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Pirates Stockpiled Arms Before Rule Change On Slot Draft Picks
Before the new management regime in Pittsburgh, the Pirates were notoriously bad, even laughable when it came to drafting and developing players. Neal Huntington accepted the GM position for the Pirates in 2007. Shortly after, Huntington... More of this article »
Pirates Coaching Staff Faces Familiar Task Fixing Edinson Volquez
The Pittsburgh Pirates have many young arms beginning to infiltrate the major league ball club and many still working their way through the system. Until there are enough home grown pitchers to fill out the rotation, management has... More of this article »
Pirates Trade Rumors: 2013 Fate to be Determined by Pitching, Not Hitting
The MLB non-waiver trade deadline is on Wednesday at 4pm. Most think the Pittsburgh Pirates need to trade for a right fielder or first baseman to ensure that this team will be playing meaningful baseball well into September and hopefully... More of this article »
Is Pirates Slugger Pedro Alvarez The New Adam Dunn?
In the 2008 draft, the Pittsburgh Pirates selected a player they envisioned would lock down third base for years to come and more importantly the cleanup spot in the batting order for years to come. It has been a work in progress,... More of this article »
2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Offensive Hopes Tied to Core Players
Clint Barmes batted .229 with eight home runs and 45 rbi in 2012, which are all close to his 2011 numbers (.244,12 home runs, 39 rbi). Barmes played solid defense, registering a .972 fielding percentage, slightly above his career average.... More of this article »
Pittsburgh Pirates ‘Wish’ to Contend with a ‘Wishful’ Thinking 2013 Rotation
I want to believe the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to contend in 2013, the Pirates want you to believe they will contend this season. Have faith that these players will give it their all out on the field and understand that this team... More of this article »
Phillies Offseason Moves: Looking to Regain Footing in NL East
Revere will be relied upon to get on base and score runs The Philadelphia Phillies were somewhere they are not accustomed last October, sitting at home. For the first time since 2006, the Phillies did not make the postseason, finishing... More of this article »
Pirates GM Huntington Faced With Familiar Task – Rebuild Bullpen
GM Huntington has been faced with the task of rebuilding a bullpen year after year According to Rob Biertempfel of the Tribune Review, Joel Hanrahan is being shopped by the Pirates and will most likely be traded. Jason Grilli is... More of this article »
With Russell Martin Signed – Pirates Look to Add More Players – But Who?
Can the Pirates add more free agents this winter The Pittsburgh Pirates shocked many last week when they signed free agent catcher Russell Martin to a two-year, $17 million deal. It was the richest contract ever given to to a free... More of this article »
Wandy Rodriguez Recovers from Rocky Start with Pirates
The Pirates version of a big splash at the trade deadline this season was acquiring left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez from the Houston Astros. The Pirates thought so highly of the starter, they traded away three of their better... More of this article »
Pirates – September Call-Ups and Active Roster Preview
Pirates call-ups to help post-season push The first of September in Pittsburgh normally means the arrival of 10-15 minor league prospects that will be getting their feet wet in the majors for the first time. Those players have been... More of this article »
Pirates McDonald Becomes Stopper When Most Needed
James McDonald gave the Pirates a shut-down performance PNC Park had it all Tuesday night. Major collisions, curtain calls, standing ovations and even a dominant performance from one of their aces. During the 9-0 stomping... More of this article »
Pirates – Management, Players, Fans Show Inexperience with Winning
Pirates Feeling Pressure of Pennant Race After two decades of losing baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates are where they want to be–directly in the middle of a serious pennant race. Although the organization has taken large strides... More of this article »
Pirates Bullpen Needs Overhaul for Stretch Run
Over the last 30 days, the bullpen’s ERA is 4.54 and has been absolutely miserable the past 14 days with a 5.71 ERA. ( Photo by Keith Allison) It is no secret that the Pittsburgh Pirates have had the wind taken out of their sails... More of this article »
Pirates McCutchen, Alvarez in Power Slumps – Role Players Step Up
Pedro Alvarez has 21 home runs and 58 rbi this season, but lately has suffered a power outage and playing time has decreased because of it (Photo by Sports, Trains and Planes Flickr) Pedro Alvarez and Andrew McCutchen have a combined... More of this article »
Cueto Headlines Top Five For NL Cy Young Award List
Cueto is 14-5 with a 2.52 ERA With only 57 days until the last day of the regular season, it is time to talk Cy Young Award. With much of the regular season behind us at this point, we have a good clue on who is in the conversation... More of this article »
Reds Continue Improbable Run Without Votto
When Joey Votto went down with a knee injury, the Reds were in the midst of a six game winning streak. Not many would have predicted the Reds would continue that success without Votto in the lineup for an extended period of time. Votto... More of this article »
Pirates – Winners on the Field – Winners at The Trade Deadline
The Pirates made a total of four trades in the past week before Tuesday’s 4pm non-waiver trade deadline. Within those trades, the Pirates did not trade any, I repeat any irreplaceable commodities. Many fans are disappointed... More of this article »
Five Keys to Pittsburgh Pirates Winning NL Central
The Cincinnati Reds are 14-2 since the All-Star break and now have a three game lead over the Pirates in the NL Central division race. Although the Pirates are a respectable 10-6 since the All-Star break, there is plenty of improvement... More of this article »
MLB’s Second-Half Leaders and Losers
The resurgent A’s have won 10 of their last 12 games (Keith Allison / flickr) With just a handful of days left before the trade deadline, the buyers and sellers of the market have come more clearly into focus. The trends have... More of this article »
Wandy Rodriguez Trade – Huntington Continues to Make Smart Baseball Moves
“We like the innings, we like the strikeouts, we like the ERA, we like the competitor. He has very quietly been one of the better pitchers in major league baseball over the last three-four years.” -GM Neal Huntington, courtesy... More of this article »
Dempster Trade Story Continues
Yesterday, the Atlanta Braves and the Chicago Cubs agreed in principle to a deal that would send veteran starter Ryan Dempster to the Braves. That was Monday, and now on Tuesday, the clubs still stand where they stood yesterday at... More of this article »
Pirates Bullpen Dominant – Built Yearly On Power Arms
The Pirates bullpen has been one of the more consistent aspects of the team for three straight seasons now. Dating back to the days of Octavio Dotel and Javier Lopez in 2010, the bullpen has been a strength of the Pirates. Pittsburgh... More of this article »
Trade Deadline – Who are the Buyers – Who are the Sellers
As the July 31 trade deadline nears, MLB teams are scrambling, attempting to figure out if they will be sellers, buyers or neither for the 2012 season. Many teams have already made it known what their intentions will be, but there... More of this article »
Strasburg Nearing Unstable Territory – Nationals Seeking Starter ?
Stephen Strasburg wants to pitch the entire season, hell or high water. General manager Mike Rizzo will not let that happen– or will he? According to Pedro Gomez at ESPN, Rizzo stated that he will be the one that dictates... More of this article »
Pirates James McDonald Struggling – Fighting Through Learning Curve
McDonald has won three of his last four starts despite allowing 14 walks in that span. (Photo by Runneralan2004-Flickr) In the first half of the 2012 season, the Pirates witnessed James McDonald solidify himself as the team’s... More of this article »
Despite Age – Mike Trout Can Win MVP in 2012
Trout is currently on pace to be a serious contender to win AL Rookie of the Year, AL MVP, AL Batting Title and the AL Stolen Base Title (photo by Keith Allison flickr) To suggest that Mike Trout cannot win the American League MVP... More of this article »
Reds’ Votto Out 3-4 Weeks With Knee Surgery
The NL Central Division leading Cincinnati Reds were dealt a blow today when they found out former MVP Joey Votto will be out due to “minor” knee surgery, according to the Reds Twitter feed . Votto was having another... More of this article »
Epstein, Hoyer Look to Begin Dismantling – Rebuilding Cubs
To put it simply, the Chicago Cubs are not a good baseball team. Not in 2012 and most likely not in 2013 or 2014. The current roster in Chicago is most likely to be blown up before this 2012 season is over. Veterans such as Ryan... More of this article »
2012 Brewers Offense Survives Without Prince Fielder – Bullpen Struggling
The Milwaukee Brewers have been serious contenders in the NL Central Division now for the past several seasons and have come close to the World Series, but have yet to reach that pinnacle. In 2011, the Brewers won the Central Division... More of this article »
St. Louis Cardinals Lose Players – Coaches – Continue Success in 2012
After winning the World Series just a year ago, the St. Louis Cardinals have lost some major components from such a special team. Albert Pujols took his talents to Los Angeles. Chris Carpenter was not on schedule to start the season... More of this article »
Halfway Through – Reds Feel Best Baseball Yet to Come
The Reds have been just good enough all season to hang around the top of the NL Central standings, but the Reds fully expect to play better baseball in the second half of the season. In a quote from the Reds website, Jay Bruce had... More of this article »
Pirates Having Success Without Following Original Blueprint From 2008
When a new General Manager is hired, he has a fairly good sense of what direction to guide his major league roster. Whether that be making minor adjustments or a complete overhaul of a roster. The strategy adapted at the time is... More of this article »