Pittsburgh Pirates Organizational Report- First base

Let's take a look at the first basemen from last season. We saw Adam Laroche struggle again and was finally dealt to Boston. He then resurfaced in the NL with the Braves and ended up having another decent season. Say what you want about the guy but the numbers were consistent year to year.

Pittsburgh Pirates

- Garrett Jones- "The Legend" got the call and took advantage of the opportunity. He hit .293 with 21Hr/44RBI in only 82 games. An OBP of .379 and slugging percentage of .567 also aren't bad numbers for his first go around. He also showed some speed, stealing 10 bags on 12 attempts. His defense was a little shaky but he should be moved to first permanently where he seemed more comfortable.

One concern was his inability to hit with runners on base. That has to improve for him to be a serious middle of the order threat. Having said that though, I feel the 28 year old is here to stay for a while. A very nice surprise to a team that needed someone to step up. 2009 Grade- B

-Steve Pearce- Well, he can't say he didn't get a look anymore. I don't think there is a hitter in the big leagues with less plate discipline than Pearce. he looks completely baffled most of the time. He hit only .206 with 4Hr. Where did the power go? He looks like the classic 4-A player at this point. His good defensively though so it may be worth keeping him as a bench player next season to spell Jones defensively. 2009 Grade- F+ (I'd like to give him a G)

INDIANAPOLIS INDIANS (AAA)

-Jeff Clement- Good acquisition at the deadline. I was a big fan of his at USC. (Yeah i know, I'm one of the few that watch college baseball). He was the third overall pick in the country at one point and has a big power bat. In 27 games at Indy, he hit 7Hr/24 RBI, but only hit .225. he has a problem staying healthy, as he hurt his wrist, right before he would have gotten a September call up. (Sounds like Doumit)

He is the type of hitter that could do well at PNC Park. Problem is that he isn't great defensively and you can't have 2 below average defensive corner guys on the roster. Jones's emergence also creates a problem for Clement's future. He came up a catcher, but I don't think that is an option.

ALTOONA CURVE (AA)

-Miles Durham- Played in 65 games at Lynchburg before getting a promotion to the Curve for the final 65 games. Combined he hit .285 with only 12 Hr/73RBI. Not a big power threat as he hit 18HR in 2008 but the report is he has a decent bat. He was a 22nd rd pick in 2006

LYNCHBURG HILLCATS (A)

-Jamie Romak- Once considered a decent prospect, Romak had an awful season. The other part of the Adam Laroche trade led all Pirates minor leaguers in HR & RBI in 2008, but took a huge step backwards this season, hitting only .191 with 8 Hr/38 RBI. Romak was actually demoted back to the Hillcats from Altoona in the middle of the season and was moved to right field

-Matt Hague- The Bucs ninth round pick in 2008, Hague progressed to Lynchburg in his second season of pro ball. He hit .293, 8HR/50 Rbi in his first season with the Hillcats. The Bucs like Hague a lot and like his bat. They feel the power will come around.

WEST VIRGINIA POWER (A)

-Kyle Morgan- Hit .296 with 9/32 in 43 games. Stared the season with State College. He was a 36th rd selection in 2008

-Calvin Anderson- A lot more upside for the 6"7 2008 12th rd pick. He spent the whole season at WV and hit .274 12/64. The power slowed down towards the end of the season, but overall they seem happy with Anderson.

STATE COLLEGE SPIKES (A)

-Justin Byler- Back after missing the 2008 season with a broken arm, Byler hit .256 6/41. The 2005 36th round pick really isn't on the radar as a prospect.

-Aaron Baker- Same story for Baker. Didn't do much for the Spikes. .250 hitter that showed no power.

Organizational Depth is actually good at the position. Jones looks to be a keeper and I still think Clement could be the guy eventually. As long as it isn't Pearce then I'm happy. A lot of guys in A & AA worth keeping an eye on. no need to pursue a first baseman in the off season unless they can somehow add a huge bat. Jones can still play right. I have a better chance of hitting the powerball than that happening though.

What should next season look like. Simple. Jones starts 150 games at first. If not, i like the idea of Clement playing half the time at first while Jones is in right field. Similar to what they did with Jones and Pearce during the second half of the season. I actually think that may work. What will they do though? Likely continue the Steve Pearce experiment and shuffle Jones between first and right.

Overall Positional Grade - B

Down on the farm- Bucco's Minor league report

Let's take a look at how some of the Pirates prospects have been doing.

Indianapolis (AAA) (17-19)- Prized prospect Andrew McCutchen has really picked it up the last week. He has been on a tear, once again driving the question, When will we see Cutch in a Bucco uniform? Cutch is hitting .290 with a homer and 13 RBI's to go along with 8 steals 8 doubles and 8 triples. Steve Pearce leads the Indians in HR and RBI, with 6 and 27 and his hitting a respectable .288.

Two others that are considered prospects continue to struggle as Neil Walker is hitting .233 and Shelby Ford is hitting only .193. On the hill, Daniel McCutchen is 2-2 with a 3.90 ERA. The guy that is likely to get the first call if the Bucs need a starter is Virgil Vasquez. he has struggled a bit wit a 2-2 record and a 4.97 era.

Altoona (AA) - Shorstop Brian Friday is tearing up the league hitting over .500, only 2 homers though. Second baseman Jim Negrych is considered to have a big bat, but doesn't have a homer, but is hitting at about a .300 clip. Prized prospect Jose Tabata has been injured but got off to a good start.

On the hill for the curve, Brad Lincoln has been good despite the 0-3 record. His era is at 2.87. Jared Hughes has been even better with a 1-3 record but an era at 1.91. Daniel Moskos has 2 wins but is getting shelled with a 4.95 era/

Lynchburg (A)- Pedro Alvarez has shown power with 7 homers but has lacked plate discipline hitting around .220. Maybe Pedro just needs to hit off Moskos?

West Virginia (A)- First baseman Calvin Anderson has shown some power with 7 homers and 28 RBI's, also hitting .324. Rudy Owens has been the Power's best starter, going 4-1 with a 3.17 era.

Neil Hunnington has been busy this week, continuing to stockpile minor league players. The Bucs claimed right handed reliever Steven Jackson from the Yankees. Jackson is a hard thrower who has had good results in AAA, but hasn't gotten much of a chance at the MLB level. He was originally in the Randy Johnson deal that brought both him and Ross Ohlendorff to the Yanks.

The Bucs acquired another Yankee right hander in starter Eric Hacker, who pitched well in the past, but is off to a slow start this season. They also acquired Boston outfielder Jeff Coraletti and Indians pitcher Randy Newsom. I like the fact that Hunnington is doing this. Keep adding talent to the organization. Is this major league help? Probably not, but take a shot on people and once you might hit the lottery.

The Bucs are also seem to have the inside track on Dominican top prospect Miguel Angel Sano. The price tag is high but if this kid (only 16) is legit like everyone in baseball says. Show him the money. Not only will a top notch talent help the Bucs now, it will go a long way in signing Dominicans in the future. Without the need for a reality show.

That's a Bucco's minor league report. Hopefully some of these guys will have huge seasons and we can see them at PNC Park in the next couple of years