The Pirates didn't make the playoffs. Dangit.
This is nothing new for me. The Pirates have not been in the playoffs since I was two years old, so the only kind of October I know is one where the Pirates don't play baseball.
Because of that, I have begun a trend of picking a new team to root for every postseason. Recently, that team has been the Tampa Bay Rays. Less recently, I have rooted for the Houston Astros, the Florida Marlins, and the Arizona Diamondbacks. I like the small market teams, what can I say?
This year, I have a big time favorite in both leagues. Both of them are mentioned above. The Rays and the Diamondbacks are my teams this year. I have been a fan of these teams for the last handful of years, so I don't feel terrible about sorta-kinda jumping on the bandwagon.
One of the biggest reasons I really like these two teams is the Upton brothers. My fantasy baseball team name a few years ago was "Third Upton Brother", which is stupid and senseless, but relevant nonetheless.
I have always had a fascination with siblings reaching the highest level of competition in their given sport, and these two have been near the top of the list of my favorite players since they broke into the league. There is just something about fast outfielders with power that gets to me.
Unfortunately, B.J. never really reached his potential. He was the number one overall prospect in baseball at one point, but hasn't been much more than a very inconsistent bat with some power. His defense and speed has kept him in the starting lineup, but he hasn't been what the Rays expected. You cannot say the same for Justin however, he is quickly turning into one of the games best hitters and all-around players. This postseason could be his coming out party, even though I think any somewhat serious baseball fan fully knows who this guy is already.
I'll be writing about these two teams extensively this postseason, so if you are with me on the bandwagons, check back and read. Let's go Upton.
Things Not Looking Good For Doumit
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It looks like Ryan Doumit has absolutely no desire to play baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates next year, and really, why should he? He's been ripped to shreds seemingly every year he's been here and outside of the magical first-half run the Pirates had (which he was hardly a part of because of injury), he's never had any real hope of winning here.
Why do I say this? Well, Pirates beatwriter Rob Biertempfel tweeted this earlier in the week. Doumit says his chances of playing for the Pirates next year are "slim". That's the most honest I've ever heard a player be about that type of thing. Normally, you would just hear the old "well we'll see what happens, I love this organization and I can see myself here for the future..." BS answer, but Doumit tells it like it is.
I'm sure the guy is fed up with playing here. He was visibly upset in 2008 when his buddies Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, and the rest of 'em were shipped out of here while he had to stay and endure the painful 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Doumit has every reason to want to leave Pittsburgh, and he's not going to mess around, telling us lies to give us hope that he'll stay. I know that not everyone is with me saying that they want him to stay, but I think more people like him now than ever before.
I still hope Doumit stays, but I realize it's not going to happen. I hope he finds a new team and finds success somewhere else, the guy deserves it.
Why do I say this? Well, Pirates beatwriter Rob Biertempfel tweeted this earlier in the week. Doumit says his chances of playing for the Pirates next year are "slim". That's the most honest I've ever heard a player be about that type of thing. Normally, you would just hear the old "well we'll see what happens, I love this organization and I can see myself here for the future..." BS answer, but Doumit tells it like it is.
I'm sure the guy is fed up with playing here. He was visibly upset in 2008 when his buddies Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, and the rest of 'em were shipped out of here while he had to stay and endure the painful 2009 and 2010 seasons.
Doumit has every reason to want to leave Pittsburgh, and he's not going to mess around, telling us lies to give us hope that he'll stay. I know that not everyone is with me saying that they want him to stay, but I think more people like him now than ever before.
I still hope Doumit stays, but I realize it's not going to happen. I hope he finds a new team and finds success somewhere else, the guy deserves it.
2011 Final Pirates Offensive Sabermetrics
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Push on it to make it bigger... that's what she said
Pirates Prospects Covering Fall Instructional League
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I like to think I write a pretty good blog, but I'm not dumb enough to think I compare in the least bit to PiratesProspects.com, which has quickly turned into the one-stop shop for everything Pirates. I'm sure most of you read it already, but you can rest assured that I will referencing their stuff all offseason long, starting right now. Here are two posts that kicked off Tim's coverage of the Fall Instructional League in Bradenton. Definitely keep an eye on that series, great stuff.
What Do The Pirates Have In Alex Presley?
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Another good article from WHYGAVS yesterday about Alex Presley and his future with the Pirates. I am not nearly as high on Presley as a lot of people are, and Pat would seem to agree with me. Read the article, read it now:
One More Game
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The Pirates lost another slugfest tonight with the Brewers. Wins and losses hasn't meant anything for a long time, and now it's time to focus on the fact that the Pirates season will be over by tomorrow.
The Pirates have been pathetic for pretty much as long as I have been alive, so success has nothing to do with why I love the Pirates. That makes these last games painful. The offseason seems like an eternity every year as we wait for baseball to come back. The playoffs give us a distraction for awhile and the NFL season does it for some, but it's not enough for me.
When the season ends, I don't enjoy life as much. I am far from being dependent on baseball to make me happy, I have a full and enjoyable life, but I wish the Pirates season never ended. Maybe they could take a month off or something just to give me a short break from the demands of writing and keeping up with the blog, but after that I'd be yearning for games to start again.
Every losing Pirates season gives us anxiety for the next one. The 0-0 record gives us hope that things can change. However, starting Thursday, we have a gruesome 6 month wait until Pirates baseball is back. There is more positives to look back on this year than ever, but this season sure hasn't finished on a very positive note.
There will be much to talk about during the offseason, and the blog will still be updated as regularly as possible, but I will greatly miss baseball season. I'll be watching intently tomorrow night as I get my final taste of Pirates baseball until next spring. Sad days.
The Pirates have been pathetic for pretty much as long as I have been alive, so success has nothing to do with why I love the Pirates. That makes these last games painful. The offseason seems like an eternity every year as we wait for baseball to come back. The playoffs give us a distraction for awhile and the NFL season does it for some, but it's not enough for me.
When the season ends, I don't enjoy life as much. I am far from being dependent on baseball to make me happy, I have a full and enjoyable life, but I wish the Pirates season never ended. Maybe they could take a month off or something just to give me a short break from the demands of writing and keeping up with the blog, but after that I'd be yearning for games to start again.
Every losing Pirates season gives us anxiety for the next one. The 0-0 record gives us hope that things can change. However, starting Thursday, we have a gruesome 6 month wait until Pirates baseball is back. There is more positives to look back on this year than ever, but this season sure hasn't finished on a very positive note.
There will be much to talk about during the offseason, and the blog will still be updated as regularly as possible, but I will greatly miss baseball season. I'll be watching intently tomorrow night as I get my final taste of Pirates baseball until next spring. Sad days.
The Ryan Doumit Thing
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I am going to be talking a ton about Ryan Doumit in upcoming weeks and months.
For this post, I am going to leave numbers out of it (for the most part). If you want a more intelligent article on what the Pirates should do with Doumit, I highly recommend this WHYGAVS post.
I don't really even need numbers to make my point here. Here's a sentence:
If the Pirates do not re-sign Doumit next year, they will have a full year of Michael McKenry and Matt Pagnozzi as the primary catchers.
Those guys both suck. I don't care how much you love McKenry, he sucks and is not a major league catcher. Okay, he might be a major league catcher, but he is so far away from being a major league hitter that it takes away any thought in my mind of calling him a major league player. As for Pagnozzi... who the hell is that?
This offense is bad. It's very, very bad. The only proven competent hitter the Pirates have is Andrew McCutchen. Neil Walker gets hot sometimes, and Jose Tabata and Alex Presley can also rake from time-to-time and could easily turn into players that can rake very often, but it's not a sure thing. This year, Doumit has been the Pirates best hitter when in the lineup. He missed a lot of time in the middle of the season, but has been great ever since returning. That might be because of an extra motivation he has gotten because he knows his contract is running out, but it is true regardless.
It's not going to be cheap to bring him back to Pittsburgh, but I'm starting to wonder if the Pirates even have a choice. If they want any chance at all to improve on this year's win total, they are going to have to score more runs. They aren't going to do that without Doumit in the lineup unless Pedro Alvarez turns it around or they make a splash by signing someone like Carlos Pena in the offseason (which I'm still all about).
Right now I'm not concerned with money. Why should I be? It's not my money. As a fan, it's a no-brainer, re-sign Doumit and enjoy the runs he adds with the bat. Don't give the crap about the runs he costs us on defense, because he is so far ahead of everyone else we have with the bat, and that makes the argument mute.
Sorry to be close-minded and rude, but if you think the Pirates are a 2012 better team without Doumit, you're out of your mind and I never want you to read my blog again (that's a lie, I want everyone to read my blog). Isn't the goal of spending money to make your team better? That's what other teams do at least, maybe the Pirates should try it. In conclusion, the Pirates should re-sign Doumit, please.
For this post, I am going to leave numbers out of it (for the most part). If you want a more intelligent article on what the Pirates should do with Doumit, I highly recommend this WHYGAVS post.
I don't really even need numbers to make my point here. Here's a sentence:
If the Pirates do not re-sign Doumit next year, they will have a full year of Michael McKenry and Matt Pagnozzi as the primary catchers.
Those guys both suck. I don't care how much you love McKenry, he sucks and is not a major league catcher. Okay, he might be a major league catcher, but he is so far away from being a major league hitter that it takes away any thought in my mind of calling him a major league player. As for Pagnozzi... who the hell is that?
This offense is bad. It's very, very bad. The only proven competent hitter the Pirates have is Andrew McCutchen. Neil Walker gets hot sometimes, and Jose Tabata and Alex Presley can also rake from time-to-time and could easily turn into players that can rake very often, but it's not a sure thing. This year, Doumit has been the Pirates best hitter when in the lineup. He missed a lot of time in the middle of the season, but has been great ever since returning. That might be because of an extra motivation he has gotten because he knows his contract is running out, but it is true regardless.
It's not going to be cheap to bring him back to Pittsburgh, but I'm starting to wonder if the Pirates even have a choice. If they want any chance at all to improve on this year's win total, they are going to have to score more runs. They aren't going to do that without Doumit in the lineup unless Pedro Alvarez turns it around or they make a splash by signing someone like Carlos Pena in the offseason (which I'm still all about).
Right now I'm not concerned with money. Why should I be? It's not my money. As a fan, it's a no-brainer, re-sign Doumit and enjoy the runs he adds with the bat. Don't give the crap about the runs he costs us on defense, because he is so far ahead of everyone else we have with the bat, and that makes the argument mute.
Sorry to be close-minded and rude, but if you think the Pirates are a 2012 better team without Doumit, you're out of your mind and I never want you to read my blog again (that's a lie, I want everyone to read my blog). Isn't the goal of spending money to make your team better? That's what other teams do at least, maybe the Pirates should try it. In conclusion, the Pirates should re-sign Doumit, please.
Triple Crown Update
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We are just days away from the end of the 2011 Major League Baseball regular season. One of the biggest stories in sports right now is the race for the National League Triple Crown. Matt Kemp of the Dodgers has a chance to do something that nobody has done since 1967, and that is win the triple crown.
I'm sure most of you know that to win the triple crown, you have to lead the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Here's the current leaders for those three categories.
Kemp is a very good bet to win RBI and has a 50/50 shot at home runs, but batting average is probably going to be the one he falls short on. It was closer a few days ago, but Braun has gone 4/6 in his last two games while Kemp is 3/13 in his last three games. Reyes has also been hitting the ball well, going 3/7 his last two games.
The Brewers, Dodgers, and Mets all have 3 games remaining. It is interesting to note that the Dodgers have played 158 games thus far, so they should have four games left to play. However, a game with the Nationals earlier this month was postponed and no make-up was scheduled. If it comes down to Kemp being just a 2/4 day or a home run away from the triple crown, it will be interesting to see if baseball reschedules that game to give him a chance. It wouldn't really be fair for Kemp to play one less game than the other competitors, right? Intriguing stuff.
By the way, I am rooting hard for Kemp to get it. I will be locked in on every Braun at-bat this series and hoping he comes up hitless. That is unlikely to happen, and Kemp is going to have rack up some hits in his final three to have a chance, but nothing seems beyond reach to this guy, he is having one of the best seasons we have seen in a long time and is just three home runs shy of having a very rare 40 homer - 40 steal season. Heck of a player.
I'm sure most of you know that to win the triple crown, you have to lead the league in batting average, home runs, and runs batted in. Here's the current leaders for those three categories.
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Matt Kemp - 37 Prince Fielder - 35 |
Ryan Howard - 115 Prince Fielder - 114 |
Jose Reyes - .331 Matt Kemp - .324 |
Kemp is a very good bet to win RBI and has a 50/50 shot at home runs, but batting average is probably going to be the one he falls short on. It was closer a few days ago, but Braun has gone 4/6 in his last two games while Kemp is 3/13 in his last three games. Reyes has also been hitting the ball well, going 3/7 his last two games.
The Brewers, Dodgers, and Mets all have 3 games remaining. It is interesting to note that the Dodgers have played 158 games thus far, so they should have four games left to play. However, a game with the Nationals earlier this month was postponed and no make-up was scheduled. If it comes down to Kemp being just a 2/4 day or a home run away from the triple crown, it will be interesting to see if baseball reschedules that game to give him a chance. It wouldn't really be fair for Kemp to play one less game than the other competitors, right? Intriguing stuff.
By the way, I am rooting hard for Kemp to get it. I will be locked in on every Braun at-bat this series and hoping he comes up hitless. That is unlikely to happen, and Kemp is going to have rack up some hits in his final three to have a chance, but nothing seems beyond reach to this guy, he is having one of the best seasons we have seen in a long time and is just three home runs shy of having a very rare 40 homer - 40 steal season. Heck of a player.
Pirates Offseason Preview
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Good piece by Bucs Dugout about the upcoming Pirates offseason. They cover everything you need to know for now. Click the image and check it out.
Pirates vs. Brewers Series Preview
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The last series of the year starts tonight, and the Pirates are in Milwaukee for that series. This 3-game set is of much more importance to the Brewers than the Pirates, but it would still be nice to see the Pirates go in there and win some games to slow Milwaukee's momentum as they head to the postseason. Seeing the Brewers have any success in the playoffs would make me sick, as it would to most of you I assume. Here's the ESPN preview. Check it out.
Pirates Attendance and Payroll
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Another great article over at Pirates Prospects again today. This one's about the increased attendance and what it means for the future payroll. Check it out.
Last Home Game of the Year
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It's the last chance to see the 2011 Pirates play in Pittsburgh this year.
Good news is that James McDonald is on the mound for his last start of the year. I expect J-Mac to dominate today and finish the season strong. He's been inconsistent for the Pirates this year, but all-in-all I am encouraged to what he showed us this year. It's hard to say that one start is more important than another, but it would be nice for McDonald to finish the season on a high note today.
Here's the rest of the lineup:
1. Alex Presley (L) LF
2. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Derrek Lee (R) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Ryan Ludwick (R) RF
7. Chase d'Arnaud (R) SS
8. Michael McKenry (R) C
9. James McDonald (L) P
Wish I were there, looking forward to next year in a big way but it's sad to know that I have seen the Pirates play for the last time until next April.
Good news is that James McDonald is on the mound for his last start of the year. I expect J-Mac to dominate today and finish the season strong. He's been inconsistent for the Pirates this year, but all-in-all I am encouraged to what he showed us this year. It's hard to say that one start is more important than another, but it would be nice for McDonald to finish the season on a high note today.
Here's the rest of the lineup:
1. Alex Presley (L) LF
2. Josh Harrison (R) 3B
3. Andrew McCutchen (R) CF
4. Derrek Lee (R) 1B
5. Neil Walker (S) 2B
6. Ryan Ludwick (R) RF
7. Chase d'Arnaud (R) SS
8. Michael McKenry (R) C
9. James McDonald (L) P
Wish I were there, looking forward to next year in a big way but it's sad to know that I have seen the Pirates play for the last time until next April.
Minor League McPitcher of the Year
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Kyle McPherson won minor league pitcher of the year. Duh.
The "Mc" Effect extends beyond the major league team.
The "Mc" Effect extends beyond the major league team.
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