Clint Hurdle's Influence

The Pirates are rumored to have interest in Aaron Cook. I wrote about that and more earlier today, so be sure to check that post out.

What I want to talk about now is a trend that I have picked up on, and I'm sure most of you have as well.

Pirates management seems to like trying to solve their player needs by getting players that have at some point in time played for the Rockies. Obviously the big signing last week was Clint Barmes, who spent most of his career in the Rockies and was part of the 2007 team that Hurdle took to the World Series. Other than Barmes, Michael McKenry, a former Rockie farmhand, was signed by the Pirates last summer to provide catching depth, and much of the same came with the signing of Matt Pagnozzi. Also, the Pirates gave Garrett Atkins a chance last year by signing him and watching him in spring training.

The Pirates were also heavily interested in Jeff Francis last year, and could try to get him again this year, along with the aforementioned Cook.

So that's six names, and Hurdle has only been here for a year now, and the trend seems to be growing.

I don't understand it. It's not like the Pirates don't have a ton of scouts out checking on every team all over the map. They don't need Hurdle's inside information on players just because they were in the system when he worked there. Information for every player is available to anyone who wants it, basically.

And it's not like any of these players helped the Pirates out. They didn't know something that everyone else didn't, because McKenry, Atkins, and Pagnozzi never did anything (except that one home run from McKenry which got everyone thinking he was an all-star).

It's possible that the Pirates are using Hurdle as bait for players. Maybe they just can't get the players they want, but they have an advantage over teams with former Rockies because they like Hurdle, who knows. Either way you look at it, it's not helping the team. The Pirates have been picking up the Rockies garbage and trying to make something out of it for a year now, and it hasn't helped us at all yet.

Barmes could be an exception, and it was kind of impressive that the Pirates got him to agree to sign so quickly (although that was probably more because of the fact that they were willing to overpay him, but it could have had something to do with Hurdle). It will be interesting to see what happens with Cook and Francis this offseason and to look beyond that to see if the Pirates chase after any other former Rockies or even some Rangers that were on the team when Hurdle was coaching for them.