Rumors of Freddy Sanchez's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

With today's acquisition of outfielder Delwyn Young from the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the PBC Blog's report that Neal Huntington wishes to try him at second, this got me thinking about the future of incumbent second baseman Freddy Sanchez. Now, I don't know if the Pirates want to play Young at second to possibly groom him to replace Sanchez, or to just expand the number of positions he could play, thus increasing the likelihood of working his bat into the lineup more. I'm hoping for the latter since I don't think Sanchez should be leaving town any time soon.

Sanchez signed a two year deal prior to the 2008 season. The deal also calls for an option year for the 2010 season. The Pirates can choose to exercise this on their own accord or it could automatically kick in if Sanchez reaches 635 plate appearances or 600 PA's with an All-Star selection. The dollar figure for that 2010 option year would be between $8 and $8.5 million, depending on incentives reached. Now, $8 million seems like a good chunk of change for the thrifty Pirates to spend on one player, but if you factor in impending raises for the likes of McLouth, Doumit, Maholm, Snell and Duke, the Pirates' 2010 payroll should be comparable to this years'. Now, I am also assuming that Adam LaRoche and John Grabow will be gone, and if Jack Wilson returns, it will certainly be at a substantial pay cut. So, I don't think money, at least the total amount of it, should be an issue.

Sanchez's production last season has caused many Pirate fans to give up on him. I've seen on numerous Pirate blogs and message boards that fans everywhere are already looking ahead to having Shelby Ford at second. Now, Ford might end up being a decent player, but I don't get how he can be anointed so soon, and so easily. The 24-year-old Ford spent last season at AA and is currently the starting second baseman for AAA Indianapolis. He looks to be a solid contact hitter with some base stealing ability, though, statistically at least, he doesn't appear to much different than Warren Morris. I'm hoping for greater things from Ford, but let's not get too excited about him just yet. And Young, well, he is certainly Sanchez's inferior with the glove, and maybe even with the bat.

But back to Sanchez's production. Last year, he had his worst overall season since 2004. Struggling with a shoulder injury, Sanchez hit just .226 prior to the All-Star Break. Afterwards, however, Sanchez was among the league leaders with an average of .346. That, coupled with his solid '07 season (.304, 81 RBIs) and standout '06 campaign (.344, 85 RBIs), lead me to believe that Freddy Sanchez is still a superb hitter. 3 bad months does not mean that he's washed up. And, though it's only been 7 games, Sanchez is hitting .375 with 6 doubles this year. Why look to replace a very good hitting, and solid fielding, second baseman when you don't have to.

But it's not just that I'm worried team management is thinking along these lines, it's the fans I don't get. We're the fans, people. It's not our job to worry about money. We don't need to take the GM mindset while planning for the future of the Pirates. Have years of the Pirates dumping star players caused us to take up a defensive position, to protect ourselves from the shock and heartbreak of losing a favorite player, so much so that we're got to pine for the Shelby Fords of the world? I seriously hope not.

My job as a fan is to cheer for the Pirates and hope that the team does whatever it can to produce a winner. And this year, at least, Freddy Sanchez is the best option at second base. Next year? Well, based on who's currently in the system, it's Freddy Sanchez again. So that's who I want to see at second base. If the team trades him, I'll be disappointed, but hopeful that the return is substantial. If Sanchez stays through this season, but his option isn't exercised, I'll still be disappointed, but I'll understand that it's part of the game. But Pirates fans already planning, sometimes excitedly, for life after Freddy? That I don't understand.

Pirates Trade for Delwyn Young

The Pirates today acquired outfielder Delwyn Young from the LA Dodgers for 2 players to be named later. Young is out of options and will need to be added to the Pirates' active roster, which means the Pirates will have to make room for him. Unless there is already another trade in the works, I could see the Bucs parting with Craig Monroe, via his unconditional release. Monroe has seen little playing time and has no upside. Another possibility would be to send Luis Cruz to AAA and have Young take over a utility infield spot. Though that is very unlikely since Young, who was drafted as a second baseman in 2002, has not played second base regularly since 2005, while in the Dodgers' minor league system, and his great number of errors there (102 errors at 2B from 2002-05) probably mean he's in the outfield to stay.

Hopefully the Pirates did not acquire Young hoping that he develops into a quality starter, because I don't think that's going to happen. Young thrived in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the same league that propelled Andy LaRoche to top prospect status. Neither has done anything of note in parts of a few big league seasons, though Young hasn't even been given the consistent playing time that LaRoche has. I'm not trying to say that I have a problem with this trade, or that I think Young, or even LaRoche, will be a bust. I just hope he was acquired to be a complementary piece. At the very least, Young is a step up from Craig Monroe.

We may have to wait to see what kind of 25 man roster move is made, since Young may begin his Pirates' career on the disabled list. Young had off season elbow surgery and was on a rehab assignment in the LA system at the time of the trade. However, to put Young on the 15-day DL, a change to the 40 man roster must be made. And if it's gonna be Monroe once Young's healthy, might as well make it Monroe now too.

UPDATE: The PBC Blog reports that pitcher Dave Davidson was designated for assignment, clearing room on the 40 man roster, and that the 25 man roster move won't happen until Friday. They also speculate that Luis Cruz will be the one sent down, making Young more of a general utility man than a reserve outfielder. That move would hurt the team's defense and versatility but provide a better bat off the bench.

Bucs Impressive in Home Opener

The Pirates dominated the Astros today in their home opener by a final score of 7-0. Impressive were the Pirate hitters, as every starter collected at least one hit, 7 of the 14 total hits went for extra bases and the team combined to strike out twice, while drawing 5 walks. A solid, all-around performance, with stand out games by Freddy Sanchez (3 doubles, 2 runs scored) and Adam LaRoche (single, double and home run). But, that wasn't even the real story today. Zach Duke, he of the 18-37 record and 4.82 ERA from 2006-08, tossed a complete game shutout, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. Granted, this was against a seriously struggling Astros' lineup, but with 2 very good games to start the season, you can't help but wonder if the classic Duke of '05 is back. I really hope that's true, but it will definitely take more than a couple starts to make me a believer. Remember, Duke shut out the Giants last year, and no one will confuse the '08 Duke with the '05 Duke, so let's be patient. Duke's next start is scheduled for Sunday against the Braves, a team that features some pretty heavy hitters. If Duke can at least put up a quality start then, I might start thinking about getting back on board.

After seeing Saturday's game in person, I was able to catch Sunday's on FSN. It looks like the Reds are considered the home team locally, at least as far as televising games is concerned. Though the game was dominated by Aaron Harang, it was nice to see Ian Snell pitch. Aside from the first inning homer by Brandon Phillips, Snell's numbers for the game looked pretty good, and he did appear to grow stronger as the game wore on. But watching it, though Snell's stuff looked good, his command was off a bit. He missed Doumit's target a number of times, most notably to Phillips on that home run. Doumit set up just off the inside corner and Snell's pitch crossed just left of the middle of the plate. Still, it was a great rebound from his first start and I'm hopeful that Snell, like Duke, is on the right track to regaining his more dominant form from seasons past.

I also want to mention the Reds' broadcasters. They called a very fair game and offered much praise for individual Pirates. They were very impressed with Nyjer Morgan and they said Jack Wilson may be the best defensive shortstop to never win a Gold Glove. I'm assuming they meant the best current shortstop, but that's still high praise. The announcers stood out to me because I'm used to Mike Krukow's antics in the Bay Area. While I appreciate his energy and excitement for the game, most of his asides regarding the opposing teams are gross generalizations and assumptions.

Also, PEDRO WATCH '09 is up and running. In the top right hand corner of this blog is a little running statistical total for Pedro Alvarez. Even though he won't make it to Pittsburgh this year, I'm still very excited about him and I'm looking forward to following his progress all season.

A Trip to Cincinnati

This weekend, my wife and I traveled to Cincinnati, primarily to see the Pirates take on the Reds, but also because we had never been there before and, frankly, we were in need of a little vacation. We arrived late afternoon Friday, during a torrential downpour, but were pleasantly surprised by the traffic, or lack thereof, in downtown Cincinnati. I realize it was a Friday, but at 5 pm, in any city, shouldn't it take more than 10 minutes, from the time we enter the city limits, to reach out hotel? Maybe we've just spent too much time in the Bay Area.

When we moved to Bloomington, Indiana a few months back, we fully expected to be charmed by the good old fashioned Midwest hospitality, but, unfortunately, Bloomington is lacking in that department. However, Cincinnati may be the friendliest place I've ever been. At our hotel, the front desk clerk accidentally checked us into the wrong room. Within 5 minutes, the very same desk clerk arrived at our door, apologized, and led us to the correct room. We ate dinner at a restaurant in the hotel that night, and our server, while a little slow with the check, was incredibly friendly. Even the employees at the coffee shop we stopped in on Saturday were nice. And strangers on the street. And a random woman we rode in the parking garage elevator with. Nice people everywhere. Weird.

Nyjer Morgan steps to the plate

The game itself was quite fun. Luckily we chose the Saturday game of this series, as Friday's was rained out and Sunday's was won by the Reds. Anyway, the game was great. Paul Maholm pitched wonderfully. Nyjer Morgan caused a lot of trouble for the Reds, reaching base 4 times and breaking up plays on the base paths. Nate McLouth, Ryan Doumit and Adam LaRoche each homered and the Pirates ended up winning 10-2.

Paul Maholm on the mound

The Reds' stadium, the Great American Ball Park, is a very nice place. It looks a lot more impressive in person than it does on television. Having never been to PNC Park, I can't imagine the same could be said for it, since it already looks spectacular on TV. But I digress. So, our seats were just on the first base side of home plate, many rows back, underneath the second deck. We still had a very good view though, but it would have been nice to be in the sun as the cool breeze became a bit much. It wasn't San Francisco cold, but it was still pretty cold.

Nate McLouth completes his home run trot

The stadium is very well laid out and very clean. Though we didn't stray from the ballpark staples of hot dogs and nachos, there did seem to be a decent selection of food. And the service here was great too. At one concession, I asked for nachos and the woman working the counter told me, "You don't want these nachos. The good ones are in an alcove down the first base line." And she was right. Also, when we first arrived, the usher showed us to our seats and wiped them down for us. WTF? At the Oakland Coliseum, the ushers spit in your seats.

Great game, great little weekend escape. Very nice introduction to Cincinnati for us. I've now seen Major League games in 6 different ballparks, and the Pirates in 5 of those. Hopefully, this summer we'll be able to shoot over to Pittsburgh to see my first ever Pirates' home game. At the very least, we'll certainly head up to Indianapolis some time to check out the Indians.

Pedro Alvarez Homers in First Pro Game

Pedro Alvarez homered and drove in 4 runs in his first official professional game. Alvarez also singled and doubled tonight in Class-A Lynchburg's 6-5 win against Potomac. I know it's just one game but this is absolutely something worth getting excited, even overly, about. The Pirates don't often have a potential superstar anywhere in their system and I plan to follow Alvarez's games just as closely as the big league club's. Also of note in this game, 2008 third round pick Jordy Mercer had two hits and scored two runs.

In the show, the Pirates lost to the Cardinals 2-1 this afternoon. The Bucs managed just 1 hit off a finally healthy Chris Carpenter, spoiling a solid start by Ross Ohlendorf. The Pirates head to Cincinnati for three games beginning tomorrow, and my wife and I will be there in person for Saturday's game. It is our first visit to Cincinnati and expect to see some snapshots of the Great American Ballpark by the end of the weekend.

Pirates Bounch Back From Ugly Defeat

Tuesday's 9-3 loss to the Cardinals was pretty hideous. Ian Snell got tagged for 6 earned runs and 9 hits in 4 innings. Aside from Nyjer the Great and Freddy Sanchez, pretty much no offense. Andy LaRoche even dropped a pop up. In that game, the Cardinals looked like the Cardinals and the Pirates looked like what people expect the Pirates to look like. A good team, or in the Pirates' case, a mediocre team, needs to follow up a poor showing with a good one, and that's what happened tonight.

Sanchez and Jack Wilson led a 17 hit attack with 4 hits apiece in the Bucs' 7-4 triumph. Morgan, Brandon Moss and Ryan Doumit added multi-hit games of their own as the Pirates jumped to an early 4-0 lead and were able to hold on for the win. Zach Duke made the start and pitched quite well, allowing 3 runs, 1 of which was earned, in 6 1/3 innings. I really hope this guy can put it back together this year. If he pitches half as well as he did in 2005, the Pirates just might have a decent starting rotation.

A couple areas of concern in this game though. Doumit's defense behind the plate; he had a passed ball and was called for catcher's interference. And one of the three "reliable" relief pitchers, Tyler Yates, was very shaky yet again. Yates faced three batters in the ninth, allowing 2 doubles and a walk. He was fortunate though that Joe Thurston was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple. Matt Capps had to come in and save the day. Hopefully Yates can get himself straightened out because the Pirates really need some dependability in the late innings.

Up next, the series finale in St. Louis on Thursday. Ross Ohlendorf makes the start for Pittsburgh. He had a great Spring and I'm hopeful that he can carry it over into the season.