Baseball Prospectus 1996
That may change fairly soon, but it's going to take some effort. Kevin McClatchy, heir to a Sacramento publishing empire, recently purchased the team for a sack of potatoes and some "shiny things". He's going to have his hands full just getting this team's management going at all, much less going in a particular direction. There is a tangible malaise around this team; it reeks of whining, incompetence, frustration and an overwhelming sense of entitlement.
The 1995 Pirates were a pretty bad team. They had a couple of bright spots; the pitching of Denny Neagle was very good, even if he tailed off a bit at the end, and Orlando Merced hit about as well as Fred McGriff. On the other hand, Carlos Garcia once again failed to show significant signs of development, and Jay Bell's offense took a holiday for most of the season. But hey, that was last season. At this point, the Pirates are no doubt planning for the future looking to 1996 and beyond, right?
You bet! First, they were able to pry Mike Kingery away from the Rockies, signing him to a two-year deal. Kingery is only 35, and, to be quite blunt, he's a stud. Let's face it: Mariner Intransigence kept him out of the lineup in Seattle during his peak. Last year, he hit .269/.351/.411 while playing half his games in Coors Field. That's really good. He's certainly better than any random AAA outfielder.
As if signing a veteran superstar like Kingery wasn't enough to show that this team is serious about winning and winning now, they went out and got Charlie Hayes! As you might expect, this caused quite a stir in Steeltown, as city and county governments shut down for the better part of a week because of the jubilant throngs filling the streets. Printing shops ran amok, printing mock World Series tickets, programs and nude photos, and jewelers are already vying for the coveted honor of casting those imminent World Series rings.
OK OK.... Yes, this team stinks. It's not going to get better for at least a couple of years. But there are a couple of prospects. Jason Kendall, for one, looks like a real prospect, and there are several pitchers that could take a step forward. But generally, yecch. A team of incompetent management, good 4th outfielders, and three different versions of Jeff King. It's going to be a deep valley, and until McClatchy gets his people in, there's no telling how long it'll be until the Pirates can get of it. If there's a Jim Frey sighting, say hello to warmer climes. And now, let's see if you were paying attention.
You have 55 minutes to complete this exam. For each question, select the response which best answers the question. Mark the correct answer on your ScanTron sheet. If you erase an answer, make sure to erase thoroughly.
JERMAINE ALLENSWORTH 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 WEL 267 61 8 1 1 15 7 2 .228 .270 .277 .194 52 17 1994 CAR 457 99 18 6 1 35 12 8 .217 .272 .289 .196 90 31 1995 CAR 219 52 10 2 0 21 10 5 .237 .304 .301 .219 48 19 1995 CLG 183 49 8 2 3 11 12 3 .268 .309 .383 .252 46 22 1996 PRJ 438 110 19 5 2 31 26 11 .251 .301 .331 .230 101 43Improving, and there's still lots of room to do so.
RICH AUDE 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 366 75 6 1 3 15 1 0 .205 .236 .251 .159 58 15 1992 SLM 449 103 13 1 6 37 6 1 .229 .288 .303 .210 94 35 1993 CAR 418 106 13 2 13 40 6 3 .254 .319 .388 .249 104 49 1993 BUF 64 24 5 0 4 10 0 0 .375 .459 .641 .368 24 16 1994 BUF 521 146 26 2 14 37 9 4 .280 .328 .418 .263 137 67 1995 CLG 187 55 8 1 7 10 3 2 .294 .330 .460 .274 51 26 1995 PIT 108 27 5 0 2 6 1 2 .250 .289 .352 .222 24 10 1996 PRJ 362 96 16 1 15 30 4 2 .265 .321 .439 .265 96 48Probably a better investment to play first base than Jeff King, but certainly not a long-term solution. One of many minor leaguers not referred to as "Uncle Wally." Needs to step either the walks or the power up. As it is, he's aspiring to be Eddie Williams Very Light or something, and that's not going to help much. Seems to have that George Bell/Ruben Sierra disease of occasionally deciding to swing at a pitch before the pitcher even winds up.
JAKE AUSTIN 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WEL 34 10 1 0 0 0 1 1 .294 .294 .324 .222 8 3 1992 AUG 227 44 5 2 1 15 2 1 .194 .244 .247 .161 37 10 1993 AUG 454 108 10 1 6 18 7 4 .238 .267 .304 .200 91 31 1994 SLM 427 100 8 1 9 30 7 4 .234 .284 .321 .213 91 35 1995 LYN 75 19 3 0 1 2 1 2 .253 .273 .333 .208 16 6 1995 CAR 351 73 12 2 3 14 4 2 .208 .238 .279 .175 61 18
TREY BEAMON 1974 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WEL 72 17 2 0 2 5 2 2 .236 .286 .347 .220 16 6 1993 AUG 381 82 9 3 1 32 9 3 .215 .276 .262 .190 72 24 1994 CAR 439 130 14 6 4 29 16 5 .296 .340 .383 .261 115 55 1995 CLG 433 124 18 2 5 33 17 7 .286 .337 .372 .256 111 52 1996 PRJ 477 135 15 5 4 32 28 6 .283 .328 .361 .255 122 57Speedy left-handed outfielder who's 22 next year, and did a number on minor league pitching the last two years. Definitely a keeper, and certainly a more desirable outfielder than the forgettable Mike Kingery. Hit an untranslated .334/.387/.454 at Calgary last year, and at age 21, that's extremely impressive. Of course, considering the way the Pirates are going, they'll figure out a way to work Jeff King into his roster spot, or have a real coup and sign Kevin McReynolds. Beamon looks like a star, but an extra 30 walks per year could turn him into a superstar.
TONY BEASLEY 1967 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 FRD 394 86 8 5 2 15 16 5 .218 .247 .279 .187 74 24 1992 SLM 237 50 5 1 4 11 7 3 .211 .246 .291 .188 44 14 1992 CAR 160 38 4 2 1 7 11 4 .237 .269 .306 .211 34 13 1993 CAR 251 42 4 2 3 19 8 4 .167 .226 .235 .150 38 9 1993 BUF 95 18 1 0 0 4 1 0 .189 .222 .200 .122 12 2 1995 CAR 334 84 11 2 2 26 14 3 .251 .306 .314 .228 76 31
JAY BELL 1966 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 623 184 32 7 19 52 10 5 .295 .350 .461 .282 176 94 1992 PIT 643 186 40 6 12 60 7 5 .289 .350 .426 .272 175 89 1993 PIT 605 188 27 7 9 77 17 10 .311 .389 .423 .288 174 95 1994 PIT 422 119 29 4 8 49 2 0 .282 .357 .427 .276 116 61 1995 PIT 526 138 25 4 10 54 2 5 .262 .331 .382 .250 131 61 1996 PRJ 602 167 29 5 16 70 4 3 .277 .353 .422 .272 164 85A ten-year championship caliber Shortstop, currently in year six of being such. Will rebound with the bat. Cleveland should have pulled an Omar with him about six years ago. Or is it seven? His mechanics at the plate seem to have shifted a bit. Not getting the same wrist snap on low pitches he did when he was 25, but I expect that's probably normal.
MIKE BROWN 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 AUG 326 62 6 1 3 30 5 3 .190 .258 .242 .168 55 15 1992 AUG 332 72 6 4 3 25 5 2 .217 .272 .286 .195 65 22 1993 SLM 434 93 11 1 11 47 4 2 .214 .291 .320 .215 93 37 1994 CAR 383 89 14 2 6 39 2 1 .232 .303 .326 .222 85 34 1995 CAR 224 48 8 1 6 23 0 2 .214 .287 .339 .216 48 19
JACOB BRUMFIELD 1965 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 400 101 13 4 3 24 34 12 .252 .295 .327 .231 92 40 1992 NAS 207 54 8 2 4 24 21 8 .261 .338 .377 .260 54 28 1992 CIN 30 5 0 0 0 2 6 0 .167 .219 .167 .183 5 2 1993 IND 124 38 9 1 3 5 13 0 .306 .333 .468 .297 37 21 1993 CIN 272 74 16 3 5 22 22 8 .272 .327 .408 .264 72 37 1994 CIN 121 38 10 2 3 15 7 3 .314 .390 .504 .308 37 23 1995 PIT 399 108 18 2 3 36 23 12 .271 .331 .348 .245 98 45 1996 PRJ 377 105 17 4 5 34 28 9 .279 .338 .385 .264 99 50Like most Pittsburgh outfielders, he's a good fourth outfielder.
GEORGE CANALE 1966 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 DEN 272 57 7 1 8 42 5 1 .210 .315 .331 .231 63 28 1991 MIL 34 6 3 0 3 8 0 0 .176 .333 .529 .284 10 6 1992 CAN 198 59 6 1 12 25 2 1 .298 .377 .520 .306 61 36 1992 CSP 159 42 8 1 5 12 0 0 .264 .316 .421 .257 41 20 1993 CHR 210 43 4 0 5 23 1 1 .205 .283 .295 .201 42 15 1993 CSP 110 26 3 0 4 8 2 1 .236 .288 .373 .232 26 11 1994 MEM 434 95 16 1 10 45 5 1 .219 .292 .329 .220 95 38 1995 CAR 486 128 18 4 16 38 1 2 .263 .317 .416 .255 124 59Had his fifteen minutes of fame in Milwaukee five years ago. More likely to get a daytime talk show than to break out and become a major league 1B. "Next on 'George', we'll be interviewing everyone's favorite Pontiff, his Nuttiness, John Paul II." Surreal.
DAVE CLARK 1963 RF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 361 106 16 2 12 22 6 3 .294 .334 .449 .273 99 50 1992 BUF 254 76 14 3 10 31 7 3 .299 .375 .496 .300 76 45 1992 PIT 34 8 1 0 2 6 0 0 .235 .350 .441 .273 9 5 1993 PIT 278 76 10 2 10 37 1 0 .273 .359 .432 .277 77 41 1994 PIT 222 67 9 1 9 22 2 2 .302 .365 .473 .289 64 35 1995 PIT 194 54 5 0 3 24 3 3 .278 .358 .351 .253 49 23 1996 PRJ 280 75 7 0 11 30 2 2 .268 .339 .411 .263 74 37A useful ballplayer. Discriminated against for several years that as toiled in the minors while teams ran inferior players into their outfield. Ugly-looking incident with Jacob Brumfield virtually ended his season last year, but he can still be a useful platoon partner for a couple more years. Had a couple of chances to platoon with Lloyd McClendon, his natural platoon partner. Earl Weaver would have made Doyd McClark a star in Baltimore. Actually hit lefties better last year, but in only about 30 PA.
JAY CRANFORD 1971 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WEL 229 45 3 2 1 9 3 3 .197 .227 .240 .148 34 8 1993 AUG 474 102 10 1 5 19 9 2 .215 .245 .272 .179 85 25 1994 SLM 409 84 12 1 7 15 4 4 .205 .233 .291 .176 72 21 1994 CAR 60 10 2 0 0 5 0 0 .167 .231 .200 .121 7 1 1995 CAR 290 58 6 1 4 44 3 2 .200 .305 .269 .202 59 22
MIDRE CUMMINGS 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 KEN 386 103 12 2 4 10 14 6 .267 .285 .339 .225 87 35 1992 SLM 419 104 10 2 8 25 14 6 .248 .291 .339 .225 94 39 1993 CAR 234 60 11 1 4 11 4 2 .256 .290 .363 .231 54 23 1993 BUF 233 64 9 1 7 20 6 1 .275 .332 .412 .265 62 31 1993 PIT 36 4 1 0 0 4 0 0 .111 .200 .139 **** -3 0 1994 BUF 183 57 9 2 2 12 5 0 .311 .354 .415 .278 51 26 1994 PIT 86 21 3 0 1 4 0 0 .244 .278 .314 .207 18 6 1995 CLG 154 37 4 1 1 5 1 1 .240 .264 .299 .195 30 10 1995 PIT 151 37 7 1 1 13 1 0 .245 .305 .325 .224 34 14 1996 PRJ 290 82 13 4 2 15 5 2 .283 .318 .376 .248 72 32Explain to me again why this guy is a prospect? Even my own software likes the guy more than I do. Hasn't hit, and won't ever hit unless he gets a lot of playing time to work on that stroke. If it were my decision, I'd give him a full year at AAA, and then we'll talk. Very quick. But if he doesn't walk twice as often, he'd rot in Buffalo for me. Can't make a living swinging at bad pitches.
ANGELO ENCARNACION 1973 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WEL 182 34 2 1 0 0 2 1 .187 .187 .209 .097 18 2 1992 AUG 322 68 7 1 2 15 1 2 .211 .246 .258 .166 54 14 1993 SLM 235 44 6 1 1 10 1 2 .187 .220 .234 .137 32 7 1994 CAR 228 60 7 0 4 10 2 1 .263 .294 .346 .227 52 21 1995 CLG 78 16 2 0 1 1 1 0 .205 .215 .269 .161 13 3 1995 PIT 158 36 7 2 1 13 1 1 .228 .287 .316 .211 33 13Undoubtedly a great defensive catcher, as he has the rep. Of course, does that follow the bad offensive numbers? It's a mystery wrapped in a riddle inside an enigma, Holmes. Let him catch at AAA, and make him a September callup. Until then, I'm sure the descendants of Cam Bonifay will find the remains of a Lance Parrish or something to run out behind the plate each day. "Hey! McClatchy! Look! It's Bob Kearney!"
RAMON ESPINOSA 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 WEL 212 46 4 2 3 6 5 3 .217 .239 .297 .185 39 12 1993 AUG 267 63 5 1 2 6 8 3 .236 .253 .285 .190 51 16 1993 SLM 204 42 3 1 4 5 7 3 .206 .225 .289 .178 36 11 1994 CAR 292 70 11 2 2 11 9 6 .240 .267 .312 .204 60 21 1995 CAR 486 123 19 2 2 13 10 4 .253 .273 .313 .208 101 36
JON FARRELL 1972 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WEL 248 51 7 1 5 17 5 3 .206 .257 .302 .194 48 16 1992 AUG 331 64 5 2 6 26 4 3 .193 .252 .275 .178 59 18 1993 SLM 384 71 5 1 9 31 4 3 .185 .246 .273 .174 67 20 1994 SLM 437 90 11 1 5 29 7 1 .206 .255 .270 .182 80 25 1995 CAR 313 61 6 0 8 13 3 3 .195 .227 .291 .172 54 16
CARLOS GARCIA 1968 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 BUF 470 125 16 3 8 23 29 6 .266 .300 .364 .244 115 52 1992 BUF 427 128 20 6 12 20 22 6 .300 .331 .459 .279 119 63 1992 PIT 39 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 .231 .231 .256 .159 6 2 1993 PIT 545 147 22 4 11 32 19 11 .270 .310 .385 .246 134 61 1994 PIT 410 115 10 2 5 17 21 10 .280 .309 .351 .239 98 43 1995 PIT 364 107 19 2 5 24 8 4 .294 .338 .398 .262 95 46 1996 PRJ 546 159 24 1 18 39 7 3 .291 .338 .383 .258 141 66A serviceable major league second baseman, but you have to be a bit disappointed by the lack of development here. If he can build on his improvement in 1995, he can be one of the best 2B in league. 20 more walks a year, a couple of singles into doubles, and a few more singles, and you;ve got a nice little player here. It's not likely to happen, but it could.
FREDDY GARCIA 1973 LF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1994 STC 265 60 4 1 7 22 1 1 .226 .286 .328 .214 57 22 1995 PIT 57 8 0 1 0 8 0 1 .140 .246 .175 .107 6 1
CHARLIE HAYES 1965 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHI 465 115 22 1 13 17 3 3 .247 .274 .383 .228 106 44 1992 NYY 510 136 19 2 19 26 4 5 .267 .302 .424 .251 128 60 1993 COL 557 156 32 2 21 43 11 6 .280 .332 .458 .273 152 80 1994 COL 414 114 19 3 8 35 4 6 .275 .332 .394 .253 105 49 1995 PHI 523 142 24 3 9 48 5 1 .272 .333 .380 .254 133 62 1996 PRJ 546 142 28 2 15 54 4 4 .260 .327 .401 .255 139 67I honestly do not understand this acquisition. The Pirates already have the identical player, Jeff King, and both of them are on the bad side of 30. Why go get Hayes? There's just no point to it. This organization is twisting in the wind like so much of Divine's lingerie. Hayes does nothing for this team except fill out a roster spot. Hayes might, in a good year, be a decent fill in on a contender starting a Kim Batiste at 3rd or something, but please this is just good money after bad.
ERIK JOHNSON 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SHV 147 28 4 0 2 11 4 1 .190 .247 .259 .175 26 8 1991 PHX 33 9 0 1 0 2 0 0 .273 .314 .333 .231 8 3 1992 PHX 228 50 4 1 0 15 7 7 .219 .267 .246 .175 40 12 1993 PHX 353 68 4 2 1 23 3 5 .193 .242 .224 .145 51 12 1994 PHX 371 91 11 2 0 29 3 4 .245 .300 .286 .206 76 27 1995 CLG 439 112 21 3 4 33 5 3 .255 .307 .344 .231 101 42Leads the Pirate organization in sounding Nordic, just beating out Ramon Espinoza in a runoff.
MARK JOHNSON 1968 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 AUG 146 32 4 1 2 19 2 1 .219 .309 .301 .217 32 13 1991 SLM 104 20 2 0 1 12 0 1 .192 .276 .240 .171 18 5 1992 CAR 392 86 11 1 6 48 13 6 .219 .305 .298 .216 85 34 1993 CAR 399 81 10 2 10 54 4 1 .203 .298 .313 .216 86 34 1994 CAR 397 104 12 1 18 59 5 3 .262 .357 .433 .276 109 59 1995 PIT 220 46 7 1 11 36 5 2 .209 .320 .400 .251 55 28 1996 PRJ 187 43 5 0 8 26 4 1 .230 .324 .385 .251 47 23In a good year, could be a comparable player to Paul Sorrento or so. Not the sort of player you hurry to replace, but not someone who's going to carry you to a championship. You can win a ring with a bunch of guys like this if you have no holes or injuries during a season. The Pirates need somebody to step up, and I don't think Johnson's the man to do it. But he still could, even at 28.
JASON KENDALL 1974 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1993 AUG 370 80 10 2 1 11 4 2 .216 .239 .262 .168 62 17 1994 SLM 362 88 7 1 3 34 8 2 .243 .308 .293 .217 79 30 1994 CAR 47 10 1 0 0 2 0 0 .213 .245 .234 .154 7 2 1995 CAR 428 124 14 1 7 47 8 4 .290 .360 .376 .264 113 55 1996 PRJ 451 125 24 2 7 51 11 4 .277 .351 .386 .264 159 59Probably the best prospect in the organization. Catcher, still young, doing all the right things, and getting a bit better at everything each year. Probably needs a little over a year in AAA, or perhaps a September callup. Will be a very good one, I think. Probably will not retain all of the gains he made with the bat in 1995, but won't slip very much, and that's still a darn good trend. Probably the only Pirate hitting prospect with any star potential, really.
JEFF KING 1965 3B/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 111 29 2 1 4 5 4 0 .261 .293 .405 .252 28 13 1992 BUF 29 10 0 0 2 2 1 0 .345 .387 .552 .325 9 6 1992 PIT 486 123 19 2 18 30 5 6 .253 .297 .412 .245 119 55 1993 PIT 611 181 31 2 8 60 9 6 .296 .359 .393 .267 163 81 1994 PIT 337 90 15 1 5 31 4 2 .267 .329 .362 .246 83 37 1995 PIT 442 117 23 2 16 53 7 4 .265 .343 .434 .271 120 63 1996 PRJ 535 133 27 2 17 61 6 2 .249 .326 .402 .256 137 67This is a tough guy. A heralded #1 draft pick, he never lived up to the very high expectations management and fans had for him, but has hung on, and is a fairly valuable ballplayer. Good enough defensively that he could have played second base more frequently when he was younger, and still good enough to play third base well. Doesn't help a team with the bat enough to play first base, despite his increased walk totals. Have I mentioned that Jim Leyland looks a bit like Barney Fife stole a Pirates' uniform and grew a cheesy moustache?
MIKE KINGERY 1961 CF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PHX 43 13 1 0 1 4 0 1 .302 .362 .395 .262 11 5 1991 SFG 113 24 3 2 0 15 1 0 .212 .305 .274 .206 23 9 1992 TAC 360 102 16 2 2 24 7 6 .283 .328 .356 .243 87 38 1993 OMA 394 97 11 3 8 34 11 3 .246 .306 .350 .236 93 40 1994 COL 293 98 20 6 4 29 6 7 .334 .394 .485 .301 88 50 1995 COL 339 82 14 3 6 42 12 5 .242 .325 .354 .243 83 38 1996 PRJ 340 87 17 3 7 40 11 6 .256 .334 .385 .255 67 33OK. So the Pirates finished about 70 miles out of the playoffs last year, and never really sniffed contention. In addition, their ownership's in flux, and there's a lot of pressure to keep salaries down. Furthermore, the team is loaded with 4th outfielders. So what do they do? They go sign a mediocre, old, expensive outfielder. Kingery's a good 4th OF, but he's not going to carry the Pirates to the pennant, and by the time the Pirates are ready to face Greg Maddux in the postseason, Kingery'll be doing infomercials with Fran Tarkenton or something. Inexplicable.
ROB LEARY 1972 1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 MAD 382 81 10 1 4 46 2 1 .212 .297 .275 .201 77 27 1993 MAD 29 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .103 .133 .138 **** -4 -1 1995 LYN 215 53 7 0 6 37 6 2 .247 .357 .363 .259 56 28 1995 CAR 243 67 11 2 4 34 3 2 .276 .365 .387 .267 65 33
NELSON LIRIANO 1964 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 OMA 294 77 16 5 2 24 7 5 .262 .318 .371 .243 71 32 1992 CSP 352 95 15 4 6 38 15 6 .270 .341 .386 .260 92 46 1993 CSP 275 78 11 2 5 24 7 8 .284 .341 .393 .255 70 34 1993 COL 147 41 4 2 2 17 6 4 .279 .354 .374 .259 38 19 1994 COL 249 60 15 4 2 41 0 2 .241 .348 .357 .248 62 29 1995 PIT 257 73 10 1 4 23 2 2 .284 .343 .377 .255 66 31 1996 PRJ 287 80 10 2 6 30 4 3 .279 .347 .390 .261 75 37Good spare part. Can play enough defense to help, good bat off the bench. More useful to a serious contender than the Pirates. Great teams usually have a guy like this, who can hit a little, fill a spot in the infield, and generally put out fires.
AL MARTIN 1968 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 GRN 308 71 10 1 7 24 14 5 .231 .286 .338 .225 69 29 1991 RIC 151 40 9 1 4 3 10 2 .265 .279 .417 .252 38 18 1992 BUF 421 128 11 9 19 31 21 5 .304 .352 .508 .299 126 73 1993 PIT 480 137 24 6 17 42 17 9 .285 .343 .467 .280 134 73 1994 PIT 275 80 11 3 8 34 17 6 .291 .369 .440 .287 79 44 1995 PIT 435 122 21 3 11 43 20 11 .280 .345 .418 .269 117 61 1996 PRJ 576 168 26 3 20 58 18 7 .292 .356 .451 .284 163 89Didn't follow up on a big improvement in 1993-94, but still a good outfielder. Another of the Pirates' wealth of pretty good players. I think he has a breakout season in him, and if I played rotisserie, he'd be near the top of my sleeper list.
TIM MARX 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 AUG 144 25 3 0 1 16 0 0 .174 .256 .215 .149 21 5 1993 AUG 167 36 4 0 2 24 2 2 .216 .314 .275 .208 35 13 1993 SLM 43 6 0 0 0 6 1 0 .140 .245 .140 .098 4 1 1994 CAR 242 66 7 1 6 18 1 2 .273 .323 .384 .248 60 27 1995 CLG 178 45 5 1 1 17 2 2 .253 .318 .309 .223 40 16
FRANCISCO MATOS 1970 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MOD 190 42 2 0 1 18 9 4 .221 .288 .247 .194 37 13 1991 HUN 197 38 1 2 0 12 8 2 .193 .239 .218 .156 31 8 1992 HUN 152 31 3 1 1 10 4 2 .204 .253 .257 .175 27 8 1993 HUN 466 119 8 2 1 17 12 4 .255 .282 .288 .205 95 33 1994 TAC 325 84 3 1 0 12 15 7 .258 .285 .274 .203 66 23 1995 CLG 328 91 6 4 3 4 8 2 .277 .286 .348 .228 75 30Stolen from the A's organization, Matos is one of the many ballplayers who strongly believe in the studies that have been done linking bases on balls to large, painful anal cysts. I believe they meet at Kim Batiste's house, and sing festive tunes to ward off evil spirits or something, led by Alvaro Espinoza.
ORLANDO MERCED 1967 1B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 PIT 424 128 19 2 11 64 8 3 .302 .393 .434 .293 124 70 1992 PIT 413 113 31 5 8 55 5 4 .274 .359 .431 .275 114 61 1993 PIT 449 142 21 3 8 76 3 3 .316 .415 .430 .300 135 76 1994 PIT 384 106 17 3 8 42 5 1 .276 .347 .398 .265 102 51 1995 PIT 483 145 26 4 12 50 7 2 .300 .366 .445 .285 138 74 1996 PRJ 576 166 30 4 14 76 6 3 .288 .371 .426 .282 162 87Yet another Pirate hitter. Good, but not great, and you've seen his peak. Certainly not a bad player, but he'll be well past his useful life by the time this team is ready to make a title run. Treading water isn't a viable corporate strategy in baseball; you need to go for it, or rebuild. Or get bought by the Tribune. {This gratuitous Cubs bash brought to you by Budweiser.}
OMER MUNOZ 1966 2B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 HAR 213 58 6 1 1 0 1 0 .272 .272 .324 .211 45 16 1991 IND 92 24 2 0 0 2 0 0 .261 .277 .283 .196 18 6 1992 IND 374 89 7 1 1 8 7 2 .238 .254 .270 .183 68 21 1993 BUF 129 28 3 1 1 3 0 0 .217 .235 .279 .171 22 6 1994 CAR 289 82 10 1 4 11 2 2 .284 .310 .367 .240 69 29 1995 CAR 232 54 8 1 1 4 1 0 .233 .246 .289 .184 43 13
KEITH OSIK 1969 C YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 301 64 6 1 4 24 1 1 .213 .271 .279 .189 57 18 1991 CAR 44 12 3 1 0 4 0 0 .273 .333 .386 .255 11 5 1992 CAR 434 104 11 1 5 45 3 5 .240 .311 .304 .216 94 36 1993 CAR 367 89 13 1 7 24 0 1 .243 .289 .341 .220 81 32 1994 BUF 261 55 10 0 5 26 0 1 .211 .282 .307 .203 53 19 1995 CLG 288 84 14 1 8 18 2 2 .292 .333 .431 .267 77 38
KEVIN POLCOVICH 1970 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1992 AUG 158 34 5 1 0 12 3 3 .215 .271 .259 .181 29 9 1992 CAR 36 5 1 0 0 3 0 1 .139 .205 .167 **** -2 0 1993 AUG 49 10 1 0 0 5 1 0 .204 .278 .224 .176 9 3 1993 SLM 282 52 4 1 1 38 8 3 .184 .281 .216 .173 49 15 1994 CAR 411 86 9 2 2 34 6 2 .209 .270 .255 .182 75 23 1995 CAR 220 61 3 0 3 11 8 4 .277 .312 .332 .233 51 21 1995 CLG 206 49 5 1 2 10 5 4 .238 .273 .301 .201 41 15
DARYL RATLIFF 1970 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 350 81 5 2 2 15 17 5 .231 .263 .274 .195 68 23 1991 CAR 95 19 3 0 0 4 5 2 .200 .232 .232 .161 15 4 1992 CAR 420 93 9 2 1 36 19 6 .221 .283 .260 .197 83 29 1993 CAR 449 106 8 3 0 28 20 8 .236 .281 .267 .199 89 31 1994 SLM 134 32 5 1 0 9 3 3 .239 .287 .291 .202 27 10 1994 CAR 256 63 4 1 1 21 7 2 .246 .303 .281 .212 54 20 1995 CAR 63 16 2 0 1 7 2 1 .254 .329 .333 .238 15 7 1995 CLG 274 80 7 1 0 15 9 5 .292 .329 .325 .237 65 27
NELSON SIMMONS 1963 OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 TAC 421 101 11 1 7 37 0 1 .240 .301 .321 .219 92 36 1993 PSP 76 23 5 0 3 6 0 1 .303 .354 .487 .285 22 12 1995 CLG 289 70 7 0 8 26 1 1 .242 .305 .349 .230 67 28
DALE SVEUM 1964 3B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 MIL 266 67 16 1 5 31 3 4 .252 .330 .376 .247 66 31 1992 CWS 115 28 8 0 3 12 1 1 .243 .315 .391 .246 28 13 1992 PHI 137 27 3 0 3 16 0 0 .197 .281 .285 .195 27 9 1993 CLG 115 29 4 0 5 19 0 1 .252 .358 .417 .269 31 16 1993 TAC 41 12 2 0 1 5 1 1 .293 .370 .415 .274 11 6 1993 OAK 79 15 3 1 2 16 0 0 .190 .326 .329 .231 18 8 1994 CLG 376 89 10 2 14 40 1 0 .237 .310 .386 .244 92 42 1995 CLG 394 97 15 1 11 41 2 2 .246 .317 .373 .242 95 43"Good news, boss! Dale Sveum is available!"
"Well don't just sit there, O pimply intern, sign him! He hit something like 45 homers in 1987 in Milwaukee! He's due! With God as my witness, he's due!"
"Right away, Boss."
JOHN WEHNER 1967 3B/OF YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 CAR 239 59 3 1 3 18 12 4 .247 .300 .305 .222 53 21 1991 BUF 114 34 9 1 1 11 6 3 .298 .360 .421 .276 32 17 1991 PIT 109 40 5 0 1 7 3 0 .367 .405 .440 .308 34 18 1992 BUF 224 59 10 1 6 26 11 6 .263 .340 .397 .261 58 30 1992 PIT 124 25 7 0 0 13 3 0 .202 .277 .258 .191 24 8 1993 BUF 332 83 16 2 5 37 20 3 .250 .325 .355 .251 83 40 1993 PIT 35 5 0 0 0 6 0 0 .143 .268 .143 .109 4 1 1994 BUF 330 99 13 2 6 30 21 6 .300 .358 .406 .277 91 48 1995 CLG 152 43 8 1 3 10 8 3 .283 .327 .408 .263 40 20 1995 PIT 106 32 0 1 1 10 3 1 .302 .362 .349 .260 28 13A fan favorite and competent player. Some guys like this hang around and make a few hundred grand a year for ten years. Many more flip burgers. I'm rooting for him.
TONY WOMACK 1970 SS YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 WEL 169 36 1 0 1 9 10 3 .213 .253 .237 .177 30 9 1992 AUG 391 79 4 2 1 28 23 11 .202 .255 .230 .172 67 20 1993 SLM 298 65 6 1 1 10 16 7 .218 .244 .255 .177 53 16 1993 CAR 244 62 3 1 1 13 14 4 .254 .292 .287 .215 52 20 1994 BUF 421 91 5 1 0 17 38 8 .216 .247 .233 .183 77 24 1995 CAR 331 74 7 2 1 15 19 6 .224 .257 .266 .191 63 21 1995 CLG 103 23 1 1 0 11 7 4 .223 .298 .252 .201 21 8
KEVIN YOUNG 1969 3B/1B YEAR TEAM AB H DB TP HR BB SB CS BA OBA SA EQA EQH EQR 1991 SLM 200 51 6 1 5 12 2 1 .255 .297 .370 .235 47 20 1991 CAR 267 86 16 4 3 10 7 2 .322 .347 .446 .281 75 38 1992 BUF 493 151 21 4 7 60 19 9 .306 .382 .408 .282 139 74 1993 PIT 449 107 21 3 5 36 2 2 .238 .295 .332 .220 99 39 1994 BUF 228 63 11 4 4 14 6 2 .276 .318 .412 .259 59 28 1994 PIT 122 26 5 2 1 8 0 2 .213 .262 .311 .192 23 8 1995 CLG 155 49 10 1 7 13 7 3 .316 .369 .529 .306 47 28 1995 PIT 180 42 5 0 6 8 1 3 .233 .266 .361 .214 39 15 1996 PRJ 235 68 14 2 8 21 13 8 .289 .348 .468 .281 66 37If you want to make the case that minor league statistics do a lousy job of predicting major league performance, you really don't have anything but anecdotal data to fall back on. By and large, it's simply not true. But man, would this guy be a good example to use. A lot of people, myself included, projected this guy to be an absolute monster. Could I have been more wrong? I guess it's possible. I still think he's really going to break out and be something special. I like him even more than the Vladimir projection. He will hit .300 with a few homers one of these years. I can understand Pittsburgh running out of patience, though.
Organizational Pitching Report
OPR Points: 26 Rank in MLB: 14th Rank in NL Central: 4th
Name Lvl Age IP Work H/G K/BB K/G ERA Adj Ttl Grade Peters, Chris 3 0 8 0 5 8 5 5 -1 33 B Ruebel, Matt 6 -1 8 0 4 6 4 4 0 31 B- Anderson, Jimmy 2 5 6 0 5 4 4 4 -1 29 C+ Morel, Ramon 4 5 7 0 1 8 0 3 0 28 C Dessens, Elmer 6 1 7 0 0 8 0 5 0 27 C- Backlund, Brett 7 -1 7 0 2 5 3 1 +1 25 D Taylor, Scott 8 -2 7 0 2 5 0 1 +3 24 D Pickford, Kevin 1 3 5 0 2 9 1 4 -1 24 D Wilkins, Marc 6 0 4 0 4 3 4 2 0 23 D- France, Aaron 0 1 3 0 5 6 4 5 -1 23 D- Kelly, Jeff 0 3 7 0 3 4 4 3 -1 23 D- Best Prospect in 1994: Ramon Morel (B+) Best Rookie Starter in 1995: Esteban Loaiza (C) and John Ericks (NR)
BRETT BACKLUND 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 AUG 24.7 11 5 5 4 20 1.82 2 1 4.01 1.46 7.30 1992 CAR 18.3 12 5 0 3 14 2.45 1 1 5.89 1.47 6.87 1992 BUF 24.0 18 10 4 12 9 3.75 2 1 6.75 4.50 3.38 1993 CAR 99.0 128 70 31 30 77 6.36 3 8 11.64 2.73 7.00 1993 BUF 20.3 30 22 6 15 10 9.74 0 2 13.28 6.64 4.43 1994 CAR 136.7 161 86 24 58 74 5.66 5 10 10.60 3.82 4.87 1995 CAR 87.7 92 50 15 39 67 5.13 4 6 9.44 4.00 6.88 1995 CLG 47.7 54 22 7 9 29 4.15 2 3 10.20 1.70 5.48The more I look into all these players, the more I begin to think that the context of the particular league has a much bigger effect on player development than I ever dreamed, and I'm a big believer in massive park effects. How is a guy going to learn to throw a strike in the PCL? If a guy comes out of Huntsville or Shreveport and goes to Phoenix or Las Vegas, he's playing a completely different game. Backlund's all over the map, both geographically and performance wise. Ballplayers aren't stupid. If a pitch a guy was throwing was a 350-foot fly ball to center in the Southern League, and that same pitch is an HR in the PCL, he's not going to throw it. Chances are that pitch was in the strike zone. A hitter's league isn't going to be conducive to learning to throw strikes. You're gonna nibble. I have no evidence for this this year, but I will for next year. (Threat or promise? How dry of an essay could *that* be?)
JASON CHRISTIANSEN 1970 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WEL 19.0 19 12 4 13 10 5.68 1 1 9.00 6.16 4.74 1992 AUG 18.0 15 6 0 9 14 3.00 1 1 7.50 4.50 7.00 1992 SLM 44.7 60 32 10 27 44 6.45 1 4 12.09 5.44 8.87 1993 SLM 67.0 49 32 10 30 48 4.30 3 4 6.58 4.03 6.45 1994 CAR 36.0 34 12 2 17 37 3.00 3 1 8.50 4.25 9.25 1994 BUF 32.7 20 9 4 17 38 2.48 3 1 5.51 4.68 10.47 1995 PIT 55.7 44 20 5 34 51 3.23 4 2 7.11 5.50 8.25There are two types of pitchers: good ones and bad ones. Good ones should be given more work to find out what they can handle, at least a few extra innings. Bad ones should be traded to Satan's team, the California Angels. Christiansen can obviously pitch. Would you use him as a closer for 60 high leverage innings, or perhaps use him as a long reliever and try for a Duane Ward-like 100? Personally, I think the idea of a closer is somewhat overrated I'd see if he can give me a few more innings, and maybe try to work him into the rotation over time. Then again, it's been well established that I can be something of a bonehead.
MARIANO DE LOS SANTOS 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WEL 27.7 48 32 11 23 13 10.41 0 3 15.61 7.48 4.23 1992 AUG 86.3 90 43 7 44 66 4.48 4 6 9.38 4.59 6.88 1993 SLM 89.3 97 49 13 51 54 4.94 4 6 9.77 5.14 5.44 1993 CAR 36.3 56 25 1 16 28 6.19 1 3 13.87 3.96 6.94 1994 CAR 70.3 86 37 10 30 49 4.73 3 5 11.00 3.84 6.27 1994 BUF 46.7 49 25 6 17 26 4.82 2 3 9.45 3.28 5.01 1995 CAR 25.3 32 18 5 16 17 6.39 1 2 11.37 5.68 6.04 1995 CLG 68.3 76 41 5 22 35 5.40 3 5 10.01 2.90 4.61
ELMER DESSENS 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1995 CAR 141.0 198 69 10 22 57 4.40 7 9 12.64 1.40 3.64El-Mer! El-Mer! Gotta root for a control pitcher named Elmer, right? I like Elmer a lot. He pitched in friendly surroundings, and the low K rate is troubling, but I expect it to rise next year, as often happens with second-year players, and he obviously has good control of his stuff. Smallish.
MIKE DYER 1967 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 POR 97.3 126 61 12 55 86 5.64 4 7 11.65 5.09 7.95 1993 CAN 87.3 98 66 14 60 62 6.80 3 7 10.10 6.18 6.39 1993 IOW 23.3 18 12 4 21 18 4.63 1 2 6.94 8.10 6.94 1994 BUF 33.0 36 12 1 16 26 3.27 2 2 9.82 4.36 7.09 1994 PIT 15.3 14 9 1 12 13 5.28 1 1 8.22 7.04 7.63 1995 PIT 74.0 74 29 9 29 51 3.53 5 3 9.00 3.53 6.20Yikes. Anyone care to guess the mental picture one has of this guy? We've all seen him pitch, but how high up will the walks jump?
JOHN ERICKS 1967 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 ARK 128.3 141 86 12 84 84 6.03 4 10 9.89 5.89 5.89 1992 ARK 69.3 90 52 9 37 58 6.75 2 6 11.68 4.80 7.53 1994 SLM 49.0 45 22 5 22 51 4.04 2 3 8.27 4.04 9.37 1994 CAR 54.0 46 25 5 23 55 4.17 3 3 7.67 3.83 9.17 1995 CLG 27.7 18 7 2 14 25 2.28 2 1 5.86 4.55 8.13 1995 PIT 105.0 99 43 7 49 77 3.69 6 6 8.49 4.20 6.60The Pirates have a good quantity of decent prospects and ballplayers. They just don't have very many really good ones, and you've gotta have a few of those to make a run at a championship. Ericks is actually not a bad pitcher to have, and he strikes me as a real breakout candidate, if he can get and stay healthy. There are certainly worse risks.
PAUL GIBSON 1960 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 DET 94.3 115 46 8 46 59 4.39 5 5 10.97 4.39 5.63 1992 NYM 62.0 70 33 10 26 54 4.79 3 4 10.16 3.77 7.84 1993 NOR 20.3 11 3 0 6 26 1.33 2 0 4.87 2.66 11.51 1993 NYY 34.7 33 13 4 8 29 3.37 2 2 8.57 2.08 7.53 1994 NYY 28.7 27 14 4 15 23 4.40 1 2 8.48 4.71 7.22 1995 CLG 18.0 19 8 2 9 17 4.00 1 1 9.50 4.50 8.50 1995 SYR 23.3 25 15 1 6 26 5.79 1 2 9.64 2.31 10.03Not only do the Pirates have a good quantity of decent prospects, they also have Paul Gibson.
JIM GOTT 1960 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 LAD 75.3 69 28 7 33 79 3.35 5 3 8.24 3.94 9.44 1992 LAD 88.0 69 23 6 42 82 2.35 7 3 7.06 4.30 8.39 1993 LAD 76.7 73 23 6 19 71 2.70 6 3 8.57 2.23 8.33 1994 LAD 36.0 43 19 4 20 29 4.75 2 2 10.75 5.00 7.25 1995 PIT 31.0 34 19 2 12 18 5.52 1 2 9.87 3.48 5.23At what point does it stop being a slump and become a collapse? Five straight years of decaying K rate, and four straight years of boosted ERAs. Well, if any representative of this week's Pittsburgh owner is reading this, I'd cut him. And, since I have your attention, I'd fax you a resume on request, too. Have I mentioned bribery?
LEE HANCOCK 1967 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CAR 90.3 119 63 7 45 54 6.28 3 7 11.86 4.48 5.38 1992 CAR 38.0 36 15 4 14 33 3.55 2 2 8.53 3.32 7.82 1993 CAR 93.0 99 47 6 35 70 4.55 4 6 9.58 3.39 6.77 1993 BUF 63.3 76 34 4 15 30 4.83 3 4 10.80 2.13 4.26 1994 BUF 82.3 110 39 5 23 38 4.26 4 5 12.02 2.51 4.15 1995 CLG 108.0 131 57 11 27 48 4.75 5 7 10.92 2.25 4.00 1995 PIT 14.0 9 2 0 2 6 1.29 2 0 5.79 1.29 3.86
MILT HILL 1966 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 NAS 64.0 72 31 5 13 60 4.36 3 4 10.12 1.83 8.44 1991 CIN 33.0 38 13 2 8 22 3.55 2 2 10.36 2.18 6.00 1992 NAS 72.0 56 27 10 18 71 3.38 5 3 7.00 2.25 8.88 1992 CIN 20.0 16 9 2 5 11 4.05 1 1 7.20 2.25 4.95 1993 IND 50.7 56 25 2 18 45 4.44 3 3 9.95 3.20 7.99 1993 CIN 28.3 33 15 5 10 24 4.76 1 2 10.48 3.18 7.62 1994 JAX 37.3 38 28 11 15 22 6.75 1 3 9.16 3.62 5.30 1994 ATL 11.3 19 10 3 6 10 7.94 0 1 15.09 4.76 7.94 1994 SEA 23.0 28 13 3 9 17 5.09 1 2 10.96 3.52 6.65 1995 CAR 53.7 60 29 10 6 39 4.86 2 4 10.06 1.01 6.54 1995 CLG 58.0 63 28 9 14 31 4.34 3 3 9.78 2.17 4.81
JOHN HOPE 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WEL 15.3 18 5 0 1 9 2.93 1 1 10.57 .59 5.28 1991 AUG 43.3 36 26 7 22 23 5.40 2 3 7.48 4.57 4.78 1991 SLM 25.0 46 24 9 2 13 8.64 1 2 16.56 .72 4.68 1992 SLM 158.7 221 99 23 55 78 5.62 6 12 12.54 3.12 4.42 1993 CAR 103.3 137 73 11 32 54 6.36 3 8 11.93 2.79 4.70 1993 BUF 20.3 31 14 4 2 6 6.20 1 1 13.72 .89 2.66 1993 PIT 37.3 47 17 3 9 8 4.10 2 2 11.33 2.17 1.93 1994 BUF 96.0 104 52 10 24 53 4.88 4 7 9.75 2.25 4.97 1994 PIT 14.0 17 9 1 4 6 5.79 1 1 10.93 2.57 3.86 1995 CLG 77.3 71 23 4 11 41 2.68 6 3 8.26 1.28 4.77
DENNIS KONUSZEWSKI 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 AUG 56.0 61 25 5 21 29 4.02 3 3 9.80 3.38 4.66 1993 SLM 91.3 130 66 17 53 54 6.50 3 7 12.81 5.22 5.32 1994 CAR 71.3 90 42 8 38 45 5.30 3 5 11.36 4.79 5.68 1995 CAR 57.3 72 35 5 29 40 5.49 2 4 11.30 4.55 6.28
JON LIEBER 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 EUG 28.0 35 11 2 0 12 3.54 2 1 11.25 .00 3.86 1992 BCY 26.3 63 31 6 12 16 10.59 0 3 21.53 4.10 5.47 1993 WIL 102.7 160 62 7 11 62 5.44 4 7 14.03 .96 5.44 1993 CAR 31.0 45 18 3 11 23 5.23 1 2 13.06 3.19 6.68 1993 MEM 19.3 34 17 4 7 14 7.91 0 2 15.83 3.26 6.52 1994 CAR 20.0 15 5 0 2 18 2.25 2 0 6.75 .90 8.10 1994 BUF 20.3 18 4 1 1 21 1.77 2 0 7.97 .44 9.30 1994 PIT 108.0 109 48 12 26 72 4.00 6 6 9.08 2.17 6.00 1995 CLG 72.3 110 49 8 19 33 6.10 2 6 13.69 2.36 4.11 1995 PIT 72.0 95 41 7 13 43 5.12 3 5 11.88 1.62 5.38If healthy, one of my favorite pitchers. Will, at some point, post five years of sub-3.00 ERAs. You heard it here first. Look for his Ks to jump up this year. The Pirates have one real strength: they're not ridiculously impatient with their young pitchers. That may not sound like much, but look around the league. In most organizations, a guy has eight good starts at AA, and he's in the rotation in August. The Pirates require at least nine, and understand the value of long relief, right Denny? Fantastic mechanics.
ESTEBAN LOAIZA 1972 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 AUG 127.7 156 84 18 68 79 5.92 4 10 11.00 4.79 5.57 1993 SLM 98.0 124 56 11 38 41 5.14 4 7 11.39 3.49 3.77 1993 CAR 40.0 45 20 7 13 33 4.50 2 2 10.12 2.92 7.43 1994 CAR 142.7 190 76 19 38 98 4.79 7 9 11.99 2.40 6.18 1995 PIT 171.3 188 84 21 54 81 4.41 9 10 9.88 2.84 4.25Will improve greatly in 1996. The Pirates' pitching staff should actually be pretty good, if they can keep Neagle healthy, this guy steps up, and the bullpen holds. That may sound like a lot of conditions, but outside of Atlanta, that counts as iron-clad. {Michael Jackson chastity belt joke mercifully omitted.}
RAVELO MANZANILLO 1964 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SYR 22.0 27 13 3 13 19 5.32 1 1 11.05 5.32 7.77 1994 PIT 49.7 41 23 4 42 39 4.17 3 3 7.43 7.61 7.07 1995 CLG 10.7 20 13 4 9 2 10.97 0 1 16.88 7.59 1.69Has heard of the strike zone. Is convinced it's only a rumor.
MATT MAYSEY 1967 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 HAR 96.0 115 38 6 23 74 3.56 6 5 10.78 2.16 6.94 1991 IND 60.0 67 48 14 33 43 7.20 2 5 10.05 4.95 6.45 1992 IND 63.3 67 31 10 30 39 4.41 3 4 9.52 4.26 5.54 1993 NWO 50.3 53 25 9 16 41 4.47 3 3 9.48 2.86 7.33 1993 MIL 21.3 29 14 3 13 11 5.91 1 1 12.23 5.48 4.64 1994 BUF 14.7 12 5 0 2 9 3.07 1 1 7.36 1.23 5.52 1995 CLG 97.0 109 49 11 45 69 4.55 5 6 10.11 4.18 6.40
DANNY MICELI 1971 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 EUG 30.0 24 14 4 20 24 4.20 1 2 7.20 6.00 7.20 1992 APP 22.7 15 8 2 4 28 3.18 2 1 5.96 1.59 11.12 1992 MEM 36.3 22 13 8 16 38 3.22 2 2 5.45 3.96 9.41 1993 CAR 11.3 12 9 4 5 16 7.15 0 1 9.53 3.97 12.71 1993 MEM 53.7 59 31 8 44 55 5.20 2 4 9.89 7.38 9.22 1994 BUF 23.3 16 5 3 6 31 1.93 2 1 6.17 2.31 11.96 1994 PIT 27.0 26 15 5 11 27 5.00 1 2 8.67 3.67 9.00 1995 PIT 57.7 56 22 6 27 53 3.43 3 3 8.74 4.21 8.27
RAMON MOREL 1975 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 WEL 65.7 113 57 15 28 29 7.81 1 6 15.49 3.84 3.97 1994 AGA 155.0 197 88 17 26 99 5.11 6 11 11.44 1.51 5.75 1995 LYN 67.7 87 34 4 14 35 4.52 4 4 11.57 1.86 4.66 1995 CAR 64.7 82 34 7 10 29 4.73 3 4 11.41 1.39 4.04
DENNY NEAGLE 1969 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 POR 97.3 115 46 9 31 92 4.25 5 6 10.63 2.87 8.51 1991 MIN 20.0 31 13 2 7 16 5.85 1 1 13.95 3.15 7.20 1992 PIT 86.3 90 49 13 46 88 5.11 4 6 9.38 4.80 9.17 1993 PIT 80.0 82 43 11 39 77 4.84 4 5 9.23 4.39 8.66 1994 PIT 136.3 126 62 18 50 123 4.09 7 8 8.32 3.30 8.12 1995 PIT 208.7 204 67 20 44 144 2.89 15 8 8.80 1.90 6.21Is there anyone out there who could use a left-handed starter whose ERA has dropped for the last five years, and can probably handle 200 innings over a full season? Oh, yeah he strikes out about seven or eight guys per nine innings, doesn't walk anyone, didn't pitch much at a very young age, and appears to be a damn smart ballplayer? Could any team use a guy like that? Yes! You in the back! No, Jim Frey is not the one doing the selling, but thank you for the generous offer. Yes? I'm sorry, sir, but we're only taking serious offers. Who would trade a player of this caliber for Ruben Sierra, Bobby Witt, and Jeff Russell?
STEVE PARRIS 1968 RSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 CLR 83.7 126 54 6 26 46 5.81 3 6 13.55 2.80 4.95 1992 REA 80.3 103 58 18 23 51 6.50 2 7 11.54 2.58 5.71 1992 SWB 48.0 68 29 1 19 27 5.44 2 3 12.75 3.56 5.06 1993 JAX 12.7 17 10 4 7 4 7.11 0 1 12.08 4.97 2.84 1994 SLM 52.3 63 27 6 23 35 4.64 3 3 10.83 3.96 6.02 1995 CAR 86.0 70 30 4 18 73 3.14 6 4 7.33 1.88 7.64 1995 PIT 81.7 81 36 12 33 58 3.97 5 4 8.93 3.64 6.39Reliable middle relief. Gonna be a good pitching staff, unless there's a Dan Plesac stuck in it or something.
DAN PLESAC 1962 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 MIL 90.7 96 43 12 38 70 4.27 5 5 9.53 3.77 6.95 1992 MIL 77.3 78 32 6 36 67 3.72 5 4 9.08 4.19 7.80 1993 CHC 61.7 74 33 10 23 50 4.82 3 4 10.80 3.36 7.30 1994 CHC 54.3 61 26 9 14 54 4.31 3 3 10.10 2.32 8.94 1995 PIT 60.0 48 19 3 26 55 2.85 5 2 7.20 3.90 8.25Whoa! That was eerie. Weirded me out for a second. Jim Leyland gets called a lot of things, but one thing he can do well is handle a bullpen, at least lately. Plesac has some life left in that arm, but was not as effective as his numbers above would suggest. Left handers drove in 16 runs off of him in 81 at-bats, despite only hitting .222. That means two things: Other guys' runners were scoring, and the ball was going good when it was hit to the tune of a .383 SLG. Still, Leyland did a good job of giving him an opportunity to succeed.
ROSS POWELL 1968 LBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 NAS 122.3 149 86 17 64 79 6.33 4 10 10.96 4.71 5.81 1992 CHT 53.3 53 17 2 20 47 2.87 4 2 8.94 3.38 7.93 1992 NAS 88.3 91 34 6 43 84 3.46 6 4 9.27 4.38 8.56 1993 IND 172.3 166 82 28 76 134 4.28 9 10 8.67 3.97 7.00 1993 CIN 16.0 12 7 1 7 18 3.94 1 1 6.75 3.94 10.12 1994 TUC 63.7 74 36 8 28 42 5.09 3 4 10.46 3.96 5.94 1995 TUC 36.0 33 12 3 16 34 3.00 3 1 8.25 4.00 8.50 1995 PIT 20.0 18 10 5 10 11 4.50 1 1 8.10 4.50 4.95
CURTIS RALPH 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 PRW 60.7 65 40 12 23 43 5.93 2 5 9.64 3.41 6.38 1992 FTL 19.7 27 13 4 10 17 5.95 1 1 12.36 4.58 7.78 1992 PRW 53.0 71 29 5 19 27 4.92 2 4 12.06 3.23 4.58 1993 PRW 34.0 43 25 4 14 28 6.62 1 3 11.38 3.71 7.41 1994 ABY 59.3 65 25 3 34 43 3.79 4 3 9.86 5.16 6.52 1995 CAR 24.3 27 12 3 11 14 4.44 1 2 9.99 4.07 5.18 1995 CLG 29.7 37 24 4 23 26 7.28 1 2 11.22 6.98 7.89
MATT RUEBEL 1970 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WEL 26.0 19 13 8 12 17 4.50 1 2 6.58 4.15 5.88 1991 AGA 41.0 54 33 6 30 22 7.24 1 4 11.85 6.59 4.83 1992 AGA 59.0 70 39 4 21 43 5.95 2 5 10.68 3.20 6.56 1992 SLM 70.0 96 61 21 53 34 7.84 2 6 12.34 6.81 4.37 1993 AGA 56.0 61 35 6 40 32 5.62 2 4 9.80 6.43 5.14 1993 SLM 29.3 33 30 9 38 19 9.20 0 3 10.12 11.66 5.83 1994 SLM 80.3 93 46 11 29 52 5.15 3 6 10.42 3.25 5.83 1994 CAR 14.7 31 15 3 4 12 9.20 0 2 19.02 2.45 7.36 1995 CAR 159.3 172 75 11 49 115 4.24 8 10 9.72 2.77 6.50
MATT RYAN 1972 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1993 WEL 15.7 12 11 2 16 14 6.32 1 1 6.89 9.19 8.04 1994 AGA 38.3 41 19 1 8 32 4.46 2 2 9.63 1.88 7.51 1994 SLM 26.3 30 12 0 8 9 4.10 1 2 10.25 2.73 3.08 1995 CAR 42.7 40 12 0 21 19 2.53 4 1 8.44 4.43 4.01Hasn't had a chance to settle in really. Probably going to find his control and learn to harness that stuff he's got, but it could take five more years. It's tough to develop pitching almost exclusively relief.
BRIAN SHOUSE 1969 LSP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 AUG 28.7 29 19 4 9 20 5.97 1 2 9.10 2.83 6.28 1991 SLM 30.0 43 20 4 16 18 6.00 1 2 12.90 4.80 5.40 1992 CAR 72.0 79 34 6 33 65 4.25 4 4 9.88 4.12 8.12 1993 BUF 49.3 56 22 5 19 25 4.01 2 3 10.22 3.47 4.56 1994 BUF 50.0 47 21 7 16 31 3.78 3 3 8.46 2.88 5.58 1995 CAR 107.7 144 68 21 20 64 5.68 4 8 12.04 1.67 5.35 1995 CLG 37.0 56 25 3 7 16 6.08 1 3 13.62 1.70 3.89
RANDY ST. CLAIRE 1961 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 RIC 65.7 44 12 3 7 58 1.64 6 1 6.03 .96 7.95 1991 ATL 28.3 35 18 5 10 33 5.72 1 2 11.12 3.18 10.48 1992 RIC 67.3 90 35 6 22 56 4.68 3 4 12.03 2.94 7.49 1992 ATL 15.3 19 12 1 9 8 7.04 0 2 11.15 5.28 4.70 1993 CLG 48.0 68 34 6 14 40 6.38 1 4 12.75 2.62 7.50 1993 SYR 20.0 22 8 0 5 12 3.60 1 1 9.90 2.25 5.40 1994 SYR 60.0 63 24 4 17 54 3.60 4 3 9.45 2.55 8.10 1995 CLG 50.7 65 25 4 21 42 4.44 3 3 11.55 3.73 7.46(Cheers) (Praise) I'm a big fan of Randy's. Right hander, bounced around a lot, and has pitched well enough most of the time to have value in the bigs. I don't think he's ever started a game. Anyone who sends me a letter documenting a Randy St. Claire start will receive a big dark red T-shirt with a huge picture of Rod Serling's disembodied head on it.
ROYAL THOMAS 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 HDS 139.3 196 108 30 50 68 6.98 4 11 12.66 3.23 4.39 1992 WIC 116.0 165 112 24 63 71 8.69 2 11 12.80 4.89 5.51 1993 SAN 99.3 130 63 16 54 41 5.71 4 7 11.78 4.89 3.71 1994 GRN 77.7 107 45 7 35 42 5.21 3 6 12.40 4.06 4.87 1995 RIC 81.7 116 45 6 29 36 4.96 4 5 12.78 3.20 3.97
PAUL WAGNER 1968 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 SLM 147.7 147 90 31 63 81 5.49 6 10 8.96 3.84 4.94 1992 CAR 114.0 115 57 6 54 83 4.50 6 7 9.08 4.26 6.55 1992 BUF 36.7 60 30 2 15 20 7.36 1 3 14.73 3.68 4.91 1992 PIT 13.0 10 2 0 6 6 1.38 1 0 6.92 4.15 4.15 1993 PIT 139.3 142 64 17 47 120 4.13 7 8 9.17 3.04 7.75 1994 PIT 119.0 127 54 7 51 87 4.08 6 7 9.61 3.86 6.58 1995 PIT 163.7 159 71 18 72 115 3.90 9 9 8.74 3.96 6.32One walk per nine innings away from making $15 Million.
RICK WHITE 1969 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 AUG 53.7 95 39 5 17 32 6.54 2 4 15.93 2.85 5.37 1991 SLM 44.3 48 33 9 7 26 6.70 1 4 9.74 1.42 5.28 1992 SLM 110.3 149 76 27 28 52 6.20 4 8 12.15 2.28 4.24 1992 CAR 54.0 64 33 12 21 37 5.50 2 4 10.67 3.50 6.17 1993 BUF 26.7 27 12 1 8 16 4.05 1 2 9.11 2.70 5.40 1993 VAR 66.3 57 26 8 12 46 3.53 4 3 7.73 1.63 6.24 1994 PIT 75.0 74 28 9 18 38 3.36 5 3 8.88 2.16 4.56 1995 CLG 75.7 89 34 12 10 55 4.04 4 4 10.59 1.19 6.54 1995 PIT 54.7 61 24 3 17 28 3.95 3 3 10.04 2.80 4.61
MARC WILKINS 1971 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 WEL 36.3 57 45 6 32 24 11.15 0 4 14.12 7.93 5.94 1993 AGA 68.7 97 59 11 35 47 7.73 2 6 12.71 4.59 6.16 1994 SLM 140.3 166 79 19 48 65 5.07 6 10 10.65 3.08 4.17 1995 CAR 92.3 106 51 11 49 67 4.97 4 6 10.33 4.78 6.53
TRAVIS WILLIS 1969 RRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 WNS 66.0 97 50 5 25 44 6.82 2 5 13.23 3.41 6.00 1992 CHR 57.3 69 30 4 20 29 4.71 3 3 10.83 3.14 4.55 1993 ORL 75.7 101 38 4 23 45 4.52 4 4 12.01 2.74 5.35 1994 BUF 72.3 95 39 7 27 41 4.85 3 5 11.82 3.36 5.10 1995 CAR 20.0 26 11 0 12 10 4.95 1 1 11.70 5.40 4.50 1995 CLG 36.7 50 25 5 16 13 6.14 1 3 12.27 3.93 3.19
GARY WILSON 1970 RBP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1992 WEL 38.0 37 16 2 17 23 3.79 2 2 8.76 4.03 5.45 1992 AUG 38.3 50 26 6 6 17 6.10 1 3 11.74 1.41 3.99 1993 AUG 45.3 74 35 10 10 26 6.95 1 4 14.69 1.99 5.16 1993 SLM 69.7 109 58 18 31 36 7.49 2 6 14.08 4.00 4.65 1994 SLM 32.0 46 15 2 4 19 4.22 2 2 12.94 1.12 5.34 1994 CAR 150.7 163 63 17 46 83 3.76 9 8 9.74 2.75 4.96 1995 CLG 15.7 16 11 3 9 12 6.32 1 1 9.19 5.17 6.89 1995 PIT 14.0 12 6 2 5 8 3.86 1 1 7.71 3.21 5.14Hard to be successful over a long term unless you strike out more guys than this. The Pirates have enough pitching depth without him, and he may be hard pressed to keep a job, really. If you don't throw hard, you don't get a lot of what you would call extra chances. Control might be enough for a short career, but needs a bit more to really have a good shot. "But coach, I can juggle, too!"
DARRIN WINSTON 1967 LRP YEAR TEAM IP H ER HR BB SO ERA W L H/9 BB/9 K/9 1991 IND 29.0 30 15 4 22 22 4.66 1 2 9.31 6.83 6.83 1993 WPB 23.0 22 9 1 3 18 3.52 2 1 8.61 1.17 7.04 1993 HAR 41.3 61 32 6 21 30 6.97 1 4 13.28 4.57 6.53 1994 HAR 32.3 41 16 3 10 22 4.45 2 2 11.41 2.78 6.12 1994 OTT 26.7 29 14 6 11 16 4.72 1 2 9.79 3.71 5.40 1995 CLG 48.3 53 24 9 17 39 4.47 2 3 9.87 3.17 7.26