2010 Pirates

[DirrtySouth78]

I know there aren't many Pirate fans left, but I've been fan forever and its baseball, who doesn't love baseball. Now the team won't be great this year, but it looks like we finally got a GM who is atleast trying to build a legitimate team. No more one year rent-a-player, past thier prime FA's just to fill a roster spot(Jeremy Beer-Nutz). It seems we finally have some prospects and young players who, if we manage to keep, could help team end the losing streak. Guys like Alvarez, Tabata, McCutchen, Alderson, Lincoln.

Now I know they won't all play for Buccos this year, and not all of them will be a top tier talent, but its an improvement over previous years. I would love to see the Pirates actually have a half decent team. They don't hafta win the division, just play meaningful games past the month of August.

Hard to talk baseball here in pgh, atleast for me. Everytime I bring it up, people get so negative about it. Now I understand that 17 straight losing seasons will wear on you. I just try to point out that it looks like team finally pointed in right direction. Yet all I hear is they will never be good again, we will just trade them all away, Owner don't care bout winning,etc.

I figured I would start a thread about the Pirates here so I could atleast hear some talk about the Pirates without the biased hate I always hear. They will struggle this year at times, and I know they will lose more than they win, but I'm lookin for improvements this year, nothing more.

Improvement doesn't hafta be about wins/losses either. Its the little things that frustrate me, Fuundamentals. Getting a guy home from third with less than 2 outs, advancing a baserunner without a hit. Maybe a pitcher who can atleast be a guy who is consistent. The type pitcher who may not be an ace, but can consistently give you 6+ solid innings to give bullpen rest here and there.

Sorry bout long post, kinda venting a lil bit, but also wanted to start a Pirates thread. Probably won't see alot of posts in here this year but I know that atleast I will follow the Pirates and update it from time to time.

I'll give my opinions of roster and what I think we have/don't have going for us this year in a few days. Besides the obvious where's the power in our lineup question.

[BurghFan]

I actually think there are more of us long suffering Pirates fans here than you think. The 2009 Pirates thread was pretty long. It'll probably be another long season in 2010. You just never know what to expect from the Pirates from year to year. On top of the fact that the lineup and rotation always goes through a major shuffle from one April to the next, players often don't show the same consistency on a year-to-year basis. See Matt Capps who was awesome in '08 but pretty much self destructed in '09. The biggest thing the Pirates need is consistency along with a good coaching staff that can consistently bring the best out of their players.

[bgeno]

I actually started following and rooting for the pirates recently. I had never watched much until last April, which you can look at two ways:
1) I missed out on 16 years of futility, or
2) I'm crazy enough to try to follow this team after 16 years of futility.

Quote: Originally Posted by DirrtySouth78

I know there aren't many Pirate fans left, but I've been fan forever and its baseball, who doesn't love baseball. Now the team won't be great this year, but it looks like we finally got a GM who is atleast trying to build a legitimate team. No more one year rent-a-player, past thier prime FA's just to fill a roster spot(Jeremy Beer-Nutz). It seems we finally have some prospects and young players who, if we manage to keep, could help team end the losing streak. Guys like Alvarez, Tabata, McCutchen, Alderson, Lincoln.

I think it's important to note what this management group is doing differently than past groups.

All the haters like to bring up over and over again the point that every other management group has had this same basic plan: get young guys/prospects, let them get good in Pittsburgh, then trade them into oblivion. It seems to be the same thing every year when fans see the Jason Bays and the Jason Kendalls and the Jack Wilsons and the Freddy Sanchezs and the Brian Giles and the Nate McClouths traded for a bunch of minor leaguers that everyone anticipates to be traded in five years anyhow.

This managerial group, however, did something awfully different. They didn't halfass it. They didn't just trade away one or two guys and hope that they'd be OK. They got rid of almost the entire team. Nyjer Morgan, Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Nate McClouth, Adam LaRoche, Sean Burnett, and probably more (I'm sure I'm forgetting someone) were all sent to other teams to bring in a SLEW of minor leaguers with great talent and potential.

Nothing is going to happen right away. I expect another season of around 100 losses, maybe even 2 more seasons of disappointment. But, if the city of Pittsburgh has patience with this management group, we could see a fairly competetive team in 2012.

Quote:

Improvement doesn't hafta be about wins/losses either. Its the little things that frustrate me, Fuundamentals. Getting a guy home from third with less than 2 outs, advancing a baserunner without a hit. Maybe a pitcher who can atleast be a guy who is consistent. The type pitcher who may not be an ace, but can consistently give you 6+ solid innings to give bullpen rest here and there.

I thought they had that last year in Zach Duke. He only had five starts in which he failed to reach the sixth inning all season and registered an ERA just above 4.00. Now, I know 4.00 is nothing at all to write home about, but it's solid. He just couldn't get any support from the bats.

Ross Ohlendorf was good toward the end of the season as well. His last ten starts of the season he managed to pitch into the sixth inning and gave up fewer than four earned runs in all of them.

And Paul Maholm has the same potential, he just wasn't as consistent.

The talent is there at the top of the rotation right now. They need a solid #4 guy (Charlie Morton?) and a #5 who can hang in there (I'm hearing that's going to be "the other McCutcheon" versus Kevin Hart in Spring Training).

Quote:

I'll give my opinions of roster and what I think we have/don't have going for us this year in a few days. Besides the obvious where's the power in our lineup question.

How long are they going to wait on Andy LaRoche's supposed power? All I hear about is how the younger LaRoche has the ability to hit the ball out of the park, but he hasn't been able to do it yet in his major league career.

Quote: Originally Posted by BurghFan81

I actually think there are more of us long suffering Pirates fans here than you think. The 2009 Pirates thread was pretty long. It'll probably be another long season in 2010. You just never know what to expect from the Pirates from year to year.

Uh, I don't know about that. I think you're pretty safe if you've expected nearly 100 losses over the past nine years or so.

[jake44np]

Quote: Originally Posted by BurghFan81

I actually think there are more of us long suffering Pirates fans here than you think. The 2009 Pirates thread was pretty long. It'll probably be another long season in 2010. You just never know what to expect from the Pirates from year to year. On top of the fact that the lineup and rotation always goes through a major shuffle from one April to the next, players often don't show the same consistency on a year-to-year basis. See Matt Capps who was awesome in '08 but pretty much self destructed in '09. The biggest thing the Pirates need is consistency along with a good coaching staff that can consistently bring the best out of their players.

After 17 straight losing seasons how can you not know what to expect from the Pirates from year to year. If anything they are the one team in all of sports you that you do know what to expect from year to year. You expect them to lose and lose alot.

[BurghFan]

Okay, I guess I didn't phrase that right. What I meant was that you just don't really now what to expect from Pirates players from year to year. That is one year they may have a great year but then seemingly fall apart the next. That seems to especially be true with the individual pitchers. Just look what happened to Gorzelanney and Capps in '09.

[DirrtySouth78]

I am suprised that there are some Pirate fans out there. Ever since I started that thread, I've met some Pirate fans out there.

Yes Zach Duke did have an ok season last year, but as it was pointed out, as a Pirate fan its almost a given that we think he will have bad season this year. One thing about our pitchers is they never seem to be able to put it together for more than one season. Duke,Gorzy,Capps,Maholm,Oliver Perez, etc. They all have at one point had a decent season only to completely fall apart the next season.

[loaf31]

Another long suffering Bucco fan here. I really do think that they are on the right track. I have loved just about every move that NH has made.

Looking forward to opening day.

2 days until pitchers/catchers report

[LetsGoBucs]

Long suffering Bucco fan in MA! I'm very interested in seeing the progression the young guys make this year. I understand what the FO is trying to do, and I like it much more than the rent-a-wreck approach in the past. So while I think losing season #18 is inevitable, it's the progression of the young kids I'm looking forward to watching this year.