BackDraft: 1992 Draft

From time to time at the HQ, we like to look back at a few of the Pirates’ old drafts just to see who they’ve taken and what they’ve done. It can be quite interesting to see who else they could have taken in the draft and who ended up being a steal. So, without further adieu, we bring you the Pirates draft of 1992.

RD	Player	POS	School
1	Jason Kendall	C	Torrance HS (CA)
1*	Shon Walker	OF	Harrison County HS, Cynthiana, KY
2*	Danny Clyburn	OF	Lancaster HS, (CA)
2	Trey Beamon	OF	W.T. White HS, Dallas, TX
3	Jamie Keefe	SS	Spaulding HS, Rochester, NH
4	Tim Leger	OF	Acadiana HS, Lafayette, LA
5	Brett Backlund	RHP	University of Iowa
6	Sean Lawrence	LHP	College of St. Francis, (IL)
7	Dennis Konuszewski	RHP	University of Michigan
8	Aaron Cannday	C	Elon College
9	Rob Davidson	LHP	Rustburg HS (VA)
10	John Turlais	C	Illinois Math and Science Academy
20	John Dillinger	RHP	Manatee (FL) JC
27	Chance Sanford	SS	San Jacinto JC (TX)
30	Kevin Polcovich	SS	University of Florida
31	Lou Collier	SS	Kishwaukee JC, (IL)
47	Marc Wilkins	RHP	University of Toledo
48	Adrian Brown	OF	McComb HS, (MS)

* Supplemental Pick for losing Free Agent Bobby Bonilla

As you can see from my short list, I didn’t want to go into detail on each and every pick of the draft.What I was looking for were the all important Top 10 and anyone else who may have been of significance. I remember reading in a 1993 USA Today’s Baseball Weekly, I believe an article about some of the talented players that were on the roster of the Augusta Pirates. Many of those talented players were taken in this draft. One thing that really stands out is how much prep-talent they invested in early on in the draft. We all know the story of Jason Kendall and what he did with the Pirates, possibly one of the best catchers in the history of the team, but does anyone remember Danny Clyburn?

Clyburn was perhaps the most talented player they drafted that year next to Kendall. He was supposed to be a talented athlete with a ton of raw power but unfortunately the Pirates felt the need to trade him in 1994 for Jacob Brumfield. He was traded a few more times after that and even managed to get a few cups of coffee in the majors, his most recent in 1999 with Tampa Bay.

Polcovich, Collier, Wilkins, Sanford, Beamon and Adrian Brown all saw time at some point with the Pirates. Some of them we hardly knew like Beamon who was traded with former catcher Angelo Encarnacion to the Padres for get Mark Smith and Hal Garrett. Some of them stuck around much longer then we would’ve liked, such as Adrian Brown and Marc Wilkins.

All in all, this draft didn’t produce anywhere near the results that any of us would’ve liked to have seen. Considering that the Pirates had two extra draft picks that they received for the loss of Bonilla, you would have thought that it would have increased their chances of hitting the jackpot with someone. It looks as though having invested in so many talented young prep players early in the draft may have been their downfall. Besides Kendall, Walker was never able to get out of High A, Beamon and Clyburn were only able to combine for a total of 267 major league at bats. To put that in perspective, Kevin Polcovich had 457 in his 2 total seasons with the team. The Pirates received a lot of contribution out of numerous players drafted in ‘92, but with the exception of Jason Kendall, unfortunately none of the major talents managed to pan out.

Dutch Pirate

Charlie at Bucs Dugout came across this news piece (it is in Dutch) about the Pirates and their search for international talent. It seems as though the Pirates have signed a scout for the Netherlands. The guy's name is Martijin Nijoff. While that name is not all that familiar, Nijoff seems to be a guy that is around the right people in the Netherlands. As we profiled last year, Europe has a growing following in baseball and this could be the start of something for the Pirates.

A former player himself, Nijoff spent a year in the states playing in college at Linden Wood University in Missouri. How a guy from the Netherlands ended up there, I do not know. It seems as though he has spent his whole life surrounded by baseball and after finding that he may not have the chops to play in the majors, he returned to the Netherlands to help others in their quest.

In 2006 he founded a baseball academy of sorts called Bixie Baseball. He founded it with another former Dutch professional player, Ferenc Jongejan, and Wilm VandenHurk, the father of Marlin's prospect Rick VandenHurk. Nijoff was a coach on the team that the younger VandenHurk pitched for, so he has an idea of what major league teams maybe looking for.

What is perhaps most interesting about Nijoff is that he seems to be embracing new ways of thinking and doing things. He is trying to help take baseball in the Netherlands to another level by embracing technology and different modes of thought. It sounds as though his approach may be very similar to the philosophies that have become evident in the past year or so with the Pirates.

An example of his different thinking is his work in using video technology to help players improve. He seems to be also embracing different training regimens as well.

It was really only a matter of time before the Pirates would probably add someone in Europe. It seems that they may have made a great choice with Nijoff, as he seems to be a person that looks at baseball differently. It seems to match well with how the Pirates are looking at scouting and player development differently. With the Netherlands now taken care of, could Italy Europe's other baseball power be next? While I would not expect to see any VandenHurks coming over to Pittsburgh soon, it is a good step in the right direction.

Pud Galvin

In the history of Pirate pitchers, perhaps no pitcher is as high on career total lists, yet virtually unknown to fans as Pud Galvin. Galvin was a pioneer, as he was the first player to reach 300 wins, the first to throw a no-hitter on the road, and surprisingly the first to experiment with performance enhancers.

Born on Christmas Day 1856 in St. Louis, James Galvin would start his professional career pitching for the St. Louis Brown Stockings of the National Association in 1875 at the age of 18. It was here in St. Louis that Galvin got the nickname of Pud, as he made the other batters look like pudding. Additionally Galvin was also known for a very deceptive pickoff move that kept runners close.

In 1879 Galvin started 66 games for the Buffalo Bison of the National League. He won 37 of those games, while losing 27 games. Galvin followed that up with a 20 win season and two straight 24 win seasons.

In the 1883, Galvin was 46-22 and led the NL in games, starts, complete games, innings pitched and shutouts. In 1884 he won 46 games, second in the league. He threw three shutouts against Detroit between August 2 and August 8, including a no-hitter on August 4, becoming the second pitcher in ML history with two or more no-hitters. His 396 strikeouts in 1884 were a career high.

Galvin was purchased by the Alleghenys midway through 1885 for a price of either $600 or $5000. In 1886 in his first full season in Pittsburgh, Galvin won 29 games, but had seemed to lose his knack for the strikeout as he only fanned 72 batters. Galvin did not need the strikeout as he was a wizard on the mound.

The next three years for the Alleghenys, Galvin would win 74 games for the club. He was a mark of consistency for the club. 1889 would mark Galvin's last superhuman season, as the years of pitching were starting to show in his arm. It was perhaps this slowdown in performance that led him to try performance enhancers, to get his old edge back.

Prior to a game in 1889 against Boston, Galvin took Brown-Sequard Elixer, a hormone injection from the testicles of hamsters and dogs, pioneered by Charles-Edouard Brown-Sequard, the man who was the inspiration for Dr. Jeykll and Mr. Hyde. The elixir supposedly was key in Galvin victory that day, and the Washington Post had this to say about the miracles of the "drug":

"If there still be doubting Thomases who concede no virtue of the elixir, they are respectfully referred to Galvin's record in yesterday's Boston-Pittsburgh game. It is the best proof yet furnished of the value of the discovery."

Realizing that he was near the end of his career and needed to get more money, Galvin was one of the players that jumped to the Pittsburg Burgers of the Players League in 1890.  On the mound for the Burgers, Galvin only won 12 games.

Pud returned to the Pirates in 1891, where he pitched 246 innings, his lowest total to that mark, in winning only 14 games. The following year Galvin split between Pittsburgh and St. Louis, winning only 10 games and throwing only 188 innings. After the season Galvin called it quits at the age of 35.

Pud would return to Pittsburgh to live out the rest of his life. Galvin would die in 1902, at the age of 45, penniless in a Pittsburgh boarding house. A collection was taken up by Pirate fans of the time to pay for his funeral and burial in Calvary Cemetery in Pittsburgh.

Galvin played in an era where pitchers could rack up some great totals. Many like Galvin, still sit atop the leader boards in baseball history.When he retired in 1892, he was the all-time major league leader in wins, innings pitched, games started, games completed and shutouts. He is the only player in baseball history to win 20 or more games in 10 different years without winning a pennant.

Galvin was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1965, where he is remembered as one of the great pre-modern era pitchers, maybe the best, and definitely one of the great hurlers in Pittsburgh history.

Career Stats:

Years	W	L	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA
1875-92	364	310	705	689	646	57	6003.3	6405	3355	1910	122	745	1806	2.86

Who's On First

That might sound like a dumb question right now. Of course the answer is Adam LaRoche, but for how long? This season is currently his last on his contract, unless the Pirates and LaRoche were to come to some agreement between now and the end of season. The prospects of the two sides coming to an agreement seem to be very far off, as the team has approached his representation in the past and the two sides seem to be far apart.

If indeed LaRoche is headed out of town, what does that mean for first base for the Pirates? It seems obvious that LaRoche may be headed out of town before the season even ends, and when he does leave who will be there?

Management has seemingly soured on Steve Pearce. Pearce has been given some opportunities in the majors, maybe not enough to show what he can do, but management just does not see 'it' from him, at least right now. So if not Pearce then who? The rest of Indianapolis are guys that have seemingly been lost in the minor league shuffle. Guys like Adam Boeve and a cast of minor league free agents. A combination of one of them, Hinske, or Pearce could get us through this season, but what of next?

There currently is no prospect that anyone can say is ready to play first base in the majors. Some have floated the idea of moving one of the many third basemen to first. Maybe Andy LaRoche? Neil Walker? Pedro Alvarez? That might be the most likely scenario, as you can almost bet the farm that the team is not going to sign a free agent.

While it is early in the season, the story of Adam LaRoche is probably going to be the story to watch this coming season. Many will be hoping he will hit early, which he won't, while others will be waiting for him to hit later in the year, which he will. I for one will be waiting to see what the team does, as it will be a major piece of the future of the franchise.

Pirates and the Economy

It is no secret that the economy has, shall we say, taken a down turn. You cannot go anywhere and not hear about it. While the economy will affect taxpayers and corporations alike, the repercussions have already been felt in Major League Baseball. Just take a look at how long some of the free agents sat on the sidelines waiting for a deal. Teams just don't want to spend money and make commitments in such an uncertain time.

The Pirates major league roster really was not all that affected. Granted they did not sign any big free agents, but who was going to expect that anyway. The real question, as Jim Callis posed in his Ask BA column, is how much will the economy affect the draft and international signings.

Last year was a boon in bonuses in both the draft and in the international market. The Pirates set records in both for money given out in bonuses. The current management feel that they need to pour money and efforts into scouting and the draft to become successful, and quite frankly who would argue.

As Callis points out, some in the industry feel that owners will tighten the belts when it comes time to the draft and signing international talent. Frank Coonelly has gone on record saying that there are no plans to cut back on the bonus money for the draft and other signings. If that is indeed the case the Pirates may find themselves in the awkward position of being big spenders.

In a season where Scott Boras is the 'advisor' to the majority of the top talent in the draft, this version of the Pirates may be able to get an even better ballplayer in the first round, if a team ahead of them pulls a Littlefield. The money will play an even bigger part later in the draft, when teams naturally avoid players seeking these larger signing bonuses. If other teams cut their funding for bonuses the Pirates may well position themselves for even better steals later in the draft. Imagine getting say two Robbie Grossmans and Quinton Millers this year?

The money will also be a big part in international acquisition, as the team has stepped up efforts in that department in the past year or so. Maybe this could be a year we steal a few guys from other clubs not wanting to spend money.

Many fans complained that the team did not spend money on major league talent this offseason. The management says that they are more focused on spending it on the draft. If management is indeed telling the truth, then they could, perhaps, not have picked a better time in teh marketplace to spend money.

Not So Prospect Flashbacks

Over the past year, we’ve done numerous posts regarding failed Pirates prospects, calling them our Prospect Flashbacks. Mainly they’ve all been about prospects from the 90’s mostly because that’s when I really started getting into the aspect of minor league baseball. Most of the posts have been regarding players that I’ve found intriguing. Unfortunately there are numerous players from that era that have come down the pipe for the Pirates and never reached the status of being a prospect or flamed out too quickly. Thus, I only have limited information that limits my capacity to write anything too detailed. This is going to be the first of a series regarding Pirates minor leaguers that were not so much prospects but mere shadows of the players there were supposed to be.

Charles Peterson: OF 6’3 203

B:R T:R Born: 5/8/74

Drafted: 1st Round (22nd overall)

When Peterson was drafted by the Pirates back in 1993, he came to them as a highly regarded athlete as he was a standout football player both as a QB and WR in South Carolina. Unfortunately for him and the Bucs, his tremendous athletic skills were never able to translate into baseball performance. Blessed with outstanding speed and a tremendous arm in center, he sometimes frustrated the coaching staff and the front office with his lackadaisical play on the field. He spend about 2 and a half seasons at Double A, eclipsing 100 strikeouts in his 2 full seasons there and never putting up the power numbers that were expected of him. He managed to get a brief 9 game cup of coffee at Triple A in 1998, but in his 8 at bats he didn’t manage to get a single hit to go with 4 strikeouts.

Years	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	BA
6 Seasons	629	2273	328	610	104	21	34	292	223	454	0.268

Javier Martinez: RHP 6’2 230

B:R T:R Born: 2/5/77

Acquired: From the Oakland A’s for cash considerations 12/15/97 (via Rule 5 Draft)

Martinez was originally a 3rd round pick of the Cubs out of Puerto Rico in 1994. His career looked like it was going nowhere thanks to an elbow injury which cost him a good bit of the 1996 season. However the ‘97 season was a rebound year and in which he struggled but fortunately for the Pirates, he had a big Winter League season in ‘97 which caused him to be the hot commodity in the Rule 5 Draft. He more then held his own at the Major League level in ‘98 but was once again bit by the injury bug in ‘99 and was released in December of that year. He managed to bounce around the minors until 2004 before his career ended, never putting together any consistent success.

Years	W	L	G	GS	SV	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	ERA
1998	0	1	37	0	0	41	39	32	22	34	42	4.83

Geraldo Padua: RHP 6’2 165

B:R T:R Born: 2/9/77

Acquired: From the San Diego Padres along with John Vander Wal and James Sak for Al Martin 2/23/00.

Before the Pirates acquired Padua from the Padres for Al Martin, his big claim to fame was that he was previously traded by the Yankees in ‘99 for Jim Leyritz and even bigger was that he managed to go 20-0 over a span of time from 97-99. On the down side, he never managed to string anything together like that for the Pirates; he’s got a 5-16 career minor league record with them. His shining moment in the Pirates system came with Altoona in 2001 when he gave up 3 homeruns on 3 pitches, a far cry from his previous success. Paul Tinnell, the Pirates player development director back then had this to say about him.

"He's wild in the (strike) zone," "He'll throw you a first-pitch strike, but a pitcher who doesn't have command with the fastball, it's going to blow up in his face sooner or later."

And that’s pretty much the story of his Pirates minor league career; they went on to release him during the 2001 season. He caught on with the Yankees briefly for the remainder of 2001 but never managed to have the success he had previously seen in the lower levels.

Oscar Charleston

If you were to be asked who the best negro League ballplayer of all time was, chances are you would immediately say Josh Gibson. You might very well be right with that one, but one player may have been a much better overall player, Oscar Charleston. Charleston was compared to Ty Cobb, in the hitting sense, Babe Ruth, for physical appearance, and Tris Speaker, for defensive play.

Born in Indianapolis in 1896, Charleston joined the Army at age 15 and went to the Philippines. After his tour of duty in the Pacific, he returned to Indianapolis and signed on with the Indianapolis ABC's. Charleston played centerfield and helped the ABC's win the Black World Series in 1916. In his first season he showed all the great tools that he had in the field, and also his hot temper as he got into a fight with an opposing player and was suspended and held on $1000 bail.

For a few years Charleston bounced around a few different teams as black baseball tried to get reorganized. In 1920 the Negro National League was reformed and Charleston returned to lead the ABC's. Through 1923,Charleston posted a .370 batting average with the  ABC's and St. Louis Giants, and in 1921 led the league in hitting, triples, HR, total bases, slugging, and stolen bases.

From 1922 to 1925, he was player-manager for the Eastern Colored League Harrisburg Giants. After Harrisburg, Charleston had a brief stop with Hilldale, before coming across the state to play for the Homestead Grays, helping them win a championship in 1930.

In 1932, Charleston, like many of the Grays, went across town to play for Gus Greenlee's newly formed, and better paying, Pittsburgh Crawfords. Charleston would be a player-manager for that celebrated club. He would continue to be the prolific hitter, often falling just behind Josh Gibson. Charleston led the club to two pennants and the only outright championship in the National Negro Association's history, in 1935.

After the great run of the Crawfords had ended, when many of the players followed Satchel Paige to the Dominican, Charleston stayed with the club. He continued on when they moved to Toledo and back to his native Indianapolis. By now Charleston had moved from centerfield to first base, but still had the great power stroke and his reckless abandon on the base paths.

By the early 1940's, Charleston became strictly a manager. He managed a few other Negro League teams, but got a break in 1945, when Branch Rickey asked him to manage the Brooklyn Brown Dodgers in his United States League. In this role Charleston was consulted on black players that could help in Rickey's move to integration.

By 1954, Charleston was back in the Negro Leagues, managing the Indianapolis Clowns to a championship. Oscar barely had time to celebrate, as after the season he suffered a stroke and fell down a flight of stairs. He died a few days later. Twenty two years later, Charleston was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Charleston maybe a slightly forgotten star, as giants like Gibson and Page sort of overshadow him. In his era, Charleston was considered by many to be the best. Many have said, including Bill James, that Charleston maybe one of the best ever to play the game of baseball. He combined all five tools together and had fantastic results. Add in the fact that he was known to be an exceptional teammate and mentor, it is easy to see why he would be considered one of the best of all time.

Pirates Sign Nate; Give Glimpse at Future

Today the Pirates seemingly came out of left field and signed Nate McLouth to a multi-year deal to avoid arbitration and to keep their All-Star in Pittsburgh. It seemed as though that McLouth's agent credited the intervention of Frank Coonelly in signing McLouth. It seems as though things progressed rather quickly once it looked as though things may get ugly and in the end all sides seem to be happy with the deal.

As usual, and has been said numerous times when the Pirates sign a player to buy out their arbitration, it is a good thing for a team of economic means like the Pirates. They get a quality player and cost controls for the next three seasons, plus. It is hard to argue against that.

The news of Nate's signing got me thinking about the other contracts that Huntington has gotten players to sign in his brief stay. He has obviously been targeting a core group of players with these contracts and the results paint a clear picture into what their future plans may be. I have put below the long term contracts he has signed, including Pedro Alvarez, to see the finanical commitment of the Pirates for the next few seasons.

	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Nate McLouth	2	4.5	6.5	10.65*
Paul Maholm	2	4.5	5.75	9.75*
Ryan Doumit	2.05	3.55	5.1	7.25*	8.25*
Pedro Alvarez	0.4	0.5	0.55	0.7	1.63*
Freddy Sanchez	6.1	8*
Matt Capps	2.3	?	?
Ian Snell	3	4.25	6.75	9.25
Total	$17.85	$25.3	$24.63	$37.6	$9.88

All figures are in millions.
* Indicates a club option

When looking at it it struck me as how similar many of them seem to be. McLouth, Maholm and Doumit all seem to be almost identical contracts. Granted there are some weird options amongst those contracts.

Matt Capps for instance will still have two arbitration years after his deal is done, so it is anyone's guess what he may be making down the line. Doumit's is two years or nothing and Alvarez's contract has stipulations based on his arbitration eligibility in 2013, but you can get a good picture of the near future.

If all the options were to be picked up, we will have a lot of payroll locked up in a handful of guys. On the other hand it is not like the roster, as it is now, will be making all that much by then anyway. The current roster will all be either in arbitration or close to it, so it would not be something that would be leading the league in salary.

One thing is definitely clear from looking at the chart, Huntington feels that it will probably take until 2011, hopefully, for the team to do anything of note on the major league level. After that the window for this group of guys may close really fast.

Judy Johnson

Perhaps one of the best athletes to ever come out of Delaware, William Johnson's father wanted him to become a prize fighter. But as Johnson got older he realized that he liked baseball a lot more than boxing. During World War I, Johnson dropped out of high school and went to work on the docks of shipyards in New Jersey. It was at this time Johnson first started playing professional baseball.

Johnson played on the weekends for a semi pro club, then caught on with a another semi pro team in Atlantic City. It was in Atlantic City he was spotted by the Madison Stars of Philadelphia. The stars were a sort of Negro minor league team of the Hilldale Club of the Negro League. After starring at third base for Madison, Johnson was purchased by Hilldale for $100 for the 1920 season.

While with Hilldale, Johnson acquired the nickname of Judy, based on his resemblance to Chicago American Giants player, Judy Gans. Johnson quickly made a name for himself, as he had the reputation of having a very smooth glove at the hot corner. The quiet spoken Johnson not only stood out in the field but also in the batter's box as one of the best hitting players in the league. Johnson was not one to hit for much power, but was able to compile extremely high batting averages, often leading the league.

Johnson was a player that many in today's game would love to have on their roster. It was not just his great play, but he also was a leader in the clubhouse. He kept many a volatile team together with his leadership abilities. Additionally, he was also a great student of the game, studying everything he could about the competition to get a leg up on them. It helped him greatly in the batter's box and when stealing bases.

Judy established himself as perhaps the best black third baseman in the 1920's, as he helped lead Hilldale to a Negro League World Series win in 1925. He capped off the decade by hitting a reported .401 in 1929, his last season in Hilldale. After the season, economic downturns caused a shift in the Negro leagues and Johnson came to Pittsburgh to be the player-manager of the Homestead Grays. With Homestead, according to legend, Johnson went into the stands looking for a catcher for that night's game and found Josh Gibson in the stands, giving him his start in baseball.

After the 1930 season, Johnson went back to Hilldale, now the Darby Daisies, for two seasons. For the 1933 season, Gus Greenlee was putting together a team of all stars to be the Pittsburgh Crawfords and he lured the clutch hitter back to Pittsburgh.

With the Crawfords, Johnson joined a team that could have rivaled the Murderer's Row Yankee team. A lineup of Johnson, Gibson, Bell, and Charleston was perhaps the most potent offense ever assembled in the Negro Leagues. Johnson helped the Crawfords win multiple pennants and two Negro League Championships. His shining achievement was in the 1935 NLWS, getting a clutch RBI hit to help the Crawfords force a game seven against the New York Cubans.

Johnson would play one more season for the Homestead Grays in 1937, before calling it a career. He would be far from finished with baseball. Johnson used his great baseball mind and skills to work as a scout and coach for the Philadelphia Athletics, becoming the first black coach in the majors. After the A's moved to Kansas City, Johnson became a scout for the Phillies, whom he worked for until 1973. He was elected to the Hall of Fame just two years later.

Johnson stands out from other Negro Leaguers in that he was more a student of the game than a pure natural talent. While he was not doubt talented, he spent a lot of time working hard at being one of the best. His abilities to understand the game on a much different level helped him extend his baseball career past his playing days. Many will always remember when he was dubbed the 'black Pie Traynor' as he was the best at his position for well over a decade.

Cool Papa Bell

The history of baseball in the city of Pittsburgh includes many colorful characters and nicknames. Perhaps no nickname is more familiar than the one of James Bell, Cool Papa.

Born in Mississippi in 1903, Bell broke into professional baseball with the St. Louis Stars in 1922 at the age of 19. He was signed originally as a pitcher for a fee of $90 a month. The southpaw bell featured a great curveball and a knuckleball. Bell's cool and calm demeanor on the mound for a young man, earned him the nickname of "Cool Papa", which would stick with him throughout his career.

It was later in the season, during pre-game race to decided the fastest player in the Negro National League, that it was decided to take full advantage of Bell's tremendous speed. The Stars quickly converted their young pitcher to centerfield. His speed was so great that Satchel Paige related in his autobiography that, "If Cool Papa had known about colleges or if colleges had known about Cool Papa, Jesse Owens would have looked like he was walking."

Tales of Bell's speed are like stories of legend. There are tales of him scoring on sacrifice bunts, that he laid down. Others include him scoring on another player's sacrifice bunt, when he was standing on first. Yet more have him being hit by his own batted ball. Perhaps most famous is a story from Satchel Paige that said that Bell was so fast, that he could flip the light switch and be in bed before the lights went out. It is said that this did happen, though not due to speed, more a problem with the electrical wiring.

After spending 10 seasons in St. Louis and winning 3 NNL title, Bell moved to Detroit in the East West League after the NNL had difficulty in the depression. The East West League had its financial problems prompting Bell to bounce around the Mexican Leagues and the Kansas City Monarchs for the next two seasons.

In 1932 Bell came to Pittsburgh to play for the Homestead Grays. After the '32 season the Grays had financial troubles and Bell, like many of the Grays players, went across town to join Gus Greenlee's Pittsburgh Crawfords to form one of the best baseball teams of all time. Bell's teammates on Crawfords reads like a who's who of Negro League baseball. He played with Satchel Paige, Josh Gibson, Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Ted Paige and Jimmie Crutchfield.

Crawfords and Bell dominated the NNL until 1937 when many of the stars left the States to play for Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo's team. After a season in the Dominican, Bell would go back to the Mexican League, where he played from 1938-41.

In 1942 Bell returned to the States and Pittsburgh by joining the Homestead Grays. Bell, approaching his 40's, was still a solid contributor and helped the Grays win NNL titles in 1942. '43 and '44. He would bounce around a few semi-pro leagues and teams for a few more years, until starting to manage in the late 1940's. It was as a manager that Bell suggested to the then shortstop Jackie Robinson to move the second base, as the almost 50 year old Bell could beat Robinson's throws.

Bell would serve as a mentor to any aspiring Negro Leaguers hoping to get to the big leagues. He helped along the careers of Jackie Robinson, Elston Howard, Ernie Banks, and Monte Irvin. In 1951 the St. Louis Browns offered Bell a contract, but Bell turned it down, as he could not play his best at his old age. He quit playing baseball that year, after playing 29 summers and 21 winters.

He spent the rest of his life as a custodian and night watchman for the City of St. Louis. Bell lived out the rest of his life on his small city pension, social security, and a 'quiet' pension from Major League Baseball. Bell passed away in 1991, months after his wife of 62 years, Clara passed away.

Like a lot of Negro Leaguers, Cool Papa Bell has a rather varied and colorful resume. He played all around the world, trying to make money the best a colored ballplayer of his time could. And play ball he did. Bell played with some of the best to ever step on a baseball diamond and he was one of the best of the group. Many still consider him to be the fastest man to ever play baseball, even with the tall tales of his speed. For more than a handful of seasons, the fastest man to play baseball called Pittsburgh home.

Link to Add to Your Daily Reading

I was reading Chuck Finder's post on the Post Gazette's PBC blog and saw that he had a link to a John Perrotto story. I knew that Perrotto had left the Beaver County Times to work for Nutting's newspapers but I never heard of the site that Finder had referenced Perrotto as being a part of, PiratesReport.com.

After a quick Google search it seems that Pirates Report is a website that takes all of Perrotto's columns that run in the various Nutting newspapers and puts them in one spot. Considering how many smaller local papers the Nuttings own, it makes reading his work much, much easier. It hasn't been up all that long it seems but there is some good stuff as usual from Perrotto on there and it looks like it will only get better as the year progresses.

So add this link to your already long list of recommended Pirate reading.

Pitchers and Catchers

There are perhaps no phrase I look forward to more than hearing Pitchers and Catchers. It is with that, I know that baseball season is upon us all. It is spring training and as they always say hope springs eternal. Unfortunately for Pirate fans that past decade and half plus, there really has not been much hope when the team reports to Bradenton.

I will say that there is some hope this season, but not for the current season. There is a sense amongst some in the rather dwindling fan base, that there is hope in what is being done. There seems to be a plan in place, not talking points about a plan, an actual plan. And that is the reason for hope. Hope that someday, hopefully in the not too distant future, we will have a spring were there is actual hope for that coming season.

Until then we will have to be content with the little pleasures of baseball. The things that many of us like about the sport in the first place. Here is hoping that we have many things to talk about this upcoming season, hopefully more better than worse.

Minor League Stories to Watch For

This past season has seen the Pirates take a new found interest in scouting and finding players for the minor league system. This season will be a fun one to watch to see how some of the players that they have brought in do. Here is a look at some of the more interesting stories to watch.

An early one to watch will be the Andrew McCutchen Watch. Probably from opening day until he finally shows up many will just be asking where McCutchen is. I would say every Pirate fan is eagerly waiting to see what he can do in the Show.

The most high upside position player to come over at last year's trade deadline was Jose Tabata. He had some attitude problems in the Yankees organization, but seemed to flourish with the change of scenery. It will be interesting to see where he starts the year and how he plays this season. He seems to have all of the tools and has youth on his side, will it all come together.

Former first rounder Brad Lincoln will have many eyes on him this season. Last year was a bit of a recovery year for the power throwing Texan, but he showed flashes of why he was a high draft pick. This upcoming season will be one to watch as he should finally be healthy and could finally take off as a prospect.

The youngsters drafted in last year's draft will be making their full season debuts and many will want to know what they can do. The future of the organization is in the hands of guys like Robbie Grossman, Wes Freeman, Jarek Cunningham, and Quinton Miller. It will be fun to see how they can develop and grow.

The Pirates made headlines this offseason by traversing the seven seas looking for talent anywhere. They found some in interesting places like India and South Africa. No one is expecting much yet from Rinku, Dinesh and Gift, but the fact that we have them in our system is something different and exciting.

Finally the man that everyone, and I mean everyone, will be watching is Pedro Alvarez. Put on the major league roster, after getting his new fat big league contract, Alvarez has started to look like a fat ballplayer. The questions about his conditioning are very legitimate, but everything will be forgotten if he starts strong and hits like he is capable of. many will wonder how far he will advance in the system this season, hopefully he advances quickly.

Questions about the Lineup

All week I have been going around the various parts of the Pirate's team for this upcoming season and now I come to the everyday eight men. There are so many questions to be asked about this group it is almost unfathomable.

Ryan Doumit broke out last year, as he was relatively healthy for the first time in years. he showed that when healthy he could be one the better catchers in the National League. He signed a new contract this offseason as well. The questions for him are; can he stay healthy and is he fat and happy with a new contract?

Adam LaRoche will no doubt struggle early on this season. He also is not under contract for next season. The big question for LaRoche is when will he be shipped out of town? The team , who really have not been keen on paying what LaRoche wants to keep him, may look to unload him at the deadline when we all know his value will be high.

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez struggled last year overcoming what was supposed to be a minor shoulder surgery. It affected him greatly and we were subjected to the Luis Rivas experience. Thankfully Rivas is gone and we won't be subjected to him again. When looking at Freddy though, what can we expect from him? he is getting older so there is that worry about his bat, though he did hit well down the stretch last year. Also hovering around him is whether he may also get traded. This team has almost no untouchables.

Jack Wilson. How much longer will he be a Pirate? If history is any indicator, the entire season.

Andy LaRoche came to the Pirates as the type of prospect that they should be taking a chance on. Everyone seemed to think that he had great abilities and some thought he just needed a change of scenery to put it together. Unfortunately it has not yet happened here in Pittsburgh. The question will be can he put it together? If he can't, the cries for playing either Neil Walker or Pedro Alvarez will be deafening.

Starting left fielder Nyjer Morgan. I cannot believe I actually just wrote that phrase. The question here is simple. It has nothing to do with Nyjer, who can be a good bench player or spare part, but how long will Andrew McCutchen need to be ready?

Gold Glove winner Nate McLouth probably had the biggest breakout of anyone on the Pirates team last year. Because of that performance from last year, many are curious if he can do it again. My gut says he will be productive, probably once again one of our better offensive players, but he won't sneak up on anyone this year.

Brandon Moss came over from Boston and like many of our acquisitions struggled. He had some knee surgery this offseason and has said that he is fine and ready to go. I guess the question with Moss is what do we have? He showed some signs of being able to do something, but it seemed to be a hit and miss thing with him. I'd like to see what he can do for a whole season.

So there it is the many, many questions that surround the projected 2009 Pirates. My Magic 8 ball is saying that it a little cloudy now, check back later.

Questions about the Bullpen

Coming into the 2009 season one of the more interesting stories to watch will be who will be in the bullpen for the Bucs? With a strong competition for the starting rotation there might be some surprise bullpen additions, leading to some more competition for the seven spots that will most likely make up the bullpen.

For starters Matt Capps, John Grabow, and Tyler Yates seem to be as close to locks as there can be. With those three solidly in the bullpen that would leave four more spots for the taking.

Among the field of players that could be considered is rather lengthy. You have at least Sean Burnett, TJ Beam, Jesse Chavez, Craig Hansen, Donald Veal, Dave Davidson, Evan Meek and Romulo Sanchez to compete for a spot. Then consider some of the starter contenders of Jimmy Barthmaier, Phil Dumatrait, Jeff Karstens, and Ross Ohlendorf may also be considered. Minor leaguers Jeff Sues and Ron Uviedo, now both on the 40 man, will get longer looks as well in the spring. Then throw in Non Roster Invitees of Denny Bautista, Chris Bootcheck, Jason Davis, Daniel Haigwood, Juan Mateo, Daniel McCutchen, and Brian Slocum. That is 21 men, more than a pitching staff in itself, competing for about four spots.

Barthmaier, Dumatrait and Karstens all seem to be fully entrenched as starters and probably would be best served, if not in Pittsburgh's rotation, at Indianapolis. Ross Ohlendorf may well be a starter as well, but it seems that many scouts feel he might best be suited for the bullpen.

Of the field of relievers, Sean Burnett and Craig Hansen may have a leg up on the competition. Burnett was in Pittsburgh for the majority of last season and is a good lefty out of the pen. Hansen, though horrible in Pittsburgh, has little left to prove in the minors. Add that to the fact that he was a part of the highly publicized Bay trade and it may be sink or swim in the majors for him.

Donald Veal will be given every chance to make it, as he is the Rule Five pick. Early indications make it seem like he might be a project, but I would think the team will take him north, unless it just looks hopeless.

Looking at the remaining relievers of Beam, Chavez, Davidson, Meek and Sanchez, Meek may have the inside track followed by TJ Beam then the rest. Chavez and Sanchez had mixed reviews last year in the bigs and Davidson seems to be a forgotten man. My guess is that Evan Meek will come north, as he seems to have put it together in the winter leagues.

That would give us a bullpen of Capps, Grabow, Yates, Burnett, Hansen, Veal and Meek, but then again what about Ross Ohlendorf. The bullpen does seem to be a bit of a grab bag. That leaves some rather important questions:

Is Donnie Veal capable of major league pitching?
Where will Ross Ohlendorf finally land as a pitcher?
Is Evan Meek ready this season?
Is Craig Hansen a major league reliever?
What do we do when we trade John Grabow?

Questions about the Rotation

Going into last season there was almost no competition for the rotation. It was assured that Matt Morris, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, Ian Snell, and Tom Gorzelanny were going to be the five guys in it. Huntington admitted that was a mistake and realized halfway through last season that the organization needed pitching, and it needed in quantities.

Enter Jeff Karstens, Ross Ohlendorf, and Daniel McCutchen via the New York Yankees. Add in finds from the minor leagues of last year in Phil Dumatrait, Jimmy Barthmaier, and recent acquisition Virgil Vasquez and there is a heck of a lot more competition. Whether that competition makes them better is a different question, but at least there are plenty of options available now.

Looking at the candidates there seem to be few that are now considered entrenched starters. Paul Maholm, coming off a break out year and a new contract, will surely be one of the starters. Ian Snell, despite his struggles last year, will most likely also be a man in the rotation. After that things seems to get murky.

One will want to say that Zach Duke will be another starter, but one may think he may not have as much leeway as he has had in the past. Jeff Karstens, who had that great first start with the club then fell off, seems to be another strong contender to make the rotation. Karstens seems to be a bit of a workhorse if anything else, and could help immensely in eating innings.

The final spot in the rotation is going to be hotly contested. Last year's starter, Tom Gorzelanny, fell apart last season after showing promise in 2007. He went back to the minors and still seemed to struggle. While he was once considered a building block, he is now a huge question mark.

Ross Ohlendorf, the highly touted Princeton grad, also has questions about his stuff. Many seem to think that he may eventually best be suited in the bullpen as he seems to run out of gas, though if memory serves correct, he really didn't have much gas at all in Pittsburgh.

The rest of the candidates all seem to have issues that may make their appearance in the rotation at the beginning of the year a little more unlikely. Phil Dumatrait is coming off surgery from last season and may not be ready to start the year. Daniel McCutchen will need to be added to the roster to open the season in Pittsburgh. Jimmy Barthmaier had a short and unspectacular stint in Pittsburgh last year and really seems best fit to go to Indianapolis. Recent waiver claim Virgil Vasquez is new to the organization and seems to be a wild card in all of it.

What is my best guess for the rotation? I am guessing there won't be any surprises. I think it will be Maholm, Snell, Duke, Karstens, and Ohlendorf. I am also very certain that the rotation will continue to be a revolving door, as it has been for the last few years.

Questions about the rotation:
Is Ross Ohlendorf a starter?
Will the real (Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny, insert other pitcher) stand up?
Will the added depth improve the staff?
Will Paul Maholm continue to grow as a pitcher?
How well will we handle any injuries?

Questions about the Bench

The bench of the Pirates was a topic that was debated quite a bit this past offseason. Mainly there was a vocal portion of the fan base that really, really wanted Doug Mientkiewicz to come back and have the same role this year that he had last year. While the signing of Eric Hinske has eliminated that possibility there are still a great deal of questions about the make up the Pirates' bench this season.

The first question, no doubt, will be who will be Ryan Doumit's back up? The contenders are Robinsion Diaz and Jason Jaramillo. Both guys seem to be made for the job of back up catcher. Both players seem like they may hit a little better than you basic back up catcher, which is important considering Doumit's injury history. Jaramillo may have the defensive edge, as defense and throwing out base runners is his specialty. Diaz has a rather disappointing showing in the winter leagues that may hurt him when camp opens.

After picking one back up catcher the infield picture looks a little clearer. For one, corner infielder/outfielder Eric Hinske will make the team for certain. He will provide some pretty good offense coming off the bench, while being flexible enough to play multiple positions on the diamond for the club. The Pirates' other free agent of note, Ramon Vasquez, will also get a bench spot as he can play most of the positions in the infield as well.

The rest of the bench then seems to look like it will only include players from the infield. Looking at the outfield, perhaps the only back up would be Hinske. The other roster players, Steve Pearce and Jose Tabata, are ticketed for the minors. NRI Craig Monroe would have to be added to the roster, and for that to happen, well, he'd have to not play like Craig Monroe to do it. That would leave Brian Bixler and Luis Cruz as perhaps the last two bench players, but that would give the club a ton of infielders, even if Cruz become a super utility guy.

The elephant in the room is Bixler, as he played poorly while in Pittsburgh last year, but played well in Indy. You have to wonder what more can he do in the minors, it may be now or never for him in the big leagues. The only option to not include Bixler would be to carry three catchers, which makes no sense with the personnel that the Pirates have, or to add a guy to the roster like Craig Monroe, which is not appealing either. I guess then the best bet is Bixler.

The questions surrounding the bench are:

Jaramillo or Diaz?
Where does Brian Bixler stand now?
Will they add a player to the roster, like Craig Monroe?
Will Luis Cruz be turned into a super utility guy?
Will there be too many infielders on the bench?

#1 All-Time Teams - 1909 Pittsburgh Pirates

At the turn of the 20th century the Pirates were without question the most dominate team in baseball. They had won three straight National League pennants and went to one World Series, losing to Boston. By the time the 1909 season came around some of the players from those earlier teams were still looking for that World Championship.

By 1909 both Fred Clarke and Honus Wagner, heroes of the earlier Pirate teams, where both getting long in the tooth. Clarke was still a better than average player, who also managed, and the Dutchman was still one of the best players in the league at the age of 35.

Wagner's doubleplay partner Dots Miller, as well as outfielders Chief Wilson and Tommy Leach, were also excellent role players on the team.

The offense was clearly being carried by Wagner, who if there was such a thing as an MVP award would have won handily. He led the league in batting average (.339), OBP (.420), slugging (.489), OPS (.909), total bases (242), and doubles (39).

While the Dutchman was carrying the way for the offense, the pitching was doing a very fine job all around. This team might has one of the best pitching staffs in modern Pirate history. Led by Hall of Famer Vic Willis, (22 wins, 2.24 ERA), this staff had depth. Howie Camnitz (team leading 25 wins, 1.62 ERA), Lefty Leifield, (19 wins, 2.37 ERA), Nick Maddox (13 wins 2.21 ERA) were all stalwarts in the rotation.

Manager Clarke also had old and tried hands in Deacon Phllippe and Sam Leever, as well as the up and coming Babe Adams (12 wins, 1.11 ERA) to help round out the pitching corps.

Barely even a month into the season, May, 4, 1909, the Pirates took first place in the National League from the Cincinnati Reds and they never looked back as they raced off to 111 wins.

The stage was then set for the Pirates to take on the Detroit Tigers in the World Series. The Tigers and Pirates matched up pretty evenly on paper, as they too had a star player and a very balanced pitching staff.

As good as Honus Wagner had been in the National League, so too had been Ty Cobb. Clearly the World Series was shaping up to be a battle of Cobb vs. Wagner.

The battle between the two titans would not be much a battle, except for the famed attempt by Cobb to spike Wagner on a steal attempt, which seems to be more fiction than fact. Wagner would hit .333 for the series, where as Cobb would only hit .231. Neither player was the star of the series as that would go to Babe Adams.

Adams went 3-0, all complete games, with a 1.33 ERA to effectively seal the fate of the Tigers. His spectacular showing in the series was truly the main reason why the Pirates were able to win their first World Series.

The 1909 Pirate team might be one of the few great Pirate teams to claim that they had great pitching. The team scored the most runs per game of any team in the league, while giving up the second fewest. They had a great deal of balance in their roster, a main reason for their success.

Pirate From the Past: Wilbur Cooper

There is perhaps no lefthander in Pirate history that has had more success than Wilbur Cooper. Forgotten by fans of today, Cooper was at one time the winningest lefthander in all of baseball. The fast working sinker baller pitched for the Bucs from 1912-24 becoming an integral part of the Pittsburgh franchise.

Born in West Virginia and later raised in Ohio, Cooper pitched for a minor league team owned by future President Warren G. Harding. It is rumored that Harding may have tipped the Pirates to the lefty. After success in the minor leagues Cooper was signed by the Pirates at the age of 20 and joined the Pirate pitching staff in 1912. He would win 3 games that season and 5 the next pitching mainly in relief. In 1914 Cooper would become a starter and win 15 games for the club, but took a step backward the next year winning only 5 games.

In 1916 he would appear in over 40 games and have an ERA of 1.87. The following season he would begin a run of seasons that are almost unmatched in Pirate history. From 1917 to 1924 he would win no less than 17 games each season, topping out with 24 wins in 1920. In those 8 seasons Cooper would win 161 games total for the Buccos. 1921 may have been his best season as he lead the league in wins, 22, and in innings.

Cooper's skills on the mound were very well rounded. He was well known to be an excellent fielder and had a great pick off move to third base, yes third base. In a move similar to a right hander going to first, Cooper would wheel and fire a side armed strike to Pie Traynor at third, picking off more than his share of runners at the hot corner. It was also well known that Cooper and catcher Walter Schmidt were on the same page so often that Schmidt would give Cooper the sign for the pitch during his windup.

In addition to his great pitching skills, Cooper was also great at the plate. He sometimes batted 8th in the lineup. In 1922 he hit four home runs and in 1924 he hit .346.

After the 1924 season Cooper was traded along with Charlie Grimm and Rabbit Maranville to the Chicago Cubs for Vic Aldridge, George Grantham, and Al Niehaus. It was an unpopular trade at the time, but Aldridge and Niehaus were cornerstones of the 1925 and '27 World Series teams. Cooper was disappointed about being traded from Pittsburgh and lasted only 2 more seasons in the majors, winning only 14 games over two years for the Cubs and Tigers.

Cooper appears near the top of the Pirates leader board in most pitching categories. He is still the franchise all-time leader in wins with 202. While Cooper never appeared in the playoffs or won any kind of championship, he was a winner and some might say a borderline Hall of Fame candidate. No matter his standing in the greats of the game, he is surely one of the Pirates' best pitchers.

Career Stats:

Years	W	L	G	GS	CG	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	ERA
1912-26	216	178	517	408	279	3480	3415	1406	1119	103	853	1252	2.89

Honoring Fred Clarke

Some blogs have had a fun time with the Pirates' idea of letting fans pick the final bobblehead of the season. In Dejan's blog on the Post-Gazette, he fully supported the idea of making the final bobblehead a Honus Wagner version. I must say I would fully support that one.

I also have an alternative recommendation; Fred Clarke. Clarke is one of the most important Pirates in the history of the franchise. A great player and manager, Clarke, along with Wagner, formed the strong base for the Pirates' dynasty of the early 1900's. But if one were to go to PNC Park you would never see much, if anything, about Fred Clarke.

I think with this year the 100th anniversary of the first World Series champion Pirates, Fred Clarke deserves some mentioning. In addition to Wagner, I would also suggest voting for Fred Clarke as well.

In going beyond the novelty of a bobblehead, I believe the time has come, especially with the 100th anniversary, to fully honor Clake by putting his name along side the retired numbers of the Pirates past. The San Francisco Giants have honored John McGraw and Christy Matthewson in similar fashion. A plaque on the facade of the upper deck with his name would be a great way to honor Clarke.

It is almost a crime that Clarke is not honored. The numbers speak for themselves. He leads all Pirate managers in wins (1422), games managed (2427), and pennants (4). If the World Series had existed through his managerial career, he may have more World Series titles than Danny Murtaugh. As if his managerial career was not enough, he also was a solid ballplayer. He played excellent defense and at times was as good at the plate as Wagner.

I call on the Pirates to in some way honor Clarke this year. Whether it be with a bobblehead or some promotion around the Tigers series, it is a shame that he has not been honored yet by the club. For me I would much rather like to see his name alongside Wagner, than to have a bobblehead.