed by the Instructional League.

According to BA: Cain signed at a $1.25 million and Dodson for $600,000.

Eighth-rounder Zack Von Rosenbergun said “he and the Pirates are in daily discussions with barely a week remaining before the deadline.” according to the Post Gazette.

BTW Take:

The more the Pirates sign over slot players, the better this years draft looks. Many of the draftees that have signed over slot were thought to be unsignable by other teams thus dropping their draft stock. The Pirates have signed at least 3 high school pitchers who would have been drafted in the first round if teams thought they were signable. I am starting to think Dave Wannstedt should enlist Huntington to his recruiting team.

Trader Neal

2009-07-30T02:04:00.001-04:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded away Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to Seattle, the Freddy Sanchez to San Francisco.

Wilson could be a free agent at the end of the season. Sanchez could be as well, provided he does not reach 600 at bats.

BTW Thought: Remember Mike Williams? Traded to Houston only to resign with the Pirates in the offseason… Remember that thought come January.

The Pirates received a slew of players in return.

Return for Freddy Sanchez:

right-handed pitcher Tim Alderson:

Prospect Rankings*
2008 - #84 ranked MLB
2008 - #2 ranked for SF
2009 - #4 ranked for SF
*According to Baseball America

(From Diamond Cutter)

Tim Alderson
Position: Pitcher | Statistics | Video | 2008 Rank: NR
Bats: Right | Throws: Right | Height: 6-7 | Weight: 210
Scouting Report: As good as Alderson is, he keeps getting forced into comparisons with Bumgarner which isn’t fair because he doesn’t have the stuff he does. But what Alderson does have is plus-plus command which translates to an almost non-existent walk total. His pitch repertoire includes an average fastball which sits in the low-90’s, an average change and a curve that continues to get better and better and has become a plus pitch. Alderson has quite the mound presence especially considering he’s 6 foot 7 with a very unorthodox delivery. His delivery is very deceiving and fortunately does not cause any issues with his control. Alderson looks to project to be a solid number two starter with incredible control.

BTW Take:

An excellent return for both teams. We all know the quality player Freddy had been for the Pirates, he will be missed in the community as much as he will be missed on the field. Alderson looks to be a really nice addition for the Pirates. He and Morton are the next arms to watch for the Pirates. Huntington has done a great job in building young depth for the rotation. Alderson is slated for Altoona, but could be in Indianapolis soon. (Vasquez could be out of the rotation very soon, Gorzelanny could be returning. I’ll save that for another post.)

San Francisco, you will love Freddy. Start chanting Freddy and watch for the magic to begin.

Return from Jack Wilson/Ian Snell:

catcher/first baseman Jeff Clement:

Prospect Rankings*
2006 - #33 ranked MLB
2006 - #1 ranked for SEA
2007 - #62 ranked MLB
2007 - #2 ranked for SEA
2008 - #42 ranked MLB
2008 - #1 ranked for SEA
*According to Baseball America

From Sportsnet.ca

Scouting Report

Assets

Has great power potential and a knowledge of hitting that is uncommon for a catcher. Is improving behind the dish and versus left-handed pitching.

Flaws

May outgrow the catching position, and he's still very raw defensively. Must become a better leader of a pitching staff in order to stay behind the plate.

Career potential

A good offensive catcher.

shortstop Ronny Cedeno:

Prospect Rankings*
2006 - #94 ranked MLB
2006 - #3 ranked for CHC
*According to Baseball America

From Sportsnet.ca:

Scouting Report

Assets

Can spray line drives from line to line and has good speed. Defense is his forte, showing phenomenal tools and plenty of versatility.

Flaws

Hasn't been able to harness his speed into base-stealing ability. Still needs to learn how to get ahead in the count more often at the plate.

Career potential

A strong utility infielder.

right-handed pitcher Aaron Pribanic:

right-handed pitcher Brett Lorin:

right-handed pitcher Nathan Adcock:

BTW Take:

Huntington landing Clement for a soon to be free agent/retiree (remember Jack’s thoughts on retiring at the end of his current contact over the winter?) and a pitcher who had worn thin the welcome mat, add in 3 additional prospects and a shortstop with MLB service time, and it feels like Seattle may have overpaid in yet another trade. Depending on Snell’s future performance, more than Wilson’s, to determine the overpayment in this deal. The Pirates included $3.8M in the deal to land the prospects.

Although referred to as a first baseman in many reports, Clement has been a catcher all through the minors. His arrival could lead to a Doumit trade before the deadline.

Jack will also be missed on the field and in the community. Seattle, you have a great person who just joined your community, if only for a few months.

BTW Summary:

Since Huntington has arrived he has nearly cleared the cupboard of any remnants of previous GM’s acquisitions. Capps, Grabow and Doumit are the only non-starting pitchers still on the 25 man roster who were not acquired by Huntington. This is now officially Huntington’s team, I can’t ever recall a GM cleaning house so thoroughly so quickly.

For Alison:

The Parrot has not yet been traded, although rumors persist that he could be sent to San Diego for the Chicken.

2009-07-29T21:14:00.001-04:00

Wilson [SEA], Sanchez [SF] and Snell [SEA] traded. Six prospects in return. Comments and details later tonight.

Adam LaRoche Traded For Two Minor Leaguers

2009-07-22T15:22:00.001-04:00

The Pittsburgh Pirates traded first baseman Adam LaRoche for minor league SS Argenis Diaz and minor league pitcher Hunter Strickland. Diaz was rated 29th and Strickland 38th best prospects in the Red Sox system according to http://www.soxprospects.com/.

Diaz 22, SS:

Scouting Report: Diaz is an elite defensive shortstop, and if he improves his concentration on routine plays, he could compete for a gold glove in the bigs right now. He has plus range, excellent footing, an impressive glove, and an outstanding arm. Makes impossible plays in the field. However, he does make a lot of errors on off-the-mark long throws off of grounders that he has no business getting to in the first place. He also really struggles with routine plays on occasion, almost as if he has a mental block. That is a definite area in need of improvement. The other key for Diaz is how much he will hit. He's a slap hitter with below average to average on base ability and without much power, but he's swung the bat very well during a few prolonged stints here and there. Good bat speed through the zone. Struggles with advanced off-speed stuff. Can show lack of plate discipline in stretches. Hits lefties significantly better than righties. Excellent at laying down bunts. Won't steal a lot of bases.

Strickland 20, RHP:

Scouting Report: Tall righty with projectable frame. Fastball sits about 88-91 mph, topping out around 93. Fastball is a little flat, but shows some good movement when he takes something off of it. Strickland has a slow, easy delivery without much explosion at the moment. Good balance. Also works in a 79-82 mph slurve along with a change that sits at 83-85 mph. Changeup could stand to have some more separation from his fastball, look for that to be an area of improvement in 2009.Repeats delivery well, needs to work on his release point to improve his command. His father played in the Tigers organization.

Scouting reports are from Sox Prospects.

Diaz is planned to head to Indianapolis while Strickland is expected in West Virginia.

BTW Take:

The Pirates essentially got a 22 year old Jack Wilson and a right handed pitcher that seems to fit Huntington’s profile for pitchers: Tall and Projectable. The key with Diaz, Wilson just became a little more expendable. Expect Diaz to see some time in Pittsburgh if/when Jack Wilson is traded.

More later…

More:

2:28 - Steve Pearce was pulled from DH duties in Indianapolis’ game today. Lastings Milledge did not play in the game either. Both may be recalled with Jeff Salazar returned to Indianapolis. Huntington all but confirmed Pearce is being recalled and that Pearce has made some “significant” adjustments.

More BTW Take:

Considering LaRoche’s contract and pending free agency, add the fact the Pirates received two prospects in return, the deal seems to be a pretty even swap.

MOSS JUST GOES YARD TO TAKE THE SERIES!!!!!!….Wish this was October.

Some quotes from Huntington on the trade:

"Diaz is an intriguing shortstop prospect who projects to play above-average defense with soft hands, good first step quickness and an above average throwing arm," said Pirates GM Neal Huntington. "He is developing on the offensive side of the baseball, but Argenis quickly becomes the best defensive shortstop prospect in our system."

"Strickland is a young developing right-handed starting pitching prospect with a good frame, solid delivery, clean arm action and an interesting pitch arsenal," said Huntington. "He is a quality strike thrower with a fastball that has averaged as high as 93 miles per hour, with the potential for a Major League caliber breaking ball and changeup to complement his fastball."

BA had Diaz rated the Best Defensive Infielder in Boston’s system.

More Huntington Comments:

3:59 On MLB Home Plate Huntington flat out said the Pirates will not pick up the options on Wilson nor Sanchez.

2009-07-12T22:21:00.001-04:00

I finally have my phone set up to post to blogger. Expect to see many short posts such as this one, except they will be Pirate related.

More On Nyjer

2009-07-01T00:35:00.001-04:00

Defensively Morgan was a plus in left field.

Offensively, he was offensive. As a leadoff type hitter, he simply does not get on base enough. Even when he does get on base, he was too easily picked off. Morgan is still a work in progress at 28.

While the guys on MLB Network are being overly critical of the trade, they are also overly infatuated with Nyjer Morgan. They feel his .286 career average and stellar defense makes this trade a no brainer that Washington made out on this deal.

I still don’t understand that.

While Milledge may not be the super stud he was once projected to be, he is still a .261 hitter in his MLB career that spans a little over 260 games of MLB experience at age 24.

Morgan on the other hand has yet to reach 162 games played in his MLB career at age 28.

Even if Milledge only improves marginally, he will still provide more for the Pirates by age 28 than Morgan will for the Natinals over his career.

Morgan is a nice MLB player. Milledge still has the potential to be an exceptional player. Morgan does not have that kind of ceiling, he has already reached his.

Bottom line, Morgan will provide the Nationals enough that they may not lose 100 games.

I am not saying the Pirates got a steal here, but the deal is not as lopsided as some experts are portraying it to be. This is legitimately a deal that should help both teams. I am just not sure how much it can help a Nationals team that is not close to going anywhere any time soon.

At least no one can say these deals were penny pinching moves.

Beyond The Trades:

I think there was a little more to this deal as well. I think Huntington wanted to bring Garrett Jones and Jeff Salazar north out of spring training, but the play of Monroe and Morgan blocked those moves.

The two deals today may have been more about bringing up those two players than about the risk of Milledge living up to potential or the potential of the young players added in the Hinske deal. The players added have an eye to the future, but the promotions may have been they key to 2009. The bench just got a little deeper and more skilled.

Slide Note:

The play by Freddy Sanchez tonight was nothing more than heads up base running. In the highlights, check out the glance Freddy make at Ted Lilly. As soon as he saw Lilly was late to cover home, he knew he had a great chance to score. He was right.

Hinske, Morgan and Burnett Traded

2009-06-30T18:42:00.001-04:00

It has been a busy day for the Pittsburgh Pirates front office.

Eric Hinske was traded to the New York Yankees netting two 23 year old A ball prospects right-hander Casey Erickson and outfielder Eric Fryer. Fryer was a catcher in the Brewers organization that New York moved into the outfield.

Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett were sent to the wastelands of Washington for outfielder Lastings Milledge and reliever Joel Hanrahan.

Milledge, a former top Mets prospect, has far more power than Morgan and is 5 years younger than Morgan.

Outfielders Garrett Jones and Jeff Salazar have been recalled from AAA Indianapolis.

BTW Take:

These trades are more about the future than 2009. Milledge is coming of the disabled list due to a broken hand, which could affect his power this year dramatically.

Milledge has far more potential than Morgan who is about all he will ever be. The Pirates are in need of power bats, and Milledge should fill that role in the future.

While I was dead wrong about Morgan this year, I still hate to see him go. It could have been fun to see what kind of havoc he and McCutchen could have caused at the top of the lineup.

As for the rest of the trades, Hinske and Burnett won’t be missed much if at all.

I’ll write more later on the subject, just wanted to get this out before game time. I am intrigued to see how the Pirates respond on the field to these trades.

New Lineup

2009-06-05T01:18:00.001-04:00

Wow!

I said that shortly after Andrew McCutchen got his first MLB hit in his first at bat. When McCutchen turned on the afterburners rounding second after Nyjer Morgan’s single in the first.

All I could say was “Wow!”

With the combination of McCutchen and Morgan at the top of the lineup, that kind of speed is hard to defense.

Wow!

Speed kills. Speed creates runs. With the speed the Pirates now field, and Freddy hitting like Freddy in the 3 hole. There could be a ton of created runs through the rest of this season and beyond.

You can’t teach speed. Other teams can only hope to contain it.

I have seen McCutchen in a few games. I have never noticed, until today, how fast he actually is.

Wow!

It is entirely possible the Pirates may end up in a better place without McLouth. Sanchez is a Tony Gwynn like 3 hole hitter. He just hits. The Pirates had an issue before today. They had two number 3 hitters. Freddy batting second was wasting some of his talent.

Now they have two leadoff guys. This could be fun to watch. Especially after Doumit returns.

Wow!

It is only one game. But…

Wow!

McLouth Now A Brave

2009-06-04T01:36:00.001-04:00

Like I said in my last post, if something major happens during my hiatus I will post on it. What happened was one of the last things I expected to be posting on. Nate McLouth has been traded to the Braves for three prospects.

The three prospects the Pirates have received in return are:

LHP Jeffrey Locke 21 A – Locke is a 6’2” lefty who was ranked number 7 by Baseball America in the Braves system. Locke projects as a middle of the rotation pitcher with top of the rotation potential. John Sickels had him rated as a B- player prior to 2009.

RHP Charlie Morton 25 AAA – Morton is a 6’4” righty. The only info I can give, he was projected as the braves number 5 starter for 2012 by Baseball America. He seems to project as a back of the rotation guy. He has looked good in AAA this season going 7-2 with a 2.51 ERA. He does have 16 games of MLB experience last year with the Braves.

OF Gorkys Hernandez 21 AA – Hernandez may be the most intriguing of the 3 players, in my eyes. He was ranked number 4 in the Braves organization by Baseball America. He is a right handed batter with speed and was ranked as a B- by Sickels. He has yet to show the power he is expected to grow in to. His defense is above average and could provide the Pirates a deadly outfield with McCutchen and Tabata also in the fold.

BTW Take:

My initial thought was, “WHAT?!” when I heard the news. Then after I started digging, my impression did not change.

After spending some time looking at the deal, Huntington did what we have been waiting 16 years for a Pirates GM to do. Sell high. He has done that 3 times since last July with Nady and Bay being the other two deals. In less than one year, Huntington has remolded the entire Pirates top 20 prospect list. He is sticking to his plan and making the tough moves.

Only time will tell if these were the right moves, but they haven’t looked bad so far.

Ironically the player who made this deal possible wasn’t even part of the trade. Nyjer Morgan is the player who made this deal possible. Morgan’s defense, as reported by Dejan in Wednesdays Notebook, is rated as a major defensive asset. His number one rating in Ultimate Zone Rating among all MLB players helped make this deal possible. The fact that he has been an offensive game changer has only helped his standing with the Pirates. So far, I have been dead wrong on Morgan.

McCutchen is on his way to Pittsburgh for his MLB debut. With McCutchen, Morgan and Moss (another highly ranked UZR) the Pirates could have one of the best defensive outfields around. The Pirates as a team are ranked 3rd in MLB in UZR, McLouth was rated at a –1.00, and McCutchen should provide better performance than that.

As with any defensive ratings, they are highly flawed. There is no doubt in my mind McCutchen is a better defensive center fielder than McLouth. My concern is if his bat is ready to make the jump. Too often in Pirates history, highly touted prospects have failed to bring their bat to Pittsburgh with them.

While this trade is not a popular trade, it is likely the right deal. The Pirates get at least two players who will be in their top 10 prospect list and open a spot for their number one prospect to come up. McLouth was traded while his value was still at a high point and the return was maybe more than valid for a one year starting outfielder. This trade should also serve notice to players that they aren’t safe no matter the contract. Ian Snell needs to take notice, Morton may be his replacement soon.

Just to be clear, I love Nate as a player, and his birthday should be a Holiday (same birthday as yours truly). This deal, unlike Bay or Nady deals, will not show its true value for a few years to come.

BTW Slide Note:

I’ll likely be making some semi regular posts as I ramp back up to daily posts in the next couple weeks.

BTW Hiatus

2009-05-22T15:23:00.001-04:00

As if you had not realized, BTW is once again in a hiatus. Unfortunately, due to some personal and professional issues or problems, I have been forced to put something on the back burner. It is very unfortunate I have to do this with BTW. I will be back, but this time I am not making promises as to when. It seems like when I make a promise, something else goes haywire.

Until I return, Let's Go Bucs!!!!

If anything major happens or I get a juicy scoop, I will try to make my way to a PC to make a comment.

Drop any comments in this thread, I will try to read and reply as time allows.

Game 32: Cardinals at Pirates

2009-05-12T17:01:00.001-04:00

Game 32: Cardinals at Pirates

Clemens and Blackout Rules

2009-05-12T00:10:00.001-04:00

Roger Clemens will be on EPN radios Mike and Mike around 8:15 Tuesday morning. Just wanted to pass this on, since it should be somewhat interesting.

I finally got an explanation of MLB blackout restrictions. It seems that if there is a nationally televised game and your game is not part of the MLB package, this enables the restriction. I'll try to explain better tomorrow when I have more time.

Game 30: Pirates vs Mets

2009-05-09T11:01:00.001-04:00

Game 30: Pirates vs Mets

Game 29: Pirates at Mets

2009-05-08T16:46:00.003-04:00

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php?option=com_mobile&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;task=viewaltcast&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;altcast_code=2fd14b6062" &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Game 29: Pirates at Mets&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;

Pirates' lineup:

1. Morgan, LF
2. Sanchez, 2B
3. McLouth, CF
4. Adam LaRoche, 1B
5. Andy LaRoche, 3B
6. Moss, RF
7. Diaz, C
8. Bixler, SS
9. Karstens, P

Mets' lineup:

1. Reyes, SS
2. Castillo, 2B
3. Beltran, CF
4. Delgado, 1B
5. Wright, 3B
6. Murphy, LF
7. Santos, C
8. Church, RF
9. Niese, P

Well. It is a deep subject.

2009-05-08T00:48:00.001-04:00

.235

.229

.195

.167

.160

Those are batting averages.

These are the players:

Monroe

Hinske

Moss

Bixler

Vazquez

Jack Wilson can not get back soon enough at short. His .255 batting average dwarfs those of Bixler and Vazquez. Vazquez has the redeeming value of walking 12 times to double his batting average to have a respectable on base percentage. Only problem with walks, they rarely drive in runs.

What to do in right is another question. Could we see McCutchen called up to play right? If Andrew is called up, does McLouth move to right? Will McCutchen be called up soon?

Don't expect that call up too soon. McCutchen is batting a pedestrian .255 in Indianapolis. While a top of the lineup of McCutchen, Nyjer Morgan could create some early runs with speed alone, McCutchen is not looking like he is ready just yet.

The way Morgan can bunt or line one past a drawn in 3B when they are cheating in for the bunt, the Pirates could have a run on the board before the ball left the infield. Not that many balls the Pirates have hit recently have cleared the infield.

Don't look now, Andy has a better average than Adam. Andy is hitting .250 compared to Adam's .240. Maybe it was too soon to claim Adam has shaken the early season slow start.

Don't blame the recent 1-9 run on Doumit's injury. Injuries have played a huge role in the slump with Wilson and McLouth missing considerable time. Even Capps has not been right.

The pitching is coming back to earth as well.

I asked a few weeks back about which came first, a long winning streak or the long losing spell...guess that was answered. Now let's see what happens as they get healthy, and no doubt make some sort of call up.

Game 25: Brewers at Pirates

2009-05-04T18:21:00.001-04:00

<Game 25: Brewers at Pirates

Game 24: Reds vs Pirates

2009-05-03T14:38:00.001-04:00

Game 24: Reds at Pirates

Game 23: Reds vs Pirates

2009-05-02T19:18:00.001-04:00

Game 23: reds at pirates

A Few Promising Things

2009-05-02T12:20:00.001-04:00

I am not trying to drink the Kool-Aid. I am not saying this team will contend.

What I am saying, even with a four game losing streak, there is still a few things to believe as promising.

Even with Maholm having a bad outing, he never should have started his last inning, Maholm still fought and had his team in a position to win when he was finally removed.

The night before, the Pirates battled back to tie the game at five before the bullpen imploded.

Snell pitched very well, being out dueled in Wednesdays game.

Duke has continued to shine.

The pitching staff still lead the NL in ERA at the end of April, a five pretty good teams in Pittsburgh Pirates history did the same. So there is some hope with the pitching staff.

There are plenty of reasons to think this staff has at least 3 legitimate pitchers at the top of the rotation.

Ohlendorf and Karstens, they have even looked good at time. They are both filling their roles in the rotation the way they should as forth and fifth starters. The way they have pitched, many teams would take that production from the 4 and 5 spots.

The Pirates offense has not been as outstanding the last 22 innings, but slumps can be expected on any team.

The best part of this 4 game skid...The Pirates are still at .500 on the season. As long as the team can get this skid under control, and soon, there is still plenty of reasons to think this team might break the streak. The key to breaking the streak, the pitching must maintain what they are doing.

The starting rotation needs to keep from pushing, thinking they need to go 7 or 8 innings scoreless. The only way that mind set is avoided...the offense needs to step it up and soon.

Injuries:

Jaramillo has stepped in nicely to fill the mitt behind the plate after Doumit went down with a wrist injury. He has hit better than expected and has provided a little better defense behind the dish. While Doumit's bat is missed, his glove has been more than adequately replaced.

Bixler has provided solid play at short with Jack Wilson on the DL. His bat has yet to fully translate to MLB levels, but his defense has been solid.

The loss of McLouth for 6 games did not help the offense. Morgan has continued to play well, when not getting picked off when on base.

The problem for the Pirates right now, they can't afford any more key injuries. The depth still is not where Huntington would like it to be. Luckily, the injuries have happened at positions where adequate players were waiting in the wings.

If the Pirates take a hit in the starting rotation, that could doom the team to that record breaking season of 17.

Brother In Arms:

I am formally retiring the Lil and Big LaWhiff titles. Both brothers are playing well. Andy has recovered from one of the ugliest starts of a season I have ever seen a player have. His glove has been solid and his bat has translated enough to show he is ready to be the everyday third baseman until a certain someone arrives.

Adam is being 2nd half Adam in the first half. If he can keep this up the whole season, he has a good shot at 35 HR's this season. A nice change for a lineup that hasn't had much pop since the early 90's.

Game Thread:

The game thread may be up late again today. Too many things to do and I am still tweaking the new Netbook.

Game 22: Reds vs Pirates

2009-05-01T20:02:00.001-04:00

Game 22 - Reds @ Pirates

Look Of Defeat

2009-04-29T01:38:00.001-04:00

After Freddy Sanchez missed a ground ball in the 6th, the Pirates players had the look of a defeated team, even before the Brewers took the lead. Anyone who says a streak has no impact on a team needs only to watch that one play to change their minds.

Enduring 16 straight losses at Milwaukee has this team in a tizzy.

Just imagine what a 16 year streak feels like for the team.

BTW News:

BTW is once again posting. I now have a new netbook that should allow me to get back to regular posting once again. Sorry for the MIA, but BTW is back. I just finished installing the blogging client I use and finished setting up the machine. I have plenty of thoughts to share, so expect many posts in the next few days and the return of Game Day Threads.