 |
"For the first time since I've been here, I stand here truly excited [about the team]"This is something that I was surprised to hear Huntington say. Obviously, there was no real reason for him to be excited about the team since he's been here, but you don't expect your GM to admit that. Also, I don't know why this year would be any different. Is Huntington really excited about Erik Bedard, Clint Barmes, Rod Barajas, Nate McLouth, and Casey McGehee? Come on.
Clint Hurdle:
"I've appreciated the work we've done this winter. We were aggressive. We identified needs and went after them."
More b.s. in my opinion. Going into the offseason, the Pirates had two big needs, first base and starting pitcher. They remedied the starting pitcher spot with Bedard, I did really like that acquisition, but they haven't done anything to help at first base. That is basically all I have been writing about the last month, but I think it was a huge need that they needed to do something big at, and they didn't do it. McGehee makes things a little bit better, but he's not a guy that can hit clean-up for you and put some serious runs on the board. And as for the Pirates being "aggressive", I didn't see that from them. Obviously I'm just a kid at a computer who doesn't get much more information than the normal guy, but it really doesn't seem like they really tried too hard to get a big time bat. There are still some names out there, but after the trade for McGehee and tendering Garrett Jones, I would be shocked to see the Pirates sign another first baseman.
Clint Hurdle:
"We've got work to do offensively. We're capable of getting it done. It will get better."
I'm not sure how Hurdle can get off making ridiculous statements like this. There is really no reason to believe that the offense will be any better than it was last year. With all the young talent, there is certainly a good chance it will improve, but management hasn't done anything to convince us that it will surely be better. None of the new guys bring big bats with them, and the Pirates are largely relying on a guy in Pedro Alvarez that hit .191/.272/.289 last year for offense. All that said, there is no reason for Hurdle to be sure that the offense will get better.
I understand that these are public comments, and management has to be very careful about what they say. You'll never actually get the truth out of these guys, and that's in the best interest of the team, so I'm fine with it. It can't change, so we just have to accept it, but it's still frustrating to see the faces of your franchise basically lying in front of everyone.