Does Brandon Moss Deserve another Look?

With a couple more September call-ups likely to be recalled after the Indianapolis Indians complete their regular season, the Pirates face a difficult decision on right fielder Brandon Moss.


Moss lost his right field job in Pittsburgh in 2009 after not being able to provide consistent production. He's coming off a fantastic season at AAA where he was recently voted the clubs MVP.

Moss is hitting for power and driving in runs, something he was expected to do in a Pirates uniform. Moss is currently hitting a respectable .265 with 22 homers and 95 RBI. Granted it's AAA pitching , but for a team that has so little power at the corner outfield spots, has Moss done enough to warrant another look from the Pirates?

A couple things may stand in the way. First, Moss isn't on the 40-man roster at the moment. The Pirates would need to create a spot for him and that seems almost unlikely.

Secondly, if they were to call up Moss, would there be enough at bats to justify it? They aren't going to bring him up to have him ride the bench.

The right field spot is open for competition. If Lastings Milledge isn't the everyday right fielder next season, then the Pirates will need another option. That option isn't Ryan Doumit, who the club will likely explore trade options for during the off-season.

It would be nice to have some power from the right field position. It can't hurt to take another look at Moss, who still has that "P" work attached to his name- potential.

The word potential is thrown around as much as the term "great stuff," but the Pirates haven't been the only club to see something in Moss.

Moss becomes a minor league free agent after the season if he's not called up, so Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington is faced with a difficult decision regarding the 27-year old right fielder. There is little chance Moss would re-sign with the Pirates if that were the case. He would more than likely pursue an opportunity that could lead to a major league opportunity.


With the team going no where, it can't necessarily hurt to take another look at a guy like Moss.

Opening Series Thoughts

I attended two of the three opening games, opening day and Thursday afternoon's beatdown and I left with a good feeling overall.  In the first two games, the crowds were tremendous and the team competed hard, which is all we can really ask for at this point in the Neil Huntington rebuild.

I also left with a positive feeling about where things could be headed with this franchise; because in my mind, this 2010 team is really NH's team for the first time since he took the job.  It's taken three seasons, but the look of this year's team is how he wanted to shape the roster.  So now he can start to be held accountable as well.

As far as the games went, Bucco fans should be happy.  The opener was tremendous and they battled and won an extra inning game on Wednesday.  They would have lost that game last season without a doubt.  I said all along while everyone was ripping the bullpen acquisitions that I liked the ne look bullpen and they pitched extremely well in the first series (Hayden Penn's outing on Wednesday excluded).  With last years bullpen, the Bucs are likely 1-2 instead of 2-1.  I think they will amount to a few more wins throughout the season.

As for yesterday, for those of you that jumped on the band wagon after two games, don't hop off after one bad loss.  Remember that they are a young team and there are going to be days like yesterday afternoon. The defense was bad, the bats weren't there and then there was the Hayden Penn fiasco.

The thing about being young is there will be inconsistent play throughout the season. Get used to it.  One big area I would like to see improvement in, and it can start tonight, is the play away from PNC Park.  The Bucs finished with a league worst 22-58 road record in 2009.  That can't be nearly as bad in 2010. 

With a six game road trip beginning tonight in Arizona (3 at D'Backs, 3 at Giants), to keep whatever positive energy people have had about the team for the first couple days of the season, they need to win atleast three or four ballgames.  They do have to face Dan Haren tomorrow, but luck out and miss Tim Lincecum in San Francisco.  To improve at all, these guys must be able to win consistently on the road.

OTHER NOTES
- Brandon Moss cleared waivers and reported to AAA Indy.

-Ramon Vasquez was released.  The Pirates will eat his $2mil salary.

- Pedro Alvarez homered in his first AAA game.

-Delwynn Young reached base all four times at bat in his first start of the season yesterday with two walks and two doubles.  The only bright spot of the game.

-The Laroche Brothers meet as opponents tonight with Adam being the D'Backs first baseman.  Here is a shocker, Adam is off to an 0-12 start for the D'Backs.  Bucco fans know that all too well.

-Tonight it's Charlie Morton, who I expect big things from vs. Rodrigo Lopez, a winnable game.

You can listen to a recap of yesterday's game at http://www.lexy.com/ .  Sign up to follow the Pirates and you will get our broadcasts sent to you all season. http://www.lexy.com/feed/episode?id=131133 Click On that link to hear yesterday's recap.

Bucs Claim Penn- Designate Moss

Today the Bucs made a roster move by claiming right hander Hayden Penn off waivers from the Florida Marlins. Four years ago Penn was once a big time prospect in the Baltimore Orioles system, but has yet to live up to the early hype.

Penn made his mlb debut before his 21st birthday.  He is 4-6 overall between stops with the O's and Marlins.  He has a good arm and good stuff and throws three plus pitches for strikes.

Both Baseball America and Tim Dierkes say it's a good pickup by NH.  Even if Penn never reaches his potental, it's worth taking a shot on him.  It's the typical low risk-high reward type of signing that NH likes to make.  Penn should most likely begin the season at AAA Indy.

To make room on the 40-man roster for Penn, the Bucs designated Brandon Moss for assignment (i can hear everyone celebrating).  Moss hit only .236 last season and honestly, the at-bats just aren't their for him.  He has been passed on the depth chart by Rule 5 guy John Raynor.

One intresting note is that NH said today that in hindsight that there was a better deal on the table for Jason Bay.  Now that Moss and likely Craig Hansen won't pan out, the deal will be judged on by how Bryan Morris and Andy Laroche do as Pirates.

The team has ten days to release or trade Moss.  He must clear waivers in order for the Bucs to send him to the minors.

Around the Diamond- Right Field

Another solid position for the Bucs.  If the outfield looks like Milledge-McCutchen and Garrett Jones in right, then the outfield could be a real strength.  Jones needs to devel;ope into a better defensive outfielder, but right now I can live with him defensively.

I love the bat, but which Garrett Jones will we see.  Will we see the guy that pounded out 21 homers in 82 games?  Can he possibly have a repeat of that?  Did the Pirates actually catch lightning in a bottle with Jones?  I sure hope so because they will surely need his power bat in the middle of the order.

What the Pirates can't asfford is for Jones to be a flash in the pan.  I think he will turn out to be for real though.  He is swinging the bat well in spring training also.  A 30/100 type of season would be tremendous.

One thing "The Legend" does need to improve though is his inability to hit with runners in scoring position.  he was actually pretty lousy in those situations last season.  he got pitched tougher and didn't adjust well.  If he can become a legitimate threat with men on base, then the Bucs may have something here.

In the event that Jones has to be the everyday first baseman, then one of a group of Ryan Church, Brandon Moss and Delwyn Young should get at bats in right field.  I would look for them to find ways to get Church into the lineup anyways.  Moss and Young should be strictly bench guys for the time being.

The big question is, what do the Bucs do when Jose Tabata is deemed ready?  There will be some dealing and lineup shuffling, but it's a good problem to have.  Jeff Clement really could hold the key to Tabata's arrival.  If he struggles for two months, the by June, the Bucs may be willing to move Jones to first and call up Tabata.

Position Grade Compared to the Rest of the League-  B-   - Would be higher, but as much as I like Jones, he is still a bit unproven at the MLB level

McCutchen wins Fifth Spot in Rotation

Finally we have seen a job won and lost based on performance with the Buccos.  Daniel McCutchen has been named the teams fifth starter, beating out Kevin Hart for the job.  McCutchen has been impressive all spring, although not against major league hitters all of the time.  The main thing that won him the job has been his ability to throw strikes consistently.

That's exactly what cost Hart the job.  After struggling at the end of last season, going 1-8 as a Pirate, Hart couldn't figure out the strike zone this spring either, with an alarming walk rate.  While many in the organization still consider Hart to have the better stuff of the two, his inabilty to throw strikes led to him being one of eight cuts.

Some have said McCutchen doesn't have great stuff, but I disagree.  His fastball may only top out at around 92, but he has pretty decent command of his two-seamer and breaking stuff and generally keeps the ball down in the zone.

While winning the fifth starter competition is big for McCutchen, it's not that big of a deal for the Pirates right off the bat.  Up until April 24th, the Bucs will only need to use their fifth starter once, on April 11th.

In addition to Hart, the Bucs also cut Chris Jakubauskas and Neil Walker- all three will be sent to AAA.  Brian Myrow, Hector Giminez, Brian Burress, Wil Ledezma and Jean Machi were all assigned to minor league camp.

OTHER NOTES
-Zach Duke was named opening day starter.  No surprise, but I didn't feel he was worthy off it.  I feel Ross Ohlendorf or Paul Maholm would have been a better choice.

-Octavio Dotel has been throwing to batters and should be ready for opening day.

- Not that spring averages mean much, but several pencilled in regulars have not swung the bat well.  All hitting under .200 for the spring are Aki Iwumara (.199), Jeff Clement (.194), Andy Laroche (.194) and Brandon Moss (a whopping .038)

-Former Bucco Nate McLouth is only 1 for 30 on the spring with 15 K's.

-Bucs got shelled by the Astros today 11-1.

Around The Diamond- Left Field

Ok, call me crazy, but left field is one position I'm very excited about looking at the 2010 season.  I love the Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan trade.  Give me Milledge anyday over Nyjer Morgan.  The guy seems committed and is in great shape and is having a solid spring.

The attitude is no longer in question and the ability has never been questioned.  If I have to pick one guy on the Pirates team to have a breakout season, the answer is easy- Lastings Milledge.

I feel he will have a solid season with the bat.  I'm looking at a .290/25/90 type of season.  I'm not worried about this guy at all.  A good start out of the gate would be even better for him and Pirates fans would hopefully come around to the guy.  He is a hit around all of his teammates.  He has won the organization over in the locker room, now he has to win everyone else over by producing.

I really think he will.  I liked this acquisition from the get go and I feel it will pan out well.  One thing i need to see better out of Milledge is better base running.  Not only does he need to steal some bags, he needs to eliminate some base running blunders he has made in spring games already.

Can he play left field?  He's going to have to.  It's a big left field to cover and he has to make the plays.  Criticize the guy all you want, but in the end, he will be a productive player.  I can see him batting fifth all season and producing.

In the event that Milledge blows his probable last shot, look for Brandon Moss (who's in a similar situation) and Ryan Church to see time in left field.  If John Raynor makes the roster as a Rule 5 guy then he may see some rare time in left field. 

Position Grade Compared to the Rest of the League- C -  I wanted to go B or B+ here because I'm confident Milledge has a good season, but fact is up to this point he hasn't

Pirates Out of Options

I got an email a few weeks ago froma reader who asked "Why can't the Pirates just send guys like Brandon Moss and Delwyn Young to the minors and recall them when the team needs them?"

The answer is simple, both guys are out of minor league options and would have to clear waivers before they could be outrighted to the minor leagues.  Some team would surely claim them and while they haven't lit the world on fire as members of the Pirates, both have shown that they have talent and no team wants to give up on talented players too soon.

Here is a list of the other Buccos that are out of options: Moss, Young, Andy Laroche, Joel Hanrahan and Ronny Cedeno.  All would have to clear waivers before being sent to the minors.  A more likely option would be for the Bucs to deal one of them for a small return, in the event they have given up on them.

Figuring out the Opening Day Roster

So, spring training is right around the corner and not too many jobs are available.  Today I'm gonna look at the position players and with your help, we will decide wo makes the 2010 squad.

First off, I'm going to assume JR will carry 12 pitchers. Next, I'm going to assume Jeff Clement wins the first base job, something the Bucs are hoping as well.  In your scenerios though, assume whatever you want.

Here are the guys that should have the team made

Catchers- Doumit and Jaramillo
First Base- Clement
Second base- Iwamura
Third base- Laroche
Shortstop- Cedeno
Outfielders- Jones, McCutchen, Milledge, Church
Backup Infielders- Vazquez and Crosby

Assuming they keep 12 pitchers, they have a difficult decision ahead of them.  The final outfield spot.  It will come down to Brandon Moss, Delwyn Young and Rule 5 guy John Raynor.  Longshot candidates include Brandon Jones, Neil Walker and Steve Pearce.

So who gets the final job?  They could go with 11 pitchers but for a young team that will likely use the pen a good bit, that would likely be a bad idea, so we are still assuming only one roster spot is open, barring injury.

I say NH will work out a deal with the Malins to keep Raynor in the system, otherwise they either give him back, or Moss and Young are in trouble.  They love Raynors speed and ability to get on base, so I can't see them offering him back to the Marlins. NH did similar with the Rays in order to keep Evan Meek in the system.

I also would hate to see them give up on Moss so soon, but when there is talent behind you, the pressure is on to perform and Brandon Moss simply hasn't.  I would expect them to wait until closer to opening day, to make sure they are healthy and then deal Moss.

If all that happens, then my last roster spot goes to Delwyn Young.  I was happy with what Young showed last season. I also feel he was more effective as a pinch hitter and a spot starter than playing second base everyday.  Young is a valuable guy to have and he is can play a couple different positions and is a switch hitter, although he is much better from the left side.

Young earns the job in my mind and adds depth to the ballclub.  That's just my opinion though, let me know who makes your opening day roster.

Bucs close out Homestand in Grand Fashion

After beginning the 9 game home stand 5-1, the Bucs welcomed the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies into town. I for one was happy with the 5-1 start, but really wanted to see how the young Bucs would fare against a better team.

What I was treated to was 3 great games and 3 great finishes, 2 going our Bucco's way. What could possibly have been more exciting than Tuesday's finish. Matt Capps blows another. Andrew McCutchen's misplay in center. Three batters later it was all forgotten, after Cutch hit his first walk-off homer off Brad Lidge.

Wednesday, the Bucs bats were silenced by Cole Hamels through 8, but a Brandon Moss pinch hit 9th inning bomb sent the game to extras, only to see Ryan Howard launch one and spoil the Bucs comeback.

Finally, last night. Aside from Cutch's lead off homer, fellow rookie J.A. Happ silenced the Bucs bats once again. Only to see Ronny Cedeno go the other way with a pinch hit single, followed by Garrett Jones 2 out homer to center. Capps didn't blow this one and the crowd went crazy again. Three straight lively crowds. Many Phillies fans, but still, an exciting baseball environment. The Phillies and Pirates should be in the same division, but I will save that for a later post. No reason a cross state rival should come to town only once a season.

I really enjoy watching this bunch. They have an energy and enthusiasm about them that simply just hasn't been there in years. I love the emotion they have been showing. Part of the reason is they have been winning during this home stand, but another part is that they are realizing that it's now their team. They have started to realize that they are the Pirates of the future and are starting to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. It's been fun to watch and I hope it continues. A couple added pieces and they can start to be competitive. They still need a run producer in the middle of the order. Not only for now, but to pair with Pedro Alvarez in the near future.

Why have they been playing well lately? It's certainly not entirely due to the fact that they seem like a fun bunch out there. They still have to get it done between the lines as well. First let's look at the starting pitching the last 3 games. Ross Ohlendorf, 6.1 ip, 5 h 2er 6k 3 bb in a 6-4 win. Paul Maholm, 7ip, 5h, 1er, 4k, 2bb in a 4-1 loss and last night Charlie Morton 6ip, 5 h, 2er, 6k, 4bb in a 3-2 win.

The trend is that every guy has put the team in position to win each night. I'd like to see Ohlendorf and Morton pitch into the seventh, but all three were effective enough to get wins. Even when it looked like Morton was going to struggle last night, he kept pitching his way out of trouble. It's a sign of a young guy growing up in the big leagues.

The bullpen for the most part was effective as well. Take out the Capps ninth on Tuesday and the tenth on Wednesday and the Bucs young relievers got some big outs. That's what they need to do. Jessie Chavez striking out Jason Werth in a tough spot on Tuesday was huge, as was the performance by Denny Bautista last night. Even Joel Hanrahan impressed me getting out of a 0 out 2nd & 3rd jam on Wednesday. The thing I want to see from both the starters and the pen the rest of the season is simple- consistency.

The bats were quiet for the most part during the whole Phillies series, but they battled. That's what I have been wanting to see. The pitching kept them in the games and they were able to get some timely, late hits. I'd like to see the approach for the guys stay the same. Keep thinking opposite field.

Home stand is over, time to head to Milwaukee, where the Bucs have lost 18 in a row. Time to keep ridding the franchise of the losing culture an go up there and win. This young team must learn to win on the road and I can't think of a better place than Miller Park.

NOTES

- The defense impressed all home stand. Give Luis Cruz some credit filling in for Cedeno. The team didn't miss a beat in the field.

-Great job by the bench, Moss in particular. Moss, Cedeno and Bixler did good things off the bench. It's not just the fact that Moss had two pinch hits, including the homer. Give him credit for being a pro. It could be easy for this guy to be down on himself, losing a lot of playing time, but he went to the plate and did good things for the team.

-Andy Laroche has been a bit snake bitten of late. He's been hitting the ball hard, but no results. Keep the same approach Andy. They will start falling in.

-No-Mitt (doumit) is still driving me crazy behind the plate.

-Steve Pearce is becoming a nice first baseman defensively. The bat is coming around a bit, but I still don't see him playing everyday.

-One thought about Wednesday's loss. I would like to see JR play the numbers more, Pitch to Howard, who granted has been struggling against the Bucs. When it was happening, I was shocked he wasn't being walked to load the bases for Werth. Werth before the at bat was 1-11 in the series and a double play candidate. Just a thought.

- I also have not been disappointed in the play of Lastings Milledge. The homers will come, as we saw 2 this home stand. That has something to so with him batting 6th. I just always thought he was faster, but he has slowly gotten better in the outfield.

-Only disappointing part of the last series was the performance with runners in scoring position. A feeble 1-24, with the only hit being McCutchen's walk-off, Tuesday night.

-For all of you payroll guys out there. How about the Mets have more than twice the salary on the DL today (88 mil) than the Pirates total payroll (35mil ish).

-Zach Duke vs Manny Parra tonight. Let's Go Bucs.

Where is the O?

During this rain delay I had time to do a lot of writing and thinking about this team. It's not a real good time for casual Pirates fans, but the real baseball fans need to just stick with it. I will be the first to admit that the last six games had me frustrated as hell watching the now feeble offense. Getting shut down by Gorzelanny yesterday was just as bad as the 17-2 beat down the day before. Leaving me with the question of, Where is the offense?

The answer is easy, it is mostly all at West Virginia and Altoona, but in the meantime, it would be nice to see these guys go out and at least battle. What happened to the patience and the solid approaches they had been taking at the plate all season? It's now become a collection of light hitting guys that are swinging for the fences and that approach simply never works. Remember that they are the youngest team in baseball and bad swings like this will happen. Better to happen now while they have nothing to play for. However, to me, these are the times when these guys can gain valuable experience and become major league hitters.

Let's take a look at the last 5 games. Tuesday started with a 7-3 win at Colorado and they had a good approach as a team. They had 11 hits, while drawing 9 walks. Seven of the hits went for extra bases and they stole 6 bases. They still struck out seven times, but on six of them the batters worked a full count. After that, you see the results drastically change, as did the teams approach at the plate. Wednesday's 8-0 loss to the Rockies saw the Bucs get only 4 hits and 5 bb's. No extra base hits, while fanning 8 times. Thursday the Rocks hammered the Bucs 10-1. The Bucs garnered only 3H and 3BB's. One extra base hit and 9k's.

Onto Chicago they went Friday and a 17-2 beating occurred. Offensively, they had 7 H and only 3bb's. Again only 1 extra base hit while 7 k's. Yesterday's 3-1 defeat, they showed even less patience, swinging at everything. Only 5 hits and 3bb's. One extra base hit and a whopping 13k's. You can see a theme and a pattern going on here. The Pirates are awful when they are a free swinging team. Including their win this week, they are batting .178 as a team. In the 4 straight losses, the have had a total of 21 hits and only drew 14 bb. Only 3 extra base hits, while striking out 37 times. They haven't stole a base in the 4 losses, after stealing 6 in the win. You can't be aggressive on the bases when guys aren't getting on base frequently.

I will address the power problem first. I have heard all the time lately that the guys brought over in deals aren't hitting for power. Mostly people are talking about Moss, Milledge and Laroche. I'm not worried about the home runs. Any hitting coachin the majors will tell you that the power will come. Young hitters have alot to do when they get to the majors. They basically have to learn how to hit. The biggest jump is between AAA and MLB. They have a lot to worry about at the plate. Picking out pitches to hit, picking out pitches to lay off, recognizing what the pitcher is doing to them, learning to go the other way, situational hitting, etc. Basically, learning how to have quality MLB at bats every time to the plate. Major league pitching can't be duplicated in the minors. Only the real special players can make a flawless transition to the majors. I'm confident the homers will come, especially from Laroche and possibly Milledge.

My problem is none of those 3 guys, or anyone else in the lineup is having consistent quality at bats right now. No one on the team is driving the ball, using the gaps. Everyone in the lineup has become pull happy. That's not a good approach for young hitters to take, ever. That's not the approach for veteran hitters either. I don't know if hitting coach Don Long isn't getting the message through, which I doubt, because when things are going good, everyone shows what they can do at the plate. I feel the pressure of losing is getting to these guys.

I also feel changes are needed although i wouldn't panic to make them since this team isn't going anywhere. Steve Pearce is not any everyday big league player. Bring up Clement and get him some at bats. He has nothing more to offer a AAA team and from what I hear, his defense hasn't been that bad. Keep Pearce up though, there are worse bench players around. Another option that could be considered is to bring Pedro Alvarez up. Get him some at bats at the MLB level. He has put it together at AA. He is hitting .350 at Altoona, hitting with power and drawing walks. I'd leave Young and Cedeno where they are. They are beginning to look solid up the middle. I'm also still a fan of Laroche at third.

In the outfield, I pretty much leave it the same. Milledge will be fine, but has to learn how to play left field. On a side note, Why do the Pirates continue to play defensively on the road like they are at PNC Park. I hate having the left fielder play well in the left center field gap all the time. They get killed on balls down the line. Milledge doesn't cover as much ground as Nyjer Morgan did, you would think they would adjust the outfield alignment. especially with the amount of ground McCutchen can cover in center. Suddenly we can't catch a cold in the outfield.

I would drop Milledge down to sixth in the order though. Put him in a spot where he can succeed and possibly some RBI spots. Cedeno would be a much better 2 hole hitter. He just handles the bat better. Not everyone can hit in the second spot of the order. Drop Milledge down now.

Starting today it would be nice to see the Bucs battle everyday at the plate. Go down fighting at least. Being aggressive doesn't mean swinging at everything. They have a much better team than they have shown this month. it would be nice to be able to go out and play spoiler for teams like the Cubs and Brewers. No more tanking it, it's getting painful to watch.

Notes
-Not to many since we haven't done anything of note lately, but you have to feel a little bad for Duke. He could easily have 15 wins this season. Every year though there is a guy who doesn't get run support and this year it's Zach.

- Have you noticed that Ohlendorff velocity has been back his last couple of starts. Having Joe Kerrigan around has been valuable to some of these guys. Tweaking the wind up and Ross's fastball has been backup to the 94-96mph range. He still has to find a way to be able to pitch the 3rd time through the order. He needs a second out pitch.

- I'm about tired of watching Moss come out of his shoes swinging for the fence. He is one guy that needs to simplify his approach.

- Not much good can come out of a 17-2 loss, but give Steven Jackson some credit for taking one for the team. He tossed 4.1 innings of scoreless relief, saving the bullpen.

-Give Pirates management credit for applying the resources they have in the right places. They have signed all top 10 of their draft picks and their aggressive approach has been noticed around baseball. They have drawn several compliments around baseball. It's a very good sign for the franchise's future.

Bucco Notebook- Halfway Report

Well as we get ready to resume the second half of the season, I have some thoughts on what to expect. The team has hit a low water mark at 12 games under .500. A record of 38-50 is even worse than last season at the same point. We expected this though, so no panic. Flat out , it looks like the team has given up.

We saw Nate Mclouth dealt. Are they a worse team without him? Absolutely not. They may not be better, but they are no worse. That trade opened up a spot for Andrew McCutchen in the lineup and added Charlie Morton to the rotation. I will take that.

We saw Nyjer Morgan traded. Are they worse off? Again, absolutely not. Garrett Jones now gets playing time and he has a big bat. They are worse off defensively, but I'm willing to take a gamble on Lastings Milledge. The team is not worse off talent wise at all.

The roster will continue to change, both by trades and call-ups for the remainder of the season. Let's take a look at what has happened and what to look forward to the rest of the season.

Catcher- Ryan Doumit gets hurt (AGAIN) and the Bucs do a fine job behind the plate. Jason Jaramillo and Robinson Diaz filled in admirably. Diaz hit .295 before he got sent down and JJ hit .255. He seemed to be getting worn down as he hit in the .280's for most of the season. The Bucs must decide on weather Doumit is going to be the player they want him to be, or even if he can be counted on to be healthy, or trade him and get something for him. My guess is he sticks around and preforms pretty well. First half grade for the position - C+

First base- Adam Laroche didn't get off to that horrible a start, but still has experienced several long rough patches. He is hitting only .250 with 12 HR's. Ignoring the numbers, he has become a tremendous defensive first baseman. With Mclouth gone and Doumit hurt, he has been counted on to carry the offense, something he is incapable of doing. His home and road numbers are insane. He is hitting .357 at PNC Park and only .159 on the road. Here is hoping Laroche gets hot, right on cue. He should be dealt, but with his 7.5 mil salary, don't expect the Bucs to get a big return. If anything, he should be dealt to move Jones to first base. First half position grade- C-.

Second Base- Freddy Sanchez has been performing like... well, Freddy Sanchez. The guy is a hitter. An ideal guy to bat in the 2 hole, but here, he is in a run producing spot. It looks like all the Freddy trade rumors have silenced. It's not that team don't want him, it's that they don't want that ridiculous $8.5 mil option that will kick in next season. Sanchez isn't exactly young, so dealing him makes sense, if they get a good return. If not, there is nothing wrong with having Freddy Sanchez open 2010 at second base. My guess is he gets dealt, but not until the off season. Position grade- B+

Third Base- Andy Laroche has been a surprise, especially after his struggles last season. he has been slumping of late and is down to .269, but I have liked the performance. His defense has improved tremendously as well. I would like to see him start showing some power and run production in the second half, as 4Hr and 34 RBI, just won't do it at a corner infield spot. Position Grade- C+

Shortstop- Jack Wilson has been his usual self in the field and has chipped in a little with the bat. It's his nightly web gems and his mouth that people will remember in the first half though. It's also that mouth that will likely get him shipped out of town. I am not a Jack Wilson fan, but if the Bucs can somehow get him and Freddy to renegotiate their deals and get them at a better number (I have heard this was an option), then I love the up the middle defense. If not, Wilson will be gone. Position Grade - C

Left Field- Nyjer Morgan was a first half surprise and Jones looks like he has a big bat. While Morgan was great defensively and no one else will be nearly as good, I still like Jones a lot. his 5HR in 11 games is double the amount of any other Bucco outfielder. I still see Jones playing first and getting a look at Milledge before the end of July. Position grade C+

Center field- The transition from Mclouth to McCutchen has been a smooth one. Cutch is definitely the guy this team is going to be built around. He is a superstar in the making. His .292 and 23 RBI out of the lead off spot has been fun to watch. In only 36 games, we can see what the hype was about. He is a perfect 7 for 7 swiping bags, something I'd like to see him do more. Position Grade B+

Right Field- I'm a little torn in right field. What a great acquisition Delwyn Young was. The guy can hit, as he stood at .313 going into the break. He is a liability defensively though. I really like Brandon Moss as a player, but have to start seeing production soon. This guy is so streaky. Two prolonged slumps, followed by two torrid streaks. He looks like a guy that will only play vs. righties now. Similar to Andy Laroche, I have to start seeing some power and run production. Only 3Hr and 23 RBI and the break for Moss. Only 6 Homers out of the right fielders isn't good. Position Grade- C

Starting Pitching- Paul Maholm has been ok, especially at home and Zach Duke has taken big strides to become his former self. It's the same old story with the Bucs though. Every time a pitcher takes a step forward, another one or two take a giant step back. Ian Snell was awful before his demotion. Ross Ohlendorf has been good at times, but he is your typical 4 starter. Jeff Karstens and Virgil Vasquez have been up and down as well. Morton was a nice acquisition, I love his stuff. When these guys have pitched well, the offense has tanked it for them. Especially Duke, who in his 8 losses, the team has scored a combined 7 runs.

The problem with the Pirates staff is that they just don't have that true power arm. They also are without a horse that is going to give the team a chance to win every time he takes the ball. I know the pitching has been better, but it's no where near where it needs to be. Expect to see Brad Lincoln in September and for Huntington to keep adding arms through deals. Position Grade- C

Middle Relief- These guys haven't been bad as a group. I like Chavez and Meek's arms, and the acquisition of Hanrahan was great to me. This guy has a cannon for an arm and should get it figured out under Kerrigan. Grabow has been iffy at times, but still gets the job done. I don't like having only one lefty, but that will probably change. Overall, not a bad first half for the middle guys. Position grade- C+

Closer- Matt Capps has not been good. The save numbers don't look bad, 19 of 21, but the way he is pitching just isn't very good. His fastball has been flat and he's not throwing strikes with his other pitches. The velocity is up and down as well. It's rumored teams have been interested and Huntington says he wants a power arm in a Capps deal. My guess is he stays and stays in the closers role, no matter how painful that may be. Position Grade- D-.

Overall, there have been some good things and some bad things. The good, is that some of the younger guys are getting a look and we are seeing a few surprises. The bad, this team has no power, can't win on the road and has an awful record in one run games. I hope Huntington sticks to the plan the rest of the season. I'm interested to see what the product will look like when he's done.

Post All-Star Break Line Up Could Be Exciting

Now despite looking awful against Mike Hampton last night and dropping 12 of 18, I have been taking a look at the Pirates line up and it really could be fun to watch down the stretch. Now there is still no power yet, but the Bucs have a lot of young guys getting at bats. It won't amount to wins, but we will get a chance to see some of these young guys play. Entering today, the Bucs are the majors second youngest team, only behind the Marlins.

Manager John Russell said he is excited about the possibilities and I also have that opinion. Here is what to expect, pre-trade deadline.

Catcher- Ryan Doumit will be back very soon and that alone improves the line up. While he will never be a power hitter, he will bat fourth and hit for average and drive in some runs.

First base- Adam Laroche, at least until he is dealt. It's getting hot out so that means so is Adam. he should drop to fifth in the lineup. A little less pressure but his RBI total will start to pick up.

Second base- Freddy Sanchez, also until he is possibly dealt. I'd like to see him back in the 2 hole, but until someone steps up and can drive in runs in the 3 hole, he has to stay there. Either way, you know what you will get from Sanchez's bat.

Third base- Andy Laroche. Laroche will either hit second or more likely seventh in the order. Nice solid production from Andy. What I would like to see in the second half is a little more run production and possibly more power.

Shortstop- Jack Wilson- Wilson should mover back to the eighth spot and he hasn't had a terrible season with the bat. I have a feeling that there will be no takers on Wilson and his ridiculous contract, so expect him to bat eighth the rest of the season.

Left Field- Garrett Jones/Lastings Milledge- If these guys produce, they could eventually hit third and move Sanchez back up to the 2 hole. I'm excited about the possibilities these guys can give the team. I like what I've seen from Jones so far and I'd like to get a good look at Milledge and see what happens. I like this combo more than I liked Nyjer Morgan in left field.

Center field- Andrew McCuchen will continue to do great things leading off for this team.

Right Field- Brandon Moss/Delwynn Young. This combo has produced this season. While not hitting for power, both have done good things and I see no reason why that won't continue. as with the younger Laroche, I would like to see more run production out of Moss. One of these guys is likely to bat sixth in the order.

Lineup

1 McCutchen
2. Sanchez
3. Jones/Milledge
4. Doumit
5. Adam Laroche
6. Moss/Young
7. Andy Laroche
8. Jack Wilson

I think this can be a decent line up for a few weeks. Like I said, short on power and maybe weak in the 3 hole but I feel it's an improvement from the opening day lineup. now we will see what the lineup will look like August 1, after 2 or 3 guys are dealt.

Bucs Notebook 6-29

I like what I have seen the last week from the Buccos. Getting ready to roll into July, the Bucs sit just five games out of both the division and the Wild Card races. Laugh all you want, but while being still four games under .500 still, the Bucs have caused some excitement. Tough loss on Sunday, but Grienke was dominant and they battled.

The pitching has been good enough to keep them in games and they have gotten just enough offense to win some games. Now as July comes, everyone will stop paying attention to the team as always, when Steelers camp begins, but Neil Huntington will have some difficult decisions to make. My advice to Neil is....... STICK TO THE PLAN. eighty percent of the young talent in the organization has been acquired within the last calender year, either by draft or trades.

I like to play GM from time to time and there is one move I would like to see the Bucs pursue. Although the Angels have been playing very well of late, here is a team that needs to make a few moves to seriously contend for the title. They're top four starters from last season have combined to make only 16 starts. They could use an arm, either a starter or bullpen arm and probably another bat.

I ship the Halos Matt Capps and Adam Laroche right now. In return, the Angeles have made known that shortstop Brandon Wood can be had. Two years ago, Wood was hands down the best prospect in the majors. The Angels just haven't found the room for Wood and Mike Scoscia just isn't gonna give a youngster major playing time on a team that's contending. Wood is a five tool talent that the Bucs should take a run at.

Include a young starter and maybe a first base prospect, the Angels have a wealth of both and this is a move the Bucs should try and pursue. The halos, might not want to take on a ton of salary, but it would make sense for both teams. Deal Capps while his value is high again and it's getting hot out, so that means so is Laroche. Adding Wood, gives the team more options to deal Jack Wilson as well.

OTHER NOTES
- Speaking of trades, Nyjer Morgan's name has been out there in a deal with the Nats. Main components of the deal was Morgan for Lastings Milledge. The deal apparently fell apart when the Bucs also asked for pitching prospect Craig Stamen. As much fun as Morgan is to watch, he is a 29 year old outfielder with no power and also is not part of the Bucs future. I'm not a big Milledge fan, mostly due to his attitude, but if the opportunity is there to acquire a five tool guy like Milledge, it would be hard to pass up.

- Matt Wieters is hitting around .270 with a couple of bombs. Here is an interesting note on the should be Pirates catcher. Wieters reached the majors after only 150 games in the minors. That's 75 games quicker than any other catcher in major league history.

-Andrew McCutchen went 0-4 his last 2 games of the KC series. The scouting report is out now. It will be interesting to see how he adjusts. My feeling is he will be fine. Don't panic, he wasn't going to hit .370 for his whole career. He is young and will experience several 2-20 stretches. Now it is up to him to adjust.

-Speaking of scouting reports, Virgil Vasquez was very good in his Bucco debut. he threw strikes and got a win. Part of that was due to there not being a scouting report out on him as well. We will see how he is throwing after 5 starts. Guys who come up from the minors generally have success their first couple of starts. Even JVB went six strong innings his first call up start against the Braves a few years back.

-Ryan Doumit will be back soon. It will be interesting to see which catcher stays up, Jaramillo or Diaz. Both have their positives and negatives to look at. My guess is JJ stays.

-Brandon Moss has heated up again. hitting close to .600 the last 10 days. Boy is he streaky. JR is using him well though and putting him in situations to succeed. it looks like it has become a straight platoon, with Delwyn Young playing against lefties. Either way, Moss is up around .270 after a horrid start. Whoever plays, they are getting production out of right field.

- Speaking of Moss, we got to start seeing some power and run production out of both he and Andy Laroche.

-Charlie Morton's first home start went well. Key stat NO WALKS. he should have gotten a win, but not too many guys get wins against Grienke.

-Ian Snell walked the first batter in his first AAA start and proceeded to strike out the next 13 in a row. Seventeen overall. This guy makes we want to puke. All of the sudden he is "Having Fun". After checking it out further, I discovered that the team he faced, the Toledo MudHens lead all professional baseball in strikeouts by a large margin. Even Tom Gorzelanny struck out 12 Mudhens the night before. So I'm not quite impressed just yet. Or yet maybe it was all that negativity in Pittsburgh. Hey Ian, if you strike out 17 in a Pittsburgh uniform, there won't be any negativity left for you.

- Big series vs. the Cubs. That's the 2 games under .500 Cubs. Since they can't win on the road, it would be nice to take this series at home. Nice match up tonight in Duke vs. Harden.

-I'm doing my Bucco farm report now so that should be posted later in the week. Let's go Bucs.

Bucco Notebook 6-14

This comes only days after the last notebook, but hopefully I will have the time to get back to a weekly report. With a 6-3 win over Detroit today, the Bucs completed a 17 day grind without a day off at 9-7 (with one rain out). That's not bad baseball folks.

At 30-33, the Pirates have played good baseball for the better part of the season. If you eliminate the only horrid stretch of the season, an eleven game span where they went 1-10, then this is a team that's over .500. I'm not one of these guys that sees .500 as a successful season, but this team just has a different feel to it.

This team can compete, night in and night out. They get good starting pitching on most night's (anyone not named Ian Snell will do) and they bullpen has bounced back and can be counted on most nights. The main reason why this team can compete though is their defense. These guys catch everything hit at them. They are currently third in the NL in fielding percentage. for as many runs that the Bucco offense leaves on base, the defense has saved just as many.

The infield is tremendous. After a rough first week, Andy Laroche has turned into a solid defensive third basemen. Jack Wilson is playing at a high level and while I don't really like Freddy Sanchez's range at second, he catches everything he gets to and the Bucs are very good up the middle. Adam Laroche is also a very underrated defensive first basemen.

The outfield has been just as good. Nyjer Morgan doesn't have much of an arm but has been a huge surprise in left. The addition of Andrew McCutchen gives the team two legit center fielders again and take away most shots in the gaps at PNC Park. He can cover a ton of ground in center and after 11 games, it seems as if he is already taking better routes to balls. McCutchen adds a rifle in center and in right Brandon Moss has figured it out defensively.

Add all that up and good pitching and good defense should win games. Hey, I like the offense as well, but this team is better off when they prevent runs as much as when they can score them (which isn't often). Remember that even he best offensive players are expected to fail 7 out of 10 times. Great defensive players are expected to succeed 10 out of 10 times.

Other Notes
- It's time to get Delwyn Young regular at bats at the expense of Brandon Moss. I know I am the guy that said stick with Moss no matter what, but in the last 30 days, Young is hitting .339. All he does is hit and John Russell should stick with the hot bat. In the same time frame, Moss is hitting .268 and that is only helped by a torrid 2 week stretch. Moss has all the tools to be good, but he has to start driving runs in soon.

-Could the Pirates have 2 all-stars? A case can be made for both Sanchez and Zach Duke. Sanchez is hitting a solid .315 and should make it at a weak second base position. Chase Utley is a lock as could be the case with Orlando Hudson. Right now I would probably give Sanchez the nod over Brandon Phillips.

I will make the case for Duke as well. He has 7 wins, and a great ERA at 3.10. He should have 9 wins already at this point. If he gets to 9 or 10 wins before the all-star game, he should also be picked.

-Give Huntington credit for some of the minor moves he has made in his 2 seasons. Ryan Doumit has missed 50 games now and the Jaramillo/Diaz combination has held it's own hitting .296 combined. Another guy that he took a shot on is Steven Jackson. he will get the ball more often as he gets ground balls in key spots. I always wondered why the Yankees never gave him a shot, especially with their pen. Jackson has good stuff.

-Speaking of the pen, Gorzo did a good job down there while he was up. i was just scanning the bullpen ERA's and they were impressive, other than Capps (Meek 3.48, Chavez 2.63, Burnett 2.93, Grabow 3.72). Those are encouraging numbers.

-Charlie Morton's second start has been pushed back a couple days until the team heads to Colorado. I still don't like young guys having to pitch there, but even though it was only 1 inning, I liked what i saw from Morton. The guy hits his spots. fastball was 93-95, pitched inside and his curve ball breaks a ton. let's see what he can do over the next month, but I think he has a good make up about him.

Bucco Notebook- What's Wrong with Matt Capps?

After dropping 10 of 11 and looking like the Pirates we have expected, the Bucs have rebounded to take two straight series from the Cardinals and Rockies, winning two out of three from both. The two games they dropped last week just showed what glaring weaknesses this team still have.

- What's wrong with Matt Capps? He can't be healthy. His fastball jumped back to the 93-95mph range Saturday vs the Rockies, but in the five outings before that, Capps has only been hitting 88mph on the gun. The more glaring problem for him is that Capps has no control over his pitches at the moment. Matt Capps has made a living with his command, without it he just isn't that good. He is a piece that Neil Hunnington could deal later on, so it would be nice to see Capps regain it, even if that means shutting him down for a bit.

- This is such a light hitting team. A collection of singles hitters. take note in the 5-1 loss vs. the Cardinals, the Bucs had 12 hits- 11 of them singles. They also drew four walks. So out of the 16 base runners, they scored 1 run. They can't play station to station baseball. Sometimes guys need to get big hits.

Now for some positives.

- Brandon Moss has heated up. Maybe since Adam Laroche had a decent April, Moss felt he could tank it, but in the last 7 games, Moss is hitting at a .589 clip, finally hitting his first dinger. Like I said when Andy Laroche was struggling, let him play everyday. I may be among the few that think Moss can be an everyday player, but there is only one way to see what he can do. Play him through his struggles.

-On that note, please quit telling me that Monroe and Hinske should play more in right field. they are bench players and should stay that way. The Bucs actually have a good bench, which is great, but these guys shouldn't get regular playing time over Moss.

- Nyjer Morgan continues to play well, even though he tweaked his hammy. We always say that the lead off hitter needs to get on base. Well he's been doing it. The guys behind him need to start driving him in.

-Looks like May is the new April for Adam Laroche.

- Andy Laroche is starting to look like a decent big leaguer. I would like to see a little more power out of both him and Moss, but Andy is starting to drive in a few runs.

- Delwyn Young has continued to surprise. He has done nothing but hit and it was good to see him get a few starts. I would like to see him in the lineup a little more.

- J.R. has started batting Robinson Diaz 5th in the order. Good move, Diaz can swing the bat a little. Both he and Jaramillo had pretty good weeks with the bat, but did you see Diaz's base running blunder vs. St. Louis. A big play that had an impact on the game.

-The last 6 games, the pitching has been pretty good. The starters have all thrown pretty well, especially Maholm's last outing and the bullpen, other than Capps has bounced back after struggling for 2 weeks. I really like the progress Evan meek and Jessie Chavez have made, especially Meek. I also like that Russell has shown confidence in the two youngsters, using them in more meaningful situations.

-I've also heard a lot of bitching about Russell taking Maholm out. He managed the game right, by today's standards. He got the ball to his closer with a lead. Plus, Maholm isn't overpowering, it's no guarntee that he would have had sucess the fourth time through the order. Get off J.R.'s back, he's doing and ok job with what he has.

-Talk about a team needing a few breaks, the Bucs got them in their 10 run seventh inning against the Rocks on Sunday. What's even more surprising is that they took advantage of them. Hopefully that can get the bats going. it will be very disappointing if they don't beat up on the Nationals puss pitching staff this week.

-Tom Gorzallany was recalled when they put Tyler Yates on the 15 day DL. Don't get excited, a source of mine said he will likely only be up for a few days and is only up because he had a fresh arm and the pen was taxed after Saturday. The same source said Gorzo has no future here because J.R. just doesn't like him or the way he pitches. The only way to get into J.R.'s good graces is to start throwing strikes, something he is still struggling with at Indianapolis.

-Finally MLB Traderumors reported the Bucs and Mariners are talking a Jack Wilson for Yuniesky Betancourt swap. Wilson has a little over 6mil owed to him while Betancourt has about 10mil coming. Wilson is a much better defensive shortstop, but Betancourt can be an exciting player. Both guys probably would do good with a change of scenery. I say if it's true then do it.

Until next week let's go Bucs