tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54221236776647858172023-11-15T23:03:01.702-08:00Bloggin BuccosAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-19128865181353612712015-10-07T12:57:00.004-07:002015-10-07T12:57:56.398-07:00Pirates-Cubs NL Wild Card Pitching PreviewToday, the Pittsburgh Pirates (98-64), who have the third best record in the organization's history (and best since the World Series Champion 1909 team) take on the Chicago Cubs (97-65) who make their first postseason appearance since 2008 and attempt for their first World Series title since 1908. This matchup of the two teams with the second and third best records in MLB is the best postseason matchup since the 103-win Yankees took on the 97-win Angels in the 2009 ALCS, and is sure to be a highly rated affair. Many outlets are making their postseason picks, but let's take a quick look at how the two teams' pitching compares ahead of tonight's likely pitching duel.<div>
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<b>Starting Pitchers: Cubs' Jake Arrieta (22-6, 1.77 ERA) vs. Pirates' Gerrit Cole (19-8, 2.60 ERA)</b></div>
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Advantage: <b>Cubs</b></div>
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Jake Arrieta has followed up his 2014 break-out season with a year that has flat-out stunned everyone. After four seasons with the Orioles and a combined 5.46 ERA, Arrieta was traded to the Cubs during the 2013 season and immediately began to improve. The Cubs were able to get Arrieta to throw his slider more frequently, and coupled with a hard fastball, Arrieta's results improved drastically. With a focus on the new repetoire and a greater feel for pitching, the Cubs' ace has become arguably the best pitcher in baseball at age 29. </div>
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Gerrit Cole, 2011's first overall pick has emerged as the Pirates bona fide ace, throwing 208 innings with a 1.09 WHIP and 202 strikeouts. Cole has similar home and road splits, with a better home winning percentage and WHIP, bit worse ERA. He is also a pitcher that relies heavily on a fastball-slider combination and does so to great effect. Cole has been great in four starts against the Cubs this year, with a 2.13 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.</div>
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While Gerrit Cole has been great against the Cubs, Jake Arrieta has been even better against the Pirates. In five starts against the Pirates, Arrieta has pitched to a 0.75 ERA, 0.64 WHIP and 33 strikeouts in 36 innings. The Pirates have not had any success against Arrieta this year and it is difficult to imagine them having much success against him tonight, but yet again it was tough to see the Pirates hitting well against Johnny Cueto in 2013.</div>
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<b>Bullpen:</b></div>
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Advantage: <b>Pirates</b></div>
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The pitching staffs are set for the wild-card game and they are designed to help win this crucial one game playoff. The Cubs and Pirates have nearly identical bullpens, with 2 lefties in each, solid middle relief and dominant back-end pitchers. Justin Grimm and Pedro Strop have been quite successful as the seventh and eight inning guys for the Cubs, with ERA's in the low 3's and strikeout rates over 10 per nine innings. Hector Rondon has been one of the best closers in baseball this year, with a 3.17 ERA, low walk and home run rates, and a high strikeout rate. The Pirates, meanwhile, have Joakim Soria and Tony Watson as the set-up men for Mark Melancon. Soria and Watson are both capable of closing out games, have dominant stuff and have been incredibly successful in their careers. Melancon has emerged as one of the best if not the best closer in baseball, leading the league in saves this year. While not having overwhelming stuff, he hits his spots well and has a great feel for pitching. Although these bullpens on paper are nearly even, having home field advantage should give the Pirates a slight advantage in this game.</div>
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Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-6719443694126914282015-08-26T16:07:00.000-07:002015-08-26T16:07:21.845-07:00What to Expect with September Call-ups For years, September call-ups for the Pirates essentially meant that the team would begin tryouts for the following season, but over the past four years, September has been meaningful for the organization, and as such, the roster expansion in September has been used to add valuable pieces that otherwise would have been unable to fit on the Pirates roster. Last year, eight players got the call to the majors from AAA Indianapolis, and I would expect a similar number this year. Typically, players are called up who are already on the 40-man roster, but in some cases a player is added to the 40-man roster in order to be called up to the majors in September. With that said, the most likely candidates to come from the 40-man roster are LHP <span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;">Bobby LaFromboise, RHP Rob Scahill, C Tony Sanchez, 1B/RF Corey Hart and OF Jaff Decker. </span><br />
<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> LaFromboise was claimed by the Pirates from the San Diego Padres last August and was a September call-up last September. He was used sparingly as a lefty specialist and totaled 3.2 innings, allowing 1 run, 3 hits, no walks and 4 strikeouts. LaFromboise did not make the opening day roster this season, and although he was called up twice, once in May and again at the end of July, he made only one appearance, pitching an inning, allowing 1 hit, no runs, no walks and a strikeout. The only other time the 29-year old was in the major leagues was briefly in 2013 for the Seattle Mariners, were he pitched 10.2 innings with a 5.91 ERA. LaFromboise has pitched consistently well in the minor leagues and has been one of his best seasons. On the year he has pitched 53 innings, has a 2.72 ERA, with a WHIP of 1.09 to go along with 50 strikeouts. He would look to be a very solid option against lefties in a similar role that Antonio Bastardo has played this year and could challenge to take over that spot for next season. </span><br />
<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Rob Scahill is currently on a rehab assignment in AAA Indianapolis and has been quite successful in his brief time there. In 8.2 innings, Scahill has pitched to a 2.08 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Before being sidelined by injury, Scahill had pitched to a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings for the Major League ball club. He will be a good relief depth option in the middle innings for the Pirates once he comes off of the DL in September.</span><br />
<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Tony Sanchez has taken a bit of a roller coaster ride for the organization since being drafted in the first round of the 2009 draft out of Boston College. His development was stunted by injuries and under performance, and now he is a 27-year old stuck in a time share with new Pirates-catcher-of-the future Elias Diaz. Diaz and Sanchez have posted similar offensive numbers this season, but Diaz is considered to be the superior defender and is 3.5 years younger as well. Diaz would be a better option for the Pirates to call-up to be the third catcher, but he does not provide enough value to be worth starting his service clock at the moment. Sanchez has been a decent hitting catcher during his time in the bigs, but has lacked the defensive fortitude to be a solid backup catcher for a contender. With that said, he can provide the Pirates with some catching depth and capable pinch hitting during the month of September.</span><br />
<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"><br /></span><span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Corey Hart is a player that is a sad case of aging in baseball. Once a star in Milwaukee, he has fallen on tough times as he has entered into his age-33 season, with injuries playing a major role in his downfall. He struggled mightily in his time with the Pirates early in the season and has tried a couple times to make it back to the team, but has hit a few roadblocks. Currently on a minor league rehab assignment with AAA Indianapolis, he has continued to struggle at the plate and this makes it unclear whether or not he will be granted the opportunity to return to the Majors this season or even if this may force him into retirement. Even if he is able to make it back to the Major League club this season, he will find next to no playing time with first base and right field locked down for the foreseeable future.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Finally, Jaff Decker is someone who will most likely be called up when the rosters expand. Decker is still young at only 25 years old and although he has struggled in his brief exposure in the MLB, he has been largely successful in AAA, although his numbers have dropped off since last being sent down. He is a lefty bat that can play well as a legitimate backup outfielder, something the Pirates have lacked for the majority of the season. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Of the position players not on the 40-man roster, the two most exciting players to watch for to come up are Travis Snider and Keon Broxton. Snider is a familiar face to Pirates fans and had his best season last year for the Pirates, playing to a 1.6 fWAR as a part-time player. He underperformed this year in Baltimore, but has been on fire for the Indianapolis Indians since his return to the organization, with an OPS over 1.000. Snider should be able to take over the role as the Pirates' fourth outfielder, something that I believe should happen now in order for him to be on the Pirates playoff roster in place of Sean Rodriguez, but that is looking to be unlikely at this time. Nonetheless, Snider should be a valuable bench piece in the stretch run in September.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Keon Broxton is someone who is not on too many peoples' radars at this time, but a player that I would like to see the Pirates add in September. He is a 25 year old righty outfielder that, between Altoona and Indianapolis this year has a .794 OPS to go along with 38 stolen bases and good defense in Center Field. While other players like Elias Diaz and Alen Hanson look to have a solid chance of starting in Pittsburgh in the future, Keon Broxton is blocked by the Pirates' dream trio. Broxton would have the opportunity to be showcased as a MLB-ready player right now to potential suitors who may have more space to add him to their rosters, while also helping the Pirates right now as a valuable backup outfielder and pinch hitter/runner.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> On the pitching side, Radhamez Liz and Tyler Glasnow are the two players who have the potential to help the Pirates in their playoff push. Liz has been absolutely dominant since transitioning to a starter, with a 1.44 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. He could be a great pitching depth option as well as a dominant reliever if he can carry his performance over to the bullpen.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"> Finally, the most intriguing, albeit unlikely wild card option of all is Tyler Glasnow. Glasgow has dominated at every level of the minor leagues and is now putting up a sub-1 ERA in AAA. The one catch to this is his notoriously fluctuating command. He has the tendency to come unraveled and walk a slew of batters, but when he has everything under control (pun intended), he is flat out unhittable with a mid to upper-90's fastball and a wipe out breaking ball. If the Pirates roll the dice and bring him up, he could step into the rotation and have flashes of brilliance and flashes of Charlie Morton meltdowns. The Pirates could also easily slot him into the bullpen as a situational shutdown reliever of sorts. Either way, he could be the wild card that could help the Pirates beat out the Cardinals. Realistically, I do not see the Pirates bringing up Tyler Glasnow and do not think that they should, as the potential value he could bring is most likely not worth the service time and limited exposure he would get in the Majors, as well as the possible "rushing him to the majors" that could set back his development. However, if called up before September 1st and thus eligible to make the postseason roster, that is a move that I would have to consider making if I were Neal Huntington. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #05173c; font-family: klavika_bold;"><br /></span>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-81188596016328555692015-08-19T13:18:00.000-07:002015-08-19T13:18:08.284-07:00The 21 Most Valuable Players of the Clint Hurdle EraYesterday I posted my "20 Least Valuable Players of the Clint Hurdle Era", and today I will follow that up with this "21 Most Valuable Players of the Clint Hurdle Era". As a reminder, Clint Hurdle was hired as manager to begin the 2011 season, so the Hurdle era is from 2011 until now. The rankings of this article are a little different than those of the "Least Valuable Players" article in the sense that they are fully based on the value that the player has brought to the team over the entire era, not just how good of a player they are for an individual season. Tenure and longevity are very important to the rankings, so players who have been with the team the longest are going to receive a more favorable ranking. Once again, I'm not going to go into more advanced stats in this article, as it is meant to be more of a fun post rather than an in-depth analysis. For each player, I'll provide the WAR they have put up over the Hurdle era, as well as their highest WAR (high WAR) in a season, and numbers before 2011 are not included. These numbers are as of August 18th.<br />
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I thought 21 would be a good number of players to put on this list in honor of the most valuable player in Pirates history, Roberto Clemente. This list will be done in countdown style, with the most valuable player coming last on the list. Enjoy!<br />
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<b><u>21.) Garrett Jones</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 1.9</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 1.6 in 2012</b><br />
Jones played 437 games for the Pirates across three years under Clint Hurdle mainly in a platoon situation, providing a power bat against righties. Overall he hit 58 home runs from 2011-2013, and had his best season in 2012 when he batted .274 with 27 home runs. He was never quite able to duplicate the success of his rookie season in 2009, but Jones offered a solid left handed bat for the Pirates during his tenure.<br />
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<b><u>20.) Jeff Locke</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 0.4</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 1.1 in 2013</b><br />
It wasn't too long ago that a player with Locke's stats would have been seen as the ace of the Pirates pitching staff. Although Locke has definitely seen his share of struggles, he has in reality been a solid starting pitcher for the Pirates. He's been a mainstay in the rotation since the start of 2013, putting up an ERA of 3.88 over 427 innings. That includes two extremely strong half seasons, including the 2013 season when he was an All-Star, showing the he has the ability to be a very strong major league pitcher. However, we all know that he can get lit up at times when he isn't locating his pitches, but overall since 2011 he has pitched 478 innings over 86 games (84 starts), and has had two sub-4 ERA seasons as a major league starter. His WAR number is brought down because of a combined -0.6 WAR in 2011/2012, but at the end of the day, Jeff Locke has actually been surprisingly valuable to the Pirates.<br />
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<b><u>19.) Jared Hughes</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 2.3</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 0.9+ in 2015</b><br />
Believe it or not, Hughes has been with the Pirates during every season of the Hurdle era, pitching in 228 games over five seasons. During those five seasons, he has put up three strong years compared to two average to below average years. He is an extreme ground ball pitcher, with a 61.2% ground ball rate over that timespan, and has definitely benefitted from the Pirates use of defensive shifts. Hughes has a 2.08 ERA combined over 2014 and 2015, and he adds a lot of value by looking pretty damn intimidating on the mound.<br />
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<b><u>18.) Jeff Karstens</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 3.5</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.5 in 2011</b><br />
It seems to me that the performance of Jeff Karstens in the Pirates rotation was somewhat overlooked, but he was the best starting pitcher the Pirates had in Hurdle's first season. That year, he posted a 3.38 ERA and a 2.5 WAR, a number that is pretty solid for a starting pitcher. He only pitched in 49 games, including 41 starts, under Clint Hurdle, but he displayed great command in his 253 innings with a 1.71 BB/9 rate. He was an underrated and dependable starter for Clint Hurdle over his first two years as the Pirates manager.<br />
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<b><u>17.) Francisco Cervelli</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 2.1 </b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.1+ in 2015</b><br />
Cervelli had a tough job of following Russell Martin as the Pirates starting catcher, but he has thrived in the starting role. In his first 93 games as a Bucco, Cervelli has posted a .307 average and an .808 OPS while providing solid defensive value behind the plate. He has worked extremely well with the pitching staff, and is the huge energy guy that every team needs. If Cervelli wasn't in only his first season with the Pirates, he would be much higher on this list.<br />
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<b><u>16.) Jung Ho Kang</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 3.5</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 3.5+ in 2015</b><br />
Kang and Cervelli can be interchangeable in these spots, but Kang had a significantly higher WAR and has played many different roles, so he got the advantage in the rankings. Kang put up huge numbers in the KBO, but was the first player to make the transition from the Korean league into the MLB. There were a lot of questions on how Kang's performance would translate to the MLB, but do you know who wasn't worried about those questions? Jung Ho Kang. He has responded by putting up a line of .285/.356/.444 in his first 100 games, with 10 home runs and an OPS+ of 121. He's done this while filling in and playing strong defense at third base and shortstop, wining NL Rookie of the Month in July and being a Rookie of the Year candidate. He is truly paving the way for other KBO players to have the chance to play this great game of baseball that brings cultures together across the world.<br />
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<b><u>15.) Jordy Mercer</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 4.9</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.8 in 2014</b><br />
There was a time in Mercer's career where nobody really knew if he was on the major league team or not. I'm referring to his rookie season when he was on the major league team, but he played so scarcely that it was easy to forget he was on the team. However, he got the chance to be the starter for half the season in 2013, and he took full advantage of it by batting .285 with a .772 OPS that season, good for a 117 OPS+. The Pirates have stuck with him as the starting shortstop since then despite very poor starts to the last two seasons offensively. Nowadays, most of Mercer's value comes from his vastly improved defense, which grades out as well above average.<br />
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<b><u>14.) Jason Grilli</u></b></div>
<b>WAR: 2.3</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 0.9 in 2011/2013</b><br />
Grilli spent parts of four seasons with the Pirates, including about a season and a half as the team's closer. Grilli earned an All-Star nod in that role in 2013, a year where he posted a 1.97 FIP. From 2011-2013, Grilli was a dominant late inning reliever, striking out 12.4 batters per nine innings while giving the Pirates great value in their first real playoff run in 2013. Overall, he had 47 saves for the Pirates before being traded for Ernesto Frieri after struggling in 2014.<br />
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<b><u>13.) Joel Hanrahan</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 3.7</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.5 in 2011</b><br />
Despite playing only two years under Hurdle, Hanrahan made only 35 fewer appearances than Grilli did in a Pirates uniform, and was even more dominant. The Hammer was an All-Star in both those seasons, posting a 2.24 ERA and 76 saves as the team's closer. He struggled with his command in 2012 and was eventually traded in that offseason to the Red Sox, but he had a 2.5 WAR as a closer in 2011, including a 203 ERA+ (100 is average). Luckily, the Pirates received another very valuable player in the Hanrahan trade that will appear on this list.<br />
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<b><u>12.) Charlie Morton</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 2.5</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 1.9 in 2011</b><br />
Say what you want about Morton, but he has thrown more innings for the Pirates than any other pitcher during the Clint Hurdle era by a relatively wide margin. He has made 116 starts since 2011, posting a 3.84 ERA, including a 3.26 ERA in 20 starts in 2013. When he's on his game, he throws a plus sinker and an above average curveball that give him the makings of a mid-rotation starter. His stats over the last five seasons would suggest that he's not too far off that mid-rotation starter mold.<br />
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<b><u>11.) Josh Harrison</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 7.6</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 5.3 in 2014</b><br />
Before 2014, Harrison was a bench player that brought value by playing at least average defense at multiple positions. He had always hit very well in the minors, but the opportunity wasn't there for him to start in the majors making it seem as though he would be a career utility guy. That changed in 2014 when he finally began to receive regular starts, and he worked himself into the starting lineup as the season continued. He finished batting .315 and finished ninth in the NL MVP voting after posting a 5.3 WAR for the season. He's another guy that has somewhat surprisingly been around since 2011, playing 447 games over that timespan and providing value wherever he could for the team. He's not ranked higher on this list because he's technically only had one good year, although it was a pretty special season.<br />
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<b><u>10.) Tony Watson</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 6.2</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.5 in 2014</b><br />
Like Hughes and Harrison, Watson debuted with the team in 2011 and has been with them every year since then. Unlike Hughes and Harrison, Watson provided solid value in every year of his career with a 2.57 ERA spanning 311 games with an ERA+ of 143. He was most dominant in his 2014 All-Star season when he posted a 222 ERA+ in a league-leading 78 appearances. In his career, he has a 1.03 WHIP and hitters have a combined .598 OPS against him, including a .555 OPS against lefties.<br />
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<b><u>9.) Mark Melancon</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 6.4</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.4 in 2014</b><br />
Out of all the relievers that have pitched for the Pirates since 2011, Melancon has been the best. He's been a two time All-Star in 2013 and 2015 and has posted an absurd 223 ERA+ in 201 games with the team. He's recorded the most saves of any Pirates closer over the Hurdle era at 86, which ranks him fifth all-time in Pirates history. He's had a 5.81 K/BB ratio as a member of the Pirates, an 0.94 WHIP, and the near assurance that any time he comes in for the save, he's going to get the save (please forget last night).<br />
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<b><u>8.) Pedro Alvarez</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 4.6</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 3.3 in 2013</b><br />
If there's been a more polarizing Pirate over the Hurdle era, I haven't seen him. Most fans have supported Alvarez throughout his career because of his potential to be one of the best hitters in the league during any given month. We've seen that over the past month, as he's posted a .347/.382/.681 batting line with a 1.062 OPS and seven home runs in 76 plate appearances. That has brought him up to a .785 OPS on the year, making this second best offensive season in terms of that stat. There are players that are behind Alvarez on this list that have higher WARs, but the fact is that outside of Andrew McCutchen nobody has carried the team like Pedro Alvarez has done for extended periods of time throughout his career. He's played six years in the major leagues and has posted only one below average hitting season, which was his second year when many players struggle with the league adjusting to them. While Pedro never fully lived up to his potential, he has provided game changing power to the team that no other player has done, and I guarantee most pitchers are not comfortable with him at the plate. He's led the team in home runs with 107 over the Hurdle era, led the NL in home runs in 2013, has played in 605 games, and was a Silver Slugger and All-Star in 2013. A lot of people, including the Pirates management, wanted to see Pedro traded this season, but give the man credit when its due.<br />
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<b><u>7.) Gerrit Cole</u></b></div>
<b>WAR: 5.7</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 3.2+ in 2015</b><br />
The Pirates have not had a true, bona fide ace since the early 1990's, but it looks like they finally have one in 2011 number one overall pick Gerrit Cole. Although some recent struggles have probably taken him out of the Cy Young race, he was looking like one of the best pitchers in the MLB this year, earning his first All-Star appearance and still being tied for the league lead in Wins. The Pirates can't really ask for much more than his 3.13 ERA in his first 65 career starts, and just like he did in his rookie year in 2013, the Pirates will turn to him to lead the pitching staff in the final six weeks of the season heading into the playoffs.<br />
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<b><u>6.) Francisco Liriano</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 7.1 </b><br />
<b>High WAR: 3.0 in 2013</b><br />
Liriano has probably put up the best numbers of any Pirates starter during the Hurdle era, with a 3.25 ERA in 78 starts over the last three seasons. Before Gerrit Cole this season, Liriano was the ace that the Pirates were looking for to match up with the top starters for other playoff teams and for the most part, Liriano has done that job. He came over as somewhat of a reclamation project, and has turned into a true number two starter for the Pirates that has the ability to pitch like a number one starter on any day. I believe that when his command is working well and he's at his best, Liriano has three plus pitches in his fastball, slider, and changeup that make him a better pitcher than Gerrit Cole at his best. He has struck out 9.5 batters per nine innings for the Pirates with a 7.2 H/9 rate, and finished 9th in the Cy Young voting in 2013.<br />
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<b><u>5.) A.J. Burnett</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 6.3</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 2.3+ in 2015</b><br />
Burnett's impact and value on the team can't fully be measured by statistics, even though his stats are very good. It was a big deal when the Pirates acquired the then struggling Burnett from the Yankees for two low level prospects prior to the 2012 season, with the team hoping he could regain the stuff that made him worth a five year, $82.5 million with the Yankees prior to the 2009 season. He's surely surpassed all expectations that anyone could have had for him for the Pirates, with a 3.32 ERA in 82 starts and plenty of strikeouts, including 209 in 2013. In what he has repeatedly said to be his last season, he earned his first All-Star bid after starting the season with a 2.11 ERA in 18 starts during the first half. Most importantly, he helped to revitalize the Pittsburgh Pirates fan base and brought energy and leadership to a team that badly needed that from a player. When he received a video tribute when he wasn't even on the team anymore last season, that showed how important he was to the team.<br />
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<b><u>4.) Neil Walker</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 13.9</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 3.9 in 2013</b><br />
While the Pittsburgh Kid has never been an All-Star or an MVP caliber player, he's surely been valuable to the Pirates. Despite battling injuries, Walker has put up the third highest WAR and has been one of two position players that has been a starter throughout the Hurdle era. He's been an above average major league hitter in each of the five years under Hurdle according to his OPS+ numbers, playing in 666 games as one of the top offensive second baseman in the majors over that time span. He won the Silver Slugger in 2014 and has been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh since 2010 when he officially became the team's starting second baseman.<br />
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<b><u>3.) Russell Martin</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 9.7 </b><br />
<b>High WAR: 5.5 in 2014</b><br />
If you read my "Least Valuable Players" list, you would know that Martin is following the least valuable player at catcher during the Hurdle era. He worked extremely well with the pitching staff, provided a massive upgrade defensively behind the plate, and did a solid job with his bat. He caught 39.5% of runners compared to 6% by Rod Barajas the year before Martin came to the team, and posted a .402 OBP in 2014. He finished in the top 25 in MVP voting in both his years with the team, and was a big reason in the development of some of the pitchers that he caught in his two years with the team.<br />
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<b><u>2.) Starling Marte</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 14.9</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 5.4 in 2013</b><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9894741a-4677-552b-6d0a-73e1d26ead02"></span>This seems like it may be a little high for Marte, but this is already his fourth year in the majors and he has put up the second highest WAR of any player during the Hurdle era. He's been an above average major league hitter in each of his four years, including a 2013 season when he put up at least ten doubles, triples, home runs, and stolen bases. He's the best defender on the team and one of the best defensive left fielders in the majors, with great speed, range, and a canon for an arm. With the ability to play Gold Glove caliber defense along with the bat to hit first, second, third, or fifth in any major league lineup, he is an extremely valuable asset.<br />
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<b><u>1.) Andrew McCutchen</u></b><br />
<b>WAR: 31.2</b><br />
<b>High WAR: 8.1 in 2013</b><br />
<span id="docs-internal-guid-9894741a-4677-7bb8-fc37-88143335fbe4"></span>Who else could it be? McCutchen has helped bring the Pittsburgh Pirates back to the national stage as one of the most exciting players in the league during Hurdle's tenure. He's had three consecutive top 3 MVP finalist seasons, including winning the NL MVP in 2013, and has been an All-Star in each of the last five seasons. He's also won three straight silver sluggers, played in a team high 731 games, had an OBP of .394, and has posted four straight seasons with a WAR of at least 5.7 heading into 2015. But enough about his awards and stats. Cutch has helped to make baseball fun again in Pittsburgh. He has helped bring excitement to a fan base that hadn't had much for two decades. He has been one of the best players in the majors since his debut, and is an excellent face of the franchise for one of the most historic teams in major league history. He's already one of the best players in Pirates history, and the team, city, and fans couldn't ask for a better representative for the city of Pittsburgh.<br />
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<b><br /></b>Any questions, comments, or suggestions can be sent to me on twitter @MicMaw, or in the comment section below.<b><br /></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-1718952830234761202015-08-18T17:38:00.001-07:002015-08-18T17:38:50.662-07:00The 20 Least Valuable Players of the Clint Hurdle EraThe Clint Hurdle era, 2011-present, has been very successful for the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the team has qualified for the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and is very likely to make it this year. Over the now almost five seasons Hurdle has been the team's manager, many players have either helped or hurt the team's chances to win. Over this article and the next, I'm going to be ranking players on their value to the team, today focusing on the 20 players who have offered the least value.<div>
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To start things off, I want to explain that the rankings in this article will be decided upon differently than those in the "most valuable players" article, as it is somewhat difficult to say who really has offered the least value. Basically, this article is really "The 20 Worst Players of the Clint Hurdle Era", but saying "least valuable" sounds a little less harsh. The idea for this article came to me when I saw Sean Rodriguez ground into yet another double play during a big moment in the game against the Diamondbacks on Monday, making me wonder where he would rank among the worst players during Clint Hurdle's tenure. So, I decided to look back at every player who has played for the Pirates since 2011, and rank them based on how poorly they performed. While this article is largely based in statistical performance, it is still subjective. For example, some players will rank higher on the list than others because they had larger expectations placed on them heading into their time with the Pirates, even though they may have actually had a higher performance level. I also am choosing to keep this article relatively simplistic, focusing a lot on WAR, OPS, OPS+, ERA, ERA+, and other non-advanced stats. There will be 21 players on the most valuable list in honor of the value that Roberto Clemente offered to the team, and 20 on this list because I don't want Clemente's number to be associated with anything negative. To be clear, number 1 on this list is the worst player the Pirates have had since 2011, and number 20 is the 20th worst player in that time frame. Since I prefer countdowns, let's start with number 20.</div>
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(The Wins Above Replacement [WAR] number provided is the player's WAR with the Pirates since 2011.)</div>
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<b><u>20.) Travis Ishikawa</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.4</b></div>
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While Ishikawa hasn't been horrible in his time with the Pirates, he hasn't been anywhere near what can be considered "good". In 97 plate appearances in 2014 and 2015, he has put up only a .645 OPS despite being the opening day starting first baseman in 2014. He has also been underwhelming defensively, and is the third first baseman on the currents Pirates roster. He hasn't been successful, but who cares? He hit a walk off home run to go to the World Series in 2014 and ended up with a ring. No matter how poorly he performs, he will always be remembered for that moment.</div>
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<b><u>19.) Chad Qualls</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.3</b></div>
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Quals wasn't originally on this list, but when I chose to expand it to 20 guys, he made the cut. He had a 6.79 ERA over 13.2 innings, but actually had very good secondary numbers, including a 2.66 FIP. Still, allowing 10 runs in 13.2 innings after coming over in a trade with the Yankees for Casey McGehee, expectations were a little higher than his performance given his history.</div>
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<b><u>18.) Andrew Lambo</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.6</b></div>
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Lambo wasn't really doing too poorly prior to the 2015 season, but a 1 for 25 start to the year before hitting the DL with plantar fasciitis has really hurt his career numbers. He's always had the upside of an average MLB hitter, but I'd be very surprised if he receives too many chances moving forward.</div>
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<b><u>17.) Matt Hague</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.4</b></div>
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For some reason, I feel kind of bad putting Hague on this list, but he had a .513 OPS over 76 plate appearances during his time with the Pirates. Hague exemplifies the notion that Spring Training numbers really don't matter that much.</div>
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<b><u>16.) Corey Hart</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.5</b></div>
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Hart was a very good hitter during his time with the Brewers, but injuries have derailed his career in the recent years. He had a .597 OPS before an extended and ongoing DL trip, including a .417 OPS against lefties. Considering he was brought in this year to platoon with Pedro Alvarez to face lefties, he has been extremely disappointing.</div>
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<b><u>15.) Brandon Wood</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.6</b></div>
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Wood was brought in during Hurdle's first year in hopes he would finally show the talent that made him a top shortstop prospect. He received a good amount of playing time, but only put up a .625 OPS in 257 plate appearances with the team that year, and hasn't played in the majors since.</div>
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<b><u>14.) Xavier Paul</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: 0.1</b></div>
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Paul had a .642 OPS in 251 plate appearances during 2011, which was the only year he spent with the Pirates. While that isn't terrible, Paul kind of set the precedence for Hurdle's late game defensive replacements with players that don't offer much if anything with the bat. What made this one confusing was that Paul wasn't necessarily a good defender with the team.</div>
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<b><u>13.) Chase D'arnaud</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.5</b></div>
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D'arnaud was at one point the "shortstop of the future" for the Pirates, but never came near that potential. He received 157 plate appearances in parts of three seasons with the team, putting up a .507 OPS and an OPS+ of 42.</div>
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<b><u>12.) Ryan Ludwick</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.1</b></div>
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Ludwick, along with Derrek Lee, signified a change in the Pirates organization in 2011 as this was the first time in years that the team was labeled as a "buyer" rather than a "seller" at the trade deadline. Naturally, there were high expectations placed on Ludwick because Pirates fans weren't used to new trade additions that were established major leaguers. Ludwick didn't live up to those expectations, hitting for a .671 OPS in 133 plate appearances, including a weak .330 slugging percentage and very poor defense in left field. However, he had a .674 OPS with the Padres before the trade, so his performance was consistent throughout the year, but a disappointment to Pirates fans.</div>
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<b><u>11.) Kevin Correia</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: 0.2</b></div>
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We may forget, but Correia was actually an All Star in 2011 after receiving a lot of run support that allowed him to be near the top of the NL leader board in wins before the break. He was 11-7 with an ERA of 4.01 before the break, but in seven starts after the break, his ERA was 7.23. Overall, he had a 4.49 ERA in two seasons with the team, but Pirates fans were never comfortable with Correia on the mound.</div>
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<b><u>10.) John McDonald</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.3</b></div>
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McDonald didn't receive much playing time with the Pirates, but in the 16 games he played with the team he batted .065 with a .268 OPS in 35 plate appearances. It's hard to imagine a team that won 94 games once had John McDonald and Brandon Inge on the same bench. Cringe worthy.</div>
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<b><u>9.) Lyle Overbay</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.5</b></div>
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Most of the players that have been on the list to this point have been bench/bullpen guys or players brought in at the trade deadline, but Overbay was the starting first baseman on Opening Day. That makes his performance even worse, as a .227 average and .649 OPS while playing below average defense should be concerning for a bench player, let alone someone that received 391 plate appearances before being released.</div>
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<b><u>8.) Erik Bedard</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.6</b></div>
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Bedard was a failed reclamation project, with a 5.01 ERA in 24 starts after a strong first couple months. He spiraled after May, and ended the season with a 75 ERA+. Watching his facial expressions during games, one would have never guessed that anything was going wrong.</div>
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<b><u>7.) Matt Diaz</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.6</b></div>
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Diaz was brought in to be an exclusive platoon partner with Garrett Jones to face lefties, and didn't necessarily succeed in that role, with a .692 OPS against lefties despite a respectable .295 average. However, he only had a .550 OPS against righties, dropping his overall OPS to .627 to go along with poor defense.</div>
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<b><u>6.) Ernesto Frieri</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.6</b></div>
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Frieri was a guy who had some success as a closer in the MLB, but was struggling in 2014. He was dealt by the Angels to the Pirates for Jason Grilli in a change of scenery deal, but had a 10.13 ERA in 14 appearances. Frieri was extremely hittable, leading to an 11.8 H/9 rate and a 1.78 WHIP.</div>
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<b><u>5.) Sean Rodriguez</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.5</b></div>
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You could argue that S-Rod doesn't deserve to be this poorly ranked, but the fact is that he has played in 99 out of 116 games this season and has been horrible at the plate. In 191 plate appearances, he has a .566 OPS, including a .293 OPS in the month of July. He received 56 plate appearances in that month, and before the Michael Morse trade was starting at first base against lefties. How's he doing against lefties this year you may ask? He's batting .192 with a .576 OPS while Pedro Alvarez is batting .295 against lefties with a .712 OPS. Rodriguez is on the team because he can play multiple positions, but he is not much above average at first, there will soon be no need for him to play at other infield positions, and he has played poor defense in the outfield this year. Granted, he has not committed an error yet this year, but every time he comes to the plate something bad seems to happen. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not the president of the S-Rod fan club.</div>
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<b><u>4.) Jonathan Sanchez</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.9</b></div>
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It's easy to forget that Jonathan Sanchez was on the team in 2013, but he was a member of the Pirates rotation to start the season and is tied for the lead for lowest WAR during the Hurdle ERA. In five games, including four starts, Sanchez had an 11.85 ERA due to poor command/control. His WHIP in his 13.2 innings pitched? 2.42, allowing 25 hits over those 13.2 innings. Thankfully the team cut ties with him early in the season.</div>
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<b><u>3.) Michael Martinez</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.3</b></div>
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I don't mean to sound too harsh here, but in terms of ability Martinez is the worst player on this list. He never hit well in the minors and wasn't an exceptional defender, and his lack of ability showed at the major league level with the Pirates. He batted .128 with a .363 OPS in 44 plate appearances with only one extra base hit, a double, leading to a .154 slugging percentage. Here's a reminder that 100 is an average OPS+. His OPS+ was 5.</div>
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<b><u>2.) Brandon Inge</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.5</b></div>
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Brandon Inge was a guy that just seemed to be on the team for far too long in 2013, making it all the way to August 1st before being released after being on the team since opening day. He had a .442 OPS in 110 plate appearances, including a .181 average and only one home run despite having decent power in his career. His WAR would be worse than that -0.5 number had he not played solid defense when he curiously received playing time. I would say "Oh Brandon Inge, we hardly knew ye", but I think we knew him a little too well.</div>
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And the worst player of the Clint Hurdle era.....</div>
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<b><u>1.) Rod Barajas</u></b></div>
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<b>WAR: -0.9</b></div>
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Pirates fans are now accustomed to having great catchers, with Francisco Cervelli and Russell Martin providing great value on both offense and defense as starters over the last three years, with Chris Stewart joining them as a solid backup. However, there was a time, a dark time, when the Pirates had to endure a season of incompetence behind the plate in 2012. If you recall, the Pirates had a revolving door of catchers during the 2011 season due to injuries, and Barajas was brought in for 2012 because he was seen as a relatively durable option with some offensive upside. While receiving the majority of starts behind the plate that year, Barajas posted a .206 average with a .625 OPS in 361 plate appearances, good for an OPS+ of 73. He did manage to hit 11 home runs but only drove in 31 runs, and while this may be hard to believe, he didn't manage to steal even one base. The worst part of his season? His 6% caught stealing rate. The league average was 27% and even the slowest runners felt like Billy Hamilton against Barajas, totaling 93 stolen bases against only 6 runners caught stealing. It was an event worth celebrating when runners were caught trying to steal. However, Barajas may have turned out to be a good thing for the Pirates though, as he made it absolutely clear to management how important it is to have a strong defensive catcher, leading to Russell Martin and Francisco Cervelli. So to Rod Barajas, from all Pirates fans, thank you!</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px; line-height: 20.2399997711182px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I'd love to hear your thoughts on this list. Any questions, comments, disagreements, or suggestions can be sent to me on twitter @MicMaw, or in the comment section below.</span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-67662209087779448462015-08-03T15:09:00.000-07:002015-08-03T15:25:32.295-07:00Which Pitcher Should Fill AJ Burnett's Spot In the Rotation?At the time of this post, the Pirates have 58 games remaining on their schedule, giving members of the starting rotation anywhere between 10-12 starts from now until the playoffs if they remain healthy. Recently, fan favorite pitcher A.J. Burnett has gone down with a forearm injury that will put him out for an estimated four weeks. This leaves an open spot in the five-man rotation for the at least half of those 10-12 starts, with the other four spots currently being filled by Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Locke. With the Pirates currently 5.5 games back from the Cardinals in the NL Central, it will be vital for the Pirates to fill the rotation with a pitcher that can provide quality innings and be dependable enough down the stretch that team will at least still have a chance to win the division and avoid a one game playoff. <br />
Opening the season, it looked as though the Pirates would have a lot of depth in the rotation, with top prospects Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham having the chance earn a rotation spot at some point during the season, as well as pitchers like Brandon Cumpton and Casey Sadler having the ability to step in for the team in case of injury. When Charlie Morton returned to the rotation in late May, the team moved Vance Worley to the bullpen, giving the team six major league starters at their disposal. However, the Pirates were hit hard by injuries, with Kingham and Cumpton both undergoing Tommy John Surgery, and Taillon and Sadler both likely out for the season with injuries of their own. The Taillon injury was a particularly large blow to the Pirates, as the former number two overall pick was looking great in his return from Tommy John surgery, only to go down with an unrelated injury. Worely was recently designated for assignment after the trade deadline acquisitions, and long story short, the rotation depth that looked so promising to start the season has been almost completely depleted. The Pirates addressed this need in two separate moves ahead of the trade deadline, picking up Joe Blanton in a minor deal from the Royals and J.A. Happ from the Mariners in exchange for AAA pitcher Adrian Sampson, a guy who also looked like good depth after a strong start to the season. <br />
With Burnett out for at least four weeks, who is the best option to step into the rotation and give the Pirates the quality innings they need to stay in the division race? We look at five options for the team and what they can offer to see which pitcher would provide the most value for the Pirates.<br />
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<b><u>J.A. Happ</u></b><br />
Happ, a lefty, is the guy the Pirates are going with as of now, as he is scheduled to start Tuesday night's game against Jake Arrieta and the Cubs. Happ has been a below average Major League pitcher since 2011, and in 2015 he has a 4.64 ERA in 21 games. This includes 20 starts, but it is worth noting that he has slightly better FIP and xFIP numbers at 4.07 and 4.03, respectively. In comparison, Charlie Morton's FIP and xFIP are 4.18 and 3.92, meaning Happ wouldn't necessarily be a downgrade from what's already in our rotation. However, A.J. Burnett's numbers here are 3.07 and 3.45, and because he is the player Happ is replacing, his production does represent a sizable decrease in production for the team. Some numbers would suggest the Happ has been slightly unlucky this year, with a decreased Left On Base (LOB) rate from his career numbers, and a .319 BABIP compared to .292 on his career. However, while he has a solid walk rate at 2.7 BB/9, he has been very hittable this year. His Hits/9 rate is at 10.0 and his line drive percentage is up 4.2% from his career numbers. That being said, he's not allowing more home runs than usual, and he's keeping the ball on the ground more this year, and he will benefit from the Pirates' defensive shifts. ZIPS has him at a 4.32 ERA for the remainder of the season, which is where I'd expect him to be given his advanced numbers. Happ has had some success with his slider in the past couple of years, but doesn't have a real go-to pitch and lacks upside. Basically with Happ, you know you're getting a 4.00-4.50 ERA without much upside, but he shouldn't be much worse than that. It also helps that he is a lefty, considering the Cardinals and Cubs have some strong lefty bats in their lineups.<br />
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<b><u>Joe Blanton</u></b><br />
The Pirates got Blanton for basically nothing, but this shouldn't be considered a "why not?" move because it was followed by Vance Worley being designated for assignment when Worley probably would have been the best option of this group to take Burnett's spot in the rotation. Blanton is a 34 year old righty that missed all of 2014 due to injury and before that hadn't been anything more than an average pitcher since he had a 3.53 ERA in 2005 as a rookie with Oakland. Surprisingly, Blanton returned in 2015 and has been relatively decent, pitching to a 3.92 ERA in 16 games, including four starts. He has been much stronger out of the bullpen, with a 2.88 ERA compared to a 5.30 ERA in his four starts. His K/BB ratio has been great this year, at 8.7/1.4 per nine innings, and a relatively high H/9 rate puts his WHIP at 1.19. His FIP and xFIP numbers indicate that he has been even better than his ERA, with those numbers being at 3.49 and 3.16. His advanced stats are mostly around his career norms, which means there's a chance he can continue this solid level of production. He sits around 90 MPH with his fastball and has an average repertoire, so he relies on location in order to be successful. His ground ball rate of 46.9% this year should work well with the Pirates defense, and with the help of Ray Searage and given Blanton's history, we can expect him to be in the 3.90-4.20 range for his ERA for the remainder of the season. However, his 5.30 ERA in his four starts is a red flag that can't be ignored, and his WHIP in those starts is 1.34 compared to 1.08 out of the bullpen. Blanton will see the most success in a Pirates uniform out of the bullpen, as he has not been successful out of the rotation for a very long time.<br />
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<b><u>Radhames Liz</u></b><br />
Liz has had a very interesting professional career: he signed as an amateur free agent in 2003 by the Orioles out of the Dominican Republic, began his career in 2005, made his major league debut in 2007, was listed as a top 100 prospect in 2008, moved to the Padres organization in 2010, pitched in the KBO from 2011-2013, played for the Blue Jays organization in 2014, and finally was signed by the Pirates for $1 million for the 2015 season. He began the season in the Pirates bullpen, pitching in 11 games with a 3.63 ERA, but a very high WHIP (1.73) due to control and command issues led him to be demoted to AAA. At AAA, he has been extremely successful, mostly as a member of the Indianapolis Indians rotation. He has posted a 1.02 ERA in 44.1 innings, with a much improved 0.97 WHIP. He is limiting hits and while his command hasn't been great, he has lowered his BB/9 rate to 3.0, and is striking out 10.4 batters per nine innings. Liz has always thrown hard, averaging 94.1 MPH on his fastball in his time in the majors this year, but he will only find success when he is able to locate that pitch. MLB hitters can sit on his fastball, leading to a 32.7% line drive rate with the Pirates this year, and he doesn't have a high ground ball rate. The best route the Pirates can take with Liz for now is to continue to allow him to refine his control as a starter in the minors, and if he can improve his mechanics enough to warrant a promotion back to the majors, he can provide a few spots starts if necessary. He can also provide a strong arm out of the bullpen, but right now he would be too risky to throw into the major league rotation.<br />
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<b><u>Chris Volstad</u></b><br />
Volstad was seen as another reclamation project for the Pirates when they signed him in the offseason, as he was a former top 100 prospect that had success for half a season during his rookie year in 2008. Volstad has pitched almost the entire season at the AAA level outside of two innings in the Pirates bullpen, and has seen some levels of success. He has a 3.15 ERA in 111.1 innings to go along with a solid walk rate, but has been relatively hittable. His 1.30 WHIP isn't great, and an extremely low home run rate suggests he may be having some luck and will be due for some regression. He's had a high ground ball rate in his career in the majors due to using a sinking fastball as his main pitch, but that pitch has always been hittable for major leaguers. Volstad's lack of success at the major league level has been due to the fact that he has been extremely hittable, and he hasn't done enough to show that won't be a problem if he gets a promotion. At this point in his career, Volstad should only see starts for the Pirates if there is no other starter available.<br />
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<b><u>Tyler Glasnow</u></b><br />
Disclaimer: This option is extremely unlikely. Glasnow is the Pirates' top prospect, and has only made one start at the AAA, where he went 5.1 innings, allowing 4 runs, 1 earned, on 9 hits while walking one batter. Glasnow was dominant in his time at AA this season, with a 2.43 ERA in 63 innings over 12 starts. That ERA is actually a little inflated after a start on May 17th where he was pitching with an injured ankle and allowed 5 earned runs, and his FIP was at an even better 1.96 at AA. Throughout his minor league career, Glasnow has had very high strikeout rates and very low hit rates, and that was no different this year, with 11.7 K/9 and 5.9 H/9 rates this season. What has been most encouraging, however, has been the decreased walk rate at 2.7 BB/9 at AA this season, as control and command of his pitches has been the main concern of his as he progressed. We can assume that the Pirates are going to stay conservative with Glasnow as they have been with most prospects, and considering Gerrit Cole received 13 starts at the AAA level before being promoted to the majors, Glasnow will probably remain in AAA until around May-June 2016. Still, Glasnow has made a lot of progress this year in his weaker areas, including the development of his changeup, and given that he is such a rare talent, it isn't out of the question that we see Glasnow in the majors this season. If Glasnow were put in the major league rotation right now, we would most likely see him pitch to a 3.50-4.00 ERA, where he would look dominant in some starts and lose all his command in other starts. We've seen guys like Jose Fernandez come up from the lower minors and be dominant from day one, so it also wouldn't be a surprise if Glasnow came up and dominated right away as well. However, when asked about this subject GM Neal Huntington said it is very doubtful that we see Glasnow in the majors this year, which basically means he won't be in the majors this year. That will probably be the smart choice, as Glasnow is making great progress right now and you don't want to interfere with his development.<br />
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Given this information, the best bet the Pirates have to fill their current rotation void is... J.A. Happ. He may not be flashy, but he will deliver a predictable 4.00-4.50 ERA, with a slight chance to be better if pitching coach Ray Searage can work his magic again. Joe Blanton has been good out of the bullpen this year and would be the second best option, but should remain in a spot where he has had success. Liz could also provide good arm strength out of the bullpen, but is too erratic to be in the major league rotation, and Volstad is too hittable to contribute to a major league pennant race. Tyler Glasnow could have the most success right now, but that comes with the risk of taking away from his development, which is not something that the Pirates have shown they are willing to do. A.J. Burnett will optimistically return after four weeks, with five or six weeks being more likely, and the team will hope for the continued health of the other four members of the rotation. Gerrit Cole would be in contention for Cy Young if Zack Greinke didn't have an inhuman 1.41 ERA, Francisco Liriano is the a true number two starter that can step up and have absolutely dominant games, and Charlie Morton and Jeff Locke have pitched to respectable 3.92 and 3.87 xFIP's, respectively. With a solid four man rotation, the Pirates shouldn't be too negatively affected by a 4.30 or so ERA by Happ, especially if A.J. can return before the season's end.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to be on twitter @micmaw, or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-72634215423456046682014-07-31T09:38:00.001-07:002014-07-31T09:38:13.475-07:00Trade Ideas For The Pirates At The Trade DeadlineIt's the most exciting day of the year for baseball fans: July 31st. The Trade Deadline. Rumors upon rumors cause excitement (or even distress in some cases) for fans, and many of the General Managers in the majors are sitting by their phones all day after probably not sleeping much for the past week. I'm sure this is what Pirates' GM Neal Huntington has been up to, looking for any deal to upgrade the Pirates' roster right now, as well as keeping the future intact. With this post, I'm going to step into the GM's spot and propose 15 different deals that I would do if given the chance. These ideas will start with trade proposals with those teams considered to be sellers, and move into those who are said to be buyers. <br />
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<b><u>1) Chicago Cubs: SS Javier Baez and 1B Dan Vogelbach for SP Nick Kingham, and the Cubs choice of Tony Sanchez and Reese McGuire, and the choice of Brandon Cumpton and Casey Sadler.</u></b><br />
The Cubs have an incredibly talented system, and their future lineup includes Anthony Rizzo at first, a combination of Baez, Starlin Castro, and Addison Russell at second/third/short, and Kris Bryant, Albert Almora, and Jorge Soler in the outfield. That leaves out top prospect Arismendy Alcantara, who can play in the middle infield and the outfield. This theoretically makes someone available, and I believe Baez is the most likely option. The Cubs most likely have the best minor league system in the game, but they are weak in pitching and catching, and Kingham and Sanchez/McGuire give them long term solutions at those spots. Sanchez would be able to help right away, while McGuire would come up when the Cubs' core of offensive players are reaching their prime. Cumpton/Sadler give the Cubs a solid back end starter, with Cumpton offering more upside. Vogelbach is a big first baseman with some power, and would most likely be blocked with Anthony Rizzo at first, and could provide the Pirates with a solid prospect at the position. Baez would take over at shortstop for now, and the Pirates would be able to platoon Alvarez and Mercer at third, with Josh Harrison also getting starts against lefties and sharing time with Marte/Polanco in the outfield. Or the Pirates could move Alvarez to first and have Harrison/Mercer take over at third.<br />
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<b><u>2) Philadelphia Phillies: SP A.J. Burnett for OF Harold Ramirez</u></b><br />
In order for this to happen, the Phillies would have to eat a lot of Burnett's contract and the Pirates would want Burnett to assure them he is retiring after this season so they will not have to worry about his vesting option that will likely be over $12 million. Ramirez is a solid outfield prospect in Low-A with a great hit tool and speed, but with the strength of the Pirates current outfield and Josh Bell and Austin Meadows, Ramirez is the definition of an expendable prospect.<br />
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<b><u>3) Philadelphia Phillies: 1B Ryan Howard and basically his entire contract for OF Harold Ramirez</u></b><br />
Howard is signed through 2016 for $25 million per year, with a $23 million option for 2017 with a $10 million buyout. If the Phillies pay about $22 million of that per year, if not more, I'd be fine with the still powerful (16 HR this year) Howard taking over the left handed part of the first base platoon. Once again, Ramirez is expendable.<br />
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<b><u>4) Colorado Rockies: SS Troy Tulowitzki for SS Alen Hanson, OF Austin Meadows, SP Nick Kingham, SS Jordy Mercer</u></b><br />
Tulo is the best shortstop in the league, and is signed through 2021, which includes a team option for 2021. His contract will be worth $129 million over that span, and with the track record of his health, the Rockies would have to take on some of that contract in the deal. If they took on a good portion, Tulo is the kind of talent you sell the farm for.<br />
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<b><u>5) San Diego Padres: SP Tyson Ross for OF Harold Ramirez, SP Nick Kingham, 1B/OF Andrew Lambo</u></b><br />
Ross, who is 27 years old, has a 2.60 ERA in 23 starts this year for the Padres, with a 3.12 FIP and a 9.1 K/9 rate, and he doesn't become a free agent until 2018. Ramirez gives them a solid outfield prospect, Kingham could step into their rotation very soon, and Lambo would be inserted in their lineup right away, a lineup that has been one of the worst in major league history.<br />
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<b><u>6) Boston Red Sox: RP Andrew Miller for SP Brandon Cumpton and OF Harold Ramirez</u></b><br />
You can really get a gage on how expendable I think Ramirez is, as he's included in another trade here. I don't believe in trading top prospects for relievers, and I won't stray from that in this trade proposal. Miller has been one of the best lefty relievers in the majors this year, with a 2.34 ERA in 50 appearances with a 14.7 K/9. However, he becomes a free agent at the end of the season, so a big prospect would be too steep a price for the Pirates. Cumpton could be a solid back end starter for the Red Sox in the future, and Ramirez could be a starter in the future. I don't think this would be enough to get Miller, but that's all I would give up for a two month reliever rental.<br />
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<b><u>7) Boston Red Sox: SP John Lackey, 3B Will Middlebrooks, and SS Deven Marrero for SS Alen Hanson, SP Nick Kingham, OF Jose Tabata, and OF Barrett Barnes</u></b><br />
Lackey would be placed behind Liriano and Cole in the Pirates rotation, and with a 46.9% ground ball rate, he would fit nicely into the Pirates system and could improve on his 3.60 ERA. Middlebrooks was recently a good prospect, but has struggled greatly over the past two years, with a .629 OPS in 21 games in the majors, and a .677 OPS in the minors this year in 100 at bats. However, he is still young enough to turn it back around, and would be an infinitely times better bench option than Michael Martinez. Hard core Pirates fans may remember Marrero as the college shortstop who couldn't hit that the Pirates were heavily tied to in the 2012 draft. Well, it turns out he can hit a little, with a .293 average and .783 OPS across AA and AAA this season at 23 years old. He is not as good as a prospect as Alen Hanson at short, though he is much better defensively. Nick Kingham gives the Red Sox a potential mid rotation starter for the future with many years of control, and Tabata gives them a bench option this year, or even a starter if needed. Barnes has a high upside in the outfield, with a chance to be a 20 HR/20 SB player in the future, but his injury history has limited him so far. Also, the Red Sox may be hesitant to deal Lackey, as they are always in a position to win in the next season with their budget, and Lackey is only making league minimum next season due to an option that was activated after he spent significant time on the DL due to an elbow injury.<br />
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<b><u>8) Houston Astros: 1B/OF Chris Carter for SP Joely Rodriguez and C Jin-De Jhang</u></b><br />
Carter is more likely to strikeout than Pedro Alvarez, but has 21 homers this year and would be a great option off the bench, or even in the first base platoon, as he has an .872 OPS against lefties this season. He still isn't worth much, and SP Joely Rodriguez, a member of the Pirates' 40-man roster, is struggling this season, but still has the upside of a back-end lefty starter. Jin-De Jhang is a catcher who is struggling at high-A, but his has offensive upside and could at least be a backup in the majors if he can hit.<br />
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<b><u>9) Texas Rangers: SP Yu Darvish for OF Austin Meadows, SS Alen Hanson, SP Nick Kingham, OF Harold Ramirez</u></b><br />
This will never happen, but I saw about a month ago that the Rangers would listen on Darvish, and with three years left in his contract that total $31 million, which is ridiculously low for his value. This is also a guy you sell the farm for, but I still would want to avoid including top prospect Tyler Glasnow in a deal.<br />
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<b><u>10) Miami Marlins: 3B Colin Moran for SS Alen Hanson</u></b><br />
This would not affect either team this year, as it is a talent for talent trade. I'm not as big on Hanson as others are, as I'm not sure he'll hit and there are many doubts about his ability to stick at short. Moran was drafted in 2013 as the 6th overall pick, and could move quickly enough through the system that he could immediately replace Pedro Alvarez at third when Clint Hurdle completes his goal of pushing Pedro to leave the Pirates through free agency in 2016 (or because he's a Scott Boras client, both are equally likely).<br />
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<b><u>11) Tampa Bay Rays: SP David Price for SS Alen Hanson, SP Nick Kingham, and C Reese McGuire</u></b><br />
I'm not on board for giving up a huge prospect haul for a year and two months of Price, albeit at an affordable financial cost, and in my eyes, this isn't a huge prospect loss. Price would be the ace of the Pirates for this year and next, and would make them the favorites in the NL Central. As I said previously, I'm not as high on Hanson, but he is still rated as a top prospect in the industry. Kingham gives the Rays a potential 200 inning workhorse who would fit nicely in the middle of a rotation as soon as this September. Similarly to Hanson, I'm not as high on Reese McGuire as others have been. I wasn't high on him heading into the draft last year, and that was due to his questionable bat. He has only a .618 OPS in Low-A this year, but he is one of the top defensive catching prospects in the minors, and that carries a lot of value in this day in age. If the Pirates could sign Russell Martin to an extension, this trade makes even more sense.<br />
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<b><u>12) Los Angeles Dodgers: OF Matt Kemp plus Cash for the Dodgers' choice of OF Josh Bell or SS Alen Hanson, and their choice of C Tony Sanchez and C Reese McGuire</u></b><br />
Yes, I'm being serious. Kemp is owed a huge amount of money, $107.5 million to be exact, over the next five years, and the Dodgers do not want to pay all of that for a player they seem to no longer want. If the Pirates end up paying Kemp about $8-10 million per year, this is a deal I would like. Heading into 2012, Kemp was considered possibly the most valuable offensive player in the majors (Trout had yet to spend a full season in the majors heading into that year), and now has a 1.049 OPS over the last month. The Dodgers are looking to deal him, and would be willing to eat some of his contract for a player like Josh Bell or Alen Hanson. Tony Sanchez can step into their major league lineup at least on a part time basis right away, or if they decide on McGuire, they have their potential long term answer behind the plate. This trade would cause a problem however, as it would give the Pirates four outfield options (another reason why the Dodgers want to deal him), and a solution could be a switch to first base for Kemp. He's obviously athletic enough for this move, and would be able to focus more on his hitting when he becomes accustomed to the position. If the Pirates don't think this is possible, have the Dodgers eat more of Kemp's contract and send over Starling Marte instead of Bell or Hanson. For that trade to happen, I would pay Kemp about $5-7 million a year.<br />
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<b><u>13) Kansas City Royals: 3B Mike Moustakas and either 3B Hunter Dozier or SP Sean Manaea for either SP Edinson Volquez or SP Vance Worley, along with RP Jared Hughes</u></b><br />
The Royals are looking for starting pitching, and both Volquez and Worely would be upgrades to their rotation. Moustakas, much like Will Middlebrooks, is a former top third base prospect who has struggled at the major league level after some amount of success in their rookie seasons. He has become expendable for the Royals, and could be a nice bench/future corner infield starting option for the Pirates. Volquez/Worley is worth more than Moustakas right now, so the Royals would have to add a prospect, ideally one of Dozier or Manaea, both 2013 draft picks. I would prefer Dozier, but Manaea offers a higher upside. The Pirates would be selling high on Jared Hughes' success this season as they couldn't get a top prospect and Moustakas for just Volquez/Worley. If the Pirates could get it done with Vin Mazzaro instead of Hughes, that would be preferable. <br />
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<b><u>14) Los Angeles Angels: 1B C.J. Cron and 3B Kaleb Cowart for either SP Edinson Volquez or SP Vance Worley and 1B Gaby Sanchez</u></b><br />
Cron would give the Pirates their long term answer at first, and the Angels would have another starting option for the pennant race. Gaby Sanchez would step in at first or the DH spot for the Angels, with proven success against left handed pitchers. It may take Ike Davis to get this deal done, which is still a trade that I do, as I'm a big fan of Cron. Cowart was a top prospect, but has struggled these past two seasons in AA, with a .580 and .623 OPS, respectively. At 22 years old, there still is time for him to turn it around and become a potential third baseman of the future for the Pirates.<br />
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<b><u>15) Seattle Mariners: SP Taijuan Walker, 1B/3B D.J. Peterson, 1B Jesus Montero, 2B/SS Nick Franklin for OF Starling Marte, SS Alen Hanson, SP Brandon Cumpton, OF Barrett Barnes</u></b><br />
This would be a huge trade, centered around Walker and Marte. Walker is currently pitching in the majors for the Mariners, but is still one of the top prospects in the game, and could push the Pirates over the top in the NL Central with a rotation of Walker, Liriano, Cole, Morton, and Locke. The Pirates would lose Marte and his team friendly contract, but they have Josh Harrison to take over as the starter in left until Josh Bell reaches the majors. The Mariners are looking for an outfielder to help in the Wild Card race, and Marte could be a major boost offensively and defensively. The rest of the deal is basically Peterson, Montero, and Franklin for Hanson, Cumpton, and Barnes, with some excess value from Marte due to his contract. Peterson would become the Pirates' first baseman of the future, although there is a chance he could play third, Nick Franklin becomes the shortstop of the future, and the Pirates hope they can get Montero, the former #3 prospect in baseball with the Yankees, back on track. Hanson is similar to Franklin, and both are similar in value, but Cumpton and Barnes are worth more together than Montero, making the deal fair for both sides.<br />
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Hopefully one of these trades get done! <br />
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Any questions or comments? Send them to me on twitter @MicMaw. Thanks for reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-65204600369169179232014-06-05T09:52:00.001-07:002014-06-05T09:52:53.171-07:002014 MLB Draft BoardIt's draft day in the MLB, and for die hard MLB fans it's almost as exciting as a birthday, and sometimes with all the excitement, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxQ228IDnO0">it can get out of hand</a> (too bad he didn't sign). But in all seriousness, draft day is extremely important for many organizations, as it is their main avenue to infuse their system with quality talent, especially with the small market clubs. This years draft is relatively weak when compared to recent years, with not a lot of "can't miss" talent, rather a lot of raw players that could become All-Stars, but are just as likely to never become productive starters in the majors. The strength of this draft is left handed pitching, as the highest end talent can be found with them, and high school pitching in general should be in abundance at the end of the first round. <br />
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This year I will be using the 20-80 scale to provide the upside of the player (<i>Ceiling</i>), and the more conservative/if things don't go as expected outlook of the player (<i>Floor</i>). Many people use the 20-80 scale differently, and here is how I use it for this draft board:<br />
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80: Potential top 3-5 player in the game, once in a generation talent.<br />
75: Perennial Cy Young/MVP candidate, top 10 starter in MLB, #1 Starter on any team, top 3 player at their position, middle of the order bat.<br />
70: Cy Young/MVP candidate possible in their prime, consistent All-Star, #1 starter on most teams, middle of the order bat.<br />
65: All-Star regular, top of the rotation upside, #1-2 starter, could contend for Cy Young or MVP in career year, middle of the order bat, .300 hitter or 30 homer hitter.<br />
60: Above average regular, #2-3 starter, 200 inning starter or elite closer, 1-5 hitter in the lineup with good average and/or power, elite defender, possible All-Star.<br />
55: Slightly above average regular, #3-4 starter, innings eater or good closer/elite reliever. Great defender, good hitter without defense, or leadoff/ 4-7 hitter in the lineup.<br />
50: Average regular, #4-5 starter, good reliever, average regular with .280-.290 average or around 20 homers, or a good defender/basestealer.<br />
45: Below average regular/bench option. #5 starter, decent reliever. Bottom of the order hitter or decent defender with little offense, or some power but low average.<br />
40: Bench option/reliever on bad team.<br />
35: AAA player that could see some major league games.<br />
30: May reach AAA, organizational player<br />
25: Tops out at AA, organizational player<br />
20: Never leaves A-ball.<br />
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This is my draft board, meaning how I would rank the players and choose my draft picks if I was in the position to make the picks, and this is not a mock draft. I provide brief scouting reports for the first 25 players, then the Ceilings and Floors for the next 25, then continue to rank the top 80 players on my board. Enjoy!<br />
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<b><u>1.) Brady Aiken--LHP--6'4--200--High School</u></b><br />
Big lefty with fastball sitting 92-94 and touching 97 with solid command. His curve is an easy plus pitch and his change could end up plus as well, with some saying it could be even better than his curve. Great pitchability and repeatable delivery give him the chance to be a frontline starter.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 70</i><br />
<i>Floor: 55</i><br />
<b><u>2.) Carlos Rodon--LHP--6'4--235--College Junior--NC State</u></b><br />
Unique delivery that adds deception, throws his fastball at 91-94, touching 97 with movement. His big breaking slider is a plus-plus pitch that could be the best breaking pitch in the draft, but his changeup is more of an average pitch right now.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 65</i><br />
<i>Floor: 60</i><br />
<b><u>3.) Tyler Kolek--RHP--6'5--250--HS</u></b><br />
Could have the best fastball in the draft, sitting mid 90's and frequently hitting triple digits. His curve and slider both have the chance to be above average pitches, or even plus offerings, but his changeup needs to develop. His fastball can get straight and he can lose his command at times, but he has #1 starter potential.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 70</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>4.) Alex Jackson--C--R/R--6'2--215--HS</u></b><br />
Considered by many to be the best bat in the draft, Jackson has the ability to hit for a good average with plus power in the future. He has a good arm behind the plate with solid pop times, but his receiving skills need work and could cause a shift to one of the corner outfield spots. While his swing can be inconsistent, it should still be enough to provide value at any position.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 65</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>5.) Grant Holmes--RHP--6'2--190--HS</u></b><br />
Fastball that sits 92-94, but has hit the high 90's and touches 97 deep into games. He pairs that with a plus curve in the low 80's, along with a change that could be plus, as well. There is little to no projection left in his body, but as a polished pitcher out of high school, he has the ceiling of an ace and a relatively low floor.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>6.) Michael Conforto--OF--L/R--6'2--217--CJr--Oregon State</u></b><br />
He's an on base machine with an OBP of over .500 this spring, and is seen as a relatively safe pick. He can hit for a solid average along with above average power, but may not produce at an All-Star level. Not much of a defender, and he will most likely end up in left field, where he has the ability to hit 30+ homers a year if everything goes right.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 55</i><br />
<b><u>7.) Bradley Zimmer--OF--L/R--6'4--185--CJr--San Francisco</u></b><br />
Toolys player with nothing that currently stands out, but his swing can generate plus power in the future, and there's still room to add strength in his frame. He's a slightly above average runner and has a good arm in the outfield. There's a chance he could play center, but he'll probably end up in a coerner outfield spot.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>8.) Aaron Nola--RHP--6'2--170--CJr--LSU</u></b><br />
Considered a safe pick as a pitcher, he has put up great stats but his upside may be limited. Fastball sits 91-93 with good sink and plus command, and his curve and change could both be above average pitches. He reminds me of Danny Hultzen, but a right handed version.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 55</i><br />
<b><u>9.) Nick Gordon--SS--L/R--6'2--170--HS</u></b><br />
Athletic infielder who possesses good fielding ability and above average speed on the base paths, pointing to the idea that he could be a player similar to his brother Dee Gordon. He makes solid contact, but probably won't have much power in the future. He uses the whole field as a hitter, but his speed and defense are what put him this high on the board.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>10.) Jeff Hoffman--RHP--6'4--185--CJr--East Carolina</u></b><br />
Underwent Tommy John Surgery in May, meaning he won't be able to pitch until mid-2015. He had top of the rotation stuff before the injury, and many considered him to be in the mix for the top overall selection. Fastball sits in the mid 90's with a plus curve and the potential for an above average change, as well as a good feel for pitching.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 65</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>11.) Touki Toussaint--RHP--6'2--185--HS</u></b><br />
Erratic pitcher, but when he's on he has the potential for two 70 or better pitches on the 20-80 scale. His fastball sits in the low 90's, but he has touched 97 in the past. His best pitch could be his mid 70's curveball, which has ridiculous break that make it difficult for both hitters and catchers, and could be the best curve in the class. He's developing a changeup, and command can be a major problem. He has one of the highest ceilings in the draft, but needs to develop a quality changeup and improve his command in order to reach that ceiling.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 65</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>12.) Tyler Beede--RHP--6'4--215--CJr--Vanderbilt</u></b><br />
A former first round pick in 2011, Beede has been inconsistent in both performance and draft rankings. He has great stuff with a fastball that sits 92-94 and frequently hits the mid 90's, and a plus change and potentially above average curve, but control issues take away from the pitches. He has the upside of a #2 starter, but there is a small chance he ends up in the bullpen if his control doesn't improve.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>13.) Max Pentecost--C--R/R--6'2--190--CJr--Kennesaw State</u></b><br />
A great defensive catcher with good arm strength behind the plate, pairing that with solid receiving skills that make him a near lock to stay at the position. He has a short swing that can generate solid contact, but he hasn't produced much power to this point. He could hit for a decent average with the possibility for 15 homers, and also has surprising speed.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>14.) Jacob Gatewood--SS--R/R--6'5--180--HS</u></b><br />
A big shortstop with plus raw power that could be the best in this draft class, but there are major concerns about his hit tool and swing. He has a strong arm and the athleticism to stay at short, but it is very possible that he ends up at third or in a corner outfield spot. His huge raw power gives him a lot of upside, but the development of the rest of his game will determine how far he can go.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 65</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>15.) Sean Newcomb--LHP--6'5--240--CJr--Hartford</u></b><br />
Fastball sits 90-94, but hits 96 frequently with an easy delivery. He has the potential for an above average slider, with a curve and a change that should be average pitches. His control can be poor, but a solid four pitch mix make him a good prospect.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>16.) Monte Harrison--OF--S/R--6'4--180--HS</u></b><br />
Three sport star in high school, and is also a Wide Receiver recruit for Nebraska. He is extremely athletic with plus speed and could be a plus defender in the outfield, as well. He's very raw at the plate, but has the ability to hit for average and above average power. He has great arm strength, and has a very high upside as possibly the best 5-tool prospect in the draft.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>17.) Trea Turner--SS--R/R--6'1--170--CJr--NC State</u></b><br />
Plus plus speed and is a safe bet to stick at short int he pros. His bat is a question, but he has made consistent contact in the past and could even be a .280-.300 hitter in the future. Power is not part of his game, but as a shortstop who could hit for a good average with 40 stolen base potential, he is a clear first round talent.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>18.) Derek Hill--OF--R/R--6'2--175--HS</u></b><br />
An athletic outfielder who has plus speed, running a sub 6.4 60, along with plus defense in centerfield. He's not projected to hit for much power, but 10-12 homers a season is reasonable. His hit tool is also a question mark, but he makes enough contact to hit for a decent average at the professional level.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>19.) Kyle Schwarber--C--L/R--6'0--230--CJr--Indiana</u></b><br />
Power is the biggest part of his game, with plus raw power but there are potential holes in his swing that could cause high strikeout rates int he future. He could hit for average, but is more likely a .250-.260 hitter with power. There are questions as to whether he can stay behind the plate, and he could end up in a corner outfield spot. He needs to work on the accuracy of his throws as a catcher.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>20.) Kyle Freeland--LHP--6'4--185--CJr--Evansville</u></b><br />
Projectable body that could add velocity to his 90-93 MPH fastball that can already reach the mid 90's. His slider can work as an above average pitch, and his change could be slightly above average, as well. He has very good control and has drawn comparisons to Chris Sale.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>21.) Erik Fedde--RHP--6'4--170--CJr--UNLV</u></b><br />
Underwent Tommy John Surgery in May, and won't pitch until mid 2015. Sat 91-93 with movement, touching 96 at times before the surgery, but struggled with his command despite low walk totals. He has a potential plus slider along with a change that could be slightly above average. He has a projectable frame that could see in increase in velocity, but he will be 22 by the time he pitches next.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>22.) Michael Gettys--OF--R/R--6'2--205--HS</u></b><br />
Very toolsy player with plus speed, plus fielding ability in center, and a plus-plus arm. His bat is a huge question, as he didn't perform well this spring. His swing is solid, allowing him to generate good power in batting practice, but he hasn't made the same consistent hard contact in games. If he would have hit, he could have been a top 10 pick this year.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 35</i><br />
<b><u>23.) Brandon Finnegan--LHP--5'11-185--CJr--TCU</u></b><br />
Dealt with a shoulder injury at the end of the year, but when healthy he was one of the top performers in the NCAA. Fastball that sits 93-95 that can hit the upper 90's with good control, along with a potentially above average slider/slurve in the low 80's. Could have a slightly above average change, but because of injury and size concerns and great two pitch mix, many see him as a great reliever/closer in the future.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>24.) Luis Ortiz--RHP--6'2--190--HS</u></b><br />
A forearm injury raises a lot of concerns for scouts, but still sat 92-95 after the injury. He has hit 97 and has the potential for an above average slider, with the makings of a curve and a change that could be average, along with average command.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>25.) Ti'Quan Forbes--R/R--6'4--170--HS</u></b><br />
Raw player that could end up above average across the board. His swing has a hitch in it that will need to be corrected if he can tap into his potential above average power and hit tools. He's very athletic and could stay at short, but could also be a solid fielder in the outfield. He already possesses above average run and arm tools that could play at any position on the diamond.<br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 30</i><br />
<b><u>26.) Derek Fisher--OF--L/R--6'3--210--CJr--Virginia</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>27.) A.J. Reed--1B--L/L--6'4--245--CJr--Kentucky</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>28.) Braxton Davidson--OF--L/L--6'3--215--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 35</i><br />
<b><u>29.) Justus Sheffield--LHP--6'1--180--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>30.) Scott Blewett--RHP--6'6--210--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 35</i><br />
<b><u>31.) Jake Bukauskus--RHP--5'11--180--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>32.) Mac Marshall--LHP--6'2--180--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>33.) Alex Blandino--3B--L/R--6'0--190--CJr--Stanford</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 50</i><br />
<b><u>34.) Casey Gillaspie--1B--S/L--6'4--230--CJr--Wichita State</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>35.) Forrest Wall--2B--L/R--6'1--180--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>36.) Garrett Fulunchek--RHP--6'4--185--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 30</i><br />
<b><u>37.) Spencer Adams--RHP--6'4--180--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>38.) Foster Griffin--LHP--6'5--190--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>39.) Kodi Medeiros--LHP--6'0--185--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>40.) Nick Burdi--RHP--6'3--220--CJr--Louisville</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 60</i><br />
<i>Floor: 30</i><br />
<b><u>41.) Spencer Turnbull--RHP--6'3--195--CJr--Alabama</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>42.) Jacob Lindgren--LHP--6'0--190--CJr--Mississippi State</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>43.) Michael Chavis--3B--R/R--6'0--185--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>44.) Sean Reid-Foley--RHP--6'2--210--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>45.) Jakson Reetz--C--R/R--6'1--195--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 30</i><br />
<b><u>46.) Alex Verdugo--LHP--6'1--190--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>47.) Cameron Varga--RHP--6'3--205--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 40</i><br />
<b><u>48.) Michael Kopech--RHP--6'4--195--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>49.) Gareth Morgan--OF--R/R--6'4--210--HS</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 30</i><br />
<b><u>50.) Chris Ellis--RHP--6'5--205--CJr--Ole Miss</u></b><br />
<i>Ceiling: 55</i><br />
<i>Floor: 45</i><br />
<b><u>51.) Mike Papi--OF--L/R--6'3--210--CJr--Virginia</u></b><br />
<b><u>52.) Marcus Wilson--OF--R/R--6'3--170--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>53.) Keith Weisenberg--RHP--6'4--185--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>54.) Mitch Keller--RHP--6'3--195--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>55.) Dylan Cease--RHP--6'2--175--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>56.) Bobby Bradley--1B--L/R--6'1--225--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>57.) Zech Lemond--RHP--6'3--175--CJr--Rice</u></b><br />
<b><u>58.) Matt Chapman--3B--R/R--6'2--205--CJr--Cal State Fullerton</u></b><br />
<b><u>59.) Matthew Railey--OF--L/L--5'11-195--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>60.) Dylan Davis--OF--R/R--6'0--200--CJr--Oregon State</u></b><br />
<b><u>61.) J.D. Davis--1B--R/R--6'3--215--CJr--Cal State Fullerton</u></b><br />
<b><u>62.) Matt Imhof--LHP--6'5--220--CJr--Cal Poly</u></b><br />
<b><u>63.) Luke Weaver--RHP--6'2--170--CJr--Florida State</u></b><br />
<b><u>64.) Jack Flaherty--RHP/3B--6'3--190--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>65.) Daniel Gossett--RHP--6'1--175--CJr--Clemson</u></b><br />
<b><u>66.) Jake Stinnett--RHP--6'4--205--CSr--Maryland</u></b><br />
<b><u>67.) Milton Ramos--SS--R/R--6'2--165--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>68.) Sam Travis--1B--R/R--6'0--205--CJr--Indiana</u></b><br />
<b><u>69.) Jaren Kendell--OF--L/R--5'10--175--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>70.) Chase Vallot--C--R/R--6'1--205--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>71.) Cody Reed--LHP--6'3--260--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>72.) Bryce Montes De Oca--RHP--6'7--265--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>73.) Carson Sands--LHP--6'3--200--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>74.) Taylor Sparks--3B--R/R--6'4--210--CJr--UC Irvine</u></b><br />
<b><u>75.) Grant Hockin--RHP--6'3--195--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>76.) Cole Tucker--SS--S/R--6'3--165--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>77.) Trey Supak--RHP--6'5--210--HS</u></b><br />
<b><u>78.) Brett Graves--RHP--6'1--190--CJr--Missouri</u></b><br />
<b><u>79.) Chris Oliver--RHP--6'4--185--CJr--Arkansas</u></b><br />
<b><u>80.) Nick Howard--RHP--6'3--215--CJr--Virginia</u></b><br />
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If you would like me to go into more depth on a player, just tweet @MicMaw, and I will provide you with any info you may need.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-42331670532918477622013-11-01T00:04:00.000-07:002013-11-01T00:04:19.896-07:00Should the Pirates Re-Sign Marlon Byrd?For most of the 2013 season, the Pirates had a hole in their lineup at right field. The team tried to fill this hole internally, with options like Josh Harrison, Brandon Inge, Garrett Jones, Andrew Lambo, Alex Presley, Jose Tabata, and Travis Snider. Harrison will never be able to be a major league starter, Inge should never be mentioned again, and Presley never regained his 2011 form before being shipped to Minnesota along with Duke Welker in the Justin Morneau trade. Jones wasn't the same as last year, and was also needed in the first base platoon, and Lambo never received much of a chance to prove himself. This left Jose Tabata and Travis Snider as the two options who gave the Pirates the most hope to fill that hole in right field. Tabata quietly put together a solid season, arguably the best offensive showing he has had in his time in the majors. He had a career high .771 OPS, a 119 OPS+ (to put that in perspective, Starling Marte had a 122 OPS+, and Pedro Alvarez had an OPS+ of 116), and also showed more power with a career high .429 SLG and .146 ISO. The problems with Tabata were that he was injured for much of the season, only posting 341 plate appearances, and was also very inconsistent in the time he did play. Here is his OPS by month:<br />
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April/March: .549</div>
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May: .991</div>
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June: Did not play</div>
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July: .631</div>
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August: .851</div>
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September/October: .844</div>
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As you can see, Tabata's solid season was fueled by a very strong May, and by a great end to the season in the final two months. With Snider, the Pirates had a former top prospect who was given a chance to play every day from the beginning of the season. The hope was that he could regain some of the power that once made him the number six prospect in the game before the 2009 season, but after hitting only three homers in 226 at bats in the first half, it became clear that wouldn't happen. This led to there being a lot of rumors that the Pirates were going to add a right field bat at the July 31st trade deadline, with the options being Alex Rios, Nate Schierholtz, Hunter Pence, Giancarlo Stanton (the Pirates did make a strong push for him), and Marlon Byrd. However, the trade deadline came and went, and no deal was made. Rios was eventually sent to the Rangers in August, while the other four stayed put until late August. On August 28th, the Pirates completed a trade that would send Dilson Herrera and Victor Black to the Mets in exchange for Marlon Byrd and John Buck, along with $250K from the Mets. The Pirates were making a playoff push, and acquiring Byrd filled the hole that the Pirates were trying to fill the entire year. </div>
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Byrd's time with the Pirates was very successful, as he put up a line of .318/.357/.486 in 107 at bats, along with three home runs and a .843 OPS. Byrd also performed well in the playoffs, posting a .982 OPS and hitting a crucial home run in the Wild Card game against the Reds. So, with the Pirates not having a definite option in right field heading into 2014, it would make sense for the team to re-sign Marlon Byrd, right? Not necessarily.</div>
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Byrd's time in Pittsburgh was great, providing both offense and defense, as well as being a positive influence in the clubhouse. However, there are a few reasons why the Pirates should be hesitant to re-sign Byrd this offseason. These reasons include questions as to whether he can repeat his performance, the price he will command, and the other internal options that the Pirates have. Here we will go into a little more depth about these reasons to avoid signing Marlon Byrd for the 2014 season.</div>
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<b><u>Can Byrd Repeat His Performance?</u></b></div>
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Statistically, 2013 was the best year of Marlon Byrd's career, with career highs in home runs, OPS, OPS+, WAR, and wRC+. That's good for Byrd, but it came in his age 35 season, while most players reach their prime around ages 27-30. Also, this stellar year came after the worst year of Byrd's career, where he posted a .488 OPS in 143 at bats, managing a WAR of -0.5. Byrd saw his BABIP jump to .353 in 2013, which is much higher than his career number of .325, which is influenced by this season. Byrd struck out more and walked less this year, which is always a red flag, especially for a player who is entering his late 30's. His home run to fly ball ratio was excessively higher than his career number, with a 16.4% ratio in 2013, and 9.3% career number, which explained his increase in power. Also, you can't forget his suspension for a performance enhancing drug in 2012 (which he maintains was used for medical purposes, not baseball). All of these facts make it hard for me to believe that Byrd will be able to repeat this performance in 2014, and that he was a little lucky this season. I'm not the only one who thinks this, as the Steamer projection from Fangraphs and steamerprojection.com have Byrd posting a .735 OPS in 2014. With the amount of money he is likely to receive in a new contract, would that production be worth it for the Pirates?</div>
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<b><u>How Much Will It Take To Sign Byrd?</u></b></div>
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Byrd won't be receiving a qualifying offer, which is up to $14.1 million this season, but he will still come fairly expensive this offseason. The free agent market for outfielders this season will be affected by the extension given to Hunter Pence at the end September, where he was given a five year, $90 million deal. There are four or five outfielders that will be ranked ahead of Byrd this offseason, with those players being Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Carlos Beltran, Shin-Soo Choo, with Nelson Cruz being in a similar range with Byrd. Deals given to those players could also drive the market price up for Byrd, forging a price tag that is far above what he is really worth. I would expect to see Byrd signing for over $10 million with how the current market is, especially if teams act quick to avoid a bidding war, which is something that the Pirates have done in recent years (think Russell Martin and Clint Barmes). If you think that price is too high, remember that Shane Victorino was signed to a three year, $39 million contract before 2013 after posting a .704 OPS. The Pirates have enough room in their payroll to give Byrd that kind of contract, but that money would be better used to bring in a first baseman or to sign another player to an extension, like Marte, Alvarez, or even Gerrit Cole.</div>
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<b><u>Internal Options</u></b></div>
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The Pirates do still have some internal options they could use to take over the right field position. As I mentioned above, Jose Tabata put together a very nice season in 2013, possibly the best of his career. He was inconsistent, but once he was receiving consistent playing time in the final two months, he was able to provide a lot of offense for the playoff push. It is worth mentioning that Tabata will be playing the majority of the 2014 season at age 25, and that he has never spent a full season in the majors. He will be making $3 million in 2014, and it may be wise to see what the Pirates have in a young player who was such a vital part of their future only a few years ago. Another player the Pirates could give a chance to is Andrew Lambo. Lambo, the number 49 prospect in baseball heading into 2009, was largely forgotten about heading into the 2013 season, but he brought himself back into the spotlight after hitting 33 home runs across AA, AAA, and the majors this year. Lambo started out hot in AA, but there were questions as to whether he could continue this production at higher levels, as he spent parts of six seasons at AA. He answered that question by continuing his performance at AAA, posting an even higher OPS at the level (.933) compared to AA (.910). He was called up to the majors in late August, and it seemed like he was going to be the starting right fielder, but the team traded for Marlon Byrd soon after, and Lambo never received regular playing time. Lambo would provide the Pirates with another potential power bat in their lineup, and could also get on base at a good rate. If the Pirates don't like the idea of starting either Tabata or Lambo full time, they could also use Tabata against lefties and Lambo against righties. Lambo destroyed righties in the minors this year, posting a .944 OPS against them, but Tabata actually hit better against righties this year, as well. Tabata has slightly better career numbers against lefties, so you would hope that he could produce well in his platoon role. <br />
The third internal option the Pirates could have at some point in the 2014 season is Gregory Polanco. Polanco is currently the number two prospect in the system behind Jameson Taillon, and one could make an argument for Polanco being ahead of Taillon, and is also ranked as the 13th best prospect in the game by Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Polanco didn't have the same success that he had at the plate in 2012, but he still put up a solid season at higher levels, with a line of .285/.356/.434, with 12 home runs, 38 stolen bases, and a .791 OPS. Polanco is a true five-tool talent, with the ability to hit for average and power, along with a plus arm, plus-plus speed and a plus-plus glove in center. Like Marte, Polanco is good enough defensively in center field to move McCutchen to a corner spot, but that isn't going to happen so Polanco will be used in right when he reaches the majors. The big question is when will Polanco be ready? He was in a similar situation as Marte was coming into 2012, and Marte was called up in July, which could be used as a good timeframe for Polanco. <br />
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Once again, Marlon Byrd was great in his time with the Pirates. The Pirates have already shown interest in re-signing him, which wouldn't be a terrible move, but it wouldn't be the right move. The market price to sign Byrd this offseason will be driven up by recent signings like Hunter Pence, and could rise even more with the signings of other free agent outfielders. Also, the Pirates have some talented internal options with Jose Tabata and Andrew Lambo, both of whom deserve chances to prove themselves at the major league level. The Pirates have the number 13 prospect in baseball with Gregory Polanco, and he could be ready to contribute to the major league team at some point in 2014. The Pirates could very well get more production out of their internal options than Marlon Byrd could provide them in 2014, and at a much cheaper price. Although Byrd put up All-Star numbers in 2013, it is very unlikely he repeats those numbers, and the Pirates will be better off letting him sign with another team and starting the season with Tabata and/or Lambo in right field, with Polanco waiting in the wings.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45, or in the comment section below.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-2061039331506486362013-07-31T09:50:00.000-07:002013-07-31T09:50:18.739-07:00The Pirates Shouldn't Pursue Justin MorneauJon Heyman is reporting that Justin Morneau is "drawing interest" from the Pirates, which would not be a good move for the Pirates. Morneau has a batting line of .262/.323/.393 in 374 at bats this year, with eight home runs and a .716 OPS. <br />
Morneau would be a rental for the Pirates, as his six year deal that began in 2008 comes to an end after this season, and he will become a free agent. With his contract status (he is making $14 million this year) and lack of production, Morneau should not cost much at all from a prospect status, but there is really no reason for the Pirates to make a deal for him. Morneau's OPS+ of 96 is lower than both Garrett Jones's (107) and Gaby Sanchez's (118), so he would not be an upgrade at the position offensively. He also wouldn't help the team much defensively, as his defense has regressed over the past few years. <br />
Morneau is in his age 32 season, so he is past his prime and there are no indications that he will improve upon his current numbers. He has a .561 OPS in his last eleven games, and has really struggled against left handed pitchers, with a .620 OPS against them in 113 at bats this year. He's also not getting unlucky, as his .301 Batting Average on Balls In Play this year is actually higher than his career number of .294. <br />
A deal for Morneau wouldn't make much sense for the Pirates, and any deal they make should be for an upgrade in right field, where they really don't have an answer outside of Alex Presley at this point. The Pirates are interested in two of the Cubs' outfielders in Nate Schierholtz and David DeJesus. I would prefer Schierholtz out of those two, as he is cheaper and is providing more offensive production.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-62070232821211247332013-07-28T13:40:00.001-07:002013-07-28T13:40:57.426-07:00Three Trade Ideas For The PiratesThe Major League Baseball trade deadline is only a few days away, and with the Pirates currently 1.5 games out of first in their division and 8.0 games ahead of the third team in the wild card race, the Bucs are expected to make a move. Right field has been an offensive hole for the Pirates in 2013, the team could use an upgrade at first, and a major league team can never have too much pitching. There have been some names that the Pirates are said to have interest in, including Alex Rios, Nate Schierholtz, Hunter Pence, and Bud Norris. While these players would fill positional needs for the team, they aren't necessarily great fits for the organization. Rios would only provide a slight upgrade in right, and with his contract of $12 million in 2013 and $12.5 million in 2014 (with a $13.5 million team option for 2015), it wouldn't make sense to give up any kind of prospect for his services. Schierholtz is having a very good year this year, but has been used almost exclusively as a left handed platoon player, something the Pirates may already have. He has a career .691 OPS against lefties, so wouldn't be much use there. If the Pirates could get him for a cheap price, he may be a good target, but as possibly the most sought after right fielder on the market, he will only be had for a steeper price that is much higher than his actual value. For a smaller market team like the Pirates, it's not a good idea to go after a short term slight upgrade at the expense of your future. Pence may not even be on the market, but he would be completely overvalued for his production and would leave after two months. As for Bud Norris as an option, I'm going to just say no and hope I never hear of it again. So, if the Pirates need to make a move, who should they target? Here are three trade ideas, some that could help the Pirates now, and some that could help them in the future.<br />
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<b><u>Toronto Blue Jays: 1B Adam Lind for IF Ivan De Jesus and RHP Stolmy Pimentel</u></b><br />
Lind is in the middle of his best season since his stellar 2009 campaign, and currently has an .848 with 12 home runs in 298 at bats. Lind comes with a relatively cheap price of $5 million for this year, with club options for the next three years at $7.0 million, $7.5 million, and $8.0 million. Lind has been more of a platoon player in Toronto, a position that he would remain in with Pittsburgh, pushing Garrett Jones into right field against lefties. The price wouldn't be too high for Lind, and the fact that De Jesus and Pimentel could contribute to the Blue Jays this year would make this a do-able deal for each team. Lind doesn't produce a high WAR and has been inconsistent over the past few years, so the deal would not require a top prospect.<br />
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<b><u>Seattle Mariners: 1B Kendrys Morales and OF Dustin Ackley for OF Jerry Sands, RHP Nick Kingham, OF Willy Garcia, and RHP Vin Mazzaro</u></b><br />
This is a deal that could potentially help the Pirates now and in the future. The addition of Morales would give the Pirates an everyday first baseman who can hit from both sides of the plate, without a weakness from either side. He is in his final year of arbitration and will become a free agent at the end of the season, but the Pirates could bring him back with an extension and promise of being the everyday first baseman, something the Pirates may not have in their system (although Alex Dickerson is looking more and more like that player). Ackley was the second pick in the 2009 draft for the Mariners, but has really struggled at the major league level over the past couple seasons. The Pirates could make a Travis Snider-like deal for him, including reliever Vin Mazzaro in the deal like they did with Brad Lincoln in 2012. <br />
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<b><u>Miami Marlins: OF Giancarlo Stanton for RHP Jameson Taillon, OF Gregory Polanco, C Tony Sanchez, RHP Duke Welker</u></b><br />
OK, this trade will most likely never happen. Stanton is the best player on a young team that is very exciting, with other players like Jose Fernandez, Christian Yelich, and Jake Marisnick. But, Stanton displayed a lot of displeasure with the Marlins after their trading binge over the offseason, so a lot of people speculated that Stanton would be available for trades as well. To this point, the Marlins' management and ownership have insisted that he isn't available, but the Pirates have been said to be calling The Marlins very often regarding Stanton. This trade would give the Pirates one of the best right fielders and power hitters in the game until at least 2016, and could be even longer if the Pirates could sign him to an extension. The Marlins would be receiving two of the top 15 prospects in the MLB for Stanton in Taillon and Polanco. Judging by how the Marlins have been aggressively pushing players to the majors this year, I wouldn't be surprised to see both Taillon and Polanco on the Marlins in 2013, were a trade to occur. This would be huge trade for both teams, and one that could definitely benefit both teams. The Pirates would have a long term solution in right, which has been a weak spot this season, and the Marlins could have a potential ace and five star center fielder. As a Pirates fan, just think about how great it would be to have Marte, McCutchen, and Stanton in your outfield.<br />
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The trade deadline is quickly approaching, and there is some pressure on the Pirates to make a trade. Do they have to? No. Do I suggest they make a trade? Not necessarily, these are just three trade ideas that I think would improve the team now and possibly in the future. I would love for the Pirates to get Giancarlo Stanton, and the Pirates would love that too, but it is a very unlikely deal. There haven't been many, if any, rumors about any of these deals actually being talked about, but they are some thought provoking trades a few days ahead of the deadline.<br />
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If any of our readers have any trade ideas, I'd love to hear and discuss them! You can leave you ideas in the comment section below, or tell me on twitter @mikemaw45.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-30789465192389423082013-07-24T18:37:00.002-07:002013-07-24T18:37:39.988-07:00Would Alex Rios Be An Upgrade/Worth It For The Pirates?Over the last few weeks, there have been multiple rumors that the Pirates have real interest in the Alex Rios, the right fielder for the Chicago White Sox. There was even a moment when Pirates fans thought that maybe a deal had gone down between the two teams when Rios was taken out of a game within twenty minutes of Pirates' top shortstop Alen Hanson being taken out of his game. That was soon found to be a pure coincidence, as Rios was taken out for not hustling, and Hanson was in the second game of a double header in which his team had a huge win.<br />
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Right field has been a weakness for the Pirates this year, with Travis Snider, who came into the season as the starter at the position, having an OPS of .629 coming into the game on July 24th. The Pirates have also used Garrett Jones, Alex Presley, Brandon Inge, Jose Tabata, Josh Harrison, and even Russell Martin at the position. Tabata is the current starter at right, and after a hot start after his return from injury, has settled down to a .738 OPS in 135 at bats on the season. Rios currently has a batting line of .278/.333/.442 in 371 at bats, with 12 home runs, 21 stolen bases, and an OPS of .775. Those numbers would clearly suggest that he has been better than what the Pirates have in right, but would he really be an upgrade?<br />
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If you look at it from a player vs. player standpoint, Rios would surely be an upgrade over Tabata, Presley, Snider, and Andrew Lambo. But, would he be an upgrade over a potential platoon between Tabata and any one of the other three lefty options? (I'm leaving Garrett Jones out, as he should be part of a platoon at first with Gaby Sanchez) Here we are going to examine the potential production of those platoon options, and compare those to the potential production from Alex Rios, who is a right handed hitter. We are going to start by evaluating Jose Tabata's side of the platoon, which would be against left handed pitching.<br />
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<b><u>Jose Tabata vs. Lefties</u></b><br />
I'm going to start this section by giving a stat that is somewhat surprising: Jose Tabata actually has a higher OPS+ than Alex Rios this season, with Tabata's number at 109 and Rios' at 106. That doesn't mean Tabata has been better than Rios, and that is conveyed by Tabata's 0.0 WAR, compared to Rios' WAR of 1.4 (those numbers according to Baseball Reference). <br />
Over his career, Tabata hasn't really shown much, if any, of a platoon split, with a career .720 OPS against lefties and a .711 OPS against righties. This season, Tabata has actually had a pretty large reverse platoon split, with a .775 OPS against righties and a .632 OPS against lefties. For any of these platoons to have any chance of working, Tabata's numbers would have to gravitate closer to that .720 career number, and would actually need some improvement beyond that number.<br />
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<b><u>Travis Snider vs. Righties</u></b><br />
In Snider's major league career, his OPS vs. right handed pitchers in almost 100 points higher than his OPS against lefties, with a .721 number against righties and .630 against lefties. Neither of those numbers warrant him a starting position, even in a platoon situation. Snider's numbers vs righties have been even worse this year, with a .662 OPS, meaning Snider shouldn't be starting against any pitcher at this point.<br />
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<b><u>Alex Presley vs. Righties</u></b><br />
Presley has been a decent hitter against righties in his career, with a .749 OPS, but that would be enough to give him a spot in a platoon role. On the season Presley has a solid .824 OPS against righties, but that comes in a very small sample size of 34 at bats, so his career .749 number would give a better indication of the number he would put up over the rest of the season in a platoon role.<br />
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<b><u>Andrew Lambo vs. Righties</u></b><br />
Lambo's numbers come with the disclaimer that they have been against minor league pitchers. Still, his numbers have been very impressive against right handers this year, with a .304 average, 19 home runs, and 1.002 OPS in 261 at bats. Lambo would definitely be a good platoon option for the Pirates, probably the best the team has for this situation (outside of Jones), but at this point there doesn't seem to be a match for him in right field. <br />
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<b><u>Alex Rios</u></b><br />
Rios' OPS of .775 against any pitcher this year would be better than any of the Pirates players' splits, so Rios would definitely be an upgrade over any situation the Pirates currently have in their organization. Rios is only slightly better against lefties in his career, and the Pirates wouldn't trade for Rios to simply be a platoon player regardless. <br />
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The answer to this question was much more simple than I anticipated, as Rios would clearly be an upgrade over any player or platoon situation the Pirates could put together in right field. Does that mean the team needs to trade for him? It certainly doesn't, but these numbers do show that the Pirates are going to have a big weakness at the position during the pennant race unless they make a move. The trade market is pretty weak this year, but the Pirates don't need to make a trade for Rios. It would make some sense, but they would be taking on Rios' $12.5 million contract in 2014, and would have a $14 million club option for 2015. If the Pirates acquired Rios on the July 31st deadline, they would be paying him a minimum of $17.82 million over the 2013-2014 seasons, assuming they buyout his option year in 2015. That number could be lowered if the White Sox offer some salary relief, but I would suggest against that for the Pirates as that would cost a higher grade prospect, something that Rios, who is 32 years old, is not worth at this point in his career. Rios has a 4.3 WAR over the past two and a half seasons, and his numbers will most likely decline as he grows older. <br />
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Rios would provide the Pirates with a short term upgrade in right field for the 2013 playoff run, but his contract status, price for a trade, and age would make it a somewhat foolish move for the Pirates. Jose Tabata has enough talent and has the potential to hold down the right field spot, at least until top prospect Gregory Polanco is ready to take over at some point in 2014. The Pirates could always look for a cheaper option like they did with Travis Snider in 2012, but those are very rare on the current trade market. As I said <a href="http://blogginbuccos.blogspot.com/2013/07/should-pirates-pursue-starting-pitcher.html">in my post</a> about if the Pirates should pursue a starting pitcher, I find the team better served to stand pat with what they have, as there are no real upgrades on the trade market that would be worth the price. <br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45, or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-49829349223256431132013-07-23T16:10:00.002-07:002013-07-23T16:10:50.716-07:00Pirates Designate Inge For Assignment, Recall Walker and BlackIt may seem long overdue, but the Brandon Inge era is over now in Pittsburgh. Inge, who signed a one year, $1.25 million contract in the offseason, had a very forgettable season for the Pirates this year, with a .181/.204/.238 line, along with one home run in 104 at bats. Those numbers produced a .442 OPS, 25 OPS+, and -0.6 WAR according to Baseball-Reference. With that WAR, Inge was tied with Michael McKenry for the title of least valuable player on the Pirates for the 2013 season. Inge played five different positions for the Pirates, including every infield position and right field. Since he was designated for assignment, the Pirates have ten days to trade, release, or pass Inge through waivers. Judging by the way he has played this year, I would assume that he will be released, as there will be no takers for his services.<br />
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With Inge being DFA'd and Jason Grilli being sent to the DL today, the Pirates had two open roster spots. Those spots were taken by second baseman Neil Walker and AAA Indianapolis Indians' closing pitcher, Vic Black. <br />
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Walker is in the middle of what seems to be a down year offensively, but he hasn't had much of chance to get on track this year, with multiple stints on the DL keeping him from getting long stretches of at bats. He has a line of .244/.347/.284 in 250 at bats, including six home runs, 26 RBI, and a .731 OPS. He will step back into his spot as the everyday second baseman, with Jordy Mercer moving back to shortstop.<br />
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Black was the closer for the Pirates AAA affiliate in Indianapolis this season, putting up a 2.31 ERA in 35 IP, including 15 saves. He has a great K/9 rate, at 13.1, and has shown improved control this year. Control was his main issue coming into the season, with a career 4.7 BB/9 coming into the season, but his 3.3 BB/9 rate this year show his continuing development.<br />
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This is what I said about Black in my <a href="http://blogginbuccos.blogspot.com/2013/04/2013-pittsburgh-pirates-prospects.html">2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospect Preview</a>:<br />
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<b><u><i>19) Victor Black--RHP--25--AAA</i></u></b><br />
<i>Black was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 2009 draft, but didn't live up to his hype until last season. In 2012, he posted a 1.65 ERA in 60 IP, with a 12.8 K/9 and 1.15 WHIP. Control has been a problem in his career, and that continued in 2012, with a 4.4 BB/9. Black has a plus fastball that sits 96-98 MPH, touching 99, and pairs that with a plus slider. If he can improve his control a little, he could be a future option for closer with the Pirates, and that future may not be far away.</i><br />
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Well, the future is now with Victor Black, in a sense that he is now part of the major league bullpen. He has reached triple digits with his fastball this season, and pairs that with his wipeout slider to make a great two pitch combo. Black could be one of the top closing options in the coming years when Grilli/Melancon are gone, or begin to struggle.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45, or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-38126114462663202102013-07-21T22:29:00.001-07:002013-07-21T22:29:06.509-07:00Should The Pirates Pursue A Starting Pitcher?The Pittsburgh Pirates are 57-39 on July 21st, something that may sound a little strange to a fanbase that celebrated only 57 wins throughout the entire 2010 season. Ok, maybe celebrated isn't the right word there. But the fact is that the team has drastically improved over the last three seasons, and is now only two games back in the NL Central and 7.5 games ahead in the wild card race, with 66 games remaining in the season. There is no question as to what has put this team in the position they are in, and that is the pitching. Coming into the game on July 21st, the pitching staff (starters and bullpen) leads the National League in ERA (3.10) and hits allowed, and also ranks fourth with 739 strikeouts. The trio of Jeff Locke, Francisco Liriano, and A.J. Burnett have a combined 2.54 ERA. Out of the six pitchers who have started at least seven games, the highest ERA belongs to Gerrit Cole at 3.89. That group doesn't include Charlie Morton, who has a 3.19 ERA in six starts. Basically, the Pirates' pitching starting pitching staff has been phenomenal in the innings they have pitched.<br />
With the trade deadline in a little over a week, the rumor mill has been heating up and the Pirates have been connected to a couple names in the starting pitching market. Those players are Matt Garza of the Cubs and Bud Norris of the Astros. The Pirates are said to be one of the top options for Garza, and Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times stated that the Pirates were the "team du jour" for Garza. But, with all the success that the Pirates have had with their starters this season, should the team pursue a starting pitcher? <br />
To answer this question, we have to look at a few factors. The first factor is the durability and depth of the current rotation. Secondly, we have to see how the rotation projects for the rest of the season from a statistical standpoint. Finally, we have to take a look at what it will cost the Pirates to acquire a player like Matt Garza or Bud Norris, and if that package would be worth it. So, let's get started.<br />
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<b><u>Depth and Durability</u></b><br />
To this point in the season, the Pirates have used eleven different starting pitchers, including Burnett, Liriano, Locke, Cole, Morton, Wandy Rodriguez, Jeanmar Gomez, James McDonald, Brandon Cumpton, Jonathan Sanchez, and Phil Irwin. Out of those players, Rodriguez, McDonald, and Irwin are currently on the DL, and Burnett, Morton, and Liriano have also spent time on the DL during this season (Kyle McPherson, who was battling for the fifth starter spot in spring training, recently had Tommy John surgery on July 10th). Rodriguez and McDonald aren't expected back until late August or September, and Cumpton and Irwin are spot starters at best this year who aren't ready to spend significant time in a major league rotation. Sanchez was released in April and has since done terrible for the Dodgers' AAA affiliate. Also, I don't think Jeanmar Gomez has the ability to be a member of a rotation that is competing for a pennant, as he has not had much previous success in his 38 major league starts before joining the Pirates, and wasn't great in the minors. That leaves the Pirates with a rotation of Burnett, Liriano, Locke, Cole, and Morton heading into September, which is definitely a good rotation to have. But, what happens if one of those pitchers goes down with an injury? Liriano and Morton both have track records of injuries, and Gerrit Cole only pitched 132 innings last year, and is already at 109.2 IP with over two months remaining. Chances are, at least one of these five is going to go down with an injury, and would you be comfortable with Jeanmar Gomez as the fifth starter in a pennant race? Other options from AAA that aren't listed above are Stolmy Pimentel and Andy Oliver. Pimentel got off to a great start in AA, struggled after that, then was promoted to AAA and has a 2.74 ERA in seven starts there. He also owns a very impressive 0.98 WHIP in 46 AAA innings. Oliver would only be used in desperate measures, as I'm not positive he's aware that there is a strike zone, with an 8.2 BB/9 in 100 innings. Fans would be calling for the team to call up top prospect Jameson Taillon, but that just isn't going to happen. <br />
The Pirates currently have five guys that are healthy and good enough to pitch in a contending team's rotation. After those five guys, there isn't much help on the way until September when Rodriguez should be able to return, barring any setbacks. That will give the team six good starters in the September playoff race, but until then, the team will be playing with fire as there is a good chance one of the five starters goes down with an injury. If Jeanmar Gomez would pitch the way he already has in the rotation this year, he would be a fine replacement, but I don't see that as being likely. James McDonald could also be an option in September if someone goes down with an injury, but otherwise he really has no chance at being in the rotation again this year.<br />
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<b><u>Rotation Projection</u></b><br />
In the last section I stated that the Pirates currently have five pitchers that are set to be in the rotation going into September, along with Wandy Rodriguez in September and Jeanmar Gomez being a replacement starter. As I also previously stated, the rotation has been fantastic this year from a statistical standpoint, but can they keep it up? Let's take a look at those seven players and see how they project for the remainder of the season.<br />
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<u>A.J. Burnett</u>: Burnett currently has an ERA of 3.07 and xFIP of 3.13, along with a .288 Batting Average of Balls In Play (BABIP), which is very close to his career number of .290. His other advanced stats line up with his career numbers as well, so it is a safe bet that Burnett will continue to pitch the way he has for the rest of the year.<br />
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<u>Francisco Liriano</u>: I expected Liriano to be due for a big regression before I looked at his advanced stats, but he actually has been pitching better than I thought this year. He has a 2.44 ERA, which isn't far off his 2.81 FIP or 3.08 xFIP. His strikeout and walk rates are in line with his career numbers, as is his BABIP and ground ball ratio. The only thing concerning about Liriano is his Home run to fly ball ratio (HR/FB) and left on base percentage (LOB%). His HR/FB ratio is currently 7.5%, which leads to a 0.44 HR/9 rate. His career numbers with those are 10.5% and 0.85, which leads me to believe that he will be letting up a few more home runs as the year progresses. His LOB% is at 82.6%, while his career number is at 70.9%. That means that he has been getting lucky with year with fly balls and runners on base, and he is due for some regression in that area. Still, that shouldn't affect him too drastically, and he should still be pitching with an ERA around 3.00-3.50 for the rest of the year.<br />
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<u>Jeff Locke</u>: If there is one player on the team that is due for a big regression, it's Jeff Locke. His ERA is at 2.11, but his FIP is 3.77 and his xFIP is 4.22. In fact, coming into his most recent start ZiPS projected him to have a 4.60 ERA for the rest of the year. Do I think that will happen? No, but I also don't think he will finish the year with a 2.11 ERA. He has a very high LOB% at 83.3%, and a very low BABIP of .228, and both will eventually start to revert to normal, causing a more inflated ERA. That being said, Jeff Locke has said to be due for regression for at least a couple months now, and he has only improved on his statistics in that time, leading many to believe this season isn't a complete fluke. Still, expect at least a slight regression for Locke the rest of the way, with an ERA somewhere in the threes.<br />
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<u>Gerrit Cole</u>: Cole's advanced numbers would actually suggest improvement as the year goes on, which isn't much of a surprise. He hasn't overwhelmed hitters to this point, with a 5.40 K/9 rate, a number that has to improve with his ability. His FIP and xFIP are both lower than his ERA of 3.89, with his FIP being much lower at 3.22. As long as Cole stays in the rotation, he should see improvements in his ERA and strikeout totals.<br />
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<u>Charlie Morton</u>: I'm not as high as Charlie Morton as some others are, but he is a good number five starter. He has only pitched in six games, so his stats are a small sample size, but his ERA of 3.19 is due to regress, as his FIP is 4.44 and his xFIP is 4.18. There are no concerns with his LOB% or ground ball rate, but his BABIP is 40 points lower than his career number. Expect Morton's ERA to be around 4.00-4.25 for the remainder of the year, with a little give or take each way.<br />
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<u>Wandy Rodriguez</u>: Wandy was pitching well before his injury, with a 3.59 ERA in 62.2 innings. He was pretty consistent, but the numbers would suggest that he was due for moderate regression, with a 4.43 FIP and 4.04 xFIP. His BABIP was far below his career number of .296, at .255 when he went to the DL. His LOB% was also relatively high at 80.0% when compared to his career number of 71.6%. But, the injury may have stalled any regression, so when he returns we can expect Wandy to pitch like he normally does, with an ERA in the 3.50-4.00 range.<br />
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<u>Jeanmar Gomez</u>: Basically all of Gomez's stats would suggest that he is going to regress for the remainder of the year. We all know he isn't going to be able to sustain his current 2.65 ERA, it's just a question of how far it will regress. His FIP is 4.16 and his xFIP is 4.05, so we can assume his ERA will be over 4.00 until the season ends. He has been very lucky this year, stranding over ten percent more baserunners than his career number, along with a BABIP of .228 compared to a career number of .290. Gomez's season has been a pleasant surprise to this point, but in all likelihood his success won't continue.<br />
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Only Locke, Morton and Gomez are due for a significant amount of regression, and it seems like Locke may not regress as much as expected. The rotation won't perform quite as well as they have to this point as the season goes on, but the numbers don't suggest they will perform too much worse. They may have a problem at the back end of their rotation if Morton falters, as there isn't a truly good replacement expected until Rodriguez returns in September.<br />
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<b><u>What Will It Take To Get Garza or Norris- Is It Worth It?</u></b><br />
When looking at what it would take to acquire a player, you have to look at a few factors. One factor is obviously how they are doing this year and how they have performed in the past. One good year may really inflate a player's price, but a down year may not mean as much when he has performed well in the past. Another important factor is how many years are remaining on the player's contract or how many years is he under team control. A third factor is how much money would the team be taking on when they acquire the player. Using these factors, lets look at what it may take to get Garza or Norris, and if it would be worth it.<br />
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<u>Matt Garza</u>: Garza is in his final year of arbitration, making $10.2 million this year, and set for free agency once the season ends. The Pirates would have to pay the just over $4 million remaining on his contract. He has an ERA of 3.17 as of July 21st, and an xFIP of 3.86. He is due for moderate regression, as ZiPS projects him to have an ERA of 3.76 for the remainder of the season. With all those factors, you would think it would cost about what it took to get Wandy Rodriguez last year, but the Cubs are said to have an "exceptionally high" asking price for Garza, one that included top prospect Mike Olt in a potential deal with the Rangers. As I said in my post <a href="http://blogginbuccos.blogspot.com/2013/07/pirates-top-30-prospects-before-trade.html">Pirates Top 30 Prospects Before the Trade Deadline</a>, I wouldn't give up any of the top ten prospects in the system for any of the names that are being floated out on the trade market, and that is what it would take to get Garza at this point, plus a couple more players. With Garza hitting free agency at the end of the year, it would not be worth it giving up a top ten prospect for a two month rental.<br />
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<u>Bud Norris</u>: Norris is in his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2013, so he would be under team control until for the next two years, hitting free agency after the 2015 season. He is only making $3 million this year, and doesn't project to make a substantial amount in his next two arbitration years, so money won't be an issue here. Norris has a 3.91 ERA this year, and isn't projected to improve or regress much. The Pirates would be trading for a guy that will most likely put up an ERA of around 4.00 for this year and the next two years, which can come at a surprisingly steep price. According to Tim Williams's trade value calculator over at Piratesprospects.com, it could take a top 51-100 pitching prospect and a grade C pitching prospect, or a top 51-100 hitting prospect. Basically that is Luis Heredia and and a player like Clay Holmes in a package, or a hitter like Josh Bell or even Alen Hanson. Bud Norris isn't a bad pitcher, but I wouldn't give up any of those packages for two and a half years of a league average pitcher.<br />
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After looking at all the factors, we can make a better decision if the Pirates should pursue a starting pitcher. The starting pitching depth may look great from the outside, but if you look deeper the Pirates could use another starter, especially with Charlie Morton due to regress, and the injury history of the current rotation. But, the current trade market is weak, and if Matt Garza and Bud Norris are the only real targets that the Pirates have, then they are probably better served to stand pat with their rotation and hope that no serious injuries occur. Some of the pitchers will start to fall back to earth with their numbers, but the rotation should continue putting up some of the best numbers in the NL. The group of six starters, excluding Gomez, averages almost exactly six innings per start, a number that you would like to see improve a little, but also a number that isn't too bad. It will be interesting to see how the Pirates handle Gerrit Cole's innings situation, as he is on pace to pitch around 180 innings this year after only pitching 132 innings in his pro debut last year. <br />
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The Pirates do have questions facing the rotation for the remainder of the year, but currently it doesn't look like the trade market has the answers. Some suggest that the Pirates go after the Phillies' Cliff Lee, but that would be too steep of a price for the Pirates, both economically speaking and from a prospect standpoint. Also, the Phillies are only 6.5 games back in their division, so they may feel they can still compete. I don't think it would be a bad idea to ask the White Sox about Chris Sale, but that would be an extremely unlikely scenario. With nothing of much value out on the starting pitching trade market, the Pirates should stay where they are with a rotation of Burnett, Liriano, Locke, Cole, and Morton until September when Rodriguez replaces Morton, and wait until next year for players like Jameson Taillon and Nick Kingham to contribute to the major league rotation.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-68212563977535067982013-07-21T13:47:00.001-07:002013-07-25T18:55:47.133-07:00Pirates Top 30 Prospects Before The Trade DeadlineWell, it's been awhile since I've posted anything, and I seem to be starting a lot of my most recent articles like that. I'm going to try and change that, and with the trade deadline quickly approaching, I should have plenty to write about. <br />
The Pirates have been rumored to be interested in players like Alex Rios, Hunter Pence, and Bud Norris. Trading for these players would possibly require a package of prospects, so I thought I'd update my top 30 prospects in the organization to kick off my trade deadline coverage, and to give everyone an idea of the talent that may be given up in trades. Personally, I don't think the Pirates should give up any of the players ranked in the top 10 here, as there isn't a player on the trade block that would provide enough short or long term value to warrant such a trade (that is unless the team somehow pulled off a deal for Giancarlo Stanton, which I would approve but isn't going to happen).<br />
While ranking these players, I realized just how good the Pirates system has become, even without Gerrit Cole. The system's top 10 prospects may very well be the best in all of baseball, and the team has guys in the 11-20 range that would easily be top 10 prospects if they were in a different organization. If I were the general manager of the Pirates, I wouldn't try for a big deadline deal, as the names out there right now aren't really worth the price, and wouldn't be major upgrades over what the team already has. I'm not sure if there's any player out their that would fit the mold, but if the team could fine another deal similar to the Travis Snider trade from last year, that would be preferable. I would simply continue to build the major league club through the farm system, which has been very effective to this point.<br />
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<b><u>Top 30 Prospects In the Pirates System</u></b><br />
1.) Jameson Taillon--RHP--21--AA<br />
2.) Gregory Polanco--OF--21--AA<br />
3.) Tyler Glasnow--RHP--19--A<br />
4.) Luis Heredia--RHP--18--A<br />
5.) Alen Hanson--SS--20--A+<br />
6.) Austin Meadows--OF--18--Rookie<br />
7.) Nick Kingham--RHP--21--AA<br />
8.) Reese McGuire--C--18--Rookie<br />
9.) Josh Bell--OF--20--A<br />
10.) Barrett Barnes--OF--21--A<br />
11.) Tony Sanchez--C--25--AAA<br />
12.) Stolmy Pimentel--RHP--23--AAA<br />
13.) Victor Black--RHP--25--AAA<br />
14.) Dilson Herrera--2B--19--A<br />
15.) Stetson Allie--1B--22--A+<br />
16.) Kyle McPherson--RHP--25--AAA DL<br />
17.) Harold Ramirez--OF--18--A-<br />
18.) Andrew Lambo--OF--24--AAA<br />
19.) Wyatt Mathisen--C--19--A DL<br />
20.) Jin-De Jhang--C--20--A-<br />
21.) Clay Holmes--RHP--20--A<br />
22.) Elvis Escobar--OF--18--A-<br />
23.) Blake Taylor--LHP--18--Rookie<br />
24.) Ivan De Jesus Jr--2B/SS--26--AAA<br />
25.) Alex Dickerson--1B--23--AA<br />
26.) Brandon Cumpton--RHP--24--AAA<br />
27.) Jacoby Jones--CF/SS--21--A-<br />
28.) Joely Rodriguez--LHP--21--A+<br />
29.) Willy Garcia--OF--20--A+<br />
30.) Max Moroff--SS--20--A<br />
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If you would like me to expand on any prospect, you can ask in the comment section below. If you have any other questions, comments, or something you would like me to write about, you can also post in the comment section or tweet me @mikemaw45. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-89667226073061302022013-06-07T08:52:00.004-07:002013-06-07T08:52:57.121-07:00MLB Draft: First Day RecapThe Pirates came into the first day of the 2013 MLB draft with the number nine and number fourteen picks, as well as the 51st overall pick in the second round. With those picks, they selected three high school players, two being left handed hitters, and the other being a left handed pitcher. <br />
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<b><u>9th Overall Pick: Austin Meadows</u></b><br />
Meadows came into the draft ranked number six on my draft board and number five on Baseball America's draft board. He is a potential five tool talent who was a centerfielder in the prep ranks, and the Pirates hope he can stay in that position as a pro.<br />
The Pirates were heavily linked to high school catcher Reese McGuire with the ninth overall pick, but when Meadows fell to them, the Pirates didn't pass on the upside that Meadows brings. He could hit for average and power, along with being a threat on the base paths with great fielding range in center. He came into the year with a chance to be the number one overall pick, but he didn't hit for as much power as some scouts would've like to see from him. Still, he has a solid swing and a 6'3, 200-210 pound frame that is ideal for a power hitter. I see his upside as a Matt Kemp type player (when Kemp is healthy), but obviously that will take a lot of things to go the right way for that to happen. General Manager Neal Huntington stayed true to his draft board with this pick, something that you definitely like to see from your GM.<br />
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<b><u>14th Overall Pick: Reese McGuire</u></b><br />
As I previously stated, the Pirates were heavily linked to McGuire with the number nine overall pick, but took Meadows instead after he fell to them. I thought it would be unlikely that McGuire would still be available to the Pirates with the number fourteen pick, so I was surprised that he was still available there. Also available to the Pirates at that pick was Nevada pitcher Braden Shipley. I had ranked him as the seventh best prospect in the draft and actually preferred him to McGuire with this pick. I wanted Shipley because he was a college pitcher that isn't too far from the majors, with a good fastball, great changeup, and potential for an above average curve. Shipley has an upside of a number two starter, and I felt he would have been a good addition to the organization, especially after taking a high upside high school hitter with the first pick. That being said, I think Reese McGuire is a very good fourteenth overall selection, as there was some talk he could go as high as number four overall to the Twins. He is a defensive first catcher with a plus arm that can really control the running game. Also, McGuire has been calling his own games since little league, giving him great experience that is very rare from the high school ranks. The main question mark about McGuire is the upside that he brings with his bat. He's a left handed hitter that has the potential to hit for a decent/good average with moderate power, but his defense will always be the strong part of his game.<br />
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<b><u>51st Overall Pick: Blake Taylor</u></b><br />
With their second round pick, the Pirates selected high school projectable left hander Blake Taylor. Taylor sits in the low 90's with his fastball, but can reach the mid 90's at times. He has good sink on that fastball that leads to a lot of ground ball outs. He adds a curve to his arsenal, a pitch that has a chance to be above average in the future, but some feel it will remain an average pitch. He doesn't have a changeup at this point, something that he will need to develop in order to remain a starter. I didn't have Taylor ranked in my top 50 draft prospects, but I did add him in the next 25 prospect to watch section.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-3193804577342105282013-06-06T17:37:00.002-07:002013-06-06T17:37:37.601-07:00Pirates Select Reese McGuire At #14The Pirates have selected high school catcher Reese McGuire with the fourteenth overall pick in the 2013 MLB Draft.<br />
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Here's my scouting report for McGuire from my draft preview:<br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><i><b style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><u>11) Reese McGuire--C--L/R--6'1--190--HS</u></b><br style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">McGuire is a defensive first catcher who has the best arm from behind the plate in the draft. He has incredible pop times to go along with that 70-80 arm (on the 20-80 scale), and has improved his receiving skills since last season. His bat is questionable, and doesn't have the upside of other high school catchers in this class, but he could hit for a decent-good average with moderate power. Regardless, he will remain a defensive first catcher who can really control the running game.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">McGuire is really a defense first catcher with a decent chance of being a good hitter, and his plus arm is the tool that stands out the most. Personally, I would have taken Braden Shipley with this pick, as he was the number nine guy on my board, compared to McGuire at number eleven. With two first round picks, I would've gone one high school player and one college player, but the Pirates went with two high school guys. That being said, the Pirates wanted McGuire at the number nine pick before Meadows fell, and McGuire was far from a bad pick at number fourteen. </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-10046563312354956602013-06-06T17:09:00.001-07:002013-06-06T17:09:46.795-07:00Pirates Select Austin Meadows At #9The Pittsburgh Pirates have selected Austin Meadows as the ninth overall pick in the 2013 MLB draft. <br />
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Here's my scouting report of him from my draft preview:<br />
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><u><br /></u></b></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white;"><b style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><u>6) Austin Meadows--OF--L/L--6'3--200--HS</u></b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Meadows has the potential to be a five-tool talent, and may have the best shot at being that type of player out of anyone in this draft class. He has the range to handle center field, along with the speed and arm to make it in any outfield position. He makes good contact with a solid swing, but hasn't produced as much power in games as scouts would like him to. If he develops power, he has the highest upside of any player in this class. </span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Meadows was the best player still on the board for the Pirates at number nine, so the Pirates made the correct choice here. There's not much question as to whether he will sign or not, but it will probably take around the slotted amount of $3,029,600 to sign him to a deal. He has the highest upside of any high school position player in this draft class, and will most likely start in the rookie level Gulf Coast League if he plays this year. Expect him to start the year in Low-A West Virginia in 2014.</span></span><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-57629683489700867482013-06-05T12:05:00.002-07:002013-06-05T12:05:50.473-07:002013 Draft Preview: My Draft BoardThe 2013 MLB draft is coming up on Thursday, and just like last year, it is unclear who will be taken at the top of the draft. Also similar to last year, this year's crop of talent is considered to be relatively weak, especially when compared to the 2011 draft. However, there is some depth in this year's class, mostly in the prep ranks. There is a lot of high school catching talent that should come off the board early, as well as some depth with high school lefties. The prospects at the top of the draft are mostly college players and high school hitters. After that, we see a lot of high-risk, high-upside high school pitchers, along with some safer college players.<br />
This is the first time I have scouted the draft to this extent and made a draft board along with it, and I approached it by reading scouting reports and watching videos from MLB.com and Keith Law, as well as any other websites that had player rankings, mock drafts, or videos of the players. From reading these reports and watching videos of the prospects, I made my own judgments on the ultimate upside of players, their floors, and what tools they do or do not have. With all that, I created a draft board of 50 players in order of how I would draft them if I were an MLB General Manager or scouting director (which I will be one day). I would also like to note that this is not a mock draft, just what I would do.<br />
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<b><u>1) Mark Appel--RHP--6'5--215--College Senior</u></b><br />
Appel, who was in contention for the first overall selection in the 2012 draft, returns as the top prospect in the 2013 draft after not signing with the Pirates, who selected him with the number eight overall pick. Appel is armed with a mid 90's fastball, along with a slider and change, which both grade as plus pitches. Some scouts say he is the most polished pitcher coming from the draft since Stephen Strasburg, and he is probably the closest player to the majors in this draft class.<br />
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<b><u>2) Jonathan Gray--RHP--6'4--245--College Junior</u></b><br />
Gray forced himself to the top of draft boards this year by displaying an upper 90's fastball that has exceeded 100 MPH, even late into games. He also has a plus-plus slider and commands his pitches well. Gray has as high an upside as Appel, but isn't as polished at this point, so he will take a little longer to reach the majors. Sources say Gray recently tested positive for Adderall in the mandatory drug test for the draft's top 200 prospects, which is a banned substance, but most believe this shouldn't have a major impact on his draft status.<br />
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<b><u>3) Kris Bryant--3B--R/R--6'5--215--CJr</u></b><br />
Bryant currently leads college baseball in home runs in 2013, with 31 homers in 215 at bats. To put that in perspective, the next highest home run total in college baseball is 18. He has the best power in the class, and has cut down on his strikeouts this year, making him better as an overall hitter. There are questions as to whether he will stay at third base (something you will hear about most amateur third baseman, shortstops, and center fielders), but his strong arm will play well in right field, where he has seen some time this year.<br />
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<b><u>4) Colin Moran--3B--L/R--6'3--215--CJr</u></b><br />
Many scouts call Moran the best overall bat in the class, as he hits for average, power, and has amazing plate discipline. As I stated above, as a college third baseman there are questions as to whether Moran will stay at the position, but he has the hands and the arm strength to stay there if he can improve his footwork. He is polished enough that he should be able to move quicker through the minors than any other hitter in this draft.<br />
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<b><u>5) Kohl Stewart--RHP--6'3--190--High School</u></b><br />
The top prep pitcher in the class, Kohl Stewart has top of the rotation potential, with a fastball that reaches the mid 90's and potential for a plus slider. He also has a curve and a change, with the curve having the potential to be an above average pitch. However, he has a commitment to play football at Texas A&M, which could drive up his bonus demands.<br />
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<b><u>6) Austin Meadows--OF--L/L--6'3--200--HS</u></b><br />
Meadows has the potential to be a five-tool talent, and may have the best shot at being that type of player out of anyone in this draft class. He has the range to handle center field, along with the speed and arm to make it in any outfield position. He makes good contact with a solid swing, but hasn't produced as much power in games as scouts would like him to. If he develops power, he has the highest upside of any player in this class. <br />
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<b><u>7) Braden Shipley--RHP--6'3--190--CJr</u></b><br />
Shipley has performed very well this year, which has shot his name up on draft boards. He generally sits 92-95 with his fastball, but has reached the 97-99 MPH range. He also has a changeup that could be a plus pitch, along with a curveball that could be an above average to plus pitch.<br />
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<b><u>8) Clint Frazier--OF--R/R--6'1--190--HS</u></b><br />
Frazier and Meadows are both from the same area in Georgia, and many scouts are split on who the better prospect is. While Meadows is more of an all around player, Frazier could have the better bat. He has tremendous bat speed with a very short swing that leads to hard contact, and that should give him the potential to have plus power.<br />
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<b><u>9) D.J. Peterson--3B/1B--R/R--6'1--190--CJr</u></b><br />
Some say that Peterson is the best overall bat in the draft this year, but he lacks the upside of other college hitters like Bryant or Moran. He generates good contact with his swing, but I question whether he will continue to have above average power in pro ball. He will almost surely end up as a first baseman in the future, with average to slightly below average range at third. He has a high floor, and shouldn't be too far from the majors, but also doesn't have a huge upside. <br />
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<b><u>10) Dominic Smith--1B--L/L--6'0--195--HS</u></b><br />
Some scouts believe that Smith has the highest offensive upside of any player in this draft. He has a great swing that can generate a lot power in the future, but hasn't overwhelmed anyone with his power so far. As a plus defender at first with a surprisingly good arm, Smith should be able to really focus on his hitting more during his time in the minors, making him a safer bet to hit than most high school players. I also am very high on high school first basemen who can hit, as they have a very good success rate in their pro careers when taken in the first round. <br />
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<b><u>11) Reese McGuire--C--L/R--6'1--190--HS</u></b><br />
McGuire is a defensive first catcher who has the best arm from behind the plate in the draft. He has incredible pop times to go along with that 70-80 arm (on the 20-80 scale), and has improved his receiving skills since last season. His bat is questionable, and doesn't have the upside of other high school catchers in this class, but he could hit for a decent-good average with moderate power. Regardless, he will remain a defensive first catcher who can really control the running game.<br />
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<b><u>12) Hunter Renfroe--OF--R/R--6'1--216--CJr</u></b><br />
Renfroe hadn't performed much during his college career entering the 2013 season, but he has become one of the best performers in the NCAA this season. The raw tools were always there, especially his great raw power and speed combination, along with an above average arm and range in the outfield. He is the toolsiest college hitter in the draft, and the only other player that can rival his overall package of talent is Austin Meadows.<br />
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<b><u>13) Trey Ball--LHP--6'6--180--HS</u></b><br />
Ball is a two-way player, being both a good pitching prospect and a good hitting prospect. At this point, there's little doubt that Ball will be selected as a pitcher, as he has a much higher upside at that position. Ball will sit in the low 90's in his starts, and has consistently hit 94 MPH. With his very projectable body, that velocity could eventually end up sitting in the mid 90's and will even have the chance to hit the upper 90's. He also has the chance to have an above average curveball in addition to that fastball. Ball has a lot of upside, but will probably need a lot of development time in the minors.<br />
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<b><u>14) Ryne Stanek--RHP--6'4--190--CJr</u></b><br />
Stanek came into the year with the potential to go in the top 3-5 picks, but command issues and problems with his delivery have caused some concerns with scouts. He also isn't striking out enough batters with the pitches that he has. Still, he has a fastball that sits 92-94 MPH and can go a little higher, with potential for a plus slider to go with that.<br />
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<b><u>15) J.P. Crawford--SS--L/R--6'2--175--HS</u></b><br />
The best shortstop in the class, Crawford will be a coveted player for most teams, especially with picks 10-20. He has an athletic body, one that could allow him to grow into more power. With his smooth swing, he could hit 10-15 homers a year in the future if he fills out his body, along with a decent average. He is a safe bet to stick at short, which is not extremely common for high school shortstops.<br />
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<b><u>16) Nick Ciuffo--C--L/R--6'1--200--HS</u></b><br />
Ciuffo is in a solid group of prep catchers this year, and is the best receiving catcher in the class. He has improved his arm to a point where he should have no trouble staying behind the plate. He displays good bat speed that will generate a lot of solidly hit balls, and could also give him above average power. Ciuffo may have the best shot at being a two-way catcher when compared to other catchers in this class, as he has the best combination of offensive and defensive abilities.<br />
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<b><u>17) Chris Anderson--RHP--6'4--225--CJr</u></b><br />
I was a little hesitant to put Anderson this high, but with his combination of size, stuff, and improved control this year, I had to put him here. Earlier in the year, Anderson was hitting 96 MPH with his fastball and paired that with a plus slider. As the year went on, he began to fade and lost some velocity on his fastball, as well as the feel for his slider. If he can regain his early season form and keep it as a pro, Anderson could be a number two starter. If he doesn't regain what he had, then there's a chance he could end up a reliever.<br />
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<b><u>18) Hunter Harvey--RHP--6'3--175--HS</u></b><br />
Harvey has a big projectable body, with a fastball that is currently sitting at 90-94 MPH, and is said to have hit 97. With his body, he could see an increase in velocity as he matures. He matches that with a potential plus curveball, but doesn't have a third pitch yet. He doesn't have a good delivery, one that limits arm speed and causes struggle with his command, but it is fixable. He is a high-risk, high-reward player, and if a player development system fixes his delivery, his body fills out (adding to his velocity), and he discovers a changeup, Harvey could be a top of the rotation pitcher.<br />
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<b><u>19) Sean Manaea--LHP--6'5--235--CJr</u></b><br />
Manaea is another player that I was hesitant to have this high. Manaea started the season with a chance to go number one overall after a brilliant season in the Cape Cod summer league. There he showed a good fastball that was up to 96 MPH, along with a great slider and good changeup. During this college season, however, Manaea has dealt with injuries and his velocity has dropped off a bit and his arsenal wasn't what is was during the Cape Cod League. Despite his stuff not being as sharp and those injury concerns, Manaea has a high upside and good floor, so teams willing to take a risk on him could get a good late first round steal.<br />
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<b><u>20) Matt Krook--LHP--6'4--200--HS</u></b><br />
Krook is a big high school lefty that possesses a fastball that sits 88-92 MPH, with a chance to add a little more velocity in the future. He also has the potential for a plus curve that has good depth and spin to it. He is mainly a two-pitch guy at this point, but he will flash a rare change at 79-80 MPH. Scouts feel he needs to work on his delivery, but I don't see too much wrong with it, personally. If he improves on his velocity a little and gets a better feel for his changeup, he could be a good 2-3 starter in the majors.<br />
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<b><u>21) Marco Gonzales--LHP--6'1--185--CJr</u></b><br />
A high floor, low upside college pitcher, Gonzales will sit in the upper 80's and occasionally hit 90-91. His main weapons are his secondary pitches, with a plus changeup and above average curveball. He has good command, and all of that combined should allow him to move through a system relatively quickly.<br />
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<b><u>22) Jon Denney--C--R/R--6'2--205--HS</u></b><br />
Denney has the look and ability to be an offensive threat behind the plate, with good raw power and the potential to hit for a good average. Out of the top three prep catchers, the other two being Reese McGuire and Nick Ciuffo, Denney has the most struggles on defense. He has an average to slightly above average arm behind the plate, but has troubles with receiving. If he improves on his catching ability, his offense gives him All-Star potential.<br />
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<b><u>23) Eric Jagielo--3B--L/R--6'3--215--CJr</u></b><br />
Jagielo has a polished bat that has led to a .388 average so far this season, but his swing can get a little long at times. He makes consistent solid contact which also leads to good power, but doesn't have the same level of ability as Bryant or Moran, and is not quite with Peterson, although he isn't far behind. He has a chance to stay at third, where he will be average defensively.<br />
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<b><u>24) Rob Kaminsky--LHP--6'0--188--HS</u></b><br />
Another high upside high school lefty, Kaminsky brings a fastball that is 92-95 that could end up a plus pitch. To pair with his fastball, Kaminsky throws a curve that could also end up as a plus pitch. He doesn't have the ideal body that scouts love to see, but he has a lot of arm speed and he displays command that should be at least average down the road.<br />
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<b><u>25) Billy McKinney--OF--L/L--6'1--195</u></b><br />
McKinney has one of the highest upsides of any hitter in this year's draft, with the chance to hit for both average and power. He has a long swing, which could lead to strikeouts in the future, but he has strong hands and good hip rotation that will lead to power. He's not much of a defender, with below average speed and not much of an arm, so he will be limited to left field for now.<br />
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<b><u>26) Ian Clarkin--LHP--6'2--190--HS</u></b><br />
Yet another high upside high school lefty, Clarkin has a fastball that he throws up to 92-93, with the chance to add a little velocity in the future. He adds a power curve that could end up as an above average or even plus pitch, along with an average change. He could be a middle of the rotation starter, with an outside chance of being a number two guy, but needs to improve on his command to get there.<br />
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<b><u>27) Phil Bickford--RHP--6'4--200--HS</u></b><br />
Bickford has really been shooting up a lot of draft boards recently, with some very impressive starts in his last few outings, including a 17 strikeout performance. He throws a fastball that can reach the mid to upper 90's with good sink, and the chance to even throw a little harder. However, he doesn't have anything special beyond that fastball, with his slider and change grading as average pitches. If he wants to be more than a power fastball kind of pitcher, then he will need to vastly improve his breaking stuff.<br />
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<b><u>28) Hunter Dozier--SS/IF--R/R--6'4--220--CJr</u></b><br />
Dozier is a big guy who has very little chance to stay at short as a pro, but he has the arm and range to translate over to third base, and should be at least average there. His real value comes with his bat, as he has been one of the best performers in the NCAA this year. He could provide above average power with a decent average to go along with that.<br />
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<b><u>29) Alex Gonzalez--RHP--6'3--200--CJr</u></b><br />
He possesses no plus pitches, but is average to above average across the board with good control and good strikeout numbers. His fastball sits at 91-94 MPH with good movement, along with a slider/cutter pitch that comes in anywhere from 84-90 MPH. He doesn't have a very high upside, but he has a very high floor, and won't take too long to make the majors, and could be selected in the middle of the first round.<br />
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<b><u>30) Austin Wilson--OF--R/R--6'5--245--CJr</u></b><br />
Wilson is a big, strong player who has a good deal of upside, but is far from a safe bet. He put up less than impressive numbers this year, especially for a player with his talent. With his size, he has a lot of raw power, but after suffering from injuries this year, he struggled to get on track offensively. Despite his lack of performance this year, his athleticism should draw teams attention, as he could hit for above average power with decent defense in a corner outfield spot.<br />
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<b><u>31) Aaron Judge--OF--R/R--6'7--255--CJr</u></b><br />
Judge is possibly the biggest guy in the draft, from a pure size standpoint. At 6 feet, 7 inches tall, Judge has huge raw power, which hasn't really shown up much in games until this season. He will probably endure some higher strikeout totals as a pro, but his power should make it at least somewhat acceptable. He is athletic and should be at least an average defender in a corner outfield spot, with an above average arm and decent range.<br />
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<b><u>32) Kyle Serrano--RHP--6'0--185--HS</u></b><br />
Serrano has the potential for two plus off speed pitches with his curve and change, with his curve being the better of the two pitches. He will sit 90-94 with his fastball, but doesn't have much projection to add more velocity in the future. He has at least number two starter upside, but is a very tough sign due to a commitment to Tennessee, where his father is the head baseball coach.<br />
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<b><u>33) Devin Williams--RHP--6'3--172--HS</u></b><br />
Williams has a projectable body with a good chance to add velocity as he matures, though he already throws with good velocity, sitting in the low 90's and hitting 93-94. He mixes in a change, which is his best off-speed pitch, along with a slider that has been improving. Williams is very raw at this point, so it is difficult to determine his ultimate upside. He could be a hard throwing righty with two good off-speed pitches, but could take four or five years to develop. <br />
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<b><u>34) Carlos Salazar--RHP--6'0--200--HS</u></b><br />
No one really has Salazar rated as highly as I do, or else I may have even rated him higher than this. Salazar possesses great arm strength that allows him to hit 97 on the gun, making his fastball a potential plus pitch. He also shows a good slurvy pitch that has great break to it, which also has the potential to be a plus pitch. He has a feel for a change as well, and I'd say that pitch has the chance to be above average. With that total package, Salazar is a high upside player that could work out of the first couple spots in a major league rotation, but he is committed to his hometown Fresno State, so could be a tough sign if he doesn't go high in the draft.<br />
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<b><u>35) Tim Anderson--SS--R/R--6'1--180--Junior College</u></b><br />
Most people have Anderson higher than I do, due to his athleticism and the strong probability of him staying at shortstop. He has plus speed with the ability to hit for average and doubles power, but not much home run power. If he can't stay at shortstop, he has the athletic ability to play centerfield, much like the move that Reds' prospect Billy Hamilton made. I have him rated this low because of the fact he plays in Junior College, and the competition is nowhere near as good as the NCAA, but the tools are there.<br />
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<b><u>36) Andrew Thurman--RHP--6'3--205--CJr</u></b><br />
There isn't much upside with Thurman, but he has very good command and control of his pitches, making him pretty polished coming out of college. He will sit 90-93 with his fastball, along a change that could be a plus pitch in the future. He is a safe pick with number three or four starter upside, as well as a high floor.<br />
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<b><u>37) Travis Demerritte--SS/3B--R/R--6'1--195--HS</u></b></div>
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Demerritte played a lot of shortstop in high school, but he will no doubt end up a third baseman as a pro player. He has great bat speed that gives him the potential to hit for plus power that will profile well at third base. He may not hit for a high average, but the power could make up for that. He has an athletic body as well, and his arm should work well at the hot corner.</div>
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<b><u>38) Dustin Peterson--SS--R/R--6'2--185--HS</u></b></div>
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The younger brother of D.J. Peterson (#9 on this list), Dustin Peterson is another high school shortstop that will probably end up playing another position, and in his case it will most likely be second base. He has an average arm and range, which profile better at second than they do at third. Peterson's main asset is his bat, which has good power due to good hip rotation, and could produce 20+ homers as a pro. His short swing and good bat speed also generate solid contact consistently, and that could allow him to hit for a good average as well. </div>
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<b><u>39) Josh Hart--OF--L/L--5'11--172--HS</u></b></div>
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Hart is a great athlete who could have plus speed that should give him good range in center, along with a good glove. He will be a threat on the base paths with his speed, displaying a good ability to swipe bases in high school. He will never hit for power, but may put up a decent average. His value will be with his speed and defense, and he really reminds me of Michael Bourn.</div>
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<b><u>40) Phil Ervin--OF--R/R--5'11--190--CJr</u></b></div>
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Ervin is high on a lot of peoples' boards, but he isn't really spectacular as a hitter. He won the Cape Cod summer league's MVP award, after being a great power-speed player. He has plus speed, which should allow him to have a chance in center, but some see him as a future left fielder. He will get some loft on the ball with his swing, but there really isn't much power projection in his body. He doesn't have much of an upside as a hitter, but could be a decent power-speed player. </div>
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<b><u>41) Cody Reed--LHP--6'5--220--JC</u></b></div>
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When he was in high school, Reed wasn't much of a prospect, as he was hitting only 84 MPH on the radar with a fringy slider. In his first two seasons at JuCo, he has increased his velocity drastically, now hitting as high as 94. He has also improved his slider, and has shown the ability to command his pitches, as well as miss bats with them. If he continues these improvements, Reed has a high upside.</div>
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<b><u>42) Ryan Boldt--OF--L/R--6'1--190--HS</u></b></div>
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Boldt probably won't have any plus tools as a pro, but he could be above average with multiple tools. He is a very raw player that will take a long time to develop, but he has the ability to hit for a good average while playing a good centerfield. Boldt doesn't have much power projection in his swing or his body frame, but his batting average and defense in center can make up for that.</div>
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<b><u>43) Jonathan Crawford--RHP--6'1--205--CJr</u></b></div>
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Crawford was higher on a lot of draft boards coming into the season, with the potential for a plus fastball and plus slider, but didn't have the junior season that many thought he would have. He still has a fastball that touches 96 and a hard slider, but his change doesn't have enough separation in velocity with his fastball. He also struggles a little with his control and command, and didn't miss many bats this spring. He has a higher upside than most college pitchers this low, but he will need to refine his command and changeup if he wants to reach his number two starter ceiling.</div>
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<b><u>44) Jacob Brentz--LHP--6'2--195--HS</u></b></div>
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Brentz has a plus fastball that has hit the upper 90's this year, and that was sitting in the 91-95 range during a showcase in April. He also has the chance to have an above average changeup, but is basically a one pitch guy at this point, with his curveball being at best an average pitch. He has good command, but will be a project who needs to develop his offspeed pitches in order to reach his 2-3 starter upside.</div>
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<b><u>45) Robert Tyler--RHP--6'3--196--HS</u></b></div>
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I have Tyler ranked higher than others do, as he has a projectable body with a fastball that can already reach 94 MPH with good movement. He has a hard curve that has been inconsistent, but also that has the chance to be a plus pitch in the future. He also throws an average change, along with a slider that he should probably get rid of. He has the potential of a number two starter if his curve reaches its potential, but he is a big project who will need to work on his mechanics.</div>
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<b><u>46) Trevor Williams--RHP--6'3--228--CJr</u></b></div>
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Williams is average to above average with his three pitch mix, which includes a fastball, slider, and change. His fastball will sit at 90-94 MPH, but his best pitch is his change, which is a plus pitch at times. His slider doesn't have much of an upside, but with a good fastball and potential plus change, Williams could be a good middle to back of the rotation starter in the majors.</div>
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<b><u>47) Garrett Williams--LHP--6'3--185--HS</u></b></div>
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Williams is a projectable lefty who has already hit 94, but he will mostly sit in the 88-92 range at this point. His curve comes in at 77-78 MPH, and it could also end up as an above average pitch. He has a questionable delivery right now, one that doesn't use much of his lower half. If he improved his delivery, Williams could really ramp up his fastball, making it a plus pitch in the future.</div>
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<b><u>48) Connor Jones--RHP--6'1--190--HS</u></b></div>
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Jones has a three pitch mix that has nothing that stands out as a plus pitch, with a fastball that reaches 93 with good sinking movement. His slider has good late break on it, but it probably won't be more than slightly above average in the future, with his change being a strictly average pitch. He has good control and good pitchability, making him more polished than most high school pitchers.</div>
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<b><u>49) Cavan Biggio--3B--L/R--6'2--180--HS</u></b></div>
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Son of the Astro great Craig Biggio, Cavan is a good natural hitter with a chance to add more power in the future as he fills out more. He is currently listed as a third baseman, but he has played other positions, including second base and outfield. He projects best as a second baseman with a below average arm, but his offense should make up for any defensive struggles at second. He has made consistent hard contact against strong competition, keeping the Biggio hitting genes in the family.</div>
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<b><u>50) Rowdy Tellez--1B--L/L--6'4--220--HS</u></b></div>
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Tellez is a big high school first baseman who has one of the top high school bats in the draft. He has power to all fields, with potential plus plus power to the right field as a lefty hitter. He also could hit for a good average to go along with that power, making him a major threat at the plate. Tellez handles first base well and will be able to focus on his hitting as he develops. He will be a project, but he has the ability to hit 30+ homers with some of the best raw power in the draft.</div>
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<b><u>25 MORE PLAYERS TO KNOW</u></b></div>
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Ryan Eades--RHP--6'3--193--CJr</div>
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Aaron Blair--RHP--6'4--220--CJr</div>
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Andrew Mitchell--RHP--6'3--220--CJr</div>
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Blake Taylor--LHP--6'3--220--HS</div>
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Will Crowe--RHP--6'3--225--HS</div>
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Jason Hursh--RHP--6'3--195--College Sophemore</div>
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Michael Lorenzen--RHP--6'3--195--CJr</div>
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Bobby Wahl--RHP--6'3--200--CJr</div>
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Tom Windle--LHP--6'4--215--CJr</div>
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Kevin Ziomek--LHP--6'3--200--CJr</div>
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Oscar Mercado--SS--R/R--6'2--175--HS</div>
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Dylan Covey--RHP--6'2--205--CJr</div>
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Alex Balog--RHP--6'6--225--CJr</div>
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Corey Knebel--RHP--6'3--210--CJr</div>
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Chad Pinder--3B--R/R--6'2--192--CJr</div>
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Chris Okey--C--R/R--6'0--179--HS</div>
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Colby Suggs--RHP--6'0--225--CJr</div>
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Cord Sandberg--OF/1B--L/L--6'2--215--HS</div>
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Stephen Tarpley--LHP--6'2--200--JC</div>
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Jared King--OF--S/L--6'1--200--CJr</div>
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Brian Ragira--1B/OF--R/R--6'2--200--CSr</div>
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Zack Collins--C--L/R--6'3--220--HS</div>
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Justin Williams--OF--L/R--6'3--215--HS</div>
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A.J. Vanegas--RHP--6'3--215--CJr</div>
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Hunter Green--LHP--6'2--200--HS</div>
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">FIRST ROUND ORDER WITH SLOT VALUE</u></div>
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1) Houston Astros--$7,790,400</div>
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2) Chicago Cubs--$6,708,400</div>
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3) Colorado Rockies--$5,626,400</div>
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4) Minnesota Twins--$4,544,400</div>
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5) Cleveland Indians--$3,787,000</div>
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6) Miami Marlins--$3,516,500</div>
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7) Boston Red Sox--$3,246,000</div>
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8) Kansas City Royals--$3,137,800</div>
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9) Pittsburgh Pirates--$3,029,600</div>
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10) Toronto Blue Jays--$2,921,400</div>
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11) New York Mets--$2,840,300</div>
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12) Seattle Mariners--$2,759,100</div>
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13) San Diego Padres--$2,678,000</div>
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14) Pittsburgh Pirates--$2,569,800</div>
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15) Arizona Diamondbacks--$2,434,500</div>
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16) Philadelphia Phillies--$2,299,300</div>
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17) Chicago White Sox--$2,164,000</div>
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18) Los Angeles Dodgers--$2,109,900</div>
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19) St. Louis Cardinals--$2,055,800</div>
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20) Detroit Tigers--$2,001,700</div>
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21) Tampa Bay Rays--$1,974,700</div>
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22) Baltimore Orioles--$1,947,600</div>
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23) Texas Rangers--$1,920,600</div>
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24) Oakland Athletics--$1,893,500</div>
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25) San Francisco Giants--$1,866,500</div>
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26) New York Yankees--$1,839,400</div>
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27) Cincinnati Reds--$1,812,400</div>
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28) St. Louis Cardinals--$1,785,300</div>
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29) Tampa Bay Rays--$1,758,300</div>
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30) Texas Rangers--$1,731,200</div>
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31) Atlanta Braves--$1,704,200</div>
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32) New York Yankees--$1,677,100</div>
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33) New York Yankees--$1,650,100</div>
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Well, there it is. This has been my longest and most in depth project for this site, in terms of length and the amount of research and scouting I had to do to complete it. I hope this is a helpful tool to anyone that is interested in the MLB draft this year. If you would like me to expand on any of the players in the "25 more players to know" section, just ask in the comment section below. If you want to know where I think a player will go in the actual draft or which player I think a team will take, you can also ask in the comment section. I will be live tweeting the draft on Thursday, so you can follow me on twitter @mikemaw45 for any draft updates. Thanks for reading, and let's get excited for the 2013 MLB draft!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-7027812705021528732013-06-03T08:52:00.000-07:002013-06-03T08:52:40.943-07:00Sorry for the Delay--Draft Board Coming SoonIt's been a really long time since I've posted, as I've been very busy lately. I'm a senior in high school and I've had some final tests and projects that I've needed to work on, as well as releasing some music. In the meantime, though, I have been working on scouting for this year's MLB Draft, and that has taken a very long time. With this scouting, I have put together a draft board of my top 50 players, as well as the next best 25 players available. I am currently doing write-ups on these players, and I will have that up in the next couple days, as the draft begins Thursday. My school ends on Wednesday, but I don't have any more work to do for school so I will be able to start posting regularly now. Sorry for the lack of work on the website, and thank you for being patient. Bloggin Buccos will be up and running again in the next couple days, and hopefully we can expand the site a little with a podcast! Thanks!<br />
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Also, if there is any ever topic, player, or prospect that you would like to talk about or have me write an article about, you can email me at mikemaw45@gmail.com or tweet me @mikemaw45. <br />
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Thanks for reading!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-63469756350963603752013-05-12T12:30:00.001-07:002013-05-12T12:32:08.196-07:00Pittsburgh Pirates Top 15 Prospects- MayWe are a little over a month into the minor league season, and it is time for the May version of my top 15 prospects in the Pirates system. As I just stated, we are only a month into the season, so performance shouldn't be a big factor in these rankings, but it cannot be ignored. Some players are going to be over-performing, some will be under-performing, and some will be meeting expectations. Other players, like Justin Wilson and Bryan Morris, have graduated to the majors, while prospects like Gerrit Cole, Jordy Mercer, and Victor Black have taken a lot of steps forward to becoming full time major leaguers. With that being said, let's take a look at my May version of the top 15 prospects in the Pirates system.<br />
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<i>2013 preview rankings in parenthesis</i><br />
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<b><u>1) Gerrit Cole--RHP--22--AAA (1)</u></b><br />
Cole has a very good ERA this year at 2.23, but there have been concerns about his walk rate, which is currently at 4.7 BB/9, and his strikeout rate, which is at 6.4 K/9. Still, Cole boasts the best arsenal of pitches in all of minor league baseball, and possesses good control, so those numbers will improve. We should see Cole move up to Pittsburgh sometime in June.<br />
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<b><u>2) Jameson Taillon--RHP--21--AA (2)</u></b><br />
Taillon has put up good numbers across the board this year, with an ERA of 3.26, a 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, and a 3.0 BB/9. With a plus fastball and plus curve, Taillon can improve on those numbers and should be up in Indianapolis at some point this season. It is doubtful Taillon will see any time in Pittsburgh this year.<br />
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<b><u>3) Luis Heredia--RHP--18--A (3)</u></b><br />
Heredia has yet to pitch this year in games that count, as the Pirates have held him in extended spring training. It is mid-May now, so we should see Heredia begin his career in low-A soon enough. With a potential plus fastball, curve, and change, Heredia has an enormous upside.<br />
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<b><u>4) Gregory Polanco--OF--21--A+ (4)</u></b><br />
Polanco has had a pretty similar season so far as he did last year, with his strikeout and walk rates almost identical to what they were in 2012. He's hitting the ball hard consistently, getting on base at a good rate, and is taking advantage when he is on base, with 13 steals to this point. A potential 5-tool talent, he could move up to AA at some point this year.<br />
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<b><u>5) Josh Bell--OF--20--A (6)</u></b><br />
Bell missed most of the 2012 season with a knee injury, but he has shown that that hasn't really affected him so far. He has put up a batting line of .291/.349/.515, with an OPS of .864, six home runs, and 34 RBI in 134 at bats. Bell has potential plus power from both sides of the plate along with the ability to hit for a good average and get on base, but may stay in low-A for most, if not all, of the 2013 season.<br />
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<b><u>6) Alen Hanson--SS--20--A+ (5)</u></b><br />
Hanson broke into the top prospect scene after a great April last year, but has not gotten off to a similar hot start in 2012. After 135 at bats, he has an OPS of .643, displaying none of the power that he showed last year. He also has struggled at shortstop, starting the year with ten errors in his first ten games. But, it is still early in the season and Hanson has plenty of time to pick up his game. As the best shortstop prospect in the system, Pirates fans hope he picks it up very soon.<br />
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<b><u>7) Tyler Glasnow--RHP--19--A (12)</u></b><br />
Glasnow came into the year as one of my potential breakout prospects after a good 2012 season in rookie ball, and he has carried that performance into 2013. He has an ERA of 1.80, 1.12 WHIP, and an 11.9 K/9 in 25 IP. Those are great numbers, but he has struggled with his control so far, with a 6.1 BB/9. If he can harness his control, he could be top prospect with a plus fastball and plus curve.<br />
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<b><u>8) Nick Kingham--RHP--21--A+ (11)</u></b><br />
Kingham has gotten off to a great start in 2013, with a 2.95 ERA in 39.2 IP. The most impressive part of his season is his 6.71 K:BB ratio, showing great command and control of his pitches. With a potential for three above average pitches, we could see Kingham move up to AA midway through the year.<br />
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<b><u>9) Kyle McPherson--RHP--25--AAA (7)</u></b><br />
McPherson battled for a spot in the major league rotation to begin the year, but is now battling injury and is currently on the AAA DL. He has an upside of a number three starter, but at this point it is more likely he will be a number four or five starter. He should get some time in the majors this year if he is healthy, and that could be in the rotation or out of the bullpen.<br />
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<b><u>10) Barrett Barnes--OF--21--A (8)</u></b><br />
Barnes is another player that has battled injuries for most of the season to this point, as he is also currently on the DL. He didn't do much with the bat when he did play, but has the potential to be a good power/speed player who could hit 20-25 homers a year with 20-25 stolen bases.<br />
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<b><u>11) Tony Sanchez--C--25--AAA (14)</u></b><br />
The former first round pick looks like he is finally getting back into his offensive groove, with an OPS of .829 so far in AAA this year, albeit in 78 at bats. The power has been there so far with a .449 slugging percentage, which has been a major concern over the past few years. Defense has never been a problem for Sanchez, so his offense will dictate where he ends up in the future.<br />
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<b><u>12) Stolmy Pimentel--RHP--23--AA (23)</u></b><br />
Pimentel has been the best starting pitcher in the Pirates system in 2013, with an ERA of 1.99 in his first seven starts. His ERA was 0.74 after his first six starts, but he allowed six runs in his seventh start. His slider has been very effective this year, and his fastball has been clocked in the mid-high 90's at points, giving him a great two pitch mix. His control hasn't been good, with a 4.6 BB/9, but he's not letting up a lot of hits and keeping his WHIP relatively low, at 1.25. The Pirates may keep him in AA for more starts, as this will allow him to gain confidence.<br />
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<b><u>13) Victor Black--RHP--25--AAA (19)</u></b><br />
Black has emerged as the top relief prospect in the Pirates system, especially with Justin Wilson and Bryan Morris now seemingly full-time major leaguers. Black has a 2.57 ERA in 21 IP, along with a fantastic 13.3 K/9 rate and 1.10 WHIP. He has continued to struggle with his control with a 4.7 BB/9, but he is only allowing 5.1 H/9, so the walks won't hurt him as much. With an upper 90's fastball and plus slider, Black could be a very good closer in the future.<br />
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<b><u>14) Clay Holmes--RHP--20--A (9)</u></b><br />
A major question coming into the year was Holmes' control, and he has really struggled with his control this year, with a 7.3 BB/9. He's pairing that bad control with giving up a good amount of hits, with a 9.6 H/9, which has led to an inflated WHIP of 1.87. He's also not striking anyone out, with a 4.9 K/9. He has a good fastball and good slurve, so he will see improvement on those numbers as the season progresses. If he can improve on his control and command, Holmes could be a number two or three starter in the future.<br />
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<b><u>15) Jordy Mercer--SS--26--AAA (18)</u></b><br />
In my opinion, if Barmes doesn't pick it up offensively over the next few weeks, Mercer should be getting the majority of starts at shortstop for the Pirates. He is much better offensively than Barmes, and although Barmes is one of the top defensive shortstops in the majors, Mercer is a competent defender as well. He was hitting for a line of .333/.404/.448 in 96 at bats at AAA before being called up, with an .852 OPS. He recently had a two homer game against the Mets, displaying his above average power for a middle infielder. With his offensive ability and defensive ability, he should have no problem handling a starting job in the majors.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-59779750867745467622013-04-25T17:43:00.001-07:002013-04-25T17:43:50.919-07:00Is the MLB Unfair?<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"></b><br />
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is America’s pastime unfair? Are some teams at a disadvantage when compared to other teams? Over the years, the MLB has become the most unfair major professional sport in America, and is clearly more favorable to certain teams. There are many causes to these advantages, including the payroll flexibility of teams, the new collective bargaining agreement that limits teams’ abilities to add amateur talent, and the separations of the markets and revenues between teams . Unlike the NHL or NFL, the MLB does not have a salary cap, so teams are basically free to spend whatever they want to acquire talent, unless it’s with amatuer talent. This problem could easily be fixed in the near future, but action is needed from the the MLB itself, especially commissioner Bud Selig. But if the league remains as it is, the MLB will continue to favor teams that have the ability to spend, and leave the rest of the teams trying to catch up.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2013, MLB payrolls will total over $3 billion. That’s an average of over $100 million for the 30 teams in the league. Fourteen teams are over that $100 million mark, while nine teams are under $81 million. The New York Yankees, with a payroll of $228,995,945, have the highest payroll in the major leagues. In contrast, the Houston Astros have the lowest payroll at $24,328,538. That’s a separation of $204,667,407, which could fund over eight Astros teams. How can a team like the Astros compete against a team that can pay over $200 million more to players that have proven they can perform? The top five payrolls in the majors are the Yankees at approximately $229.0 million, the Dodgers at $216.3 million, the Phillies at $159.6 million, the Red Sox at $159.0 million, and the Tigers at $149.0 million. The separation between the top five teams and the bottom five is also staggering, with the lowest payrolls being the Astros at $24.3 million, the Marlins at $39.4 million, the Rays at $57.0 million, the Pirates at $66.3 million, and the A’s at $68.6 million. Over the past fifteen years, these separations have been very evident in the World Series matchups. Out of the thirty different teams that have made the World Series in the past fifteen years, twenty six of these teams were in the top fifteen payrolls. Seventeen of those 26 teams were in the top ten payrolls. For the fifteen teams that won the World Series, all but one of them were in the top fifteen payrolls, with nine of those teams being in the top ten. Basically, teams that are in the bottom half of the league in payroll have virtually no chance of winning the World Series title, or even competing for it. Players take notice of this, and pounce on the opportunity to make more money, along with a better chance to win. As a free agent, teams will be much more attractive when they can pay you $20 million a year and give you a great chance at the playoffs this year when opposed to the team that would have trouble offering you $12 million a year, with an outside shot of making the playoffs in a few years. This makes it very hard for smaller market teams to bring in talent to contend, and with the limitations of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, talent acquisition is very difficult for teams that can’t spend the big bucks.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Major League teams can spend any amount of money they want for players, as long as they have the resources to do so, and that has been very evident in the last few years. In 2008, the New York Yankees signed Alex Rodriguez to a ten year, $275 Million extension. In 2012, thirteen different players were making over $20 million. It’s important to note that the new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) came into effect during the 2012 season. This new CBA limits teams’ spending ability when they are dealing with amateur talent, whether that be in the draft or in the international player market. With amateur talent, there are now pools in which teams are slotted a specific amount of money that they can spend on a draft pick or international free agent. For example, in the 2012 draft the Houston Astros had a slot amount of $7.2 Million for the first pick, and the New York Yankees had a $1.6 Million slot for the 30th overall selection. If teams exceed these slots, they are harshly punished with taxes and/or loss of a draft pick. If a team exceeds its slot by 5%, it is taxed 75% on the overage. When a team spends 5-10% over its slot amount, it is taxed 75% and loses a first round draft pick, and when they spend 10-15% over slot, they are taxed 100% and lose a first and second round pick. The most severe penalty occurs for anything over 15%, and in this case teams are taxed 100% and lose their next two first round picks. A major example of how the new CBA will limit teams’ ability to acquire amateur talent can be seen with the Pittsburgh Pirates situation in the 2012 draft. Mark Appel, arguably the best talent in the draft, fell to the Pirates, who had the eighth overall selection because of his signing bonus demands. The Pirates had a slot of $2.9 Million for that pick, which is much less than the $7.2 Million slot Appel could’ve received if he went number one overall. The Pirates offered Appel $3.8 Million, the most they could without losing a future first round pick, but he didn’t sign in order to receive more money in the next draft. This is just the first example of the new CBA where a team cannot afford to pay the top available talent in the draft without being penalized. The Los Angeles Angels can spend $240 Million on Albert Pujols without any penalties, but the Pirates can’t spend over $3.8 without being taxed and losing a future first round draft pick. The MLB claimed they tried to even the playing field with the new spending limits in the draft, but teams have never been farther apart. The markets of teams only furthers this separation. </span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are thirty different teams in Major League Baseball, meaning there are thirty different markets. A few teams have the same city that they claim as their homes, including the Yankees and Mets in New York, the Cubs and White Sox in Chicago, and the Dodgers and Angels in Los Angeles. Not surprisingly, those are the three biggest cities in the nation population wise. The Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, and Angels are the only teams with media markets over ten million people, with the Los Angeles teams over fifteen million people and the New York teams over twenty million. Ten teams have markets with five to ten million people, six teams have markets between three to five million, and the remaining ten teams have less than three million in their media markets. Out of the last fifteen World Series winners, eleven have been in the top fifteen markets in the league, with eight of those being in the top ten. Only two of the World Series winners came while in the bottom ten markets. Both of those winning teams were the St. Louis Cardinals, meaning only one team in the bottom ten markets in the past fifteen years has won a World Series title. Having a larger market gives MLB teams the opportunity for more revenue, which they can use to add talented and expensive players to their payrolls. The New York Yankees, with the largest market in the majors, had a revenue of $471 Million in 2012, $135 Million more than the Boston Red Sox, the second largest revenue team, and $304 Million more than the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with the lowest payroll. A large portion of these revenues comes from the teams’ TV deals, and no deal will have more of an effect or give a larger advantage than that of the Los Angeles Dodgers. This deal with Time Warner Cable, which was made official in early 2013, will give the Dodgers between $6-7 Billion over the next twenty five years. That means the Dodgers could earn $280 Million per year over that time, and when added to the revenue that comes from ticket sales, stadium advertisements, team apparel sales, and many other sources that generate income, the Dodgers basically have unlimited resources to go and sign players or take on a player’s salary in a trade. Many teams don’t have this luxury of a major TV deal, as at least seven teams receive $20 Million a year or less from their local TV deals. Lower revenue leads to lower resources to obtain quality major league players, and with the large separations in team revenues and proven success of teams who can spend more money, smaller market teams are left looking for ways to stay in competition. </span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is a growing disparity between teams in the MLB, and the league has to act on this situation quickly before teams begin to take advantage of the differences on a larger scale than they already have. The league has tried to address this problem recently in the new CBA by evening each team’s chance of acquiring amateur talent, but that has only handicapped the main manner in which small market teams can truly add top-end talent. A simple solution to the problem that the MLB faces can be found in every other major sports league: A salary cap. A salary cap would put a limit on what teams can spend, while giving smaller market teams a chance at signing quality talent for cheaper prices. Teams like the Yankees or Dodgers wouldn’t be able to give multiple players over $20 million a year, so these players would have to lower their price demands, which would allow teams with lesser revenues to jump into the bidding for their services. It would make sense to have a cap around $130-150 Million, as twenty three teams have payrolls below $130 Million, and four teams have payrolls that exceed $150 million. Not only will this salary cap give more teams the ability to add talent through free agency and trades, it will avoid player salary demands from increasing more than they already have. The MLB average player salary in 2012 was at a record $3,440,000, up from the $1,441,406 average in 1998, which is a 139% increase. Also, within this solution the league must lessen the limitations on draft spending. The pools would remain, as it is logical to assume that teams with higher draft picks will spend more money to sign their players. But, the taxes on the overages must be lessened so teams aren’t forced to stray away from drafting the best available talent for economic purposes, as we saw with the Mark Appel situation in the 2012 draft. The team with the first pick, and therefore the highest bonus pools, should be allotted 10% of the league’s salary cap, which would be somewhere between $13-15 Million. Adding a salary cap and lessening draft limitations will not eliminate the advantages larger market teams have over smaller market teams, as teams with larger revenues will still be able to allocate their resources in other ways, including their scouting and player development departments. But, the salary cap and lesser draft limitations will allow more teams to have the opportunity to add and keep talent moving into the future.</span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">As it stands today, Major League Baseball is not a fair league. Teams that are in larger markets use their resources to their advantage by adding expensive players that have proven success, and this has led these teams to win the majority of the World Series titles over the past fifteen years. Large payrolls, the collective bargaining agreement that limits teams’ ability to add amateur talent, and the separation of markets and revenues between teams have led certain teams to gain an advantage over their competitors. These advantages can be limited, however, by simply adding a salary cap and lessing the draft spending limitations. These actions won’t eliminate the problems within the league, but they will give small market teams a chance to add the talent that they couldn’t add in the past. The economic advantages that large market teams are able to enjoy will never go away, but they can be limited, and that will open a world of opportunities to teams that haven’t had the resources to stay in competition. </span></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><br /></b></b></div>
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<b id="docs-internal-guid-2d341689-43c3-bde8-22d4-d841080bd0db" style="font-weight: normal;"><b id="docs-internal-guid-37068d88-43c7-b2cb-f03c-ebc4cd6ff590" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45, or in the comment section below</span></b></b></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-52898723197711316032013-04-19T16:05:00.000-07:002013-04-19T16:05:01.723-07:002013 Pittsburgh Pirates Prospects Preview<br />
Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington has been through five years now, including five drafts and five international signing periods. He began his tenure with one of the worst minor league systems in baseball, and now has one of the most talented systems in baseball. However, all that talent and all the money spent has yielded very little at the major league level, as the Pirates' losing streak continues. In fact, Phil Irwin's major league debut on April 14th, 2013 marks the first start for a pitcher taken in any of Huntington's five drafts. Regardless, the Pirates do currently have one of the top systems in all of baseball, consistently being ranked in the top ten. Pirates fans have been waiting for "the future" for a long time now, and it just hasn't seemed to come yet. That being said, let's take a look at the future with my April version of the top 30 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, along with potential breakout prospects, the top five prospects at each position, the top five closest to the MLB, and the 2017 projected lineup an rotation.<br />
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<b><u>TOP 30 PROSPECTS</u></b><br />
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<b><u>1) Gerrit Cole--RHP--22 years old--AAA</u></b><br />
Pirates fans won't have to wait much longer for the 2011 number one overall draft pick to arrive in Pittsburgh. Drawing comparisons to Justin Verlander, Cole has three plus pitches with his upper 90's fastball that has reached 101 MPH, a hard breaking upper 80's slider that has touched 92 MPH, and an upper 80's changeup with good fade. He also mixes in a low 90's two seamer with great movement, and a low 80's slurve. He may have the best arsenal in all of minor league baseball, and we can expect to see him in June or July.<br />
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<b><u>2) Jameson Taillon--RHP--21--AA</u></b><br />
Taillon impressed a lot of people with a very good start against Team USA while pitching for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Taillon has a plus fastball in the mid 90's along with a great curveball in the low 80's that can be his best pitch. He also has a developing changeup and a good two seamer that he brought back in 2012. Along with Cole, Taillon has the upside of a number one starter, and these two could combine to be one of the best pitching duos in the game.<br />
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<b><u>3) Luis Heredia--RHP--18--A</u></b><br />
Heredia had a great season in 2012 as a 17 year old facing mostly players who were drafted out of college. He posted a 2.71 ERA in 66.1 IP, along with an impressive 1.10 WHIP. He throws mostly in the 91-94 MPH range, but has reached the upper 90's in spring training last year. He has the potential for a plus curve and plus changeup in the future, and his enormous upside has drawn him comparisons to Felix Hernandez.<br />
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<b><u>4) Gregory Polanco--CF--21--A+</u></b><br />
Polanco had a great breakout season in 2012, with a line of .325/.388/.522, with a .910 OPS, 16 home runs, and 40 stolen bases. He is a true five-tool talent, making consistent hard contact and using his plus speed and arm to play great defense in center field. Polanco is now one of the top prospects in baseball, and could improve his stock even more with a similar season in 2013.<br />
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<b><u>5) Alen Hanson--SS--20--A+</u></b><br />
Along with Polanco, Hanson had a breakout season in 2012. He started off hot, hitting over .400 in April, then cooled off a bit, but still hit .309 with a .909 OPS, 16 home runs, and 35 stolen bases. Hanson had hit decently in the past, so he wasn't as big of a surprise as Polanco. The main question with Hanson is whether he will be able to stay at shortstop or not. He has been very inconsistent defensively at the position, with 40 errors in 103 games in 2012 (along with 10 in 10 games this year). The Pirates haven't had a good offensive shortstop for years, and Hanson could be that guy if he can stick at the position.<br />
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<b><u>6) Josh Bell--OF--20--A</u></b><br />
Signed for the biggest bonus out of the first round in draft history back in 2011, Bell was ranked as the #60 prospect by Baseball America. However, after only 62 at bats in 2012, Bell went down for the rest of the season with a knee injury. Bell is a switch hitter with potential plus power from both sides of the plate, and could end up a .300 hitter with around 30 homers a year one day. He will go back to Low-A West Virginia, but should move up to High-A at some point this season.<br />
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<b><u>7) Kyle McPherson--RHP--25--AAA</u></b><br />
McPherson was one of two main competitors along with Jeff Locke for the Pirates' rotation coming into spring training, but struggled a little and was ultimately sent to AAA to begin the season. McPherson experienced a great stint at the major league level at the end of the 2012 season, putting up a 2.73 ERA in 26.1 IP, along with three starts. McPherson's calling card is his control, with a 1.6 BB/9 in parts of seven seasons in the minors. He also has a good three pitch mix, with a solid changup and good curve, along with a fastball that sits 92-94 MPH. McPherson could become a full time member of the Pirates rotation at some point in 2013.<br />
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<b><u>8) Barrett Barnes--OF--21--A</u></b><br />
Barnes was drafted in the Supplemental round of the 2012 draft, and therefore was the Pirates highest signed draft pick after first round pick Mark Appel decided to go back to college. He has plus raw power and good speed, and could end up a 20 homer, 20 stolen base player in the future. He has the ability to play center field, but with McCutchen and Marte on the team for many more years, Barnes will have to shift over to a corner outfield spot, but his bat should play well there.<br />
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<b><u>9) Clay Holmes--RHP--20--A</u></b><br />
Drafted in the ninth round of the 2011 draft, Holmes signed a very over-slot deal at $1.2 Million. He lived up to that bonus last year with a 2.28 ERA in 59.1 IP at short-season State College last year. He didn't allow many hits, with a 1.08 WHIP, but didn't strike out many (5.2 K/9) and walked a little too many (4.4 BB/9). He has a fastball at 90-95 MPH and a slurvy breaking ball that can act as a plus pitch at times. He also features a developing changeup, and could eventually become a number two or three starter in the majors.<br />
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<b><u>10) Justin Wilson--LHP--25--MLB</u></b><br />
Wilson will start the year in the major league bullpen, but has almost exclusively been a starter in the minor leagues, except for a couple bullpen stints at the end of the last two seasons. He has great stuff, which is evidenced by his 9.2 K/9 and 6.0 H/9 last year in 135.2 IP at AAA, but has always had control and command issues, which is shown by his career 4.5 BB/9 in the minors. He throws a fastball 92-96 MPH out of the rotation, and can hit the upper 90's when he's in the bullpen. He has the ability to be a decent major league starter in the future, but will most likely remain in the bullpen as a late innings reliever.<br />
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<b><u>11) Nick Kingham--RHP--21--A+</u></b><br />
Kingham was a fourth round pick in 2010, and had a fantastic first year in Short season A-ball in 2011, with a 2.15 ERA in 71 IP. He really struggled with his first five starts in his jump to full season ball in 2012, but bounced back with a solid final few months that lowered his ERA to 4.39. An encouraging sign was that his K/9 rose to 8.3 in 2012, up from 6.0 in 2011, along with continued good control. He has a fastball that can reach the mid 90's, but sits 90-93. His curveball and changeup also have the chances to be above average pitches. He has a workhorse body at 6'5, 220 pounds, and could be a solid number three starter.<br />
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<b><u>12) Tyler Glasnow--RHP--19--A</u></b><br />
Glasnow shot up eight inches to 6'7 during his high school career, which led to the Pirates drafting him as another projectable pitcher who has the chance to add velocity in the future. The future came pretty soon for Glasnow, who now has the ability to pitch in the mid 90's, and has reportedly hit 98 MPH. He matches that fastball with a plus curveball with good late break, a good two-seamer, and a developing changeup. Control has been a problem for him in the past, but if he learns to command his pitches and continues to develop, he has the upside of a good number two starter.<br />
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<b><u>13) Alex Dickerson--1B--23--AA</u></b><br />
Dickerson is a bat-first first baseman who has above average power, although the power hasn't shown up as much as the Pirates would like it too. Dickerson hit 13 home runs in 488 at bats last year, along with a .295 average and an OPS of .803. It was a down hitting year in the Florida State League, as those numbers allowed him to win the league's Player of the Year. His bat will dictate if he ends up in the majors, and if everything goes right he could be a .280 hitter with 25-30 homers a year in the majors.<br />
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<b><u>14) Tony Sanchez--C--25--AAA</u></b><br />
Sanchez has been one of the most disappointing prospects in the Pirates organization, as he was once the #46 prospect in baseball according to Baseball America. That was before 2011, when he began his two straight seasons of disappointing offense. His power was way down in 2011 with a .318 Slugging percentage at AA, but picked it up a bit in 2012 with a .408 slugging percentage at AAA. He is an above average defender, which will allow him to reach the majors at some point, but unless he rediscovers his ability to hit, he will be nothing more than a backup at the major league level. He is currently the number three catcher on the Pirates depth chart.<br />
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<b><u>15) Dilson Herrera--2B--19--A</u></b><br />
Herrera has the chance to be this year's Alen Hanson, as he has all the tools to be a breakout prospect, and had success offensively in Rookie-ball. Herrera put up some impressive numbers in the rookie level Gulf Coast League last year, with a line of .281/.341/.482, along with seven home runs, 11 stolen bases, and an .823 OPS in 227 at bats. He should be at least average defensively at second base as he progresses, but it will be his bat that could allow him to be one of the top prospects in the Pirates systems. <br />
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<b><u>16) Bryan Morris--RHP--26--AAA</u></b><br />
The only remaining player from the Jason Bay trade back in 2008, Morris has had a very up and down career. He was drafted in the first round as a starter, got inured, got traded, struggled, did great, did ok, got moved to the bullpen, did great, and is now stuck at AAA. Morris is a great bullpen arm, with a mid 90's fastball and a great curveball. He should be up with the Pirates now, but was granted a fourth option and is currently at AAA, which he has outgrown. <br />
<br />
<b><u>17) Wyatt Mathison--C--19--A</u></b><br />
Mathison was drafted as a catcher, but played mostly shortstop in high school due to his athleticism. He still has a chance to be a good defender behind the plate, as well as an above average hitter as well. He was rated by Baseball America as the top high school catching prospect in the 2012 draft, and the Pirates were able to get him in the second round. He has a good arm, throwing out 36 percent of potential base stealers in 2012 in the GCL. He has the chance to develop at least average power in the future and could post a solid average as well.<br />
<br />
<b><u>18) Jordy Mercer--SS--26--AAA</u></b><br />
There was a big question that surrounded Mercer last year: "Where is he?". This was because the Pirates had called Mercer up, but rarely played him, despite his offensive success in the minors and the fact that Clint Barmes had an OPS below .600. Mercer is solid defensively at short, and has the ability to be an above average offensive player at the position. He won't hit for a high average, but with a full season of work at the majors he could post about a .260-.265 average with around 15 home runs.<br />
<br />
<b><u>19) Victor Black--RHP--25--AAA</u></b><br />
Black was drafted in the supplemental first round of the 2009 draft, but didn't live up to his hype until last season. In 2012, he posted a 1.65 ERA in 60 IP, with a 12.8 K/9 and 1.15 WHIP. Control has been a problem in his career, and that continued in 2012, with a 4.4 BB/9. Black has a plus fastball that sits 96-98 MPH, touching 99, and pairs that with a plus slider. If he can improve his control a little, he could be a future option for closer with the Pirates, and that future may not be far away. <br />
<br />
<b><u>20) Jose Osuna--1B--20--A+</u></b><br />
Osuna opened some eyes with his performance in the rookie level Gulf Coast League in 2011, with a batting line of .331/.400/.511 in 178 at bats, with four homers and a .911 OPS. He followed that up in 2012 with a line of .280/.324/.454 in 482 at bats, with 16 homers and a .779 OPS. Osuna is a bat-first first baseman, so his offensive production will determine how far he goes. He has the chance to hit for good power in the future along with a solid average, and he is only 20 years old so there is ample time for his bat to develop. <br />
<br />
<b><u>21) Willy Garcia--OF--20--A+</u></b><br />
Garcia was in a similar position as Gregory Polanco heading into 2012, a player who has the chance to be a five-tool talent, but hadn't yet put it all together. Garcia didn't have the same breakout season that Polanco had, but some positives can be pulled from his performance. In his first full season, Garcia led the minor league system with 18 home runs, and he did this at only 19 years old. However, he struggled with pitch recognition, which led to a 28.5 strikeout rate, which he will need to improve in the future in order to advance in the system. He has some impressive pop, and he has the potential to be this year's breakout prospect.<br />
<br />
<b><u>22) Matt Curry--1B--24--AA</u></b><br />
Curry is another bat-first first baseman in the Pirates system, but at this point his offensive potential is behind those of Dickerson and Osuna. Curry has spent the majority of 2011 and 2012 in AA, putting up OPS's of .694 and .832, respectively. He will return there to begin 2013 because he is being blocked by Matt Hague and Jerry Sands at the AAA. He will also share time at first with Dickerson, though Dickerson will get plenty of time in the outfield as well. Curry could be a .280 hitter with around 15-20 homers in the majors one day, but will most likely end up as a bench option. <br />
<br />
<b><u>23) Stolmy Pimentel--RHP--23--AA</u></b><br />
Pimentel came to the Pirates in the Joel Hanrahan trade, after struggling at the AA level in 166 IP at the level between 2011 and 2012, posting a 5.96 ERA. Pimentel picked it up a little in 2012 with a 4.59 ERA, and the potential is still there for him. He has the ability to pitch in the mid to upper 90's, but is more effective when he throws 91-94 with his two seamer. He has a slider that can also work as a cutter, along with a good changeup. Pimentel has started out very well in 2013 at AA, with zero earned runs in his first two starts. If things go right for Pimentel, he could end up as a number three starter in the future.<br />
<br />
<b><u>24) Ivan De Jesus--2B/SS--26--AAA</u></b><br />
De Jesus was another part of the Joel Hanrahan trade, and was basically a trade-off for Brock Holt. De Jesus has good contact ability, but like Holt, he doesn't have much power. Including this year, De Jesus has a .302 career average in parts of four seasons at the AAA, with an OPS of .770. He will play mostly second base for the AAA Indians this year, where he may be better suited in the future. But, with Neil Walker presumably with the club for many more years, the only chance De Jesus will get at the major league level is at shortstop. <br />
<br />
<b><u>25) Max Moroff--SS--20--A</u></b><br />
Moroff was drafted in the 16th round of the 2012 draft, but is talented enough to be drafted higher. The Pirates were able to sign him because of the fact that the team couldn't sign first rounder Mark Appel. Moroff has the potential to be a two-way player in the future, a solid defensive shortstop who can hit as well. He has an advanced bat for his age, and has displayed great plate patience in the past and the beginning of the 2013 season. He has the chance to be a big breakout player in 2013, and the Pirates could definitely use another good, young shortstop prospect. <br />
<br />
<b><u>26) Phil Irwin--RHP--26--AAA</u></b><br />
Irwin wasn't much of a prospect until 2012, where he proved that he could have success against upper level hitters. Last year he had a 2.83 ERA in 130.1 IP across A+, AA, and AAA, with most of his time coming at the AA level. He's displayed great control in his minor league career with a 1.6 BB/9, along with good strikeout numbers at a 8.0 K/9 rate. He doesn't have much of a fastball, but he has a very interesting curveball which can easliy be a plus pitch. He also has a sinker that he relies on early in the count. He will start the year at the AAA, but has already made a spot start in the majors and is definitely an option to make more spot starts in the future. If he continues his upper level success, he could be a number five starter in the majors.<br />
<br />
<b><u>27) Jin-De Jhang--C--20--A-</u></b><br />
Jhang was signed out of Taiwan in 2011 for a $250,000 signing bonus, and a major reason for that bonus was Jhang's intriguing bat. He makes consistent hard contact, lines balls to the gap, and walks a good amount while not striking out much at all. Also, he has a strong arm, throwing out 29% of base runners last year in the GCL. He's built big, at 5'11", 200 pounds, but if he can maintain his conditioning he will have the chance to be a good two-way catcher in the future. He should battle with Wyatt Mathison for playing time at catcher for the next few years.<br />
<br />
<b><u>28) Adrian Sampson--RHP--21--A+</u></b><br />
Sampson was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, and had immediate success with the short season State College Spikes. He put up a 2.95 ERA in 42.2 innings, working mostly off of his strong fastball-curveball combo. He sits in the low 90's with his fastball, and can reach 94 MPH during his outings. His curve breaks late and sharply, making it difficult for hitters to recognize the pitch. He began working on a changeup last season because he didn't have much need for the pitch in the past. He skipped over Low-A to start the season, so the Pirates must think a lot of him, and he should be a good pitcher to watch in Bradenton this season.<br />
<br />
<b><u>29) Stetson Allie--1B--22--A</u></b><br />
Allie wasn't originally going to be on this list, but after such a strong start at the plate, I couldn't resist. Allie was drafted as a pitcher, but spent most of his time in high school as a power hitting third baseman. After his pitching career didn't pan out as expected, the Pirates decided to move Allie back to being a hitter, where he had the chance to be a third-fifth round draft pick. He may have the best raw power in the system, and the West Virginia Power manager went as far to say it was an 80 on the 20-80 scale. Allie has gotten off to an amazing start this year, with a line of .407/.478/.780, with six home runs, 18 RBI, and an OPS of 1.258 in 59 at bats. A big problem with Allie is his plate patience, and that has continued into this year, with a 25.4% strikeout rate so far. But, he is drawing more walks and four of his fifteen strikeouts came in his first game. If he can continue hitting for power and improve his plate patience, he could be a great prospect.<br />
<br />
<b><u>30) Adalberto Santos--UTLY--25--AA</u></b><br />
Not a lot of people see Santos as a legitimate prospect, but you can't ignore the fact that the lowest average he has posted in a season is .314 at A+ in 2011. So far in 262 AA at bats, Santos has a .347 average, along with an .886 OPS. He doesn't hit for any power, but he gets on base at a great rate, and doesn't strike out much. He's played mostly outfield in his career, but was drafted as a second baseman and has played exclusively at third so far in 2013. He doesn't have much of a chance to start in the majors in the future, but could be a great utility player who hits for a high average with a great OBP.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><u>10 POTENTIAL BREAKOUT PROSPECTS</u></b><br />
Ten players who could take the next step and arrive in the team's top 10 prospects very soon.<br />
-Tyler Glasnow<br />
-Dilson Herrera<br />
-Wyatt Mathison<br />
-Jose Osuna<br />
-Willy Garcia<br />
-Max Moroff<br />
-Jin-De Jhang<br />
-Stetson Allie<br />
-Harold Ramirez<br />
-Eric Wood<br />
<br />
<b><u>TOP 5 PROSPECTS AT EACH POSITION</u></b><br />
<u>RHP</u><br />
1-Gerrit Cole<br />
2-Jameson Taillon4-<br />
3-Luis Heredia<br />
4-Kyle McPherson<br />
5-Clay Holmes<br />
<br />
<u>LHP</u><br />
1-Justin Wilson<br />
2-Andrew Oliver<br />
3-Zack Dodson<br />
4-Orlando Castro<br />
5-Joely Rodriguez<br />
<br />
<u>Catcher</u><br />
1-Tony Sanchez<br />
2-Wyatt Mathison<br />
3-Jin-De Jhang<br />
4-Jacob Stallings<br />
5-Carlos Paulino<br />
<br />
<u>First Base</u><br />
1-Alex Dickerson<br />
2-Jose Osuna<br />
3-Matt Curry<br />
4-Stetson Allie<br />
5-Matt Hague<br />
<br />
<u>Second Base</u><br />
1-Dilson Herrera<br />
2-Ivan De Jesus Jr<br />
3-Jarek Cunningham<br />
4-Dan Gamache<br />
5-Kevin Ross<br />
<br />
<u>Third Base</u><br />
1-Eric Wood<br />
2-Eric Avila<br />
3-Yhonathan Barrios<br />
4-Edwin Espinal<br />
5-D.J. Crumlich<br />
<br />
<u>Shortstop</u><br />
1-Alen Hanson<br />
2-Jordy Mercer<br />
3-Max Moroff<br />
4-Gift Ngoepe<br />
5-Drew Maggi<br />
<br />
<u>Outfield</u><br />
1-Gregory Polanco<br />
2-Josh Bell<br />
3-Barrett Barnes<br />
4-Willy Garcia<br />
5-Adalberto Santos<br />
6-Mel Rojas Jr<br />
7-Harold Ramirez<br />
8-Elvis Escobar<br />
9-Luis Urena<br />
10-Raul Fortunato<br />
<br />
<b><u>5 CLOSEST TO THE MAJORS</u></b><br />
-Gerrit Cole<br />
-Kyle McPherson<br />
-Justin Wilson<br />
-Bryan Morris<br />
-Jordy Mercer<br />
<br />
<b><u>2017 PROJECTED LINEUP/ROTATION</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<u>LINEUP</u><br />
1) Alen Hanson-SS<br />
2) Starling Marte-LF<br />
3) Andrew McCutchen-CF<br />
4) Pedro Alvarez-3B<br />
5) Gregory Polanco-RF<br />
6) Neil Walker-2B<br />
7) Alex Dickerson-1B<br />
8) Tony Sanchez-C<br />
<br />
Notes: This is made from players that are already in the organization, but it's almost certain some of these positions will be filled by players not in the organization now. The Pirates could have a very fast lineup, with Hanson, Marte, McCutchen, and Polanco all possessing plus speed. 2017 will likely be Alvarez's last year with a team, as he is a free agent after the year and a Scott Boras client, and his players rarely stay with their teams when they hit free agency. Neil Walker should have an extension by this point, and hopefully Marte will as well. I still like Sanchez as a prospect, so I think he edges out Wyatt Mathison for this spot. I also really like Travis Snider, but I also believe Polanco has more upside at this point.<br />
<br />
<u>ROTATION</u><br />
1- Gerrit Cole<br />
2- Jameson Taillon<br />
3- Luis Heredia<br />
4- Kyle McPherson<br />
5- Nick Kingham<br />
Closer- Bryan Morris<br />
<br />
Notes: The Pirates have the potential for three top of the rotation starters here, with Cole, Taillon, and Heredia. McPherson has the chance to be one of the better number four starters in the league if he reaches his potential. Kingham wasn't in my top five pitching prospects, but I think he has the safest bet to be in the rotation after McPherson. There are a few other options at closer, including Justin Wilson, Victor Black, and Duke Welker, but with Morris' fastball-curve combo, he could be a great closer. There are some options in the current bullpen, but it is rare for the Pirates to keep their relievers for an extended period of time. <br />
<br />
<br />
There is always a disclaimer with prospects, as it is always difficult for them to reach their potential. But, the Pirates have a lot of talent at the top of their system, and a lot of players below that who have the talent to become stars. Only time will tell for the Pirates, but if you recall, time hasn't been friendly to the Pirates over the past twenty years.<br />
<br />
<br />
Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-16655474876738449462013-04-03T17:13:00.001-07:002013-04-03T17:13:29.832-07:00Gaby Sanchez vs. Travis SniderThe season has just started, but there is already a great deal of debate about the lineup for the first two games. Coming into spring training and even during spring training, it looked pretty certain that Garrett Jones would get the majority of playing time at first, with Gaby Sanchez getting some starts against lefties, and that Travis Snider would be the starting right fielder. However, the lineups for the first two games featured Jones in right field and Sanchez at first base. This has come as an unwelcome surprise to many fans, as Sanchez was absolutely terrible at the major league level in 2012, posting a .620 OPS in 299 at bats for the Marlins and Pirates. Snider also had his share of struggles at the major league level, with an OPS of .697 in 164 at bats. But, Snider had an OPS of 1.021 at AAA Las Vegas in 2012 while still in the Blue Jays organization. <br />
<br />
Let's look at what both players bring to the team.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Gaby Sanchez</u></b><br />
Sanchez is a 29 year old first baseman who had his rookie season in 2010 at the age of 26. That year he finished fourth in the rookie of the year voting after hitting for a line of .273/.341/.448, with 19 home runs, 85 RBI, and an OPS of .788. He followed that up in 2011 with a very similar line of .266/.352/.427, with 19 home runs, 78 RBI, and an OPS of .779. He made the All-Star team, but as you can see, those stats are hardly All-Star worthy. In 2012, Sanchez really struggled with the Marlins, with an OPS of .556 in 183 at bats. He spent some time in the minors and was eventually traded to the Pirates in exchange for Gorkys Hernandez and the Pirates' supplemental draft pick, which will be the 35th pick in this year's draft. Sanchez improved with the Pirates, basically becoming an average major league player with an OPS of .720 and an OPS+ of 101 (100 is average) in 116 at bats.<br />
Sanchez had a good spring training in 2013, putting up an OPS of 1.066 in 43 at bats. Spring training stats are largely meaningless, as hitters are facing pitchers who are trying to get a feel for their pitches again, and much of the time aren't throwing their best stuff. Nonetheless, manager Clint Hurdle must have thought enough of those stats to give Sanchez the starting first base job. <br />
Sanchez doesn't necessarily have a bad aspect to his game, but he doesn't have any impressive aspects either, and at 29 years old, doesn't have much room to improve. He can hit for a decent average and about 15-20 home runs, but those are both average to below average for an everyday first baseman who doesn't play great defense. He is a better defender than Garrett Jones, but the offensive upside is not there. If he got the chance to start for the entire season, Sanchez can be expected to hit around .260-.270 with 15-20 home runs. Not a stat line you want to see from your first baseman.<br />
<br />
<b><u>Travis Snider</u></b><br />
Snider is a 25 year old former top prospect. He has spent most of his career in the Blue Jays organization, and was acquired for Brad Lincoln around the same time as the Gaby Sanchez acquisition last season. Snider hasn't gotten much of a chance to be an everyday player at the major league level, despite continued success at the AAA level. In his career at AAA, he has a line of .333/.412/.565, with 33 home runs, 155 RBI, and an OPS of .976 in 696 at bats. The most at bats Snider has received at the major league level was in 2010, where he had a line of .255/.304/.463 with 14 homers, 32 RBI, and an OPS of .767. That was Snider's age 22 season, and it came in the always tough AL East. Despite that impressive line, he received only 187 at bats in 2011 and 164 in 2012. It remains to be seen what Snider can do for a full season at the major league level, but there is definitely room to grow, even after two straight season of struggling. <br />
Snider has a good deal of power potential, and although it hasn't been present at the major league level recently, it is evidenced by a .598 slugging percentage at AAA last year. Behind Alvarez and McCutchen, Snider could very well have the best power potential on the team. He also plays a decent right field, and is also more competent than Garrett Jones is at the position. <br />
The main thing with Travis Snider is the potential he still carries with him. Back in 2009, he was rated as the #6 prospect in the minors by Baseball America. Back in November, I wrote a post titled "<a href="http://blogginbuccos.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-case-for-travis-snider.html">The Case For Travis Snider</a>", which you can read by clicking the link. It outlines how Travis Snider needs to get the opportunity to play everyday to give him any chance of reaching his potential. That potential is a .280 hitter with 25-35 home runs, which is an All-Star caliber player for a team that could desperately use a power bat to drive in runs. <br />
<br />
Coming into 2012, the Pirates had a former top prospect on their hands who had experienced major struggles at the major league level, after having a good half season at the level. The Pirates gave this player a full season of at bats to adjust to the league and prove himself, and that player responded by hitting 30 home runs. That player was Pedro Alvarez, and giving him a full season of at bats seems to have worked out for the Pirates. Travis Snider finds himself in a near identical position in 2013, where a full season of at-bats could really revive his major league career. After the decision to play Alvarez everyday worked out, it would only make sense to give Snider the same opportunity.<br />
<br />
Clint Hurdle has made a lot of questionable decisions as the manager of the Pirates, but this could be the most frustrating. The only "argument" for Sanchez at this point is that he had a very good Spring Training. But what does that mean? Matt Hague had an incredible spring in 2012, but couldn't handle major league pitching. Alvarez had a terrible spring in 2012, then followed that with a breakout season. Spring stats really don't correlate with regular season results much of the time, and cannot be used in a valid argument. Basically what we are looking at in the case between Gaby Sanchez vs. Travis Snider is a player who struggled greatly last season who could at best produce average offense, or a player who struggled as well, but could become an All-Star with 30+ home runs. Personally, I'm taking the guy who could hit 30+ home runs, rather than the player who hits 20 in a best case scenario. <br />
<br />
Snider could struggle again in 2013, or he see the same success that Pedro Alvarez saw in 2012. But, we will never know unless Snider gets the opportunity to play everyday. If he continues to sit the bench, he will not grow as a player, and will not be able to work on his struggles. The best thing the Pirates can do right now is give Snider the chance to play everyday in right field, and have Garrett Jones platoon with Sanchez at first base. You could also make an argument for a Jose Tabata-Travis Snider platoon in right as well, which I would not be against, as Tabata could use everyday at bats as well.<br />
<br />
A lot of Pirates fans agree that Snider should be starting and have voiced their opinions. I just wish Clint Hurdle would agree with us as well.<br />
<br />
Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-46882363392182867252013-03-31T09:50:00.000-07:002013-03-31T09:50:49.507-07:00My 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates PredictionsWell, the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates season is almost upon us. The team finished with the worst record in the Grapefruit League during spring training, and not a lot of people are feeling too optimistic about this upcoming season. The team didn't bring in much outside help over the offseason, so a lot of fans are questioning how the team will improve from last year. But, let's remember that the team will have a full season of Wandy Rodriguez and Starling Marte, along with improved play from the catching position, Neil Walker will hopefully be healthy for the full season, and top prospect Gerrit Cole should be up sometime in June. So even though the team did not add much from outside, there is a lot internal talent that definitely has the chance to push the team over .500 in 2013. That being said, who will perform this year? Will anyone fall below expectations? Will anyone exceed expectations? Here are my personal predictions for the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates.<br />
<br />
<u style="font-weight: bold;">Pitchers:</u> (Record--ERA--Innings--Strike outs--WHIP--Saves)<br />
<u><br /></u>
<u>A.J. Burnett:</u> 13-9--3.88 ERA--203 IP--171 K's--1.29 WHIP--0 Saves<br />
<u>Jeanmar Gomez:</u> 0-2--6.43 ERA--14 IP--6 K's--1.71 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Jason Grilli:</u> 2-6--3.26 ERA--61 IP--74 K's--1.21 WHIP--38 saves<br />
<u>Jared Hughes:</u> 2-3--3.13 ERA--63 IP--44 K's--1.18 WHIP--2 saves<br />
<u>Phil Irwin:</u> 1-1--4.47 ERA--21 IP--12 K's--1.41 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Jeff Karstens:</u> 5-5--4.01 ERA--87 IP--62 K's--1.23 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Chris Leroux:</u> 2-1--4.26 ERA--26 IP--24 K's--1.27 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Francisco Liriano:</u> 6-7--4.32 ERA--101 IP--92 K's--1.32 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Jeff Locke:</u> 8-7--4.12 ERA--146 IP--123 K's--1.22 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>James McDonald:</u> 12-10--3.69 ERA--181 IP--165 K's--0 saves<br />
<u>Kyle McPherson:</u> 4-5--4.24 ERA--48 IP--32 K's--1.18 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Mark Melancon:</u> 1-3--2.79 ERA--58 IP--60 K's--1.21 WHIP--4 saves<br />
<u>Bryan Morris:</u> 1-1--3.37 ERA--34 IP--26 K's--1.18 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Charlie Morton:</u> 5-3--4.35 ERA--42 IP--32 K's--1.25 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Wandy Rodriguez:</u> 12-7--3.76 ERA--202 IP--139 K's--1.24 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Jonathan Sanchez:</u> 5-8--4.36 ERA--83 IP--68 K's--1.39 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Tony Watson:</u> 4-2--3.44 ERA--55 IP--50 K's--1.16 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<u>Justin Wilson:</u> 4-2--3.02 ERA--65 IP--59 K's--1.11 WHIP--1 save<br />
<u>Gerrit Cole:</u> 8-4--3.35 ERA--126 IP--124 K's--1.18 WHIP--0 saves<br />
<br />
<u>PITCHER OF THE YEAR:</u> James McDonald<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PITCHER OF THE YEAR:</u> Gerrit Cole<br />
<u>RELIEVER OF THE YEAR:</u> Jason Grilli<br />
<br />
<b><u>Hitters:</u> </b>(At bats--Average--Home Runs--RBI--SB--OPS)<br />
<br />
<u>Russell Martin:</u> 411 AB--.237 avg--17 HR--54 RBI--1 SB--.724 OPS<br />
<u>Michael McKenry:</u> 254 AB--.265 avg--11 HR--42 RBI--1 SB--.772 OPS<br />
<u>Tony Sanchez:</u> 64 AB--.236 avg--1 HR--5 RBI--0 SB--.652 OPS<br />
<u>Pedro Alvarez:</u> 558 AB--.268 avg--35 HR--96 RBI--1 SB--.852 OPS<br />
<u>Clint Barmes:</u> 452 AB--.235 avg--12 HR--41 RBI--1 SB--.638 OPS<br />
<u>Josh Harrison:</u> 183 AB--.264 avg--1 HR--18 RBI--5 SB--.655 OPS<br />
<u>Brandon Inge:</u> 201 AB--.220 avg--3 HR--22 RBI--0 SB--.660 OPS<br />
<u>Garrett Jones:</u> 475 AB--.270 avg--22 HR--73 RBI--3 SB--.769 OPS<br />
<u>John McDonald:</u> 140 AB--.227 avg--2 HR--17 RBI--0 SB--.627 OPS<br />
<u>Jordy Mercer:</u> 156 AB--.267 avg--5 HR--23 RBI--3 SB--.738 OPS<br />
<u>Gaby Sanchez:</u> 342 AB--.274 avg--12 HR--46 RBI--1 SB--.745 OPS<br />
<u>Neil Walker:</u> 568 AB--.287 avg--18 HR--82 RBI--7 SB--.808 OPS<br />
<u>Starling Marte:</u> 586 AB--.302 avg--15 HR--76 RBI--28 SB--.827 OPS<br />
<u>Andrew McCutchen:</u> 592 AB--.310 avg--30 HR--91 RBI--.911 OPS<br />
<u>Alex Presley:</u> 136 AB--.270 avg--4 HR--20 RBI--.755 OPS<br />
<u>Jerry Sands:</u> 140 AB--.252 avg--7 HR--22 RBI--.748 OPS<br />
<u>Travis Snider:</u> 493 AB--.275 avg--19 HR--64 RBI--.762 OPS<br />
<u>Jose Tabata;</u> 204 AB--.277 avg--3 HR--28 RBI--.737 OPS<br />
<u>Ivan De Jesus:</u> 119 AB--.282 avg--1 HR--11 RBI--.709 OPS<br />
<br />
<u>HITTER OF THE YEAR:</u> Andrew McCutchen<br />
<u>BREAKOUT HITTER OF THE YEAR:</u> Pedro Alvarez<br />
<u>MOST VALUABLE BENCH PLAYER:</u> Gaby Sanchez<br />
<br />
<b><u>Whole team awards:</u></b><br />
<b><u><br /></u></b>
<u>TEAM MVP:</u> Andrew McCutchen<br />
<u>ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:</u> Gerrit Cole<br />
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<b><u>Minor League Awards:</u></b><br />
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<b><u>AAA</u></b><br />
<u>BEST HITTER:</u> Jerry Sands<br />
<u>BEST PITCHER:</u> Gerrit Cole<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PLAYER:</u> Tony Sanchez<br />
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<b><u>AA</u></b><br />
<u>BEST HITTER:</u> Alex Dickerson<br />
<u>BEST PITCHER:</u> Jameson Taillon<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PLAYER:</u> Stolmy Pimentel<br />
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<b><u>A+</u></b><br />
<u>BEST HITTER:</u> Gregory Polanco<br />
<u>BEST PITCHER:</u> Nick Kingham<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PLAYER:</u> Jose Osuna<br />
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<b><u>A</u></b><br />
<u>BEST HITTER:</u> Josh Bell<br />
<u>BEST PITCHER:</u> Luis Heredia<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PLAYER:</u> Max Moroff<br />
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<b><u>Whole system awards:</u></b><br />
<u>HITTER OF THE YEAR:</u> Gregory Polanco<br />
<u>PITCHER OF THE YEAR</u>: Jameson Taillon<br />
<u>BREAKOUT PLAYER OF THE YEAR</u>: Jose Osuna<br />
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I'd love to hear all of your predictions! Any predictions, questions, or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.<br />
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<b><u><br /></u></b>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5422123677664785817.post-6890714776464571852013-03-26T12:26:00.002-07:002013-03-26T12:28:15.021-07:002013 Positional Preview: Second BaseEver since he overtook Akinori Iwamura as the starting second baseman in 2010, there has been no question on who will be penciled in at the number 4 position on the Pirates opening day roster. A fan favorite. The Real Deal. The Pittsburgh Kid. Neil Walker. Over the past three seasons, Walker has emerged as one of the best second baseman in the National League, both offensively and defensively. In 2012, Walker put up a WAR of 2.5, a career best, with a line of .280/.342/.426 and an OPS of .768. He also hit a career high 14 home runs, but saw his RBI production drop a little from 83 in 2011 to 69 in 2012. He was limited to 129 games in 2012, and his numbers were brought down after battling injuries throughout August and September, where he hit a combined .235/.280/.357 with 3 HR's, 14 RBI and an OPS of .637. <br />
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Walker's injuries in August and most of September gave an opportunity for Brock Holt to get everyday playing time at the major league level. After hitting .432 with a 1.013 OPS in 95 at bats in AAA, Holt was called up to help the major league team and found himself as the starting second baseman for the majority of September. In total at the major league level, Holt had a line of .292/.329/.354 with an OPS of .682. Holt has always dealt with a lack of power, and his calling card has always been a high average and a high on base percentage. Regardless, none of those will be present in 2013 for the Pirates as Holt was traded to the Red Sox in the Joel Hanrahan deal over the offseason. <br />
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Now for 2013:<br />
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<b><u>Starter: Neil Walker</u></b><br />
Walker should be the Pirates starting second baseman for at least a few more years. If his back holds up, Walker should have another solid season in 2013, with an average around .280-.290 with approximately 15 home runs. He will do this while playing great defense at second and being a clubhouse leader that can really ignite the fire in his teammates. With Walker, it is a pretty safe bet on what you're going to get production-wise, but the Pirates will still hope that Walker becomes the .300, 20 home run hitter that he has the outside chance of being. <br />
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<b><u>Bench Options: John McDonald, Brandon Inge, Josh Harrison</u></b><br />
The only player on this list that is guaranteed to be on the opening day roster is John McDonald, who was recently acquired from the Diamondbacks for a player to be named later or cash. The 38 year old McDonald is not an offensive threat in any way, with a career OPS of .608, but he is considered one of the best defensive middle infielders in the game, at least as a bench option. He plays mostly shortstop, but has also played second in his career. Brandon Inge will have a roster spot, but at this point it remains to be seen if he will start on the DL or not after being hit by a pitch recently. Inge used to be an average to slightly above average power hitter, but that attribute is long gone. All he can really bring now is some veteran leadership and some versatility in the infield. But, he has only appeared in six games at second, but all six came in 2012. Josh Harrison could start the year on the 25 man roster if Inge starts on the DL, but should find himself in AAA when Inge returns. Harrison has the most offensive upside of these players and can play decent defense at second, third, and short. Personally, I would rather see Harrison than Inge, but that seems unlikely.<br />
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<b><u>Minor League Players We Could See This Year: Ivan De Jesus Jr., Jordy Mercer, Chase D'arnaud</u></b><br />
I could see either De Jesus Jr. or Mercer taking over every second base duties if Neil Walker goes down with an extended injury. De Jesus was acquired in the Hanrahan deal from Boston, and is a similar player to Brock Holt. He puts up a good average and gets on base at a good rate, but doesn't hit for much power. He is now labeled a second baseman after a lengthy leg injury in 2009, but still has the ability to play shortstop, and has displayed good defensive instincts in the past. Mercer is mainly a shortstop, but plays average defense at second. His bat plays well at both second and short, with above average power for a middle infielder. D'arnaud was viewed as one of the top prospects in the system prior to 2010, but has struggled offensively since then, especially when he got a chance at the major league level in 2011 (.528 OPS in 143 AB's). <br />
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The only real question facing the Pirates' second base situation is: How long will Neil Walker be in Pittsburgh? A possible extension for Walker has been a hot topic since Jose Tabata received his extension back in 2011. Walker definitely seems willing to spend his entire career in Pittsburgh, but not much progress has been made on an extension over the past year. This could be because the front office is waiting to see if Walker's 2012 back injury lingers into 2013. If it has no effect on his play, then we could an extension for Walker in the near future that could keep the Pittsburgh Kid in a buccos uniform for a long time.<br />
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Any questions or comments can be sent to me on twitter @mikemaw45 or in the comment section below.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17953987192228201712noreply@blogger.com0