The Tables Get Turned
As most Pittsburgh Post-Gazette readers no doubt know by now, the paper has a new Pirates beat writer, Dejan Kovacevic who transfers over from the Penguins beat. As an out-of-towner, and a waning hockey fan, I am not familiar with Mr. Kovacevic's work, but I like what he'e been turning in thus far. In the small sample of copy submitted by Mr. Kovacevic, I see one thing that has been sorely missing from the PPG's previous Bucco coverage -- passion. The old guard seemed mired in the same morass that engulfed the team over the last decade. I don't get that sense from Mr. Kovacevic. I sense some vitality there (and a real love for the game). I look forward to reading his reports as the year progresses.
In addition to his duties covering the team, Kovacevic is also taking over Pirate Q & A duties from Paul Meyer. From what I have read, Kovacevic filled this role admirably for the Penguins, so I expect a marked improvement over his predecessor. In his first Q & A assignment, Kovacevic takes a moment to introduce himself and then begins not by answering questions, but by asking them. Since, I will no doubt use future Q & A articles for fodder for my own rants and ramblings, I thought it only fair to take a few moments to come up with some answers to Mr. Kovacevic's queries. It might prove interesting if other members of the Bucco blogerati join in the fun (if they haven't already).
Away we go:
Who deserves most of the blame for the Pirates' inability to win since moving into PNC Park?
It may be a bit unfair to place all of the blame at Dave Littlefield's feet, but I'm going to do it anyways. It's true that he inherited a real mess, but that excuse is quickly becoming moot. Littlefield has been on the job long enough that any organizational troubles lie squarely on his shoulders. I think Littlefield has baseball smarts, but thus far, he hasn't shown that he has the chutzpah to effectively manage a small market team. To be successful, small market teams have to be creative, effectively develop talent and maximize their return when they have to trade for financial reasons. Littlefield has not had a consistent track record in those areas, and the results show it.
When you see young players excel, as have Oliver Perez, Jason Bay, Jose Castillo, Jack Wilson and Mike Gonzalez, do you find reason for hope? Or do you just picture how they will look in another uniform?
I think it's always a good thing when a young player comes up and establishes himself, but I gotta admit that I can always hear the clock ticking when one comes up. I wouldn't mind losing players (it's part and parcel with being a small market team) if I had more confidence in the farm system's ability to produce a steady stream of major-league talent.
For old-timers only: Can you recall any Pirates player between Ralph Kiner and Perez who single-handedly drew Pittsburgh fans to the ballpark?
This is a toughie. Living in New Hampshire, it's hard to get a sense of who is bringing the fans into the ballpark. The Pirates have had some tremendous players don the uniform between Kiner and Perez, but in most cases, those great players (Clemente, Stargell, Parker, Bonds, Bonilla, Van Slyke, etc) had good supporting casts to share the spotlight with. Perez and Kiner both played in leaner times. Kris Benson was another "lean times" player who generated a good deal of buzz when he arrived on the scene. However, he was never consistent enough for it to steamroll.
What are your choices for Dave Littlefield's best and worst personnel moves in his tenure? This does not have to be limited to trades. It also can be an internal move (keeping Castillo in the majors last year, Rule 5 fiasco, drafting Neil Walker, whatever).
I think Littlefield's best move was the Brian Giles for Jason Bay, Oliver Perez and Cory Stewart trade, but the Todd Ritchie and Lee Evans for Kip Wells, Josh Fogg and Sean Lowe is a close second. The Padres will get some good mileage out of Giles, but Ritchie never really amounted to much after Littlefield dealt him. As far as a worst move, it would have to be the Aramis Ramirez deal. A young power-hitting third base man is such a valuable commodity, and the fact that the team didn't get much of return in that deal will haunt this franchise for some time.
In your mind, which prospect in the organization who has yet to appear in a major-league game has the greatest potential?
I am usually cautious about players whose only experience is rookie ball, but I think Neil Walker probably has the most upside of any player in the system. I think other players like Zach Duke and Nate McLouth are more developed and surer bets, but Walker stands out as the only player in the system with impact potential.
If Major League Baseball shut down for a full season or more when its current Basic Agreement expires in a couple of years, and you had reason to believe that the end result would be a salary-cap system, how would you react during the work stoppage?
A work stoppage would be very annoying, even if the result was competitive balance. I am not sure if the benefits of a salary-cap would outweigh the damage of a lost season. I guess I just don't think that the end would justify the means.
For season-ticket holders only: Is there anyone 18 or younger in Pittsburgh who cares about the Pirates? I am not talking about kids who get dragged there by their parents and roll their eyes when dad starts talking about how Bill Madlock once said that hitting a sac fly is the easiest thing in baseball. I am talking about passionate, stats-keeping, analyze-every-move, Bay-jersey-wearing fans.
I am not a season ticket holder, but I thought I would add a quick personal note. I consider myself a diehard baseball fan, but that was not always the case. In my younger days, I hated baseball. In fact, I found it dreadfully dull (though, I do remember enjoying the 1979 "We are Family" days). I much preferred football, basketball and hockey. My love of the sport didn't really kick in until high school -- the excitement of the 1986 postseason is what grabbed me. So, I guess you never know when the game will sink its mitts into you.
Who should start in center field? For that matter, what should the outfield look like? Feel free to throw in a free agent you think the Pirates should sign or acquire through trade. But be realistic. No Beltran.
The current outfield mix is pretty tricky. Matt Lawton's defense scares me. He will be in the lineup as often as he is healthy, but he will likely be a defensive liability no matter where the team sticks him. With PNC's tricky left field, I'd lean towards keeping Lawton in right. Jason Bay is best suited for left, but probably should move over to center so that we can keep Tike Redman on the bench (the less Redman plays, the better). I would then play Craig Wilson in left so that we can get Daryle Ward's pop in the lineup as often as possible. I'm not thrilled about that configuration (especially defensively), but it probably is the team's best bet offensively.
How do you feel about the Pirates' decision to delay signing Perez to a long-term contract? Is it a needless risk that could cost the team money in the long run? Or a shrewd show of patience?
The Pirates seem to continually be in a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't position in regards to giving young players long-term contracts. They seem to either lock themselves into a contract they soon regret, or they lose the player because the player prices themselves out of the Pirates price range.
Sometimes, good things come to those who wait. Hopefully, this will be one of those times.
A purely selfish one: What would you like to see in the Post-Gazette's coverage of the Pirates in 2005? Over the years, suggestions made to the Penguins Q&A have led directly to regular features in the newspaper. Among them were a minor-league notebook, nearly every element of our Sunday hockey page, specific story angles, the recent Penguins in Exile feature and a slew of other stuff. I would like to encourage that type of communication here.
With the exception of Baseball America, the basbeall amateur draft is always under-reported by most of the major media. I would love to see some "war room" behind the scenes coverage of the Pirates' draft. Of course, I may be the only guy clamoring for more draft coverage.