Pirates Thump Phillies; and Other News

One game into Spring Training and the Pirates are over .500! Enjoy it while you can, people. In the exhibition opener today in Bradenton, FL, our Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies 8-2. Obviously, you cannot judge a team, or even individual players, based on one Spring Training game. But it does feel nice to start off with a win. Some notable performances include Shelby Ford hitting a 3-run home run, Freddy Sanchez with 2 hits and an RBI and Craig Hansen not walking a batter in his inning of work. Three of our top prospects made appearances as well: Andrew McCutchen went 0 for 2, Neil Walker 0 for 2 with an RBI, and Pedro Alvarez struck out in his only at-bat. The Bucs take on the Red Sox tomorrow. Can they knock off the '07 champs too?

The official rosters for the World Baseball Classic were announced yesterday. 9 Pirates made it, including 2 who are sure to make the '09 Pirate's team: Ian Snell and Ramon Vasquez (both Puerto Rico). The others are all minor leaguers (though pitcher Dave Davidson [Canada] is on the 40-man roster). The rest are: Ray Chang (China), Chi-Hung Cheng (Chinese Taipei), Joshua Hill (Australia), Paul Mildren (Australia), Eliecer Navarro (Panama), and Gift Ngoepe (South Africa). If you don't recognize too many names there (or any names), don't feel bad. You're not alone. There has been some concern that the WBC could lead to injuries or poorer performances, since Jake Peavy and Pedro Martinez, among others, suffered, at least statistically, in 2006, following the previous WBC. That concern is just, so keep an eye on Ian Snell. The Pirates really need a healthy and productive Snell to scratch respectability this year.

The Pirates have signed 26 year old infielder Ruben Gotay to a minor league contract. Gotay has played in parts of five seasons for the Royals, Mets and Braves. Though primarily a second baseman, he has played some third and short in the majors. Gotay doesn't have much pop, or speed, or plate discipline even, so he appears to be in camp as an insurance policy. With Ramon Vasquez signed as the team's primary reserve infielder, there would appear to be little need for an inferior reserve infielder with little to no upside. The only way Gotay makes the team will be if Sanchez or Wilson goes down with a significant injury, or if none of the young kids impress. Well, based on Brian Bixler's performance last year, maybe Gotay does have a chance. But even so, I would rather see Bixler as the 6th infielder, or better yet, Luis Cruz, than Gotay. The Pirates will not reach the postseason this year, so let's see what the younger players can do.