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Minor League Sign-o-Rama

By Nancy | January 7, 2009 | Sandlot Swashbucklers

Multiple signings -- the Pirates have signed a bullpen full of pitchers, plus a few others, to minor league contracts.LHP Corey HammanLHP Eduardo RodriguezRHP Jeffrey InfanteRHP Carlos VasquezRHP Sadid Pontier-FriasRHP Jean OzoriaRHP Angel ReyesINF Leandro MejiaSS Pedro LopezSS Anderson MachadoOF Jacobo EspiedeOF Jesus VasquezOF Eliezer AquinoHamman pitched for Altoona and Indianapolis in 2008. He was not given an invitation to the major league spring training camp.Both shortstops Lopez and Machado were invited to major league spring training.In Winter League playoffs...The Puerto Rican and the Domincan Leagues had the night off.In Venezuelan League play, LaGuaira shut out Lara 9-0, and Caracas beat Zulia 6-4; none of the Pirates' or friends saw action in those games.In Mexican Pacific League play, LF Luis Cruz walked twice in 4 plate appearances for Obregon, who lost to Mazatlan 6-5. After 6.5 scoreless innings, Obregon broke out with 4 runs in the bottom of the...

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Does it Matter if the Pirates Win in 2009?

By Cory Humes | January 7, 2009 | Pirate Revolution

jmd41280/Flickr.com

For the past few weeks at Pirate Revolution, we have been considering the Pittsburgh Pirates' depth chart heading into 2009. With my first Wednesday column in the series of posts, I advocated trading Ryan Doumit, who I argued is at or near his peak and isn't likely to retain top value until the Pirates next field a winning team. The week after, I speculated on a scenario in which Adam LaRoche would be dealt. LaRoche is under the control of the Pirates through 2009, but will reach free agency after the season. Management reportedly hasn't expressed interest in signing the first baseman to a long-term contract. Freddy Sanchez was our topic of discussion over the holidays. Sanchez is owed $6.1 million in 2009, and the Pirates possess a club option for 2010 worth $8 million which is unlikely to be exercised. He too seems to be a likely trade candidate....

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Podcast No. 4: Does 2009 Really Matter?

By Pirate Revolution | January 7, 2009 | Pirate Revolution

In a special edition of the Pirate Revolution podcast, hosts Cory Humes and Alan Smodic discuss a blog post made by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Dejan Kovacevic:... [A]nyone who fails to see the importance of winning in 2009 -- or some of the intangible impact of the Jason Bay trade -- also fails to understand that the true lifeblood of any sports franchise is its season-ticket base. That is not hyperbole. Nor is it pandering to those among you readers who might fit this category. It is cold, hard fact. Without the people who care the most being on board, nothing else matters.This podcast segment serves as a companion piece to a post on the same subject....

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Pirate Prospect #22 - Brian Friday

By Matt Bandi | January 6, 2009 | Pittsburgh Lumber Co.

I am counting down my personal list of the top 25 Pirate prospects. You can follow the countdown here, or by clicking on the "Top 25 Prospects" link in the site header. Date of Birth: 12/16/1985 Height: 5'11" Weight: 180 pounds Bats/Throws: R/R Position: SS Drafted: 3rd Round, 2007 (Rice University) Brian Friday is said to have excellent makeup, which could make him a candidate to overachieve in the future. He is undersized and has shown little power in his professional career, and has also battled injuries. He was limited to 341 at-bats with Lynchburg in 2008 due to back problems. Friday is a smart player with a great work ethic, and he has produced solid walk rates aside from his debut for State College in 2007. He is pretty solid defensively, with a strong arm being his greatest asset. His upside is pretty limited, but his strong fundamentals...

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Initial Thoughts of MLB Network

By Alan Smodic | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Much like DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package, the MLB Network is more baseball than one can handle. -- programwitch/Flickr.com

On January 1, Major League Baseball followed in the footsteps of the NFL and NHL by unveiling its own channel -- the MLB Network.If you don't already know what this exactly is, MLBNetwork.com's about page helps:MLB Network stands for Major League Baseball Network, which means access to more baseball than America's ever seen! This new 24-hour network delves into the world of baseball, going far beyond the field. Fans can tune in at any time for fresh perspectives, current news, the latest trade rumors, pre and post-game banter, highlights and more.Again, if you've seen the NFL or NHL networks, just picture those and think baseball. I wasn't sure if I'd receive the channel (I get the NFL network, but not the NHL), so I was surprised to see it coming in through my satellite. Obviously, I checked it out.I was impressed with my first viewing. The first show I saw...

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Two Saves for Hernandez

By Nancy | January 6, 2009 | Sandlot Swashbucklers

Mostly playoffs in the winter leagues, and some action for Pirates, farmhands, and friends:Puerto Rican LeagueThe Puerto Rican league wrapped up regular season play with Ponce in first place, and Arecibo 4 games behind in second, Santurce 7.5 games back in third place, and Caguas and Mayaguez tied for 4th, both 8 games behind. Caguas and Mayaguez will play on Wednesday to determine who will get the last playoff spot.Cangrejeros de Santurce 5, Indios de Mayaguez 3Former Pirate farmhand Alay Soler earned the win for Santurce on Sunday, throwing 5.2 innings, and allowing 3 runs on 6 hits (one was a 2-run homer). He walked 4 and struck out 5 batters. Mexican Pacific LeagueLuis Cruz went 0-for-4 for Obregon on Sunday's 5-4 win over Mazatlan, but then had 2 hits in Monday's 7-4 loss to Los Venados. He doubled in the first inning, and singled in the 8th, and...

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Stars In Waiting at SS?

By Nicolas A. Lewis | January 6, 2009 | Pirate Revolution

Jordy Mercer: primed for a move? - christhedunn/Flickr.com

The Pirates have themselves a mess at the shortstop position, though for once it's actually a good thing for this organization. It should come as a surprise to nobody that a team which drafted two shortstops in '07, three more in '08, and has a sudden cluster of summer league talent popping up suddenly finds themselves with a massive logjam at the position.Brian FridayFriday was the Pirates third round selection in the '07 draft, and much like Bixler was a guy drafted more for his speed and defense than anything else. He was hampered severely by back problems this past season in Lynchburg, and he'll have to work on his plate discipline (89:44 K/BB) a bit more for his decent average and mediocre OPS to carry him beyond Indy, but barring any further setbacks he should open the season as the left half of Altoona's middle infield.I'd like to point...

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Pirate Prospect #23 - Justin Wilson

By Matt Bandi | January 5, 2009 | Pittsburgh Lumber Co.

I am counting down my personal list of the top 25 Pirate prospects. You can follow the countdown here, or by clicking on the "Top 25 Prospects" link in the site header. Date of Birth: 8/18/1987 Height: 6'2" Weight: 210 pounds Bats/Throws: L/L Position: P Drafted: 5th Round, 2008 (Fresno State University) When the Pirates took Justin Wilson in the fifth round of the 2008 draft, it looked like a bit of an overdraft. He was expected to sign quickly for slot money after Fresno State's season concluded. However, Wilson was outstanding in leading his team to a national championship, and his stock rose after performing so well on a large stage. His bonus demands rose, but the Pirates were not interested in increasing their offer. He eventually signed for slot money near the August 15 deadline. Wilson's fastball sits around 90 MPH with good movement, and he throws a...

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Initial Thoughts of MLB Network

By Alan Smodic | January 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Much like DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package, the MLB Network is more baseball than one can handle. -- programwitch/Flickr.com

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Top Fits for Andruw Jones

By Evan | January 5, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Andruw Jones - kla4607/Flickr.com

With word that the Los Angeles Dodgers have restructured outfielder Andruw Jones' contract to an affordable $5 million deal (with the rest of the $15 million deferred over the next six years without interest) and a pledge by the Dodgers to release or trade Jones so he can land with a new team, which teams seem like fits for Jones?There are a couple criteria that need to be met to fit for Jones. One is that Jones is primarily a centerfielder, although we won't let that play too much into our fits -- outfielders, centerfielders most notably, tend to move around the outfield corners more often than infielders do.Secondly, Jones has expressed a desire to start and will control his fate if he is released. Only through the trade market would a team be able to secure him as a fourth outfielder if they promised to give him ample playing...Read more

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, MLB, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates, Texas Rangers

Winter Meetings Primer: Hudson and Crede top values on IF; How to assess pitching market; Rumor mill

By Brandon Rosage | December 5, 2008 | MVN Outsider

With four days until the start of baseball's Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, The Pitch assesses the market at each key position. Hosts Joe Aiello and Brandon Rosage start with the pool of free agent infielders, ranking Orlando Hudson, Joe Crede and Casey Blake highly above sluggers demanding more dough. Moving past Manny Ramirez, the discussion moves to good-value outfielders, like Raul Ibanez and Bobby Abreu. The show sorts through the overrated and underrated hurlers on the pitching market, including praise for Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe, Randy Johnson and Jon Garland. Join the discussion, listen in and participate via e-mail (thepitch@mvn.com) or in the comments....Read more

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Top Prospect Profile: Pedro Alvarez

By Alan Smodic | December 3, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Pedro Alvarez - Icon SMI

Pedro Alvarez - Pirates Third BasemanAge: 21Height: 6'2"Weight: 212Bats: LeftPosition: Third BaseRelevent Statistics: I'll direct you here for Alvarez's college statistics. The best number involving him, however, is this: 4 years/$6.355M (2009-12), plus 2013-14 club options. The fact that Alvarez signed and is a Pirate is his most relevent statistic. Scouting Report: Alvarez's best tool is his bat. His draft report card dubbed him as "about as safe as a bet as there is, Alvarez is a polished and poised hitter and should hit for average in the big leagues." He contains power now and should develop more as he continues up the ranks, potentially becoming a 25+ HR guy in the show. Speed on the basepaths is not his game, stealing 16 bases in his collegiate career. Talk about his defense claims that he'll be OK to stay at third base, which is where the Pirates will look to start him. However, a move...Read more

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In search of Dodgers fans (a case for Joe Beimel?)

By Alan Smodic | November 19, 2008 | MVN Outsider

Joe Beimel shows off his tattoo - Malingering/flickr.com

...because I need your help on this one. I, like mostly anyone else who will be reading this, go through the news each day and like to sort through the "hot stove" reports that every media outlet has. Today, I ran across this little bit that caught me by surprise. It's a report written by Jason Beck, who covers the Detroit Tigers at MLB.com. In it, the agent for left-handed reliever Joe Beimel claims that at least six different teams have interest in the journeyman pitcher. "Across the board, things are starting to pick up some," agent Joe Sroba said Wednesday. "That's to be expected [after the signings]."Sroba estimated that at least a half-dozen teams have had talks with him on Beimel, including the Tigers. He would not confirm whether he has received an offer from any, nor would he speculate whether Beimel could sign soon. Still, it was clear...Read more

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Do the Lightning Have a Clue?

By Nicolas A. Lewis | November 16, 2008 | MVN Outsider

The Tampa Bay Lightning fired head coach Barry Melrose over the weekend after the team got off to a 5-7-4 start. Ideally, the gist of the move is to stop the bleeding before the season gets too far along and there's no time to turn it around, but I'm here to tell you that it was a meaningless move. THis team is dead in the water less than a quarter of the way into the season. This was a very strange offseason for Tampa Bay. For a long time, their team was Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards, and 18-20 completely expendable and replaceable scrubs. Add in a complete lack of a dependable goaltender, and you have a team that struggled out of the gate last season as well, going 5-8-1 through their first 14 games. They went on to not see .500 after December 11th in a mess...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Barry Melrose, Martin St. Louis, NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vincent Lecavalier

Looking back on 2008 -- Pittsburgh Pirates

By Alan Smodic | November 1, 2008 | MVN Outsider

This is the first in a series of looking back on all MLB teams and their respective 2008 seasons. In this series, I will be reaching outside of MVN's network of coverage to provide a different view from a blogger of that team. First up is Charlie, who covers the Pittsburgh Pirates at Bucs Dugout.Alan: As a pretty educated follower of the Buccos, what were the realistic expectations for the 2008 season? Were you one of the optimistic bunch thinking .500 could be reached or did you keep the bar lowered?Charlie: I wrote in March that they might well win 67 games, and that's exactly what happened. That didn't take any real clairvoyance on my part; the Pirates have now won 67 or 68 games in each of the past four seasons.Alan: What went wrong, right for the Pirates in either meeting or falling short of any particular person's expectations?Charlie:...Read more

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MLB Power Rankings

By Daniel Rathman | September 22, 2008 | MVN Outsider

The MLB Power Rankings will run on Outsider every Monday night until the conclusion of the regular season.� This is the second-to-last edition of the Rankings; next Monday's edition will be the last.� The final week of the regular season is upon us.� Yeah, already.� Hard to believe, isn't it?� The Halos, Rays, and Cubs are into the playoffs.� The Dodgers and Red Sox are, for all practical purposes, in.� Two of the Mets, Phillies, and Brewers will make it, as will either the White Sox or Twins.� All the other teams will be hitting their La-Z-Boys when the final outs of their games are recorded on Sunday.� Here's how the league stacks up in the penultimate edition of the Power Rankings. Note: some of the statistics and records below are through SATURDAY's games. 1.� Los Angeles Angels, 95-59 With the AL West division locked up and home-field advantage essentially...Read more

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