2005 Record: 67-95, 6th in NL Central
My favorite of the recent bottom feeders in baseball, the Bucs may not be long for the second half of the NL Central. They’ve rebuilt the franchise with far more intelligence than the Reds and have way more talent in their system now than the Astros, Cards and Cubs. I’d throw the Brewers in there as well except that the main reason Milwaukee might not be quite as deep on the farms this year is the fact a lot of their youngsters are being advanced to the majors.
General manager Dave Littlefield’s effort has been under the mainstream media’s radar, which isn’t saying much since a lot of real sports news outside New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles escapes the experts in the Fourth Estate. It will be interesting now to see how new manager Jim Tracy starts to use some of the youngsters at the major league level the next few seasons.
Jason Bay heads the list of youngsters who are already on hand in Iron City. He’s a legit MVP candidate with power and speed, plus possessing the character necessary to become the clubhouse leader. Bay will be in left once again with free agent acquisition Jeromy Burnitz in right and providing some protection in the lineup behind Bay. Chris Duffy, an excellent defensive player with nice speed, is the center fielder for now. Reserve jobs go to Jody Gerut and Craig Wilson, with Wilson also able to fill in when needed at first.
And remember this name: Andrew McCutchen. He might not be ready until 2008, but the kid has all of the tools to eventually push Bay aside as the stud outfielder.
There might not be a lot of fill-in time for Wilson at first this year after the club dealt for Sean Casey from the Reds. A quintessential line drive hitter, Casey’s veteran presence and amiable personality can only rub off on guys like Bay. Pittsburgh also went to the free agent bin for the other corner of the diamond, signing Joe Randa to a 1-yr deal. Randa might be just stop-gap until Jose Bautista proves he’s ready.
The middle of the infield figures to be Jose Castillo at 2B and Jack Wilson at SS. Castillo’s a power threat, but has also shown a propensity for the trainer’s table. Wilson bulked up a bit in the winter, and he’s having a good spring at the plate. Backups this year should go to Freddy Sanchez and Jose Hernandez.
Switch-hitting Ryan Doumit and Humberto Cota are the two catchers. Doumit is the better stick and has been injury prone while Cota is the better mitt behind the dish. Ronny Paulino could get the call if needed, with Neil Walker the catcher being counted on in the future.
Pittsburgh’s rotation is flush with left-handers. Oliver Perez has been tagged by Tracy for Opening Day with Zach Duke pitching either the second or third game of the season. Paul Maholm is likely the #5 starter to begin with. All three of those lefties have promise, especially Duke and Perez, though all three have also struggled at times this spring. Tracy is trying not to have southpaws start on back-to-back days. But since there are three of them in his plans, Tracy is bound to discover that is impossible.
Right-hander Ian Snell is also in the rotation mix, but ultimately could be moved to the pen where his mid-90s blazer and hard curve might be better suited. The fifth slot is still up in the air with Brandon Duckworth, Ryan Vogelsong and Victor Santos doing battle. Duckworth has had the better spring numbers, but that might not be the top criteria Tracy and Littlefield go by when they make the final decision. It doesn’t really matter since none of them are in the long term plans. Righty John Van Benschoten is the guy Pittsburgh hopes to get into the rotation eventually, though a myriad of shoulder woes, both left and right, could keep that from happening until 2007. Tom Gorzelanny, another lefty, has had an excellent spring and might be the first arm called up from the farm this year.
With so many young left-handers, look for the Pirates to entertain trade offers for either Perez or Maholm.
The bullpen is a curious mix that also includes plenty of lefties. Mike Gonzalez, trying to return from a second knee injury, is the closer for the time being and capable of posting better than a K per frame. Several veterans are in line to step in for Gonzalez if he washes out or goes down with injury. Right-handers Salomon Torres and Roberto Hernandez should get most of the 8th-inning work to start with. Lefty Damaso Marte, over form the White Sox for Rob Mackowiak this winter, is another 8th-inning option as well as lefty specialist. Whoever doesn’t win the final starting role --- Duckworth, Vogelsong and Santos --- fill in some of the remaining relief roles, with others like Britt Reames, Terry Adams, Giovanni Carrara, CJ Nitkowski and Scott Strickland all vying for a big league job.
With bright young stars like Bay and Duke, plus the addition of a few veterans this offseason, the Bucs shouldn’t repeat at the bottom of the NL Central.
Key Performer(s): Perez and Duke on the mound, Burnitz and Casey on offense.
Camp Question(s): Who is the fifth starter and can Gonzalez remain healthy while settling into the closer’s role?
My Play: The average my formula came up with was 74 wins, which would be a nice plus-7 from a year ago. I can find 74½ at The Greek and 76 at Pinnacle. If you’re thinking 75 is a good middle, think again since o74½ at Greek is -170 and under 76 at Pinny is -122. If you believe my 74 is spot on or a max, bet the under at The Greek; if you think the Bucs are better than my 74, consider a little value on the over at Pinnacle.
My favorite of the recent bottom feeders in baseball, the Bucs may not be long for the second half of the NL Central. They’ve rebuilt the franchise with far more intelligence than the Reds and have way more talent in their system now than the Astros, Cards and Cubs. I’d throw the Brewers in there as well except that the main reason Milwaukee might not be quite as deep on the farms this year is the fact a lot of their youngsters are being advanced to the majors.
General manager Dave Littlefield’s effort has been under the mainstream media’s radar, which isn’t saying much since a lot of real sports news outside New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles escapes the experts in the Fourth Estate. It will be interesting now to see how new manager Jim Tracy starts to use some of the youngsters at the major league level the next few seasons.
Jason Bay heads the list of youngsters who are already on hand in Iron City. He’s a legit MVP candidate with power and speed, plus possessing the character necessary to become the clubhouse leader. Bay will be in left once again with free agent acquisition Jeromy Burnitz in right and providing some protection in the lineup behind Bay. Chris Duffy, an excellent defensive player with nice speed, is the center fielder for now. Reserve jobs go to Jody Gerut and Craig Wilson, with Wilson also able to fill in when needed at first.
And remember this name: Andrew McCutchen. He might not be ready until 2008, but the kid has all of the tools to eventually push Bay aside as the stud outfielder.
There might not be a lot of fill-in time for Wilson at first this year after the club dealt for Sean Casey from the Reds. A quintessential line drive hitter, Casey’s veteran presence and amiable personality can only rub off on guys like Bay. Pittsburgh also went to the free agent bin for the other corner of the diamond, signing Joe Randa to a 1-yr deal. Randa might be just stop-gap until Jose Bautista proves he’s ready.
The middle of the infield figures to be Jose Castillo at 2B and Jack Wilson at SS. Castillo’s a power threat, but has also shown a propensity for the trainer’s table. Wilson bulked up a bit in the winter, and he’s having a good spring at the plate. Backups this year should go to Freddy Sanchez and Jose Hernandez.
Switch-hitting Ryan Doumit and Humberto Cota are the two catchers. Doumit is the better stick and has been injury prone while Cota is the better mitt behind the dish. Ronny Paulino could get the call if needed, with Neil Walker the catcher being counted on in the future.
Pittsburgh’s rotation is flush with left-handers. Oliver Perez has been tagged by Tracy for Opening Day with Zach Duke pitching either the second or third game of the season. Paul Maholm is likely the #5 starter to begin with. All three of those lefties have promise, especially Duke and Perez, though all three have also struggled at times this spring. Tracy is trying not to have southpaws start on back-to-back days. But since there are three of them in his plans, Tracy is bound to discover that is impossible.
Right-hander Ian Snell is also in the rotation mix, but ultimately could be moved to the pen where his mid-90s blazer and hard curve might be better suited. The fifth slot is still up in the air with Brandon Duckworth, Ryan Vogelsong and Victor Santos doing battle. Duckworth has had the better spring numbers, but that might not be the top criteria Tracy and Littlefield go by when they make the final decision. It doesn’t really matter since none of them are in the long term plans. Righty John Van Benschoten is the guy Pittsburgh hopes to get into the rotation eventually, though a myriad of shoulder woes, both left and right, could keep that from happening until 2007. Tom Gorzelanny, another lefty, has had an excellent spring and might be the first arm called up from the farm this year.
With so many young left-handers, look for the Pirates to entertain trade offers for either Perez or Maholm.
The bullpen is a curious mix that also includes plenty of lefties. Mike Gonzalez, trying to return from a second knee injury, is the closer for the time being and capable of posting better than a K per frame. Several veterans are in line to step in for Gonzalez if he washes out or goes down with injury. Right-handers Salomon Torres and Roberto Hernandez should get most of the 8th-inning work to start with. Lefty Damaso Marte, over form the White Sox for Rob Mackowiak this winter, is another 8th-inning option as well as lefty specialist. Whoever doesn’t win the final starting role --- Duckworth, Vogelsong and Santos --- fill in some of the remaining relief roles, with others like Britt Reames, Terry Adams, Giovanni Carrara, CJ Nitkowski and Scott Strickland all vying for a big league job.
With bright young stars like Bay and Duke, plus the addition of a few veterans this offseason, the Bucs shouldn’t repeat at the bottom of the NL Central.
Key Performer(s): Perez and Duke on the mound, Burnitz and Casey on offense.
Camp Question(s): Who is the fifth starter and can Gonzalez remain healthy while settling into the closer’s role?
My Play: The average my formula came up with was 74 wins, which would be a nice plus-7 from a year ago. I can find 74½ at The Greek and 76 at Pinnacle. If you’re thinking 75 is a good middle, think again since o74½ at Greek is -170 and under 76 at Pinny is -122. If you believe my 74 is spot on or a max, bet the under at The Greek; if you think the Bucs are better than my 74, consider a little value on the over at Pinnacle.
