I wasn't too sure if this has been done yet this offseason but I figured it will be a nice compaitive to loook at. After the jump I'll compare the main players that were with the 2011 Pirates to their replacements in 2012. I plan on leaving out the bullpen as so many players were in an out, up and down from AAA that its tough to gauge exactly what the bullpen will be like for the entire season.

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As we casually make our way through our own top prospect list here on BD, I thought this would be a nice time to write this article. Its something I have been thinking about doing for a few weeks now and have mentioned it here and there throughout my commenting. As we head into 2012, we may enter the most significant year for our minor league system.

After NH took over in 2007, the Pirates began a transition into a rebuild that has the potential to finally pay dividends that us Pirates fans have been longing for. Its not an easy task, as I like to point out, about 7 years is a good time line to follow a true rebuilding plan. The breakdowns and much more to follow -

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Hey everyone, just wanted to float some thoughts out there and gauge some reactions and opinions on some trade ideas with the Pirates.  I along with some other Pirate fans are just curious to see how you all feel about some trade ideas.

The Buccos are still looking for some immediate pitching help for 2012 and beyond.  Our one area of surplus is OF and as I follow the Braves pretty well, I know that CF quite possibly an area of need for you guys.  As the Pirates continue negotiations to extend McCutchen, two other players at the CF position that could be traded are Alex Presley or Starling Marte.

For those of you unfamiliar with Marte here is his profile page:  http://players.piratesprospects.com/2010/02/starling-marte.html

Marte will be in AAA this season so he is close to being in the bigs, and he has the tools to move McCutchen off CF, which shows that he could be the real deal.  Anyways my question is, if the Pirates were to put a package together around Presley or Marte what would the Braves be willing to give up in return.  Could the Pirates get a Minor or a Delgado.  Would it take less to get Hoover? Beachy?  Going for the big time, what would it cost for say Jurrjens?

Thanks in advance for the discussion (hopefully!).

8/22/11
A few more go showings down on the farm tonight had me thinking where some players might be at to start 2012.  A lot of debate a few weeks back about the farm system and how it ranks.  How the prospects were doing and who was moving forwards and backwards.  Then we signed more quality talent and things got even more debatable. 

My thinking is that a lot of the really talented guys are at the lower levels and it appears will be pushed forward in 2012.  It could potentially be a very, very big season for the Pirates system as a whole.  I think we'll really start to develop an understanding of what guys are panning out and which are not.  So I figured, with the minor league schedules slowly wrapping up over the next few weeks, lets have some fun with some interesting players.

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Why should the Pirates NOT be buyers at the deadline, well what are we exactly trying to accomplish at the deadline really.  It doesn't take rocket science to know we need to upgrade our offense, but is the price of a few prospects worth it? 

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Matt Hague is a 25 year old 1b at AAA and will turn 26 this August.  Hague hits and catches righty.  Drafted first by Clevland, was then drafted by the Pirates out of OK St in 2008.  Hague has followed a pretty straight path to where he is now.  He split time in '08 between State College and A-.  From there, he spent full seasons in A+ and AA. 

So without further ado, a Mr. Matthew Hague breakdown.

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Take a deep breath. Relax. Pause. Count to 10.  Ok? Now repeat.  Good, now that you have calmed yourself, please feel free to read my trade idea with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Players to be had: Casey Kotchman, BJ Upton, Reid Brignac

Curiously, Kotchman was signed by the Rays to a minor league contract and was purchased after Manny retired.  Not curious because Kotchman had a bad 2010, curious because I still would have pegged him as a player to get a MLB deal somewhere.  Kotchman has always been very sure handed at 1b, and this year he is really lighting it up at the plate.  Kotchman has always been very selective at the plate and has a great eye, his career high in Ks for a season is 57.  With an OPS of .866 this season, he may be playing at a higher level then he is used to, but the Rays paid little to get him and could sell high on Kotchman.

The thing I like is that selling high on "Casey Kotchman" is that the price honestly can't be "that high".  Maybe one of our back of the rotation potential pitchers such as Justin Wilson paired with Overbay and the Pirates covering Overbays salary.  Or maybe a Pribanic with a Garrett Jones?  Maybe we package 2 or 3 of our roster crunch guys together.   

Curious on BD thoughts on this?

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Matt Curry 1B WV Power
6'1" 225lbs
Bat: L    Throw: R

Matt Curry was redrafted by the Pirates in the 16th round of the 2010 draft (37th round in 2008).  Currently Matt is 22 playing at low A WV.  Its understandable for a late round pick to be playing his way through the low minors but Curry is no slouch when it comes to baseball.  A big question has been when will Curry get the promotion to the next level.  Lets divulge.

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I made this fan post today as I realized there is another pitcher for the Bruins that is also very successful.  Trevor Bauer is a RHP junior at UCLA and so far his 2011 has been phenomenal. 

2011 stats here: Bauer 2011

Now he is not a flash in the pan pitcher either, his freshman and sophomore were also very good statistically.  He has played on national teams and led the league in Ks in 2010.  Its more than just his K numbers though, he seems durable; pitching over 100 innings each season and on pace to do it again this year.  He has kept low ERAs each season and opp avg seem to be very low against him.

career bio here: Bauer bio

I guess I am posting to just get a reaction from everyone here.  I don't know how hard he throws or what other pitches he has in his arsenal.  I also have no idea how any of his pitches project to the majors (i.e plus fastball?, plus curve?, avg change?) I just want to know a little more about him because he seems just as good as some of the other guys in consideration for the top pick by looking at his stat sheet.

Or is it so curious?  Gerrit Cole could very well be the Pirates #1 overall selection in this years draft.  Not like Cole hasn't been here before.  He was taken by the Yankees in the first round of the 2008 draft.  Passing up the chance to sign with the Yanks to play at UCLA, Cole has turned his once high stock into the highest stock it could possibly be, the top pick in the draft.

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So it was brought up in a comment and then I divulged a little into the Penguins and Flyers remaining schedule and how things could shake out.  This post goes more in depth with that as well as look at Montreal, Washington and the Lightning remaining schedules.

Pittsburgh Penguins (4th seed) - 84 pts - 67 gp - 15 gr
8 @ home
7 @ road
2 vs Flyers
4 vs other playoff (currently seeded 8 or higher) teams
4 vs teams on the bubble (9-12 seed)

Outlook: Pens are but a sure bet to make the playoffs.  Although nothing is guranteed they have a large enough cushion that things should be alright.  They appear to be in a position to finish either 4th, 5th or even 1st in the East.  If they can handle both of their games against the Flyers there is no reason why they shouldn't have a shot at 1st place.

More to follow after the jump.

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Well, its more of an inactive list considering we have some suspensions too.  But I figured this would be a good place to keep a running list of all the players we have out of our lineup.  When I see all the names on this list next to each other and knowing that they're all out of the lineup, it really shows just how much talent is out of the lineup.  By no means am I bashing the guys we got out there on the ice now.

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The current FO has made the most of recent drafts. It's clear that a good chunk of money is being spent on the draft and have helped reshape the Pirates minor league system.  What I was wondering is with the Pirates recent dedication to the draft, may it have been better to let some of our former Buccos walk and sign somewhere else so that we could obtain a compenstory pick rather than get flamed out prospects hoping to regain their shine? 

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Saw a fanshot about Rendon being cleared to play so I took some time to once again read over some stuff on the guy.  Once again I was not dissapointed in what I read and even found some tape of him fielding, taking BP, and even being given his own day in Houston.  Maybe by June we can have our very own Anthony Rendon day here in Pittsburgh.

Anthony Rendon Link

Nothing really new here, but what really intrigued me was Olney saying Rendon could be in the majors within a year of being drafted.  Lofty expectations but he seems talented enough to accomplish it.  It sure would be nice to have Rendon in 2012.

Pretty good article on Pirates Prospects on the "typical" standards for a rotation.  I know on here talk of a starters potential as a #1 - 5 is thrown around loosely but we hardly have a measuring stick.  Its an interesting find, and its simply going off ERA which can be skewed but at any rate its a good indicator to at least give us some idea where our guys stack up against the rest of the league in terms of starters by position in the rotation.

The sad part is that when I compare our pitchers to the top averages for the league (which i felt appropriate as I would like the team to be measured against the best and not the worst) we are just so far behind.

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