Today the Bucs removed Virgil Vasquez, Eric Hacker, and Steve Lerud off the 40 man. All three were on the roster for about a year or so.
The removing of Lerud makes the most sense of them all. He was added last year as a worst case scenario backup at catcher. A team needs to have one and since Lerud needed to be added and was the highest level catching 'prospect' he was the guy. His removal signals to me that, while he probably won't get added this offseason, Tony Sanchez is the "if all of our major league guys go down he'll be our in house option". I think that speaks a lot of how highly Sanchez is regarded.
Hacker only appeared in three games so we really did not get to see what he can do on the big league level. He came to the Bucs from the Yankees on a waiver wire claim, so the Bucs might be hoping they can slide him through and get him back to the minors.
The puzzling one is Virgil Vasquez. Not that he was really great, but he was one of the few options we had in the upper minors. But after some thought, his spot may get taken by one Brad Lincoln, now sitting at AAA and almost assuredly a guy that will at some point, pitch in Pittsburgh this next season. It is either that or they are all of sudden comfortable with Daniel McCutchen being the upper level minor league guy to call upon in troubled times.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Dealer Strikes Again
It seems as though Neal Huntington just can't sit too long without making some move to shake up the roster. Just when you thought that it might be quiet for a while, Neal goes and pulls off a trade during the World Series. In this one, he made a move with Tampa Bay to acquire Akinori Iwamura for reliever Jesse Chavez.
First, it is sad to see Chavez go. We went through some growing pains with him and it seemed as though he may have turned the corner this season. As the endless summer dragged on, Chavez was at times one of the more reliable guys we could turn to in the pen. In the end, Huntington saw Chavez for what he was, a reliever, and they are a dime a dozen.
Coming over we get Akinori Iwamura, a second baseman that the Pirates probably were going to target if the Rays were to non-tender him by declining his option. Iwamura is far from a star or someone that will put us over the top, but he is a solid above average second baseman. If he is over his knee injury, he is surely an upgrade over the out of position Delwyn Young.
What I like about this trade is that we get an everyday position player that is above average, for a reliever that is much easier to try to replace. There is some stability there now in the middle infield by having Iwamura come over from the Rays.
What is puzzling, and Dejan seemed to hint at it in his blog, is that the Bucs are really big on pushing the amount of years they control a player. In Iwamura, it is only one year and Chavez was multiple. Why did they give up those controlled years? Why also add an older player when you are trying to get younger?
The answers to those questions are simple. Yes, they are looking to get younger and better, but at the same time that won't happen overnight, so we will need to not look like a train wreck until then. The best example of that philosophy right now is our middle infield.
Chavez was coming off a great year, but was that his ceiling. Could he ever become a closer? Could he be a lights out setup guy? Or is he what he is? Huntington felt that his ceiling might have been reached or is close, so move him now. In return, we get stability in a position that we sorely needed and a player that is not all that bad, without betting the farm. I'd say it is a deal that makes sense all around.
First, it is sad to see Chavez go. We went through some growing pains with him and it seemed as though he may have turned the corner this season. As the endless summer dragged on, Chavez was at times one of the more reliable guys we could turn to in the pen. In the end, Huntington saw Chavez for what he was, a reliever, and they are a dime a dozen.
Coming over we get Akinori Iwamura, a second baseman that the Pirates probably were going to target if the Rays were to non-tender him by declining his option. Iwamura is far from a star or someone that will put us over the top, but he is a solid above average second baseman. If he is over his knee injury, he is surely an upgrade over the out of position Delwyn Young.
What I like about this trade is that we get an everyday position player that is above average, for a reliever that is much easier to try to replace. There is some stability there now in the middle infield by having Iwamura come over from the Rays.
What is puzzling, and Dejan seemed to hint at it in his blog, is that the Bucs are really big on pushing the amount of years they control a player. In Iwamura, it is only one year and Chavez was multiple. Why did they give up those controlled years? Why also add an older player when you are trying to get younger?
The answers to those questions are simple. Yes, they are looking to get younger and better, but at the same time that won't happen overnight, so we will need to not look like a train wreck until then. The best example of that philosophy right now is our middle infield.
Chavez was coming off a great year, but was that his ceiling. Could he ever become a closer? Could he be a lights out setup guy? Or is he what he is? Huntington felt that his ceiling might have been reached or is close, so move him now. In return, we get stability in a position that we sorely needed and a player that is not all that bad, without betting the farm. I'd say it is a deal that makes sense all around.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Minor Movement
The news sort of broke yesterday in the Cincinnati newspapers. Then today it was in the Lynchburg and Pittsburgh papers. It looks as though the Pirates are going to end their longest affiliation relationship after 2010 and leave Lynchburg and the Carolina League. It turns out that with the Reds moving to Arizona for their spring training, they see no need to keep a team in the Florida State League. So the Pirates are looking to buy that team and move to Bradenton.
This story was pretty interesting on many levels. One the Pirates are going to move a team further away from Pittsburgh geographically, but closer to the team by going to Bradenton. Lynchburg had been their affiliate for years, since 1995. Now the longest tenured affiliate is the Altoona Curve, and I don't see that relationship ending any time soon.
Another note that made it interesting is the fact that the Pirates are being rumored as buying the team. Now this is nothing new. The Yankees and Red Sox own a lot of their minor league affiliates. As do the Atlanta Braves. Many teams seemingly own at least one of their teams, especially the lower level Rookie league teams. This is a little different, as it will be a high A affiliate.
I would say that this move offers a pretty significant sign that the team is looking at putting some more money into the minor leagues. That much is a given as they will own the team, but it will be also interesting to see how this affects the development of players, as they will have more control and supervision of the players at a critical level of development.
While it is sad to see the Bucs leave Lynchburg, it is also nice to see the team doing something different for a change at the minor league and player development level. It will be also fun to see how players perform in Florida during the summer as well.
This story was pretty interesting on many levels. One the Pirates are going to move a team further away from Pittsburgh geographically, but closer to the team by going to Bradenton. Lynchburg had been their affiliate for years, since 1995. Now the longest tenured affiliate is the Altoona Curve, and I don't see that relationship ending any time soon.
Another note that made it interesting is the fact that the Pirates are being rumored as buying the team. Now this is nothing new. The Yankees and Red Sox own a lot of their minor league affiliates. As do the Atlanta Braves. Many teams seemingly own at least one of their teams, especially the lower level Rookie league teams. This is a little different, as it will be a high A affiliate.
I would say that this move offers a pretty significant sign that the team is looking at putting some more money into the minor leagues. That much is a given as they will own the team, but it will be also interesting to see how this affects the development of players, as they will have more control and supervision of the players at a critical level of development.
While it is sad to see the Bucs leave Lynchburg, it is also nice to see the team doing something different for a change at the minor league and player development level. It will be also fun to see how players perform in Florida during the summer as well.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Pitching News
Over the weekend the Pirates found their man to study under the tutelage of Joe Kerrigan next season. I thought they might look far and wide, but it turns out they only had to look in the minor leagues for Ray Searage. Searage has been around teh block a great deal, so I almost wonder how much he will 'learn' from Kerrigan.
In my own head, I pictured the Assistant to the Pitching Coach as a younger coach, not having had much time to shape his own thoughts on pitching, that could embrace Kerrigan's philosophy and grow it on his own. While Searage may be able to do that, I sort of have my doubts.
Searage has been around for years, coaching at various levels of professional baseball, so why would he embrace the ideas of someone else after all of these years? Maybe he will change his perspective from talking with Kerrigan and by having the opportunity to coach at the major league level. It almost seems to me that by picking Searage, the Pirates are assuring themselves of having a guy that they don't have to worry about leaving. That is not to say that he won't be good, but Ray Searage is not someone that will be pursued by other clubs, like a Perry Hill.
We will have to see how Searage fits in the staff. It is doubtful that any other team has tried to have two pitching coaches like the Pirates will try to have on the major league staff. As the Assistant to the Pitching Coach, it will be interesting to see how it all works out.
In other pitching news, the Pirates have out-righted Craig Hansen off the roster. It is not shocking as he has been struck with an ailment in his neck that will take a lot of time to heal. The Pirates don't have so much time to sit and wait, when they really could use the roster spot.
While this is not necessarily the sad end for a guy that was part of one of the biggest trades in recent Pirate history, it is a sad note. Hansen came here with the promise of being a piece of the bullpen that could perhaps close. He never seemed to put it together on the mound, but perhaps if he was healthy this season, working with Joe Kerrigan might have changed things. Unfortunately we will never know. Sadly that might be the case for Craig Hansen's Pirate career, we may never know.
In my own head, I pictured the Assistant to the Pitching Coach as a younger coach, not having had much time to shape his own thoughts on pitching, that could embrace Kerrigan's philosophy and grow it on his own. While Searage may be able to do that, I sort of have my doubts.
Searage has been around for years, coaching at various levels of professional baseball, so why would he embrace the ideas of someone else after all of these years? Maybe he will change his perspective from talking with Kerrigan and by having the opportunity to coach at the major league level. It almost seems to me that by picking Searage, the Pirates are assuring themselves of having a guy that they don't have to worry about leaving. That is not to say that he won't be good, but Ray Searage is not someone that will be pursued by other clubs, like a Perry Hill.
We will have to see how Searage fits in the staff. It is doubtful that any other team has tried to have two pitching coaches like the Pirates will try to have on the major league staff. As the Assistant to the Pitching Coach, it will be interesting to see how it all works out.
In other pitching news, the Pirates have out-righted Craig Hansen off the roster. It is not shocking as he has been struck with an ailment in his neck that will take a lot of time to heal. The Pirates don't have so much time to sit and wait, when they really could use the roster spot.
While this is not necessarily the sad end for a guy that was part of one of the biggest trades in recent Pirate history, it is a sad note. Hansen came here with the promise of being a piece of the bullpen that could perhaps close. He never seemed to put it together on the mound, but perhaps if he was healthy this season, working with Joe Kerrigan might have changed things. Unfortunately we will never know. Sadly that might be the case for Craig Hansen's Pirate career, we may never know.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Pirates of the Desert
This week the Arizona Fall League started play and there a few interesting Pirates to be on the watch for in the desert. Among them are Danny Moskos, Tony Watson, Donnie Veal, and Jose Tabata.
Tabata may be very interesting to see how he performs against some of the top competition in the minor leagues. There is a very real chance that he will see time in Pittsburgh this coming season and this could provide some much valued insight into what we may see when he does get here.
Playing in the infield for the Scottsdale Scorpions are Brian Friday and Chase D'Arnaud. These two guys are perhaps the two top middle infielders in the system. Both players, especially Friday, figure to get very long looks in spring training as the Bucs seemed to always seem to be looking for middle infielders. I wouldn't bank on either being in the big leagues, but if the Pirates need to reach into the minors these guys are the first two they may look to.
Perhaps the most interesting story to watch is that of the pitchers. The trio of lefties, Moskos, Veal, and Watson, represent the better lefties in the upper minors. While Veal may go back to the minors for more work, as may Watson, but Moskos may bet serious consideration for the bullpen next year. We all know how the team struggled with not having a lefty in the pen and Moskos may be able to help.
While it may not seem to be so, the fall league may give us some insight into some possibilities for the Pirates come the spring. There may be some maneuvering with players from the outside, but as for internal candidates, the fall league has a few of our internal options.
Tabata may be very interesting to see how he performs against some of the top competition in the minor leagues. There is a very real chance that he will see time in Pittsburgh this coming season and this could provide some much valued insight into what we may see when he does get here.
Playing in the infield for the Scottsdale Scorpions are Brian Friday and Chase D'Arnaud. These two guys are perhaps the two top middle infielders in the system. Both players, especially Friday, figure to get very long looks in spring training as the Bucs seemed to always seem to be looking for middle infielders. I wouldn't bank on either being in the big leagues, but if the Pirates need to reach into the minors these guys are the first two they may look to.
Perhaps the most interesting story to watch is that of the pitchers. The trio of lefties, Moskos, Veal, and Watson, represent the better lefties in the upper minors. While Veal may go back to the minors for more work, as may Watson, but Moskos may bet serious consideration for the bullpen next year. We all know how the team struggled with not having a lefty in the pen and Moskos may be able to help.
While it may not seem to be so, the fall league may give us some insight into some possibilities for the Pirates come the spring. There may be some maneuvering with players from the outside, but as for internal candidates, the fall league has a few of our internal options.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Moss is not Boss
Coming into the season, the Pirates sure did hope that Brandon Moss would improve on his audition from last season. Unfortunately things did not turn out the way the the Pirates or Moss had hoped. Moss fell flat this year as he hit .236 with 7 home runs and 41 RBI. Hardly numbers that the team or he had hoped would happen this season.
Moss was a player that I really though would turn things around and be a more productive player. I really thought he was on the verge of doing some great things, but it has not come through. His poor performance has made the Jason Bay trade look pretty bad. Especially considering that the team has already made it known to Moss that he may not get the chance to start again.
The question then is if Moss will not be starting who will? Garrett Jones? Jones had a great season, but he should probably be playing first base not in the outfield. Jose Tabata? He'll be a rookie and missed a good bit of time last season in the minors, so one would think he may not start the year in Pittsburgh.
That would leave to me the only thought that they will head into the season trotting Jones back out there or we may see an outsider come to the club. Considering the trouble that the team has had in attracting free agent talent, as well as not wanting to break the bank (even though they have the resources to), will perhaps be a crapshoot.
Coming back to Moss it is sadly a story we have seen plenty of times in Pittsburgh over the past decade plus. There are countless outfielders that have come in here with promise and have failed to deliver on that promise. Sadly Moss is looking like yet another in that long line of players.
The opening of the spot in the outfield brings with it a lot of intrigue and a story line to watch as the winter moves along. Will they indeed bring someone in? If so we will have plenty of hot stove rumors for free agents or possibly even trade candidates. The outfield will be something to hold our interest as the winter progresses.
Moss was a player that I really though would turn things around and be a more productive player. I really thought he was on the verge of doing some great things, but it has not come through. His poor performance has made the Jason Bay trade look pretty bad. Especially considering that the team has already made it known to Moss that he may not get the chance to start again.
The question then is if Moss will not be starting who will? Garrett Jones? Jones had a great season, but he should probably be playing first base not in the outfield. Jose Tabata? He'll be a rookie and missed a good bit of time last season in the minors, so one would think he may not start the year in Pittsburgh.
That would leave to me the only thought that they will head into the season trotting Jones back out there or we may see an outsider come to the club. Considering the trouble that the team has had in attracting free agent talent, as well as not wanting to break the bank (even though they have the resources to), will perhaps be a crapshoot.
Coming back to Moss it is sadly a story we have seen plenty of times in Pittsburgh over the past decade plus. There are countless outfielders that have come in here with promise and have failed to deliver on that promise. Sadly Moss is looking like yet another in that long line of players.
The opening of the spot in the outfield brings with it a lot of intrigue and a story line to watch as the winter moves along. Will they indeed bring someone in? If so we will have plenty of hot stove rumors for free agents or possibly even trade candidates. The outfield will be something to hold our interest as the winter progresses.
Monday, October 5, 2009
Second Baseman LaRoche?
This past weekend brought the news that the Pirates have discussed with Andy LaRoche the possibility of moving from the hot corner to the Keystone corner. The presumption of the move would be to allow for the ascension of Pedro Alvarez to take the hot corner for many years to come.
On paper it seems to make some sense. LaRoche seems to be useful, and has played second sparingly in his professionally career, could make for a much better offensive second baseman than he has as a third baseman. Or does it?
There is a lot to take into consideration with such a move from third to second for LaRoche. Presumably for one we would get more value from Delwyn Young, making him a platoon guy that maximizes offensive potential. Two it will allow for the best offensive prospect in years to come the majors at his natural position, and three it makes our offense up the middle much stronger. But can LaRoche be a good offensive second baseman?
The numbers he put up this year, suggest he would not be. If you were to add LaRoche to the league eligible players at second base this past year, he would finish ahead of only Alexi Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Kaz Matsui and David Eckstein in OPS. As for most of the other categories, he is slightly below average offensively, when compared to players with qualifying plate appearances.
If he were to move then we would have to expect him to learn a new defensive position, perhaps harder if Perry Hill is not around, and to improve offensively just to be considered an average everyday second baseman. Many have argued that there could be some improvement in LaRoche, I am not going to hold my breath for that.
Since I am skeptical of LaRoche, I see the bigger question as are the Pirates better off with Alvarez at third and LaRoche at second. That question is pretty easy to answer, yes. How much better, that has to do a lot with Alvarez's maturation and growth and whether LaRoche can make the move.
On paper it seems to make some sense. LaRoche seems to be useful, and has played second sparingly in his professionally career, could make for a much better offensive second baseman than he has as a third baseman. Or does it?
There is a lot to take into consideration with such a move from third to second for LaRoche. Presumably for one we would get more value from Delwyn Young, making him a platoon guy that maximizes offensive potential. Two it will allow for the best offensive prospect in years to come the majors at his natural position, and three it makes our offense up the middle much stronger. But can LaRoche be a good offensive second baseman?
The numbers he put up this year, suggest he would not be. If you were to add LaRoche to the league eligible players at second base this past year, he would finish ahead of only Alexi Ramirez, Ryan Theriot, Kaz Matsui and David Eckstein in OPS. As for most of the other categories, he is slightly below average offensively, when compared to players with qualifying plate appearances.
If he were to move then we would have to expect him to learn a new defensive position, perhaps harder if Perry Hill is not around, and to improve offensively just to be considered an average everyday second baseman. Many have argued that there could be some improvement in LaRoche, I am not going to hold my breath for that.
Since I am skeptical of LaRoche, I see the bigger question as are the Pirates better off with Alvarez at third and LaRoche at second. That question is pretty easy to answer, yes. How much better, that has to do a lot with Alvarez's maturation and growth and whether LaRoche can make the move.
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