TWB: The Pittsburgh Pirates

[ifspuds]

The Pirates have put their stamp on last place in the National League, leading the race for the #2 pick in the draft (the American League has first pick in 1949) by 4.5 games over the New York Giants. The dim hopes of contention at the outset of the 1948 campaign have turned into the darkness of the cellar, and even the top players on the team have turned in subpar seasons. The Bucs are now 49-71 with a month left in the season, and we're likely to see a number of players perform their final games for the franchise, as well as some minor leaguers come up for their first action, as the season winds to its inevitable close.

The Pirates made a trade with the Philadelphia A's on August 2nd, picking up 25-year old 1B/LF Ed Monchak for minor leaguers 1B Ray Cargo and P Dean Schiffman. Monchak is a talented hitter with good power and a good eye at the plate. His batting average is prone to ups and downs and he's a butcher with the glove, but he's got time to improve on both. With Bob Ferry likely headed back to the majors, Monchak's future could be at 1B.

So with the season winding down, let's look at the future...

Who's Leaving?

SP Stephen Dzurik. Not only is Dzurik, who pitched 3.5 excellent seasons for the Pirates after coming over in a trade with the Dodgers, now 40 years old, he's on the shelf for another 3-4 weeks with a bum pitching arm. He may have pitched his final game already. There are rumors that the organization intends to offer him a minor league coaching or managing position after the season.

2B Dick Presley and AAA C Reggie Woodson have already announced their retirements. Other candidates include CF Bud Breckenridge and LF Sal Harper, who have been relegated to backup roles this season.

Who's On The Way?

3B Bill Reed made the jump to AAA in August, and while he's only hitting .240 there, it's not because he's been swinging at bad balls: his on-base percentage is up at .387 and he's drawn 11 walks against just 4 strikeouts. He's been playing at 1B in the minors, and has drawn rave reviews for his quick glovework over there.

SP Matt Faughan has made 8 starts at AAA and is 7-1 with a 2.73 ERA. He doesn't have great stuff, but his pitches have bite, and there's no one in the majors that is holding him down in the minors.

LF Bob Ferry has rededicated himself at Indianapolis after failing in his shot at the starting job in Pittsburgh, and AAA coaches say he's improved down there to the point that he needs another shot.

CF Albert Huschke is ready as well, hitting .318/.397/.453 with 13 HRs. On the Pirates squad, that counts as a slugger.

[canadiancreed]

sounds like a good core of kids coming up.

Dumb Q, but why first for Bill? is Ike Walker that much better at third?

[ifspuds]

Simple. Bill was in the minors, and there weren't any 1B prospects he was taking time away from. I wasn't going to teach Ike first base in the majors and take time away from Ullom or Giordano.

[canadiancreed]

seems logical to me, he could end up being a better Buck TOmlinson

[ifspuds]

Wait 'Til Next Year... Again
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As 20,000 Pirates fans shuffled out of Forbes Field after a wet and windy season-ending 8-2 loss to the Boston Braves, there had to be a number of questions running through their minds, and not all of them had to do with the quickest way to dry off and get warm. After an early flirtation with contention in the National League, the shine wore off the 1948 Pirates in a hurry. By the dog days of summer, the team was in last place and players up and down the lineup were struggling to hit their weight. But as the season wound down, the Pirates put two winning months together to close things out, leaving fans to wonder which team was the real Pirates, and which team would show up for 1949. After 40 years of waiting for another World Series champion, who can blame the Pirates faithful for a little pessimism?

So with that in mind, let's look back at the high and low points of the 1948 season, and take a look into the future and see what might be in store as we come up on 50 years of Time Warp Baseball.

The Baby Bucs

A number of youngsters made their major league debuts for the Pirates in 1948, and some players that many had written off came up and played well at times throughout the season. The top rookie performer award has to go to right fielder Harold Perry, who hit .275 with 9 homers, 11 steals and a fine eye at the plate. His best month was July, when he hit .333 with a couple of longballs, but he finished strong with the power stroke, hitting 3 homers in the month of September. Second baseman Herm Vardaman hit well in his first two weeks before struggling through most of the season. The team showed no signs of giving up on him, however, and until an elbow problem ended his season, he rewarded their confidence with a strong finish.

Third baseman Ike Walker was all the rage through May, with 10 homers in just 145 at bats. But as pitchers adjusted to him, Walker struggled through the meat of the season, hitting .238 in June, .218 in July and .205 in August before rallying -- in a manner of speaking -- to hit .211 in September. With fellow third sacker Bill Reed making his major league debut (.218, 1 HR) for the club in September, there's still a real question of whether Walker is a long-term solution for the Pirates. This should be one of the burning questions in the offseason. Reed can also play first base, a position he excelled at after learning it in the minors this season, but he doesn't have the power bat you'd like to see in your first baseman. Speaking of first basemen, Ben Giordano made a return to big league action in 1948 as lineup stalwart Vic Ullom faced his own struggles at the plate. Like Ike Walker, Ben started out hot, hitting .412 in May and .361 in June before fading down the stretch. He rebounded in August to hit .321 with a couple homers, and if Vic Ullom doesn't turn it around, "Samoan Ben" could be the starting first baseman in 1949.

The Old Guard

Say a farewell to Stephen Dzurik and Dick Presley, Pirates fans. The 40-year old Dzurik gave a noble effort in 1948, but by the end of the season, even he admitted that he'd lost the form that made him one of the National League's top hurlers in the 1940s. "I was trying everything I could think of," said Dzurik after the final game of the season. "But the harder I tried, the more my arm would hurt, until finally I just couldn't throw the ball any more." Dzurik's All Star-caliber 1947 season ended prematurely with a torn bicep, and he believes that contributed to his poor showing in 1948. "I was compensating for the pain. I thought I could pitch through it, but when you're twice as old as some of the kids playing, the body just doesn't bounce back like it used to."

Bullpen anchor Ron Staver is likely to hang it up as well, after a season that saw him walk 51 batters in 76 innings, while striking out only 18. We'll be watching closely in the offseason to see if any of the other Pirates' veterans such as Bud Breckenridge, Bill Tschetter and Vic Ullom follow these fine gentlemen into retirement.

At Least There Was One Champion...

Center fielder Rudy Young was a man on fire in the last two months of the 1948 season, and was rewarded with the National League batting title. Young, who at 38 shows no signs of slowing down, hit a whopping .438 in August and followed it up with a .365 September to end the season at .347, 4 points ahead of Giants star Tom Howard. The .347 average is the highest of Young's career, as is the .444 on-base percentage. "I still feel like a kid," said Young. "I want to keep playing for years yet to come." Young took the place of former Batter of the Year Bud Breckenridge in center field in order to get Harold Perry into the lineup, and he thinks that Perry might have some awards in his future as well. "The kid can do anything he sets his mind to. To hit like that his age, I think he's got a bright future ahead of him."

Gaze Into My Crystal Ball

1949 is going to be a season of transition for the Pirates. Ron Fleischmann and James Bajofer should anchor the top of the rotation, and Bill Tschetter and Damon "Lefty" Bowden are expected to be around for another season. Matt Faughan will likely spot start and be the main middle reliever if his knee heals up well in the offseason. With full years under their belts, Herm Vardaman and Harold Perry should only improve, and Bill Reed could make his full-season debut. Elmer Menard can still hit the ball, and Rudy Young is clearly still able to get bushels of hits. But this team still needs a front-line pitcher and an anchor in the middle of the lineup if they plan to jump into the upper division. With Forbes Field so challenging for home run hitters, many believe the team should seek out fast players with high averages and gap power, rather than targeting sluggers. Time will tell what the new team management, which has now had 3 full seasons to put their stamp on the franchise, will be able to accomplish. After this long, dark journey since the glory days of 1909, Pirates fans have learned to be patient. They can't be patient forever.

[canadiancreed]

very good writeup, and i'd have to agree with the analysis to get mroe gap hitters

[ifspuds]

Pirates Fire Kaufman, Interview Candidates
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
From wire reports

In a move expected by many, the Pirates have relieved manager Tike Kaufman of his duties after the team struggled through much of the season. Some wondered if a late-season rally would save Kaufman's job, but in a statement released today by the team, it appears that will not be the case. "Tike Kaufman has agreed to step down from his managerial duties effective immediately," said the press release. "Kaufman has turned down the offer of remaining with the team in another capacity, expressing his desire to catch on with another team in need of a manager. We wish Mr. Kaufman the best in his career, and the door will always be open should he choose to return to the team."

A source with the Pirates front office says that the team has arranged for interviews with Hall of Famer Jerry "Slap" Hertzog, former Reds outfielder Gary Emmerich and former Phillies hurler Tobe Palmer. It is expected that the team will make a decision within two weeks, with spring training rapidly approaching. It is believed that ability to work with young players and pitchers will play a large part in the team's decision-making process.

[ifspuds]

Pirates Name Hall of Famer as New Manager
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Becoming a Hall of Fame ballplayer took years of hard work and dedication for Jerry Hertzog. Turning the Pittsburgh Pirates around might be an even tougher job for the man they called "Slap". He'll get the chance to prove himself to western Pennsylvania after 16 years spent thrilling the fans in Philadelphia as the A's second baseman. The Pirates named Hertzog their new manager after a short interview process, and announced the hiring at an afternoon press conference.

"We were impressed from the start by Mr. Hertzog's philosophy and credentials. With a number of young players -- especially infielders -- coming up through the system, someone with Hertzog's skills and experience will be tremendously valuable," said general manager Jeff Watson. "With three Gold Gloves, a career .314 average and his outstanding eye at the plate, we feel that he brings a wealth of knowledge to the job."

Hertzog was all smiles when meeting with reporters. "I'm grateful to the Pirates for giving me this opportunity. I promise that this team will play with heart and dedication. I'll make no secret that my goal is to bring a World Series title to Pittsburgh. It's going to take a lot of work, but nothing worth attaining is easy."

[ifspuds]

If anyone is interested, I'm writing up year-by-year team history recaps on the Time Warp forums, as well as compiling other bits of Pirates history:

View it here!

The recaps are done from 1901-1910. When something of particular general interest comes up, I'll post it here as well.

[ifspuds]

Pirates Welcome New Faces
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The annual amateur draft and a challenge trade of disappointing prospects brought a number of new players to the Pirates' organization, including the descendants of some players that will be familiar to long-time fans of the league.

Pittsburgh's first draft pick was center fielder Scotch Allen, a member of the famous (and sometimes infamous) Allen clan that includes such notable names as Whiskey and Bourbon Allen. Scotch is a solid all-around player with surprising power for a small man (5' 6", 140 lbs). He's a capable defender, though not flashy, and he should hit for a good average. The 17-year old Allen will start at single-A Stockton but is expected to move quickly through the system.

In the second round, the Pirates took a flyer on 23-year old starter James Hering. While Hering's stuff is average, he has pinpoint control. In Forbes Field, pitchers can get away with a few long fly balls given the difficulty hitting the ball out of the park but limiting baserunners is important, so Hering could succeed in the majors. At his age, Hering will be expected to perform early on, and will start his career at AA Albany.

The third round brought starter Will Brown to the organization. Unlike James Hering, Will Brown's specialty is the movement he gets on his pitches. He's a project, but at the tender age of 17, he has a number of years to improve his stuff and command.

In the fourth and final round, Pittsburgh selected catcher Allan Charbonneau. At this point, he's even more of a long shot than Will Brown, and at age 24, he may prove to be an organizational soldier rather than a serious contributor in the major leagues.

At the end of the draft, the Pirates announced a trade made with the Brooklyn Dodgers that sent starter Babe Goodrum Jr. and first baseman Jim Yost, both minor leaguers, to the Dodgers for corner outfielder Will Miller Jr. and starter Adam Abramowitz, who'd been selected in the third round by Brooklyn. In announcing the trade, Pirates GM Jeff Watson said, "We're excited to have the son of one of the major league's finest hitters in Will Miller Jr. While he has yet to reach his potential, we believe he's on the verge of serious improvement and should be a quality major league hitter in a few years."

[ifspuds]

With Opening Day upon us, let's look at the 1949 Pittsburgh Pirates, picked by most to finish at or near the bottom of the National League standings:

Starting Rotation:
1. RHP Ron Fleischmann (1948: 11-13, 4.11 ERA): At 25 years old, Fleischmann is already the ace of this staff, and he has been for 2 years. While on a pitching staff like Pittsburgh's, that's damning with faint praise, the big right-hander is a legitimate top of the rotation starter. He has world-class stuff, but struggles with his control from time to time: he's walked 140 and 121 batters in the last two seasons. He'll strike out a lot of hitters, however, and he doesn't give up a lot of hits.

2. RHP Bill Tschetter (1948: 14-19, 4.53 ERA): One of the remaining veterans on this team, Tschetter is an enigma. He's capable of putting up top-line numbers (3.28 ERA in 1946) but as he heads into the twilight of his career (he'll be 37 at the end of the season), those sorts of numbers are probably behind him.

3. RHP James Bajofer (1948: 7-3, 3.00 ERA): Bajofer split time between the rotation and the bullpen last year, but he'll be in the rotation all season in 1949 barring injury. The 30-year old Bajofer is solid across the board, a Jack of all trades but master of none. The Pirates are hoping to see a sub-4.00 ERA from the righty.

4. LHP Damon "Lefty" Bowden (1948: 16-13, 3.76 ERA): Bowden came over from the A's in an early 1948 trade, when the Pirates still held hopes of contention, and he pitched well for the Bucs. He's got great stuff and great control, but he's lost movement on his pitches in the last couple of years. At age 37, he won't be around much longer, but the Pirates hope he'll give them another season or two.

Lineups:
Catcher: The Pirates will rely on veteran Warrin Sauls (1948: 261/304/345) and the younger Thomas Kruyt (352/426/426, 54 AB) behind the plate. Sauls should get most of the playing time, as he's a slightly better hitter and defensive player, but Kruyt has the potential to hit for a high average.

First Base: Vic Ullom (1948: 282/357/364) will start against RHP. He had a disappointing season in 1948, finishing with his lowest batting average since 1937, and after two consecutive seasons of 11 homers, he only popped 5 last season. He'll share time with youngster "Samoan Ben" Giordano (1948: 276/303/390), who will start against LHP. Giordano got off to a blazing start after being called up last season before tailing off. He's got the potential to be a terrific hitter, if he can just get there.

Second Base: Herm Vardaman (1948: 221/351/299) has the job, and he's going to keep it. The top prospect in the Pirates system, Vardaman worked hard on his defense in the offseason, and ought to benefit greatly from new Pirates manager Jerry Hertzog, who many have said Vardaman resembles on the field. He's only 22, and should be around a long time.

Third Base: Ike Walker's (1948: 258/320/430) got the job until he loses it. With Bill Reed taking on a full season of AAA looking for a chance to stick in the majors, he's got some pressure on him to show that his hot start in 1948 is the real Ike Walker and not a fluke. Walker did win the 1948 Gold Glove at third.

Shortstop: Elmer "The Jeweler" Menard (1948: 309/375/379) is back for another season. He can still pick it with the best of them, and that'll keep him at shortstop for a long time. Oh, and he can hit some too. It looks like his 20 HR in 1947 was a career year, but if he can get back to double digits in HRs, it'll be a great help to the offense.

Left Field: Ed Monchak (1948: 263/345/443) is the best hitter, but he's a butcher with the glove. Bob Ferry (1948: 229/249/294) flopped in his chance at the full time job in 1948, but he continues to tantalize the team with his excellent bat control... when he manages to use it. Both are young (Monchak 26, Ferry 27), but the time for one to put a lock on the position is now.

Center Field: 1948's NL Batting Champ Rudy Young (1948: 347/444/428) will man center field once more, and at age 39, will hope to stave off old age for another year. No one questions his defensive abilities.

Right Field: Harold Perry (275/369/378) returns for his second full year in right field. His plate discipline was outstanding, and he had a couple of months that showed flashes of what the 23-year old could become with another couple seasons under his belt. High hopes for Harold this season.

Bullpen:

The Pirates bullpen is nothing special, with Marty Collins and Orval Keefover Jr. expected to get the lion's share of the innings. Knuckleballer Sam Newton will be the workhorse in middle relief if any starters get knocked out early. Newton posted a 4.55 in 4 September starts in 1948, though he walked 17 against just 7 strikeouts.

The Prognosis:

There's some talent here, but it'll take career years nearly across the board or collapses from several teams for the Pirates to climb into the upper half of the standings. The transition period for this team could be a few seasons, but management has put their faith in Jerry Hertzog's ability to mold the team into a scrappy bunch. He'll get every opportunity to make this team a contender. He'll need some help from the front office, however. Look for a third baseman to get traded, as well as a left field candidate. Monchak is probably better suited to 1st base, but Ullom and Giordano are the incumbents there, and barring a trade, left field could be a comedy of errors in Forbes Field in 1949.

[canadiancreed]

good to see i'm not the only one havign issues in left.

too bad that Reed cant crack the lineup this year, but here's hopign he gets a chance....somewhere

[ifspuds]

Welcome back to another season of the TWB Pittsburgh Pirates. The 1949 season, as I said in an earlier post, is a transitional one: a new manager, a number of youngsters in the lineup, and a lot of uncertainty.

It showed a bit in the first two weeks of the season, and the Pirates ended up 4-6, already 5.5 games behind the incredibly hot Phillies. Like last season, I'll cover the highlights, the lowlights and the rest after each (hopefully) sim. We'll start with the highlights.

The Bright Spots
2B Herm Vardaman, who the Pirates are putting a lot of their hopes for the future on, came through with an incredible start just as he did in 1948. Vardaman hit .367/.400/.667 with 3 HRs in 30 ABs, very surprising power numbers for a player whose strongest skills are hitting for average and drawing walks. He's already halfway to his season total of 6 HRs last year.

3B Ike Walker is playing well so far, hitting .333/.405/.472 with 1 HR, not the sort of power expected from him, but it's only been two weeks so far.

SP Damon "Lefty" Bowden, the veteran of the staff, is pitching like he's 27 not 37. In 2 starts, he's tossed 17.2 innings and allowed only 3 earned runs, allowing just 16 baserunners.

The Lowlights
The offense is playing fairly well, 7th in average and 3rd in home runs, but outside of Damon Bowden and a workmanlike effort from Bill Tschetter (1-2, 3.75), the pitching staff is a mess.

The Pirates' best pitcher, Ron Fleischmann, is off to a grim start: 0-2, 8.36 ERA, allowing 28 baserunners in 14 innings pitched. James Bajofer isn't much better, 1-2 with a 6.38 ERA and 31 baserunners allowed in 18.1 innings. The bullpen hasn't been any better. Orval Keefover Jr. has been smacked around unmercifully, and he hasn't gotten any help.

Other News
Manager "Slap" Hertzog counseled patience after the 4-6 start, in which the Pirates dropped 2 of 3 against both the Cardinals and the Reds. "This team has a lot of growing to do. Ben Giordano's got a ton of talent waiting to be tapped, and Fleischmann and Bajofer aren't going to struggle like this all season," said Hertzog in a meeting with local reporters after a 6-1 loss to the Phillies. "All the same, we're not a very good team yet. I know we can be, but it'll take some time."

[canadiancreed]

Sorry bout spanking your team so badly

[ifspuds]

"Monster" Monchak Rampages Through League
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

When Ed Monchak came to Pittsburgh in August of last season from the Philadelphia A's, no one was really sure what to expect from him. Nobody doubted he had the talent to hit the ball -- and hit it a long way -- but the lanky fellow from New York had yet to show the full extent of his talent at the plate. That may be changing.

The Pirates faced a left field dilemma as the 1949 season opened. Bob Ferry had folded in 1948 after being given the full-time job in left, but worked hard at AAA and was deemed worthy of another shot. But Ed Monchak, who played first base and left field, had more of a variety of skills, including home run power that the Pirates desperately needed. With the team wanting to give "Samoan Ben" Giordano every opportunity to come through at first base, that left Monchak to compete for the left field job with Ferry. In the end, it was the man they're starting to call "Monster" around town that got the job.

He started off with a solid April, hitting .294 with 4 homers, and turned it up another notch in May, hitting .389 with 3 homers halfway through the month. "I feel good up there, like the ball's about 2 feet wide, you know?" said Monchak. "I got my shot, I'm gonna make the most of it."

And he's doing just that. To start the season, some fans in the left field seats were getting on him for his glovework, which can generously be described as "trying his best". But his work at the plate has brought most of them around to his corner, and his defense is getting better slowly. "The skipper's been working with me on my footwork and staying relaxed. I get a little panicked out there sometimes when I don't see the ball off the bat right away," said Monchak when asked about his lack of defensive prowess. "I'm more comfortable at first base. I'm man enough to admit that. But Ben (Giordano) and Vic are there already, and I ain't one to take a job that wasn't given to me."

If "Monster" Monchak keeps hitting like he has been, they might give him more than a job. They might give him the key to the city.

[canadiancreed]

hmmmm left field already filled eh?

*looks at Perry*

intresting

[ifspuds]

Harold Perry's in right field. Now if you're interested in Bob Ferry, drop me a line and we'll talk.

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

In the end, it was the man they're starting to call "Monster" around town that got the job.

That could be a duel nickname, both for his homerun power and frightening defense.

[ifspuds]

I'm glad you picked up on that. I thought it was pretty well-suited.

[ifspuds]

Despite being in last place with few prospects for moving up any time soon, the Pirates placed two players on the National League All-Star team. 3B Ike Walker earned a starting nod on the squad by virtue of his .305/.361/.491 numbers. Ike has smacked 20 doubles and 11 homers this season and driven in 58 runs while scoring 42. The 20 doubles already a career high, and he's on pace to break his career high in longballs (17). "This is such an honor," said Walker upon news of his election to the midsummer classic, a first for the 24-year old. "When the team traded Bill Reed, it sent me a signal that they believed in me, that I was going to be here a long time. I'm just trying to reward that confidence.

The other Pirate All-Star was shortstop Elmer Menard, who has rebounded somewhat from a mediocre 1948 season to post a .326/.384/.430 line in 1949. This was Menard's 5th selection to the All-Star game, but according to The Jeweler, every time is like the first. "I love going. I love taking on the American League and putting them in their place. I haven't had a chance to play against their guys outside of this one game, so every time I get to go, it's a great feeling." The 34-year old Menard passed the 2000-hit plateau last September and continues to pile up honors as one of the greatest Pirates to put on the uniform.

In Other News

The Pirates continue to languish in last place, where they've been for a month and a half. The pitching continues to struggle badly, with Ron Fleischmann a particular concern. After missing 6 weeks with a bum elbow, the 25-year old hurler with the blazing fastball and the baffling bender has struggled. In each of his last two starts, he's failed to get through the 6th inning, allowing 7 runs in each of those starts. His ERA is now up to a disturbing 5.17, with just a 2-9 record.

Down on the farm, pitcher James Hering is suffering from a bad back and is expected to miss at least the rest of July. The Pirates had been pleased with his efforts at AA Albany, where the 1949 draftee had put up a 7-3 record with a 2.81 ERA. As disappointing as his injury is to the organization, there are still some glimmers of hope among minor league pitchers. Adam Abramowitz, acquired in a trade with Brooklyn, is 6-7, 2.45 for single-A Stockton. His teammate Perry O'Neil, acquired in a trade with the Cubs, is doing him one better, at 7-5, 2.24. Both players might see AA action before the season is over.