Baseballbreaksyourheart.com
Thanks to Mark Murphy for pulling double duty this season. Mark writes the Baltimore Orioles preview each season, he kindly offered to take on the task of covering the team that topped the Orioles in the 1971 and 1979 World Series. The Orioles played the Pirates in the World Series? Twice? Maybe the 70s really were a fun decade.
After a rainout of sorts this weekend because I and 75% of the writers for this blog divide our affection between baseball and Georgetown Hoyas Basketball, today will be a day night doubleheader. This piece on the Pirates will be followed about 7:05 tonight with a second article, Mark Smith's preview of Top Prospects to watch in 2010. Enjoy!
--TQ
When the name “Crosby” appears on the back of a black and gold Pittsburgh jersey, residents of the Steel City smile and think of playoffs and heroics. Unfortunately for the baseball-minded, that Crosby (Sidney) plays center for the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, and the Crosby for the Pirates (Bobby) is a utility infielder brought on this offseason. Though things may be headed slowly in the right direction for the Bucs, Crosby and Company are unlikely to make any improvement with respect to their place in the crowded NL Central standings.
During the course of the longest streak of losing seasons in professional sports history, the Pirates have suffered from the fatal combination of a small market and incompetent management. The 2007 introductions of Frank Coonelly as team president and Neal Huntington as general management have begun to produce semblances of a long-term plan, but it is far too premature to predict successes similar to the Tampa Bay Rays. Though the Pirates feature several young prospects, few are considered top-tier, meaning that even the Baltimore Orioles (another team mired in successive losing seasons but with an abundance of prized prospects in the majors and the farm system) probably have a better outlook for the next few years.
Now that is saying something.
Transactions
The offseason was eventful, if not particularly noteworthy, for the Pirates. However, evaluating Pirates’ transactions is a tricky process considering how much in-season turnover often takes place. In addition to Crosby, Pittsburgh acquired Akinori Iwamura and Ryan Church as position players. Iwamura is likely to start at second base, and Church could see significant time in the outfield. On the mound, Pittsburgh welcomes Octavio Dotel, Brendan Donnelly, Javier Lopez, Jack Taschner, D.J. Carrasco, Vinnie Chulk, and Neal Cotts, all slated for the bullpen. Dotel will likely take over the closing duties in place of the departed Matt Capps.
Lineup
The brightest spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates is 23-year-old centerfielder Andrew McCutchen. After joining the team in June of 2009, he posted a .286/.365/.471 line, stole 22 bases, and patrolled the PNC Park outfield with impressive range. His ability to progress and the organization’s ability to keep him for the long term are central to any possibility of building a winning franchise. Former National Lastings Milledge will play left field and posted strong offensive numbers in 2009 after being acquired in exchange for Nyjer Morgan. Garrett Jones will start the season in right field; if he produces at a level he did last year (batting .293 with 21 home runs in only 82 games), his job should be safe.
Not a single member of Pittsburgh’s 2009 opening day infield will be anywhere that serves Primanti Brothers sandwiches. First base will probably go to Jeff Clement, though others will almost certainly get a long look in given situations. Iwamura, formerly of the Rays, will start at second and will be joined up the middle by Ronny Cedeno. Andy LaRoche will guard the hot corner. Crosby could see time at almost any of these positions in his utility role, and Garrett Jones could spell Clement at first. Ryan Doumit is a decent catcher with the tough job of catching Pittsburgh’s pitchers, and he will be backed up by Jason Jaramillo. Defensively, the Pirates had the best fielding percentage in 2009. However, they were in last place in the National League in total runs scored, and, as the next section will explore, the Bucs’ pitching staff will need all the run support it can get.
Pitching
When the Pirates’ starting pitching staff takes the mount, Pittsburgh fans should keep in mind that they can purchase Iron City Beer at games. However, though otherwise a fantastic feature of PNC Park, the open concourse means that even getting a beverage will not shield fans from actually having to watch the game on the field.
Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, and Ross Ohlendorf (not necessarily in that order) will be at the top of the rotation, and, though each has upside, none should necessarily be at the top of a competing team’s staff. Combining Pittsburgh’s NL-leading ERA in 2009 with the aforementioned ranking in runs scored makes the Pirates’ inability to compete wholly unsurprising. The final two spots in the starting rotation appear to remain up for grabs, and, though there were pitching acquisitions made in the offseason, none could be classified as major improvements. The bullpen has some solid pitchers, with Dotel likely closing and Joel Hanrahan, acquired in the same trade that brought Milledge from the Nationals, providing capable setup work, but, beyond that, question marks abound. Brian Bass ate innings and occasionally pitched effectively in relief for the Orioles last year, but, having only signed a minor league contract, he is no guarantee to make the opening day roster.
Conclusion
Manager John Russell has his hands full. The NL Central is a difficult division with too much for Pittsburgh’s unproven pitching staff to handle. Led by McCutchen, there are exciting players and reasons to watch the Pirates this year, but most of the fans, jaded by 17 straight losing seasons, may feel like those bright spots are merely showcased for more successful careers in other cities. Though things may slowly be headed in the right direction and competitiveness may take place within a decade, the most positive aspects of the Pittsburgh Pirates remain an unbelievable ballpark and the Honus Wagner tobacco baseball card.
Final 2010 record: 65-97, 6th place NL Central
Special Thanks:
Wikipedia
Baseball Canadiana
The House That Dewey Built
1 comment:
A couple of thoughts on the 70's with the Orioles and Pirates. The Orioles were the dominant team in the majors in 70 and 71. No reason, except Roberto Clemente, to think they wouldn't win again in 71. The rest of the world was happy the Pirates were finally back in the Series, hoping to repeat their 7-game win of 1960. Thanks to Mr. Clemente and some great pitching, they did.
We were certain we were not going to have a repeat in 1979. The O's were up 3 games to 1 and then 3 games to 2 when the Series returned to Baltimore. No way the Pirates would take both games on our turf! Someone forgot to tell that to Willie Stargell. I had the chance to congratulate him personally. He was very gracious.
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