We all know the Pirates want their pitching prospects to develop fastball command, and that emphasis could lead to reduced strikeout numbers. I would think, however, that other organizations have the same philosophy, so there wouldn't be a wide disparity in strikeout statistics. But it's interesting how the Pirates farm teams all rank at or near the bottom in league strikeouts.

Indy: 11th of 14

Altoona: 12th of 12 (76Ks behind 11th place)

Bradenton 12th of 12 (15 Ks behind 11th place)

West Virginia 11th of 14

State College 14th of 14 (60 Ks behind 13th)

GCL Pirates 13th of 15.

The major league staff also fails to fan many batters. I wonder what's going on? Do you the Pirates simply emphasize fastball command more than the other 29 teams? And if the other teams don't emphasize it as much, are the Pirates overemphasizing it? We'll probably have to wait 5 years before making any judgments, but I find it an interesting question.

Pirates agreed to terms with catcher Ryan Doumit on a three-year, $11.5 million contract with a club option for 2012 and '13.
According to the Post-Gazette, Doumit gets a $300,000 signing bonus, $2.05 million in 2009, $3.55 million in 2010 and $5.1 million in 2011.

 

I never understand why teams like the Pirates structure deals this way. The Pirates aren't spending any money this year, why not give Doumit $5.1 million in 2009, $3.5 million in 2010 and $2 million in 2011?

This is the time of year when I cast aside my 11 months and three weeks of pessimism and start thinking the Pirates might be good. I'm not saying playoff good, but third-place good.

I'm happy that Doumit appears to be getting the bulk of time at catcher. That should improve the offense. LaRoche should be better than last year, Sanchez's shoulder is worrisome, no doubt about it, and Jack Wilson and Jose Bautista should be roughly the same as last season.

Nady/Pearce should post similar numbers to the 2007 collection of RFs, but Bay should improve and a full year of McLouth should make CF a strength -- at least offensively.

With the exception of 2B, I see upgrade or stagnation at every other position. Hopefully, that translates into more runs. The bench isn't great, I admit.

On the pitching side, Snell and Gorzelanny are good -- if healthy. Maholm was actually pretty good last season until September and Duke looks better with the Tracy/Colborn regime gone. I don't expect 2005, but maybe Duke can post an ERA of 4.40,. which I'll take from a fourth or fifth starter. I have no hope for Matt Morris.

That's not a horrible rotation, but it has to stay healthy because there's not much depth. I'm hoping Huntington can add someone who's fallen out of favor, such as Matt Belisle, in the coming days.

The bullpen looks OK, too. Capps, Marte and Grabow are solid, and the collection of spare parts seems to have more upside than last year's group.

I think the range of victories falls between 65 and 85, so there's a chance we could get a winning season. Of course, there's a better chance we remain mired with 90+ losses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Pirates have signed Snell to a 5-year contract, but it looks like only the first three are guaranteed. Club options for 2011 and 2012, according to mlb.com.

I don't know the dollar figures, but I think this is a good move. Pitchers are an obvious injury risk, particularly those on the short side. But he's got good stuff and this would lock him up through his first free agent season.

From Nate Silver's BP chat today:

Jay Bruce and Andrew McCutchen, how close are they?

Nate Silver: We probably shouldn't be bundling those two together any more. Bruce is like the $300 hotel you stay at, and McCutchen is like the free USA Today that's waiting outside your doorstep.

I think he's too harsh, but McCutchen had a pretty bad Double-A season last year. And he didn't do much for me at the Arizona Fall League. Let's hope I'm not a good scout.  

I just noticed that Danny Murtaugh is among the 20 former managers, executives and umpires on the new Hall of Fame ballot to be considered by the Veterans Committee next month.

Billy Martin, Whitey Herzog, Dick Williams and Davey Johnson are just some of the other names on the ballot, so I'm sure Murtaugh won't get elected over those more popular names.

But a .540 winning percentage and two world series titles is a pretty good resume. And, of course, he filled out the first all-black lineup card in MLB.

Anyone here think he's deserving and does anyone think he has a shot?

Huntington on Chacon:

"There is interest," Huntington told MLB.com "We have not made a call yet. The conversations with Dave, from what I have been told, were more excessive in terms of both salary and years than we are willing to make."

I'm encouraged. Certainly don't want the Pirates overpaying for relief pitchers.

I'll believe when I see it, but we might someday have good prospects.

PANTOJA, Dominican Republic (AP) _ The Pittsburgh Pirates are considering building a new training academy in the Dominican Republic in an effort to attract more of the country's top prospects. The team's owners and general manager Dave Littlefield ended a four-day visit to the country on Tuesday, saying they want to increase their presence there.

From the diaries. Fantastic move by the Braves - this may well end up being the biggest steal of the offseason. As for Wilson, he doesn't get much money, he can get a big contract next year if he plays well in 2007. - Charlie

Should have seen this coming...

ATLANTA (AP) _ Craig Wilson, who could contend for playing time or a starting job in left field or first base, agreed Thursday to a $2 million, one-year contract with the Atlanta Braves. I want the Pirates to win more games than the Braves. But given how Wilson was wronged by the Pirates, part of me wants to see him hit more homers than LaRoche.

Marlins purchased the contract of outfielder Chad Hermansen from the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association.

Hermansen set Canaries single-season records for doubles (35) and runs scored (77). He led the American Association in doubles, extra-base hits (57), and slugging percentage (.579). Chad was second in the league in homers (19), third in runs scored, and fifth in RBI (72).

"Until I heard from the Marlins, it was stressful waiting to find out whether or not my numbers would be enough to get me an invite to Spring Training," noted Chad. "Now that I have the chance, I hope to stay healthy long enough to show the Marlins what I can bring to the table."

I don't think Hermansen's going to bring much to the table, except strikeouts. But I'd like to see him salvage something of a career. Hard to believe he's not even 30 years old.

One of the frustrating parts of spring training is trying to get injury information on minor leaguers. We all know about Javier Herrera, but has anyone heard of other players who are going to miss significant time because of injuries suffered in camp.

Every year it seems there are good prospects mysteriously absent from the box scores on opening day. I'm hoping that one season I won't be caught by surprise. This could be the year with any help you can provide. Thanks in advance.

One thing that trips me up when evaluating a minor leaguer is an exceptional or horrible late-season move up to the next level. For example, Stephen Drew was amazing in the hitter-friendly Cal League and terrible in the Southern League. I think Baseball America said he was tired, but how do they really know? Travis Denker was great in low-A and then fell apart in his brief time at High-A. Many are chalking it up to his flaws being exposed at a higher level, with fatigue not mentioned as a factor. On the other hand, Blake Dewitt wasn't that great in low-A and then had a fantastic 31 at-bats in Vero Beach. I've never been on the Dewitt bandwagon, but now I'm wondering if I should be.
The question: How much stock should one put in these brief trials? When is a failed trial important (as it is to those who've abandoned Denker) and when should it be irrelevant because of small sample size (Drew).

I think Tom Gorzelanny and Dana Eveland are two of the most underhyped pitching prospects in the game today. Trouble is, I can't decide who I like more and I want to take one of them in my upcoming NL draft (most of the other top pitching prospects are already on teams, though the 2005 draft class is available). Their stats are similar, but Eveland is a year younger and Gorzelanny is more athletic.

The two questions I have: Who's the better prospect and do you agree that these are elite pitching prospects?

Jacque Jones and the Chicago Cubs agreed to a $16 million, three-year contract on Tuesday, one day after the outfielder rejected the Minnesota Twins' offer of salary arbitration.

The 30-year-old Jones hit .249 last season with 23 homers and 73 RBIs, the second straight year his average declined following a pair of .300 seasons. He set career highs in 2002 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this move will not help the Cubs join the White Sox and Red Sox in ending long droughts. They really need some OBP to go with Lee and Ramirez.

LA Times reports that Bill Mueller has signed a two-year deal with the Dodgers, reuniting him with Grady Little.

If true, what's the plan for Andy Laroche? A year at Double-A, a year at Triple-A and then Dodger Stadium.

Or will he be traded, perhaps for a center fielder?

And what about Willy Aybar?

As a prospect watcher who hates to see teams throw millions at mediocre players, I'm excited to see the Milwaukee Brewers apparently commit to a Fielder/Weeks/Hardy/Hall infield. With Overbay's trade to the Blue Jays, I was wondering if you all think Prince is ready for an everyday job. I predict his 2006 line to be .275/.330/.470. Is that optimistic or pessimistic?