Andrew Lambo's Tough 2011

Last summer, the Pittsburgh Pirates made a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers that brought in James McDonald while sending away Octavio Dotel. While McDonald was a huge piece in that deal, he wasn't the only piece. Andrew Lambo also came over in the trade, which made it even more exciting.

Lambo was a former top prospect with power potential. He had struggled for a few years in the minors and even got in some drug trouble, which the Dodgers weren't putting up with. The Pirates figured they'd give him a chance, as they often do with struggling former top prospects. Because of his potential, Lambo was one of the biggest prospects to watch this season. Unfortunately, he has been incredibly disappointing thus far.

The 6'3'', 210 pound first baseman started the year in AAA after hitting .275/.353/.352 in his 26 games with AA Altoona in 2010. In 60 games in Indy, Lambo hit a dismal .184/.257/.292 with just 3 home runs while striking out 48 times and drawing only 17 walks before being demoted back to AA. Since then, he has played 36 games and has hit .241/.311/.383 with 3 more dingers and 30 strikeouts to only 14 walks. His season totals now sit at .208/.280/.330 with 6 home runs, 78 strikeouts and 31 walks. That's not at all what you're looking for in anybody, especially one of your biggest power prospects.

It doesn't look like Lambo is going to be a factor down the road for the Pirates. The organization won't give up on him quite yet however, and crazier things have happened. Keep an eye on Lambo and see if he starts to turn a corner here as the minor league season draw to an end. At the end of the day, it was a low-risk just losing Dotel, who was a free agent at the end of the season anyway, and the move stay a positive as James McDonald continues to impress at the big league level.