Clearing the Hurdle - A Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise

[loaf31]

Clearing the Hurdle, A Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise

Lets take a look back at the 2010-2011 Offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates:

Added: Lyle Overbay, Kevin Correia, Matt Diaz, Andy Marte, Scott Olson, Jose Veras, Corey Wimberly, Josh Rodriguez (Rule V), Aaron Thompson, Garrett Olsen.

Re-signed: Brian Burres.

Lost/Unsigned: Zach Duke, Lastings Milledge, Chan Ho Park, Delwyn Young, Andy LaRoche, Joe Martinez, Wil Ledezma, Dana Eveland, Brian Bass, Erik Kratz, Argenis Diaz, Brendan Donnelly, Steven Jackson, Brandon Moss.

The Spin: It was business as usual for the Pirates this winter. Overbay, Correia and Diaz qualified as "big" signings, and they also added a handful of former stars/prospects who flamed out in other organizations. There is nothing to suggest that the Pirates are ready to climb out of the cellar in the Central, but their lineup is beginning to feature a lot of young, in-house talent.

Remaining Questions: Right field is the biggest question among the everyday players, as Diaz, Garrett Jones, and Ryan Doumit are all options. There is likely to be a platoon there, and the Pirates may continue to offer Doumit in trade talks. Joel Hanrahan has beaten Evan Meek for the right to assume the Closer's role.

Perhaps the most significant gain was the hiring of former Colorado Rockies Manager and Texas Rangers Hitting Coach, Clint Hurdle.

New Bucco Manager Clint Hurdle with Bucco GM Neal Huntington

Hurdle is very excited going into the 2011 campaign. "I believe that we can and WILL win, I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't feel that way." Hurdle has experience working with young players, and the Pirates have their fair share of young stars on the team. "I am looking forward to having a lineup that consists of future susperstars Jose Tabata (LF), Andrew McCutchen (CF), Pedro Alvarez (3B), and Neil Walker (2B). To have those 4 guys plus James MacDonald in the rotation, I am confident that we can make some nosie this year."

Hurdle continued, "The fans of the Pirates deserve a winner, 18 years is way too long. To have the most beautiful ballpark in all of baseball, we plan to give the fans a show, hopefully all the way through October."

Most beautiful park in baseball? Clint Hurdle thinks so

Will the Bucs win? Will they falter? Tune in and see.

[matt314hew]

Let's Go Bucs... I am following.

Let's see if they are actually going to be a decent team this year (in your game and real life).

[loaf31]

Opening Day Roster/Depth Chart

Pittsburgh Pirates Depth Chart - 2011

• Catcher
• Ryan Doumit
• Jason Jaramillo

• First Base
• Lyle Overbay
• Steve Pearce

• Second Base
• Neil Walker

• Third Base
• Pedro Alvarez

• Shortstop
• Ronny Cedeno
• Josh Rodriguez

• Left Field
• Jose Tabata

• Center Field
• Andrew McCutchen

• Right Field
• Garrett Jones
• Matt Diaz
• John Bowker

• Starting Pitcher
• Kevin Correia
• Paul Maholm
• James McDonald
• Ross Ohlendorf
• Charlie Morton

• Relief Pitcher
• Evan Meek
• Chris Resop
• Jose Veras
• Garrett Olson
• Michael Crotta
• Jeff Karstens

• Closer
• Joel Hanrahan

• Disabled List
• RP Joe Beimel (15 Day)
• SP Scott Olsen (15 Day)
• C Chris Snyder (15 Day)
• RP Kevin Hart (60 Day)

Pittsburgh Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle released his depth chart for Opening Day today and announced a few injury notes.

The following players have been placeed on the DL to start the season:

• C Chris Snyder (Back) 15 Day DL
• RP Joe Beimel (Elbow) 15 Day DL
• SP Scott Olsen (Shoulder) 15 Day DL
• SP/RP Kevin Hart (Shoulder) 60 Day DL

The Pirates open the season against the Chicago Cubs on Friday April 1, 2011.

[loaf31]

A Look at the Pirates Top 10 Prospects

With the Pirates spending more money on the Draft than any other team in baseball, the prospect pool is starting to become deep with talent.

Here is how the Organization projects the Top 10 Future Buccos:

1. 1.
   Jameson Taillon, RHP
   DOB: 11/28/91
   Height/Weight: 6-7/230
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: First round, 2010, The Woodlands HS (TX)
   2010 Stats: Did Not Play (signed late)
   Best/Worst Tool: Velocity/changeup
   
2. 2.
   Stetson Allie, RHP
   DOB: 3/13/91
   Height/Weight: 6-4/225
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: Second round, 2010, St. Edward HS (OH)
   2010 Stats: Did Not Play (signed late)
   
3. 3.
   Luis Heredia, RHP
   DOB: 8/16/94
   Height/Weight: 6-6/185
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: Mexico, 2010
   
4. 4.
   Tony Sanchez, C
   DOB: 5/20/88
   Height/Weight: 6-0/213
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: First round, 2009, Boston College
   2010 Stats: .314/.416/.454 at High-A (59 G)
   Best/Worst Tool: Glove/pure hitting
   
5. 5.
   Rudy Owens, LHP
   DOB: 12/18/87
   Height/Weight: 6-3/215
   Bats/Throws: L/L
   Drafted/Signed: 28th round, 2006, Mesa HS (AZ)
   2010 Stats: 2.46 ERA (150.0-124-23-132) at Double-A (26 G)
   Best/Worst Tool: Command and control/breaking ball
   
6. 6.
   Bryan Morris, RHP
   DOB: 3/28/87
   Height/Weight: 6-3/210
   Bats/Throws: L/R
   Drafted/Signed: First round, 2006, Motlow State CC (TN) (Dodgers)
   2010 Stats: 0.60 ERA (44.2-37-7-40) at High-A (8 G); 4.25 ERA (89.0-87-31-84) at Double-A (19 G)
   
7. 7.
   Starling Marte, OF
   DOB: 10/9/88
   Height/Weight: 6-1/170
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: Dominican Republic, 2007
   2010 Stats: .346/.393/.692 at Rookie (8 G); .315/.386/.432 at High-A (60 G)
   Best/Worst Tool: Defense/power
   
8. 8.
   Jeff Locke, LHP
   DOB: 11/20/87
   Height/Weight: 6-2/180
   Bats/Throws: L/L
   Drafted/Signed: Second round, 2006, Kennett HS (NH) (Braves)
   2010 Stats: 3.54 ERA (86.1-82-14-83) at High-A (17 G); 3.59 ERA (57.2-57-12-56) at Double-A (10 G)
   
9. 9.
   Diego Moreno, RHP
   DOB: 7/21/86
   Height/Weight: 6-1/177
   Bats/Throws: R/R
   Drafted/Signed: Venezuela, 2006
   2010 Stats: 1.17 ERA (38.1-14-5-57) at High-A (28 G); 7.04 ERA (7.2-10-3-12) at Double-A (7 G)
   Best/Worst Tool: Velocity/slider
   
10. 10.
    Colton Cain, LHP
    DOB: 2/5/91
    Height/Weight: 6-3/225
    Bats/Throws: L/L
    Drafted/Signed: Eighth round, 2009, Waxahachie HS (TX)
    2010 Stats: 3.77 ERA (14.1-12-5-15) at Rookie (4 G); 5.03 ERA (34.0-23-14-32) at short-season (11 G)
    Best/Worst Tool: Command/secondary pitches
    

Top 10 Talents Under the Age of 25

1. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
2. Andrew McCutchen, OF
3. Jameson Taillon, RHP
4. Stetson Allie, RHP
5. Luis Heredia, RHP
6. Tony Sanchez, C
7. Neil Walker, 2B
8. Jose Tabata, LF
9. Rudy Owens, LHP
10. Brad Lincoln, RHP

[loaf31]

Pirates Capitalize on Cubs Mistakes
Power past Cubs 7-1 to open season

The Pirates took advantage of 3 Chicago errors on their way to an Opening Day rout. The wind was playing tricks on fly balls all game long.

Kevin Correia made a stellar debut for the Bucs, going 8 strong innings while allowing just 1 run. For his effort, he was named the Player of the Game. Said Correia, "I couldn't have asked for a better game. I just wanted to prove myself to me new teammates, and I think that I did. I realize that this is only 1 of 162, so we still have a ton of work to do."

Correia's impressive Pirates debut

The Pirates and Cubs continue their series tomorrow afternoon at Wrigley Field

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Field
Apr 1, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (1-0)	0	0	0	6	0	1	0	0	0	7	12	0
Chicago Cubs (0-1)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	3
W: Kevin Correia (1-0) L: Ryan Dempster (0-1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PIT	CHC
	2	Soriano doubles to center, Colvin scores	0	1
	4	Correia singles to left, Jones scores	1	1
	4	Tabata singles to right, Cedeno scores	2	1
	4	Walker singles to left, Correia scores	3	1
	4	Overbay flies out to Colvin (E9), Tabata scores	4	1
	4	Alvarez doubles to center, Walker and McCutchen score	6	1
	6	Doumit singles to center, Overbay scores	7	1

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Jose Tabata, LF	6	1	2	1	0	1	0	.333
Neil Walker, 2B	5	1	2	1	0	1	0	.400
Andrew McCutchen, CF	4	1	1	0	1	0	0	.250
Lyle Overbay, 1B	4	1	1	0	1	0	0	.250
Pedro Alvarez, 3B	4	0	1	2	1	1	0	.250
Ryan Doumit, C	4	0	1	1	1	1	0	.250
Garrett Jones, RF	4	1	2	0	1	1	0	.500
Ronny Cedeno, SS	4	1	0	0	1	0	0	.000
Kevin Correia, P	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
Matt Diaz, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
TEAM TOTALS	40	7	12	6	6	6	0
BATTING: 2B: P. Alvarez (1), L. Overbay (1), G. Jones 2 (2), M. Diaz (1) RBI: K. Correia (1), J. Tabata (1), N. Walker (1), P. Alvarez 2 (2), R. Doumit (1) GIDP: A. McCutchen

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
S. Castro, SS	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
M. Byrd, CF	2	0	0	0	2	2	0	.000
A. Ramirez, 3B	4	0	1	0	0	3	0	.250
C. Pena, 1B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
T. Colvin, RF	4	1	1	0	0	1	0	.250
A. Soriano, LF	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	.250
B. DeWitt, 2B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
G. Soto, C	2	0	0	0	1	1	0	.000
R. Dempster, P	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
K. Fuhodome, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
R. Johnson, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
TEAM TOTALS	30	1	4	1	3	9	0
BATTING: 2B: A. Soriano (1) 3B: T. Colvin (1) RBI: A. Soriano (1) SAC: S. Castro
FIELDING: E: A. Soriano (1), T. Colvin (1), DeWitt (1)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
K. Correia (W, 1-0)	8.0	4	1	1	3	8	0	1.13
E. Meek	1.0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	4	1	1	3	9	0

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
R. Dempster (L, 0-1)	3.2	8	6	3	3	3	0	7.36
A. Cashner	1.1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
S. Marshall	1.0	1	1	1	3	0	0	9.00
J. Berg	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
J. Grabow	2.0	3	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	12	7	4	6	6	0

[loaf31]

Pirates Win Ugly Game
Take big lead, but mistakes made it close

Cedeno admires his first HR of the season[/center]


The Buccos had a good news/bad news game on Saturday afternoon..... The good news, the Pirates beat the Cubs to go to 2-0 on the young season, the bad news? The Pirates committed 6 errors that allowed the Cubs to make it close.

Paul Maholm pitched a great game going 7 strong innings allowing 2 runs (none earned), earning Player of the Game accolades.

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Field
Apr 2, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (2-0)	0	0	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	5	11	6
Chicago Cubs (0-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	2	4	9	0
W: Paul Maholm (1-0) L: Carlos Zambrano (0-1) S: Chris Resop (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PIT	CHC
	4	Tabata singles to left, Jones scores	1	0
	4	Overbay walks, Maholm scores	2	0
	4	Alvarez singles to left, Tabata and McCutchen score	4	0
	5	Cedeno hits a Solo Home Run to center	5	0
	7	Johnson scores on a throwing error by Cedeno (E6)	5	1
	7	Soriano doubles to left, Soto scores	5	2
	9	Soriano singles to left, Baker scores	5	3
	9	Fukudome singles to center, Soto scores	5	4

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Jose Tabata, LF	5	1	2	1	0	3	0	.364
Neil Walker, 2B	4	0	1	0	1	1	0	.333
Andrew McCutchen, CF	5	1	3	0	0	1	0	.444
Lyle Overbay, 1B	4	0	1	1	1	1	0	.250
Pedro Alvarez, 3B	4	0	1	2	1	3	0	.250
Ryan Doumit, C	5	0	0	0	0	2	0	.111
Garrett Jones, RF	4	1	1	0	0	3	0	.375
Ronny Cedeno, SS	4	1	1	1	0	1	1	.125
Paul Maholm, P	2	1	0	0	1	2	0	.000
Steve Pearce, PH	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1.000
TEAM TOTALS	38	5	11	5	4	17	1
BATTING: HR: R. Cedeno (1) RBI: J. Tabata (2), P. Alvarez 2(4), L. Overbay (1), R. Cedeno (1)
FIELDING: E: P. Alvarez (1), L. Overbay 2 (2), R. Cedeno 3 (3)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
S. Castro, SS	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
M. Byrd, CF	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
A. Ramirez, 3B	4	0	0	0	0	1	0	.125
C. Pena, 1B	4	0	1	0	0	2	0	.125
R. Johnson, RF	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.600
S. Baker, 2B	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.250
G. Soto, C	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	.333
A. Soriano, LF	4	0	2	2	0	0	0	.375
C. Zambrano, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
T. Colvin, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.200
B. DeWitt, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
K. Fukudome, PH	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	.500
TEAM TOTALS	37	4	9	3	0	4	0
BATTING: 2B: A. Soriano (2) RBI: K. Fukudome (1), A. Soriano 2 (3) GIDP: S. Castro, A. Soriano

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
P. Maholm (W, 1-0)	7.0	5	2	0	0	4	0	0.00
J. Veras (H,1)	1.1	4	2	1	0	0	0	6.75
C. Resop (S, 1)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	9	4	1	0	4	0

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
C. Zambrano (L, 0-1)	4.1	9	5	5	4	7	1	10.38
A. Cashner	1.2	1	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
E. Caridad	1.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
K. Wood	2.0	1	0	0	0	4	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	11	5	5	4	17	1

[loaf31]

Bucs Sweep Cubbies

The Pittsburgh Pirates completed the season opening sweep of the hated Chicago Cubs.

You couldn't tell by the look on Manager Clint Hurdle's face, when asked about the game Hurdle stated "We were lucky to win. Committing 6 errors and still winning is complete luck. We are going to have to look at what the problem is and fix it fast."

Garrett Jones had a monster game knocking in 5 runs, while hitting a 3-Run HR and a 2-Run single.

The Buccos travel to St. Louis to take on the Cardinals in a 3 game set. Ross Ohlendorf takes the mound tomorrow afternoon for the Pirates.

PIT at CHC - Wrigley Field
Apr 3, 2011	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pittsburgh Pirates (3-0)	0	3	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	7	6
Chicago Cubs (0-3)	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	5	7	2
W: James Mcdonald (1-0) L: Matt Garza (0-1) S: Joel Hanrahan (1)

Scoring Summary
SCORING DETAILS			PIT	CHC
	1	Colvin singles to left, Ramirez scores	0	1
	1	Soriano singles to center, Pena scores	0	2
	2	Jones hits a 3-run Home run to center, Overbay and Alvarez score	3	2
	3	Alvarez walks, Walker scores	4	2
	3	Jones singles to center, Overbay and Alvarez score	6	2
	6	Soriano hits a Sac Fly (SF9), Pena scores	6	3
	8	Soto doubles to center, Castillo and DeWitt score	6	5

Pittsburgh Pirates
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
Jose Tabata, LF	5	0	1	0	0	1	0	.313
Neil Walker, 2B	5	1	3	0	0	1	0	.429
Andrew McCutchen, CF	4	0	0	0	1	3	0	.308
Lyle Overbay, 1B	3	2	0	0	2	2	0	.182
Pedro Alvarez, 3B	4	2	1	1	1	1	0	.250
Ryan Doumit, C	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	.077
Garrett Jones, RF	4	1	2	5	0	1	1	.417
Ronny Cedeno, SS	3	0	0	0	0	2	0	.091
James McDonald, P	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Matt Diaz, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.500
TEAM TOTALS	36	6	7	6	4	15	1
BATTING: 2B: N. Walker (1), P. Alvarez (2) 3B: J. Tabata (1) HR: G. Jones (1) RBI: P. Alvarez (5), G. Jones 5 (5) HBP: R. Cedeno
FIELDING: E: J. McDonald (1), L. Overbay (3), R. Cedeno 3 (6), R. Doumit (1)

Chicago Cubs
HITTERS	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	HR	AVG
S. Castro, SS	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
M. Byrd, CF	5	0	2	0	0	1	0	.182
A. Ramirez, 3B	5	1	1	0	0	0	0	.154
C. Pena, 1B	3	2	1	0	0	0	0	.182
T. Colvin, RF	4	0	1	1	0	0	0	.222
A. Soriano, LF	2	0	1	2	0	1	0	.400
J. Berg, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
W. Castillo, PH	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	.000
B. Dewitt, 2B	3	1	0	0	1	1	0	.000
G. Soto, C	4	0	1	2	0	1	0	.320
M. Garza, P	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.000
K. Fukudome, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.333
R. Johnson, LF	2	0	0	0	0	1	0	.429
TEAM TOTALS	36	5	7	5	1	6	0
BATTING: 2B: A. Ramirez (1), G. Soto (1) RBI: A. Soriano 2 (5), T. Colvin (1), G. Soto (2) HBP: C. Pena SF: A. Soriano GIDP: A. Ramirez
FIELDING: E: S. Castro (1), B. DeWitt (2)

Pittsburgh Pirates
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
J. McDonald (W, 1-0)	6.0	4	3	2	1	5	0	3.00
M. Crotta (H, 1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0.00
E. Meek (H,1)	1.0	2	2	0	0	0	0	0.00
J. Hanrahan (S,1)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	7	5	2	1	6	0

Chicago Cubs
PITCHERS	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
M. Garza (L, 0-1)	3.0	5	6	5	4	3	1	15.00
A. Cashner	2.0	0	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
S. Marshall	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	4.50
J. Grabow	1.0	1	0	0	0	3	0	0.00
J. Berg	1.0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0.00
E. Caridad	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0.00
TEAM TOTALS	9.0	7	6	5	4	15	1

[R1zzo23]

Congrats on the opening series sweep, but 6 errors in back-to-back games has to scare you a bit.