Raise The Jolly Roger! 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates

[GoBucsGo]

1992... It’s been a long time Pirates fans. That was the last year the Buccos made the playoffs. Each season since, they’ve had a losing record…

No one can say that Pirates fans aren’t a dedicated bunch, myself included. Being born and raised in Pittsburgh, I’ve had my fair share of heartbreak with this team. 2012 showed some promise though, The Bucs started off hot, behind the even hotter bat of NL MVP candidate Andrew McCutchen; but, once again, the Pirates faltered down the stretch and finished 4th in the NL Central division.

A few saving graces to the Pirates season though. AJ Burnett looked like the Burnett of old, compiling 16 wins and leading the team in many statistical categories for pitching. While on the offensive side of the ball, Cutch had a MONSTER year. Batting .327 with a .400 OBP with 31 home runs and 96 RBIs. Youngsters Pedro Alvarez and Sterling Marte also came into their own, and hopefully they can continue to improve in the 2013 season.

The Pirates made a few moves in the off-season, acquiring pitchers Wandy Rodriguez and Jonathan Sanchez. They don’t have the strongest rotation available, rounded out by James McDonald, AJ Burnett and Justin Wilson, they might have to rely on their offense a lot to outscore other teams. They also got catcher Russel Martin to put some more pop in the lineup to go with McCutchen, Jones and Alvarez.

The bullpen doesn’t look too bad though. Closer Jason Grilli looks to improve on a decent 2012, and guys like Jose Contreras, Jared Hughes and Chris Leroux continue to come into their own.

If you’re wondering why I’m writing this, it’s because I’ve been hired as the new GM of the Pittsburgh Pirates. I won’t go into details as to why or how the opportunity came along, but just know that I’m going to do whatever in my power to turn this team around. We have about 16 million available for free agents, and 14 million available for extensions. This team doesn’t spend money, and I want to change that culture around here. We’re the 26th ranked team in terms of payroll, and I want to make that number a bit higher. Even though at the moment, I can’t see myself resigning any of our potential free agents.

I’m rambling now, it’s time to review my roster, opening day is tomorrow and I want to make sure I give Clint Hurdle the best team to put out there on the field! Enjoy the ride ladies and gentleman, things are about to change in the Steel City.

[GoBucsGo]

OOC: Just a bit about me.. I'm an avid Pirates fan, been following the team since I can remember loving the game of Baseball. I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, before moving to Buffalo, NY in my teenage years. Even then, I remained a Buccos fan.

Iv'e never done an OOTP dynasty report before so bare with me guys. I have checked out plenty of them on here, and a few of them have more than motivated me to do this. Hopefully I can come even close to being as good as them. So, hopefully you guys enjoy this as much as I will!

[rpriske]

looking forward to it!

[progen]

My wife is originally from Butler, so she still likes the Pirates. As an avid Phillies fan, I like Citizens Bank Park a lot, but PNC Park in my opinion is the best park in the country to watch a game!

First thing you need to do is can Hurdle! Not being able to stop that horrific meltdown last year, falls right into the Manager's lap. Good luck! Will be following!

Randy
Northeast Baseball League Dynasty

[GoBucsGo]

2013 Roster Overview

Pitchers

Our starting rotation isn't the greatest in the Majors, not by a long shot. Led by 34 year old vet, Wandy Rodriguez, he's not really a guy I want to lean on to lead our rotation, but, that's what we have to deal with right now. Here's what the full rotation looks like..

1. Wandy Rodriguez - Went 12-13 last year pitching for the Astros and Pirates with a 3.76 ERA. We're hoping that he can get back to his 2009 form where he won 14 games and had an ERA just above 3.

2. A.J. Burnett - Clearly our best pitcher last year, going 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA. Clint Hurdle doesn't see fit to make him our number 1 starter going into the year. I can't see I agree our disagree, both are above 33 and not getting any younger. Let's hope they can even last the whole season without hitting the DL in between. Burnett only gave up 18 home runs last year, so at least we know when he's in the game he won't be prone to the long ball.


3. James McDonald - Iv'e always had a soft spot for J-Mac. He was on FIRE last year before the All-Star break, then fell off quite a bit afterward. He still finished with a respectable 12-8 record with a 4.21 ERA. I want this guy to succeed. I can see him being apart of the rotation of the future with Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole and Kyle McPherson down in our farm system. (More on them later)

4. Jonathan Sanchez - The number 4 guy in the rotation who, after the 2010 season has went in quite the downward spiral. Last year going 0-3 in Colorado, with a near ERA of 10, I have absolutely no confidence in Sanchez heading into this year, and why should I? It will be his job to show me he can turn it around.

5. Justin Wilson - With a few of our starting pitcher possibles starting the season on the DL, we have to turn to Justin Wilson. This will be his first real year in the bigs, after playing in 8 games for the Pirates last year, have a 1.93 ERA, he certainly shows promise. He hasn't had double digit losses in any of his years in our farm system, hopefully that translates to the MLB level.

Position Players

C: Russel Martin - Good off-season pickup for the Pirates, coming over from the New York Yankees where he hit 21 HR's with 53 RBIs. Didn't have the best average, only batting .211, we're hoping he can stay in the 20 home run range and up that average just a bit.


1B: Gaby Sanchez - Acquired last year from Miami, he's not the best option we could have at first base. His batting is sub par, his DECENT defensively, and i'm being generous in saying that. I will be looking to upgrade this postion right away if possible.

2B: Neil Walker - Pittsburgh native Neil Walker starts for us at second base, and i'm more than okay with this option. He had a decent 2012 and he's only getting better. He's a threat for power and a threat on the basepaths. Defensively, he's also improving. He could be a BIG part of our plans for the future if he keeps getting better.

3B: Pedro Alvarez - This guy finally came out of his shell in 2012. Blasting 30 home runs with with 85 RBIs and a .244 average. He has a HIGH ceiling and I can only see him getting better.

SS: Clint Barmes - Decent hitter, but an EXCELLENT defender. He knows that he's starting based exclusively on his good defensive skills. Hopefully he can surprise me and a few other people and bring his bat to the park this year.

LF: Starling Marte - What's not to like about this guy? He's amazing in the outfield, has speed through the roof, and can rake the ball with the best of them. At only 24 years old, he could be one of the best in the game in a few years if handled properly.


RF: Garrett Jones - 27 home runs with 86 RBIs last year, he's another power guy in our lineup, which is what I like, we need to score runs. If we played in the AL, he'd definitely be nothing more than a DH, because his outfield skills are bad and diminishing. I'm scratching my head as to why Jose Tabata isn't our starter here.

CF: Andrew McCutchen - The man, our MVP Candidate, our All-Star, the guy who this team will be built around. Great in the outfield, great at the plate, a gazelle on the basepaths. There's nothing this guy can't do. I'm praying that he can stay healthy, because if he goes down, this team goes down.

[rpriske]

I would put Tabata in right and Jones at first, personally... or platoon at first, if possible.

[GoBucsGo]

Originally Posted by rpriske

I would put Tabata in right and Jones at first, personally... or platoon at first, if possible.

Which is exactly what I would do, but i'm acting as GM only. If it gets too bad though I might just overrule Hurdle and do it myself.

Thanks for all the replies guys! Really appreciated.

[Perceptor]

I'll be following your dynasty for sure Hope you have a great first season and with Cole and Taillon in the system, the future looks bright indeed

[GoBucsGo]

Boy, could our farm system get any better!? I'm literally salivating at what our lineup could look like in a few years, especially our pitching rotation..

We have 2 of the top 3 pitching prospects, who are 4 and 6 respectively in the overall 100 top prospects list. Along with 2B Alan Henson and 19 year old catcher Jin-De Jhang who are also in the top 100. Here's my overall thoughts on each guy..

Jameson Taillon

21 years old, called up to AA last season and went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA and 18 strikeouts. His movement is already almost at a major league level, as is his 97 MPH fastball. I love this kid, if he continues at this pace, I can see him reaching AAA by the end of the year.

Gerrit Cole

Struggled a bit at the AA level last year going 3-6 with a 2.55 ERA. His ERA looks good, which leads me to believe he didn't have enough run support in the games he started. His fastball is out of this world, and, has superb defensive fielding skills at his position. Could also make the jump to AAA this year to join Kyle McPherson to give us a dangerous combination in the minors.

Alen Hanson

16 HRs and 62 RBIs with a .309 AVG last year in A ball. This guy could be a superstar if handled correctly. If he continues to dominate the single A level, I could easily see him moving up to AA this year.

Jin-De-Jhang

Only 19 years old, and he put up a respectable .309 batting average in our rookie league last year. The future is looking bright for this kid as his defensive abilities are already better than most catchers in our farm system.

[rpriske]

A 2.55 ERA isn't struggling, no matter what his W-L record is.

I would love it if all my pitchers 'struggled' like that.

[GoBucsGo]

Note: I won't be playing out every game of the season, would take entirely too long and i'd like to get multiple years into this. I will be playing opening day however, because well, it's opening day!
-----------------------------------------

Opening Day!

April 1, 2013

Chicago Cubs Vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

It's opening day here in Pittsburgh for the 2013 season! It's the start of my new job, I can officially see what this team has to offer against the rest of the league. It seems like Clint through a swerve at me and decided to start AJ Burnett on opening day. I see he took my advice. Here's what the linupes for both teams look like..

Chicago Cubs

SP: Jeff Samardzjia

1. Brent Lillibridge
2. David DeJesus
3. Starlin Castro
4. Anthony Rizzo
5. Alfonso Soriano
6. Nate Schierholtz
7. Wellington Castillo
8. Luis Valbuena
9. Jeff Samardzjia

Pittsburgh Pirates

SP: AJ Burnett

1. Starline Marte
2. Neil Walker
3. Andrew McCutchen
4. Pedro Alvarez
5. Garret Jones
6. Russel Martin
7. Gaby Sanchez
8. Clint Barmes
9. AJ Burnett

-------------------------------------

Anthony Rizzo hits game winning HR in the top of the 10th to down the Pirates

Pittsburgh, PA - What a game. That's all you can really say about what took place today at PNC Park on opening day. Both starting pitchers played exceptionally well throughout.

The first run came in the bottom of the first, as Pedro Alvarez drove in Neil Walker to give the Pirates a 1-0 lead, but it didn't last long as in the top of the 2nd, Alfonso Soriano hit a solo HR to tie the game at 1. After that, the two starting pitchers absolutely dominated.

A.J. Burnett went 7 innings, gave up 4 hits, allowed 1 run while striking out 9 Cubs batters. Including striking out the side in the top of the 5th.

Jeff Samardzija went 7 innings, allowed 9 hits, 3 runs and 8 strikeouts. Once the Pirates bullpen came into the game, everything imploded. Mark Melancon came in and right away gave up 3 runs on 3 hits. He was replaced by Chris Leroux who came in and got the 3 outs we needed to get out of the inning only down by 3.

The Cubs bullpen didn't fair much better. Shawn Camp allowed Garrett Jones to hit a 3 run home run to tie the game at 4 going into the 9th.

The 9th inning came, and Jason Grilli showed everyone why he's one of the best closers in the game. He struck out the first 5 batters he faced, up until the top of 10th and Anthony Rizzo came to bat and hit a solo HR to give the Cubs a one run lead. Grilli then proceeded to strike out the next batter he faced.

It was time for the Pirates to see if they could do something, tie the game, a walk off win, something. Carlos Marmol would have none of that, as he would strike out John McDonald, Travis Snider and then get Felix Pie to pop out to end the game.

WP: Carlos Marmol (1-0)
LP: Jason Grilli (0-1)
--------


Pirates Notables

Andrew McCutchen: 2-3, 2 Walks, 1 Run
Starling Marte: 2-4, 2B, Walk
Pedro Alvarez: 2-5, 1 Run, 1 RBI
Garrett Jones: 1-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI

[PFellah]

Feel free to "misplace" Jonathan Sanchez's contract. No one would hold it against you.

[GoBucsGo]

May 1st, 2013 - It was an abysmal first month of the season for this team. We went 9-19 in April, good for dead last in the NL Central division, a firm 9 games behind division leader Milwaukee.

Funny thing is, we have some players on our roster with good stats, and we rank in the top 15 or above in the National League in every major offensive and pitching category, as listed below.

8th in Runs Scored with 112
15th in total team Batting Average. (.238)
12th in On Base Percentage (.306)
4th In Home Runs with 30
12th in Stolen Bases with 13
15th in Runs Against with 140 allowed
12th in Starters ERA (4.48)
15th in Bullpen ERA (5.53)
15th in Defensive Efficiency (.655)
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Of course, our All-Star Andrew McCutchen is leading us in every offensive category. .381 batting average, which is good for 3rd in the entire league. .469 on base percentage, 3rd place in the majors. .726 Slugging percentage, good for 2nd in the majors. 3rd in the majors with 22 runs scored, and 6th in the majors with a .345 isolated power average. He's definitely the biggest bright spot on this team and is surely on his way to an All-Star bid if he can stay healthy.

Clint Hurdle finally made some smart changes to the lineup, starting Jose Tabata in right field over the struggling Garrett Jones, who has been moved to 1B to replace Gaby Sanchez. Tabata is batting .237 with 7 RBIs while Jones is having another solid year so far, hitting 6 home runs already, second on the team behind McCutchens 7.

In terms of our pitching rotation, Francisco Liriano came back halfway through the month and was instantly inserted, replacing Jonathan Sanchez. He's 1-1 in two starts with a 4.38 ERA. The biggest surprise thus far has been Wandy Rodriguez. He's 4-2, second most wins in the NL, with a 4.38 ERA. AJ Burnett leads the NL in strikeouts with 47, and is 2-2. James McDonald is failing, and failing big time. He's 1-4, with a 6.99 ERA. I'm not sure what to do with this guy. I'm starting to think he's not cut out for the majors, but none of my prospects are ready to make the come up.

Speaking of the prospects, lets see how their April went...

Jameson Taillon went 1-0 in 5 games, posting a 4.83 ERA..

Gerritt Cole hasn't fared very well at all so far. 3 games started, 0-2 record, with an 8.16 ERA.

The best performer so far has no doubt been Kyle McPherson. He's 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in 6 starts. If he can continue this good play a few months longer, i'm gonna call him up to get him some MLB experience before the year ends, especially with how poor McDonald is playing, and we're using an MR in the fifth starter spot. Let's just hope we can turn it around in May, on all fronts.
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News And Notes During April

Albert Pujols hit 3 HRs against the Reds on April 4th

Roy Halladay got career victory 200 against the Braves on April 4th

Torii Hunter gets hit number 2000 against the A's on April 14th

Joe Nathan collects Save number 300

Royals lose James Shields for 8 months after injury

JASON CASTRO HITS FOR THE CYCLE

Tim Hudson collects win 200

[GoBucsGo]

Pittsburgh, PA - The month of May was much better than April for the Buccos as we actually finished above .500 with a 15-13 record. Largely due in part to the pitching of Wandy Rodriguez and CL Jason Grilli, who finished as the NL Pitcher Of The Month.

We had a few injuries in May, the worst being to Neil Walker. He’ll be out for about 8 weeks. Which means we had no one on the active roster who could play second base. I went into our farm system and called up SS/2B Jody Mercer, who is playing surprisingly decent in his replacement role. He’s batting .273 with a .333 OBP while having 3 RBIs.

Andrew McCutchen and his hot streak continues, he’s now 2nd in the NL in terms of batting average, with a .339 AVG, two points behind leader Joey Votto. He’s also 2nd in OBP, 3rd in Slugging, 1st in OBP + Slugging, 2nd in WAR, 4th in hits, 2nd in doubles, 2nd in triples, 1st in runs scored and 6th in total bases. Along with his 9 Hrs and 27 RBIs. You wanna talk about NL MVP Candidate? Look no further than this guy.

He’s not the only Pirate who’s having a good offensive year. Pedro Alvarez has 10 Hrs and 32 RBIs,. Garrett Jones has 9 and 28, and, even though Russell Martin is struggling , and I mean struggling with a .197 AVG, he still has 6 jacks and 17 RBIs.

Our pitching staff faired pretty decent in the month of May. AJ Burnett went down for a few weeks, he came back at the end of May and lost, which brings his record to 3-4 with a 3.92 ERA. He leads the NL in strikeouts, with perennial loser James McDonald, right behind him in 2nd place with 62. It’s upsetting that can’t translate into wins for him, as he’s now 3-7 with a 4.64 ERA. Francisco Liriano is 3-3, and our 5th spot in the rotation continues to plague us, no matter who’s in there. This time, it’s Jeff Karstens who came off the DL and promptly went 0-2, with a 14.85 ERA. I need to do something about that 5th spot, but, I still don’t think anyone from our farm system is ready to be called up yet.

One guy who I can’t complain about though, has been Jason Grilli, who, won the NL Pitcher of the month award as our closer. He’s 3-1 on the season, going 3-0 in May. He has 14 saves on the year so far, and has a GREAT 0.68 ERA with 44 strikeouts. What a year this guy is having so far.

Kyle McPherson continues to shine in our farm system down in AAA. He’s now 6-3 with a 3.82 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He’s definitely making a bid to be our 5th starter sooner than later. Top prospect Jameson Taillon continues to struggle, and frankly, I’m starting to worry. Through 12 games he’s 1-3 with a 6.22 ERA, I’m really hoping he can turn it around.

NL Central Standings

Milwaukee Brewers: 33-21
Cincinatti Reds: 30-25
St. Louis Cardinals: 24-31
Pittsburgh Pirates: 24-32
Chicago Cubs: 22-33

Washington leads the NL east by 5 games over the surprising Mets
Arizona Leads the NL West by 2 games over the Giants
LA Angels lead the AL West by 5 and a half over the Rangers and A’s
Detroit leads the AL Central by 2 games over the Royals
Boston leads the AL East by 1 game over the Jays
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Well that’s the month of May for the Pirates, let’s check out some news and noteworthy items from around the Majors last month…

Baltimore trades P Wei-Yin Chen to the Astros for Minor League LF Domingo Santana
Aramis Ramirez collects hit #2000
Yankees fire manager Joe Girardi after being in last place in the AL East for 2 months
Gio Gonzales (8-2) pitches NO HITTER against the Orioles
St.Louis Cardinals trade Carlos Beltran to the Texas Rangers for Joey Gallo and Jordan Atkins

[js1519]

Go pirates! Lol been out of the playoffs almost as long as I been alive. 25 if you were wondering. Hopefully you can take em to the 'ship

[GoBucsGo]

Pittsburgh, PA - It's July, which means the season is halfway over and the All-Star game is in a bit over two weeks, and the Pirates have a few guys on the roster who might make the squad. We went 13-13 in June, playing .500 ball. I guess for this roster, that can be good enough, for now.

The amateur draft was in June, we took 5 prospects, but were only able to sign 3. The three of which I wanted anyway. Here's a look at the new Pirates..

C Jonathan Denney - Has great plate discipline and a very good arm at the catcher position. Not many guys will be able to steal against him. I'm hoping his power pans out because he could give us some pop at the plate. Very excited for this kids development. Being only 18 years old, the sky is the limit for this kid.

1B Dominic Ficociello - Not the greatest offensive prospect, but his defensive abilities at first base made him worth drafting. Already 21 years old, so his growth will have to be rapid if he wants to have a good ML career.

SP Brett Morales - 18 year old Starting Pitcher out of Florida, has a decent fastball and curve. Could turn into a good number 4-5 in a rotation if he can get his movement and control in gear.
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About halfway through the month, I made the first trade of my tenure. This one was VERY hard to execute as I had to give away one of my top prospects in Alen Henson, but, we were so weak at 1B it was a move I felt had to be made..

Pittsburgh Receives..
1B Justin Smoak from Seattle

Seattle Receives..
2B Josh Harrison
2B Alen Hanson

Smoak hasn't exactly panned out for us the way I hoped he would, and I pray this won't be a trend for him. Since coming to the Bucs, he's batting a miserable .176. That's definitely going to have to change. I gave up 2 of my best prospects for this guy. He's still young at only 26, so he definitely has a chance to pay off for us.

Andrew McCutchen is still playing godly for us, batting a great .317 with 13 HRs and 36 RBIs. He's now first in the NL in the WAR category. Obviously this team goes as he goes. Pedro Alvarez is another guy I expect to make the All-Star Game for us. He has 12 HRs and 41 RBIs. He's producing for us, even though he leads the NL in strikeouts with an even 100. No one else on the club is batting over .300, but Jordy Mercer is close, batting .282 since his call up last month. He has 4 errors in 34 games at SS, but he's playing well both offensively and defensively. I think we finally found our SS of the future.

Pitching wise, we've imploded. AJ Burnett and Wandy Rodriguez lost every one of their games in June. Burnett now sitting at 3-7, the same record as our now number 5 starter, James McDonald. After Wandy Rodriguez had such a promising start to the season, he's now 7-6 with a 3.42 ERA. Although, not all is lost when it comes to our pitching staff. Jeff Karstens came onto the staff late, and even though he has a 4.79 ERA, he's 5-2 in 7 GS. He has 25 strikeouts in 33 innings, and has a 1.65 WHIP. With the way the rest of our starters are looking, if things don't get better by the All-Star break, one of our pitching prospects will be getting the call up.

Our pitching MVP this year is no doubt Jason Grilli. If he's not selected as the Closer on the NL All-Star team, than the Buccos fans will be calling for someones head. This guy has a 6-2 record, with a 0.87 ERA, 20 Saves, 64 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched, and has only surrendered 3 home runs all season. He's having the year of his life, and when we actually give him a lead, he comes in and shuts the other team down.

I moved Gerrit Cole up to AAA ball after going 5-2 in our AA organization. He's gone 2-0 in his three starts, which means he's 7-2 overall on the year. He might be ready for the Majors right now, but I sorely don't want to rush the process.

Jameson Taillon has me scratching my head. He's 2-7 for our AA club, with a 6.37 ERA. He's given up 14 HRs already, even though he has 101 strikeouts. I'm not sure what to do with this guy, i'm hoping he's just having an off year because he's a big part of my future plans.

Kyle McPherson is another SP who might be getting the call up with Gerrit Cole. He's 9-4 on the year with a 4.30 ERA. I really don't want to call these guys up, have them get hit all over the yard in the majors and lose their confidence, but at this point, some MLB experience might be good for them.
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NL Central Standings

Milwaukee Brewers: 50-31
Cincinnati Reds: 43-39
St. Louis Cardinals: 41-41
Pittsburgh Pirates: 37-45
Chicago Cubs: 35-47

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News and Notes From Around The Majors In June

Boston Red Sox trade C Jarrod Saltalamacchia to New York for SP Ivan Nova
New York Mets lose 3B David Wright for 5 months
Diamondbacks SP Daniel Hudsons career is over due to injury
Yankees lose CL David Robertson for 12 Months
Blue Jays trade 2B Emilio Bonifacio to the A's for 2B Jemile Weeks
Yankees lose CC Sabathia for 4 Months
Albert Pujols hits HR #500
Andy Pettite picks up career win #250

[Perceptor]

That's a lot to give up for Smoak. I know why you made the move, but I likely would have passed on him. Hopefully, he'll improve for you

[elfsutton]

Definitely be following along, being I too am a very long time Pirates fan. For me though, I got to see the "We Are Family" Bucs and have know the success that has always been big in Pittsburgh (Die hard Steelers fans since 1971). Was fortunate to grow up just about 45 minutes drive from Three Rivers Stadium (Little town in Ohio called Cadiz) and grew up watching all the games on WTAE and WPGH before it became Fox. The glory days. Will be watching closely, as I am also doing a d2d of my own with this team. Good luck and Go Bucs!!!!!!!