Tag: Pittsburgh Pirates (Page 3 of 5)

MLB Power Rankings—Top 5 and Bottom 5

August 15, 2009 /

It’s getting down to pennant race times and there are some incredibly tight races and a lot of teams that are at least in contention. Here we’ll take a look at who we think the Top 5 teams are right now and who the Bottom 5 are as well.

Top 5

1. New York Yankees (73-43)—Not only did the Yankees sweep the rival Red Sox last weekend and make quite a statement, they’ve won 10 of 11 and are 22-6 (.786) since the all-star break. That is just scorching.

2. Los Angeles Angels (68-45)—You have to feel for the surging Rangers and even the Mariners, because neither one is going to catch this fundamentally sound team. If Mike Scioscia isn’t the best manager in baseball, he’s surely the most underrated.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (65-52)—The Cards grabbed Matt Holliday before anyone else could and he’s batting .493 with a slugging percentage of .813 in his first 75 at-bats with St. Louis. Pujols/Holliday has got to be the most fearsome 3-4 tandem in baseball.

4. Los Angeles Dodgers (69-47)—The Dodgers hung on without Manny for a few months, and then cooled off when he returned. They’ve lost 7 of 11 but still lead their division by 5 games and are 32-14 against NL West opponents.

5. Philadelphia Phillies (65-48)—Suddenly with Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, and Jimmy Rollins finally finding his stroke, the defending champs are poised to make another run deep into October and possibly November.

Bottom 5

1. Washington Nationals (41-75)—They recently won eight in a row but still trail the Phillies by 25.5 games and the fourth place Mets by 13.5. So yeah, they’re still the worst team in baseball.

2. Pittsburgh Pirates (46-69)—The Pirates actually looked half decent early in the season, but they did what they always do in July—made a whole bunch of trades and pretty much surrendered the season as well as the next three seasons, as they’ve lost 11 of their last 13 games.

3. Kansas City Royals (45-70)—Remember the Royals were 14-12 and everyone started talking about this team being decent for the first time in two-plus decades? We remember, but then they remembered that they were the Royals.

4. Baltimore Orioles (48-67)—This team has some great young players like Adam Jones and Matt Wieters and Nick Markakis, but playing in that division is almost unfair.

5. Cleveland Indians (49-66)—Once again, the Indians have disappointed and started selling off players. Cliff Lee, like CC Sabathia last year, is the reigning AL Cy Young winner, and the Tribe also dumped popular catcher Victor Martinez and infielder Ryan Garko. Next year sure has a familiar ring on Lake Erie.

Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, MLB

The Giants overpaid for Freddy Sanchez

July 30, 2009 /

It’s no secret that the San Francisco Giants have one of the worst offenses in baseball this year. They’re ninth in the NL in batting average (.258) and dead last in runs scored (398), on-base percentage (.307) and slugging percentage (.691). Given how bad their offense is, the actors that played Roger Dorn, Jake Taylor and Pedro Cerano from “Major League” would compile a better lineup than the puss (save for Pablo Sandoval) that the Giants fill their lineup card with on a nightly basis.

So when you read or hear that San Fran traded for Pirates second baseman and ’06 batting champ Freddy Sanchez on Wednesday, it’s easy to think that the Giants just added the equivalent of Mickey Mantle’s bat to their lineup.

There’s no question that Sanchez is a dramatic upgrade over the players that San Fran has tried at second base this year, which include Emmanuel Burriss, Kevin Frandsen, Juan Uribe, Matt Downs and Eugenio Velez. And there’s no question that the Giants are better today than they were yesterday, just based on the fact that Sanchez will actually take pitches (something Giants hitters avoid at all cost), drive gaps and get on base.

But make no mistake: Brian Sabean still overpaid.

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MLB

Red Sox trade two minor leaguers for Pirates’ Adam LaRoche

July 22, 2009 /

The Red Sox found their answer for spelling the oft-injured Mike Lowell as they traded for Pirates’ first baseman Adam LaRoche on Wednesday. Pittsburgh acquires minor leaguers Argenis Diaz and Hunter Strickland in the exchange.

This isn’t going to be a move that sets Boston apart from the Yankees or Rays in the AL East, but on the days Lowell needs to rest his fickle body, Kevin Youkilis will slide over to third and LaRoche – who is an upgrade over Mike Kotsay – will play first. BoSox fans aren’t going to do back flips in the streets after this move (especially considering LaRoche is hitting below .250 and his defense is below average), but they didn’t give up much and he gives them a better bat than Kotsay in a three-man platoon with Youkilis and Lowell.

As for the Bucs, they did well getting two young players for LaRoche, who becomes a free agent after this season and wasn’t going to be worth bringing back anyway. Garrett Jones (who apparently is Mickey Mantle of all a sudden) can now slide over to first to fill LaRoche’s vacant spot in the field.

Comment fodder: Are the Red Sox done, or will they still pursue another bat? And now that they’ve shipped LaRoche out of town, is Freddy Sanchez the next one to be traded by Pittsburgh?

MLB

Pirates to hang onto Freddy Sanchez?

July 13, 2009 /

Over the past couple weeks a foregone conclusion around the baseball world was that the Pirates would wind up dealing second baseman Freddy Sanchez at some point before the July 31 trade deadline. Much like many Buc veterans before him, Sanchez was as good as gone.

But the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette is now reporting that the Pirates aren’t engaged in any active talks regarding a Sanchez trade and that no deal is imminent. According to the report, the Bucs aren’t in any hurry to trade Sanchez and might wind up keeping him in a Pirate uniform for the foreseeable future.

That said, what Pirate isn’t available? This organization has prided itself on losing over the past 15-plus years and seemingly wouldn’t hesitate trading one of its veteran players. Sanchez is also their biggest trade piece and if a contender like the Giants or Rockies puts together a deal involving multiple prospects, it would be hard for the shaky Pittsburgh front office to sit idle.

Chances are, the Bucs are playing coy and Sanchez will still be dealt at some point over the next two weeks. If Colorado put together a trade package that included Eric Young Jr., I highly doubt Pittsburgh would take a pass.

MLB

Firesale to continue? Pirates exploring trades for Sanchez, LaRoche

July 6, 2009 /

In recent weeks, the last place Pirates have already traded away popular centerfielder Nate McLouth to the Braves, and speedy outfielder Nyjer Morgan, backup fielder Eric Hinske and reliever Sean Burnett to the Nationals. And despite some Bucs players (ahem, Jack Wilson) being critical of the front office’s shrewd moves, more might be coming.

According to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates and Giants have had trade talks involving second baseman Freddy Sanchez and first baseman Adam LaRoche. Although both players are being discussed, Sanchez appears to be the Giants’ main target of interest because they prefer a right-handed first basemen and LaRoche is a lefty.

San Fran is currently 1.5 games up on Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card lead and desperately needs offense despite recently feasting on Houston pitching over the weekend (the Giants scored 23 runs in three games). They currently have a gaping hole at second base, where Emmanuel Burriss, Matt Downs, Kevin Frandsen and Juan Uribe have all split time this season.

Sanchez, who currently leads the Pirates in average (.316) and on-base percentage (.832), would be an excellent fit for a Giants team that has a postseason berth in their sights but also doesn’t want to give up future prospects in the process. A deal including 26-year old lefty starter Jonathan Sanchez and a prospect or two would probably net Freddy Sanchez, all while allowing San Fran to hang onto top farm players Madison Bumgarner, Tim Alderson, Angel Villalona and Buster Posey.

While moving either Sanchez or LaRoche (or both) would cause another ripple affect on the Pirates’ clubhouse and their fan base, both players can be free agents next year and obviously aren’t in Pittsburgh’s future plans. Much like their prior deals involving McLouth and Morgan, the Bucs are probably hoping to get young players in return in an attempt (however feeble it may be) to compete down the line.

Jonathan Sanchez has struggled mightily this year, but he was viewed as a potential No. 3 starter as early as this year and he has excellent stuff. He has major control issues that need to be ironed out, but at 26 years old he still has a ton of potential and is a high strikeout pitcher.

We’ll see if the Pirates and Giants eventually pull the trigger on a deal.

MLB, Rumors & Gossip

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