Pirates pitching future looks very bright

[Calzone Lord]

Moorse of Seattle might be a good deadline option. He's a free agent after this year. Career .300 hitter against Left Handed pitching. Rent him. Start him against lefties and every other game him with Snider against righties ...which could keep his old ass fresh and add a great pinch hit option when Snider starts.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Moorse of Seattle might be a good deadline option. He's a free agent after this year. Career .300 hitter against Left Handed pitching. Rent him. Start him against lefties and every other game him with Snider against righties ...which could keep his old ass fresh and add a great pinch hit option when Snider starts.

He is a terrible, terrible defensive OF, one of the worst in the league. Plus he is always hurt. He can hit but hurts immensely in the field.

[Calzone Lord]

Right field is by far the least important defensive position. We already have a great defensive outfield. You can hide a guy out there. Russell Martin, who is number 1 in all of baseball in catcher ERA and hasn't played the outfield since junior college, has been started in right field this year against left handed starters. Have to get a good right handed bat to hide out there some how.

[Duvalier]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Right field is by far the least important defensive position. We already have a great defensive outfield. You can hide a guy out there. Russell Martin, who is number 1 in all of baseball in catcher ERA and hasn't played the outfield since junior college, has been started in right field this year against left handed starters. Have to get a good right handed bat to hide out there some how.

Hopefully they're not thinking that the platoon of Snyder and Tabata will do the rest of the way.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

Hopefully they're not thinking that the platoon of Snyder and Tabata will do the rest of the way.

I agree.

It was a good idea at the start of the season...both guys are young, can run, play good defense for RF, and maybe one would break-out.

I like T. Snidely Whiplash a lot against right-handed pitching. He works the counts, he has good at-bats, he usually gets the job done when he has to move runners over, he's been clutch with several timely hits in key spots, and he's been a little unlucky...hitting a lot of balls hard, but right at people.

Still, the offensive stats for him are mediocre. Cannon Shell can make a case with numbers that Ethier is the much better option ... but I feel good about Snider. At age 25 and a former mid 1st round pick, I still feel like he's a threat to get hot with the bat. However, he's a major liability against Lefty's.

Tabata, has the stupidest tattoo I've ever seen... lips on his neck, and can't stay healthy. Even though he hits right-handed, he doesn't get it done against left-handed pitching. He has a lot of annoying at-bats where you curse him, unlike Snider.

Other than right-field ... I don't see an upgrade. I'm fine with the Gabby Sanchez/Garrett Jones platoon at 1st base. We are absolutely set everywhere else.

If the Angels continue to struggle ... what about Mark Trumbo?

[Duvalier]

And playing right field for the Pirates tonight...Brandon Inge. Get the White Sox on the phone...

[keithting]

The Pirates need good ole #39 in Right Field - Dave Parker

One of the 1st ballplayers to fashion a diamond earring and the fans loved to hurl batteries at him while he played his outfield position - his famous quote back in 1980 was - "When the leaves turn brown, I'll be wearing the batting crown"....

[Duvalier]

Originally Posted by Duvalier

And playing right field for the Pirates tonight...Brandon Inge. Get the White Sox on the phone...

Brandon Inge in RF...that Clint Hurdle is a genius

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

I agree.

It was a good idea at the start of the season...both guys are young, can run, play good defense for RF, and maybe one would break-out.

I like T. Snidely Whiplash a lot against right-handed pitching. He works the counts, he has good at-bats, he usually gets the job done when he has to move runners over, he's been clutch with several timely hits in key spots, and he's been a little unlucky...hitting a lot of balls hard, but right at people.

Still, the offensive stats for him are mediocre. Cannon Shell can make a case with numbers that Ethier is the much better option ... but I feel good about Snider. At age 25 and a former mid 1st round pick, I still feel like he's a threat to get hot with the bat. However, he's a major liability against Lefty's.

Tabata, has the stupidest tattoo I've ever seen... lips on his neck, and can't stay healthy. Even though he hits right-handed, he doesn't get it done against left-handed pitching. He has a lot of annoying at-bats where you curse him, unlike Snider.

Other than right-field ... I don't see an upgrade. I'm fine with the Gabby Sanchez/Garrett Jones platoon at 1st base. We are absolutely set everywhere else.

If the Angels continue to struggle ... what about Mark Trumbo?

You dont think SS is a problem? Barmes has been awful at the plate and according to the defensive metrics has slipped in the field too. The young kid platooning with him is sure to regress.
1b for Pitt is a below average position.

They are near the bottom of the NL in most offensive categories, they dont hit HR's, they dont walk much, they don't score much. These are gonna be issues later in the year as the pitching fades.

[Calzone Lord]

Originally Posted by Cannon Shell

You dont think SS is a problem? Barmes has been awful at the plate and according to the defensive metrics has slipped in the field too. The young kid platooning with him is sure to regress.
1b for Pitt is a below average position.

He's not platooning with him. Mercer is now the everyday starter.

Barmes lost the job. His defense was outstanding. He was robbing people of hits and making great plays every other game. He is just terrible with the bat.

I suppose it's a relative thing ... but I'm not worried at all about shortstop and I don't think the team is either.

The team has been a lot more successful since benching Barmes, but I still feel very good about having him.

Gabby Sanchez and Garrett Jones are both terrific defensive 1B's ... and they are a perfect platoon, because Gabby only hits left-handed pitching well and Jones is great against right-handed pitching but useless against lefties.

All this team needs is a good Right-handed bat in RF. The team is 8-0 when Jenmar Gomez starts games. He's just 25 years-old, he has a .276 ERA, a .114 WHIP, he pitched 5 innings of no hit-ball in his final AAA rehab start, and pitched very well today ... yet he's out of the starting rotation and headed back to the bullpen when Wandy and A. J. Burnett get back into the rotation.

The bullpen is unbelievable. I can see why AAA Indianapolis has been the best minor league team in baseball over the last few years.

This is not even close to the same team as last year. Last year, McCutchen, A. J Burnett, Walker and the bullpen were carrying the team by themselves for a long time. Those three guys have all been banged up this year, especially the latter two, and they've played below expectations.

This team got a monumental upgrade at catcher in Russell Martin. Liriano has been a nice addition to the starting rotation. And Melancon has been sensational in the bullpen. But, it's the youth movement that has made all the difference.

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

If the Angels continue to struggle ... what about Mark Trumbo?

Teams rarely trade guys under club control (ie-cheap contracts) for 3 more years

[Cannon Shell]

Originally Posted by Calzone Lord

Right field is by far the least important defensive position. We already have a great defensive outfield. You can hide a guy out there. Russell Martin, who is number 1 in all of baseball in catcher ERA and hasn't played the outfield since junior college, has been started in right field this year against left handed starters. Have to get a good right handed bat to hide out there some how.

They need a better player regardless