PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

Pirates 15, �Twins 5 �(box) Weird outfield conditions, solid hitting, and some nice pitching in the late innings gave the Pirates the win today. �The Pirates collected 15 hits, and took advantage of fly balls that were blown astray by the winds, plus a couple that bounced off Twins' outfielders' gloves. �CF/LF John Raynor and 1B Bobby Crosby led the hit parade with a triple, a double, and 3 RBI for Raynor, and an RBI single and a 3-run homer for Crosby. �3B Pedro Alvarez added a line drive triple for an RBI in the 1st inning, plus a walk and a single. �C Ryan Doumit and�1B Hector Gimenez each had 2 hits in the contest. Starter Ross Ohlendorf gave up a lead-off walk to CF Denard Span and then a 2-run homer to 1B Justin Morneau in the top of the 1st. �The Pirates came back to score 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd. �Doumit's line drive single and Alvarez's RBI triple started the rally. �Moments later, Crosby slapped a grounder into the hole deep at short. �Former Indy Indian (2004) SS JJ Hardy dove for the ball and managed to come up with it, but by then it was too late for him to make a throw, and Alvarez scored easily to tie the game. �Raynor's RBI triple that caromed off the right field wall brought in Crosby and the Pirates had a 3-2 lead. Chris Jakubauskas pitched a 1-2-3 top of the 3rd, but got into trouble in the 4th, with 3 walks, a double, 2 RBI singles, a sacrifice fly, and a pop fly dropped by Alvarez at third base. �Jakubauskas did not finish the 2nd inning as planned. �Instead, Ronald Uviedo came in to get a fly out to end the frame. �He was credited with the win, because he was the pitcher of record in the bottom of the inning, when the Pirates took the lead on the 3-run blast that Crosby drove into the wind and over the left field wall. �A screaming line drive that rose up and over the right field wall off the bat of RF Garrett Jones gave Pittsburgh an 8-5 lead. After that, it was all Pirates. �They batted around in the 7th inning to score another 5 runs. �CF Gorkys Hernandez led off with a walk, went to second on Gimenez's single, and Raynor walked to load the bases. �2B Doug Bernier brought in a run with a single. �2B Delwyn Young cleared the bases with a double into center field. �C Luke Carlin lifted a fly ball to center that bounced off the Twins' center fielder's glove, and Young scored the fifth run of the inning. �Raynor drove in two more runs in the 8th, when he followed Hernandez's walk and Gimenez's single with a double, bringing the Pirates' total to 15. Four Pirate pitchers held the Twins scoreless over the last 5 innings. �Vinnie Chulk struck out 5 of the 7 batters he faced, allowing just one hit. �Bryan Morris and Ramon Aguero each pitched a 1-2-3 inning, and Anthony Claggett gave up a hit but then struck out the side. Two other minor leaguers, SS Argenis Diaz and PH/DH Jon Van Every also got into the game, though neither had a hit. Other notes: Former Pirate farmhand Yoslan Herrera signed a minor league contract with the Twins. �Herrera had defected from Cuba and signed a 3-year contract with the Pirates, but never really lived up to the hype. �He made 25 starts for AA Altoona in 2007, earning a 6-9 record and a 4.69 ERA. �He made another 21 starts for the Curve in 2008, and earned the same win-loss record, but with a 3.46 ERA. �He did make one start for the Indy Indians that season, giving up 2 runs on 7 hits in 7 innings. �He was back in Altoona in 2009, and had his best season: �in 15 starts (plus 8 relief appearances), he posted an 11-1 record with a 3.23 ERA. �In another brief stint in Indianapolis, he allowed 4 runs over 15.2 innings (2 starts, 2 relief appearances). �Herrera got up to Pittsburgh for 5 starts in the middle of 2008, but didn't stick there long. �In 18.1 innings, he allowed 20 runs on 35 hits. �His contract was up at the end of 2009, and the Pirates did not renew it.

Looking at some catchers today, and some questions.... Kris Watts was the Pirates' 16th round pick in the 2006 draft. �The California native had been Steve Lerud's backup at A+ Lynchburg in 2008, though when he got the chance to play regularly, he proved to be up to the challenge. �He finished that season with a .285 average for the Hillcats in 63 games, with 4 homers and 34 RBI. �The 2009 began with Watts as the Hillcats' starting catcher. �Though he had struggled with his defense earlier in his career, he improved with the regular work. �He let fewer passed balls past him, and threw out 31% of base runners trying to steal (23% in 2008). �Beside the plate instead of behind it, Watts jumped out to a hot start in April, when he hit .444 with 2 homers and 12 RBI. �He cooled in May (.233), but came back in June, hitting .286 with a homer and 7 RBI. �He fired up again in July, hitting .328 with 7 more homers. �He slid down to .230 in August/September, but still found 9 RBI. �Watts did not strikeout much -- 31 times over the first four months --at least until August, when he suddenly struck out 16 times. �By that point in the season, Watts was spending less time behind the plate and more time as the Hillcats' Designated Hitter, after the acquisition of Eric Fryer. �Watts finished the season with a .291 average (third in the Carolina League), 21 doubles, 3 triples, 7 homers, and 49 RBI. �He was named the Hillcats' 2009 MVP. �The lefty hit right-handed pitching (.304) better than left-handed pitching (.260). �In the Hillcats' playoff run, Watts appeared in six games, as a designated hitter and pinch hitter. �He had a single and a double in 20 at-bats. Eric Fryer is a right-handed catcher. �He is from Ohio, and attended Ohio State, where he hit over .300 in three seasons for the Buckeyes. �Fryer was the Brewers' 10th round draft pick in 2007. �He had a solid 2008 season at West Virginia (then a Brewers' affiliate), where hit hit .322 with 26 doubles, 10 homers, and 53 RBI. �The Brewers had Fryer split his time between catching and the outfield, and it was a little more outfield than catching. �The Brewers traded Fryer to the Yankees, who placed him in the outfield at A+ Tampa for the beginning of 2009 season. �In 59 games, he hit .250 with 11 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 24 RBI. �Then came the Eric Hinske trade, and Fryer changed A+ affiliates and positions. �Behind the plate once again, Fryer played the second half of the season with the Lynchburg Hillcats as the primary catcher, bumping Kris Watts to a back-up role. �Fryer did well catching again, with a good arm -- he threw out 36% of runners trying to steal. �His hitting did not improve, though. �He hit .225 with 3 RBI in 23 games in July. �He boosted the RBI to 11 in August with 3 homers and a .235 average. �Fryer finished on a roll, hitting .296 in the last two weeks of the season, and 4-for-9 in his last three games. �That gave him a .242 average for his time in Lynchburg, with 11 doubles, those 3 homers, and 14 RBI. �With Tony Sanchez up from West Virginia to catch, Fryer had only a limited role in the playoffs with the Hillcats. �He was the DH in one game, and went 1-for-4 at the plate. With last year's 2009 #1 draft pick Tony Sanchez likely to be assigned to Bradenton to begin the season, the 25-year-old Watts and the 24-year-old Fryer will by battling for catching spots in Altoona and in Bradenton. �Watts hit better in 2009 and offers a left-handed bat -- �will that matter? �And what happens when Sanchez, who is likely to be on a "fast track", gets moved up to Altoona? �Whomever gets the spot at Altoona at the beginning of the season will likely become the backup to Sanchez when/if he's ready to move up. Billy Killian, who signed a minor league contract with the Pirates about a month ago, may also be in the catching mix in Bradenton. �He played a limited role at the A+ level (Frederick) in the Orioles' system in 2009. �In 33 games, Killian hit .216 with 9 RBI.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

Adjustments 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.

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.

Patience 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.