Around the Diamond- Part 3- Second Base

Well Ryan Doumit had another big hit last night after I suggested they start batting him seventh.  No pressure on him now.  It's on to Part Three of my position by position analysis.  Both catcher and first base need upgrades.  Though if Doumit keeps hitting and Garrett Jones becomes the everyday first baseman, then those positions have immediately upgraded.

It's on to second base, which just happens to be the worst position, both offensively and defensively on the diamond.  So far, we've seen Aki Iwamura, Bobby Crosby and Delwyn Young see time there.

Let's start with Aki.  The nicest way to say it is that this guy sucks.  What is it about that Pirates uniform that just brings out the worst in good ball players?  I don't feel like looking up the exact numbers at the moment, but you know how bad he's been.  What is he like 4 for his last 60 after his gift triple last night?

On the season, Aki is hitting a whopping .166/2hr/8rbi.  YET, JR keeps throwing him out there and YET JR keeps batting him lead off.  I can't explain this at all.

What's more disturbing, is what happened to his range defensively?  If you watched him in Tampa, this guy was a talented ball player and a pretty good second baseman.  Now, he can't catch the ball if it's not hit right at him.  He also may be the worst in the league at turning the double play.  There is no way, the Pirates did the proper homework on his knee injury last season.  There has to be some effects from that.

Looking at the other two offensively, Crosby is hitting .236/1/6 in limited time, but he has shown he can't play second base as well.  Young is hitting .246/1/9.  We know from last season that he isn't really a second baseman, but what's funny is that he is better defensively than the other two.

What to do?  First, get Aki out of the lineup.  However, they won't do that, because then they would be admitting to a mistake.  I'd say deal him, but he has little trade value now.  Either put him on the bench or outright release him and eat the money.

Who should play second then?  Right now, I'd say give the job to Young.  He's no worse defensively than the others and at least he offers something offensively.  They can mix in spot starts with Crosby and Aki, but give DY the majority of the time.

Option two is to give Neil Walker a long look here.  I'd be more in favor of this, but Neil Huntington made it clear that Walker will only be a corner utility guy.  Really? then what was the point of having him play a lot of middle infield this year at AAA?  Why is he up here then if he is going to be mostly a bench player?  The reasoning just doesn't make much sense.

Option three is probably the most popular and that means calling Pedro Alvarez up and moving Andy Laroche to second.  I would be in favor of that, but the only problem is that we don't know if Andy can play second.  I think he could but that doesn't always translate.  Also, Laroche has done nothing to lose his job right now at third base.

I'd like to see Young or Walker get a ton of at bats here in the short term.  Either way, they have to get Aki out of the lineup.  Though you know as well as I do that JR will run him out there every day and bat him lead off.

There is no immediate help in the minors, but keep your eye on Josh Harrison, who was acquired in the Grabow/Gorzo deal, and Jim Negrych, the former Pitt star.  Both are currently at Altoona and performing well.  Harrison is hitting over .300 and has a very good glove.  Negrych is back on the map as a prospect.  The power hasn't returned but is also having a pretty solid season, driving in 22 runs while hitting .275 so far. Other than that, they really don't have another second base prospect in the system.

Bucs Keep Dealing- Grabow Next To Go

Another day, another trade made by Neil Huntington. This time it's free agent to be John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny to the Cubs for right handed pitchers Kevin Hart and Jose Ascaino, along with Class A infielder Josh Harrison.

I'm not surprised, as we all expected this. As far as the return, it's fine with me. Huntington continues to add arms, which the organization desperately needs. The return doesn't have tremendous upside, but he wasn't going to get a big return for Grabow alone. I may have wanted to see Huntington try and package Grabow with either Duke, Maholm or Capps and see if he could get one more big haul before the deadline.

Hart threw today for the Cubs and threw pretty well. I have seen his last 3 starts with the Cubs and like what I have seen. He struggles with his command at times, but I like him. He has made 8 appearances with the Cubs this season, including 4 starts. He is 3-1 with a 2.60 era. Before his start today, he is allowing less than a hit an inning. The only problem so far has been his 18 bb to 13 k's in 27.2ip. He allowed only 1 bb in 6ip today though, looking good getting the win for the Cubs. Hart began the season as the 6th rated prospect in the Cubs system. I expect him to join the Bucs rotation, possibly replacing Virgil Vasquez.

Ascaino has also seen big league time with the Cubs this year. In 14 relief appearances with the Cubs, he was 0-1 with a 3.52era. He is a hard thrower and has struck out 18 compared to 9 bb in 15ip at the MLB level. He allowed less than a hit per inning while on the big league roster. While in AAA, he was viewed primarily as a starter, which is what I think the Bucs will do with him. At AAA Iowa, Ascaino was 2-4, with a 3.16 era in 12 starts. In 51 innings, the ratios applied there as well. Less than a hit an inning and a nice 47k's to 18bb's. He was once a highly thought of prospect in the Cubs system, but despite putting up solid minor league numbers, seemed to be forgotten about. I like his live arm, with his fastball usually touching 95-98 mph. He will probably report to AAA Indy.

As far as, Harrison. He seems like a nice player, and is considered a decent prospect. Harrison, primarily a left fielder/third baseman this season, but his primary position had been second base, has put up solid numbers during the season. He played 79 games at Class A Peroria, hitting .337 with 4 HR/33Rbi and swiped 16 bags. he was promoted to High A Dayton and has played 18 games, hitting .286 with a homer and 9 RBI's. By the way, the major league player that he is compared to the most.....Freddy Sanchez.

I don't have a problem with this deal at all. I like adding the 2 arms and if Harrison progresses, then it's a bonus. The deal does leave John Russell with only Donnie Veal as a lefty in the pen, and there really isn't one to call up. I don't expect JR to be playing many match ups the rest of the season. As far as Gorzo goes, we did kind of sell low there, but face it, he wasn't going to get another shot in Pittsburgh.

While the Bucs are younger the rest of the season, the Altoona and West Virginia teams contain pretty much the entire future of the team, which wasn't the case a season ago. i applaud Huntington for sticking to the plan and blowing the whole thing up. A total rebuild was needed and it's good to see he is committed to it, instead of dealing just one or two vets. I would still like to see Capps dealt (I just read the Dodgers are interested). Remember, the goal isn't .500. the goal is to eventually put a playoff caliber team on the field every season.

Freddy Sanchez Dealt to Giants

Another positive day for the Pirates and GM Neil Huntington. Although the team dropped a tough 1-0 loss in San Francisco, the team boarded the plane without one person. That person was second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who got left behind in San Francisco, as he was dealt to the Giants for pitcher Tim Alderson. The Sanchez deal came about six hours after Sanchez's double play partner Jack Wilson was sent to Seattle in a separate deal.

Huntington did well in the Wilson deal and I think he did just as well with the Sanchez deal. Alderson, a 20 year old right hander was listed as the fourth best prospect in the Giants organization. He is a 6"6 right hander who is considered a premium prospect. How long has it been since we have acquired guys with the upside as we have gotten in the last calender year.

This excerpt from Ben-Nicholson Smith at mlbtraderumors.com

5:51pm: Kovacevic is reporting that the minor leaguer is AA pitcher Tim Alderson. This is an impressive haul for Sanchez--Alderson was ranked the #4 prospect in the Giants' system by Baseball America. What we thought was a salary dump has turned into a pretty solid coup for the Pirates.

Sounds to me like we did well.

Alderson was currently at AA Connecticut, posting a 6-1 record (why is the Giants AA team all the way in Connecticut?). Overall, he is 7-2 with a 3.45era in 98.2 ip. He has struck out 68, compared to only 14 walks. The early report on Alderson is he is a strike throwing machine with serious stuff. Early report I hear is that Alderson has a fastball in the low to mid 90's. he has plus breaking stuff which is his out pitches and a developing change up, which scouts say has come along nicely.

Alderson was named 2008 MLB Class A Pitcher of the Year. After being selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2007 draft, Alderson has worked his way through the Giants system. After last season, Baseball America rated him the 33rd best overall prospect in baseball. Keith Law currently ranks Alderson the 26th best prospect in all of baseball. I do that deal for Sanchez easily.

At first, I would have wished we got more, but I am happy getting a guy like this. In the last year, we haven't been dealing just to deal. Huntington keeps acquiring high ceiling talent and while he will be a hated man around Pittsburgh, he is doing a great job rebuilding this organization. It needed a total rebuilding after the last two regimes and Huntington is doing it the right way.

He was able to get a guy like Alderson for Sanchez straight up, without including any cash. Huge win for Huntington. Use that cash to sign Miguel Angel Sano or include it in a deal for Grabow or Capps to keep stockpiling talent. It could be a couple busy days for Huntington, but if you are keeping score at home, he went 2-0 today and he is 4-o on the season.

OTHER NOTES
One more thing to see what others are saying. this from Kovacevic.

6:19pm: Kovacevic says that no money is being exchanged in the Sanchez deal, which makes it all the more impressive for the Pirates. Keith Law (Insider) recently ranked the 20-year-old Alderson the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball.

One other thing is that right before the deal, Sanchez came to the Bucs with a 3 year/$20mil offer to stay. He has to be nuts. Naturally the Pirates declined and made what looks to be a good deal.

One final way to look at this is that the best pitching prospect dealt during the day doesn't get get dealt for Cliff Lee, he gets dealt for Freddy Sanchez? What are you doing Cleveland? Also I hear Brian Sabean is feeling some backlash for dealing Alderson for just Sanchez and no cash.

Here is a link with some good quotes from new Pirate Tim Alderson
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1355

Bucs Notebook 7-27- Trade Deadline Approching

Well, so much for playing decent baseball for ten games. The Bucs offense was damn offensive in the last two games to Arizona. Keeping up the trend of getting dominated by average and below average major league pitching, the Bucs were shutout in back to back games by the likes of Doug Davis and Max Scherzer (although I do think Scherzer will be an above average major league pitcher). The combined score in the two games 16-0. If you are keeping score at home, that's the 11th time we have been shutout already this season.

Davis is the type of crafty veteran who routinely keeps the free swing Bucs off balance and Scherzer, who has a history of reaching the 100 pitch limit by the fifth inning, made it look easy, throwing 109 pitches in 7 innings of work, 85 of them for strikes, easily his best outing of the season. It has amazed me, how the Bucs lineup has showed up to battle staff aces, with a high rate of success, but continue to drop the ball against pitchers the rest of the league do well against. They face Lincecum tonight, so things won't get any easier.

The trade deadline is rapidly approaching and I am almost sick of hearing about what the Bucs might do. I say deal them all. Get rid of anyone associated with the losing culture in Pittsburgh and turn the team over to the young guys. They won't be any worse as a ball club. The losing is like a cancer it will keep growing and poising the young guys minds. Other people close to the Pirates have also reported that the young guys want the veterans out as well. Saying the clubhouse could become divided. One anonymous Pirate even said the clubhouse has become Jack and Freddy and then everyone else. It's time to break up that marriage. So I say show Jack, Freddy, Capps, Snell and Grabow the door. Duke and Maholm are also not untouchable for me. However, we need to keep acquiring upside. Let's not get back into dealing just to deal.

The Minnesota Twins apparently have Freedy Sanchez as #1 on their wish list. The Minnesota Star also reports the deal being talked about is Sanchez for Francisco Liriano straight up. If that's the case, it should have been done last week. Liriano is another young arm I would take a shot on. The second to third year after Tommy John Surgery, pitcher statistically are back to what they once were. Do that deal.

One other team I would look at is the Angels, who could add pieces to a run at the World Series. I know I mentioned Brandon Wood on here a lot, but Sean Rodriguez would be nice also. Rodriguez (24), a great glove guy that can also hit, currently has 23 homers and 75 RBI's at AAA Salt Lake. He can play both second and short. With Macier Izturis improved play as of late and Wood still in the minors, it could be a long road to get Rodriguez to the big leagues with the Angels. He is considered big league ready. Another guy I have has my eye on with the Angels, has been outfielder Terry Evans (27), who currently has hit 22 homers with 75 RBI's and 23 SB's at Salt Lake. Evans, while a bit older could still be a guy to look at. It would be a shame to not pursue a club like the Angels, who have a ton of young talent just sitting in the minors with no where to go.

It might be a perfect situation to eat some of the departing players contracts and bring in a better return. The franchise needs the talent.

The rest of the guys, as usual this time of year have tons of rumors attached to them. It's tough to even know which ones are true, so I won't include any. We will just have to wait and see for 4 more days.

Side Notes

-Not many notes today, but one thing I found funny. Argenis Diaz, the prospect in the Adam Laroche deal, who many have said is MLB ready defensively, made his 28th error of the season yesterday. That's way too many.

- Also Virgil Vasquez should probably be taken out of the rotation. He has lost his last 5 starts and has not pitched well in four of the five outings. Why not give Gorzallany another look as a starter? He also could be dealt though

Bucco Notebook 7-6: Freddy and All-Star and More Trade Rumors

The Pirates lone representative in the 2009 MLB All-Star game will be second baseman Freddy Sanchez, marking the third time in the last four seasons that Sanchez has earned the honor. No real surprise here. Zach Duke pretty much pitched himself off the team his last two outings, so Sanchez was the only possible choice. Sanchez is hitting .316 and having a very solid season. He missed the Florida series with tightness in his back, but hopefully Sanchez will be fine to take part in the game.

Speaking of Sanchez, his name has popped up in a couple trade rumors as of late. Both the Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants have expressed interest in Sanchez in the last week. The Giants have also expressed interest in Adam Laroche, but Sanchez is their top priority. Other Pirates names that have been floated out there as the trade deadline approaches within weeks have been Jack Wilson, Matt Capps and John Grabow.

Neil Huntington needs to be smart if and when he ships Sanchez. Freddy is probably the biggest chip left on the team that can help improve this team and MUST bring back good youngsters. There is nothing behind Sanchez and Wilson, so middle infield depth is a priority, preferably someone who can start with the big club next season. Capps can be had, and Huntington wants a power arm in return. One thing is for sure, the Bucs will definitely be receiving calls on all 5 players in the next few weeks.

One thing I think the Bucs should do is be willing to eat portions of each guys salary. Most teams will take on the contracts, but won't pony up top prospects in return. If the Pirates are willing to eat half of Sanchez and Wilson's salary, the return will likely be greater. Now I'm not suggesting to be stupid and pay money for no reason (Matt Morris anyone), but it can be used as a bargaining chip to acquire better players.

OTHER NOTES

-Garrett Jones has been fun to watch so far. Big time power and he has speed for a big guy. He has been up for four games and now is tied for the outfield lead in homers with 2.

- 10 out of 10 baseball experts agree that the Morgan, Burnett for Milledge and Hanrahan swap is a win for the Bucs. Selling high while buying low is a good formula for any GM.

-I love Joel Hanrahan's arm. Fastball anywhere for 94-98 with a nice slider. I'd like to see him rely on the fastball a little more and work the inner half of the plate, something Joe Kerrigan will be able to help him with.

-Any concern over Ross Ohlendorff's last outing? Fastball barely got to 90 and he had only 5 swings and misses the entire game vs. the Marlins. I hope it was just one start, because I like what Ohlendorff has given the team so far. He is a solid back end of the rotation guy.

-We still can't win on the road.

-Steve Pearce simply can't hit a breaking ball. He looks bad at the plate. it amazes me that this guy ever saw a fastball, even at AAA. I know a AAA breaking ball isn't a major league breaking ball, but his approach isn't very good.

-Ian Snell makes me sick. Another good outing at AAA Indy. Complete game shutout. I really feel he still has good stuff, maybe the best on the team. He has to find away of bringing it out at the big league level. I wanted to find out how many full counts he has had at Indy. I'm sure it wasn't 3-2 on every single batter, like we are used to. If anything, maybe this will help get his trade value back up.

- Tough decision for the Bucs as Donnie Veal must be activated by Wednesday. The guys with options left have all been pitching well. Meek, Chavez, Jackson and Karstens. Your guess is as good as mine, but I'm leaning towards Meek.

-With Doumit coming back soon, there has been talk of moving Robinson Diaz to a backup infielder role. I hope he catches the ball better in the field than he does behind the plate, but the bat is very nice still.

- Congrats to former Bucco Tim Wakefield for making his first all-star team at age 75. Maybe it's like 43 but you get the point. Very classy guy and has done the job forever. Wakefield is having a great season and it's good he was recognized.

- Bucs get Mike Hampton tonight and if they have proved anything this season, it's that they can't hit the vetern lefty. Hampton has dominated them twice and the last time out got 17 out of 18 outs on the ground.

-No update on the Sano situation. It looks as if it will come down to the Bucs or Orioles. Both clubs are waiting out the MLB investigation on Sano's true age, which is expected to be concluded sometime this week. The Bucs better get him.

-Last Note is that Charlie Morton was flat out nasty earning his first Bucco win Friday vs the Fish. Fastball was hitting 96 with that nasty curve. One hit allowed through 6. If he didn't have to sit 45 minutes through a rain delay he probably would have kept pitching.

Breaking down the Nyjer Morgan-Lastings Milledge Trade

Ok, here we go. I can hear you Pirate fans ripping the team again, but stop. This is really not a bad trade at all for the Bucs. In fact, it's another win for Neil Huntington and his staff. The particulars in the deal are Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett in exchange for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan.

First of all, Morgan really grew on me and they will miss his glove in left field. Reality is though he is a 29 year old outfielder with no power. He is also a guy who has never proven he can perform over an extended period of time He lacks fundamentals, especially on the base paths, where he could be the worst base runner in the game.

Had you told me before the season, we could get a five tool talent in Milledge and Hanrahan for Morgan, I would have laughed at you. To me, Burnett is the bigger loss. He had settled down in his role and really became a valuable lefty out of the pen.

Morgan, on the season was hitting .273 with 18steals in 28 attempts. Not a very good percentage, but he was great in the clubhouse. Burnett's ERA was sitting at 3.03 and in 32 innings of work had allowed only 37 base runners while fanning 27 batters.

While we mill miss Nyjer's smile and personality. Personality doesn't win titles, talent does. Is Milledge a head case? Yeah. Does he have an attitude? Yeah. Is he a gifted athlete with every tool in the book? Yeah. Is this trade a risk? Yes it is, but I think it's a risk the Pirates had to take.

Milledge, still considered one of the best young talents in the game, may just benefit from a fresh start. He knows he won't get too many more opportunities. He brings power and speed and a rocket for an arm. He didn't perform for the Nationals and was sent to AAA, but it's been so long since we have acquired this much raw talent in the organization. Too much talent is a great problem to have. Milledge could very well become a Milton Bradley kind of player, both on and off the field, but he realistically could become even better. Milledge is currently recovering from a thumb injury and should be up to the big club in about 10 days. He's just 24, and the Bucs hold his rights til 2013. Another positive is that if Milledge works out, there is no rush to get Tabata or Hernandez to the majors.

Hanrahan, has struggled in Washington, but I really like him. He pitched very well in the WBC. Manager Davey Johnson used him more than any other reliever in tough spots. Many feel the WBC hurt him this season as it has many pitchers. He has an inflated ERA, but his strikeout rate is up and his walk rate is down from last season. He has an explosive fastball and mixes in a slider and change as well. It never hurts to have power arms in the pen. He has closed for the Nats and could be insurance for Matt Capps if he has problems or is dealt. Like Milledge, the Bucs have Hanrahan's rights through 2013.

Many baseball experts agree and say its a win for the Bucs. If Milledge realizes his potential and cuts down the attitude, he has the talent to be a star and basically the Bucs get Hanrahan for free. I don't like the deal for the Nats but like it for the Bucs. It's the kind of trade the Pirates would have been on the other end of during the Littlefield regime. Finally the Bucs are selling high and getting talent in return, instead of just bodies.

It breaks down simply like this. The Pirates add two pieces to their future while giving up two guys that were not part of their plans. You have to like the risk and hope Milledge realizes his full potential.

This deal to me just isn't about the major league roster. By dealing Hinske, Morgan and Burnett, the Bucs were able to free up even more money for the international signing period, which begins Thursday. Now if they sign super prospect Miguel Angel Sano (they better) then everything makes sense. It looks as if the Bucs and Twins are the two main suitors for Sano, with the Orioles possibly sneaking in. This could be a long process though, so don't expect Sano to sign right away. This is a race the Bucs must win. Give the guy the money and make him a Pirate.

Jack Wilson spoke out against the trade and believe me if the Bucs had any alternative at short, he may be on his way out the door sooner than later. I really do feel bad for the current players, but their job is to perform and not try and play GM. As it is, I can see Wilson, Capps and Adam Laroche moving before the deadline. I have a feeling Grabow may stick around now, being the only lefty in the pen. I also don't see Freddy Sanchez being moved with so little middle infield depth in the organization. That's the next area Huntington needs to look at acquiring. I still target Brandon Wood as I wrote in a previous thread.

Back off of Huntington. Again it's a risk, but this trade could very well be a steal for the Bucs. Even if Milledge blows up and becomes a bust, the Pirates really didn't give up much to take a chance on the guy.