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Monthly Archives: March, 2010

Pirates Tie With Phils; 2 Hits For McCutchen and Church

Pirates 3, �Phillies 3 � �(box) The Pirates and Phillies called it even after 10 innings in Grapefruit League play today. �The Pirates out-hit the Phils 7-6, as CF Andrew McCutchen and RF Ryan Church were responsible for two hits each, and one of Church's was a homer. �The Phillies got started in the top of the 1st with a lead-off triple off Pirates' starter Kevin Hart. A sacrifice fly and four outs later, the Phillies had 2 runs, and Hart had thrown so many pitches that they did not send him out to the mound for the second inning, which had been the original plan. The Pirates answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the 1st. �McCutchen led off with a single and stole second base. �1B Jeff Clement doubled, bringing in McCutchen, then Church blasted the 2-run homer, and the Pirates had the lead. �LF Lastings Milledge also doubled, and C Jason Jaramillo singled for the other hits in the game. Steven Jackson gave up the Phils' other run in the 7th inning on one hit and a walk. �He was charged with a Blown Save. �RF Domonic Brown, who played with the Pirates' prospects on the Scottsdale Scorpions in the Arizona Fall League, had 2 hits off the Pirates' pitchers. �DJ Carrasco pitched the 3rd and 4th innings, and allowed one hit and a walk, with 2 strikeouts. �Justin Thomas, Brendan Donnelly, Jack Taschner, Donnie Veal, Jean Machi, and Jeff Sues each pitched one inning and scattered four hits among them. �Taschner struck out 3 batters, Donnelly struck out two, and Sues fanned one. Several minor leaguers got into the game too, but without any hits: �DH Jose Tabata, CF Gorkys Hernandez, SS Brian Friday, 1B Steve Pearce, LF Jon Van Every, 3B Pedro Alvarez, and C Erik Kratz. Alvarez went 0-for-1 at the plate.

Tony Sanchez Opens With A Homer

Pirates 5, Orioles 3 � (box) The Pirates' first-round draft pick from 2009, C Tony Sanchez, made his Grapefruit League debut with a blast straight out over the center field fence �in the top of the 8th inning. �His homer tied the score at 3-3, and got the Pirates fired up. �In the top of the 9th, 3B Neil Walker beat out an infield single to start another rally. �CF John Raynor took advantage of the gap created on the right side by the first baseman holding Walker on first. �He slipped a soft liner into right field, moving Walker to third base. �2B Delwyn Young followed with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Walker with the go-ahead run. �Raynor advanced to third base on Young's hit, and he scored on LF Jose Tabata's sacrifice fly to give the Pirates an insurance run. SS Ronny Cedeno scored the Pirates' first run in the 3rd inning. �He dropped a single into shallow right field -- it looked like it was going to be foul, but drifted back fair at the last second. �Walker walked, and Cedeno stole third base. �2B Aki Iwamura lined a single into center, plating Cedeno. �Walker scored again in the 5th inning. �A walk to Walker, a single by Raynor, and a walk to Tabata loaded the bases with one out. �RF Garrett Jones bounced to first base, and the O's first baseman bobbled it -- was still able to get Jones out at first, but Walker scrambled home from third. Jon Van Every came into the game mid-way to play right field, and struck out twice. �Steve Pearce started at first base and went 0-for-2 with a walk. �Hector Gimenez replaced Pearce, and had a hit in his only plate appearance. �Argenis Diaz took over for Cedeno at short and struck out in his plate appearance. � Oh, and Tony Sanchez absolutely nailed a runner trying to steal second, then jumped out from behind the plate to make a great play on a dribbly little hit that landed just in front of the plate. Zach Duke started for the Pirates. �He went 2 innings and allowed a run on 2 hits, with a strikeout. �Daniel McCutchen had the next two innings -- gave up a solo home run and two more hits, with a strikeout. �Jeremy Powell gave up an unearned run, as some kind of weird error-virus infected the Pirates infield in the 5th. �A fielding error by Iwamura put a runner on, and Cedeno's fielding error brought him in. �Walker, who earlier had bobbled a grounder but then recovered in time to still get the out, this time fielded cleanly but then his throw to first went up the line too far for Pearce to retrieve it. �No further scoring, though. �Javier Lopez, Evan Meek, Ramon Aguero, and Ronald Uviedo all pitched one scoreless inning to finish the game, with each one allowing one hit and all but Lopez striking out a batter. �Aguero was the pitcher of record when the go-ahead runs scored in the top of the 9th, so he was credited with the win; Uviedo earned the save.

Prospect Watching: Ryan Kelly and Noah Krol

Continuing to take a look at some of the Pirates' up-and-coming prospects... in no particular order, though generally moving from the lower levels to the higher levels in the organization. �Two pitchers today: Right-handed (William) Ryan Kelly was the Pirates' 26th round pick in the 2006 draft. � He made his pro debut in 2007 with 5 games for the GCL Pirates, and moved up to State College in 2008, where he made 8 appearances (6 starts). �He had limited innings in both of those seasons -- 40 innings over the two years, with a 1-2 record and a 6.53 ERA. �Control was a problem for Kelly, with 20 walks over those 40 innings. �The South Carolina native was moved to the bullpen in West Virginia for 2009, and he made some serious progress. �Kelly made 30 relief appearances, earning a 3-2 record and 6 saves, with a 4.30 ERA. �He pitched 69 innings and allowed 33 earned runs on 83 hits. �His control was much improved, as he allowed only 9 walks, while striking out 67 batters. �The season was up-and-down for Kelly. �He had a good May, allowing just 6 earned runs, though 21 hits, over 17.2 innings (7 appearances) for a 3.06 ERA. �He had some trouble in June, when his ERA bounced up to 6.16 in 8 appearances/19 innings. �July was better again, with another 6 runs, again on 21 hits, in 15.1 innings/7 appearances. �In August, he allowed 8 runs in 13 innings/6 appearances, and was back up to a 5.54 ERA. �There was just one really difficult outing in August, when Kelly allowed 4 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks over 2 innings. �Kelly finished the season with a scoreless 2-inning appearance, including one hit and 3 strikeouts. �For 2010, Kelly's initial placement could depend on how he looks in spring training. �He could start back in West Virginia, but continued improvement in his control could land the 22-year-old in Bradenton. Noah Krol is another righty reliever, who began his pro career with the Tigers. �The Kansas native was drafted by Detroit in the 17th round of the 2007 draft. �He pitched at the low-A and the A levels in their organization over 2007 - 2008, earning a 4-3 record, 32 saves, and a 3.30 ERA. �Injuries derailed the Tigers' plans for him, though, and he was released at the beginning of the 2009 season. �The Pirates signed him to a minor league contract and had him warm up with a hitless and scoreless inning for the GCL Pirates before assigning him to West Virginia. �Krol made 21 appearances from the Power bullpen, for 37 innings. �He allowed 21 runs, but only 12 were earned, on 39 hits, with 11 walks and 32 strikeouts. He earned a promotion to Lynchburg in September, and pitched in 3 games during the final week of the season. �In the first two, he pitched 2 scoreless innings, allowing one hit in each game. �In the last game, he gave up one run on 4 hits in one inning and suffered the loss. �Krol made a strong showing in the Hillcats' playoff run. �He made 4 appearances in the two series. �In the first two, he pitched 2 and 2.1 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts in each. �He gave up a meaningless home run in his third appearances, a game which the Hillcats won. �He was charged with a Blown Save in the Hillcats' next-to-last game, when he surrendered 2 runs, but the Hillcats came back to get the win. �Krol has positioned himself to return to the A+ level at Bradenton for the 2010 season. �He'll turn 26 years old in June, and he needs to get moving up in the organization.

Prospect Watching: Hunter Strickland and Brett Lorin

Looking at two more pitchers today, both acquired in trades.... Right-hander Hunter Strickland was the Red Sox' 18th round pick in the 2007 draft. �After a brief stint with the GCL Red Sox after signing, and a successful 2008 campaign with the Sox' New York-Penn affiliate in Lowell, Stricklan began the 2009 season at Boston's A affiliate in Greenville. �As in the previous two seasons, Strickland mostly started for Greenville -- 12 starts and 6 relief appearances. �In 83.1 innings, he allowed 85 hits and 31 earned runs, for a 5-4 record and a 3.35 ERA. �He struck out batters at a reasonable rate, 51 K (5.3 K/9 innings), and he did not walk a lot of batters, just 13 BB (1.4 BB/9 innings). �Strickland continued those trends almost exactly when he joined West Virginia after being included in the trade for Adam LaRoche. �In 43 innings for the Power, Strickland walked 6 batters (1.4 BB/9 innings) and struck out 23 batters (5.5 K/9 innings). �The Georgia native made a splash in his first game for the Power. �He pitched 6 hitless and scoreless innings, striking out 5 batters, and then teammate Diego Moreno finished up the no-hitter with 3 more hitless and scoreless innings. �Strickland made another 7 starts for the Power, and earned a 4-2 record with a 3.77 ERA over the last six weeks of the season. �His starts were consistent, as he allowed only one or two earned runs in four of them, and 3 earned runs in another start. �He had only one really tough outing, when he allowed 8 runs on 11 hits and a walk in 4 innings on August 26th. �Strickland's final start was another strong one: �6 scoreless innings, with 3 hits. �At 21 years of age, Strickland has some time to work on his slurvy-curve and changeup, which did improve over the course of 2009. �He should begin 2010 in Bradenton. Brett Lorin is another right-hander, and he's even taller than Strickland (Lorin is 6' 7" and Strickland is 6' 5"). �He was the Mariners' 5th round draft pick in 2008, and after being drafted, he split the rest of the season between Low A Everett and A Wisconsin. �Lorin made 5 starts for Everett, with a 1-0 record and a 2.82 ERA, and another 6 starts (plus 2 relief appearances) for a 0-2 record and a 4.80 ERA for Wisconsin. �The Mariners put him back at the A level (Clinton this time) for the 2009 season, and Lorin shone there. �He made 16 starts for 88.2 innings, allowing 24 earned runs on 61 hits, with 25 walks and 87 strikeouts. �Batters could only manage a .192 against him, as the California native posted a 5-4 record and a 2.44 ERA. �Lorin was included in the trade for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson, and like Strickland, he joined West Virginia for the rest of the season. �Also like Strickland, Lorin made a very good impression with his new employer. �He made 7 starts, going 34.1 innings, allowing just 6 earned runs on 22 hits and 10 walks, with 29 strikeouts. �That gave him a 3-1 record for the Power and a 1.57 ERA. �He struggled in one start, in which he lasted only 2 innings and gave up 2 runs (one earned) on 2 hits and a walk, and in another start when he allowed 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits in 4.1 innings. �He also pitched two scoreless 5-inning starts, including his final start of the season. �His strikeout rate is reasonable; his walk rate is not awful, and in fact it was less in 2009 than in 2008. �Lorin should join Strickland in the Bradenton starting rotation for 2010. �Look for him to work on decreasing the number of hits he allows.

Few Hits In Pirates’ Loss

Braves 4, �Pirates 2 � �(box) 3B Andy LaRoche smacked a solo homer in the 7th inning, but the Pirates couldn't muster much more, as they lost to the Braves in their second Grapefruit League game. �Atlanta pitchers held the Bucs to just 3 other hits -- singles by SS Bobby Crosby, RF Ryan Church, and 2B Delwyn Young. Young's and Crosby's singles came in the 3rd inning, with Crosby picking up the RBI. �John Raynor, Brian Friday, Jonathan Van Every, Steve Pearce, Neil Walker, Gorkys Hernandez, Luke Carlin, and Doug Bernier all got into the game in the later innings. �Walker worked a base on balls in the 9th, and Hernandez pinch ran for him, but was left on base. �Pedro Alvarez had DH duties for the whole game. �He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. On the pitching side, �Charlie Morton made the start for the Pirates. �He struggled in the first inning, beginning with a walk to former Pirate Nate McLouth, then hit the next batter, and gave up an RBI single and a walk. �He allowed two walks in the second inning, but worked out of that jam. �Brian Burres pitched the next two innings and was tagged with the loss when he gave up 2 runs in the 4th inning, �on another hit batter, a walk, and an RBI single. �The single would have been a double, but a quick-thinking play by the Pirate outfield threw the runner out as he slid into second base. �Vinnie Chulk was responsible for the Braves' final run, on a pair of walks, a hit, and a sacrifice fly. �Brad Lincoln pitched one inning, and allowed 2 hits, but kept those runners from scoring. �Jeff Karstens and Anthony Claggett pitched a scoreless inning each.

Kratz’s RBI Helps, But Vazquez Suffers Loss

Yankees 6, Pirates 3 � � �(box) The Pirates fell to the Yankees in their first official Grapefruit League game today. �Five Pirates' pitchers,Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Brian Bass, DJ Carrasco, and�Chris Jakubauskas, held the Yanks hitless for the first five innings. �The only two New York batters to reach base in those innings got there when they were hit by pitches, and one of those was promptly thrown out by C�Ryan Doumit when he tried to steal second. �The Yankees scored 3 runs on 4 hits off�Steven Jackson in the 6th inning. �That inning began when Jackson gave up a solo homer to 2B Ramiro Pena. The Pirates were similarly contained over the first four innings. �After CF�Andrew McCutchen legged out a single on a grounder to short, the next 18 Pirate batters went down in order. �In the 7th, 2B�Delwyn Young opened the inning by being plunked on the right hip by a pitch. �RF�Jose Tabata singled to right field, and C�Erik Kratz ripped a double to the wall to bring in both baserunners. �Kratz advanced to third base when the Yankees had trouble with the throw in to the infield. �DH�Ryan Church grounded out on the first pitch he saw, bringing Kratz in from third to tie the game at 3-3. The Pirates couldn't get any more runners on base, though. �Jack Taschner and Jean Machi each pitched 1-2-3 innings, including 2 strikeouts each. �The tie lasted until the bottom of the 9th, when, with Virgil Vasquez on the mound, the first two Yankees reached base on singles. �Vasquez got one fly out, but then LF Colin Curtis crushed a long fly for a walk-off 3-run homer. Other minor leaguers who got into the game for the Pirates: Gorkys Hernandez grounded out and struck out in 2 plate appearances and played center for a few innings. �Hector Gimenez pinch-hit and flied out, then caught the final inning of the game. �John Raynor had a few innings in left field, and flied out in his only plate appearances. �Steve Pearce played first base for the last half of the game, and struck out looking in his only plate appearance. �Pedro Alvarez and Argenis Diaz also took over at third and short respectively, and they each struck out in their only trip to the plate.

Prospect Watching: Gabriel Alvarado and Matt McSwain

Looking at two pitchers today... Gabriel Alvarado is a Venezuelan native who will turn 23 years old in May. �After two Venezuelan Summer League seasons, the right-hander spent most of 2008 with GCL Pirates, where he earned a 4-2 record and a 3.04 ERA, mostly as a starter. �He also got in one start and one relief appearance in State College, but struggled in just 2.1 innings there. �Alvarado moved up to West Virginia for 2009, where he was a steady member of the Power starting rotation. �He gave up hits pretty steadily throughout the season, at a rate of 10.7 hits/9 innings for the season. �He gave up runs steadily too, and finished with a 6-10 record and a 5.05 ERA. �His best month was August, when he made two starts and 3 relief appearances, probably in an effort to cut back on his total innings for the season -- the Pirates tend to worry when young pitchers' innings pile up. �In August, he gave up just 8 earned runs on 20 hits in 21 innings, for a 3.43 ERA. �A big plus is that Alvarado's strikeout rate improved in 2009 (7.6 K/9 innings in 2009, and 3.9 K/9 innings in 2008), with a total of 96 strikeouts in 114 innings. �He doesn't walk many batters -- 33 walks during the season. �Alvarado's placement to begin 2010 may hinge on his spring training performance. �He could be sent back to West Virginia to see if he can improve his A level performance, or he might be able to make the A+ Bradenton rotation. Matt McSwain is a right-hander who worked mostly as a starter in 2009. �He was signed by the Pirates as an undrafted free agent out of college in 2006, and pitched both as a starter and in relief for the GCL Pirates and Hickory in 2007 and then for Hickory and Lynchburg in 2008. �The 2009 season was his best overall year to date. �The North Carolina native struggled in April, going 0-1 with a 5.63 ERA in 4 starts. �He won 5 of his 6 starts in May (one no-decision), earning a 2.65 ERA and allowing 11 earned runs on 31 hits in 37.1 innings. �His ERA dropped to 1.82 in June, when he gave up just 6 earned runs despite 36 hits in 29.2 innings -- though he suffered some hard-luck losses and had a 2-2 record for the month. �Things got tougher in July, when his 5 starts turned into a 1-3 record with a 4.97 ERA. �Like Alvarado, when McSwain's innings began to creep up, he made three relief appearances over August and September. �His ERA improved over July -- 3.34 for August/September, with a 3-2 record and a save. �McSwain finished the season with an 11-8 record, which tied him for second place for wins in the Carolina League. �His ERA was a respectable 3.43, and in 144.1 innings, he gave up an amazing 162 hits, but only 55 runs. �He did not walk many (23) or strike out many either (64). �He also doesn't give up many gopher balls -- just 3 in the season. �McSwain could also be on the bubble during spring training: �Altoona or Bradenton?

Optimizing the Pirates’ lineup

Akinori IwamuraAdjustments to the batting order generally make very little difference over the course of 162 games. What matters is who is in the lineup, not the order in which they bat. That being said, every single run counts. Join me as I attempt to determine the Pirates ideal batting order for 2010.

Prospect Watching: Erik Huber and Quincy Latimore

Regular spring training games begin on Wednesday. �If you get MLB network, you can see the Pirates and Yankees get underway in the afternoon. Looking at a couple of outfield prospects today: Erik Huber is an Illinois native who hit over .400 in his last two college seasons at Eastern Illinois University. �He was chosen by the Pirates in the 12th round of the 2007 draft, and started at State College right away. �He advanced to A level Hickory in 2008, where he hit .259, with 12 homers and 60 RBI. �It was ok, but Huber didn't show as much power as might be expected from a guy who is 6' 5" and 230 pounds. �He began 2009 back at the A level in West Virginia. �After a slow April, when he hit .240 with one homer and 6 RBI, Huber got going in May. �He hit .307 for the month, including two 4-hit games, with 6 doubles, a triple, 2 homers and 15 RBI. �He was roaring for the Power in June, including a 16-game hitting streak and three more 4-hit games. �That gave him a .400 average for the month, with 6 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 14 RBI. �Huber slowed in early July, but still earned a promotion to A+ Lynchburg. �The promotion agreed with him, and though he still was not showing any power, Huber hit .449 with 11 RBI for the second half of July in Lynchburg. �That included a 6-for-6 game on July 26th. �Unfortunately, the hitting stopped like a faucet being turned off when the calendar turned over to August. �Huber went 10-for-73 (.137) for the rest of the season, and did not have another RBI. �He finished the season with an overall .301 average (.262 in Lynchburg and .318 in West Virginia), with 5 homers and 51 RBI. �He also collected 18 walks and 52 strikeouts. �Huber had spent most of his time in the outfield over the 2007 and 2008 seasons, adding in a little bit of work at first base. �In 2009 with West Virginia, Huber played 38 games at first base, and only 4 games in the outfield, with the rest of the time as the DH. �For the Hillcats, he was back in the outfield, mostly in right field, and didn't play first at all. �He did not make an error anywhere on the field during the entire season. �The 2010 season will likely find Huber, who turns 25 this week, back at A+ in Bradenton, hoping he can find some power somewhere. The other corner outfielder likely to be in Bradenton for 2010 is Quincy Latimore. Latimore was the Pirates' 4th round pick in the 2007 draft. �The North Carolina native stole 13 bases for the GCL Pirates that season, hitting .257. �He walked 16 times and struck out 25 times in 45 games, which is ok for the rookie level. �But in 2008 with the State College Spikes, Latimore started having problems with his plate discipline: �13 walks and 53 strikeouts in 59 games. �He hit .244 with 3 homers and 20 RBI that season. �Latimore was promoted to West Virginia for the 2009 season, and the plate discipline problems only got worse. �In 118 games, he walked only 23 times and struck out 116 times. �The strikeout rate was the same as the previous season (24% of at-bats), but the walk rate dipped even lower. �After the 13 stolen bases in the GCL, Latimore stole 6 bases in 2008 and barely ventured off first base in 2009 (3 steals). �He finished the season with a .251 average, 24 doubles, 10 triples (so the speed is still there), 11 homers, and 70 RBI. �Latimore ran hot and cold over the season. �He hit .169 in April, jumped up to .312 in May, slipped to .261 in June. �In July, he popped back up to .330, including 20 RBI and six 3-hit games. �He also had a 12-game hitting streak that spanned the end of June and beginning of July. �Like Erik Huber, Latimore went into a huge slump after the first week of August. �For the last five weeks of the season, Latimore hit .169. �Latimore played mostly in left field for the Power, and committed a surprising 14 errors in the outfield. �Latimore turned 21 in February. �He needs to take advantage of that young age to find some plate discipline in Bradenton.

Pirates plate discipline in 2009

Andy LaRochePatience is an issue that the Pirates have seemed to struggle with at the plate for years. Unfortunately, it did not get much better in 2009. A number of the team's hitters battled free-swinging tendencies, and the numbers confirm this.

Getting Started…. At Least For Practice: Pirates Beat Manatees

Pirates 6, �Manatees 1 � (box) The Pirates kicked off their spring training games this afternoon with the traditional charity game against the State College of Florida/Manatee- Sarasota team. �The lineup looked rather like what the Indy Indians are going to be fielding in just 37 days. �It was fitting that 3B Pedro Alvarez had the first hit and the first RBI of the 2010 season. �LF John Raynor reached base on an error by the Manatees' shortstop, and then he scored on Alvarez's double. �DH Brandon Moss doubled in the 2nd inning, and scored on C Erik Kratz's RBI hit. �Alvarez hit again in the 3rd, and scored on 1B Steve Pearce's 2-run homer. �Moss made it back-to-back with a solo homer, and Kratz made it back-to-back-to-back homers with another solo blast. �At the end of 3 innings, the Pirates were leading 6-0. The Pirates' pitching staff was having a good day too. �Bryan Morris got the star and pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 1st, including 2 strikeouts. �Donnie Veal followed with another scoreless inning, allowing only a walk. �Ronald Uviedo took the 3rd inning and allowed 2 singles including one to the Manatee shortstop who had made three errors, but Uviedo kept the Manatees scoreless. �Justin Thomas was next. �He loaded the bases with two singles and a walk, but got out of the jam without a run scoring (no double play, either). �Ramon Aguero retired the Manatees in order in the 5th and struck out two. � The Manatees got onto the scoreboard in the 6th, as their leadoff hitter, 1B Zimmerman, smacked a solo homer run off Jeff Sues. Sues gave up two walks, but struck out three to end the inning. �Anthony Claggett also got into and out of trouble in the top of the 7th. �He gave up three walks, but was the beneficiary of a 4-6-3 (Doug Bernier to Brian Friday to Steve Pearce) double play, and no runs scored. The Pirates did not score again after the 3rd (it was only scheduled for 7 innings), but they had runners on base in each of the remaining innings. �Alvarez and CF Jose Tabata each had a hit, and Bernier and C Luke Carlin worked walks. �Neil Walker had a pinch-hit at-bat but struck out. The Manatees' left fielder's name is Speed. �That's a better name to live up to than their catcher's name: �Chubb. Housekeeping notes: � lots of contracts signed, by the guys who don't really have a lot of choice: �Pitchers:�Ramon Aguero, Jose Ascanio, Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Hart, Chris Jakubauskas, Brad Lincoln, Daniel McCutchen, Evan Meek, Bryan Morris, Charlie Morton, Ross Ohlendorf, Ronald Uviedo, Donnie Veal; �Catcher: Jason Jaramillo; �Infielders: Jeff Clement, Argenis Diaz, Andy LaRoche, Steve Pearce, Neil Walker; �Outfielders: Gorkys Hernandez, Brandon Jones, Garrett Jones, Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge, Brandon Moss, John Raynor, Jose Tabata, Delwyn Young. Former Pirate Jesse Chavez pitched in the Atlanta Braves first spring training game, facing the Mets. �He pitched the 5th inning, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) on a walk and three hits. �He was charged with a Blown Save and the Loss. �CF Nate McLouth went 0-for-3 at the plate.

Prospect Watching: Bryan Morris and Aaron Pribanic

We continue to look at some of the Pirates' prospects, as minor league camp gets underway... these are not in any particular order, other than generally moving from the lower levels to the upper levels. �Today, a couple of starting pitchers who began their careers in other organizations. Bryan Morris came to the Pirates in 2008's big three-way trade between the Pirates, the Red Sox, and the Dodgers. �The righty had been the Dodgers' first round pick in 2006. �After missing the entire 2007 season due to Tommy John surgery, the injury bug continued to plague Morris in 2009. �His season start was delayed due to off-season toe surgery and shoulder problems. �The Tennesee native finally was able to make his first start for Lynchburg on June 7th. �He fought his way through four starts in June, earning a 2-2 record and a 5.12 ERA. �In both of the losses, he gave up 4 earned runs in less than 5 innings. �Things did not improve for Morris in July. �In 6 starts, he posted an 0-4 record and a 6.49 ERA, while allowing 35 hits and 19 earned runs in 26.1 innings. �In the only start in which he did not allow an earned run, he fell victim to 3 errors by his teammates, for 4 unearned runs. �Morris let his emotions get the better of him at the end of July, and his outburst earned him a forced rest period, with an intra-organizational suspension. �He seemed to see the error of his ways, though, because he returned in mid-August in a much better mental state. �He still struggled on the mound, though. �His best start came on August 19th, going 6 innings and allowing one unearned run on only 3 hits. �For the rest of the month, it was more of the same. �He made 5 starts for the rest of the season, and allowed 15 earned runs on 34 hits in 27 innings, with 15 walks and 11 strikeouts, for a 2-3 record and a 5.00 ERA. �When the Hillcats made their playoff run, Morris contributed one big win. �In the fifth game of the Carolina League's semi-final series, Morris�matched his season-high with 6.2 innings of work, and allowed just one run on 7 hits and a walk, to earn the win and send the Hillcats to the finals (and they eventually won the league championship). �Morris' final stats for the season are disappointing: �a 4-9 record and a 5.57 ERA; �72.2 innings, 87 hits, 45 earned runs, 34 walks, and 32 strikeouts, with batters hitting .295 against him -- more hits than innings, more walks than strikeouts. �Despite all that, the Pirates think enough of Morris to have added him to the 40-man roster at the end of the season. �He will turn 23 later in March, so he still has some time. �A full season without battling injuries could be just what he needs to turn himself around. �He is expected to continue at the A+ level, with the Bradenton Marauders, to begin the 2010 season. Another righty, Aaron Pribanic, came to the Pirates from the Mariners' organization in the trade for Ian Snell and Jack Wilson. �The 23-year-old was the Mariners' 3rd round pick in the 2008 draft. �He made three appearances for Seattle's Arizona rookie league team in that season, then began 2009 at their A level affiliate in Clinton (Iowa). �Seventeen starts for the Lumberkings gave Pribanic a 7-6 record and a 3.21 ERA, with 31 earned runs on 76 hits in 87 innings, with 26 walks and 54 strikeouts. �After the move to the Pirates' system, Pribanic was assigned to West Virginia. �He began with a relief appearance, then made 6 starts for the Power, with generally good results, mostly allowing one or two earned runs over 5-6 innings. �His last start was his best: � 6 one-hit, shut-out innings. �That batter who got the single off him? �Pribanic picked him off first base. �He pitched 37.2 innings for the Power, allowing 9 runs on 32 hits, 5 walks, and 18 strikeouts, for a 4-2 record and a 2.15 ERA. �The Pirates might have some concern about two things: �First, Pribanic's total innings for the season was 124.2 innings, which is high for what the Pirates' usually like to see with their young pitchers. �Second, Pribanic gave up 5 homers in his 7 games with the Power. �All of them came in the first 4 of those games, and they might have come on some of the offspeed pitches he was working on (slider, splitter), so probably no�cause for extreme worries just yet. �Pribanic should begin 2010 with a promotion to A+ Bradenton. Other notes, as some former Pirates signed some minor league contracts: 1B Brad Eldred has signed with the Rockies for 2010. �Eldred was last with the Pirates and the Indy Indians in 2007. � He played for the Charlotte Knights (AAA of the White Sox) in 2008 and for the Syracuse Chiefs (AAA of the Nationals) in 2009. �Last season he hit .269 with 17 homers and 59 RBI, but he also struck out 96 times in 105 games. RHP John Van Benschoten signed with the Yankees. �He pitched in 9 games for the Pirates in 2008, spending the rest of that season with the Indy Indians. �In 2009, JVB pitched for the Charlotte Knights. �He earned a 2-8 record and a 6.35 ERA in 13 starts and 9 relief appearances. C Carlos Maldonado signed with the Nationals for 2010. �He also was last in the Pirates' organization in 2008, and spent last season with Pawtucket (AAA Red Sox), but spent time on the DL and appeared in only 25 games. �He hit .225 with 2 homers and 15 RBI. �He also played winter ball in his native Venezuela this year. C JR House signed with the Braves. �He last played in the Pirates' organization in 2004, and spent 2009 with Omaha (AAA Royals), where he hit .251 with 9 homers and 53 RBI.

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