Pirates Offseason 2032-33

As the Pirates are coming off a bittersweet season in which the Bucs made it to their first World Series since 1979 (A span of 53 years) but fell to the powerhouse LA Angels in 6 games, the Pirates are having an active offseason in hopes of winning that elusive ring in 2033. The Pirates have been more active in Free Agency and have made a big splash in the trade market to put the best possible team on the field. The Pirates front office has been happy about the growing fanfare in Pittsburgh for its baseball team and are hoping support will continue to grow and turn The Steel City into a full fledged baseball city. In this article we will look at the additions and subtractions that have taken place this offseason.

Acquired thru Trades:
P Dave Gillard- Acquired from Cincinnati along with cash considerations for pitching prospect Jose Alires. Gillard was added to the team to assist Pittsburgh's bullpen after Rich Thompson is rumored to be close to signing with the Milwaukee Brewers as a free agent. Gillard is coming off a solid season in Cincinnati and relies upon his excellent "stuff" and hopefully his skills will translate to a very good career in Pittsburgh.

3B Geoff Johnson- Acquired from Boston for first baseman Charlie Sanger to compete to replace 3B Aaron Wittmann who departed for Kansas City. Geoff Johnson was drafted as a 1st rounder two seasons ago and the Pirates are banking on him fulfilling his 1st round potential. Expect Johnson to compete with FA acquisition Josh McAllister for the starting job at 3rd. Sanger's departure opens the door for Rob Kirouac to start full time in AAA next season. 

SP Dushawn Davis-  This was the big trade for the Pirates this offseason in which the Pirates acquire a highly touted young starting pitcher from Cleveland for Mario Aquino, Arturo Campomanes and 2B Dave Aubrey. The 26 year old lefty is highly regarded among MLB scouts but has been in the majors from 20 years old and hasn't shown a ton of promise in the majors. He has a career 5 ERA for Cleveland and hopefully a change of scenery will bring out the best in him. Aquino has been hot and cold as a major leaguer and projects as a 3rd SP; Campomanes shows good upside as a 21 year old starter or reliever and should definitely find a place on a major league staff. Second baseman Dave Aubrey, who was acquired midseason from Milwaukee, will be packing his bags again and headed to Cleveland. 

Acquired thru Free Agency: 
3B Josh McAllister- Josh will be competing with Geoff Johnson for the starting position at third this spring training after the departure of Aaron Wittman. McAllister is a sensational fielder with decent power and a decent eye for the strike zone. 

1B Luis Veles- Veles had 25 homers for Tampa last season but has serious struggles with contact, drawing walks, and swings and misses. The 27 year old will be competing for a spot as a role player in Pittsburgh and has solid versatility as he plays 1B, 3B, and in the OF. 

SS Ed Chapman- The speedster SS formally with Milwaukee and Houston will be competing for a position as a role player for the Pirates next year. He has a fairly average glove with outstanding speed and decent contact. He should make a very good pinch runner if he earns a spot on the Pittsburgh bench. 

SS Shuja Nakamura- The former 4th round selection of the Pirates returns to the team with an opportunity to earn a spot as a role player for the team. He has had stops in Toronto, Boston, Baltimore and Los Angeles. He still a very rangey shortstop with average contact and a solid eye. 

RF Jeff Albin- The long time New York Met has joined the Pirates as a 4th outfielder with good contact and a great eye. He is capable of starting in a bind for the Pirates and should provide good depth that they didnt have in the OF last year. 

RF Yukihira Gato- Gato signed a 2 year deal for 14 million dollars with the Pirates this offseason and becoming the first big FA investment from the Pirates in recent memory. Gato presumably will be replacing Bill Doucet on the team and will be competing for time along with Pete Brinkley and Mike Nicks.

SP Vicente Lingrell- Vicente had a surprising lack of interest of interest in free agency and eventually settled for a 2 year deal with the Pirates. The lefty had spent his entire career with Cincinnati and will likely will be competing for a spot in the bullpen for the Pirates. 

Departures:
C Ricardo Soto- The All-star catcher from last season is rumored to be close to a 2 year deal with the New York Mets. Soto had a breakthrough season last year with the Buccos after finalizing his divorce in what was obviously a dysfunctional relationship.

3B Aaron Wittmann- The powerful and swift fielding fan favorite in Pittsburgh is packing his bags for Kansas City. The negotiations reportedly broke down between the Pirates and Wittmann's agent and couldnt come to what they felt was a fair contract. Wittmann has aged gracefully to this point and the Pirates wish him the best of luck in the future. 

3B Blake McGilvernock-  Blake is reportedly close to signing with the Diamondbacks after spending his entire major league career with Pittsburgh. Blake became a fan favorite for his gritty play for the Pirates.

OF Bill Doucet- The reliable switch hitter hit a major roadblock with the Pirates during the negotiations as the two sides were significantly apart on the value. Doucet appears to be getting his wish of being paid through free agency as he reportedly has significant offers on the table from Minnesota, Detroit and Philadelphia. The Pirates training staff insisted that the front office let him walk because they felt he had been skating on thin ice with his injury history.

2B Leon Hussey- The longtime backup infielder for the Pirates is headed to the World Series champs, the LA Angels. Leon had been a mainstay on the Bucco bench since 2024 and will be onto a new journey with the team that beat Pittsburgh in the postseason. 

CL Rich Thompson- The Pirates all time leader in saves with 304 saves is rumored to be close to signing a contract with the rival Brewers. Thompson struggled to open last season but closed the season very strong and the Pirates fans surely will miss him in the pen. 

 

2031 Pirates Preview

A strange and unnecessary artist depiction of the Pirates new manager

After an interesting start to the offseason in which the Pirates waved goodbye to former manager Ellis Burks and also sent starting pitcher Vaughn Greensite and SS Joey Fowler to the Bronx, the Pirates have shifted focus to spring training invites and appear no longer involved in any major moves. The Pirates welcomed a new manager for the first time since 2019 in former Pirate Freddy Sanchez and are hoping he can be the magic ingredient to make it past the first round of the playoffs. In this preview we will look at the projected starters of 2031 and what their expectations and goals will be.

CF Paul Miller- Paul has been the mainstay in centerfield for the Pirates when healthy and experienced an extremely important comeback season last year for the team. He had experienced major injuries in 2028 and 2029 and people around the league wondered if he still had it; and he responded by hitting a career high 14 homers and overall being an important spark plug for the offense.

2B Micah Izabel- Micah has continued to impress the league with his outstanding contact bat and put up a very nice .345 average last year to capture the leagues batting title. Izabel has been a rock solid option for the team at 2nd base and there is every reason to expect the same going forward.

1B Brandon Zimmerman- BZim had a catastrophic injury in 2030 after falling down the stairs after helping a phantom Pittsburgh woman carry her groceries to her apartment, later found out that the woman was a die hard Reds fan and wanted BZim quote "dead." The woman has since been charged although it couldnt prevent his broken back vertebra he experienced in the attack. The doctors say he can expect a full recovery and should have a normal offseason for workouts. Expect Brandon to be back to the same old machine on the field and in the batters box.

RF Dominic Fulgham- Dominic is entering the final year of his contract and had a solid comeback year in 2030 before also breaking his back. People have joked that he broke his back trying to carry the team on his shoulders. His recovery could creep into the 2031 season and hopefully that will not affect his performance going forward but Pirates fans will have high expectations because of past performances.

LF Bill Doucet- Bill has been Mr. Consistent after being acquired from the Twins in 2028 and Pirates fans expect nothing less than what they have seen over the last few years. He has the potential to be an all star in any given season but has yet to accomplish that in the steel city. Health is certainly the key for Bill going forward as he has a history of injuries but has been quite healthy since coming to Pittsburgh.

3B Aaron Wittman- The power bat from Tampa, Florida had a bit of a disappointing season in 2030 but still hit 28 homers. The other numbers such as his average and his overall production was underwhelming and Pirates fans are hoping for another 100 rbi season from the Pirates slugger.

C Ricardo Soto- His name has flown around in some trade rumors but no trade has appeared to have any legs and it appears that Soto will finish out his contract in a Pirates uniform. Soto has shown good power in a Buccos uniform but his overall production at times has been horrid. Soto is an extremely streaky hitter but a relatively solid defensive backstop; Pirates fans awe at his power but his play on the field has yet to really showcase it. Soto may come in extremely motivated in a contract year and put up big numbers but he cannot be relied upon to be a force in the lineup.

SS Carl Grant- After the trade of Joey Fowler to the Yankees, this apparently opens the door to the main trade piece in the deal that sent former SP Aaron Kearsey to the Seattle Mariners. Grant should be a defensive upgrade at the position and scouts say he has a solid contact bat with perhaps 10 home run per season potential. The bat may not be quite to the caliber of Joey Fowler, but Grant has had far less problems with injuries than Fowler and ttherefore will hopefully be more reliable.

Bench- Expect OF Pete Brinkley and 3B Blake Mcgilvernock to have locked up spots on the bench for next year after having great success last year, all other bench spots should be up for a battle from various FA's, internal options, and spring training invites.

Rotation
SP Adam Sadlier- This man got paid this offseason and will be making a rumored 16 million dollars per year; he had a huge year for the team last year and for years preceding and has every quality of the teams ace.

SP Moreno Hellesto- The quiet Venezuelan has gone about his business each and every year as a Pirate, expect another 200 innings and a solid start every time out and Pirates fans will be more than happy with him. He is in the last guaranteed year of his contract and holds a dual option for 2032 season and it could really determine the future with the team but there is no reason to not be confident going forward.

SP Brian Luck- Luck experienced a bit of a breakout year in 2030 and made his first all star game after a stellar first half. He will need to carry that momentum into the 2031 season and if the improvement is any sign, the expectation is that he could be a 1 or 2 starter for the team going forward.

SP Brent Ruediger- He has pitched with mixed results since coming over from the Mets in 2029 but yet the Pirates showed confidence in him after moving Greensite and extending the contract of Brent through the 2033 season. Hopefully the confidence that the organization has shown in Ruediger will improve his confidence as he has a lot of talent.

SP Scott Waters- Rumors have been flying out of Pittsburgh that the former 2nd overall pick will be taking the spot of Greensite in the rotation after showing rapid progression in the minor leagues. He got a bit of a cup of coffee in the majors in 2030 with solid success and hopefully that will help shake the jitters going into the new season. Rookie SP can go either way and the book is still out on Waters so keep the expectations tempered for the rookie pitcher that ties up the back of the rotation.

Bullpen- The core will be back in the same way with Rich Thompson and Cameron Pavilaitis after they both experiences stellar success in 2030. Coldiron has been extended and after a strong showing from youngster Etienne Pracatan, he has an excellent chance of cracking his first opening day lineup. Expect a Spring Training battle for the last RP spot and the 6th starter or long relief pitcher.

Overall Pirates fans should have every expectation of playoffs for the upcoming season as on paper the team looks like one of the best in the division and hopefully the team can avoid a similar collapse to that of what happened in 2030.

Ellis Burks and Pirates to Part Ways, Announce New Manager

October 7, 2030

Ellis Burks and the Pirates Organization have decided to mutually part ways following a bittersweet 2030 season. To spite finishing the season with 90 wins the team experienced a late season meltdown that cost themselves a playoff birth. Burks, now 66 years old, said, "This was a great experience in my life and I have loved every minute of bringing baseball back to the city of Pittsburgh. I have been here since 2019 and its been a long hard battle coming to this point with this staff and with many of these players. I am somewhat saddened to be leaving on a sour moment after this late season collapse which I will take the blame for not motivating my players and doing things differently, but as they as hindsight is always 20-20."

When Pirates ownership was asked about the decision they responded, "Ellis could have certainly continued on longer if he still had the fire burning but we completely understand at 66 years old, with a growing family, and being in this business for as long as he has; It is important to know when to move on. We owe a great deal to our great manager and what he has done for our city and for our team."

Pirates ownership went on to make a surprising announcement that a new manager for the ballclub had already been decided upon. "We also have an announcement regarding the managing vacancy now, former major leaguer and Pittsburgh Pirates Freddy Sanchez will be taking over as the skipper of the team."

Freddy Sanchez, now 52, had always been a fan favorite as the middle infielder for the team 2004 through 2009. Sanchez returns to Pittsburgh after being a minor league bench coach in the Pirates system for a number of seasons. Freddy Sanchez's introductory press conference will be held later on this week.

2025 Pirates

Pirates 2025 Season Outlook
Coming after the Pirates first playoff appearance in 32 years, the Pittsburgh fans are cautiously optimistic after a slew of deals this offseason. The key to the season will be health. If the team can stay healthy, the team can certainly repeat as the NL Central champions this season. We will begin by taking a look at the projected lineup

C Jason Schexnayder- The injury riddled catcher for the Pirates has put together four consecutive seasons of 110+ games and the organization is hopeful that he continues to have decent health. He has a solid bat for the catcher position but his numbers have been somewhat underwhelming for a player that has an excellent eye and makes good contact. Schexnayder is in the last year of his current deal and hopefully that will lead to good motivation for his season.

1B Dominic Fulgham- He had a breakout season for the Pirates after being traded from Washington in the Don Pembroke deal. Fulgham had 22 homers with a .889 OPS in his first season with the team and there is certainly a feeling in the organization that he can have an all star or even MVP caliber season this year.

2B Shuja Nakamura- Nakamura was a major disappointment last season after struggling to begin the season. His defense after moving to second base was subpar and only started hitting well after the trading deadline. Scouts say he has truly a terrific bat and he needs to show this for an entire season this year for Pittsburgh.

3B Jamie Valdez- Valdez had an excellent comeback season in ’24 after an injured 2023 season. He put up 108 RBI’s and filled the role that the Pirates needs out of their number 5 hitter. The Pirates need more of the same this season in his contract year and that will determine his future with the team. Valdez has spent his entire career with the team and it would be sad to see him leave but he has to play well.

SS Vlad Castrejon- Vlad is as plug and play as any shortstop in the league. Vlad does have some injury concerns but he has consistently played 120 games every season and puts up solid at bats and plays gold glove defense. Vlad’s numbers are very consistent and there is an expectation that he will have another .380 OBP+ this season. It’s a crime that he has yet to win a gold glove yet, we chalk that up to playing in a small market.

LF Martin Greenawalt- Martin had a major role with Pittsburgh in his first season after being traded for Lon McClain. Martin showed flashes of power that the Pirates were searching for after swapping left fielders with Atlanta. Martin excels versus left handed pitching as does the entire Pirates lineup. Greenawalt is in the midst of an important stretch of his career that will determine his place in the majors. We consider him to be an above average option in the outfield.

CF Jamie Dowds- Jamie played a promising half of a season last year after his promotion to the big leagues and fans are optimistic that they will see more of the same. He needs to show improvement in the field but his bat is a huge asset at the top of the lineup. Expect outfielder Pablo Retoriano to platoon versus lefties on a regular basis this season.

RF Marc Graf- “The Communasty” continues to refine his game and showed a significant improvement in his second season with the Pirates. He is still very young and we look forward to him breaking the 100 RBI mark for the first time in his career. Graf is a major part of the Pirates success going forward.

Projected Bench
C Paul Foxx
IF Leon Hussey
IF Edgar Azebedo
3B Pat Goodwin
OF Max Shoulders
OF Pablo Retoriano

Pitching
SP Alfonso Predrasa- Expect more of the same from the All Star in the prime of his career.

SP Jim Cote- The big offseason addition for the Pirates this offseason in which the Pirates moved top Pitching prospect Levon Jackson among other prospects. Cote has had some sensational seasons in his young career for Florida. Pirates ownership feels that trading prospects for a 25 year old stud pitcher in his prime for some hit or miss prospects was a no-brainer. Cote will hopefully add much needed stability to the Pirates staff.

SP Tim Alderson- Alderson is proving to be possibly the most effective older pitcher in the league at 36 years old. He certainly has injury problems and struggles to stay on the mound but when he’s healthy is as good as any pitcher in the league.

SP Blake Beavan- The Beav is back for another run with Pittsburgh after a mid season trade last year involving New York and Tampa Bay. Beavan was hot and cold in his first season with the Pirates and the organization is hopeful that the stability of a fresh season will help him. Beavan also experiences injury problems and his success is dependent on his ability to stay on the mound.

SP Edgar Vaio- Vaio was acquired from the champion Diamondbacks this offseason for a pair of outfield prospects. Vaio is another injury risk for the Pirates but they organization is very confident in the amount of depth that has been compiled and are hopeful that they will be able to piece together a very good group in any scenario.

Bullpen
Closer- Rich Thompson
Setup- Dan Vanhouten
SR- Dexter Skovronski
SR- Frederic Abcejo
MR- Gordie Myers
6th Starter- RJ Seidel

Top Eight Prospects
1. 3B Rafael Baca- A defensive wiz with good offensive upside and a refined approach at the plate. He could be the man to succeed Jamie Valdez at third base for the future. The sky is the limit for this young player
(MLB Comparison- Evan Longoria)

2. CF Paul Miller- A 23 year old centerfielder that people in the organization say he could be major league ready now. He will start the year at AAA and will be a candidate for a mid season call up. He has a very refined bat and has drawn some comparisons to former Pirate Don Pembroke. A rangey fielder with solid speed and appears to an all around solid centerfielder. Miller could force the Pirates to consider opening a starting position in the outfield in the near future.
(MLB Comparison- Don Pembroke)

3. P Will Cordiron- He consistently has been dominant in the minor leagues and going into spring training trying to crack a spot in the bullpen. He doesn’t walk batters and has a couple of solid pitchers. He relies on his control and movement and could be a very nice pitcher for the Pirates for years to come.
(MLB Comparison- Zack Mark)

4. 3B Blake McGilvernock- Part of the trade that sent Don Pembroke to Washington, Blake has shown significant progress in the Pirates organization. Actually very similar to Rafael Baca and may serve as trade bait in the future.
(MLB Comparison- Travis Cottingham)

5. 2B Micah Izabel- Izabel struggled with the Pirates organization after being swapped for pitcher Sammy Navaf but scouts say he is an advanced talent for his age. He has plus contact for his age and is solid across the board. Izabel looks to get back on track this season, possibly in AA.

6. 1B. Brandon Zimmerman- 19 year old that was selected by the Pirates in the 2023 first round and is rated this low in the rankings because of how far from the majors he is. He has a good set of hitting skills for a 19 year old and needs a lot more time in the minors before he could crack the majors. He is an elite defender at first base now and will likely be one of the youngest players in AA this season.
(MLB Comparison- Angel Munoy)

7. RP Calogero Vaquerano- A 2nd rounder out of this past years draft; he is an unusual pickup for the Pirates and their general tendency. He gets by through his superb pitching power and blows his pitchers by batters. He throws two plus pitchers that have been described as special for his age. Needs to continue to work on his mechanics and control but could be a future closer of setup man in the major leagues. Scouts say he looked like a Mexican replica of James Threadgold on draft day.
(MLB Comparison- James Threadgold)

8. SP Brady Barnett- Barnett has no experience as a starting pitcher but the Pirates organization is adamant that he could make an excellent starting pitcher. He keeps the ball in the park and has good control and power. His journey to becoming a starting pitcher will be a long process but hopefully will pay dividends in the end.
(MLB Comparison-Pat Wright)

Enrique Delapiedra Retires; To Become Pirates New Hitting Coach

Pittsburgh fan favorite, Enrique Delapiedra, decided to retire following the Pirates playoff run. The Pirates decided to not offer him a contract to play for them next season but offered him a position as the hitting coach. Current hitting coach, Todd Helton, decided that he wanted to spend more time with his family in the future so the position was open. Coach Ellis Burks said he was "very excited" to be working with Enrique on the coaching staff and commented that he will be "as good of a hitting coach as anybody in baseball."

Delapiedra spent his major league career between the Marlins and Pirates as a switch hitting fill in outfielder. Delapiedra fell into a lot of starting opportunities with the Pirates and excelled and became a favorite in Pittsburgh. Delapiedra hit over .330 for three seasons in a row for the Pirates and finishes his career with an excellent .304 batting average.

On a side Pirates note, first baseman Benoit Stanczak also decided to retire this offseason after a fill in role at the end of September to propel the Pirates to a playoff spot. Benoit was very excited to be asked to join the Pirates again this season and was thrilled to be part of the Pirates ending their playoff drought. Pirates fans always will wonder how good Benoit could have been if the injury bug didn't tear his career apart.

Pirates Announce Coaching Staff

The Pirates have announced the new coaching changes to take affect for the 2023 season and beyond. The front office has contemplated these decisions for months and have hand selected the best candidates to propel the Pirates to the playoffs and beyond.

Manager: Ellis Burks (age 58)
Coach Burks had a very successful career as an outfielder during the late 1900's and has shown a desire to make his way into managing. He has previous experience as an assistant to the GM in the Cleveland organization and he believes that his experience the will make his transition much easier.


Hitting Coach: Todd Helton (age 49)
Hall of Famer; Todd Helton for the first time will not be with the Colorado Rockies organization. Helton was one of the premier hitters of his time and looks to bring some of his moxy to the Pirates. Top tier hitters tend not to turn into hitting coaches but the Pirates felt he was extremely knowledgeable and mechanics oriented and that would translate into Todd being able to help the Pirates hitters on a daily basis. Pirates hitters should be very excited to get to work with a legend.

Pitching Coach: Paul Byrd (age 51)
Paul Byrd was always known for his very unique delivery as a pitcher but that should not deter his knowledge to help the Pirates pitchers. Byrd was talented in developing mechanics that would be deceptive and that could utilize a good arm slot and through his experience will be able to help the Pirates arms.

Fielding Coach: Pokey Reese (age 49)
Reese played 2 seasons with the Pirates in 2002 and 2003 during his playing career and was highly regarded as an excellent middle infielder. He relied on athleticism more than he did mechanics but to spite that the Pirates fielders can still learn plenty from Coach Reese.

NL Central Draft Grades

In this quick write-up, I'd like to take a look at the jobs done by the various gms in the 2020 draft. The NL Central is argueably the best division in baseball and with the 2020 draft being a solid draft class, the results of this year will have a significant effect on the future of the National League. I will attempt to keep my bias out of the grades and keep it honest, not trying to hurt anyones feelings but I'm not going to sugarcoat a poor draft.

Chicago Cubs
Draft Grade: D+
Best Value Pick: P Chris Vieira (4th Round, 120th Overall)
Draft Notes: I am not really sure that any player that Sean drafted this season has any serious MLB career ahead of them. Sean drafted some very raw talents and I have my doubts that they will end up panning out. Sean didn't really need a great draft because his team is already great but he is always going to be looking for cheaper options and I doubt this class will produce any good options in the future. Out of all the players, RP Chris Vieera might have the best shot of being a solid bullpen piece.

Cincinnati Reds
Draft Grade: B+
Best Value: P Gustavo Telon (3rd Round, 71st Overall)
Draft Notes: I was much more impressed by the mid round picks of JPS than the early round picks. I realize JPS did not stay around for the whole draft and I am not sure who credit really goes to but for Cincinnatti it was a solid draft. He picked up good value in players like P Telon, LF Page and P Wilder but to me his first 2 picks were very risky. He had the 3 and 11 pick in the draft and he picked a terribly overrated 3B in Marv Eason and a questionable high schooler in 1B Eric Gentner. Considering the other talent that was on the board in the early first round, I feel that he will look back and regret his top 2 picks in this years draft.

Houston Astros
Draft Grade: B
Best Value: SS Peter Conwell
Draft Notes: Conwell was argueably most projectable position player in this years draft and to scoop him up in the late first round was certainly a good move. I know from talking to DJ he was quite high on his mid round picks but I personally believe that is where his picks fell off. I don't see the projectability in players like Nufio, Porcell, or Mezquita so that hurts his grade significantly. He had a ton of picks anticipating a loaded draft but the more I look at the draft, I feel many GM's were fooled by the top heavy talent and the 4th round and beyond were average. DJ agree to disagree on his mid round picks here.

Milwaukee Brewers
Draft Grade: C-
Best Value: LF Joseph Powell
Draft Notes: Simply, Erick had two of the first 5 picks and in a draft that I considered to be top heavy, Erick landed two questionable prospects. He could have made a huge move to set up his team for competition in the NL Central but I feel he missed his shot with this draft. This draft could have proven to be critical in his growth and honestly, I feel like he blew it.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Draft Grade: -
Best Value: P Jeff Vail
Draft Notes: Vail to me, was the best prospect at any position in this draft and to land him at the 6th pick was huge for me. I am obviously not going to give myself a grade because it would be biased. I felt like I made the most of my picks and picked up some projectable players that will help my team within a couple of season.

St Louis Cardinals
Draft Grade: C-
Best Value: Billy Rogers (practically by default)
Draft Notes: I am highly doubtful anybody in this group of draftees becomes a major league starter in their career. Maybe I am too low on their draft but I question the projectability of all the draftees and I could turn out to be wrong but I see a group of MLB bench players and AAAA players for the Cardinals draft

Well another draft for Pirate GM Peter is in the books and the outlook for this class is quite positive. The team held ten draft picks this year, an all time low under Peter with the Pirates. The Pirates are thrilled with their incoming draftees and look to welcome them all to their rookie ball affiliate in short time.

6th Overall Selection - SP Jeff Vail (Clemson) The Pirates consider Vail to be the best prospect in the draft at any position and were thrilled to see him fall to the 6th spot. The Pirates traded up to the 6th spot to ensure they got one of the players they were targeting. Vail has plus control and impressive polish for a player of his age. Vail just turned 20 years old and the Pirates view him as a future number 1 or number 2 starter

38th Overall Selection - LF Paul Poisal (Lamar) Poisal put up very impressive numbers through high school and at Lamar and those numbers propelled him to a high amateur selection. Poisal's glove is his best attribute and scouts say that his bat is raw at this stage and are unsure of what contact or power he may develop. His track record is good and the Pirates hope that some of those numbers will turn into improvement for Pail.

44th Overall Selection - RP Will Coldiron (Logan, IA) Coldiron shows outstanding polish for a high school pitcher and is extremely impressive for his age. He places his pitches where he wants them and has good stuff as well. His high school stats were out of this world and the Pirates are very excited that Coldiron fell to them in this draft position.

68th Overall Selection - P Rich Thompson (Cal State Fullerton) The Pirates have admitted that they are not sure if his future is as a starter or as a reliever but scouts say that he has plus control and plus power on his pitches. The Pirates are excited about the rare combination or control and power this late in the draft and whatever role he plays in the future, confidence is high that he can be successful.

98th Overall Selection - SS Shuja Nakamura (Tokyo, Japan) Nakamura is comparable to the typical Japanese player that makes good contact but with not much power. He has solid speed and a solid eye for the strike zone. He is nothing special in the field and will likely develop into an average fielder at SS or 2nd base. Another high school player selected by the Pirates which is unusual compared to the last two drafts by the Pirates front office. The Pirates are known to take more college players but were obviously impressed by a number of high school players.

104th Overall Selection - RF Trent Olenhouse (Joliet, IL) Yet another high school player and Trent is very young at the age of 17. He is young but is projectable to have plus contact and be a plus fielder. His speed and eye are also not bad for his age but there are no guarantees that those areas will progress significantly. Olenhouse is obviously a long term project but the front office is confident that the wait will be worth it.

128th Overall Selection - 2B Joe Williams (Central Florida) One of the more surprising picks for the Pirates in this draft. The Pirates have a couple of solid 2B's in their system and at similar stages of their careers so this looks like merely a situation of picking the best player on the board. Williams is a switch hitting contact oriented second baseman and he should at least be a solid MLB backup.

134th Overall Selection - 3B Darren Murphy (Alabama) The selection of the sliding Murphy was finally ended in the 5th round by the Pirates. He was projected as a late 3rd or 4th round selection and although he is very raw and needs serious work in the minors, he is in the right situation with the Pirates.

158th Overall Selection- RF Robin Newton (Texas Tech) Another southern player head North to Pittsburgh. Although right field was not a area of strong need and other draftees at right field, the Pirates felt obligated to draft the most projectable player on the board in hopes that he can develop into a solid player for somemajor league team.

164th Overall Selection - RP Zack Ellington (Texas A+M) His skills are not impressive or polished as of today and probably won't be but the Pirates felt he was interesting enough to draft him because he has a decent array of pitches and projectable control of his pitches

Yankees sign ex-Pirates Draftee

Dann Schafer, who looks a lot like Garrett Anderson, during ST for the Pirates in 2011.

Jordan, the current acting Yankees GM, has been the GM for just this past season, after replacing ezpkns34 and the intern GMs the followed him in 2018.  One of Jordan's first moves this off season, was to sign a player who he once drafted when he served as the GM of the Pittsburgh Pirates from 2010-2017.  Dann Schafer who was the Pirates second round pick of the 2010 draft.  The 29 year old Schafer went on to win the 2012 AL rookie of the year award, along with the 2016 AL MVP award, along with making the all-star game three times.  On the 2010 draft, Jordan said:  "I remember that draft, we had just picked first baseman Jamie Valdez in the first round, so we did not really want to draft another first baseman, but we realized that Schafer had just about more talent than anyone else left in the draft, that we couldn't pass up on him."  

Schafer is expected to be a backup that will contend during spring training for a roster spot and will likely be used as a starter in the event of an injury to one of the starters.

The Yankees have also signed former Pirate Jordan Parraz to play for their AAA team.

2019 Pirates Draft Review

With thirteen picks in the MLB amateur draft for two consecutive years, the Pittsburgh Pirates are striving to become a source of young talent. With Pittsburgh fighting to compete with the big budgets in baseball these days, the strategy will hopefully lift them to the playoffs since 1992. The 26 year drought for the city of Pittsburgh has been long and frustrating but there are reasons to be hopeful for the future. So in this preview, we would like to give you some insight for what Pittsburgh fans will see out of these young hopeful prospects for years to come.



3B Peter Potter (Stanford) 17th Overall Selection- Potter is considered to be the best fielding prospect in the entire draft class this year. His glove work is superior among all other players at any position. The 21 year old switch hitter shows good contact but tends to swing at bad pitches at times. He lacks present power in his swing and is unlikely to add a lot of pop but potentially could hit 15 homers in a major league season. Many teams were rumored to be interested in Potter and as a projected late 1st rounder or early 2nd rounder we was drafted higher than expected. In the Pirates organization he may experience an internal block at 3B but should find a future at another infield position, likely second base.

MLB Comparison- 3B Bill Mueller

RF Jarod Cain (Arizona State) 45th Overall Selection- Cain is a power lefty bat out of Arizona State that shows impressive polish for an amateur player. He has more present contact than you would expect from many power bats coming from college but does need improvement in every facet of the game. None of his baseball characteristics jump off the page but he seems to have a solid approach which hopefully will lead to significant improvements in his game. He fell a little in the draft as he was projected as later 1st rounder or early 2nd rounder. Rumors from people inside the Pirate organization were that not much scouting was done on this player he wasn't originally on the team's radar but were intrigued by him when they saw him slipping. Cain has the potential to hit 25+ homers in the majors which we consider to be a safe estimate.

MLB Comparison- OF Ryan Westmoreland (minus speed)

SP Leo Monajas (LSU) 69th Overall Selection- Monajas is a Dominican lefty pitcher that shows solid control and power currently. He lacks "stuff" for his pitchers at the moment but the organization is confident that can be improved with work in the minors. He tops out at about 94 MPH right now but has been known to give up homers and that is going to be something he needs to work on to be successful. He throws a solid fastball and curve with a below average circle change and two-seamer. Leo is a player that has tools that you look for in a young pitcher and hopefully can be successful in years to come.

MLB Comparison- P Wade Milley

LF Justin Case (Vanderbilt) 76th Overall Selection- What was his parents thinking with this name? Anyways, Case is a lefty bat out from Texas that shows good present contact and projects to be a players with plus contact and plus speed along with being a solid fielder. With other good prospects in the system in the OF, will Case be the odd man out and be offered as trade bait in the future? In any case, Justin seems to be a player with a good approach at the plate and tools to get the job done.

MLB Comparison- David Murphy

SP Keith Finch (Georgia Tech) 77th Overall Selection- The Pirates had some other organizations stratching their heads by picking him in the 3rd round when others had him targeted as a mid fourth round pick. Finch is a 20 year old that shows plus control of his pitches as well as average power. He tops out about 90 MPH right now and has underwelming "stuff". As a starter, the Pirates hope he will add another pitch and continue to refine his approach on the mound. He certainly needs work in the minors but he seems to fit the mold of pitchers that Pittsburgh has been targeting.

MLB Comparison- P Jeremy Hellickson

RP Mickey McDonald (Georgia Tech) 96th Overall Selection- This pick was certainly unexpected from the Pirates as he doesn't fit the system as well as other players in the draft. McDonald had been slipping in the draft and Pittsburgh felt compelled to take a chance with him and see if he could become a usefull bullpen piece. He has a good fastball and cutter presently and a below average circle change so with some work he has a good pitch selection to work with for a relief pitcher.

MLB Comparison- RP Chuck Arnold

2B Leon Hussey (Florida State) 105th Overall Selection- Leon appears to be a solid second baseball that does everything at least at an average level. He may be able to develop solid contact and at least become a useful bench piece for a major league team. Makes all the plays in the field that he is supposed to but is not flashy.

MLB Comparison- 2B Sean George

RF Alejandro Velasco (Georgia Tech) 107th Overall Selection- Another draftee out of Georgia State? Velasco is a lefty hitter and arm that had a successful college career at George Tech. Alejandro is 21 years old and shows solid contact and has a reliable glove in the field. He is borderline guy that if progresses right could be a starter for a team but is more likely a solid bench piece in the future.

MLB Comparison- RF Drew Farber

SP Jeff Lankford (Newark, NJ) 129th Overall Seleection- A high school pitcher that the Pirates regard to him as having a high ceiling. His skills aren't spectacular and nothing jumps off the board but seems to be solid. He tops out at about 92 MPH and has a solid sinker. Lankford is an interesting guy to watch in the future, sink or swim with this prospect.

MLB Comparison- P Derek Lowe

1B Mark Eyar (LSU) 135th Overall Selection- The man from Taiwan, a contact oriented lefty first baseman that has a solid glove as well. This pick probably is trying to address a shortage of 1B prospects in this system and likely doesn't have a high ceiling but anything is possible, right?

MLB Comparison- 1B Bryan Griffith

SP Wade Bellinger (USC) 136th Overall Pick- A pitching prospect that the Pirates would consider quite similar to Sammy Navaf but likely has a lower ceiling than Navaf. The lefty has been rumored to be working on a gyroballto add to his fastball and curve. He reaches about 91 MPH on the radar gun and doesn't project to add much to that figure.

MLB Comparison- P Joey Allen

SP Doug Kadysiewski (Columbus, OH) 156th Overall Selection- I was speaking to some people in the Pirates front office and this name kept poping up as a player that they were exciting to see fall to them in this draft. He fell to the 6th rounder as a righty pitcher and also shows a pretty impressive bat for a pitcher. His "stuff" needs a lot of work before he will be ready to move along in the system but none-the-less the Pirates seemed excited about this 6' 10" high schooler from Ohio.

MLB Comparison- unknown, too early to tell

LF Yanick Devincenzi (Stetson) 165th Overall Selection- Yanick is a player that actually shows impressive tools in the 6th round with good speed and a good glove. He projects to be a contact hitter that hopefully in the future could serve as a platoon versus lefty pitching. He figures to be a guy that could stay with the Pirates and be a useful contributor for years to come.

MLB Comparison- OF Mark Padgett

Yup.

Pirates Future

The Pittsburgh Pirates continue to have one of the best if not the best farm system in FCM, and a lot of those players are looking on comming up in the near future. Here is a run down of what to expect to see in the Future Pirates. The Pirates have a lot more prospects then what are listed below, this is just a list of the Pirates top prospects.

Catcher:

Not to long ago, Tony Sanchez was looking at career ending injuries from a team bus crash on the way to the winter leagues. A couple seasons later he seems himself as one of the top prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates system. His road to recovery has been an amazing story.
Sanchez is best known for what he can do with his bat, as the 24 year old is prejected to become one of the best hitting catchers in the league.

Sanchez has good contact and power facing either a lefty or righty, but vs lefties scouts compare the amount of power he has to Albert Pujols. As a catcher, his fielding is just average, and his arm is nothing too special either, but he has done a fine job calling games in the minors. He does have a history at 1B if the Pirates decide to put him their in the future. Sanchez is projected to be the 2014 starting catcher.

Jason Schexnayder was a trade deadline pickup from the San Diego Padres, and the Pirates expect big things from him. Drafted by the Padres this year in the 1st round out of Jacksonville State, Schexnayder spent much of the season with the Fort Wayne Tincaps.

Schexnayder has not put up too many impressive numbers so far, but they really like his work ethic and see tag Schexnayder as their next Jose Bonilla. The best tool that Schexnayder has shown so far besides his defense, is working the count and getting on base, which will get any player far in baseball. Schexnayder is not expected to make the majors for a few seasons.

1st Baseman

Jesus Guzman has really developed well this season.  He leads the Pirates in batting average at .329 and has an OBP of .419.  His great play this season has him projected to stay as the Pirates first baseman next season, even though he does lack the homerun numbers which most 1st baseman put up. 

22 year old Jamie Valdez has had a great season so far this year in AAA.  Valdez has 24 homeruns and already over 100 RBI's for the Indianapolis Indians this season.  He was the first pick draft pick ever picked by GM Jordan as the 2nd pick of the 2010 draft.  Valdez can play 3B, where a lot of scouts expect him to play in the majors as a starter next year, to do being blocked by Guzman, but Valdez does not have the defence that typical third baseman have.  He has mediocre fielding and not a cannon for an arm a typical 3rd baseman should have.  He has even worse range, so expect many batters to try to hit the ball to the left side against the Pirates in 2014.  Valdez is also able to play in the corner outfield positions, but do to the fact that the Pirates have a lot of outfielders, and not a lot of infielders, Valdez is projected to play 3B.

2nd Baseman

The 21 year old Dan Vick is the top 2B prospect in the Pirates farm system.  He was initialy acquired in the  third round by the Houston astros in 2011 draft, but later that season traded to Seattle.  Last month the Mariners traded Vick to the Pirates.  Vick has a .321 batting average this season in AAA.  Scouts think of Vick as a similar player to Jesus Guzman, a player with good contact, but not greay power.  He does have decent fielding which is a much for a middle infielder.  Some scouts think Vick still needs some seasoning in the minors, but GM Jordan is hoping to have Vick as the starting 2B for the 2014 season.

Randy Necaise, just 20 years old, is showing good tools so far, but is still far from the majors.

3rd Baseman

Tim Cox is just 21 and still a few years away from the big leagues, but he is the top 3B prospect in the Pirates system.  The Pirates, who lacked a solid 3B prospect, made it their goal to pick one up this season.  They acquired Cox from the Mariners in the same deal that landed them Vick.  Cox is showing good contact and power for a 2B, and so far in the minors he seems pretty indestructable, playing in almost every game this year.  Expect Cox to be in Pittsburgh no sooner then 2015.

Shortstop

Will Wainscott was the number one draft pick for the Pittsburgh Pirates this season.  A  former Tar Heel from the University of North Carolina,
Wainscott was drafted first do to the Pirates lack of infield prospects.  Wainscott has been effective this year, batting is .338 in A ball with a .406 OBP.  He is a solid prospect in every aspect, but likely wont be in the big leagues for a few seasons. 

Left Field:
Agustin Verero, the Pirates first pick of the 2011 draft from Mexico has been slowly progressing season by season and looks ready to make the big leagues in 2010.  Verero has been labled as one of Jordan's favorite prospects do to his bat skills.  He does strike out often, but isn't just a homerun masher.  He knows how to hit the ball to all fields, and has 33 doubles on the season in AAA.  He is not the best of fielders, but you don't really need a great fielder in left field.
Rest coming soon...

Projected 2014 Pirates:

C: Tony Sanchez

1B Jesus Guzman

2B Dan Vick

3B Jamie Valdez

SS Yuniesky Betancourt

LF Augstin Verero

CF Wesley Freeman

RF Avisail Garcia

SP Tim Alderson

SP Alfonso Predrassa

SP Gary Boston

SP Raul Mata

SP P.J. Dean

Enough said....

(always nice to rip the in state rival)

BREAKING NEWS - Pirates' Bus Crashes

PITTSBURGH- A Pittsburgh Pirates team bus was on it's way to Arizona to take part in the Arizona fall league when it went off the road and flipped onto its side at 2:14am just outside of St. Louis Missouri. On the Bus were four of the Pirates top prospects: Tony Sanchez, Kyle Heckathorn, Tad Girouard and Agustin Verero. There were no reported fatalities. The driver, Jeffery Santino, employed by the Pirates, reportedly fell asleep at the wheel. Do to the accident, the Pirates were unable to participate in the Arizona fall league. The forty million dollars that the Pirates had invested for their winterball program had to be instead had to be spent on the bus and medical bills.
The Pirates have already fired Jeffery Santino from his driving duty.
As stated earlier, there were no fatalities, but a few major injuries. One of the Pirates top prospects, catcher Tony Sanchez, was sent to the hospital in critical condition, but not life threatening. He had a severe back and neck injury which might leave him paralyzed. If he ever plays baseball again, it wont be for a couple years at the earliest. Tony Sanchez was one of the top catching prospects in the Pirates farm system. "It's a horrible accident, but these things happen every once in awhile, and you just have to move on. This is a big set back in our minor league program, and it's a horrible situation for everyone involved in the accident. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Sanchez family that Tony can make a full recovery."
Tony Sanchez is expected to stay in the Pirates farm system even with his possible career ending injury.
In other news, infielder David Eckstien is expected to retire and accept a job with the Pirates front office working at their spring training complex in Bradenton while living at his home in Sanford. The Pittsburgh Pirates were 62-100 last season finishing 6th in the NL Central division, they will have the 4th overall pick in the up coming draft.

Andrew McCutchen to Milwaukee

PITTSBURGH- After a lot of speculation, dating all the way back to the trade deadline a year ago, the rumors are true, McCutchen is packing his bags heading north to Milwaukee.

For the last couple of weeks, rumors had arose that McCutchen had been placed on the team trading block, and that some of the top offers were from division rival Milwaukee and the Yankees. The Yankees apperantly offered more players then any other team (6) but lacked stand out high quality players that the Pirates got from Milwaukee. In the deal, Pittsburgh aquired three young pitchers and infielder Joe Inglett. The pitchers are 22 year old righty Kyle Heckathorn, 21 year old lefty Efrain Nieves, and 19 year old lefty Tad Girouard. Pirates GM Jordan had this to say on the transaction: "Heackathorn, Nieves and Girouard have great scouting data and all should all become amazing pitchers. This team is set up to have a stellar rotation down the road, and without a great rotation, you can't win ballgames." Joe Inglett should find a lot of playing time in the Pirates weak infield, he had very little playing time in Milwaukee do to them having Rickie Weeks at second base.

McCutchen leaves a large void in center field, but the Pirates have a lot of outfielders that can fill the void like Johnny Damon, John Raynor, or Jason Tyner.

In other news, Magglio Ordonez, the Pirates left fielder, was placed on the 15-day DL yesterday with a dislocated hip. He should be back around the all-star break. Ordonez was batting .289 with 3 homeruns and 17 RBI's. John Raynor was called up to take his place.

It's not a suprise that McCutchen was traded, he was under performing in Pittsburgh. He batted .247 in 151 games last year, and just .230 this year.

David Eckstein Joins the Pirates

PITTSBURGH- The Pirates made a few off season signings, most notably signing the aging veteran infielder, former World Series MVP David Eckstein. Most GM's would say that Pittsburgh heavily over payed Eckstein, do to the fact that he is aging and his numbers are declining. Pittsburgh was the only team to even give Eckstein an offer of six million over two years. "Eckstein is a true player, and his presence is invaluable." said Pittsburgh's GM Jordan. "I have been a fan of Eckstein for along time, when I saw that he became a free agent, we just had to sign him. Eckstein has a great faith driven personality, along with a desire to win. He shows his dedication to the game and his life every day. This is a young team, and Eckstein is just the guy I want showing the young guys how to play baseball the way it should be played. How to play the sport with passion, and try to win every day, along with how to be humble and have a realistic outlook on obsticle that comes our way. The way Eckstein plays is just the way I want Pittsburgh baseball to be for years to come."
The Pirates also signed RP Lance Cormier during the offseason.

Digging Out of a Pit

As we hit the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates find themselves in a fimilar spot, last in the NL Central with a record 44-58. Like always the Pirates, if they make any deadline deals, will most likely be shipping away their stars for young undevelop prospects. This year many of the stars that people believe are on the choping block are Iwamura, Milledge, Duke and even McCutchen. There was rumors that the Pittsburgh front office had talked to Milwaukee about McCutchen becoming a Brewer, but the talks have died down recently. The most recent McCutchen rumors have him linked to the Yankees, and we will tell you more about this rumor, and other possible deadline deals as more information become avialable to us.