Baseball America has finally released their annual list of the Pirates top ten prospects. BA's top ten prospect lists are always one of the highlights of the off-season. Like most lists of one sort or another, the majority of the fun comes from nitpicking the selections. This year's list is no exception.

I can't really argue with the names on the list -- all ten are the ones that I would have ranked. The only two quibbles I have is the rankings of Neil Walker and Nate McLouth. I was surprised that Neil Walker ranked number two. From all indications, Walker has the highest upside out of everyone in the Pirates organization, but putting him second on the list seems aggressive for a player with only limited rookie ball experience. I really like McLouth and would've liked to see him ranked somewhere in the middle of the pack.

Like I said, lists are made to pick apart. All in all, I think Perrotto did a good job. Be sure to check out his chat wrap where he answers Bucco prospect questions. During the wrap he perfectly encapsulates the Pirates minor league system: "I'd say the Pirates have more good players than many organizations but fewer great players than many."

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 7:47 PM | <__trans phrase="Permalink">

A couple of quick notes:

Q & A up The reader responses to Dejan Kovacevic's first Pirates Q & A are up. It was interesting to see that while the responses showed a range of answers, the majority of Bucs' fans are more or less of a like mind. I had intended to send in my responses to Mr. Kovacevic, but some things came up and I never got around to emailing them in. Ah, blessed procrastination. On the bright side, it was good to see Charlie and bkopec join in the fun.

Mini Camp underway Minicamp time is a good chance to read more about the status of rehabbing players. Usually, the reports are optimistic, but you can still glean some information from the reports. The Bucs seem to have cornered the market on former first round draft picks who are on the mend. Sean Burnett, John Van Benschoten and Paul Maholm are being evaluated, but none will not be allowed to throw for at least a couple of weeks. Kip Wells, a former first rounder for Chicago, also is shrouded in a good bit of uncertainty after off-season carpel tunnel surgery. And let's not forget newly acquired Todd Ritchie, another former first rounder, who is trying to prove he's finally recovered from 2003 rotator cuff surgery.

Cameron rumor The New York Post lists the Bucs as one of the teams potentially interested in Mike Cameron's services. Personally, I just don't see it. Cameron is owed $14 million over the next two years. I would assume that the Mets would pick up a good bit of that, but would it be enough to make a deal worth it? Cameron has skills, he hit 30 homeruns last year (which would have led our ballclub), but his weaknesses (high strikeout rate) would be over-emphasized in the Bucs' swing-at-anything mindset. Plus, Cameron's best skill has always been his defense, but he struggled in the field last year. Would Cameron be an upgrade over Tike? Probably, but I get the feeling that Cameron represents diminishing returns.

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 8:10 AM | <__trans phrase="Permalink"> | <__trans phrase="Comments"> (4)

From all indications, the Bucs roster still has some shaking out to do. It sounds like the team may add another bat and I wouldn't be surprised if a veteran arm or two was pulled off the scrap heap to compete for a spot on the staff.

Yet with all of this uncertainty, I find myself becoming more and more interested in one of the few positions that should be more or less settled -- second base. Last year, Jose Castillo made the jump from AA to start 105 games at second. Considering the difficulty of such a jump, he didn't do too bad. So why am I not more excited about the prospect of Castillo being the Pirates' everyday second baseman?

While Castillo had a decent year for a 23 year old guy skipping AAA, but taken on its own merits it was not a very good year. He struckout 92 times in only 383 ABs, had a sub-.300 OBP and an .666 OPS that was as unholy as the number would suggest. He showed the skills to be a plus defensive second baseman (including an aptitude for the double play pivot), but his .799 zone rating ranked near the bottom of all qualifying players at the position (for context, lead-gloved Alfonso Soriano also had a .799 zone rating).

None of these negatives would normally get me too carried away. Young players tend to strike out a lot and they also tend to have poor fielding stats. If they got the right stuff, they usually improve with a few years under their belts. It is a rare thing for a 23 year old to come up to the bigs as a polished ballplayer. My concern with Castillo is that I am unsure what his ultimate upside is. As he made his way up the minor league ladder, Castillo showed the pop and speed that could be an asset in the middle of the infield. However, he also showed signs of potentially being a very frustrating player. Last year's strikeout total was definitely not a fluke. Castillo struckout 92 or more times in every full-season he played of professional ball.

Normally I would put my reservations aside and advocate pencilling Castillo in for as many at bats as he could handle. Roll the dice and see what happens. The problem is, the Pirates have a viable alternative waiting in the wings in Freddy Sanchez. In some ways, Sanchez is the anti-Castillo. Where Castillo is a free-swinger, Sanchez has displayed a tremendous batting eye. Where Castillo gets enamored with the long ball, Sanchez prefers to merely put the ball in play. Where Castillo has been known to run really hot or really cold, Sanchez is usually steady as a rock. And where Castillo represents tantalizing potential, with Sanchez what you see is pretty much what you are going to get.

Conventional wisdom would say that going with Castillo over Sanchez is the smart choice. Teams like the Pirates need as much talent they can get. The problem is that the Pirates also need guys who know how to get on base, and Freddy Sanchez is that kind of guy. Before last season's injury-plagued season, Sanchez had a career .323 batting average (and a career .385 OBP) over 1409 minor league at bats. Of course, he also hit only 16 home runs over that same span -- a number Castillo matched in a single season twice. Surprisingly enough, despite the home run gap, Sanchez still had a higher slugging percentage over their minor league careers (.446 to .415). Sanchez is a professional hitter. I have no doubt in my mind that he could hit for average and get on base at a good clip at the major league level if given a chance. The problem is that his window for getting that chance is quickly running out -- Sanchez is 27 years old.

It's a classic dilemma. Do you go with the guy with obvious potential (but with some glaring deficiencies), or the steady guy who has some helpful skills but who will probably never become a superstar? It's the kind of decision that makes a player development department earn its money. If only both players could play everyday the solution would be easy, but there are only so many at bats to go around. There has been some idle talk about moving one of the players to third (most likely Castillo), but that doesn't seem like an attractive proposition. If he reaches his offensive potential, Castillo projects as an above-average offensive second baseman. At third he would be merely average or worse. Nope. It looks like its going to have to be one or the other.

Complicating the matter is the fact that both players had encouraging performances in the winter league. In fact, they both hit .364. Sanchez had a typical Sanchez-like performance in the Arizona Fall League, displaying patience at the plate with good gap power. Castillo's stint in the Venezuelan Winter League was even more impressive. Castillo belted 10 homers and 14 doubles in only 214 at bats. If that performance is a sign of things to come, then perhaps Castillo could hit enough to play third. I am waiting to see a few glimpses at the major league level before I am sold.

It will be interesting to see what happens this spring. I am guessing that the Bucs will end up going with Castillo, and that may very well be the right choice. Still, I look at the skills that Sanchez could bring to the table, and I just wish there was a way to give him a chance to see if he could help the team.

<__trans phrase="Posted by"> <__trans phrase="at"> 10:13 PM | <__trans phrase="Permalink"> | <__trans phrase="Comments"> (4)

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.