Charlie Morton's Last Stand

The Pittsburgh Pirates will do some tinkering to the starting rotation this week. Jeff Karstens is being shelved for the time being with a tired arm. Daniel McCutchen will assume Karstens spot in the rotation tonight against the Cardinals.


They will also need a starter for Sunday, as Ross Ohlendorf won't be taking his scheduled start. The guy to keep an eye on is Charlie Morton. Morton needs this opportunity. Pirates fans need it as well.

Morton deserves at least a five-start look at the end of the season. The Pirates have to find out which guy they have. Is it the Charlie Morton that showed towards the end of 2009 that he can be a capable major league pitcher? Or, do they have the Charlie Morton that simply couldn't get major league hitters out consistently in 2010?


The Pirates should believe in Morton still. He has all the tools. He has a great arm with a fastball that can top 95 mph and can back that up with above average breaking stuff.

I vowed to never use the term "great stuff," after hearing it over a thousand times this year during Pirates telecasts, but Morton has it.

Morton has to show better command this time around. He has to locate better or he will get crushed. He has to pitch off his fastball more. It's a weapon and he needs to use it to get people out.

He also has to be much tougher mentally as well. He's too talented to fold and start giving into hitters. The scouting reports on Morton, dating back to his days in the Atlanta system, have always questioned his head. With the "stuff" a guy like Morton has, he has to have a bulldog-like mentality.

Throwing to Chris Snyder instead of Ryan Doumit should help out as well. In his short time in Pittsburgh, Snyder has shown that he will call the game to the pitchers strengths instead of working to their weaknesses, which Doumit is very fond of doing.

Morton is a much better pitcher than his 1-9 record and 9.35 ERA indicate. If the opportunity is given to him, he must take advantage of it.

This could be a second chance served up to him on a silver platter. He must approach it with that attitude or risk not being part of a future Pittsburgh Pirates rotation. He needs to succeed. The Pirates need him to succeed. The fans need him to succeed.

This could be Charlie Morton's last stand as a Pittsburgh Pirate. He needs to come out fighting.

What Should the Pirates do With Charlie Morton and Daniel McCutchen?

In what appears to be the year of the starting pitcher, the only team that seems to have missed out on the trend have been the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Entering today with a major league worst 5.38 team era, the Pirates have to do something with their starting staff, which has a combined era of 5.91, also a major league worst.

The current guys obviously aren't getting the job done, so what should they do between now and the July 31st trading deadline?  The two first steps are to deal both Zach Duke and Ryan Doumit.  Their value was higher last season, but now it's to the point that Neil Huntington has to get what he can for these guys.  They have had plenty of chances each, and simply haven't got the job done.

Step two is to acquire a veteran catcher.  Someone that is capable of working with a young pitching staff.  I want a good veteran defensive catcher who can handle a staff.  I could care less about his bat right now, especially with the way the offense has performed to date.  Having a good veteran catcher behind the plate could go a long way into developing some arms at this level.  Believe me, Doumit isn't that guy.  Take last night for example.  How many times did we have to see Daniel McCutchen throw fastball after fastball on the outer half of the plate.  You want to get crushed? Keep throwing 88-90mph fastballs to the middle and outer half.  It's not just McCutchen though, that's how the game is called on a daily basis.

Pirates pitchers refuse to work the inner half of the plate. The mentality has to change to be effective.  Since there is no way John Russell or Joe Kerrigan's job is in jeopardy, let's get a quality backstop and let them handle the young staff.  I don't care if Huntington has to overpay for one, but these young arms need a real catcher.

The next two pressing questions are what to do with Daniel McCutchen, and more importantly Charlie Morton.  First let's look at McCutchen.  Nothing he does really jumps off the page at me, but I feel he should get a longer look.  Your already 24 games under .500, so it won't hurt to let him pitch.  You have to see what you have and don't have in McCutchen. The kid has the ability to throw strikes and I hate to keep nagging on the veteran catcher thing, but it could help big time with guys like McCutchen, Morton and Brad Lincoln.

 How smart were the Washington Nationals when they signed Pudge Rodriguez?  Don't overlook how that signing will help their young arms in the long run.  They can send McCutchen back to AAA, but after the trading deadline, he should be a part of the rotation for the rest of the season.

Now for Morton.  The Pirates just don't need Morton to rebound.  He HAS to rebound.  First, read the Braves scouting report in 2007 on Morton by clicking HERE.  As you can see, they had the same questions about Morton that we currently have.  Weather he has it mentally or not to pitch effectively in the majors is one thing, but there is no questioning his stuff.  He can be nasty when he's effective, but he hasn't nearly been as effective as often as he should be as a Pirate.

If the Braves organization are left scratching their heads over Morton, then the Pirates won't have a clue.  Though reading the scouting report, you have to hold out hope for the very last line to come true- "The sky's the limit for Morton."  It's getting a little late to believe that, but Morton has to be a big part of what will be the future rotation. Again, a veteran catcher would help Morton a great deal.

Morton's  rehab assignment ends July 3rd, so the Pirates have to make a decision soon.  Morton's last start at Indy was his best as a pro, firing a 2-hit complete game shutout.  Charlie Morton can pitch at the major league level.  He showed what he could do at the end of last season.  The smart thing to do is to insert him right back in the rotation and give him the ball every fifth day. Let's just forget about the start of the season for Morton and let's just start over.  It's vital to the future that a guy like Morton figures it out.  Let's just hope the trip to the minors was a wake up call.

Minor League Report

Usually I write my weekly Pirates Minor League Report and seeing that as we are over a month into the season and I have yet to do one,  now seems like a good time.

Searching through the organization, I have been very excited and have really kept tabs on what a lot of these guys are doing.  It's not a joke, for the first time in decades, the Pirates have REAL prospects.  Not only do they have real prospects, they have real good prospects with high ceilings.

I will try and make this a weekly thing again but I have been very busy of late.  So let's take a look at the minor leagues.

Indianapolis Indians (AAA)-  Neil Walker has been tremendous with both the bat and the glove and had played all over the diamond.  Scouts are raving about his versatility and he is hitting. 325 with 6HR/25RBI.  Jose Tabata has been very good as well, hitting .315 2/11 and also has 17 steals.  Many feel we will see both guys very soon in Pittsburgh.  Pedro Alvarez had some problems with the batting average early, but is all the way up to .265 with 9HR and 36 RBI's in 36 games.  he's starting to hit for power off lefties as well, which is something the organization has wanted to see.

On the mound, Brad Lincoln is off to a 4-1 start with a 3.23 era.  He is throwing three pitches consistently for strikes and once he gets a little more confidence in his change up, then PNC Park should be the next step.  Donnie Veal and Daniel McCutchen have been decent down in AAA but keep your eye on Michael Crotta.  Crotta who wasn't listed among the Pirates Top 50 prospects a year ago has quickly climbed through the ranks.  After getting promoted from Altoona earlier in the season, Crotta has made three very good starts with the Indians, going 2-1 with a 2.86 era; including seven strong innings on Friday.  Crotta is a sinker baller with above average stuff that just gets people out.

Altoona Curve-  The prospects starting with Alttona and lower in the organization are really worth keeping an eye on.  Looking at the position players at Altoona, outfielder Alex Pressley leads the team with a .361 average.  Infielders Josh Harrison and Jim Negrych are both hitting over .300 as well.  Harrison is highly thought of and this seems to be a bounce back year for Negrych, who is back on the map.  There isn't really much power to pay attention for the Curve off the bat.

Two guys struggling to keep an eye on are shortstop of the future Chase D'Arnaud and outfielder Gorkys Hernandez.  Both got off to very slow starts at the plate, but both are still highly thought of.  Some have said D'Arnaud may be the best athlete in the minor leagues at the moment.  D'arnaud has picked things up lately though his numbers don't look like it.  He's hitting only .216 and hasn't shown any power. Scouts say not to expect numbers like that for long.  Hernandez on the other hand has only two extra base hits all season and is only hitting .205.  he may quickly be getting passed up by other young talented outfielders.

On the mound, right hander Jared Hughes and left hander Rudy Owens have been very good.  Hughes is 7-1 with a 3.16 era and Owens sits at 3-2 with a 3.86 era. Owens should have a few more wins but his body of work has been great; especially his 40 strikeouts to only eight walks.  Tim Alderson has a 2-1 record but an inflated 6.19 era.  I'm not really worried about the era because that came as the result of one bad outing.

Keep your eye on Daniel Moskos.  Moskos will be forever linked to Matt Wieters, but seems to have found a role as a left handed reliever.  Moskos is 1-0 with a 1.15era in 15.1 innings of work.

I will have a report on Bradenton and West Virgina posted tomorrow

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly of Week 1

Well, it took seven games to get below .500, if you took the over, well then you likely are a winner.  I haven't gotten around to writing much this week because I have been deathly ill (Doctor was unable to determine if the cause of the sickness was due the the Pirates pitching lately, but maybe I need a second opinion).

So after a week, I still have a decent buzz about this team.  Like everyone else, its not nearly the buzz after a 2-0 start, but unlike everyone else, I didn't expect them to win the World Series afer two games.  Good news is the Reds come to town so maybe they can win two out of three at home (a little cheap shot at my friend Michael Hammons Big Red machine)

Well let's get into discussing.

THE GOOD
- Zach Duke's two starts have been somewhat impressive.  I know I'm hard on the guy, but this is the way he should be expected to pitch pretty much everytime out.  Let's hope Duke has a third solid start on Friday.  So far Duke is 2-0 with a 3.00 era in 12.0 ip.  I will take that.

THE BAD
- All other starters have combined for a 12.31 era

THE UGLY
- Daniel Mccutchen's fourth inning in which the D'backs scored a whopping 13 runs. (not all were charged to McCutchen but 9 overall were)

THE GOOD
- Charlie Morton's first 2 innings on Friday in which the first 5 outs came by strike out

THE BAD
-Charlie Morton's third and fourth innings where he continued to fall behind in the count and looked likie a different pitcher.

THE UGLY
- Ryan Doumit calling a lousy game for Morton.  If Adam Laroche said the D'Backs knew what was coming befor Doumit even called it, after the first time threw the order, that's not a good sign of a catcher being able to adjust when calling a game at the MLB level.

THE GOOD
-Octavio Dotel and most of the guys in the bullpen pounded the zone for the most part and showed they can get people out.

THE BAD
-Hayden Penn was lousy in three appearences.  The Dodgers first six batters got hits off penn in his Bucco debut.

THE UGLY
- Have I mentioned Hayden Penn?

THE GOOD
- Garrett Jones three homers in his first five at bats.

THE BAD
- Jones has had only 1 hit the last five games

THE UGLY
- There is no one to protect Jones.  Jones and Ryan Doumit are a combined 1 for their last 27

THE GOOD
- Not Ryan Doumit

THE BAD
-Ryan Doumit

THE UGLY
- Wait for it........ Wait for it....... Did you guess Ryan Doumit?

THE GOOD
-The Pirates have been agressive on the basepaths, going a perfect 8 for 8 swiping bags so far

THE BAD
-When your down 10 runs in half of your games, you can't utilize your speed and run much

THE UGLY
-Ryan Doumit....... I'm sorry, i couldn't resist

THE GOOD
- Aki Iwumura and Ronny Cedeno are off to surprising good starts

THE BAD
-Those are the only two off to good starts.

THE UGLY
-The next time someone gets a big hit with guys on base will be the first since Ryan Church's pinch hit opening day double.  Someone's gotta pick it up.

THE GOOD
- I've been happy so far with both Jeff Clement and Lastings Milledge.  The numbers will improve for both.  It's also encoraging to see the way Milledge is hustling all the time.  A sign of a guy taking things like it's his last opportunity.

THE BAD
- I like batting Milledge in the three hole, but he also must show some power.  He has had some bad luck early. scorching some balls right at people. However, if you bat Milledge third, Somehow, somewhere you have to protect Jones in the lineup or he won't see another good pitch to hit all season.

THE UGLY
- I can't resist.  Ryan Doumit.  He just isn't capable of batting in a run producing spot. With the way Cedeno and Aki have gotten on base early, batting the pitcher #8 isn't that terrible, but Doumit shouldn't be hitting above seventh.  He's lousy (Just watch, after I ripped him to death, he will have a huge game tonight)

FINALLY THE GOOD
- It's only been seven games.  We've got a lot of Bucco baseball to look forward to. (Technically, depending on your perspective, that last statement could also qualify as THE BAD & THE UGLY for you as well)

Take care and I will have something tomoorow as well.  If you haven't yet, go to http://www.lexy.com/ and follow our Pirates broadcat for the year.

Around the Diamond- Staring Pitching

I'm very undecided about this current roatation.  Do all five guys have potential?  Yes.  On the other hand, can all five guys be awful? Absolutely.

Let's start at the top.  Very few teams in the majors have their weakest link as the opening day starter as the Pirates do with Zach Duke.  While Duke may be a nice guy and apparantly being nice is more important than producing in Pittsburgh (Exhibit A- Jack Wilson), he just flat out doesn't get the job done.  Never has and likely never will.

Take a look at the numbers, and when looking at the case of Duke's performance, his numbers tell the whole story.  Take out Duke's brief stint as a rookie and 2009 was his best season as a pro, yet it wasn't a good one.  While he did win 11 games, out of his 32 starts, his team only won the 11 that Duke got the W.  Hands down the lowest percentage of team wins per start in the majors. Duke flat out doesn't give his team a chance to win most nights out.

Other alarming numbers.  Duke led the league in hits given up (231)- AGAIN, also an outrageous 9.8 Hits/9ip the worst among mlb starters, only a 2.16 k/bb ratio and a below average 4.06 era and 1.315 whip.

I have run into plenty of Duke supporters (ran into one last night as a matter of fact) and the first thing they say is well he doesn't have a good defense.  Really?  Wasn't it the Pirates who led the league in fielding percentage for most of the season?  Defense isn't the problem as Duke gave up only 5 unearned runs in 2009.  Also don't give me that he made the all-star team last season.  He did have a decent first half, but did anyone watch him pitch in the second half?

My problem with Duke is that he doesn't compete and often pitches gutless baseball.  He is a left handed Kip Wells.  How many bad two strike pitches can one guy throw? A former Pirate who will remain nameless, once told me off the air on a radio show that I did that they really don't expect to win most of the time Duke starts and if they do it's a bonus.

Having ripped Duke apart, I still have a little faith in him.  He is a very important piece in a rotation that needs to take the next step.  Does he have the pure stuff of a Charlie Morton, Brad Lincoln or even a Kevin Hart (if Hart could throw strikes)?  No, not even close.  However, in those eleven wins last season, Duke showed that he could pitch effectively at the major league level.

He had some decent numbers as well in 2009.  His control was very good, only walking 49 batters at a 2.4bb/9ip clip.  He also gave the team some good innings, eclipsing 200 ip for the second time in his career.  Now this isn't about bashing Duke, it's to show that a guy in his sixth mlb season needs to be much more consistent every fifth day.  He is capable of doing it and if he needs to become the leader of a staff that desperately needs one.  Duke is having a very good spring so far, so we will see if he can carry that into the season.

Looking at the two and three spots in the rotation- Paul Maholm and Ross Ohlendorf, both are in similar situations.  Maholm needs to take a big step forward as well.  He pitched hurt most of last season and now healthy, hopefully he can put things together as well.  Maholm nearly gave up as many hits (222) as Duke last season.  When healthy though, he tends to keep the ball down a bit more, so I have a little more faith in him.  Maholm or Duke could be pitching to see who stays in Pittsburgh for the long haul.  Logic would tell you one of them has to be dealt to make room for Brad Lincoln.  Ohlendorf, Charlie Morton and Daniel McCutchen aren't going anywhere.  My bet is that Duke is dealt at the trading deadline or sometime before the 2011 season.

Ohlendorf was a surprise last season.  Unlike Duke (and I will include Maholm here as well so I'm not just bashing Duke), Ohlendorf gave the Pirates a chance to win in a good percentage of his starts.  With a record over .500 and an era under four, he was the Pirates best starter last season.  One thing I'd need to see from Ohlendorf is to be able to pitch deeper into games this season.  He was often a six inning guy last season, but he did his job when he was on the hill.

By far the guy with the most talent in the rotation is Morton.  He really holds the key to this staff.  His stuff is flat out nasty.  He is a guy that management would like to see take a huge step.  If Morton can learn what it take to be a successful big league starter then honestly the sky's the limit for him.  Unfortunately, that's easier said than done.  One thing Morton needs to realize is that it's ok to get a guy out on one or two pitches.  He needs to realize that pitching behind in the count will hurt him.  Also he doesn't have to go to a full count on every single hitter.

The fifth spot was won by Daniel McCutchen.  McCutchen has above average stuff and could surprise some people.  I like his make up and he doesn't seem to be scared of big league hitters, as he showed in his September call-up in 2009.  Unfortunately for him, the Bucs will only need to use a fifth starter once the first three and a half weeks of the season.

As you can see, many questions surrond the 2010 Pirates rotation.  However, there is potential for many bright spots to occur as well.  This needs to become Duke's staff and Morton needs to reach his potential for anything good to come of it.  One bright spot should be sometime after June when Brad Lincoln should get the call.

Position grade Compared to the rest of the league-  C -  Could be a B if things go their way.  They are going to have to perform well because I don't think they will score many runs for these guys.

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.

What Pitchers Will make the Opening Day Roster?

Finally, I can get back to writing.  No more shoveling snow for the time being.  As pitchers and catchers get ready to report to Bradenton, let's discuss what pitchers are likely to head north with the big club for opening day.

Like I said in my last post, which seemed ages ago.  For the time being we will assume that JR is going to carry 12 pitchers on the opening day roster.

Starters
1. Zach Duke
2. Paul Maholm
3. Ross Ohlendorf
4. Charlie Morton
These four are locks
5. Kevin Hart, Danile McCutchen and Brad Lincoln

Lincoln appears to be a lock to begin the season with Indy and rightfully so.  He will likely get the call sometime in June or July.  A stong spring and good start to a AAA season could force the Bucs to rush him up sooner though.  Both Hart and McCutchen have shown they have the arm to succeed, but haven't had great results.  I think McCutchen has a better chance to be a good starter even though Hart has the edge when it comes to pure stuff.  As of now I give McCutchen the job as the fifth starter.

BULLPEN
Closer- Octavio Dotel.  This was actually a good signing by a Pirates team that hasn't had many in the last decade.  Dotel has pitched well the last couple of seasons and his stuff is still electric.

Set up Roles
1. Joel Hanrahan- Another righty with electric stuff.  Hanrahan had tremendous results with the Pirates after being acquired in July.  He also would step in as closer if Dotel falters.
2. Evan Meek- Another power righty who came along last season.  Meek pitched well and is said to be in fantastic shape.  He is a lock.
3. Brenden Donelley-  He pitched well at the end of last season, coming back from Tommy john Surgery and hopefully the veteren can carry that into the 2010 season.

The final two middle inning guys will come from a group of: DJ Carrasco, Javier Lopez, Jose Ascaino, Steven Jackson, Brian Bass, Tyler Yates, Jack Taschner, Neal Cotts and Brian Burress.  I probably left out a journey man looking for a job, but forgive me.

The two candidates will likely be who pitches better in spring games.  I like Ascaino's arm, but I'm giving the early edge to Carrasco, who has proved to be a durable innings eater out of the pen, and Lopez, who hasn't pitched well in a couple of seasons, but after not having a lefty after the Grabow trade, the Bucs will likely carry atleast one.  If Lopez struggles in the spring, it could open the door for Cotts or Taschner to make the team.

LONG RELIEVER
The final bull pen job will likely come down to the loser of the Hart/McCutchen battle,Chris Jakubauskus or Jeff Karstens.  I'm going to go with the loser of the Hart/McCutchen battle.  Hart I feel would do better in a bullpen role anyways and I have a hard time seeing the Bucs not keeping him.  He does have a great arm, the results must come though.

Pitching is going to have to be good for the Pirates to have any shot at competing in the near future.  Hopefully they can take the next step as a unit towards that goal.

Winter Meetings to begin

Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings are set to begin today in Indianapolis.  What will the Bucs do? Nothing much, unless there is a utility infielder to sign as their major splash into the market.  I will keep my eye on some current trade rumors involving pitchers Matt Capps, Paul Maholm, Zach Duke and catcher Ryan Doumit.

NH needs to unload an arm to create a spot for Brad Lincoln sometime this season or even to create a roster spot for Daniel McCutchen who pitched decent enough to deserve a look in 2010.  I don't expect them to be active in free agency, unless Bud Selig is ordering them to spend some money.  names linked to the Bucs like Rich Ankiel, Hank Blalock and Justin Duchsherer just won't help.

Stick to the plan and get these young guys ready.  Paying god money to a guy HOPING he can rejuvinate a career that he never really had just doesn't make much sense.  Stay tuned.  I will have all your updates.

Sorry for not posting for a while.  I got tied down with work, but I'm back.  I can't wait for spring training.

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