Official Pirates Thread

[SteelerFan87]

Nice post SF87. I can't argue with much of what you say. The problem I have with the Pirates is they get a great core of guys and then put garbage around them. Then all of a sudden they can't afford the good players and they trade them. I just hope they don't do to this group what they did to Giles, Kendall and them.

Well, I think the team now is closer to being competitive than they were when they had Giles and Kendall. Back then, there were just a few guys who were good, and a bunch of crap around them. Now, all they really need is a good, consistent, power hitter in right field or first base, and they could be a competitive team. I'd also like a dependable veteran starter, but it isn't really necessary. This team has alot of talent, they just need another star to go along with Jason Bay and Freddy Sanchez, who's consistent, and can get key hits to win more of those 1 run games, and who won't go into one of those simultaneous slumps that seem to affect everyone on the Pirates at the same time.

I think Bay said it best when he said, "It's like when we need a clutch hit, everyone just stands there and hopes someone else will do it, instead of going out and doing it." If they can get a high profile free agent who can get those clutch hits, then I think that will energize everyone else on the team. We've all seen how the Bucs can suddenly go crazy with hits once someone steps up in a clutch situation, and it's like they all feed off of that. Unfortunately, none of them, except Sanchez, are consistent or clutch enough to do that regularly, so usually they get into those situations, and nobody steps up, and so they don't capitalize on the situation.

By the way, someone who I think would be a good addition to this team is Jose Guillen. He's a power hitting outfielder, which is something the Pirates want badly, and they could definitely afford him. He seems to have gotten over his attitude problems he had in the past, and he's said he'd like to play in Pittsburgh again. Plus he crushes the ball in PNC Park. I remember last year, he had like 4 homers in one series here. He's not my ideal choice for the power hitting free agent I think the Pirates need, but he'd definitely be an upgrade.

[SteelerDan43]

Ok I'll throw in my

Torres is gone after this year, old relievers are a dime a dozen. He really backed up from last years performance.

Snell has shown he is the clear #2 guy if not #1, this year he has far and away outpitched every guy on the team.

Castillo needs to lose some weight and stop swinging for the fences. His defense has been straight up horrible compared to last year, most attribute it to the 15 or so pounds he put on because he wanted to hit for more power. This has obviously been the wrong approach.

Bautista needs to be in the lineup at CF or RF everyday with the other spot taken up by McLouth or Duffy. Bautista is the only one of those 3 that has a real future. If he wasnt that good teams wouldnt of been drooling over him in the rule 5 draft.

Another possiblity is that Jack "I can hit the broad side of a barn" Wilson goes the way of the DoDoo and Freddy moves over and Bautista takes over the hot corner.

Eldred is pretty much are only option at first base, we got rid of KKKraig and then refused to give up anything good to get the Rockies 1B stud. Eldred still has alot of holes in his swing but his progress was haulted to no fault of his own. Not alot you can do about an injury. They made their bed at 1st and now they have to lie in it.

[SteelerFan87]

Well, Torres has shown he can pitch just about every day, and I think the Pirates like that about him. I wouldn't be surprised if they kept him around for another year.

Snell has been great, but I'm not ready to call him an ace yet. I've seen way to many young Pirates starters have 1 great year, and then have everything fall apart. (Perez for instance)

I didn't know Castillo put on weight. I knew Wilson did, but I never heard anything about Castillo. As for swinging for the fences, he has alot of power, and I do think he should keep developing that, but you're right that sometimes he seems to take the wrong approach at the plate. I attribute that to maturity. He just needs more experience and maturity, and then he'll be able to use his immense talent more effectively.

Jack Wilson is a pretty good hitter. Just 2 years ago he had the most hits for a Pirates SS since Honus Wagner, and last year he was screwed up by his appendix. He put on some weight this past offseason to try to get more power, but I think that may have caused his defense to slip a bit. I think he just needs to work on that, and get to just the right weight, and he'll be a pretty good player. His offense isn't too bad for a NL SS, and his defense makes up for any offensive deficiency, plus he's a leader on the team.

As for Craig Wilson, I still don't get why they got rid of him. He can play RF and 1B, 2 positions they lack depth at, he has pretty good power, which they desperately need, and he seems to be a good guy to have in the clubhouse. Plus he hits into the least DPs on the team, and the Bucs have been killed by DPs. Also, I read a stat that measures how a certain player coming to the plate affects a team's chances of winning, and Craig's was 2nd best on the Bucs. Sure he strikes out alot, but he's more likely to get a key hit than to strike out to end an inning, something which cannot be said for Jim Tracy's boy Jose "the Strikeout Master" Hernandez.

I too am dissapointed by the whole Shealy thing. The Rockies wanted relievers, which the Pirates have alot of. And yet they couldn't get a deal done? How could the Royals, an organization that's in even more disarray than the Pirates, work out a trade for Shealy but the Bucs couldnt? The only reliever I would never give up is Mike Gonzales, and possibly Matt Capps.

[SteelerDan43]

Pirates have the 4th or 5th best record since the All-Star break and the best of any NL Central team in the second half if that gives any hope to anyone

[Captcoolhand]

Pirates to who?

[House of Steel]

He is talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates, BASEBALL!!

[Captcoolhand]

I know, but thats like asking who do you compare one to the o0ther

[SteelerFan87]

I think he's saying 4th or 5th best in MLB. I see alot of promise from this. I read in the Post Gazette that they haven't lost 2 in a row since the all star break. If that's true, wow. Either way, they have been playing much better baseball lately, and they just swept the Mets. That's something that really gives me hope, the way the Pirates have been fighting and resisting the inevitable. A few weeks ago, they needed 1 more loss to guarantee a losing season, but they refused to lose. Now against the Mets, NY needed 1 more win to clinch their division, but the Bucs swept them. Also, there's a noticible difference in the way they play in close games. Before, they just, as Jason Bay said, would "just sit there and hope someone else would step up and make a play". Now though, they get into close games, and play the way good teams play in those situations, and someone steps up, and they win. Hopefully this can carry over to next year, and maybe we can FINALLY not have a losing season.

[Steelersfan]

I have noticed some of this too. The Bucs have been playing well since the break. I don't know about having not lost 2 in a row (think that is wrong) but they have played well. Maybe this team just might have a chance to do something next year and the way they are ending this year gives them something to build on.

[SteelerFan87]

Well, yeah, I'm not sure about the not losing 2 in a row since the all star break thing either. Maybe it was since the trade deadline? I'm not sure. But either way, the Bucs have been playing some pretty good baseball the 2nd half of the season. Hopefully Littlefield will see this as a sign that they are close, and go out and get that consistent power hitter I want, and hopefully the idiot Nuttings will give him the money to do so.