Minor League In Review: Altoona

The club in Altoona was perhaps the most talented team that they have seen in their history. In 2005 the team had a lot of talent, but this Altoona team was loaded with pitching talent that carried them through the season. They had just enough, hitting but the pitching was the real story with this team.

Every night you would see a legitamate prospect pitch. Justin Wilson, Rudy Owens, Bryan Morris, Jeff Locke, Tony Watson and on and on. 

Most Improved Player: Justin Wilson - There was perhaps no player that seemed to improve more on the club than Justin Wilson. He was sort of a prospect, but this past season he established himself as quite the bulldog on the Curve team. He was invalulable down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Least Improved Player: Tim Alderson - Many did not see this one happening as Alderson, who started out well, seemed to just fall apart as the season went on. He pitched so poorly that the club sent him down to High A in Bradenton to try to get straightened out.

Biggest Surprise: Alex Presley - He is perhaps the biggest surprise in the entire system. If you would have told me to even attempt to pick a guy that would surprise and make the big league roster at the end of the season, I would have never, ever, guessed Presley. Talk about coming out of nowhere. He has jumped from fringe prospect, that is even being gracious, to fringe major leaguer. That is a huge surprise.

Biggest Disappointment: Jeff Sues - There was a lot not to like in the fact that Moskos returned to Altoona or Alderson fell apart, but the fact that Jeff Sues seemed to just stop trying was the biggest disappointment. It is disappointing not in the fact that the club was depending on him, but the fact that he left the organization in the way that he did.

One to watch: Andrew Lambo - We only got a brief glimpse of him after the trade, but everything looked pretty promising. He performed well down the stretch and in the playoffs for the Curve. With the young power prospect headed to the Arizona Fall League, he will definitely be one on everyone's radar.

One to worry: Gorkys Hernandez - Sure many look and see that he started to turn it on down the stretch, until an injury happened, but this is Gorky's 3rd go round in AA. He should have had it turned on early in the season, but he did not. 

Best Pitcher: Rudy Owens - He was the top pitcher in the organization and unreal for Altoona. I would not have thought that he would have had this little trouble getting adjusted to AA ball, but he showed he was ready for it and more. It took Owens awhile, but he has turned into a pretty special prospect.

Best Hitter: Matt Hague - If Alex Presley had stayed the whole season, it would be him, but it goes to Hague. He led in RBI with 86, hit .295 and had one less walk than strikeout, 61-62. That is amazing. He produced in great numbers and looks like a guy that we need to take a little more seriously. Granted he is older, but has been promoted aggressively, with another strong season, or half, he could be looking at a call up.

Top Five Prospects:

1. Bryan Morris

2. Rudy Owens

3. Andrew Lambo

4. Justin Wilson

5. Jeff Locke

Minor League in Review: Bradenton Mauraders

In the first season of the team's affliation with the big league club, the Mauraders made the playoffs and had a nice crop of prospects on the team that they did it with. There could have been more seasons that the team could hand their hats on but injuries stunted some of that.

Most Improved Player: Robbie Grossman - At the beginning of the season, Grossman was looking like a big disappointment. As the season wore on, he developed much more as a hitter. While you would like to see more contact and power, he is still very young, just turned 21 and at high A. There is still a pretty bright future ahead for him and if he builds on what he did to end this season, it could look better quickly.

Least Improved Player: Aaron Pribanic - This year would have been a great year to see him take a step forward. He posted a good record, but his other stats like his strikeout rate stayed the same as the year before. For a guy that is a little older for the level, you really don't want to see that.

Biggest Surprise: Eric Fryer - Fryer played a couple of positions for the Mauraders, but had a rather solid year behind the plate. When the Pirates acquired him, they seemed to like his bat and how it played, it was just a question of where he'd play. That still is a question, but he really came around with his bat.

Biggest Disappointment: Injuries to players - I don't know if there was one player to be disappointed in but really there were disappointments in the fact that many players missed substantial part of their time due to injury. Players like Tony Sanchez, Starling Marte, Brock Holt and others were very much affected by this.

One to watch: Diego Moreno - He continues to put great strike out numbers on the mound. If only he can get his act together professionally, as he was suspended this season, we could have another young power arm.

One to worry: Calvin Anderson - The hulking first baseman put up some good power numbers, but the strikeouts are off the charts with him. If that does not change, then he looks like another hard hitting prospect that won't make it.

Best Pitcher: Nate Adcock - Adcock was in Bradenton all season and put up excellent numbers. Jeff Locke would get consideration here, if not for his promotion. Adock had a ton of strikeouts and few walks, becoming a steady ace on the team.

Best Hitter: Quincy Latimore - It seems like Mickey White might have drafted Latimore he has been around so long. Latimore was the most productive hitter in the lineup, leading in home runs and RBI for the club. Who knows what Latimore will do at AA, as he struggled with the K's greatly at this level and with his age, I would bet it might not improve.

Top Five Prospects:
1. Tony Sanchez
2. Starling Marte
3. Diego Moreno
4. Robbie Grossman
5. Nate Adcock

Look Back on Pre-Season Predictions

Let's take a look back to a few predictions that I had made prior to the season. Looks like when I am optimistic, I am overly so, but seem to be pessimisticly correct, when I want to be.

Five Players to Be Hopeful For

1. Lastings Milledge - Still hopeful, but not as hopeful as once was.

2. Bobby Crosby - I should have said hopeful that he would get traded/released as soon as possible.

3. Charlie Morton - Hopeful he could still throw a baseball after the season.

4. Evan Meek - On the money here. Meek, the All-Star, was solid all season in the bullpen.

5. Pedro Alvarez - He provides hope all the time, even with all the strikeouts.

Five Players to Be Concerned About

1. Jeff Clement - I still cannot believe that he was handed the starting job. Thankfully it was taken away in short order.

2. Zach Duke - With him about ready to be DFA'd this off-season, there was plenty of reason to be concerned.

3. Ronny Cedeno - For most of the season, it looked like he could be concern, but at some point he turned into a little more of a valulable player. He is not totally out of the woods yet, but looks like a slightly better ballplayer.

4. Brendan Donnelly - I had concerns about age and effectiveness and well those turned out to be true.

5. Garrett Jones - The team thinks he is a platoon player. His numbers seem to show that, but still good to have around.

Five Stories to Watch

1. Callups from Indy - Of course this was a nice stretch in May/June when these guys all came up.

2. Growth of the Team - The younger guys got a lot of playing time, but did the team grow? That remains to be seen.

3. Payroll - I had no idea that this would turn into a national story with the release of internal financial documents.

4. The Draft - I had written that the Bucs should take the best player and they did that, twice actually. The draft was a shining moment during the season.

5. The Steak - With the team falling off a cliff, it is not so much the streak but 100+ losses.

Five Predictions

1. The team will be better than many think. I had predicted 72 wins, that was entirely too optimistic.

2. Akinora Iwamura will resign with the Pirates. Again rosey colored glasses. Signing him longer term would have been a disaster.

3. Lastings Milledge will make people remember why he was such a highly thought of prospect. Still waiting for this to happen.

4. If available, the Pirates will take Bryce Harper. They never had a chance, but still nabbed the best guy on the board that remained.

5. Meaningful or at least somewhat meaningful baseball will be played after July in Pittsburgh. Hopefully this will happen next year.

Minor League Review: West Virginia

West Virginia may have been the team with the least amount of prospects on it in the Pirate system. There is a mix of draft picks from the past two seasons, a few Latin players making jumps to full season North American ball, and guys that have been in the system for a few years.

All that mix made for an interesting team though. There were a few hitters to pay attention to Aaron Baker, Jarek Cunningham, Rogelios Noris, and Evan Chambers. The pitching had a mismash of players, which could have had better depth, if not for injuries. 

Most Improved Player: Kyle McPherson - A 2007 draft pick McPherson has not moved all that much since being drafted. He seemed to be stuck in that organizational depth mode. While it is better late than never, McPherson has now jumped to fringe prospect territory. His strikeout numbers jumped considerably in what is perhaps his best professional season.

Least Improved Player: Wes Freeman - Drafted in 2008, Freeman has not done a whole lot in his professional career. This season he started in WV, but was later demoted to Bradenton. Freeman batted .155 in 84 at bats with the Power while striking out 44 times. He really looked over matched.

Biggest Surprise Player: Kyle McPherson - He took advantage of the injuries and made himself into one of the staff's better pitchers.

Disapointing Player: Jesus Brito - Coming over from the Indians in the first Brian Bixler trade, Brito looked like he could be a diamond in the rough. He was a little older, but had a good year last year. The hope was that we might have a hidden gem, but Brito has not progressed at all, if anything he has regressed from his what now looks like a fluke in performance.

One to Watch: Evan Chambers - Chambers may be the most selective hitter in the organization. He drew 92 walks, but only batted .239. If he can expand his zone a bit, we would see the average go up and perhaps his power grow as well, he did hit 12 home runs. His being selective is a good thing, refreshing even, as so many of his teammates were swing and miss types.

One to Worry: Jarek Cunningham - Granted he was coming back from injury this season, and personally I am not all that worried about him, but he did strikeout a ton and did not draw a bunch of walks. That is causing for some alarm.

Best Pitcher: Philip Irwin - The Ole Miss product had an excellent season for the Power. He had 111 strikeouts and only 20 walks, with holding the competition to a .235 batting average. Irwin might have had one of the quieter seasons in the entire organization.

Best Hitter: Aaron Baker - It is close between Baker and Evan Chambers, but Baker led the team in home runs and in RBI, as well as having more hits than Chambers. Next season could be a big breakout for him.

Top 5 Prospects:
1. Evan Chambers
2. Jarek Cunnigham
3. Quinton Miller
4. Aaron Baker
5. Jason Erickson

Streaking

Just a few numbers here to chew over after tonight's game against the Cardinals. The first number is 2, as in Charlie Morton's second win of the season. Yes it is hard to believe, but the guy that many thought would take up the slack and be more a factor in the starting rotation, has finally gotten his second win, and well it is only the end of September.

The next number is 6 in that Morton lasted six strong innings. He looked as sharp as we have seen in some time. It is a start like this that makes you remember what you may have thought we might have with him.

12, as the twelfth home run by Pedro Alvarez. We are just getting a glimpse of what this young man can do to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Perhaps with all of this time in this season, he may make adjustments for next season that will help him become an even more productive middle of the lineup guy.

The final number is 5 as in a five game winning streak. The Bucs have not done that in over a year. I have nothing more to add.

2011 Starting Rotation

Looking at how bad the rotation has been this season, it makes one almost shudder at what could happen with the team's rotation next year. It surely won't strike fear into the hearts of the National League central, but could it be better than this year's version? Well it wold be hard for any rotation to be worse than this one, so we will have to see what the future may bring. In trying to guess though the rotation may fill out like this:

Paul Maholm - He is owed a good bit of money and unless they find a team that may take all of his salary, Paul Maholm is going to stay a Pirate. The team will obviously hope that he pitches better or at least more readily pitches well in 2011.

James McDonald - The work that this young righty has done in such a short amount of time is admirable. He has been the best pitcher in the rotation consistently since coming over in a trade and it is more than a forgone conclusion that he will get another shot next season.

Ross Ohlendorf - After McDonald, it is Ohlendorf that has been the most consistent pitcher on the staff. He has pitched better than his record suggests, but don't expect him to be an ace. He is a solid major league start able to help hold down the rotation.

Brad Lincoln - His debut this season did not go all that well, but one would think that he might get another shot out of the gate next season. Being that Lincoln was the top pitching prospect, you would think that he would get a good look in the spring.

Fifth Starter - Who knows? There are a ton of options from Jeff Karstens to Charlie Morton to Daniel McCutchen. I highly doubt Rudy Owens or Bryan Morris would get a start in Pittsburgh. The team also probably won't be spending a ton of money to bring in competition, like a Cliff Lee. There might be some competition out there  for the spring, but I am willing to bet that the season opens with Karstens or Morton.

Without the infusing of additional talent on the big league roster, the team is hoping that they get great performances out of the guys already here. One could envision some improvement at the pitching level, but not a whole lot, as the rotation is made up of guys that have been here for some time. The might be a slight improvement, but the team may need more than slight improvement to get better. An infusion of talent might be what they need.

Minor League in Review: State College

Since the Spikes have become a Pirates affiliate, there has not been a ton of success on the field. Most of the teams in the past did not have all that much talent on their rosters. This season, despite the sub .500 record this Spikes team might have had the most talent of any team in their brief partnership.

The pitching staff was full of prospects from Zach Von Rosbenberg, Colton Cain, Trent Stevenson, Brooks Pounders, Mitchell Fienemann and Zack Dodson. Draft picks from this year of Tyler Waldron and Kevin Decker also made impacts.

The lineup included mainy players from this season's draft in Mel Rojas Jr., Adalberto Santos, Matthew Curry, Kelson Brown, Matt Skriving, and Andrew Maggi.

The talent in State College surely tilted towards the pitching mound. There was a couple of million dollars sitting in the bullpen at one time, the lineup did not have that much in terms of talent, but there were some intriguing performances there as well.

The pitching was the story of the team and what may get setup in West Virginia next season, might be extremely special in that rotation there with Taillon and Allie.

Most Improved Player: Zack Von Rosenberg - It is hard to find a guy that could be labeled the most improved in this level. Many of these players did not play last season, so there is no room for improvement. Von Roseberg though got off to a slow start this season and turned it on as the season went on.

Least Improved Player: Walker Gourley - Gourley played a little last season in Bradenton, but did not build on what he did last season. He struggled a good bit on the basepaths and at the plate. He did not do much to ubild on his limited professional experience.

Biggest Surprise: Tyler Waldron - Coming out of college, Waldron was definitely a guy that one could see going many different ways. He had some ups and downs in his career and was on a downward slide this season, until he turned pro.

Biggest Disappointment: Mel Rojas Jr. - It is really hard to label a guy that has just appeared in his first professional season a disappointment, but Rojas fits that bill if only because you expected more from a high draft pick. In a draft filled with pitching, Rojas stands out as the only position talent in the top 10 picks. After signing, he did not do much to make you think that he deserved that high of a pick.

One to watch: Matthew Curry - In Greg Smith's tenure, the Bucs have seemingly found a knack for getting college hitters with power potential. From Calvin Anderson to Matt Hague to Aaron Baker. Curry might be the next in that mold of player as he slugged 7 home runs.

One to worry: Walker Gourley - Struggles all over the place. It is early, but you'd like to see something to hand your hat on.

Best Pitcher: Zack Von Rosenberg - It was close with Waldron, but Von Rosenberg had a slightly better season, despite that 1-6 record.

Best Hitter: Adalberto Santos - Santos quietly had one of the stronger seasons in the Pirate system. The smaller outfielder did plenty of things well to make one think that he might be more than an organizational guy. It will be interesting to see what happens with a challenge next season.

Top Five Prospects:
1. Zack Von Rosenberg
2. Colton Cain
3. Brooks Pounders
4. Mitch Fienemann
5. Matt Curry

Fourth Inning

I did not get a chance to watch much of the Pirate game tonight, but the little that I did catch was more than enough. Of course I turned on the game, not to see the Pirates' half of the fourth, where they scored 4 runs. No I tuned in just to see the bottom of the 4th, an inning which will live in infamy.

Seven runs were scored in the inning, three of them with out the ball leaving the infield. A strong play by Pedro Alvarez is missed by Chris Snyder and then a Ronny Cedeno boot led to the runs and Paul Maholm exiting the ball game.

The inning was not atypical of this team, no it is more the norm for what has happened this season. For every step forward, Alvarez making a strong play to throw out the runner, a step backward seems to be made, Chris Snyder missing the throw. It seems as though the team is constantly stuck in neutral anymore.

Unfortunately the season will continue to move along, with the Pirates' season spiraling out of control there is not much to do but hold on for the ride. It will definitely be a wild one.

Is Ryan Doumit Playing Too Much?

Got to thinking recently if Ryan Doumit might be playing behind the plate too much. Then I got to thinking if he might be playing too much in general. He just might be playing a little too much.

Since he came back from an injury and Chris Snyder was a Pirate, you know when Doumit was surprised at the move, he has appeared in 30 games, 14 of which he had donned the tools of ignorance. That seems to be a pretty high number for a guy that was not to be getting a lot of time behind the plate. If Snyder was to get the majority of the time, well he is, but no by all that much.

The fact that we are still trotting out Doumit that much behind that plate continues to give the team the problems that he had given them for much of the season. Poor defense behind the plate. Why bring in a defensive guy like Snyder, if we are just going to continue to trot out a sub par defensive player almost as much?

What of in the field? Doumit has not embarrassed himself out there in right, at least not yet, but there have been some miscue and pains. I think it would be safe to say that he is not an average right fielder, defensively. So he is hurting the team out there, though in a hidden way. He mainly is hurting the team on range and other factors that don't appear to the naked eye.

What of his hitting? Has moving to the outfield really helped in making him more productive? No not really. Granted it is a small sample size, only 14 games, but Doumit is batting a .212/.327/.269 slash line while playing right field. His season slash line of .255/.332/.414 is much, much better than that. Granted sample sizes are small when looking at his right field work, but there does not seem to be any dramatic improvement in his batting. If anything, given the benefit of the doubt, he is not going to be significantly better, but really about the same offensively as an outfielder.

Should Doumit be playing as much as he is, seemingly a fixture in the lineup? Probably not. We probably should be treated to a buffet of Jon Bowker, Lastings Milledge, Alex Presley, and Brandon Moss as opposed to the Doumit monopoly that we have now.

Good Ole Days

Tonight while watching the game, I started to think to myself about the good ol' days when the Bucs and Mets were in the same division. I associate the Pirates and Mets very closely for some reason. Perhaps it is my early memories of seeing the Mets at Three Rivers, but to the Pirates and Mets need to be in the same division. Same as the Phillies as well, and even if they are no longer the Expos, the Nationals.

I hate playing Houston and I hate playing Milwaukee. There is no feeling there. None whatsoever for me. Sure I hate the Brewers, but I think most baseball fans outside of that city have a dislike for them, so it is nothing special. Special is the hatred for the Phils and Mets, that to me is special.

I digress though as I was ruminating over the past, I caught myself watching the 10th frame of the ball game tonight. Andrew McCutchen, perhaps the fastest runner in the National League, lead off with a double. Jose Tabata, one of the hotter hitting Pirates, is at the plate. Looks to me like a real RBI situation. That is until Tabata lays down a bunt and McCutchen get thrown out.

I don't know who called for this bunt, but it was perhaps the most brain dead move this entire season. That is saying a lot. I am not a fan of bunting, as I don't quite understand the giving up an out to move a runner. In this situation, bunting, is the last thing that should be on anyone's mind.

I don't know if Russell called for this or Tabata did it on his own, but it was crazy. McCutchen does not need to be bunted over. He can score easily from there on second base. I would not even think to bunt him over from first, as again, he could probably score from there. The bunt make absolutely no sense whatsoever. It is so ridiculous that I cannot even begin to fully describe, nor comprehend it.

Exhausting physically and mentally sometimes.

Seeing Red

I can't think of a set of games could further illustrate the frustrations of being a Pirate fan than this past weekend's set in Cincinnati. There was plenty to be pleased with, but at the same time there were the typical frustrations, as well as losses, that made it feel like the same old story.

On Friday the team pulls back against the Red's closer, only to lose on a play at the plate in extra innings. On Saturday, in extras again, Joey Votto took Justin Thomas deep. Then today Andrew McCutchen steps up to the plate and drives in three on a double off Cordero in the ninth.

The series featured good pitching from the Pirates starters, which is surprising no matter who is pitching, let along Duke, Morton, and Burres. The young Bucs all had important roles in scoring runs, from McCutchen on down in the order to Alvarez. Add to it that they were doing this against the division leading Reds, then there was a lot to like, even if they lost 2 of 3.

It might be hard to say that there are good losses, but this weekend might have been good losses. They were hard luck losses, but losses that showed the team that they can comeback and play with a good team. They proved on Sunday that they were able to win the game, so it provides a good feeling leaving the series.

The win gave the Bucs their 15th on the road this season. Yes 15 wins on the road. It almost seems unfathomable that they have only won that many. I don't know what the secret to winning on the road might be, but it might behoove the club to try to crack that riddle.

Minor League Playoffs

With the Bucs off, the only baseball action in the system was in the minor leagues. Both the Bradenton Marauders and the Altoona Curve had games on the day.

The club in Bradenton lost its game and ended it inaugural season, with a 2-1 loss to Port Charlotte. The Marauders had a really successful first season and it is always a good thing to see a team make the playoffs. With the Marauders, it would have been nicer to see the team last a litle longer. It is definitely a good experience for players like Starling Marte to get more at bats.

A little farther north the Altoona Curve battled to even their series with the Harrisburg Senators with a 6-4 win. The win came a day after Rudy Owens had one of his worst starts of the season. Andrew Lambo went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI to pace the Curve. Danny Moskos picked up the save.

The Curve have plenty of players that any Pirate fan would like to see get plenty of more work. There are plenty of guys on the pitching staff that the extra innings would do them good. In the lineup, a guy like Andrew Lambo, would benefit greatly from the extra at bats.

While there is plenty to watch from a development perspective in Pittsburgh, there is some bonus time happening in the minor leagues. Altoona will probably be playing into next week, with a shot for the Eastern League championship. If they play for it, this group will have played for the championship at two straight levels, we can only hope that they bring that luck to Pittsburgh.

Juggling the Numbers

Tonight was the first night that John Russell had at his disposal, perhaps the largest active roster in the majors, 35 players on the bench and in the bullpen. Fortunately Russell did not use many of the new enlistments, and instead went with his standard lineup in the Pirates 5-0 win tonight.

In the game James McDonald looked terrific. I would love to see this James McDonald a lot more than the mediocre one. He was working both his fastball and curve well and his good pitching led to the defense being able to make good plays behind him. The offense as a whole played well putting five runs on the board, capped by Ronny Cedeno's triple.

The story might be that McDonald had another great game, but to me it is the question of whether Russell will continue to manage the lineup like this down the stretch. Sure some may want to see what Brandon Moss can do or what Alex Presley is all about, but really this last month is more about ensuring that the young players play.

Players like Tabata, Walker, and Alvarez have never played this much highly competitive baseball before this season. They need to keep on playing if they are to improve. They need to play through the dog days of the season to know what a grind it is on them.

Sure I'd like to see what Brandon Moss could do in another go round, but I have a feeling that it is going to be rather similar to what we have already seen. I'd much rather see what John Bowker could do or see what we continue to get from Lastings Milledge or Ryan Doumit. 

If anything the callups show to us fans that the team has many, many players that are going to factor into the 40 man decisions this offseason. I don't know if there will be a busier GM than Neal Huntington in trying to nail down what his 40 might be. There are plenty of players, Starling Marte and Rudy Owens jump to mind, that will need to get added to the 40 man. Then there are plenty of players on it currently.

Whle many may want to see everything that they can with these guys, I'd say I'd much rather see the current lineup out there. These are going to be your horses, let them run.

Back Again

I had not been able to post a whole lot this past week, as I was taking a trip out west. Without a free internet service in our swank, I use that term very loosely, Vegas hotel, I was unable to run anything. Since I am just getting back, I am not all up to speed on what has transpired the past week or so.

I do know that the team won on Friday, a Zach Duke start, as I put money down on them to win. As for the rest of the weekend, it seemed like your typical disasters the rest of the weekend.

I was able to catch the game today and was shocked to think that the club would ever need to turn to Brian Burres to stop a steak. Stop the streak he did as he was strong on the mound and got some help from Neil Walker, who is turning into one hot hitter.

Seeing Walker this season has really been a big surprise. I have always been a Walker supporter and have hoped that he would succeed at the big league level, but would never have anticipated seeing him do what he has done thus far this season. He is probably the best story of the season for the Pirates, as many did not expect much of anything from him at all, let alone what he has done.