PITTSBURGH PIRATES
| The Pirates haven't been in contention since 1992; last year they were almost a .500 team, and are going to field almost the exact same roster this season. They have some good players, and the pitching staff isn't bad. Kendall is awesome; Giles was great last season, and will try to duplicate his numbers. If the Pirates had added a few more good players during the winter I might like them, but instead they added Wil Cordero, John Smiley and Mark Leiter. There's a new ballpark due to arrive in 2001; expect this to be another wasted season. |
| JIMMY ANDERSON (24, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AAA 7 6 21 21 0 0 0 103 124 64 71 568 1998 AAA 9 10 35 17 0 0 0 124 144 72 63 502 1999 AAA 11 2 21 21 1 0 0 134 153 41 93 384 |
| Anderson has spent three full years at Triple-A, but is still only 24 years old. He dominated the lower minors, but has had to make some adjustments the past two seasons. He does not look to me like he will ever be a star, but he could be a decent fourth or fifth starter, once he adjusts to major league hitters. That will probably take a couple more years. The Pirates should put him in long relief. |
| BRUCE AVEN (OF, 28, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 121 432 124 27 3 17 69 77 50 99 287 371 481 10 3 1998 AAA 5 15 3 1 0 1 4 1 6 5 200 429 467 3 0 |
| Aven played only five games in all of 1998, though I am not sure why. Whatever the problem was, it didn't seem to bother him in 1999, as he had a fine rookie season. I don't think he will be an All-Star, but Aven can hit .280 with some pop, and will take a walk. I expect him to be a solid player for three or four more years. |
| MIKE BENJAMIN (IF, 34, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BOS 49 116 27 9 1 0 12 7 4 27 233 262 328 2 3 1998 BOS 124 349 95 23 0 4 46 39 15 73 272 312 372 3 0 1999 PIT 110 368 91 26 7 1 42 37 20 90 247 288 364 10 1 |
| Benjamin is a veteran utility infielder who has gotten way too many at bats the past two seasons. He can run and hit a little and play several positions, but his command of the strike zone is awful. Benjamin can help a team in a limited role, but absolutely cannot be given more than 150 at bats. |
| KRIS BENSON (25, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 3 5 14 14 0 0 0 69 81 32 66 498 1998 AAA 8 10 28 28 1 1 0 156 162 50 129 537 |
| A surprise performer in 1999. Benson's minor league record is not impressive, but he throws strikes, and in the long run that often means success. If Benson stays healthy, I would expect the walks to go down and the strikeouts to go up; his future looks good now that he has established himself. |
| JASON BOYD (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 10 6 48 7 0 0 0 116 113 64 98 482 1998 AAA 2 2 15 0 0 0 0 22 28 14 13 623 1999 AAA 6 5 49 0 0 0 5 80 78 27 62 428 |
| Boyd pitched in four games with Pittsburgh; he is not a very impressive pitcher, and there isn't much chance that he will pitch at all in 2000... though he did improve his control a little bit last year. |
| ADRIAN BROWN (OF, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 48 147 28 6 0 1 17 10 13 18 190 273 250 8 4 1998 PIT 41 152 43 4 1 0 20 5 9 18 283 323 322 4 0 1999 PIT 116 226 61 5 2 4 34 17 33 39 270 364 363 5 3 |
| Brown doubled his playing time last year, and did a good job of getting on base. He's not a prospect anymore, and I wouldn't ever want him to be a regular on my team; but if he can keep getting on base, he should have a successful career as a fourth outfielder. |
| EMIL BROWN (OF, 25, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 66 95 17 2 1 2 16 6 10 32 179 304 284 5 1 |
| The Pirates gave some at bats to Brown in 1997, when he wasn't ready. But he hit well last year in Nashville, has both power and speed, and is still quite young. He should be a decent player, well suited for a job as a fourth outfielder, but with an outside chance to become a quality regular. |
| JASON CHRISTIANSEN (31, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 3 0 39 0 0 0 0 34 37 17 37 294 1998 PIT 3 3 60 0 0 0 6 64 51 27 71 251 1999 PIT 2 3 39 0 0 0 3 38 26 22 35 406 |
| Christiansen is a late-bloomer, entered the season with two straight solid years under his belt. He wasn't bad, but was plagued by back and neck problems. As far as I know his arm is fine, and he is a good pitcher. |
| WIL CORDERO (DH, 28, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 BOS 140 570 160 26 3 18 82 72 31 122 281 320 432 1 3 1998 CHW 96 341 91 18 2 13 58 49 22 66 267 314 446 2 1 1999 CLE 54 194 58 15 0 8 35 32 15 37 299 364 500 2 0 |
| It is hard to believe that only five years ago, Cordero was one of the top young shortstops in baseball. Since then, he has been unable to make any improvements as a hitter, and can't play the field. He has been signed by Pittsburgh, and will have to play in the outfield; though he has talent, I suspect that Cordero will get hurt and be a disappointment. |
| FRANCISCO CORDOVA (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 11 8 29 29 2 2 0 179 175 49 121 363 1998 PIT 13 14 33 33 3 2 0 220 204 69 157 331 1999 PIT 8 10 27 27 2 0 0 161 166 59 98 443 |
| Cordova is a very good pitcher who wasn't sharp last year; he also had inflammation in his shoulder, though he didn't need surgery. If he is healthy he will be back, and will be very good in 2000. No one will notice him while he is in Pittsburgh, but on a good team he can win 18 games. |
| IVAN CRUZ (IF, 32, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AAA 116 417 125 35 1 24 69 95 65 78 300 404 561 4 5 1998 AAA 56 204 54 10 0 13 34 36 29 44 265 360 505 0 0 1999 AAA 75 273 89 20 1 25 57 81 21 56 326 365 681 0 2 |
| Cruz has been playing at Triple-A since 1991; last year he may have felt that it was time to get his career moving, so he went on a home run tear. At his age, he obviously is not going to get many at bats, though he could hit some home runs if given a little playing time. |
| MIKE GARCIA (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1999 AAA 0 2 23 0 0 0 2 27 24 10 35 295 |
| Garcia had not been seen in America since 1993, but had apparently been toiling in Mexico. He pitched well at Triple-A, and got into seven games with Pittsburgh. In view of his age, he probably has very little potential, but at the moment he appears to have the stuff to survive in the majors. |
| BRIAN GILES (LF, 29, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 CLE 130 377 101 15 3 17 62 61 63 50 268 368 459 13 3 1998 CLE 112 350 94 19 0 16 56 66 73 75 269 396 460 10 5 1999 PIT 141 521 164 33 3 39 109 115 95 80 315 418 614 6 2 |
| I don't know what to say. I think we all knew that Giles was a good player, but this... my guess is that Giles will be a new Rocky Colavito, that his numbers will fluctuate from year to year, but that he will remain a solid power hitter. He has probably, but not certainly, had his best season. |
| CHAD HERMANSON (OF, 23, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 129 487 134 31 4 20 87 70 69 136 275 373 478 18 6 1998 AAA 126 458 118 26 5 28 81 78 50 152 258 334 520 21 4 1999 AAA 125 496 134 27 3 32 89 97 35 119 270 321 530 19 9 |
| Hermansen is an outstanding outfield prospect with the Pirates. At the moment he is an impatient hitter who strikes out a lot, but is very young, has outstanding power, and should improve a great deal. I think the Pirates should play him regularly; he may not hit above .250, but the sooner he starts learning, the better. |
| JASON KENDALL (CA, 26, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 144 486 143 36 4 8 71 49 49 53 294 391 434 18 6 1998 PIT 149 535 175 36 3 12 95 75 51 51 327 411 473 26 5 1999 PIT 78 280 93 20 3 8 61 41 38 32 332 428 511 22 3 |
| He is a spectacular player, and promises to be the best catcher in baseball over the next ten years. Unfortunately, he broke his leg before the All-Star break; this injury could potentially limit his ability to catch and run. If it does, it's shame... but Kendall will still be great, even if he has to play first base. |
| RICH LOISELLE (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 1 5 72 0 0 0 29 73 76 24 66 310 1998 PIT 2 7 54 0 0 0 19 55 56 36 48 344 1999 PIT 3 2 13 0 0 0 0 15 16 9 14 528 |
| Loiselle entered the season as the closer, but had the Tommy John surgery on his elbow. Will probably need at least another year to get back to where he was. |
| PAT MEARES (SS, 32, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 MIN 134 439 121 23 3 10 63 60 18 86 276 323 410 7 7 1998 MIN 149 543 141 26 3 9 56 70 24 86 260 296 368 7 4 1999 PIT 21 91 28 4 0 0 15 7 9 20 308 382 352 0 0 |
| Meares tore a tendon in his left hand and missed most of the season. In his prime he was a mediocre shortstop, an impatient hitter with little power, had some range in the field. He's not young, and he's coming back from a serious injury; I would not expect him to play regularly again. |
| WARREN MORRIS (2B, 26, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 A 128 494 151 27 9 12 78 75 62 100 306 390 470 16 5 1998 AA 139 541 179 30 8 19 87 103 67 97 331 406 521 17 9 |
| Morris made rapid progress in the minors, and had a fine rookie season with the Pirates. He can hit .300, and may add some power and improve his base stealing. He is a good player, but I would not expect him to get too much better than he is now. |
| ABRAHAM NUNEZ (SS, 24, S) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 AA 47 198 65 6 1 1 31 14 20 28 328 385 384 10 5 1998 AAA 94 366 91 12 3 3 50 32 39 73 249 328 322 16 8 |
| Nunez is a young shortstop who got some playing time after Meares was hurt. He didn't hit, and will probably start this season back in the minors. He has time to make some improvements; he will probably be a good player, possibly good enough to play every day. |
| KEITH OSIK (CA, 31, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 49 105 27 9 1 0 10 7 9 21 257 322 362 0 1 1998 PIT 39 98 21 4 0 0 8 7 13 16 214 316 255 1 2 1999 PIT 66 167 31 3 1 2 12 13 11 30 186 239 251 0 0 |
| A career backup who can't hit, Osik got more at bats than he should have because of Kendall's injury. The Pirates seem comfortable with Osik behind the plate, but there are lots of good defensive catchers in the minors, and most of them can hit better than .186. |
| CHRIS PETERS (28, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 2 2 31 1 0 0 0 37 38 21 17 458 1998 PIT 8 10 39 21 1 0 1 148 142 55 103 347 1999 PIT 5 4 19 11 0 0 0 71 98 27 46 659 |
| Peters was very good in 1998, but was terribly disappointing last season, and was returned to the minors to figure things out. He pitched quite well at Nashville; I expect that he will be back, and will have a decent season. |
| ARAMIS RAMIREZ (3B, 22, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1998 PIT 72 251 59 9 1 6 23 24 18 72 235 296 351 0 1 |
| Ramirez was rushed to the majors in 1998 at age 20, struggled, and spent most of last season at Nashville. He destroyed pitchers there, and will be back in 2000. He is still very young, and everything about him looks great; he could be an All-Star this year. |
| TODD RITCHIE (28, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 MIN 2 3 42 0 0 0 0 75 87 28 44 458 1998 MIN 0 0 15 0 0 0 0 24 30 9 21 563 1999 PIT 15 9 28 26 2 0 0 173 169 54 107 349 |
| Surprise; Ritchie was a non-prospect until last season, when he was among the better pitchers in baseball. You always have to worry about One-Year Wonder Syndrome, but there is nothing in Ritchie's record that suggests he will not continue to pitch well in 2000. |
| SCOTT SAUERBECK (28, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 8 9 27 20 2 0 0 131 144 50 88 493 1998 AAA 7 13 27 27 2 0 0 160 178 68 119 393 |
| Sauerbeck has pitched well at every level of ball, but has made curiously slow progress through the Pirates' system. He had a fine rookie season last year, and held left-handed batters to a .167 average. The Pirates have the option of keeping him in relief, where he should be good, or putting him back into the starting rotation, where he probably could succeed as well. Needs to throw more strikes in 2000. |
| JASON SCHMIDT (27, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 10 9 32 32 2 0 0 188 193 76 136 460 1998 PIT 11 14 33 33 0 0 0 214 228 71 158 407 1999 PIT 13 11 33 33 2 0 0 213 219 85 148 419 |
| Schmidt was a hot prospect for the Braves, then was dealt to the Pirates for Denny Neagle. He hasn't developed as quickly as they would have liked, but he is still a pretty decent pitcher. He is capable of winning some more ballgames if the team is good. |
| JOSE SILVA (26, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 2 1 11 4 0 0 0 36 52 16 30 594 1998 PIT 6 7 18 18 1 0 0 100 104 30 64 440 1999 PIT 2 8 34 12 0 0 4 97 108 39 77 573 |
| Silva regressed last season; his control deteriorated, and the hits were up. He wasn't helped when he was hit in the face by a batted ball, breaking some facial bones. He is still young, and his K/BB ratios have been good; he is capable of pitching much better, and probably will. |
| JOHN VANDER WAL (OF, 34, L) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 COL 76 92 16 2 0 1 7 11 10 33 174 255 228 1 1 1998 COL-SD 109 129 36 13 1 5 21 20 22 34 279 382 512 0 0 1999 SD 132 246 67 18 0 6 26 41 37 59 272 368 419 2 1 |
| Vander Wal is an outstanding bench player, a pinch hitter with some pop who stays sharp despite batting only 100-200 times a season. Last year he set a career high in at bats, but I wouldn't him to play that often again. He is getting older, and is really only valuable in a more limited role. |
| JEFF WALLACE (24, L) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 AA 4 8 38 0 0 0 3 43 43 36 39 540 1999 AAA 2 2 15 0 0 0 3 14 18 8 14 879 |
| Wallace had a weird year, pitching horribly at Nashville, then posting a good ERA with Pittsburgh. He is big and can overpower hitters, but his control is dreadful. He won't be effective until he throws more strikes, and that won't be this year. |
| MARC WILKINS (29, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 PIT 9 5 70 0 0 0 2 76 65 33 47 369 1998 PIT 0 0 16 0 0 0 0 15 13 9 17 352 1999 PIT 2 3 46 0 0 0 0 51 49 26 44 424 |
| Wilkins lost the 1998 season to shoulder surgery; last year he rebounded and had a solid year. He's a good pitcher, well-cast in middle relief, and should pitch a little better in 2000. |
| MIKE WILLIAMS (32, R) |
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YEAR TEAM WN LS GP GS CG SH SV IP HIT BB SO ERA 1997 KC 0 2 10 0 0 0 1 14 20 8 10 643 1998 PIT 4 2 37 1 0 0 0 51 39 16 59 194 1999 PIT 3 4 58 0 0 0 23 58 63 37 76 509 |
| A veteran with a mostly unremarkable record, Williams pitched brilliantly in 1998, and last year was the closer. He struggled, but the season was not a lost cause; he blew only five saves, and struck out over 11 batters per game. A good bet to have a strong season, might be better suited to a setup role. |
| KEVIN YOUNG (1B, 31, R) |
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YEAR TM GM AB HT DB TP HR RUN RBI BB SO AVG OBA SLU SB CS 1997 PIT 97 333 100 18 3 18 59 74 16 89 300 332 535 11 2 1998 PIT 159 592 160 40 2 27 88 108 44 127 270 328 481 15 7 1999 PIT 156 584 174 41 6 26 103 106 75 124 298 387 522 22 10 |
| A very late bloomer, Young now has had three straight solid seasons, and is a quality player. It took him so long to start hitting that he is already 31 years old, but he appears to still be improving, has dramatically increased his walk totals while keeping the other numbers up. He also led all first basemen by committing 23 errors (yikes!). Expect another good year. |