Two Thousand and Eleven. What a year.
These past 365 days have been quite a roller coaster ride. Personally, I would probably say that this year has the best year of my young life. I turned 21, I got through two more semesters of college, I actually worked somewhat hard to accomplish something in the sport of tennis (the President's Athletic Conference tennis scene is quite a doozy), I saw my blog following more than quadruple in size, I had an incredible experience doing Pirates talk for TribLIVE Radio, I met a ton of new people, and I almost went the whole year without writing a horrible sentence where I use the word "I" ten times, as I just did now.
While I can honestly sit here and say that the Pittsburgh Pirates aren't the biggest part of my life, they certainly played a huge part in the last 12 months of my life.
What Can We Expect From Neil Walker?
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One of the best Pittsburgh Pirates stories in the last few years has been the story of Neil Walker. A former first round pick, Walker struggled mightily in the minor leagues and had a lot of fans convinced that he would never be a good enough player to make it to the show. After a rough 2008 season where he hit .242/.280/.414 in AAA, he had this blogger believing he would never help the major league team.
However, in 2009, Walker had a big year in Indianapolis and earned a very short call-up in September. He continued to hit well in AAA during the 2010 season and was called up to the big leagues again, this time for good. In 110 games for the Pirates, he hit .296/.349/.462 with 12 home runs. He followed that season up with a .273/.344/.408 line with 12 more home runs in 159 games in 2011.
However, in 2009, Walker had a big year in Indianapolis and earned a very short call-up in September. He continued to hit well in AAA during the 2010 season and was called up to the big leagues again, this time for good. In 110 games for the Pirates, he hit .296/.349/.462 with 12 home runs. He followed that season up with a .273/.344/.408 line with 12 more home runs in 159 games in 2011.
The Platoon of Garrett Jones & Casey McGehee
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With every passing day, the Pirates get closer to starting their 2012 season with Garrett Jones and Casey McGehee as their starting first basemen. All offseason there was speculation that the Pirates could try and upgrade at the position, but it's becoming very clear to me that they are not going to do that.
It's becoming clear because the Pirates still have some money to spend this offseason, but Dejan Kovacevic points out that the Pirates will most likely spend that on starting pitching (if they spend it at all). Sadly, I think it about time to start thinking about a Pittsburgh Pirates team with Jones and McGehee as their starting first base platoon.
Garrett Jones is a left-handed batter who, like most all left-handers, hits right-handed pitching much better than left-handed pitching. Casey McGehee is the opposite of all that. That said, let's assume that the Pirates will start Jones against right handers and McGehee against left handers. That may not be true, but for now we'll just assume it is.
Garrett Jones vs. Right Handed Pitching
Casey McGehee vs. Left Handed Pitching
You can see from that McGehee isn't your prototypical major league hitter. He has actually hit better in his career against right-handed pitchers, which doesn't make much sense. That is because of his extremely peculiar 2011 season where he hit .169/.228/.185 against lefties and .239/.295/.393 against righties. It was really just a horrible season for McGehee, so you can't read into his career line and assume he's going to be better against righties again this year.
Playing in the National League Central, an everyday starter will face a right-handed pitcher in about 75% of his at-bats. That means that if the Pirates do such a platoon with Jones and McGehee, Jones will be starting around 75% of the time. Do some math, and with a full season of those too platooning at that rate, you would have a first baseman that will hit something like .268/.339/.452 over a 162-game season. Let's compare that first baseman (we'll call him McJonesee) to one of the three guys that are still on the market that the Pirates could sign. We'll use each of those players Bill James prediction for 2012 to compare with.
Looking at that, you can see that a Jones-McGehee platoon sizes up pretty well do other first baseman they would give much more money to. So heck, maybe I have been wrong this whole time about the Pirates needing to sign a free agent first baseman, maybe Jones and McGehee will be alright.
For now, if the Pirates are going to sign another player this offseason, I think they are right in making starting pitching their first priority.
It's becoming clear because the Pirates still have some money to spend this offseason, but Dejan Kovacevic points out that the Pirates will most likely spend that on starting pitching (if they spend it at all). Sadly, I think it about time to start thinking about a Pittsburgh Pirates team with Jones and McGehee as their starting first base platoon.
Garrett Jones is a left-handed batter who, like most all left-handers, hits right-handed pitching much better than left-handed pitching. Casey McGehee is the opposite of all that. That said, let's assume that the Pirates will start Jones against right handers and McGehee against left handers. That may not be true, but for now we'll just assume it is.
| YR | G | AB | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2007 | 29 | 64 | 2 | .234 | .296 | .375 |
| 2009 | 76 | 213 | 15 | .333 | .426 | .620 |
| 2010 | 137 | 378 | 15 | .262 | .330 | .444 |
| 2011 | 139 | 355 | 14 | .262 | .346 | .462 |
| career | 381 | 1010 | 46 | .275 | .354 | .483 |
| YR | G | AB | HR | AVG | OBP | SLG |
| 2008 | 5 | 8 | 0 | .125 | .125 | .250 |
| 2009 | 45 | 104 | 2 | .303 | .404 | .461 |
| 2010 | 77 | 158 | 8 | .316 | .358 | .589 |
| 2011 | 62 | 124 | 0 | .169 | .228 | .185 |
| career | 189 | 379 | 10 | .261 | .323 | .420 |
You can see from that McGehee isn't your prototypical major league hitter. He has actually hit better in his career against right-handed pitchers, which doesn't make much sense. That is because of his extremely peculiar 2011 season where he hit .169/.228/.185 against lefties and .239/.295/.393 against righties. It was really just a horrible season for McGehee, so you can't read into his career line and assume he's going to be better against righties again this year.
Playing in the National League Central, an everyday starter will face a right-handed pitcher in about 75% of his at-bats. That means that if the Pirates do such a platoon with Jones and McGehee, Jones will be starting around 75% of the time. Do some math, and with a full season of those too platooning at that rate, you would have a first baseman that will hit something like .268/.339/.452 over a 162-game season. Let's compare that first baseman (we'll call him McJonesee) to one of the three guys that are still on the market that the Pirates could sign. We'll use each of those players Bill James prediction for 2012 to compare with.
| McJonesee | .268/.339/.452 |
| Carlos Pena | .223/.356/.458 |
| Derrek Lee | .269/.349/.459 |
| Casey Kotchman | .268/.344/.402 |
Looking at that, you can see that a Jones-McGehee platoon sizes up pretty well do other first baseman they would give much more money to. So heck, maybe I have been wrong this whole time about the Pirates needing to sign a free agent first baseman, maybe Jones and McGehee will be alright.
For now, if the Pirates are going to sign another player this offseason, I think they are right in making starting pitching their first priority.
Merry Christmas
CommentsNew NL Central Faces - Ramirez, Latos, Beltran
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At the beginning of this offseason it seemed that the National League Central was ready to lose some big names. They have done just that with Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder departing for the American League. However, recently the division has been adding some names, let's take a look.
First, the Brewers signed Aramis Ramirez to compensate for their loss of Fielder plus the more than likely 50 game suspension for Ryan Braun. I wrote about this move extensively here, so check that out for more about Ramirez.
Next, the Reds made a big move and signed Mat Latos. I also wrote a post specifically about that move, you can read that one here.
There was also a trade made in the division when the Reds sent pitcher Travis Wood to Chicago for reliever Sean Marshall.
Now, the Cardinals have made a splash as they are clearly trying to tend the wound that Albert Pujols left when he signed on with Anaheim. Just this week, the Cardinals signed Carlos Beltran. St. Louis gave Beltran 2 years and 26 million dollars, which is nothing compared to what they would have had to give Pujols. Obviously, Beltran's bat isn't quite at the Pujols level, but he will certainly help their offense.
Beltran is 34 years old and has had some injury issues in the past. Despite those factors, he had a nice 2011 season while playing 142 games. He hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and was named an all-star. That was a nice bounce back season from 2010 when he hit just .255/.341/.427 and convinced a lot of people that he was just about done for his career. Beltran bounced back enough with the Mets in 2011 to get a big-time return for them when he was traded to San Francisco midway through the season.
So how much will Beltran help the Cardinals? Their offense is still going to be worse than last year, especially with the age they now have. Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday will join Beltran in providing the majority of the offense, and all of those guys are over 30 (Holliday is 31 and Berkman is 35). The division is pretty weak, so the Cardinals still have a great shot at taking the title and going to the playoffs to defend their World Series title, but they are certainly a worse team now than they were last year.
The National League Central is bouncing back from a couple of tough losses, but what I'm expecting us to see is still a much weaker division in 2012 that the Pirates could actually compete in.
First, the Brewers signed Aramis Ramirez to compensate for their loss of Fielder plus the more than likely 50 game suspension for Ryan Braun. I wrote about this move extensively here, so check that out for more about Ramirez.
Next, the Reds made a big move and signed Mat Latos. I also wrote a post specifically about that move, you can read that one here.
There was also a trade made in the division when the Reds sent pitcher Travis Wood to Chicago for reliever Sean Marshall.
Now, the Cardinals have made a splash as they are clearly trying to tend the wound that Albert Pujols left when he signed on with Anaheim. Just this week, the Cardinals signed Carlos Beltran. St. Louis gave Beltran 2 years and 26 million dollars, which is nothing compared to what they would have had to give Pujols. Obviously, Beltran's bat isn't quite at the Pujols level, but he will certainly help their offense.
Beltran is 34 years old and has had some injury issues in the past. Despite those factors, he had a nice 2011 season while playing 142 games. He hit .300/.385/.525 with 22 home runs and was named an all-star. That was a nice bounce back season from 2010 when he hit just .255/.341/.427 and convinced a lot of people that he was just about done for his career. Beltran bounced back enough with the Mets in 2011 to get a big-time return for them when he was traded to San Francisco midway through the season.
So how much will Beltran help the Cardinals? Their offense is still going to be worse than last year, especially with the age they now have. Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday will join Beltran in providing the majority of the offense, and all of those guys are over 30 (Holliday is 31 and Berkman is 35). The division is pretty weak, so the Cardinals still have a great shot at taking the title and going to the playoffs to defend their World Series title, but they are certainly a worse team now than they were last year.
The National League Central is bouncing back from a couple of tough losses, but what I'm expecting us to see is still a much weaker division in 2012 that the Pirates could actually compete in.
Pittsburgh Pirates Pitching Options - Edwin Jackson
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Wrote another post over at RumBunter about the Pirates possibly signing Edwin Jackson. This is all hypothetical, of course, as the Pirates rumors have been very quiet the last few weeks. However, I think it's relatively possible, so check out the post:
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)Pirates Top 20 Prospects for 2012
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Here's the Pirates top 20 prospects for 2012. I did not order them, I copied the order from this Baseball Prospectus article. Also, I got some of the pictures and information from Pirates Prospects, because those guys know this stuff better than anybody out there. So without further to do, here's the top 20. Click each name and you'll get my profile on the player.
Pirates Sign Anderson Hernandez
The Pirates have signed infielder Anderson Hernandez, who was with Houston's AAA affiliate last year. He hit .300/.366/.400 there.
Pirates Starting Pitcher Options - Joe Saunders
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Wrote another post about the Pirates possibly adding Joe Saunders to the rotation, who was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks earlier this offseason. There have been no legitimate rumors about the Pirates being interested, so this is purely hypothetical. Check it out:
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)Pirates Sign Jeff Clement
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All offseason I have been writing about how the Pirates need to sign or trade for a power hitting big league first baseman.
Well this morning, the Pirates got one part of that right. They signed the former Pirate Jeff Clement to a minor league deal. Is Clement a power-hitter? No. Is Jeff Clement a big league player? No. If Jeff Clement a first baseman? Technically, yes. He's not a very good one, but that's the position he plays.
This really doesn't make any sense to me because the Pirates have more than enough depth at first base, the problem is that none of the options are very good. Casey McGehee, Garrett Jones, Nick Evans, Jake Fox, and Matt Hague are all able first basemen in the upper levels of the system. I have no idea what the Pirates are going to do with Clement this season. Just another mystery signing that you can't complain about too much because they didn't lose anything in, but this one is very confusing.
Well this morning, the Pirates got one part of that right. They signed the former Pirate Jeff Clement to a minor league deal. Is Clement a power-hitter? No. Is Jeff Clement a big league player? No. If Jeff Clement a first baseman? Technically, yes. He's not a very good one, but that's the position he plays.
This really doesn't make any sense to me because the Pirates have more than enough depth at first base, the problem is that none of the options are very good. Casey McGehee, Garrett Jones, Nick Evans, Jake Fox, and Matt Hague are all able first basemen in the upper levels of the system. I have no idea what the Pirates are going to do with Clement this season. Just another mystery signing that you can't complain about too much because they didn't lose anything in, but this one is very confusing.
Bleacher Report Ranks Pirates Farm System
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One of the faster growing sports websites on the web is Bleacher Report. I have always found their baseball stories a little bit shaky, but their ranking style is interesting most of the time.
Last November they made a post that ranked the MLB's top farm systems. They put the Pirates at number three on that list. That's a pretty good sign for the future, but I don't really believe that we have a top-3 farm system. Right or not, it's good to see that a pretty large media outlet thinks something positive of the Pirates. Check out the post:
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Last November they made a post that ranked the MLB's top farm systems. They put the Pirates at number three on that list. That's a pretty good sign for the future, but I don't really believe that we have a top-3 farm system. Right or not, it's good to see that a pretty large media outlet thinks something positive of the Pirates. Check out the post:
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I wish the Pirates could trade for Gio Gonzalez. If there was someway for that to happen, I think that would be a good enough Christmas present for me. The 26 year old is under team control for four years and is already one of the better pitchers in the game. Gonzalez posted a 3.12 ERA with 8.8 K/9 in 2011 and the Athletics are looking to trade him this offseason.
The price for Gonzalez is extremely high, as it should be. The Athletics have asked the Yankees for their long time top prospect in catcher Jesus Montero PLUS top pitching prospects. That means that the Pirates would probably have to give up Starling Marte AND one of Taillon or Cole. That's a ridiculous thing to consider, but I think that would be the only way it could happen considering the Pirates lack of elite prospects after those three.
I'm not advocating the Pirates go after Gonzalez because they can't afford the price to get him, but it's my blog and my Christmas... I do what I want.
The price for Gonzalez is extremely high, as it should be. The Athletics have asked the Yankees for their long time top prospect in catcher Jesus Montero PLUS top pitching prospects. That means that the Pirates would probably have to give up Starling Marte AND one of Taillon or Cole. That's a ridiculous thing to consider, but I think that would be the only way it could happen considering the Pirates lack of elite prospects after those three.
I'm not advocating the Pirates go after Gonzalez because they can't afford the price to get him, but it's my blog and my Christmas... I do what I want.
Could Jeff Francis Help The Pirates?
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Yeah, I brought up the name "Jeff Francis" again. I'm sorry but I couldn't help myself. The Pirates could use another starter and Francis could be a decent option. Read the post before you beat me up, please.
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)"He's a Winner"
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The Reds Weren't Asleep After All
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Don't Buy The Weight Loss
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Quick post over at RumBunter I wrote about Pedro Alvarez and his "weight loss". Check it out. No seriously, check it out (home star runner, anybody?).
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)Pirate Fest Blogger Q&A
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Quotes from Media Luncheon
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McEffect At PirateFest
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I will be PirateFest tonight (Friday) from about 4:30-7:30. I'll also be doing some interviews afterwards that I'll write about on the blog tomorrow. I'm hoping to meet some people that I interact with through Twitter and/or people that read my blog. If you see me, give me a shout. There's a picture of me here. There you go, no excuses. Let's go Bucs.
Baseball Prospectus Top 20 Pirates Prospects
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Baseball Prospectus has posted their top 20 Pirates prospects for the 2012 season. Check them out at the photo link below:
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Clipped from: www.baseballprospectus.com (share this clip)Pirates Turn To Planking
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The Pittsburgh Pirates have been planking on their recent Pirates Caravan trip. Check out the pictures I posted over at Rumbunter.
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Different Kind of Offseason
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Nothing ever goes right for the Pirates. How else could you explain 19 straight years of losing? I know, it's becoming foolish to say that things are turning around until we actually see them turn around, but there have been some serious signs of good luck for the Pirates this offseason.
The crazy thing about these signs is that the Pirates have not had a direct impact in any of them.
First, we got news that baseball is adding another Wild Card spot for the playoffs, and the Houston Astros were going to the American League. Those two changes aren't going to happen until 2013, but they were certainly good news for the future of the Pirates.
After that, we got the news that Albert Pujols was headed to the American League. Pujols did as much damage to the Pirates as any single player could do, so it's good to see him leaving. Throughout that, it has become more and more clear that Prince Fielder will not be returning to the Brewers. He has not made a decision yet, but there is a very good chance he will heading to the American League as well, and there is hardly a chance at all that he will be staying in the National League Central.
The good news didn't stop there, as Ryan Braun tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and now faces a 50 games suspension. All of that makes the division much more winnable than it has been in past years.
Outside of baseball, things have also been going well for the Pirates in terms of their fan base. First of all, the signing of Nate McLouth will generate some more interest. That's actually not outside of baseball, but now I'm going to get outside of baseball. The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a good season and probably had a larger regular-season fan base than ever when Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup. However, Crosby could miss another huge chunk of time, which has some of the Penguins fans pretty discouraged. Also, today Todd Graham walked out on Pitt football, which probably doesn't help the morale of the Pitt fans out there. I'm not saying that that stuff is going to directly push people to liking the Pirates, but it certainly could sour them towards the other sports and generate some more interest when the 2012 season rolls around.
With all the things going right for the Pirates this offseason, it's kind of discouraging to see them not making their big league much better. They have made some moves this offseason that should help, but they haven't made any kind of big splash. I personally still don't think it's the time to spend big money in free agency or anything of that sort quite yet, they should still wait until Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Josh Bell, and company are closer to the big leagues, so let's just be happy that the outside influences are being kind to the Pirates this offseason. It's about times things start going right around here.
The crazy thing about these signs is that the Pirates have not had a direct impact in any of them.
First, we got news that baseball is adding another Wild Card spot for the playoffs, and the Houston Astros were going to the American League. Those two changes aren't going to happen until 2013, but they were certainly good news for the future of the Pirates.
After that, we got the news that Albert Pujols was headed to the American League. Pujols did as much damage to the Pirates as any single player could do, so it's good to see him leaving. Throughout that, it has become more and more clear that Prince Fielder will not be returning to the Brewers. He has not made a decision yet, but there is a very good chance he will heading to the American League as well, and there is hardly a chance at all that he will be staying in the National League Central.
The good news didn't stop there, as Ryan Braun tested positive for performance enhancing drugs and now faces a 50 games suspension. All of that makes the division much more winnable than it has been in past years.
Outside of baseball, things have also been going well for the Pirates in terms of their fan base. First of all, the signing of Nate McLouth will generate some more interest. That's actually not outside of baseball, but now I'm going to get outside of baseball. The Pittsburgh Penguins have had a good season and probably had a larger regular-season fan base than ever when Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup. However, Crosby could miss another huge chunk of time, which has some of the Penguins fans pretty discouraged. Also, today Todd Graham walked out on Pitt football, which probably doesn't help the morale of the Pitt fans out there. I'm not saying that that stuff is going to directly push people to liking the Pirates, but it certainly could sour them towards the other sports and generate some more interest when the 2012 season rolls around.
With all the things going right for the Pirates this offseason, it's kind of discouraging to see them not making their big league much better. They have made some moves this offseason that should help, but they haven't made any kind of big splash. I personally still don't think it's the time to spend big money in free agency or anything of that sort quite yet, they should still wait until Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, Josh Bell, and company are closer to the big leagues, so let's just be happy that the outside influences are being kind to the Pirates this offseason. It's about times things start going right around here.
Early Look at the Pirates 2012 Bullpen
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I took an early look at the Pirates bullpen over at RumBunter, click below to read it.
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)It All Comes Down to Alvarez
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These last few weeks of the offseason have been pretty wild. The peak of the wildness came Monday night when the Pirates traded Jose Veras for Casey McGehee (you can read my take on that trade here). Now that the dust has settled from that one, a formerly known point has become even stronger.
No single party has a bigger hand in the success or failure of the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates than Pedro Alvarez.
The Pirates haven't had a legitimate power bat in their lineup since Jason Bay hit 35 home runs in 2006. After his departure, the Pirates were basically powerless outside of Garrett Jones first few months in the big leagues in 2009 and the brilliant two months that Derrek Lee had last season. That's the main reason they drafted Alvarez, who didn't disappoint upon his arrival in 2010 with 16 home runs in 95 games. That led to big expectations for him in 2011, which he promptly took all the air out of with a dismal season that saw him slug .289, truly depressing.
Now, no one is ready to give up on Alvarez yet, especially the smarter fans. Those fans realize that Alvarez holds the key to the Pirates success in the near future. This team has some talented young hitters with good gloves and speed, but they don't have anyone who is a real threat to put a big number up on the board in a hurry besides Alvarez. If he doesn't hit, this offense is going to be held back significantly.
The addition of McGehee helps the 2012 team. Alvarez will, in all likelihood, start the year as the starting third baseman, and McGehee will play first. If Alvarez bounces back, that's not a bad corner infield situation. However, if he doesn't hit and has to be sent back to the minor leagues, McGehee has to shift over to third base and Garrett Jones comes back into the picture to start at first. Sure, Jones has his streaks, but most of the time he's not a very good hitter. Last year he hit .243/.321/.433, which is not what I want from a starting first baseman.
Let's look at the best and worst possible scenarios. Let's start with the best. If Alvarez and McGehee hold their spots at the corners and play to their potential, we'll have something like .250/.340/.500 from Alvarez and .285/.330/.460 from McGehee, which would be the best season the Pirates have seen from their corners in a long time. However, if Alvarez and McGehee repeat last year's seasons, the Pirates will have something like .220/.280/.350 from McGehee and .200/.270/.300 from Alvarez. That's ugly, and there's very little chance the Pirates could win much at all with numbers like that from the corners.
There's a good chance McGehee will bounce back from his horrid 2011 season, I don't see him getting back to the 2010 version of himself, but I do see him being good enough to be a starter all year for this team. I can't say I'm very confident in Alvarez. It's a big question mark, but if the Pirates finally get a break and Alvarez turns it around and starts to reach his potential, this could be a pretty solid offense.
It's never very soothing to have a guy who hit .191/.272/.289 the season before be the biggest key for your offense the following year, but that's the situation the Pirates are in right now. In years past, the Pirates never really had a chance to win, but that doesn't seem to be true anymore. If Alvarez turns it around, the Pirates have a pretty decent shot at making some noise in the division.
Stay positive, Pittsburgh.
No single party has a bigger hand in the success or failure of the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates than Pedro Alvarez.
The Pirates haven't had a legitimate power bat in their lineup since Jason Bay hit 35 home runs in 2006. After his departure, the Pirates were basically powerless outside of Garrett Jones first few months in the big leagues in 2009 and the brilliant two months that Derrek Lee had last season. That's the main reason they drafted Alvarez, who didn't disappoint upon his arrival in 2010 with 16 home runs in 95 games. That led to big expectations for him in 2011, which he promptly took all the air out of with a dismal season that saw him slug .289, truly depressing.
Now, no one is ready to give up on Alvarez yet, especially the smarter fans. Those fans realize that Alvarez holds the key to the Pirates success in the near future. This team has some talented young hitters with good gloves and speed, but they don't have anyone who is a real threat to put a big number up on the board in a hurry besides Alvarez. If he doesn't hit, this offense is going to be held back significantly.
The addition of McGehee helps the 2012 team. Alvarez will, in all likelihood, start the year as the starting third baseman, and McGehee will play first. If Alvarez bounces back, that's not a bad corner infield situation. However, if he doesn't hit and has to be sent back to the minor leagues, McGehee has to shift over to third base and Garrett Jones comes back into the picture to start at first. Sure, Jones has his streaks, but most of the time he's not a very good hitter. Last year he hit .243/.321/.433, which is not what I want from a starting first baseman.
Let's look at the best and worst possible scenarios. Let's start with the best. If Alvarez and McGehee hold their spots at the corners and play to their potential, we'll have something like .250/.340/.500 from Alvarez and .285/.330/.460 from McGehee, which would be the best season the Pirates have seen from their corners in a long time. However, if Alvarez and McGehee repeat last year's seasons, the Pirates will have something like .220/.280/.350 from McGehee and .200/.270/.300 from Alvarez. That's ugly, and there's very little chance the Pirates could win much at all with numbers like that from the corners.
There's a good chance McGehee will bounce back from his horrid 2011 season, I don't see him getting back to the 2010 version of himself, but I do see him being good enough to be a starter all year for this team. I can't say I'm very confident in Alvarez. It's a big question mark, but if the Pirates finally get a break and Alvarez turns it around and starts to reach his potential, this could be a pretty solid offense.
It's never very soothing to have a guy who hit .191/.272/.289 the season before be the biggest key for your offense the following year, but that's the situation the Pirates are in right now. In years past, the Pirates never really had a chance to win, but that doesn't seem to be true anymore. If Alvarez turns it around, the Pirates have a pretty decent shot at making some noise in the division.
Stay positive, Pittsburgh.
Willingham Off The Market
The Minnesota Twins are close to signing Josh Willingham, which takes one of the top first baseman off the market.
Pirates Tender All Eligible Players
The Pirates have tendered contracts to Charlie Morton, Joel Hanrahan, Garrett Jones, Jeff Karstens, Casey McGehee, Jason Grilli, and Chris Resop. They non-tendered Pedro Ciriaco and Jason Jaramillo, who had already been DFA'd. No arbitration meetings for the Pirates.
McTweets
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The Casey McGehee trade blew my Twitter up... I combined all the tweets for your entertainment and mine... click the jump to see them all.
My Sane, Logical Analysis of the McGehee Trade
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I am freaking out about this Casey McGehee stuff. There will be a ton of stuff coming up about all of this, but for now, read this un-mc-biased post I wrote for RumBunter:
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)This Is Getting McRidiculous
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The Pirates have traded Jose Veras for Casey McGehee. You cannot make this crap up.
I'm pretty sure Neal Huntington is my biggest fan or something. As if having four Mc's on the team wasn't ridiculous enough, he has gone out and acquired two more this offseason. Andrew McCutchen, Nate McLouth, Daniel McCutchen, Michael McKenry, James McDonald, and now Casey McGehee. Seriously, this is getting scary.
As I type I am being swarmed with ridiculous McPuns on Twitter. When I came up with this idea there was only McCutchen and McLouth, and since then the Pirates have gone absolutely crazy adding every McPlayer they could to the roster.
There are 17 players in Major League Baseball that have last names that start with the letters "M-C". Six of those 17 players are now on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I should be on a PBS special or something.
Normally I'm very logical and statistical about baseball moves, and that will come later. For now, please excuse me while I revel in my mistaken genius.
I'm pretty sure Neal Huntington is my biggest fan or something. As if having four Mc's on the team wasn't ridiculous enough, he has gone out and acquired two more this offseason. Andrew McCutchen, Nate McLouth, Daniel McCutchen, Michael McKenry, James McDonald, and now Casey McGehee. Seriously, this is getting scary.
As I type I am being swarmed with ridiculous McPuns on Twitter. When I came up with this idea there was only McCutchen and McLouth, and since then the Pirates have gone absolutely crazy adding every McPlayer they could to the roster.
There are 17 players in Major League Baseball that have last names that start with the letters "M-C". Six of those 17 players are now on the Pittsburgh Pirates. I should be on a PBS special or something.
Normally I'm very logical and statistical about baseball moves, and that will come later. For now, please excuse me while I revel in my mistaken genius.
Pirates Tender Jason Grilli
CommentsThe Pirates have reached an agreement with right handed pitcher Jason Grilli. The terms of the deal are $1.1 million for one year.
Pirates Officially Lose Hefner
The Mets have claimed Jeremy Hefner off waivers. The Pirates waived him last week to make room for Yamaico Navarro on the 40-man roster.
Brewers Sign Aramis Ramirez
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A familiar face will be staying the National League Central division, as Aramis Ramirez has reached an agreement with the Milwaukee Brewers after parting ways with the Chicago Cubs. This was kind of a necessary move for the Brewers to make since they will be without Prince Fielder (most likely) from here on out and now probably without Ryan Braun for the first 50 games of the season. But how good of a move is this for the Brewers?
Garrett Jones' Future Hangs In The Balance
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Clipped from: rumbunter.com (share this clip)Cryin' Lyin' Ryan
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As if this offseason wasn't going well enough for the Pirates with the departure of Albert Pujols and eventual departure of Prince Fielder, things just got better last night.
I know you have all heard the news, but I'll say it again anyway just because it's really fun to type and read. Ryan Braun tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and faces a 50-game suspension.
I know you have all heard the news, but I'll say it again anyway just because it's really fun to type and read. Ryan Braun tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and faces a 50-game suspension.
Pirates Not In Running for Willingham
Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted the other day that the Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, and Colorado Rockies are the most likely teams to acquire first baseman Josh Willingham. The former Athletic was a guy I was expecting the Pirates to go after, but it doesn't look like they have much interest in him. I keep holding on to hear some encouraging news about the Pirates going after a first baseman in free agency or in a trade, but the rumors haven't been there yet. Let's hope that's just temporary.
Bedard's Bonuses
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I was reading Jennifer Langosch's post today about Erik Bedard's incentives in his contract and I couldn't help but laugh. Apparently Bedard gets an extra $100,000 if he wins the World Series MVP award. He gets an additional $25,000 for winning the MVP award of either of the playoff series before the World Series.
I understand you never want to show complete distrust in your team, but Bedard had to kind of chuckle at the Pirates offering him more money if he's the best player in the World Series this year while in a Pirates uniform. Maybe it's just me, but the words "Pirates" and "World Series" just don't go together... okay, no, that's definitely not just me.
Here's hoping Bedard gets that extra 100K.
I understand you never want to show complete distrust in your team, but Bedard had to kind of chuckle at the Pirates offering him more money if he's the best player in the World Series this year while in a Pirates uniform. Maybe it's just me, but the words "Pirates" and "World Series" just don't go together... okay, no, that's definitely not just me.
Here's hoping Bedard gets that extra 100K.
McEffect Spreading
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Today I took the next step towards blogging infamy. I joined the guys over at RumBunter.com. I will contributing at least a few articles a week over there, and I will link to most of them from my blog here.
My first article is up over at the site, click the screenshot below to read it.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNk0EvIcK0NMfH0ToFJKBMHhBpHoTJViE3w51MlVbzmamgnM4wfCYxAeFwf4bQli0f0jSDGHxH-ZAHwdN08u5hw1K6gbMHQz92FBVxLrX6_UCyp7IWWJ7vKv_cvjbm3ZWYlajhCyOucg/s400/Rumbunter109.png")
My first article is up over at the site, click the screenshot below to read it.
Erik Bedard Pitch F/X
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The Pirates have a brand new starting pitcher, and he's one of the best we've had in a good while. I wrote all about Bedard the other day here. Let's take a closer look at the pitches he throws. Here's the data for the five pitches he threw in 2011 with their average speed, horizontal break, vertical break, the percentage of times he threw them, and the percentage of times he threw them for a strike. The data is courtesy of TexasLeaguers.com.
You can see that Bedard loves to throw the Uncle Charlie. You won't find too many pitchers that throw their curveball more than any other pitch, but Bedard has done it his entire career. The vertical drop on the pitch is right with some of the best curveballs in the league. Clayton Kershaw, this year's NL Cy Young award winner has one of the best curves in the league and his dropped an average of -9.13 inches per pitch in 2011. He controls the pitch well too with a 66.5% strike rate.
Bedard's next favorite pitch is the fastball. He throws a four-seamer and a two-seamer as most hurlers do. The two-seamer has a little bit more velocity and more movement on it than the four-seamer but he doesn't control it quite as well. In 2011, Bedard threw fastballs 57% of the time.
That pretty much makes Bedard a three pitch pitcher. He mixes in a change up around 9% of the time, which he doesn't command all that well but at 78 miles per hour it's a nice complement to his heat. He actually had a pretty solid 2011 whiff rate with the change at 11.3%.
The data shows Bedard throwing a cut fastball 3.2% of the time in 2011, but chances are that those were just two-seamers or four-seamers that were interpreted differently by the database. It's really all the same.
The velocity isn't great with Bedard, but he has a really good curveball and mixes it up well enough to have success. Bedard struck out 8.7 batters per nine innings while walking 3.34 in 2011. If he doesn't have his control on a given night, he could struggle, but when the guy is on his game, he's very hard to hit.
| Pitch Type | Veloc | H-Break | V-Break | Selection | Strike% |
| Curveball | 77.3 | -5.06 | -9.55 | 30.8% | 66.5% |
| 4-Seam | 90.4 | 4.96 | 8.70 | 29.5% | 63.6% |
| 2-Seam | 91.0 | 9.41 | 6.69 | 27.7% | 62.5% |
| Change | 78.2 | 6.23 | 3.22 | 8.7% | 58.8% |
| Cutter | 89.6 | 3.37 | 8.12 | 3.2% | 66.7% |
You can see that Bedard loves to throw the Uncle Charlie. You won't find too many pitchers that throw their curveball more than any other pitch, but Bedard has done it his entire career. The vertical drop on the pitch is right with some of the best curveballs in the league. Clayton Kershaw, this year's NL Cy Young award winner has one of the best curves in the league and his dropped an average of -9.13 inches per pitch in 2011. He controls the pitch well too with a 66.5% strike rate.
Bedard's next favorite pitch is the fastball. He throws a four-seamer and a two-seamer as most hurlers do. The two-seamer has a little bit more velocity and more movement on it than the four-seamer but he doesn't control it quite as well. In 2011, Bedard threw fastballs 57% of the time.
That pretty much makes Bedard a three pitch pitcher. He mixes in a change up around 9% of the time, which he doesn't command all that well but at 78 miles per hour it's a nice complement to his heat. He actually had a pretty solid 2011 whiff rate with the change at 11.3%.
The data shows Bedard throwing a cut fastball 3.2% of the time in 2011, but chances are that those were just two-seamers or four-seamers that were interpreted differently by the database. It's really all the same.
The velocity isn't great with Bedard, but he has a really good curveball and mixes it up well enough to have success. Bedard struck out 8.7 batters per nine innings while walking 3.34 in 2011. If he doesn't have his control on a given night, he could struggle, but when the guy is on his game, he's very hard to hit.
Thursday Wrap-up
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After a very eventful Wednesday in Pirates world, Thursday was pretty quiet. The only thing that really went down was the Rule V draft, which I wrote about earlier. The Winter Meetings have concluded, so unfortunately the rapid fire news will slow once again.
That doesn't mean that the Pirates don't still have major needs to fill. All we learned from this week about our first base situation is that Derrek Lee won't be the guy, at least not by way of him accepting arbitration. I wrote a little bit about the first base situation last night, but there are some updates.
Last night a rumor came up that said the Mets are shopping around Ike Davis and the Pirates were an interested party. The rumor even went as far as to say that the Mets said they would want Brad Lincoln and Starling Marte in return for Davis. Now, I would do that in a heartbeat. The guy is 24 years old and hit .302/.383/.543 in 36 games with the Mets last year. He has hit .288/.371/.467 for his minor league career and looks like he could be one of the better power hitters in the league soon. If the Pirates could get him while just giving up Marte and Lincoln I would be ecstatic. Don't get me wrong, Marte is a great prospect as well, but the Pirates have enough outfield options and hardly anything at first base. Davis would be a fantastic addition to the system and could help the Pirates compete as soon as next year.
I am sure that there will be a lot more news surfacing about these topics and more before Christmas time, so keep checking back.
That doesn't mean that the Pirates don't still have major needs to fill. All we learned from this week about our first base situation is that Derrek Lee won't be the guy, at least not by way of him accepting arbitration. I wrote a little bit about the first base situation last night, but there are some updates.
Last night a rumor came up that said the Mets are shopping around Ike Davis and the Pirates were an interested party. The rumor even went as far as to say that the Mets said they would want Brad Lincoln and Starling Marte in return for Davis. Now, I would do that in a heartbeat. The guy is 24 years old and hit .302/.383/.543 in 36 games with the Mets last year. He has hit .288/.371/.467 for his minor league career and looks like he could be one of the better power hitters in the league soon. If the Pirates could get him while just giving up Marte and Lincoln I would be ecstatic. Don't get me wrong, Marte is a great prospect as well, but the Pirates have enough outfield options and hardly anything at first base. Davis would be a fantastic addition to the system and could help the Pirates compete as soon as next year.
I am sure that there will be a lot more news surfacing about these topics and more before Christmas time, so keep checking back.
Rule V Rundown
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The Pirates have made three selections in the Rule V draft, and I'm having trouble understanding two of them.
First, the Pirates selected 23-year old Gustavo Nunez from the Tigers. Nunez is a shortstop (he also plays some second base and outfield) that has never played a game above the AA level. In fact, Nunez was in A+ ball at the beginning of last year before being promoted after hitting .304/.368/.431 in 62 games. After his promotion to AA, he struggled mightily to the tune of a .215/.252/.289 line. Now Nunez will have to stay in the major leagues all season with the Pirates for them to retain him, and that is just not going to happen. This is extra interesting because the Pirates DFA'd Pedro Ciriaco yesterday, who is basically the same player as Nunez except you could actually argue that he would be ready for the major leagues. Nunez would be a utility bench player if the Pirates hold on to him, but there is no way he is going to be any better than Ciriaco would have been, so I don't get losing Pedro to draft this guy. In my opinion, there is no way that Nunez ever wears a Pirates uniform unless it's in spring training.
The second guy the Pirates selected was in the AAA phase of the draft; they nabbed Aaron Poreda, a left-handed pitcher from San Diego. Poreda is 25 years old and has actually had some major league experience. He pitched 31.1 innings combined for the White Sox and Padres in 2009 and posted a 2.70 ERA with 8.1 K/9. He spent all of last year in AAA and posted a 5.43 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 8.1 BB/9. Control is a huge issue with him, but there looks to be some upside with the good strikeout numbers and former big league success (in an extremely small sample). The Pirates will not have to have him on the big league roster, so there is no reason to dislike this pick.
The last guy the Pirates drafted was yet another catcher. His name is Francisco Diaz and he is 21 years old. He had played in the Phillies organization but never got above A- ball. In 2011 Diaz hit .211/.315/.257. He had a strong year in 2010 with a .307/.376/.387 line, but last year really killed his stock. He has only played 65 games the last two years, so there could be some injury issues there. I don't understand this one either because the Pirates seem to have enough mediocre catchers in the system. Diaz will play A ball and at the age of 21 you really can't predict much with him. It was a no-risk pick and the Pirates will hope he can develop into something.
The Pirates lost one player in the Rule V draft, and that was pitcher Brett Lorin. Lorin played in Bradenton last year and made 17 starts (with 8 relief appearances) and posted a 2.84 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That's a pretty good season right there, so it's not surprising to see another team (Diamondbacks) take a shot at him in the triple-A portion of the draft.
Overall it wasn't a great day for the Pirates at the Rule V draft, but none of this should have any real impact in the scheme of things.
First, the Pirates selected 23-year old Gustavo Nunez from the Tigers. Nunez is a shortstop (he also plays some second base and outfield) that has never played a game above the AA level. In fact, Nunez was in A+ ball at the beginning of last year before being promoted after hitting .304/.368/.431 in 62 games. After his promotion to AA, he struggled mightily to the tune of a .215/.252/.289 line. Now Nunez will have to stay in the major leagues all season with the Pirates for them to retain him, and that is just not going to happen. This is extra interesting because the Pirates DFA'd Pedro Ciriaco yesterday, who is basically the same player as Nunez except you could actually argue that he would be ready for the major leagues. Nunez would be a utility bench player if the Pirates hold on to him, but there is no way he is going to be any better than Ciriaco would have been, so I don't get losing Pedro to draft this guy. In my opinion, there is no way that Nunez ever wears a Pirates uniform unless it's in spring training.
The second guy the Pirates selected was in the AAA phase of the draft; they nabbed Aaron Poreda, a left-handed pitcher from San Diego. Poreda is 25 years old and has actually had some major league experience. He pitched 31.1 innings combined for the White Sox and Padres in 2009 and posted a 2.70 ERA with 8.1 K/9. He spent all of last year in AAA and posted a 5.43 ERA with 10.2 K/9 and 8.1 BB/9. Control is a huge issue with him, but there looks to be some upside with the good strikeout numbers and former big league success (in an extremely small sample). The Pirates will not have to have him on the big league roster, so there is no reason to dislike this pick.
The last guy the Pirates drafted was yet another catcher. His name is Francisco Diaz and he is 21 years old. He had played in the Phillies organization but never got above A- ball. In 2011 Diaz hit .211/.315/.257. He had a strong year in 2010 with a .307/.376/.387 line, but last year really killed his stock. He has only played 65 games the last two years, so there could be some injury issues there. I don't understand this one either because the Pirates seem to have enough mediocre catchers in the system. Diaz will play A ball and at the age of 21 you really can't predict much with him. It was a no-risk pick and the Pirates will hope he can develop into something.
The Pirates lost one player in the Rule V draft, and that was pitcher Brett Lorin. Lorin played in Bradenton last year and made 17 starts (with 8 relief appearances) and posted a 2.84 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9. That's a pretty good season right there, so it's not surprising to see another team (Diamondbacks) take a shot at him in the triple-A portion of the draft.
Overall it wasn't a great day for the Pirates at the Rule V draft, but none of this should have any real impact in the scheme of things.
The First Base Need
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The Pirates made a splash today by signing starting pitcher Erik Bedard. That took care of one of their two big needs this offseason. The other one has yet to be satisfied, and that is the need for a first baseman.
The deadline for Derrek Lee to accept or decline arbitration is tonight at midnight, and all signs point to him declining it. That doesn't mean that the Pirates still couldn't sign him, but I would highly doubt that they would sign him in free agency.
If the Pirates don't get Lee, there are other options. The best option (outside of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols) is Carlos Pena. I have been screaming for the Pirates to get this guy since the trade deadline, and they have yet another chance right now. Pena declined arbitration from the Cubs today and will enter free agency. Another option is Josh Willingham, who is now a free agent after declining the Athletics' arbitration offer. Willingham is not nearly the power hitter that Pena is, but he is definitely a step up from what we have right now.
If the Pirates can sign Pena, there lineup is improved substantially. The Opening Day lineup would look something like: 1. Tabata 2. Presley 3. McCutchen 4. Pena 5. Walker 6. Alvarez 7. Barmes 8. Barajas 9. Pitcher, which is actually a pretty decent looking lineup if Alvarez hits the ball even a little bit. However, if the Pirates fail to sign a first baseman, you have to substitute Pena's name with Garrett Jones, Nick Evans, or Jake Fox. That makes the lineup a lot worse.
Right now, the pitching staff looks like it could keep the Pirates competitive. It's going to be something like Bedard - McDonald - Morton - Karstens - Correia with Lincoln possibly in there instead of Karstens or Correia. Again, that's a pretty solid top 3 if they are all going well.
However, if the Pirates don't make a move and get a bat to play first base, we could be seeing a repeat of last year, with the pitching staff playing well enough to keep the team somewhat competitive, but the lackluster offense holding the team back. Huntington and company have done a pretty nice job this offseason so far, but signing a Carlos Pena would put them over the top.
The deadline for Derrek Lee to accept or decline arbitration is tonight at midnight, and all signs point to him declining it. That doesn't mean that the Pirates still couldn't sign him, but I would highly doubt that they would sign him in free agency.
If the Pirates don't get Lee, there are other options. The best option (outside of Prince Fielder and Albert Pujols) is Carlos Pena. I have been screaming for the Pirates to get this guy since the trade deadline, and they have yet another chance right now. Pena declined arbitration from the Cubs today and will enter free agency. Another option is Josh Willingham, who is now a free agent after declining the Athletics' arbitration offer. Willingham is not nearly the power hitter that Pena is, but he is definitely a step up from what we have right now.
If the Pirates can sign Pena, there lineup is improved substantially. The Opening Day lineup would look something like: 1. Tabata 2. Presley 3. McCutchen 4. Pena 5. Walker 6. Alvarez 7. Barmes 8. Barajas 9. Pitcher, which is actually a pretty decent looking lineup if Alvarez hits the ball even a little bit. However, if the Pirates fail to sign a first baseman, you have to substitute Pena's name with Garrett Jones, Nick Evans, or Jake Fox. That makes the lineup a lot worse.
Right now, the pitching staff looks like it could keep the Pirates competitive. It's going to be something like Bedard - McDonald - Morton - Karstens - Correia with Lincoln possibly in there instead of Karstens or Correia. Again, that's a pretty solid top 3 if they are all going well.
However, if the Pirates don't make a move and get a bat to play first base, we could be seeing a repeat of last year, with the pitching staff playing well enough to keep the team somewhat competitive, but the lackluster offense holding the team back. Huntington and company have done a pretty nice job this offseason so far, but signing a Carlos Pena would put them over the top.
Ciriaco and Jaramillo DFA'd
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With the recent signings of Nate McLouth and Erik Bedard, the Pirates had to clear some space on the 40-man roster. They did so by designating Pedro Ciriaco and Jason Jaramillo for assignment. That means Michael McKenry will most likely be the back-up catcher come Opening Day. Also, this is good news for guys like Josh Harrison and Chase d'Arnaud, unless the Pirates sign another infielder this offseason (which I kind of suspect they will). d'Arnaud is a safe bet to be back in AAA at the beginning of the season, but I could see Harrison being a bench option for the Pirates come April.
First Look at Erik Bedard
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It appears as though the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed Erik Bedard, one of the top pitchers on the free agent market this offseason. The deal has been reported to be for 1 year and $4.5 million with incentives. That deal is very favorable for the Pirates, especially knowing Bedard's injury history.
The Baltimore Orioles picked Bedard in the 6th round of the 1999 draft. He made his major league debut in 2002 and spent 4 full seasons with the Orioles after that. After the 2007 season, Bedard moved on to the Seattle Mariners, where he posted two very strong seasons in 2008 and 2009 despite only making 15 starts both years because of injuries. In 2009, Bedard posted a 2.82 ERA with 9.8 K/9 in his limited action. Bedard missed the entire 2010 season and then started last year in Seattle, where he posted a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts with 8.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 before being traded to Boston, where he would finish out the year with 8 starts and a 4.03 ERA. His final 2011 line was a 3.62 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
Bedard's 2011 FIP (adjusted ERA based on fielding and other factors that the pitcher can't control) was 3.64, so pretty much right on with his ERA. He had a 42% ground ball percentage and a 70.6% strand rate. That strand rate was much lower than his career average of 73%. His BABIP last year was .295, which is right around the league average. Bedard is definitely a strikeout pitcher, as he has averaged 8.76 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.
Coming into the 2012 season a Pirate, Bedard should be the ace of this staff. There are always question marks with pitchers, especially guys with injury histories, and Bedard isn't young anymore at the age of 32 (he'll be 33 by season's start). However, if he can stay healthy and pitch close to how he's pitched in his career, he is a strong candidate to be the best Pirates pitcher this year. I would fully expect Bedard to have the ball on Opening Day for the Pirates.
I am pretty ecstatic about this sign. The Pirates have a potential ace on the staff, which we haven't been able to say for a long time. If Charlie Morton and James McDonald reach their potential, that's three very strong pitchers for the Pirates to rely on in 2012. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, all three of those guys have a lot of question marks and it would be surprising to see them all put up great seasons, but at least the potential is there.
This deal was also very favorable for the Pirates on the financial side. I fully expected Bedard to get 6-8 million dollars for one year, but the Pirates nabbed him for $4.5. There are going to be some pretty heavy incentives in this deal, and Bedard can earn himself a good amount of money by throwing a certain number of innings, but isn't that how it should always be? Make the guy perform first, then pay him for his performance. 4.5 million guaranteed is a steal for a guy at this level.
Also, the one-year deal puts pressure on Bedard to perform well so he can get more money next year when he's a free agent again. I couldn't be much happier with this signing.
The Baltimore Orioles picked Bedard in the 6th round of the 1999 draft. He made his major league debut in 2002 and spent 4 full seasons with the Orioles after that. After the 2007 season, Bedard moved on to the Seattle Mariners, where he posted two very strong seasons in 2008 and 2009 despite only making 15 starts both years because of injuries. In 2009, Bedard posted a 2.82 ERA with 9.8 K/9 in his limited action. Bedard missed the entire 2010 season and then started last year in Seattle, where he posted a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts with 8.6 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 before being traded to Boston, where he would finish out the year with 8 starts and a 4.03 ERA. His final 2011 line was a 3.62 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9.
Bedard's 2011 FIP (adjusted ERA based on fielding and other factors that the pitcher can't control) was 3.64, so pretty much right on with his ERA. He had a 42% ground ball percentage and a 70.6% strand rate. That strand rate was much lower than his career average of 73%. His BABIP last year was .295, which is right around the league average. Bedard is definitely a strikeout pitcher, as he has averaged 8.76 strikeouts per nine innings in his career.
Coming into the 2012 season a Pirate, Bedard should be the ace of this staff. There are always question marks with pitchers, especially guys with injury histories, and Bedard isn't young anymore at the age of 32 (he'll be 33 by season's start). However, if he can stay healthy and pitch close to how he's pitched in his career, he is a strong candidate to be the best Pirates pitcher this year. I would fully expect Bedard to have the ball on Opening Day for the Pirates.
I am pretty ecstatic about this sign. The Pirates have a potential ace on the staff, which we haven't been able to say for a long time. If Charlie Morton and James McDonald reach their potential, that's three very strong pitchers for the Pirates to rely on in 2012. We don't want to get ahead of ourselves, all three of those guys have a lot of question marks and it would be surprising to see them all put up great seasons, but at least the potential is there.
This deal was also very favorable for the Pirates on the financial side. I fully expected Bedard to get 6-8 million dollars for one year, but the Pirates nabbed him for $4.5. There are going to be some pretty heavy incentives in this deal, and Bedard can earn himself a good amount of money by throwing a certain number of innings, but isn't that how it should always be? Make the guy perform first, then pay him for his performance. 4.5 million guaranteed is a steal for a guy at this level.
Also, the one-year deal puts pressure on Bedard to perform well so he can get more money next year when he's a free agent again. I couldn't be much happier with this signing.
Pirates Close To Signing Erik Bedard?
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Out of nowhere, a French-Canadian newspaper tweeted that the Pirates have reached an agreement with free agent pitcher Erik Bedard. Here's the tweet (found by @blitzburghblog1):
That tweet translates to: "Erik Bedard will sign a one year contract for $ 4.5 million premium over the Pittsburgh Pirates with the PM"
There have been no other reports that the Pirates were anywhere near signing him, and this source isn't exactly the most credible one, but there could very well be something to this. That price tag seems extremely small to me, I thought it would take a lot more to sign him than that, but who knows. Bedard is Canadian, so it would make some sense that a Canadian newspaper would be reporting this.
Don't get too excited yet, but this could be a huge signing for the Pirates. Bedard is the one guy I really wanted, and I'd be very pleased if the Pirates could bring him in, especially at just $4.5 million. We'll keep you updated.
That tweet translates to: "Erik Bedard will sign a one year contract for $ 4.5 million premium over the Pittsburgh Pirates with the PM"
There have been no other reports that the Pirates were anywhere near signing him, and this source isn't exactly the most credible one, but there could very well be something to this. That price tag seems extremely small to me, I thought it would take a lot more to sign him than that, but who knows. Bedard is Canadian, so it would make some sense that a Canadian newspaper would be reporting this.
Don't get too excited yet, but this could be a huge signing for the Pirates. Bedard is the one guy I really wanted, and I'd be very pleased if the Pirates could bring him in, especially at just $4.5 million. We'll keep you updated.
My Thoughts on Wilson Betemit
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The big news in Pirates world today (and tomorrow) is Nate McLouth. You can read all about him on this blog, but for now I want to make a few comments on another possible Pirates signee.
The team has been talking to Wilson Betemit. Obviously the main reason for that is to back-up Pedro Alvarez, since there is a pretty good chance that he won't be a serviceable big league third baseman at the beginning of the season (if at all in 2012). Don't get me wrong, I still have faith that Pedro can turn it around and settle all questions about him in a few months, but right now the Pirates are in no position to take that risk.
Enter (possibly) Betemit, who hit .285/.343/.452 in 2011 with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. He's a career .269/.336/.448 hitter and he's 30 years old, so it's hard to imagine him repeating that 2011 success. However, it would be hard to complain about this signing if it happens.
An important thing to note is that Alvarez will almost surely be granted a 4th option for 2012, which means he could start the year in AAA and be sent up and down throughout the season. I can see the Pirates wanting to start him in the minor leagues to avoid an atrocious start at the big league level that cripples the team. If the Pirates don't sign anyone else, they would have to settle for a Josh Harrison/Chase d'Arnaud 3rd base combination, which would in all likelihood not be pretty. Betemit beats out those two by a long ways, so signing him could potentially help the team a lot.
Betemit also provides depth since he plays first base, second base, and even some shortstop along with his third base. It's always nice to have a guy or two like that on the roster.
I'm not really concerned with the Pirates signing Betemit, although I do think they need to sign someone that's a better option than Harrison & d'Arnaud. What I'm really concerned with is the Pirates signing a first baseman and a starting pitcher, so those are their two biggest needs (by a longshot). However, I don't see how signing Betemit would hurt the team, so I'd be happy to see it happen.
The team has been talking to Wilson Betemit. Obviously the main reason for that is to back-up Pedro Alvarez, since there is a pretty good chance that he won't be a serviceable big league third baseman at the beginning of the season (if at all in 2012). Don't get me wrong, I still have faith that Pedro can turn it around and settle all questions about him in a few months, but right now the Pirates are in no position to take that risk.
Enter (possibly) Betemit, who hit .285/.343/.452 in 2011 with the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers. He's a career .269/.336/.448 hitter and he's 30 years old, so it's hard to imagine him repeating that 2011 success. However, it would be hard to complain about this signing if it happens.
An important thing to note is that Alvarez will almost surely be granted a 4th option for 2012, which means he could start the year in AAA and be sent up and down throughout the season. I can see the Pirates wanting to start him in the minor leagues to avoid an atrocious start at the big league level that cripples the team. If the Pirates don't sign anyone else, they would have to settle for a Josh Harrison/Chase d'Arnaud 3rd base combination, which would in all likelihood not be pretty. Betemit beats out those two by a long ways, so signing him could potentially help the team a lot.
Betemit also provides depth since he plays first base, second base, and even some shortstop along with his third base. It's always nice to have a guy or two like that on the roster.
I'm not really concerned with the Pirates signing Betemit, although I do think they need to sign someone that's a better option than Harrison & d'Arnaud. What I'm really concerned with is the Pirates signing a first baseman and a starting pitcher, so those are their two biggest needs (by a longshot). However, I don't see how signing Betemit would hurt the team, so I'd be happy to see it happen.
Pirates Sign Nate McLouth to One-Year Deal
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It's (almost) official folks. The Pittsburgh Pirates have reached a one-year deal with Braves outfielder and former Pirate, Nate McLouth. No official information on the contract, but the announcement should come tomorrow after McLouth goes through a physical.
Another post coming up shortly about this and more, but it looks like half of the original inspiration for The "Mc" Effect is returning. Crazy stuff.
Another post coming up shortly about this and more, but it looks like half of the original inspiration for The "Mc" Effect is returning. Crazy stuff.
Pirates Interested in Ian Stewart
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The Pirates seem to have some interest in Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart. Stewart is not a free agent, the Pirates would have to acquire him in a trade. This is interesting for a couple reasons.
The first reason involves something I wrote about last week. The Pirates have consistently shown interest in former Rockies players and other guys that have ties to Clint Hurdle. Michael McKenry, Matt Pagnozzi, Garrett Atkins, Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, and Clint Barmes were the guys I talked about in that post. Now you can add Stewart to the list.
The second reason is that Stewart plays third base, the same position that Pedro Alvarez plays (for now). One of the big questions leading into the 2012 season will be what the Pirates will do with Alvarez. The team has a lot invested in Pedro, so there's no way we won't see Pedro play a significant amount of big league ball this year. My guess is that Pedro starts the year as the Pirates every day third baseman, and the Pirates are only looking at guys like Stewart as fallback plans in case he struggles again early in the year.
Personally, I don't think Stewart is the guy. He struggled a ton in 2011 to the tune of a .156/.243/.221 triple-slash line in 48 games. He's only 26 years old and used to have a strong prospect reputation, so I'm sure he wants to go somewhere that he can start, which isn't the case (at least right away) in Pittsburgh. Also, the Rockies seem to be asking a good amount for him, and I don't see the Pirates giving away a lot (especially in terms of prospects) for a back-up third baseman.
If you could get a hold of Neil Huntington's cell phone, I think Rockies GM Daniel J. O'Dowd would be his first speed dial.
The first reason involves something I wrote about last week. The Pirates have consistently shown interest in former Rockies players and other guys that have ties to Clint Hurdle. Michael McKenry, Matt Pagnozzi, Garrett Atkins, Aaron Cook, Jeff Francis, and Clint Barmes were the guys I talked about in that post. Now you can add Stewart to the list.
The second reason is that Stewart plays third base, the same position that Pedro Alvarez plays (for now). One of the big questions leading into the 2012 season will be what the Pirates will do with Alvarez. The team has a lot invested in Pedro, so there's no way we won't see Pedro play a significant amount of big league ball this year. My guess is that Pedro starts the year as the Pirates every day third baseman, and the Pirates are only looking at guys like Stewart as fallback plans in case he struggles again early in the year.
Personally, I don't think Stewart is the guy. He struggled a ton in 2011 to the tune of a .156/.243/.221 triple-slash line in 48 games. He's only 26 years old and used to have a strong prospect reputation, so I'm sure he wants to go somewhere that he can start, which isn't the case (at least right away) in Pittsburgh. Also, the Rockies seem to be asking a good amount for him, and I don't see the Pirates giving away a lot (especially in terms of prospects) for a back-up third baseman.
If you could get a hold of Neil Huntington's cell phone, I think Rockies GM Daniel J. O'Dowd would be his first speed dial.
McReturn?
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The newest Pirates headline on MLB Trade Rumors reads "Pirates Interested In McLouth". Woah.
I have to attack this one from two perspectives. We'll start with the logical one.
Nate McLouth is not a good baseball player anymore. Sure, he's had some injuries since being traded to Atlanta, but that's no excuse for him hitting .229/.335/.364 in his 250 games with them. The guy has been atrocious at the plate since leaving Pittsburgh, and he was never a very great defender either (despite that mind-blowing gold glove he won). And here's a newsflash - he was never that great as a Pirate either. He had a crazy good first half of the 2008 season which made him look like one of the best players in the game, but he struggled the second half of that year and was playing average before the trade in 2009. If the Pirates sign him, they aren't going to see anything like the first-half 2008 player. That said, McLouth wouldn't be asked for much from the Pirates, he would be a bench outfielder behind Tabata-McCutchen-Presley and a very good pinch running option. As a bench player, he probably wouldn't hurt the team, although he's a great candidate to repeat the successes of Matt Diaz from last year. The price tag determines if he'll be a good sign as a bench player, and my guess is that he won't come cheap enough to justify it.
Now we'll go to the other side. The reason I named this blog The "Mc" Effect was because of McLouth and Andrew McCutchen. They were my easily my two favorite players in the organization at the time (January of 2009), and it was bittersweet to see McLouth traded to make room for McCutchen. Bringing him back would bring back some good old memories, be an interesting side story, and would add another "Mc" to the team, so there are definitely positives to this.
Like I said, the price tag is going to determine if this is a good move or not. McLouth isn't a player that is going to add a bunch of wins to the team by himself, especially since he'll be a bench player. If he plays better than he has the last few years, he could be a valuable asset coming off the bench, but I don't really see that happening.
For right now, I have no mcstance on this.
I have to attack this one from two perspectives. We'll start with the logical one.
Nate McLouth is not a good baseball player anymore. Sure, he's had some injuries since being traded to Atlanta, but that's no excuse for him hitting .229/.335/.364 in his 250 games with them. The guy has been atrocious at the plate since leaving Pittsburgh, and he was never a very great defender either (despite that mind-blowing gold glove he won). And here's a newsflash - he was never that great as a Pirate either. He had a crazy good first half of the 2008 season which made him look like one of the best players in the game, but he struggled the second half of that year and was playing average before the trade in 2009. If the Pirates sign him, they aren't going to see anything like the first-half 2008 player. That said, McLouth wouldn't be asked for much from the Pirates, he would be a bench outfielder behind Tabata-McCutchen-Presley and a very good pinch running option. As a bench player, he probably wouldn't hurt the team, although he's a great candidate to repeat the successes of Matt Diaz from last year. The price tag determines if he'll be a good sign as a bench player, and my guess is that he won't come cheap enough to justify it.
Now we'll go to the other side. The reason I named this blog The "Mc" Effect was because of McLouth and Andrew McCutchen. They were my easily my two favorite players in the organization at the time (January of 2009), and it was bittersweet to see McLouth traded to make room for McCutchen. Bringing him back would bring back some good old memories, be an interesting side story, and would add another "Mc" to the team, so there are definitely positives to this.
Like I said, the price tag is going to determine if this is a good move or not. McLouth isn't a player that is going to add a bunch of wins to the team by himself, especially since he'll be a bench player. If he plays better than he has the last few years, he could be a valuable asset coming off the bench, but I don't really see that happening.
For right now, I have no mcstance on this.
College Basketball Statistics Site
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Don't have much time to write right now, but I just wanted to take some time to introduce my readers to a great website that covers College Basketball. It's called statsheet.com, and it looks at teams and games from seemingly every imaginable angle.
Here's the team page for Pitt, and here's the game boxscore from last night's City Game between Pitt and Duquesne.
The site uses some advanced statistics and some telling graphs to give you a better picture of the sport. I definitely recommend bookmarking it.
Here's the team page for Pitt, and here's the game boxscore from last night's City Game between Pitt and Duquesne.
The site uses some advanced statistics and some telling graphs to give you a better picture of the sport. I definitely recommend bookmarking it.
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