Pirate Musings

The Draft

Alright, so I’m a bad blogger. It’s been nearly a week since the amateur draft and I haven’t posted anything. I’m here to make up for it. So I do like picking Pedro Alverez in the first round. (I like it very much. Ha ha.) I’m not too terribly worried about Scott Boras being his agent. I mean, the Pirates currently have one of his clients in Xavier Nady and five or six odd years into his career there is nothing too terribly unusual or cumbersome about his contract. The Boras factor could pose a problem six years into Alverez’s major league career when he reaches free agency and demands $20 million per year. Though under that scenario, Alverez must have been putting up some special numbers if he could possibly demand a salary that high. So at the very least, the Pirates could have Alverez for six years. If he’s awesome and they can’t sign him, he could be traded for quite a bit. If he’s a disappointment, they’ll probably save a little money. The other issue with Alverez is his recovery from a broken hamate bone in his hand. So, I’ve read that the hamate bone is useless. I have also read that having the hamate bone removed (which is what Alverez did) will sap a hitter of his power for 12 to 18 months. So I guess that means it takes the hand up to a year and a half to learn how to deal with its missing useless little bone. Whatever you say. Anyway, the Pirates seem unconcerned with this, so I suppose I should be as well.

The Pirate’s second round pick, pitcher Tanner Scheppers from Fresno State is another intriguing option. He too is coming off injury, this one a fracture in his throwing shoulder. This injury was enough to scare most teams off someone who was thought to be a high first round pick not too many months ago. Well, if he can make a full recovery, Scheppers seems to have tremendous upside. The Pirate’s system is not exactly rich in pitching, so the risk here is absolutely worth it.

Capps Blows…

…Save. Matt Capps does not blow. Sorry for the misleading headline. He’s a tremendous pitcher and I’m very happy with him as the team’s closer. But even the best closers cough up the lead now and then. This one stands out more because it was against the lowly Washington Nationals and because this is not a way the Pirates lose. Actually the Pirates seem to lose in only one way: The starting pitcher struggles and the offense can’t quite make up for it. Also, the way the Pirates win is similar: The starting pitcher struggles and the offense barely compensates for it. So I guess when Capps figures in the decision it’s news. Also, to give the guy a little credit, it was his third straight game and the ball really was flying out of the yard that game.

Is Duke back?

Over his last 8 starts, Zach Duke has put up some very nice numbers: a 4 and 2 record, a 3.40 ERA and a WHIP of 1.37 (which is good for Duke)I don’t want to jinx him, so I’ll say no more.


Sorry, Doug. I was wrong.

Back in March, I was trying to figure out who would make up the Pirate’s bench. I figured there was no way Doug Meintkeiwicz would make it, despite some impressive sound bites early in camp and the respect his teammates showed for him. I questioned why the team would need a second bench coach, since he wasn’t likely to see the field often. Well, here we are in June, and though Doug does not have the most impressive stats, he has made a legitimate contribution to the team. He has filled in (bordering on a platoon, really) at third and played a little right field, in addition to some spot starts at first, his natural position. And though it seem most games he starts he ends up with an error and an 0 for 4, the games that he does contribute in he practically becomes the Pirate’s only offensive catalyst. And, of course, he doesn’t back down from a 6’10” behemoth. My apologies, Mr. Meintkeiwicz.