Mailbag Goodies

How cool is this Jason Bay photo? Thank you to the reader who sent it to me to share with everyone.

It’s time to reach into the mailbag and answer some of your questions, like this one I received today:

"Enjoy your blog, good work.  Hey, you dropped a hint of what I assume was a Brad Penny rumor last week but you haven’t commented since.  I am curious as to what you know about this because ever since his 2 years @ about 16 mil were available, I thought he would be absolutely perfect for the Buccos situation." — DB

There has been some speculation that a West Coast team might be making a trade soon and that might free up a starting pitcher who has been vocal about wanting to pitch under Jim Colborn again. Right now it is nothing more than pure speculation based on a few coincidental facts. And no, Brad Penny isn’t the pitcher in the rumor, DB, although he would be an interesting pickup.

"I’m still wondering about Melky. At 22 years old what would it take to acquire him now? Reason I ask is his age, our 22 year olds are still in A ball. He certainly must have something Nady does not have." — LM

When we heard that the Yankees asked Cabrera to shut it down by skipping the Caribbean World Series, everyone’s first thought was that they expected him to have an expanded role next year. Then it became obvious that our initial thoughts might have been a bit hasty as the New York press started shooting out articles about how good Melky’s defense was last year, contrary to what most folks believe.

Are the Yankees posturing in an attempt to get more in a pending trade? That’s the general thought right now. However, I don’t see us matching up in a trade to get Cabrera.

"Dejan and the Post-Gazette is getting more confusing every time I read their coverage of the Pirates. On batting order questions, Dejan initially said it was all about where Jason Bay would bat, then he turned around and said it was all about where Freddy Sanchez would bat, then his third article said he preferred to see Wilson batting second. The next day his partner in crime, the Stats Geek, came out and said Wilson should bat eighth.

What the . . ??

When LaRoche was picked up Dejan said the Pirates would have the strongest middle of the order lineup since the early 90′s when the Pirates went on to win the division three years in a row. Then today he said the Pirates scored the lowest number of runs in baseball in the second half and finished his Q & A by saying the offense looks interesting on paper, but much needs to be proven.

Huh?

I’m confused. The one point he did make that stood out was that we didn’t score many runs in the second half last year. What do you think that means for the Pirates going into 2007?" — LC

Dejan is the same reporter who was drumming up Jack Wilson trashing Jose Castillo in the press too. Maybe it is because he is an excellent hockey beat reporter who converted to baseball and he is used to seeing hard hits, body slams, and knockout punches in the NHL? Just a guess.

Here is some of what Dejan missed.. while the team did score the fewest runs in baseball in the second half, they also allowed the sixth fewest runs to score against them. In fact, when you remove the five blowout games where the opposition scored 10 or more runs against us, the Pirates actually outscored their opponents in the second half 259 – 257.

Two of those blowouts were by Chacon, two of them Santos pitched in, one Torres gave up 5 runs in one inning after Maholm left with the game tied, and one of them Juan Perez and Brian Rogers gave up 5 runs after Snell exited.

Nor did Dejan mention that most of the Pirate starters logged 330 innings with a combined ERA below 4 in the second half — Duke 3.65, Maholm 4.28, Gorzelanny 3.25, Youman 2.91, and Snell 4.75. In fact, the team ERA of 4.01 was 5th best in baseball after the break.

Those are some very significant facts that weren’t covered.

I tell my readers this — there isn’t one source that is a complete source. Take all the available information you can find, put it in a shaker with gin and vermouth, mix, pour, and enjoy. Just don’t forget the 5 to 1 ratio and never add ice.

"Please explain to me how Yoslan Herrera could possibly be ranked the fourth best prospect in the Pirates’ farm system by Baseball America today when he hasn’t pitched competitively in nearly three years and the writer who projected him fourth has never even seen him pitch?" — FN

Good question. I suppose it has to do with the relative lack of depth in the Pirates’ farm system and John Perrotto, who made the projections, must have spoken to some of the Pirates’ brass before ranking him. But that is only a guess — I haven’t spoken to Perrotto.

I did find it interesting that Neil Walker was listed second in front of Brad Lincoln. I certainly don’t agree with that projection but you never know. I also found it odd that John Van Benschoten and Bryan Bullington weren’t even mentioned in the article. I’m sure that will put a fire under their seats.

Here are the Pirates Top Ten Prospects from Baseball America:

Related posts:

1. Plus Two Wins in April! Plus, mailbag goodies
2. Quick Super Bowl Notes
3. Almost, but not quite.. ??
4. Snell throws, Bucs lose. Rinse. Repeat.