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. 

Pay it Forward

I'm guessing that the Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic was waiting on pins and needles to write something positive about Nate McLouth. AND HE JUST COULDN'T WAIT ANY LONGER...

It sounds like Kovacevic is using McLouth's recent 9 for 24 "surge" as justification for writing something positive about him. See for yourself.

Dude, you must really, really want to write something positive about someone if you've waited until they got their batting average to .208 before deciding that now is the right time. I could see being somewhat positive if he hit the game-winning grand slam for the Braves last night (which, of course, he didn't). Anything more than briefly mentioning McLouth's return to Pittsburgh tonight is utterly absurd.

As the Pirates beat-reporter, the only thing Dejan should be writing about, in regards McLouth, is that Neal Huntington--as much as I can't stand him--appears to be right about trading him. For all of the flak Neal got for trading McLouth (and the return on the trade is not promising), it looks like he correctly identified that McLouth was not a core piece of the puzzle.

So, now I've wasted your time trying to explain why Dejan Kovacevic shouldn't have wasted my time today. Pay it forward.

CHAAAARLIE!!!!!!!!

I want everyone to know that Bird still defends the Nate McLouth trade.

To justify the trade, Bird points to Nate's paltry numbers since he joined the Braves.

What does that have to do with the trade? When the Pirates traded McLouth, he was a very good offensive center fielder and had just won a gold glove. His contract was also team-friendly. As far as the fans knew, he wasn't even on the trading block.

That means Neal Huntington got an offer he couldn't refuse. Rumor has it that Huntington didn't even bother to call the other 30 MLB franchises to leverage the Braves offer. Instead, he pulled the trigger.

So, what was so incredibly tempting to Neal?

Since Gorkys Hernandez projects to be a 4th or 5th outfielder and Jeff Locke is a questionable prospect, I'm guessing that Neal was infatuated with Charlie Morton.

Another great call, Neal. Find me a worse pitcher in the majors leagues, and I'll try to find you someone who will go to further depths to defend the Pirates than Bird will. We'll both fail...but not as bad as Charlie Morton does every time he takes the mound. Crazy.

Phew!!!

Everyone can put the Xanax away.

After some tense hours, your prayers have been answered! He's going to be fine!

Shortstop Ronnie Cedeno doesn't have a broken wrist! It's just a bruise.

That collective "Phew!!!!" sound you just heard? That's the Pirates Management team breathing a giant sigh of relief after hearing the fantastic news.

They know how devastating any extended absence from Cedeno would've been to the Pirate lineup.

So, breathe easy this morning, Pittsburgh. Ronnie and his .243 batting average will be back in the lineup sometime soon.

Come to think of it, maybe that noise you heard earlier was just Neal Huntington reacting enthusiastically to a nasty protein fart. Because seriously...he'd have every reason to be as excited about the fart as he is about getting Cedeno back in the lineup. This team's a stinking joke.

Can You 302 A Bird?

Bird still defends the Jason Bay trade. Give me 2 minutes to tell you why Bird should be 302'd.

In 2008, Pirates G.M. Neal Huntington traded Jason Bay for 4 players: Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss, Bryan Morris, and Craig Hansen.

In his only full season with the Boston Red Sox, Bay hit 36 Homeruns, had 119 RBI's, and had an OPS of .921. He was 7th in the A.L. MVP voting.

Last year, the prize of the return--LaRoche, hit .258, had 12 Homeruns, and had an OPS of .731. Those below-average numbers actually trumped his 2008 post-trade performance, when he hit .152 in 49 games. (consider, too, that it's only a matter of time before he gets booted from 3rd base).

LaRoche has been a gem compared to Moss, who hit .236 last year with 7 Homeruns. After clearing waivers, he's now playing ball in AAA! WOOHOO!!!

(Miss me yet? Photo: David Littlefield)

Morris is a 23 year-old pitching in A ball. (what does that tell you?) He also has an attitude problem. Fabulous.

As for Hansen, well, he didn't exactly dominate in the second half of 2008 with the Pirates. He was 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA, and he walked 20 batters in 15.2 innings. In 2009, he became a pain in the neck and may never pitch again. (if he does, watch out for him and that 7.47 ERA!)

Way to wheel and deal, Neal.

So, there you have it. For one of the best players in the major leagues, the Pirates got basically nothing in return. It's one thing to shrug it off, but you've got to be crazy to defend the trade like Bird does.

Quick...you get his arms and I'll hold his legs. Now what's the quickest way to Western Psych?

Properly Evaluating the Jason Bay Trade

July 31st, 2008. The Pirates trade Jason Bay to the Red Sox. The Red Sox send Manny Ramirez to the Dodgers and Craig Hansen/Brandon Moss to the Pirates. The Dodgers send Andy Laroche and Bryan Morris to the Pirates.

The trade was initially viewed as a win for the Pirates by the national media. However, because of Moss' struggles, a freak nerve disorder to Hansen, Morris' rough 2009, and Laroche not being Mike Schmidt at 3B in his first year in the majors (not to mention being the brother of a guy who wasn't the most popular Bucco), it has seemingly been "officially" ruled a disaster of epic proportions by most.

However, I do not think it is that simple. As trades for multiple prospects often do over time, this one might ultimately end up in the Bucs' favor after all.

How you ask? An update on the important players in the trade:

-Jason Bay left the Red Sox in Winter 2009 and signed with the Mets. All in all, the Red Sox got what they expected offensively from Bay, but watched him play defense that can be nicely described as "statuesque" in the tiny Fenway Park LF. Not so nicely put...he made Manny Ramirez look like Roberto Clemente out there. The Red Sox were unwilling to offer the number of years Bay wanted due to concerns they had regarding his knees. I think its fair to say the Pirates should not have kept a guy with questionable knees to patrol the giant LF at PNC Park for years to come, no matter what he brought offensively. Well, at least not for the money the Mets gave him. By the way, the 31 year old Bay has a .774 OPS and 1 homerun so far in 2010.

-Andy Laroche seems to only be getting better and at age 26 should be just now coming into his prime. He is hitting .323 with a .397 OBP in 2010. If he stays anywhere near those numbers (or even .280 with a .350 or so OBP) after a likely move to 2B when Pedro Alvarez comes up, he could be an all star and top five second baseman in the National League. 2B who can hit are not easy to find. From a pure "Wins above Replacement Player" view, Laroche added 2.5 wins to the Pirates total in 2009. He could end up close to the 5.0 wins Bay added to Boston last year by the time 2010 is over.

-Bryan Morris may have turned the corner. After a rough 2009 that included a short team imposed suspension, he has been almost unhittable in 2010. He has a 0.98 ERA in 27 2/3 innings with 26 Ks and 3 walks. Looking at his numbers, the suspension might actually have been the wake up call he needed. He will soon be in AA and could be on target for a late 2011 call up. He just turned 23 in March.

So in 2011 or 2012, the Pirates could very well have an above average starting 2B and a #2 or #3 starter (anything from Moss or Hansen is a bonus) for a guy who was involved with one playoff series victory in Boston and likely had no future in Pittsburgh. That seems like a pretty good trade return to me.

Neil Huntington only had one great trading chip -more on that some other time- is his quest to rebuild the Pirates. He cashed it in and I think there is a good chance he ultimately has the last laugh.....

Humberto Sanchez

Here's some of the things the Pirates knew about Tony Sanchez when they drafted him: He had conditioning issues in his past (seriously, he went on the Subway diet), he had a questionable bat, and he was strong defensively. There's a reason some felt he was drafted 20 slots too soon.

So, let's see. A former chunker who has an average bat with some pop...but is strong defensively. Hmm. Who does that remind me of?

The Pirates didn't have a bad draft in 2009. And Tony Sanchez might turn out to be a good player (he's not even playing AA ball yet, so let's not assume he's going to replace Ryan Doumit just yet). But the MLB draft is more of a crap shoot than any of the other major sports, so I believe that you're always better off drafting the best player available--not the most signable player. (Bryan Bullington, anyone?)

And just so you know, the Pirates are already prepared to pass up a tremendous prospect this upcoming draft. Fact is, Bryce Harper might not even be in Neal Huntington's top 10 this June.

Yet, I'm supposed to trust Neal Huntington's scouting prowess on Tony Sanchez?

So go buy yourself a $5 footlong, Bird, and tell them Tony Cota sent you. Or Humberto Sanchez. Or....I'm sorry--I keep getting them confused. Tell them Tony Sanchez sent you.