According to Foxsports the Pirates are interested in former Tigers second basemen Ramon Santiago as their everyday shortstop. Last year Santiagoa had a .695 OPS and a 1.3 WAR. I guess this makes him an upgrade over Cedeno? Maybe not; Cedeno's OPS was a bit lower than Santiago's (.636), but Ronny had a higher war rating (1.6). Ramon is also three and a half older than Ronny. Link is below. http://www.yardbarker.com/blog/mlbbuzz/sources_pirates_like_santiago_at_shortstop/8028484

Ok, it's early March, but should Cedeno be looking over his shoulder? Crosby is having a very nice day thus far, and he is a former ROY. It seems to me like they are both pretty similar at the plate; both have some pop, but neither hits for much average. Crosby has a slightly higher fielding percentage, though I have no idea who has more range. Of course this could all be moot if Crosby gets hurt.  Since winning ROY in 2004, it looks like he has only stayed healthy for one whole season.

According to CBS, http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/transactions, the legendary Doug Mientkiewicz  has signed a minor league contract with LA. It's hard to belive that this time last year Dougie's possible returm was the subject of so much speculation. It seems like progress that signing a guy like this no longer generates much interest. Eye chart got hurt in mid-April, and ended up only making 19 plate appearances for the year. Hopefully next season will be kinder to the scrappy veteran.

David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News is speculating  (http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20091112_Phillies_like_the_third-base_market.html) that Phillies GM Rueban Amaro Jr. has talked to the Pirates about a trade for Andy LaRoche.  I would be curious to see what Amaro would be willing to offer, but, to me, it does not appear to be a good time to trade Luigi. Neil Walker is not, and will probably never be, ready to start at the major league level. Pedro Alvarez will most likely start the year at Indy, so there is, at this time, no internal replacement for LaRoche. Most importantly, I think trading Andy now would be selling low. He developed last year, and it looks like he still has untapped potential.  

According to the Pirates website http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091103&content_id=7614836&vkey=news_pit&fext=.jsp&c_id=pit Iwamura is now a Pirate, and Jesse Chavez is not. This is probably not a move that brings the Bucs any closer to contending, but it stablizes a position where the in-house options are limited. If Iwamura can stay healthy, and that is a big if, he should be able to help out the pitching staff (Zach Duke should be happy with this). Another bonus; DY can go back to the bench role for which he seems more fitted. We will miss Chavez, but overall I think it's an upgrade.

 

I believe that the Pirates will be good one day.

 

I believe that Neal Huntington is on the right path.

 

I believe that Charlie Morton will make the McLouth trade look great.

 

I believe that Neal raked the Yankees over the coals with the Nady/ Marte trade.

 

I believe that Andy LaRoche will be an above average major league second basemen.

 

I believe that given enough talent John Russell will do fine as a major league manager.

 

I believe that Lastings Milledge will make the Morgan/ Burnett trade a steal.

 

I believe that Garrett Jones will hit 30 homeruns next year.

 

I believe that Cutch will be an all-star for years to come.

 

I believe that Hanrahan will be a quality closer.

 

I believe that Ross Ohlendorf will win 15 games next year.

 

I believe that a year from now we will have witnessed a measurable improvement at the major league level; 70 plus wins.

 

I believe that Pedro Alvarez will make an impressive major league debut next year.

 

I believe that what Neal has done over the last two years is discernibly from what the Pirates did for the previous fifteen; therefore I believe that the national media, that pays little attention to what the Pirates are actually trying to do, should shut their pie holes.

 

I believe that many Pirates fans will come back like they did at the of the 1988 season, when they see a young team gain momentum.

 

I believe that Cedeno will be a serviceable major league shortstop.

I believe that Duke and Maholm will both win 15 games in a season while wearing a Pirates uniform.

 

I believe that one day we will not have to give nick-names like “Wreck Specs” and “Black Hole” to Pirates players.

 

I believe that Jesse Chavez is becoming a quality set-up guy.

 

I believe that there is no other place on Earth I would rather be than PNC Park.

 

I believe I will witness the Pirates win their 6th world championship.

 

The Bible says “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” I choose to hope and believe because the Pirates have, and will always be, my favorite team. I have followed them closely since 1982, and I will never give up on them. Much of what I have stated above may not come to pass, but given the choice of being optimistic or pessimistic; I choose to believe that the Bucs will be good one day. This is a belief I will never give up on.   

 

 

The legend of Ronnie Ballgame continues. He was traded from the Phils to Giants, and then from the Giants to the Marlins in one day. He's hit over .350 against left handers in his career so the Marlins plan to use him against south paws. But that same plan did not really work here last seaon when he hit .212. My question is whether he can rake south paws when he's not playing everyday. Also, he had a lousy spring hitting .194 with the Phils, where he was unable to unseat Chris Coste as Carlos Ruiz's back up. Can't say I miss the lackadaisical Paulino, though I did see him hit a majestic moonshot into the bushes in center against the Reds in 2007. He better make the most out of this chance with Marlins.

According to Dejan, Denny Bautista and his 6.10 ERA in 35 appearances were not offered arbitration. I don't quite understand why the Bucs didn't use Bautistas roster spot to protect Kyle Bloom or Jamie Romack. I don't think losing Bloom will end up being to big of a deal, but why not hold on to him? Hopefully because they are planning to sign another free-agent, to a major league contract, to fill the roster spot. Mark Texiera is still available.

Apperantly evil still reigns; According to sportsline.com, C.C. Sabathia has agreed to a seven year, $160 million contract, the richest contract in MLB history for a pitcher. The Yanks outbid the Red Sox and Angels. Now that the K-Rods and Sabathias are falling into place maybe we will see more moves, and maybe the Bucs will start signing the likes of Paul Byrd (no talk about him in a while though huh?) and David Eckstein. I can't wait! 

Ed Wade said this about Mike Hampton; "I don't think there's any reason based on the performance at the end of the season, based on the medical information that we gathered ... for us to feel that he's not going to be able to go out there every fifth day and answer the bell for us."

Ed Wade also says; "From the footage I've watched, Bigfoot appears to be real."

"From what Donald Rumsfeld told me the insurgency in Iraq is in its death throes"

"From the tapes we've watched Carl Pavano could win next years Cy Young award"

"Based on the Zapruter film I think Plexico Burress was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald"

"From the charts I have looked at, I really think it's a great time to buy Enron stock"

"Based on the tapes I have looked at Matt Millen was a great GM"

"The reports we have indicate smoking is good for pregant women"

"Based on the reports from my drug dealer this is great ecstacy" 

 

Dejan is back and he wrote a great article about a Pirates tryout in the Dominican Republic. It is a nice feel good story. I like the article for two reasons; (1) it gives insight into what the Bucs are doing on the island, and internationally; (2) I have taken several classes on Latin American history and geography, and the article gives a nice snapshot about life and baseball in the D.R.

The Bucs have a long way to go before they will be a competitive major league franchise, and I think the 2009 season is going to be a long one for us, but this story and the recent international signings are giving more me hope that Pirates are on the right track. Lastly I just wanted to say how glad I am that Dejan is back, he is a tremendous writer.

The Colorado Rockies have tabbed Jim Tracy as their bench coach. Will Tracy advise Rockies manager Clint Hurdle on how to try and recreate the 2004 LA Dodgers in Colorado?  Jim Tracy was pretty bad in the Burgh, but bad managers always seem to resurface as malor league coaches. Tracy was bench coach under Felipe Alou in Montreal and with Davey Johnson in LA from 1999-2001. After watching the Bucs fall apart in late 2007 under his leadership, its hard to envision him getting another chance to manage in the majors.

The Pirates signed Indian pitchers Dinesh Patel and Rinku Singh to minor league deals.  They were finalists in something called "the Million Dollar Arm" contest in India. Like the signing of Mpho Ngoepe, the South African shortstop, these guys may never pan out, but its good to finally see the Bucs going after international talent. The Bucs need to be looking for talent where ever they can find it; signing these guys can only help.

UPDATE by Charlie: Check out this USA Today article for the background here. This story is incredibly strange.

Singh and Patel threw the javelin in India, and Singh played some cricket. When they came to the USA in May, Singh and Patel had no idea how to play catch, let alone use a water fountain. The first time they played catch, they threw the ball, and when it came back, they dropped their gloves and caught barehanded.

The first time they saw a baseball game, watching USC play Washington State, Patel was confused.

"What did the shortstop do wrong?" he asked.

House: "Why do you say that?"

Patel: "He's the only one in the infield without a base."

These guys sound like they're more raw than tomatoes that haven't come out of the ground yet. Singh can throw 87 without a problem and, of the two, has the best control; Patel throws harder, but apparently doesn't throw strikes. Expect some serious mental errors if and when they play minor league ball for the Pirates. One scout quoted in the article gives both of them a good chance of making the majors, but I don't think that will happen. Singh, who's supposed to be the strike-thrower of the pair, hit five batters in an inning as recently as July. Really, this is about establishing a presence in a region where talent might emerge later.

According to the Post Gazette the Bucs have called up pitchers Ross Ohlendorf (who will start tomorrow), String Beam, (the water cooler abusing) Craig Hansen, Romulo! and Marino Salas; infielders Brian Bixler and Luis Cruz; outfielder Steve Pearce; and catchers Ronny Paulino and (the recently traded for) Robinzon Diaz. All are from AAA Indy.

I am disapointed not to see Andrew McClutchen on this list, but glad to see Ohledorf, Beam, Pearce and Diaz coming up. I am indifferent to everyone else, though Hansen, Romulo! and Salas fit in with fire making bullpen.

I went to all four of the Bucs-Mets games over the weekend, here are some observations.

Zach Duke's change up fools NOBODY. I have wasted hundreds of dollars in the last two seasons watching Matt Morris (2 starts) JVB (2 starts) and Duke (1 start). I am close to putting Duke in the Morris/ JVB category. 

It was really frustrating to see the Bucs leave so many runners in scoring position. By Monday I was embarrasing my wife with my antics.

I thought we let the Mets fans get away with too much. We should have drowned out their stinkin "Jose" chants every time. I guess 16 years of losing breeds ambivelance.

I have to admit the fireworks were the best I have ever watched.

Nate is great with balls hit in front of him or to his sides. He seems to struggle on balls hit over his head.

On Fridasy Beasley sent LaRoche home with one out and he was gunned down. Doesn't every little league third base coach know a runner should not be thrown out at home with less then two outs? 

My wife and I got our pictures up on the screne twice, that was cool.

Andy LaRoche played third base like Roger Dorn.

The Mets bullpen is a joke, I think it will cost them their division.

Here are my first half grades for the Buccos. These grades are based on pre-season expectations and in season performance.

Catchers

Ryan Doumit  A-

Has been outstanding offensively, and his defense is improving. He would be an all-star candidate if not for injury.  Speaking of injuries, hopefully he will stay healthy.

Raul Chavez C+

Has played well defensively, and he hit his first homerun in three years. A little more O would be nice.

Ronny Paulino F

Bad D, bad with the stick, and he appears to have lost the confidence of the pitching staff. He's now playing in Indy.

Infield

Adam LaRoche D

Paul Maholm has a better on base percentage .303 to .299. Only has 7 homeruns.

Freddy Sanchez D+

He is not the same player he was the last two seasons. Is the shoulder to blame? At .233 maybe he should batting 8th and not 2nd.

Jack Wilson B+

How much did we miss him when he was injured? Has played nice D, hopefully we will see a little more pop from him in the second half (0 homeruns).

Jose Bautista B-

Started off slow, but has been hitting the ball hard of late. Defense has been spotty .958 fielding percentage.

Doug Mientkiewicz B

He has been a solid bench player, and contributed some key hits off the bench. His presence has been good for the club.

Luis Rivas C

Luis played some dreadful defense during Jack's absence, and he started off slow offensively. He has played better of late, had a two homerun game.

Chris Gomez B

He's hitting .318, what else can you ask of a utility infielder? Well, you probably could ask him to field better then .959.

Outfield

Xavier Nady A-

He's on pace for 20 homeruns and almost 100 RBI's, but he has cooled off some after his hot start. Spent time on the DL again.

Nate McClouth A

Excellent first half, though he has slumped a bit lately. Easily can be called the MVP of the first half. He has contributed timely offense and superior defense.

Jason Bay A-

He has answered the questions surrounding him coming into the season. Bay has stayed healthy, and productive. He's getting better as the season progresses.

Jason Michaels B

Jason has had some big hits, and his aquisition has helped solidify the bench. Having him will probably make it easier it trade Bay and/or Nady.

Nyjer Morgan F

His .143 batting average landed him in Indy. It's hard to believe he had a chance to start in Spring Training.