Radar Tracking
To be honest, I had no idea that it had been several days since I last posted something. I guess that’s what happens when the Steelers are busy winning the Super Bowl. It’s easy to stop paying attention to the rest of the world.
I just wanted to give a quick plug for Heater Magazine today. Heater is an online magazine that provides a fantastic array of statistics in every issue. It is an ideal resource for those of you who play fantasy baseball. Heater is currently running a project entitled Radar Tracking. This feature is a projection of individual playing time for the upcoming season. I am contributing the Pirates section of Radar Tracking, which will be updated weekly for the next two months.
As a reader of Pittsburgh Lumber Co., you are entitled to $5 off the annual subscription price of Heater Magazine. Just follow this link to claim your discount. Below is a free preview of the NL Central section of the first edition of Radar Tracking. You can also download a free sample issue at the main Heater Magazine page.
Pirates sign Maholm to multi-year contract
Dejan reports that it will be a three-year deal, plus a team option for a fourth season. This will take him through arbitration, with the option year taking care of his first opportunity at free agency. Financial terms have not been released yet. Assuming they are reasonable, this is a solid deal for the Pirates. It gives them cost certainty, and it keeps Maholm on the team for an extra season if he continues to produce.
Here is a quick look at Maholm’s financial value, courtesy of R.J. Anderson of Beyond the Box Score.
UPDATE (1/30/2009, 1:30 PM): The Pirates will officially announce the contract at a press conference today at 2 PM. It is worth $14.5 million over three years, plus a $9.75 million option for a fourth year. Here is the yearly breakdown:
| 2009 | $3.5 million |
| 2010 | $4.5 million |
| 2011 | $5.75 million |
| 2012 | $9.75 million option ($750,000 buyout) |
If you follow the above link, you see that R.J.’s estimate was about $16-17 million for the three years of arbitration. Assuming Maholm continues to perform at the level he has averaged the past three years, this deal is a bit of a bargain. In addition, the team gets the option to keep him for an extra season. Good stuff.
Pirates sign Hinske
The Pirates have come to an agreement with free agent utility player Eric Hinske. Dejan reports that the deal is worth $1.5 million, with incentives that could add an additional $1 million. FanGraphs had Hinske at a value of 2 wins in 2008, a performance that would be worth $8.8 million in free agency. I doubt Hinske will match that output again this season, but he should produce enough to make his contract a good value. A nice signing for the Pirates.
The contract should be officially announced tomorrow, after Hinske passes a physical. No word on how this signing will affect the already full 40-man roster.
Pirate Prospect #17 – Chase D’Arnaud
I am counting down my personal list of the top 25 Pirate prospects. You can follow the countdown here, or by clicking on the “Top 25 Prospects” link in the site header.
Date of Birth: 1/21/1987
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 175 pounds
Bats/Throws: R/R
Position: SS
Drafted: 4th Round, 2008 (Pepperdine University)
Chase D’Arnaud seems to be similar to Jordy Mercer, who I covered at number 18 on this list. Both are big, offense-oriented shortstops who are decent defensively. They were drafted in consecutive rounds in the 2008 draft. There are some questions about each being able to stay at short long-term, but each has the potential to be an average defender. D’Arnaud also played some third in college. With limited playing time available at short in 2009, he may have to get some repetitions at third or second.
D’Arnaud was solid in his first two seasons at Pepperdine, but really broke out in his third year. He apparently made great strides with his plate discipline, walking 33 times with 36 strikeouts in 265 plate appearances. He also increased his slugging percentage from the previous season by over 100 points, despite a slight drop in batting average. He collected 183 plate appearances with State College after the draft, hitting a decent .286/.333/.423. His walk rate was only 6.1%, something he can hopefully improve a bit in 2009. It will be interesting to see whether D’Arnaud or Mercer will be able to break away from the surplus of Pirate shortstops in their first full season of professional ball.
Expected arrival in Pittsburgh: 2013
