Sitting in your house this week, watching the snow fall almost as quickly as the temperature, there are a few simple words that can turn that winter frown upside-down: Pitchers and Catchers report for duty!
That’s correct, baseball fans. The 2013 MLB season is beginning to come into focus. With every toss of a snow-filled shovel head, Sprig Training gets closer to being a reality. For fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates, this means that it is time to put away those Steelers jerseys and dust off that Buccos gear – your 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates begin their march towards meaningful baseball games in just 16 days. Reporting dates for the team begin on February 11, with the first full-team workouts scheduled on February 15.
The team taking the field at PNC Park on April 1 will be significantly different than the squad who dropped into the quagmire of a twentieth-straight sub-.500 season last fall. While many of the same faces return, the team once again traded away a popular star player (closer Joel Hanrahan) and made some transactions that will greatly affect the final 25-man roster that comes North at the end of March. Until then, fans will need to utilize those media guides and online reference sites to decipher many of the names that show up in the box scores of Grapefruit League games. The Pirates will bring no less than 57 players to Bradenton this year, with the possibility of even more non-roster invitees being added before February 15. Many of these players will be gone after the first handful of spring training games, shuffled down to the minor league camp or outright “red tagged” (in reference to the classic movie “Major League”) before fans in Pittsburgh even get to know their faces. However, there are many roster battles that will take place in the sunshine of Florida before Manager Clint Hurdle is able to solidify his Opening Day line-up card.
We can start with what we do know slots that are already sown up. They are as follows:
Catcher – Free agent acquisition Russell Martin will be the starting catcher, toting his brand-new two-year $17 million contract into his third career franchise stop. His back-up will be the popular Michael McKenry – a.k.a. “The Fort”. McKenry saw his most significant major league action in 2012, hitting an impressive 12 homeruns in just 275 plate appearances and playing outstanding defense behind the plate.
Infield – 2B Neil Walker will once again anchor the infield after an injury-plagued 2012. Walker was on his way to another stellar campaign, and it wouldn’t shock anyone to see him fully reach his potential as a .300-20-100 player in 2013. Pedro Alvarez will man the hot corner at third base, looking to add consistency to his arsenal of power-hitting skills. Despite only hitting .244 on the season, “El Toro” smashed 30 homeruns and drove in 85 RBI in 2012. When Alvarez is locked-in there are few hitters more feared and his ability to carry the offense for week-long stretches was on display numerous times last summer. Unfortunately, his slumps define the word – at times he can go in a funk so deep that it seems he is swinging a toothpick instead of a Louisville Slugger. At the key shortstop position, it seems almost inevitable that incumbent starter Clint Barmes will be back to finish out the two-year contract he signed prior to last season. Barmes was an albatross offensively all summer, and finished with a .229 average over 144 games. Whether he retains his starting job or not, Barmes will probably be on the 25-man roster for Opening Day 2013. Utility Infielder Josh Harrison started games at second base, third base, and shortstop in 2012 and provided a spark in the lineup. In addition to his infield duties, Harrison also plays all three outfield slots. His above-average speed and adequate defense secure his spot on the final roster.
Outfield – CF Andrew McCutchen is one of the best overall players in the game and the starting center fielder in Pittsburgh, signed through the 2018 season. He continues to get better and he defines the term “five-tool player”. A .327/31/96 line with 20 stolen bases, 194 total hits, 29 doubles, and 6 triples represented one of the finest seasons on record for a Pirates player. He rounded out his breakout campaign by finishing third in NL MVP balloting, winning Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards for centerfield, and playing in his second All Star Game. He is the foundation of the franchise. He will be flanked in left field by the almost-equally gifted Starling Marte, the 24-year old sensation who tasted his first big league action in 2012. Marte struggled in extended action, as the league began to build the book on him. His athletic ability is superb, and a full Spring Training as the starting left fielder should help him to overcome this transitional period. There are few scenarios imaginable where Marte would not be the starting leftfielder on Opening Day. Injuries or a severe sophomore slump notwithstanding, the McCutchen/Marte combination should be wowing Pirates fans for the next five years.
At this point, we have solid anticipated starters at six of the eight positions. Now let’s take a look at the spots that are up for grabs, where a massive glut of players will battle it out for the starting gigs at first base and right field. We also need to figure out the bench situation, which will obviously be directly effected by which way Hurdle and Co. decide to go at the final two starting slots.
First Base – After declining to go after a big name free agent at first base – the Pirates were rumored to have at least considered players such as Carlos Pena, Mark Reynolds, and James Loney – the team is left with a group that includes Garrett Jones, Gaby Sanchez, Jerry Sands, Clint Robinson, Matt Hague, and Brad Hawpe. Garrett Jones would seem to be the favorite after posting his best overall offensive season in 2012. His .274/27/86 line over 145 games (including 65 starts at first base) was right in line with an above-average major league first baseman. His struggles against the tough left-handed pitchers of the National League and his defense are factors that take away from his value as an everyday option at the position. Bearing a last-minute trade (rumors of a Jones to Boston deal are still making the rounds), Pirates fans should expect to see Garrett Jones once again combine for over 500 plate appearances between first base and right field. Gaby Sanchez was acquired from Miami in a trade deadline deal last summer. Sanchez is a former All-Star who averaged 19 homeruns and 80 RBI during the 2010-2011 seasons with the Marlins. After coming over to Pittsburgh, he struggled at the plate – hitting just .241 in 50 games. If he finds his stroke, Sanchez could be the most natural fit at the position, with his defense on the plus side of the equation. Optimally, the Pirates will hope that Sanchez regains the form he established in Florida, taking a firm grasp of the first base slot and sliding Jones into either a starting or platoon role in right field. Jerry Sands was acquired in the Hanrahan deal from the Red Sox, and he brings a load of power-hitting ability to the Pirates. At just 25-years old and with only 70 major league games under his belt, the jury is still out on Sands. His offensive ability has been compared to a young Matt Holliday, and defensively he seems to be a solid first baseman that can also play both corner outfield positions. The Pirates may be better suited to allow Sands to start the season at Indianapolis, where he can play everyday and the team can evaluate what they have with him.
The wild cards at first base include Clint Robinson, a 27-year old rookie acquired from Kansas City this past off-season. Robinson has displayed a plus-power bat at AAA, hitting 36 homeruns and driving in 167 RBI during his two stints with the Omaha AAA team. He also brings a solid contact bat to the dish, hitting for a combined .308 batting average over his six professional seasons. At 27, Robinson is not a traditional major league rookie and he will need to have a Mark Johnson-esque Spring Training to stay in the mix for a spot on the 25-man roster. Matt Hague is back once more after spending 30 games in Pittsburgh last summer. “The Hit Man” hasn’t lived up to his nickname in the majors, batting a paltry .229 and showing a lack of patience at the plate. Hague put together two solid seasons between AA-Altoona and AAA-Indianapolis in 2010-11, which placed him on the Pirates radar as a possible long-term solution at first base. However, he wasn’t able to translate his .299 lifetime minor league batting clip to the big league level. At 27-years old, Hague is just about out of options in Pittsburgh and he now faces a bevy of competition to even hold onto a spot at AAA in 2013.
The Pirates dusted off another Clint Hurdle “blast from the past” when they signed veteran Brad Hawpe this past week. Hawpe will be in camp as a non-roster invitee and will try to re-establish himself as a major league hitter. The former All-Star has bounced between Tampa Bay, Texas, and San Diego since being released from the Rockies in 2010 after a seven-year run where he hit 118 homeruns in the rarified air of Coors Field. He was last seen playing for the Padres in 2011, where he hit just four homeruns in 216 plate appearances. He spent 2012 at AA-Frisco in the Texas Rangers organization, doing just enough to merit zero consideration in that talent-laden farm system. Hawpe is intriguing to Pirates fans because of his past success (an All-Star nod in 2008 and a .291/29/116 campaign in 2007). The Pirates have been mentioned as possible suitors for Hawpe for years, but now that they have him wearing the black and gold, does he have anything left in the tank?
Barring any unforeseen developments at first base, the Pirates will enter the season with a Garrett Jones/Gaby Sanchez platoon, which should provide a solid offensive line and enable the team to utilize the right field slot for other players.
Right Field – The Pirates thought that they had struck gold (or as least bronze) when they plucked the enigmatic Jose Tabata from the New York Yankees in a trade for Xavier Nady in 2008. The then 19-year old Tabata looked to be a player on the rise, with Manny Ramirez-type potential. He further excited us all with his solid rookie season in 2010, hitting .299 and showing great speed. The organization was willing to wait for his power to develop, but that never happened. Tabata regressed so bad between 2011 and 2012 that he is now on the outside looking in and will need to show the team he is mentally and physically prepared to reach his potential in a season in which he will turn 25-years old.
The emergence of Starling Marte in left field has now made right field the only possible slot for Tabata. He will have major competition to even make it to Pittsburgh this April. Starting with the carry-over of the suggested Garrett Jones/Gaby Sanchez platoon at first base, Jones could see playing time in right field despite any lefty vs. lefty match-up problems. His power bat is too enticing to leave on the bench, regardless of how statistical splits look. Jerry Sands will also be in the mix in right field, and an exceptional spring could push him to the top of the food chain as the Pirates try to enhance the total talent load acquired from Boston in the Joel Hanrahan trade. That trade doesn’t look great on paper to novice fans, which simply see that the Pirates once again traded an All Star player for a group of unknown commodities. Sands will be given every opportunity to make his mark in Spring Training, but as I stated earlier, it makes more sense to have him at least start the season in AAA.
The true wild card in the right field situation is Travis Snyder, acquired at the deadline last summer for RP Brad Lincoln. This was an unpopular trade in Pittsburgh, which only became more controversial as Snyder failed to adjust to his new surroundings and hit only .250 with one homerun in 145 plate appearances. While Brad Lincoln had seemed to find his calling as a dominant middle reliever for the Pirates – and a former 1st round pick to boot – Snyder had never been able to crack a mediocre lineup in Toronto. The trade was deemed a “change of scenery” deal. These trades can work out for both players at times, but usually it ends up that one team makes an error in judgment. Travis Snyder is only 24-years old, and has already accumulated over 1,000 major league plate appearances. His final minor league season statistics in 2012 at AAA-Las Vegas were impressive (.335/13/56 in 246 plate appearances), although many attribute the bloating of his batting average to a very hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Snyder will go into Spring Training as the incumbent starter in right field but he will need to show signs of becoming the player Toronto always envisioned him to be in order to stay there. The final piece to this tricky puzzle is Alex Presley. Presley is another 27-year old outfielder who has the distinction of being a fun little player to watch. He has the look of a prototypical leadoff hitter, with speed to burn, a solid contact rate at the plate, and a great glove. Unfortunately, the Pirates have a bunch of players with the same type of skill set. Presley put up solid numbers in 2011, hitting .298 with 12 doubles, six triples and nine stolen bases. He was handed a starting job in 2012, only to far off dramatically and now will need to firmly establish himself as a utility outfielder to secure the fourth slot on the bench for Clint Hurdle.
The Pirates will attempt to make Travis Snyder the starter in right field, with Presley/Tabata battling for the final spot. The team will also get its first long-term look at #6 overall prospect Josh Bell this spring, as the 20-year old should spend at least the first few weeks playing split-squad games with the major leaguers before being sent back to minor league camp. Bell will start the 2013 season at either Advanced A-Bradenton or AA-Altoona, depending on how he fares in his limited time with the big leaguers.
Long Shots – The Pirates have the real deal on their hands with SS prospect Alen Hanson, the #3 prospect in the organization. Hanson flat-out dominated the South Atlantic League in 2012 while at A-West Virginia. His .909 OPS and combination of speed and power (16 homeruns/35 stolen bases) opened a lot of eyes around the baseball world and shot him up every major prospect list in the game. After hitting .309 at West Virginia, the 20-year old will jump directly to AA-Altoona in 2013, with an outside shot at a September call-up. The clock is ticking on Clint Barmes, who is in the final season of an ill-fated two-year $11 million contract he signed prior to last season. Barmes is a solid defensive shortstop, but his inability to provide any offensive help has deemed him a short-term player for the Pirates. Should Hanson make a mockery of the competition at the AA level, it is not out of the question that he could be in Pittsburgh even earlier – and maybe, pushing Barmes out of the lineup by August.
First baseman Alex Dickerson is the #10 prospect in the Pittsburgh farm system, and spent 2012 at High A-Bradenton, where he hit .295 and displayed the type of power needed from a corner infield position. His left-handed bat should enable him to move quickly up the ladder for the Pirates, and as the soon-to-be 23-year old fills out athletically, that power should only increase. While he has only been playing first base for one season after filling multiple spots at the University of Indiana, his defense has improved enough to warrant a long look during Spring Training. He should start the 2013 campaign at AA-Altoona and looks to be en route to Pittsburgh by the 2014 season.
Catcher Tony Sanchez has not lived up to his billing as a 1st round pick in 2009 out of Boston College. He has struggled both offensively and defensively, the latter having been his calling card in the draft. Now entering his fifth professional season, Sanchez needs to establish himself as a legitimate option behind the plate or risk becoming the winner of the Sammy Khalifa Award for wasted potential. He will be in major league camp in February, and he will need to show significant improvement or he could be at the end of the line with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The progress it seemed he had made at AA-Altoona in 2012 did not translate after his promotion to AAA-Indianapolis in June. With Russell Martin and Michael McKenry firmly positioned in Pittsburgh, Sanchez may need to learn either first base or the outfield in order to make it to Pittsburgh at all.
The final three players we will discuss are non-roster invitees to Spring Training. Ivan De Jesus is an infielder (2B/3B) acquired in the Hanrahan deal. Another former top Los Angeles Dodgers prospect that traveled the prospect super-highway from LA to Boston to Pittsburgh, De Jesus has had 80 plate appearances in the major leagues. His upside appears to be as an Abraham Nunez-type utility player. He has little offensive value, relying on his glove to keep him as a viable asset. The Pirates will evaluate De Jesus in the spring and see what he has to offer. Utility player Anderson Hernandez was with the Pirates throughout Spring Training 2012 and played well before spending the season at AAA-Indianapolis. He is a veteran with over 200 games of major league experience, and has shown that he can be a decent fill-in if an emergency were to occur. At 30-years old, the chances of a Roy Hobbs miracle are slim, and Hernandez may simply be a solid AAA player for the rest of his career. Having him in camp is where the Pirates get value, a player who has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues and has post-season experience (2006 New York Mets). Hernandez has the ability to relate to the Spanish-speaking young players who may need a veteran presence to lean on as they work their way up the ladder. Teams can do worse than having an Anderson Hernandez in their organization. Finally, the Pirates signed former top prospect Felix Pie to a non-roster contract last month, and he will be in camp to start Spring Training. Pie was once considered the #1 prospect in both the Chicago Cubs and Baltimore Orioles farm systems, and played in the major leagues from 2007-2011, starting over 200 games during that span. His bat never developed and he was cut loose by Baltimore prior to 2012. He signed with a team in the independent Atlantic League before eventually signing with the Atlanta Braves and playing well at AAA-Gwinnett to end the season (.285/6/51 in 96 games). Despite having played professionally since 2002, Pie (pronounced PI-A) is only 27 years old. With his rebirth at Gwinnett, perhaps he finally found the stroke so many had predicted for him over the past decade. He will be playing in major league games against big league pitchers in the spring, and while he enters a crowded farm system, who knows…..maybe the Pirates can catch lightening in a bottle with a guy who was once thought of as the next great Chicago Cubs outfielder.
That sums up the Pittsburgh Pirates position player analysis heading into Spring Training. Next week, we will take a long look at the pitching staff, an area where the Pirates have herded talent at an intriguing level over the past decade. Until then, ignore the snow and ice, forget the frozen nose hairs that tingle every time you go outside to warm up the car for work, and think spring. Baseball is coming folks, time to break out the tank tops and shorts and start making plans to spend another summer at the best ballpark in the World.
