Thursday in my Google Reader

I use Google Reader for almost all of my web reading. I highly recommend it as a big time saver. Lots of good stuff in there today......

-Today is the day for the local news' much hyped Ben Roethlisberger sit down interviews. And I know when I want the tough questions asked, I bring Bob Pompeani or Sally Wiggin in. These interviews are definitely a good start for Ben in his public image rehab quest though as really nothing can go wrong.

-Did Pete Rose cork his bat at the end of his career? Deadspin has a very detailed story explaining that he may very well have. Just another example of the long held thinking in baseball that if "you aren't cheating, you aren't playing"....And yes, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

-The Big 10/Pac 10 power struggle officially starts. Nebraska is going to the Big 10 and Colorado to the Pac 10 as of tomorrow. Can't say I would have predicted a Big 12 collapse before a Big East collapse. And all this restructuring has to be leading to a playoff, right?

-Should MLB have a separate draft of international talent? Fangraphs thinks so. I am all for it as well. Currently, any players outside of the US or Puerto Rico are subject to international free agency at the age of 16. This leads to bidding wars and identity issues that don't happen with the regular draft. Its just one big free for all.

-Speaking of the Draft, here are short profiles (a sentence or two with stats where available) on all 50 Pirate selections. Hint, there are a lot of pitchers. Especially right handed ones out of high school.

-A quick update on a couple former Buccos....Ian Snell is close to at least losing his starting job (for the second time this year) after giving up 8 runs in 1 and 2/3 last night, if not being released altogether. Nate McLouth left the game for Atlanta last night after a nasty collision in the outfield. And he continues to chug along with a .176 average. Dejan can't be happy.

-On the eve of the World Cup, Deadspin (via The Spoiler) has the 11 dirtiest players in the tournament.

-The Big Lead posted their 5 greatest moments in Saved by the Bell history yesterday. Amazingly, I had just referenced the #1 moment on their list in a comment to Anthony here. Great stuff, even though this wouldn't be my top 5. How about something from the Rod Belding episode (2 Beldings in one Building, one of who is balding...)? Or the Friends Forever one? Or anything involving Zack calling timeout and freezing time? What a great and ridiculous show. I could, and probably will at some point, do a whole post on the show...

-And Finally, Marian Hossa gets his Stanley Cup. Good for him. Jeremy Roenick was apparently so happy he started crying on air. Hilarious.

The Pirates' Risky Business

You can't teach speed. You hear it in all sports for different reasons. Baseball is of course no exception. Neal Huntington has been trying to get hard throwing pitchers into the Pirates system every since he took over. Until now, this has meant pulling guys off the scrap heap or rule 5 draft (Denny Bautista, Hayden Penn, Evan Meek, Donnie Veal etc..) who can throw extremely hard but have some issue. Usually, the issue is not having any idea where the ball is going when it leaves his hand....Neal is just hoping in each case that the Pirates can be the organization that helps the guy "figure it out." Occasionally it works (Evan Meek). Most of the time it doesn't (Denny Bautista).

Neal Huntington has taken the quest for speed to a new level in the draft. In the first two rounds, they selected the two hardest throwers available: Jameson Taillon and Stetson Allie. Taillon can hit 99 mph and some say has the "polish" of a college pitcher because of  already having a four pitch arsenal. He would be the number one pick overall in a year without Bryce Harper. Allie can hit 100 mph but has some control issues at times. He was rated the #8 overall prospect talent wise by Baseball America, but could be a very tough sign as rumors claim he is looking for 3 million to skip college (reason he slipped to the 52 pick). That would be an unheard of amount for a second round pick. Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates signing both of these guys would make it a "potential franchise changing two days." Hopefully they can get it done.

Of course there is some risk (actually a good bit) here...High school pitchers get hurt. They don't have a good track record of living up to expectations. I have already heard the jokes that the Pirates should just schedule their Tommy John surgery for next week and be done with it. However, if that is your thinking, please explain how the Pirates are supposed to get their hands on an "ace" type pitcher (like the one they saw last night, wow was Strasburg good). Those guys don't make it to free agency and they couldn't afford them anyway. The amateur draft is the cheapest way to acquire talent.

These were picks that had to be made and a team in the Pirates situation has to take the risk when guys with 99 mph fastballs and plus curves are available. Otherwise you will never end up with a rotation made up anything other Paul Maholms and Zach Dukes (at best).....I can't wait to get them signed and into the system. 

Monday Links

No huge story to write about today. So a handful of links.......

-Bob Smizik has decided that past performance IS indicative of future results when it comes to the MLB draft. He prefers a college player to the high upside (but higher risk) high schoolers. Of course, he will probably write an article in the next day or so complaining about the Pirates lack of high upside prospects...But that is to be expected from Bob.

-Everything you ever wanted to know about the Pirates' 2010 Draft strategy.

-Baseball America's final Mock draft has the Pirates picking Jameson Taillon. That would be my choice although they really can't go wrong with Machado either, who the PG says they are leaning towards...

-Bryon Leftwich has a leg up to be the starter during Ben's suspension instead of Dennis Dixon. That is extremely disappointing. I like Byron but with the offensive line in front of him, his immobility, and his Hideo Nomo like windup and delivery, this is not going to end well.

-Apparently now the Pac 10 is going to try to beat the Big 10 to it by raiding the Big 12. Is anyone else extremely bored with all the college expansion talk? Who really cares where teams end up in football if you aren't going to have a playoff to determine a winner?

-While cutting grass last night, I listened to a good bit of Colin Dunlap's radio show on 93.7 The Fan. It was very enjoyable as he had different topics (example in reference to John Wooden...Is it harder to coach
"talent" that has high expectations and egos?) and wasn't afraid to take the non-standard side of an argument. And unlike someone like Mark Madden, he allowed people to talk when they disagreed with him and it led to some good discussion. The only downside was his interview of Chuck Finder. He is just as wordy and incoherent on the radio as he is in print. Hopefully, Dunlap gets a better slot than 6pm to 10pm on Sunday night as time goes on.

-Mario had a hole in one yesterday at Oakmont. Good to hear something finally went his way.

-And finally, a "typical" Boston sports fan's view of the NBA finals (language is sketchy). If only this site had a yinzer character.

Taillon, Machado, or Pomeranz?

The MLB Draft starts on Monday. To a team in the Pirates situation, this is a huge event. Not often noted by the media but worth noting is that the organization has treated it as such over the last two years by spending more money than any other team in MLB. They have the second pick this year and will more than likely miss out on the much hyped Bryce Harper. According to my reading they seem to be down to one of three players (in my order of preference): RHP Jameson Taillon, SS Manny Machado, or LHP Drew Pomeranz. Quick thoughts on each:

Taillon is my choice because its just not easy to find someone who throws as hard as he does with "polish" at 18 years old. He has already been called a harder throwing Josh Beckett. Bryce Harper's thoughts on him:

"I caught him against Cuba," Harper said of the shutout, 72/3-innings performance last fall that won the United States its inaugural gold medal in Pan-American Games 18-and-under baseball. "Struck out 17. Nasty stuff. He's amazing."


I like Machado as well, and am of course intrigued by the A-Rod comparisons even though they probably only come up because they are both from Miami. What worries me a bit is that his eventual size (already 6 foot 3 190 lbs at 18) will prevent him being a SS over the long term. However, his hitting potential makes it a somewhat moot point where he ends up playing.


Pomeranz is very good, but he wouldn't be my pick. He is more of a sure thing and will definitely get to the majors faster than the other two, but doesn't have the upside Taillon has ("only" hits 94 occasional, 90-92 consistently). However, he is left handed and that always matters to teams. Picking Pomeranz would also oddly mean that the Pirates have 3 guys who were roommates on Mississippi's 2009 Team in their minor league system. Weird.


Interesting thing....Keith Law, who was the first to report and confirm the Bucs were going to select Tony Sanchez last year, (seemingly out of nowhere) has changed his mock draft to show the Pirates taking Taillon. Its insider only on ESPN but you can see the Pirates part.


Whatever happens in the first round, it will be just as interesting to watch and see if the Pirates continue their tendency to take tough to sign high schoolers in the middle rounds and buy them out of their college committments. That is how you can continue to stock an improving minor league system.....

What to think of Ken Griffey Jr?

Ken Griffey Jr. was the first true superstar of my baseball fandom. He hits 16 homeruns in the majors as a 19 year old in 1989. His 1989 Rookie cards were what every kid wanted to have. At one point I had the Fleer and Donruss versions but could never get my hands on the Upper Deck one. It was THE holy grail of baseball cards for a collector in the early 90s.  He was "The Kid" who was going to be the greatest ever. His retirement and the realization that I watched his entire 22 year career is just another sign that I am starting to get old.

Quick sidebar...Griffey was the first pick in the 1987 draft by Seattle. The Pirates actually had the worst record in MLB in 1986 but got the second pick because at the time the first overall pick alternated between the American and National Leagues (not that case anymore). So, if the current rules were in effect, the Pirates would have drafted Ken Griffey Jr (instead of a can't miss guy who never played in the majors) and had an outfield of Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds, and Andy Van Slyke in the late 80s/early 90s. I am pretty sure that would have beat the Braves and whoever from the American League. And Griffey would have been there past 1992 even if Bonds left...Just crazy to even think about.

That sidebar is actually the perfect segue way as Griffey's career is the ultimate case of "what if" mainly due to all his injuries. He finished with 630 home runs. Does he easily break the home run record if  plays 140+ games in a season more than twice in the 2000s?  He also missed about half the season in 1995. With the other counting stats that are bound to come with more playing time make him the best ever?  It is impossible to say.

What I can say is that it feels like Ken Griffey just never seemed to live up to his potential. I don't know if that is fair nor if he could have ever lived up to the expectations. However, the first thing I think about with Griffey is his slide to score the winning run and beat the Yankees in the playoffs. That play was 15 years ago!  Its not that he hasn't had a great career since as the numbers were great (led the AL in homers in 97, 98, and 99 with some gaudy stats). But was 1995 the pinnacle? He just always seemed to be overshadowed after that. Whether it was the Yankees winning a bunch of titles, the McGwire/Sosa home run chase, or the lost years in Cincy, I just can't recall a lot of "moments" for Junior. That seems weird to me considering he is an all-time great and I am as big a baseball fan as anyone.

Another thing about Griffey that makes me curious is why it is always assumed he didn't do any kind of performance enhancing drugs. He is constantly considered the best "clean" superstar of the steroids era but aren't there at least some signs that he could have been dirty too? Haven't we said before that symptoms of steroid/PED use include breaking down physically earlier than most? Griffey didn't have an injury free season after age 30 which lead to the thinking of unfulfilled expectations I mentioned before. I don't think he did any PEDs but also don't think the possibility should be dismissed. I think it is because of the fact that Griffey was the face of baseball for a lot of years after the strike, more so than any of the other suspected/admitted users. An admission by Griffey would hurt the game much worse (in the media's) eyes than any of the others.

So, what to think of Ken Griffey's career? Will he be remembered more for what could have been, including the fact that he never played in a World Series? Or for the years he kept baseball together as the media/kid friendly superstar and basically saved baseball in Seattle? 

The Next Lebron?

Bryce Harper is going to be the first pick in the MLB Draft next Monday. He was hailed as "Baseball's Lebron" as a 16 year old. He has "light tower power" and has demonstrated it as a 17 year old in junior college after there were some doubts. He might be the real Roy Hobbs. If only the Pirates had been slightly worse last year, he could be coming to Pittsburgh instead of Washington...

The only prospect who has been hyped more over the last 10 years is Stephen Strasburg. Or maybe Mark Prior.

Joe Posnanski, one of my favorite writers, attempts to slow the hype down just a bit by explaining how different the Harper and Strasburg paths to the majors are/will be. While he still loves the talent of Harper, there have been plenty of  "can't miss" high school prospects at the top of the draft miss while Strasburg was ready for the majors the instant he was drafted (basically there was no risk)....The money quote from his "scout friend:"

He did not finish that sentence though he could have finished it this way: “And everything doesn’t always go right in baseball.” The bottom line is this: He thinks Harper is one of the best 17-year-old hitting prospects he’s seen. But, he’s just that: A terrific 17-year-old prospect. And there have been a lot of those.

Here is the complete article.

Who do the Pirates pick second after this guy is off the board? They seem to have about 3 options, one of which is being compared to A-Rod, not to get out of control with expectations or anything. I will get to them later this week.

Tony Sanchez vs. the Doubters

The MLB Draft is extremely important for a team like the Pirates. To have any chance to succeed long term, they need to hit as often as possible. That obviously has not always happened.


Last year, the Pirates had the fourth overall pick and took Tony Sanchez. This was viewed by almost everyone as a huge reach and the "cheap" pick. The MLB draft is not like other pro sports drafts. There are a lot of factors when it comes to picking someone. For example, there is no slotting system that tells you how much a guy can sign for. High school players can refuse to sign cause they want to go to college or more often use college as leverage to get more money to sign.


Noted NFL draft expert Anthony specifically called Sanchez the "worst pick in the history of the draft." If I remember correctly, he said Sanchez had the upside of "Humberto Cota." Cota was a career minor leaguer who played very sparingly with the Pirates. High praise indeed.


The Pirates GM held firm that Sanchez was legitimately high on their draft board. People laughed and claimed "same old cheap Pirates." The Bucs then went on to spend more than only a couple teams (who both spent way more on one guy than the Pirates did) because they drafted a number of high school pitchers who had fallen dramatically due to "signability" concerns. The Pirates bought them out of going to college. I know I wouldn't have turned down a million dollars to go play baseball coming out of high school. Shockingly, that was not highlighted by the media nearly as much as the perceived first round mistake, but this isn't an article ripping the media. I will do that some other time. Because of the overall draft strategy, I decided to give Neil Huntington and the Pirates' scouts the benefit of the doubt ..


Sanchez then signed quickly and immediately went to the minors and started crushing the ball. He has not stopped. His stats so far in his minor league career (courtesy of MILB.com)

2009 Season:
Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
SC	NYP	.308	4	13	2	4	1	0	0	1	5	1	2	0	0	.357	.385	.742
WV	SAL	.316	41	155	29	49	15	1	7	46	87	21	34	1	0	.415	.561	.976
LYN	CAR	.200	3	10	2	2	2	0	0	1	4	1	4	0	0	.385	.400	.785
Minors		.309	48	178	33	55	18	1	7	48	96	23	40	1	0	.409	.539	.949

2010 Season
Team	League	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	TB	BB	SO	SB	CS	OBP	SLG	OPS
BRD	FSL	.348	19	66	15	23	8	0	3	18	40	14	15	0	1	.476	.606	1.082
Minors		.348	19	66	15	23	8	0	3	18	40	14	15	0	1	.476	.606	1.08

Here are some of the guys people (like Anthony) wanted the Pirates to draft. None are off to anywhere near as good a start:


Zach Wheeler
Matthew Purke (Did not sign)
Grant Green
Bobby Borchering
Aaron Crow


Its obviously WAY to early to make any sweeping generalizations (not as early as say ripping the guy on the day of the draft...). However, isn't overreaction and snap judgments what we are here for?  With that in mind, I think Anthony should write a personal apology letter to Tony Sanchez.