Baseball Articles | 1999
Post-Season Reviews
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Baseball Articles | 1999
Post-Season Reviews
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1999 Post-Season Review -- Pittsburgh Pirates By Sherri Nichols This article takes a look at how the Pittsburgh Pirates did in the 1999 season relative to preseason expectations. For an overview of the approach used in this review, and a definition of some of the key terms and statistics, please see the overview page called 1999 Team-by-Team Performance Reviews. Capsule SummaryProjected Actual Runs for 691 775 Runs allowed 746 782 Run margin -55 -7 Wins 74 78 Pythagorean Wins 75 80 Placement 5th 3rd Despite injuries, the Pirates managed to outperform expectations and struggle towards respectability. The biggest injury, of course, was Jason Kendall's horrible ankle dislocation. Losing one of their best offensive weapons hampered the anemic Pirate attack, which had been headed for better things than projected. The pitching staff overall performed about at expectations, with the starting rotation solidifying nicely while injuries took their toll on the bullpen. Key Position PlayersBefore the All-Star break, with Jason Kendall, the Pirates were hitting .274/.350/.439. After the All-Star break, the Pirates, without Jason Kendall, the Pirates hit .241/.314/.395. Brian Giles and Warren Morris were great additions, but Kendall's injury left a black hole the Pirates couldn't fill. Jason Kendall, c, age 25 (as of July 1, 1999)AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 516 159 34 3 10 83 63 29 49 4 47 20 5 .308 .394 .444 .838 98 Prorated Pit 285 88 18 1 5 45 34 16 27 2 26 11 2 .309 .396 .432 .827 53 Actual Pit 280 93 20 3 8 61 41 12 38 3 32 22 3 .332 .428 .511 .939 67 Unquestionably the best player on the Pirates team, it was quite a blow when he blew out his ankle in mid-season (giving us all the most gruesome replay since Joe Theisman.) The Pirates didn't and don't have anyone who can replace him, so they have to hope that he makes a full recovery. Kendall is optimistic, but no one knows if he'll be able to handle all that squatting on an ankle lacking cartilage. Keith Osik, c, age 30AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 98 23 7 0 0 9 7 1 10 1 17 1 1 .235 .309 .306 .615 9 Prorated Pit 158 37 11 0 0 14 11 1 16 1 27 1 1 .234 .307 .304 .611 15 Actual Pit 167 31 3 1 2 12 13 1 11 0 30 0 0 .186 .239 .251 .490 9 Osik's bat can't begin to replace Kendall's, as the Pirates learned. Even if Kendall makes a full recovery, the Pirates should be looking at upgrading in this spot, so they can give Kendall's ankle a break more often. Joe Oliver, c, age 33AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Tam 70 16 3 0 2 6 9 0 4 0 13 0 0 .229 .267 .357 .624 6 Prorated Pit 136 31 5 0 3 11 17 0 7 0 25 0 0 .228 .264 .331 .595 11 Actual Pit 134 27 8 0 1 10 13 0 10 0 33 2 0 .201 .253 .284 .537 10 Pittsburgh grabbed Oliver to back up Osik when Kendall went down, but he's not the answer, either. Tim Laker and Randy Knorr have been signed for next year. Kevin Young, 1b, age 30AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 590 154 34 2 27 87 109 10 38 2 133 15 5 .261 .312 .463 .774 83 Prorated Pit 614 160 35 2 28 90 113 10 39 2 138 15 5 .261 .311 .461 .771 86 Actual Pit 584 174 41 6 26 103 106 12 75 5 124 22 10 .298 .387 .522 .909 120 Young had an outstanding season for the Bucs last year, with the jump in OBP being the most impressive number. He hasn't posted that kind of OBP since he was in the Pirate minor league system back in 1992. If the walk total is for real, the Pirates have a solid first baseman. There is concern about the 23 errors Young committed at first last season, though, after committing only 8 in 1998. [TT: That's way too many errors for a 1B. Young has terrific range, and if he can get his fielding percentage up to the league average, he can be a very valuable defensive player.] Warren Morris, 2b, age 25AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 148 39 6 1 4 17 23 1 12 1 25 3 2 .264 .321 .399 .720 19 Prorated Pit 530 139 21 3 14 60 82 3 43 3 89 10 7 .262 .321 .392 .713 68 Actual Pit 511 147 20 3 15 65 73 2 59 3 88 3 7 .288 .360 .427 .787 78 The less well known of the players acquired from Texas for Esteban Loaiza (the other being Todd Van Poppel), Morris showed himself to be the more useful of the two, making the jump from AA to everyday major league second baseman in fine fashion. After a performance like this in Morris' first major league season, the Bucs appear set at second base. Mike Benjamin, ss, age 33AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 420 101 21 1 4 47 40 7 19 2 84 7 1 .240 .283 .324 .607 38 Prorated Pit 368 88 18 0 3 41 35 6 16 1 73 6 0 .239 .281 .313 .594 32 Actual Pit 368 91 26 7 1 42 37 2 20 3 90 10 1 .247 .288 .364 .652 41 After Pat Meares went out with a hand injury, Benjamin shared the shortstop job with Abraham Nunez, and hit about as well as could be expected. Benjamin will likely return to a utility role backing up Meares and Morris next season. [TT: In 1998, Benjamin batted .272 with 23 doubles in about half a season of playing time, and all the talk last spring was that the Pirates were going to make him the everyday 2B. We thought the club would be better off with Morris in the lineup, but projected Benjamin for most of the atbats anyway because of those reports. As it turned out, Morris was the everyday 2B and Benjamin made up the atbats as the SS after Meares went down. Benjamin can help a team in a utility role because he's a terrific fielder at second, third and short, but he's a lifetime .229 hitter who doesn't add walks or power.] Pat Meares, ss, age 30AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 642 161 31 5 10 71 79 12 25 1 110 8 6 .251 .288 .361 .650 65 Prorated Pit 96 24 4 0 1 10 11 1 3 0 16 1 0 .250 .277 .323 .600 8 Actual Pit 91 28 4 0 0 15 7 2 9 0 20 0 0 .308 .382 .352 .734 13 The Pirates have declared Pat Meares the shortstop, and plan on batting him second in the order, and signed him to a four-year contract extension. Why would a team feel the need to lock up a below average shortstop for four years? I know there's not much in the way of shortstop prospects in their minor league system, and Meares is regarded as a "steady" shortstop, but shortstops like this aren't that hard to find. [TT: Last winter, Meares was surprised when the Twins didn't pick up a $3m option for 1999, and was surprised again when there was almost no interest in him as a free agent. So he settled for a one-year $1.5m deal with Pittsburgh. Given these events, I can't fathom why the Bucs had to go as high as four years at $4m per year to sign this guy is a mystery to me.] Abraham Nunez, ss, age 23AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 67 15 2 1 0 7 4 0 7 0 12 3 1 .224 .297 .284 .581 6 Prorated Pit 268 60 8 4 0 28 16 0 28 0 48 12 4 .224 .297 .284 .581 24 Actual Pit 259 57 8 0 0 25 17 1 28 0 54 9 1 .220 .299 .251 .550 23 The Bucs aren't as high on Nunez as they were before he struggled at the plate and in the field last season. The original plan had been to let Nunez get more time in AAA while Pat Meares played short last season, but Meares' injury derailed that. There's not much in Nunez' minor league numbers to suggest that he's ever going to be a quality hitter, and with Meares signed to a four-year contract at short and Morris entrenched at second, there doesn't seem to be much room for Nunez as anything but a utility infielder. Ed Sprague, 3b, age 31AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 380 84 22 1 15 46 44 8 28 1 80 0 1 .221 .287 .403 .690 43 Prorated Pit 512 113 29 1 20 62 59 10 37 1 107 0 1 .221 .285 .398 .684 57 Actual Pit 490 131 27 2 22 71 81 17 50 6 93 3 6 .267 .352 .465 .817 79 Ed Sprague was signed last year to give Aramis Ramirez another year to develop in AAA. That mission accomplished, Sprague won't be back next season. He did give the Pirates a better than expected average season at third base. [TT: Sprague's first half (.300 AVG, .402 OBP, 16 homers) gained him a spot on the All-Star team. His second half (.220 AVG, .270 OBP, .350 SPC) cost him a lot of money in the free agent market. He recently signed with the Padres, where he'll probably be a utility player.] Dale Sveum, 3b, age 35AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Ari 69 16 4 0 2 8 10 0 5 0 17 0 0 .232 .280 .377 .657 7 Prorated Pit 73 17 4 0 2 8 10 0 5 0 18 0 0 .233 .278 .370 .648 8 Actual Pit 71 15 5 1 3 7 13 0 7 1 28 0 0 .211 .278 .437 .715 9 Sveum was part of the anemic Pittsburgh bench, and along with Luis Sojo was re-signed for next season as insurance for Aramis Ramirez not getting the job done at third. I'm not sure what insurance they'll provide, though. Aramis Ramirez, 3b, age 21AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 68 16 3 0 2 6 6 1 6 0 16 0 0 .235 .307 .368 .674 8 Prorated Pit 58 13 2 0 1 5 5 0 5 0 13 0 0 .224 .286 .310 .596 5 Actual Pit 56 10 2 1 0 2 7 0 6 0 9 0 0 .179 .254 .250 .504 4 The Pirates finally seem ready to give Ramirez the chance to be the everyday third baseman. When the Pirates signed Wil Cordero, there was talk that he might play third base so Ramirez could have more development time in AAA. But Cordero, who told the Pirates he wasn't a third baseman, is ticketed for the outfield, where he'll likely keep prospect Chad Hermansen in AAA. Ramirez didn't show any signs of needing more AAA time at the plate last season, where he posted .328/.425/.502 numbers for the Nashville Sounds. The Pirates believe that his 42 errors in AAA last season were due to lack of concentration, not inherent problems in his fielding. Freddy Garcia, lf, age 26AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 217 52 12 2 11 30 32 2 14 2 51 0 0 .240 .289 .465 .755 27 Prorated Pit 124 29 6 1 6 17 18 1 8 1 29 0 0 .234 .284 .444 .727 15 Actual Pit 130 30 5 0 6 16 23 0 4 0 41 0 0 .231 .252 .408 .660 13 Prorated Atl 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 Actual Atl 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 .500 .667 2.000 2.667 3 Prorated Tot 127 30 7 1 6 17 18 1 8 1 29 0 0 .236 .285 .449 .733 15 Actual Tot 132 31 5 0 7 17 24 0 5 0 42 0 0 .235 .261 .432 .693 14 A one-time Rule V gamble that never paid off, the Pirates shipped Garcia to Atlanta. The Pirates kept Garcia on the bench in the majors in 1995 to satisfy the Rule V requirements, then sent him down to work his way back through the minors. By 1999, he had worked his way back to the majors, but he had fallen out of favor. He didn't really have a defensive position, and he never learned any patience at the plate. Al Martin, lf, age 31AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 70 17 3 0 2 9 8 0 5 0 13 3 1 .243 .293 .371 .665 8 Prorated Pit 553 134 23 0 15 71 63 0 39 0 102 23 7 .242 .292 .365 .658 60 Actual Pit 541 150 36 8 24 97 63 1 49 5 119 20 3 .277 .337 .506 .844 95 The Pirates are looking to cut salary and make room for Chad Hermansen by trading Martin, but as of now, Martin is still a Pirate. It's a bit of a mystery why the Pirates so much prefer Wil Cordero to Martin. Cordero is 4 years younger, which is a big difference, but there's not much difference in the level of performance you could expect from either next season. Martin's salary for 2000 is $3.25 million, not a huge difference from what Cordero's 3-year, $9 million deal will pay him. Cordero has been an everyday player one season out of the last four, while Martin has been a regular all that time. With the Pirates getting ready to move into a new park in 2001, you'd think they'd want to stay away from the kind of off-the-field problems Cordero has had. I understand that when you're a small market team with a limited budget, you have to take some chances on some players on the scrap heap, but you don't have to sign players on the scrap heap to multi-year deals before they've done anything for you. Brian Giles, cf, age 28AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 539 138 26 3 26 86 92 3 93 8 93 13 4 .256 .365 .460 .825 95 Prorated Pit 525 134 25 2 25 83 89 2 90 7 90 12 3 .255 .363 .453 .817 91 Actual Pit 521 164 33 3 39 109 115 3 95 7 80 6 2 .315 .418 .614 1.032 138 Giles posted outstanding numbers for the Pirates last season, given the chance to play everyday. Were it not for Chad Hermansen, Giles would be set in center field for several more years, but the Pirates think that eventually Giles will move to one of the corner outfield slots and Hermansen will patrol center field. If Giles hits like this, it doesn't matter where he plays, he's valuable. Chad Hermansen, cf, age 21AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 68 16 4 1 3 10 9 1 6 0 19 2 0 .235 .307 .456 .763 10 Prorated Pit 62 14 3 0 2 9 8 0 5 0 17 1 0 .226 .284 .371 .655 9 Actual Pit 60 14 3 0 1 5 1 1 7 1 19 2 2 .233 .324 .333 .657 7 The Pirates' top prospect, Hermansen had been expected to make the club in 2000, but the signing of Wil Cordero complicates that. Hermansen didn't have a great season in AAA last year, though there were signs of improvement. Hermansen does show 20+ home run potential, something Wil Cordero will never do. Given the chance, Hermansen is very likely to be better than Cordero by 2001, and might be better than him today. What good does it do to have a good farm system if you don't believe in it? Jose Guillen, rf, age 23AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 553 148 30 3 15 61 80 7 20 0 93 2 3 .268 .300 .414 .714 66 Prorated Pit 124 33 6 0 3 13 18 1 4 0 20 0 0 .266 .295 .387 .682 13 Actual Pit 120 32 6 0 1 18 18 0 10 1 21 1 0 .267 .321 .342 .662 12 Prorated Tam 175 47 9 0 4 19 25 2 6 0 29 0 0 .269 .299 .389 .687 20 Actual Tam 168 41 10 0 2 24 13 7 10 1 36 0 0 .244 .312 .339 .651 17 Prorated Tot 300 80 16 1 8 33 43 3 10 0 50 1 1 .267 .295 .407 .702 35 Actual Tot 288 73 16 0 3 42 31 7 20 2 57 1 0 .253 .315 .340 .656 28 The Pirates gave up on Guillen, and shipped him off to Tampa Bay for Joe Oliver when Keith Osik got hurt. Perhaps the current Pirate hesitancy in playing their young prospects is an overreaction to the time when they rushed their kids too fast. The Bucs made Jose Guillen an everyday player in the major leagues at age 21 with no experience above A ball. He hasn't really shown much development since then, but he's still young enough that he might recover. Maybe the Pirates will recover, too, and do a better job of recognizing when their players are ready. Adrian Brown, of, age 25AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 78 20 2 1 0 11 4 0 5 0 9 5 1 .256 .301 .308 .609 7 Prorated Pit 247 63 6 3 0 34 12 0 15 0 28 15 3 .255 .298 .304 .601 23 Actual Pit 226 61 5 2 4 34 17 1 33 2 39 5 3 .270 .364 .363 .727 31 One of the few Pirate bench players who had a good season, Adrian Brown is expected to fill the same role next year. Brant Brown, rf, age 28AB H 2B 3B HR R RBI HP W IW K SB CS AVG OBP SPC OPS RC Projection Pit 585 159 29 9 24 88 80 4 43 3 135 8 8 .272 .325 .475 .801 89 Prorated Pit 341 92 16 5 14 51 46 2 25 1 78 4 4 .270 .323 .469 .793 51 Actual Pit 341 79 20 3 16 49 58 4 22 3 114 3 4 .232 .283 .449 .732 43 Brant Brown was traded to Florida for Bruce Aven, eliminating any possibility of the Pirates fielding an all-Brown outfield (Adrian, Brant, Emil). Aven is a year younger, is regarded as a better defender, and does a better job of getting on base than Brown. Key PitchersThe starting rotation is considered one of the Pirates' strengths, and the place where potential trading partners come looking. The development of Kris Benson and the surprise emergence of Todd Ritchie strengthened the staff considerably. The Pirates suffered injury after injury in the closer position, so the closer next season might be whoever recovers first. If the spate of injuries was a fluke, rather than something systemic, the pitching staff has the potential for real improvement in 2000. Jason Schmidt, starter, age 26 (as of July 1, 1999)Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.39 32 32 12 12 0 207 217 21 77 152 .271 .748 Prorated Pit 4.39 33 33 13 13 0 216 227 22 81 159 .271 .748 Actual Pit 4.19 33 33 13 11 0 213 219 24 85 148 .262 .771 Schmidt is the Pirate pitcher most in demand in trade talks, but the Pirates would rather move Francisco Cordova. Cordova and Schmidt are close in age, and their overall performance last season wasn't a lot different, but Schmidt posted 20 quality starts to Cordova's 13, which suggests that Schmidt's upside is higher. Kris Benson, starter, age 24Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 6.11 3 3 1 1 0 18 21 3 6 13 .300 .865 Prorated Pit 6.11 32 32 11 11 0 190 226 32 65 140 .300 .865 Actual Pit 4.07 31 31 11 14 0 197 184 16 83 139 .249 .695 The reason Benson's name hasn't surfaced in trade demands is that the Pirates have made it clear he's untouchable. Benson showed strong development last year, pitching better in the bigs in 1999 than he had in AAA the season before. If he continues his development, he should be the cornerstone of the staff soon. Francisco Cordova, starter, age 27Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 3.59 32 32 13 10 0 218 205 21 59 152 .250 .690 Prorated Pit 3.59 24 24 10 8 0 166 156 16 45 116 .250 .690 Actual Pit 4.43 27 27 8 10 0 161 166 16 59 98 .273 .764 Cordova had a disappointing year following a season in which he saw the heaviest work of his career. His 220.1 innings pitched in 1998 were over 40 more than his previous high, and the 921 batters faced almost 180 more than he had faced in a season previously. These aren't extreme numbers, but if his problem was a tired arm last year, look for Cordova to bounce back next season, as he returned to a more typical workload for him in 1999. If Cordova can't handle 200+ innings reliably, there's another reason the Pirates would rather trade him than Schmidt. Todd Ritchie, starter, age 27Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.58 9 0 1 1 0 18 20 2 8 14 .286 .820 Prorated Pit 4.58 79 0 9 9 0 156 177 18 71 124 .286 .820 Actual Pit 3.50 28 26 15 9 0 172 169 17 54 107 .259 .724 Todd Ritchie was last season's scrap heap miracle, a pitcher who came out of nowhere to post excellent numbers and lead the Pirates in victories. Ritchie had been a undistinguished reliever for the Twins, but when the Twins cut him loose, the Pirates signed him and made him a starter, something he hadn't been since AA ball. The results were pretty spectacular. Was it a fluke? If the only eye-catching number above were the 15 victories, I'd say yes, because Ritchie received very good run support last season (6.21 runs/game). But there's a lot to like about Ritchie's performance last season: a 3.50 ERA, fewer hits than innings pitched, an almost 2 to 1 strikeout to walk ratio. It's hard to believe all of that was a fluke. Pete Schourek, starter/reliever, age 30Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.99 27 27 7 10 0 148 153 25 61 110 .267 .808 Prorated Pit 4.99 21 21 6 8 0 117 121 20 48 87 .267 .808 Actual Pit 5.34 30 17 4 7 0 113 128 20 49 94 .287 .874 Schourek had elbow surgery prior to the 1998 season, and it's not unusual to take two years to come back all the way. That said, Schourek hasn't really had a good season since 1995. He'll get a chance to win a spot in the rotation in spring, but unless the Pirates move Cordova, he'll be battling two other lefties in Chris Peters and Jimmy Anderson for the last spot. Chris Peters, starter/reliever, age 27Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 3.83 32 32 11 11 0 197 190 19 76 129 .256 .715 Prorated Pit 3.83 13 13 5 5 0 81 78 8 31 53 .256 .715 Actual Pit 6.59 19 11 5 4 0 71 98 17 27 46 .322 .940 Peters will be another pitcher in the mix for a rotation spot. He struggled last season, but was pitching with a bad shoulder that was repaired arthroscopically in the off-season. The Pirates hope he can return to his 1998 form, when he posted a 3.48 ERA in 21 starts and 18 relief appearances. Jose Silva, starter/reliever, age 25Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.48 32 32 9 11 0 179 198 14 57 120 .284 .760 Prorated Pit 4.48 18 18 5 6 0 101 112 8 32 68 .284 .760 Actual Pit 5.73 34 12 2 8 4 97 108 10 39 77 .281 .785 If Silva can come back from offseason arthroscopic shoulder surgery, he's a candidate either for the rotation or for the closer spot. The Pirates tried Silva as a closer last season, and early results were encouraging, but his injury cut short the experiment. Originally, Silva was going to miss at least a month of the season, but recent reports are that he'll be ready for opening day. Brad Clontz, middle reliever, age 28Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Bos 4.58 13 0 1 1 0 18 18 2 7 15 .265 .749 Prorated Pit 4.58 37 0 3 3 0 51 51 6 20 43 .265 .749 Actual Pit 2.74 56 0 1 3 2 49 49 6 24 40 .254 .727 Clontz had a solid year for the Bucs, but his arbitration submission was too high for the Pirates' taste, and they traded him to Arizona for a player to be named later. Jason Christiansen, middle reliever, age 29Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 3.17 70 0 6 3 1 99 95 6 38 105 .253 .684 Prorated Pit 3.17 27 0 2 1 0 38 36 2 14 40 .253 .684 Actual Pit 4.03 40 0 2 3 3 38 26 2 22 35 .197 .622 Christiansen has been mentioned as a potential closer candidate, though he hasn't been all that effective in that role to date, converting only 9 of 23 save opportunities in his major league career. Christiansen pitched pretty well in between three trips to the DL with neck and back ailments. He had only spent time on the DL twice in his career prior to last season. Greg Hansell, middle reliever, age 28Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection SF 4.50 11 0 1 1 0 18 18 3 6 15 .265 .770 Prorated Pit 4.50 24 0 2 2 0 39 39 7 13 33 .265 .770 Actual Pit 3.89 33 0 1 3 0 39 42 5 11 34 .280 .779 According to Greg Hansell's online journal, he has played to date for 10 teams in 5 countries, and he's adding a new team and country next season. He has signed with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan. The journeyman reliever posted a fairly solid season for the Buccos, but he elected to play in Japan rather than deal with the ups and downs of life for journeyman reliever in the States. Scott Sauerbeck, middle reliever, age 27Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 6.45 4 4 1 2 0 22 29 3 10 16 .315 .879 Prorated Pit 6.45 11 11 3 6 0 62 80 8 28 44 .315 .879 Actual Pit 2.00 65 0 4 1 2 68 53 6 38 55 .220 .676 A Rule V draftee, Sauerbeck exceeded all expectations, and was very effective as a left-handed arm in the bullpen. Opposing left-handed hitters only managed to hit .167 against him. The Bucs hope to hit the Rule V jackpot again this year with Brad Smith, another pitcher, though this time they found a loophole that will allow them to send Smith to the minors without offering him back. By drafting him in the Rule V draft, but then not tendering a contract to him, Smith became a free agent, whom the Pirates then signed. Jeff Wallace, middle reliever, age 23Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.62 53 0 3 3 0 51 54 5 38 49 .274 .810 Prorated Pit 4.62 39 0 2 2 0 37 40 4 28 36 .274 .810 Actual Pit 3.69 41 0 1 0 0 39 26 2 38 41 .195 .650 Wallace missed the entire 1998 season with reconstructive elbow surgery, so his 1999 performance, seen in that light, looks more impressive. Oddly, the lefty reliever was much more effective against right-handed batters (.161/.342/.230) than left-handed batters (.261/.426/.370). Marc Wilkins, middle reliever, age 28Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 3.61 70 0 4 3 2 72 66 7 35 56 .245 .717 Prorated Pit 3.61 50 0 3 2 1 52 48 5 25 40 .245 .717 Actual Pit 4.24 46 0 2 3 0 51 49 3 26 44 .257 .726 Wilkins began the season on the DL, recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. Most of his numbers were within expectations. Mike Williams, closer, age 29Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Projection Pit 4.80 44 4 3 4 0 75 78 10 31 66 .269 .782 Prorated Pit 4.80 36 3 2 3 0 62 64 8 25 54 .269 .782 Actual Pit 5.09 58 0 3 4 23 58 63 9 37 76 .276 .826 Williams stepped into the closer role when Rich Loiselle's elbow limited his effectiveness and eventually ended his season. Williams converted 23 of 28 save opportunities, but went on the DL with biceps tendonitis at the end of June and was less effective in the second half of the season. Williams is one of several candidates for what will likely be a closer by committee for the Pirates next season. Jimmy Anderson, reliever/starter, age 23Tm ERA G GS W L S INN H HR BB K AVG OPS Actual Pit 3.99 13 4 2 1 0 29 25 2 16 13 .234 .663 Anderson made his major league debut on August 6 and picked up his first major league win and his first major league hit that day against Jose Jimenez. In his four starts in the bigs, Anderson was 2-1 with a 2.66 ERA. The lefty will fight for the last rotation spot. His ineffectiveness as a reliever last year, and his ineffectiveness at retiring lefties suggest that if he doesn't win the rotation spot, he might be headed back to AAA. OutlookThe Pirates feel that injuries were the major factor between them and a 90-win season last year. I'm less convinced. Clearly, the injuries hurt them, but I'm not convinced there's a 90-win team here yet. There's a good young nucleus here to build around, but what are the Pirates doing to build around it? How does the multi-year signing of Wil Cordero address any of their needs? What have they done to strengthen their weak bench? Who's going to be the closer? Are they committed to their young players like Ramirez and Hermansen, or not? What are they going to do if Jason Kendall can't catch 140 games? Gene Lamont better hope that Cam Bonifay has a plan to address these problems, because he probably loses his job if the Pirates aren't competitive next September. Projections and text: Copyright © 2000. Diamond Mind,
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