PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

Just a quick note. If you are into fantasy baseball, be sure to check out the online publication Heater Magazine. Click the...

I encourage everyone to check out the 2nd Annual Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament at Sean’s Ramblings. Today marks the beginning of Round One...

Looking at more Pirates' prospects in the lower minors....

Brooks Pounders is a right-handed pitcher from California. �The 19-year-old signed with the Pirates right out of high school, taken as their second round pick (third overall, since the Pirates got a supplemental round pick) in the 2009 draft. �Pounders signed early enough so that he was able to join the GCL Pirates in early July. �He made his pro debut on the Fourth of July, but unfortunately it was not all he'd hoped for: �Pounders gave up a single and a walk, then got two outs, then gave up a single, a double, and hit a batter. �All that accounted for 2 runs, and he was relieved. �But, there's always the next time, and when Pounders got his next chance, he earned his first win by mowing down 9 straight batters. �He had two more very good outings, both 4 innings, allowing two hits in one and retiring 12 straight batters in the other. �The next four outings, two in relief and two starts, were a struggle. �Pounders gave up 14 hits and 6 earned runs over 11 innings. �Then he finished the season with a scoreless inning on August 27th, allowing no hits but two walks, and striking out two batters. �That gave him a 2-2 record for the season and a 3.04 ERA in 9 appearances and 4 starts. �In 23.2 innings, Pounders gave up 19 hits, 11 runs (8 earned), 11 walks, and 20 strikeouts. �Being a high draft pick has its perks, and there's a good chance that Pounders will given the benefit of the Pirates' aggressive promoting, and be starting 2010 in A West Virginia.

Trent Stevenson is another righty pitcher, who is similar to Pounders in some regards, but less so in others. �Like Pounders, Stevenson is a 19-year-old, who was drafted out of high school (Brophy Prep in Phoenix) in 2009. Stevenson went in the 7th round. �He signed a little later than Pounders, so didn't get to start his pro career until August. �He retired three batters in a row in his debut start, on August 10th (just the one inning). �He made four more appearances (3 more starts) and increased his duration by one inning each time. �He gave up hits, a total of 13 in his 15 innings, but did not allow a run until the last start on August 28th, when he gave up just 2 runs on 6 hits. �Stevenson struck out only 8 batters in those 15 innings, though he struck out 3 in each of the last two games, and he did not walk any batters in any of his appearances. �At 6' 6", two inches shorter than Pounders, Stevenson is still only 175 pounds (50 pounds less than Pounders), so he has some room to fill out and get stronger. �Stevenson may also benefit from aggressive promotion, and may get the chance to prove himself at West Virginia before the shorter season opens at State College.

Looking at some of the Pirates' prospects as we wait for spring training... these will not be in any particular order, other than generally from the lower levels to the upper levels. And, just in case you're counting.... Opening Day for the minor leagues is two months from Monday (April 8th). Ramon Cabrera is a 20-year-old catcher from Venezuela. �He began his pro career for the Pirates' Venzuelan Summer League affiliate in 2008, where he hit .264, with 16 doubles, 3 homers, and 22 RBI in 56 games. �Cabrera was reported to have good plate discipline -- he walked 28 times and struck out 27 times. �He returned to the VSL to open the 2009 season, but didn't stay there long. �After 20 games and a .312 average, with 6 doubles, 2 homers, and 19 RBI, Cabrera was brought to Bradenton for his US debut. �He appeared in 37 games for the GCL Pirates, and hit a very nice .291, with 11 doubles, one triple, one homer, and 16 RBI. �He continued to show good plate discipline, matching 16 walks with 16 strikeouts. �Cabrera started off hot in Bradenton, hitting over .400 for his first two weeks there, then going quiet for the next couple of weeks. �Things picked up again at the end of July, and Cabrera hit .313 in August. �He's a switch hitter, who hit southpaws better than righties -- .355 average against left-handed pitchers, and .271 against right-handers, though he split his 16 Bradenton RBI equally -- 8 off lefties and 8 off righties. �Behind the plate, Cabrera is reported to have a good arm. �He threw out 29% of base runners in the GCL (and even more in the VSL), and made only 2 errors. �Cabrera should be moving on up for 2010. �He'll be competing with Andrew Walker, who has been battling ankle problems for the past two seasons. �Look for one of them to get the job at A West Virginia and the other to go to State College.

Last season, Delwyn Young was red-hot off the bench after Neal Huntington acquired him in an April trade. When Freddy Sanchez was dealt in July, the Pirates gave Young an opportunity to play every day at second base. He responded by slumping badly for the remainder of the season. Many attributed this nose-dive to the extra defensive work Young was putting in daily with Perry Hill. But simple regression was more likely the issue.

Three pitchers... two with similar names.... Zack (Zackry) Dodson was the Pirates' 4th round pick in the 2009 draft. �He's a lefty from Texas, who decided against going to Baylor University in favor of pitching for the Pirates. �Dodson is 6' 2" and weighs 190 lbs. �Dodson is said to throw in the low 90's, with a good curve ball. �He's not bad at the plate, either, hitting .465 with 11 homers in his senior year, when he was in the outfielder instead of on the mound. �It took Dodson several weeks to get around to signing, so his professional debut on August 31st with the GCL Pirates was his only game of the season. �Dodson pitched one inning, and mowed 'em down, with two ground outs and a strikeout. Zach (Zachary) von Rosenberg was picked just 2 rounds after Dodson. �Von Rosenberg is the righty, and is a little bigger: �6' 5" and 205 lbs. �Like Dodson, Von Rosenberg decided to forgo college (LSU) in favor of jumping right into the pros. �His velocity is reported to be a little less than Dodson's (89 - 90), but he has a good change-up to go along with his good curve. �Von Rosenberg also signed relatively late, and also made his pro debut in that same game on August 31st. �Von Rosenberg made the start for the GCL Pirates. �He struck out the first batter he faced as a pro, then recorded a pop up and a ground out, and then turned the ball over to Dodson. Both Zack and Zach are in similar circumstances for 2010: �where they are placed to begin the season is going to depend on what the Pirates saw last fall in instrux, and what they show in spring training. �Either or both could land in A West Virginia, Short Season A State College, or back for a little more work with the GCL Pirates. Another pitcher in a similar situation is lefty Colton Cain. Cain was the Pirates' 8th round pick, lured away from college in Texas. �He's 6' 3" and 225 lb, and like Dodson, Cain also played another position well -- first base. �Cain also signed late and did not get to play in the GCL before the season ended. �He is likely to get his feet wet in the GCL, then possibly move up to State College. Other news: Caribbean Series: The Dominican Republic began the day with a 4-1 record, and Puerto Rico began with a 3-2 record. �A win by Puerto Rico combined with a loss by the Dominicans would result in a tie, and a playoff game on Monday. �Any other combination, and the Dominican Republic would take the Series. Game 1: �Puerto Rico 8, Mexico 2 Puerto Rico was not going to just hand anything to the Dominican Republic. �They beat Mexico handily -- Mexico's only runs came on a 2-run blast by SS Luis Cruz in the 4th inning. �2B Luis Figueroa singled, reached on a force play, and scored twice for Puerto Rico. �Then the Puerto Ricans had to sit back and wait to see what the Dominican Republic team was going to do. Game 2: Dominican Republic 7, �Venezuela 4 The Dominican Republic jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the 1st. �They loaded the bases with two walks and a single, then brought in two runs with a single and a throwing error, another run on a balk, and the fourth run on another RBI single. �They added two more runs in the 5th on a double, two singles, and another error. �Two walks and a single loaded the bases again in the 7th, and a wild pitch brought in a seventh run. �Five Dominican pitchers held the Venezuelans to just 3 hits. �Venezuela scored their first run in the 4th on a double and a sacrifice fly by DH Mike Ryan. A 3-run homer after a hit batter and a single made the score 6-4 after 5 innings. �Juan Perez pitched the 6th inning for the Dominicans, and got a ground out and two strikeouts. �The win gives the Dominican Republic (and Leones del Escogido) their first Caribbean Series win since 1990.

It is a common complaint among fans. But is it accurate?

Looking at some of the Pirates' prospects while we're waiting for spring training to start... Infielder Gift (Mpho) Ngoepe comes to the Pirates from South Africa. �Baseball is a club sport in South Africa, and Ngoepe grew up virtually on the field, as his mom ran the Randburg team's clubhouse. �Ngoepe arrived in the US last spring after playing for the South African team in the World Baseball Classic. �The South Africans generally played about as well as you might have expected, but Ngoepe did make some nice plays in the field, and he did hit back-to-back triples off veteran Mexican pitcher Elmer Dessens. �Ngoepe got himself adjusted to life as a professional baseball player in the US. �He was assigned to the GCL Pirates, and got off to a great start, hitting over.300 during the first few weeks of their season. �Things slipped in later July and into August, though, and he hit only .214 for the month of August. �He finished the short GCL season with a .238 average -- 4 doubles and one homer, 9 RBI, 21 walks, and 52 strikeouts. �He stole 13 bases but was caught 9 times. �The concept of "plate discipline" is pretty much non-existent in South African baseball, but Ngoepe is going to have to figure it out now that he's in the US. �He's just turned 20, and still could develop more power, though he is not a big guy (5' 10", 165 lb). �On the field, Ngoepe played mostly second base and also some shortstop. �He committed just 6 errors, which is a plus. �Ngoepe might need to spend a little more time in the GCL, but he is likely to get to State College some time in 2010. Other news: Caribbean Series The Dominican Republic lost their first game of the series on Friday, as Puerto Rico took the 7-3 victory. �Dominican reliever Juan Perez gave up an RBI ground out and an RBI single in the 6th inning of that game. �Mexico scored the winning run in the bottom of the 10th to beat Venezuela 3-2 on Friday. �LF Mike Ryan scored Venezuela's first run with a solo homer in the 2nd inning. �SS Luis Cruz singled for Mexico but didn't score. � On Saturday, the Dominican Republic came roaring back after their loss, posting 10 hits in a 7-2 win over Mexico. �The Dominicans scored in 5 innings. �Mexico scored their two runs on a home run in the 1st inning, but were held to just 2 hits over the rest of the game. �The Puerto Rican team's 7-1 win over Venezuela kept them in contention for the series championship -- if Puerto Rico wins and the Dominican Republic loses on Sunday, then those two teams will be tied at 4 wins and 2 loses. �The Venezuelans were held to just 4 hits and scored only one run, which came on a sacrifice fly in the 5th. �Puerto Rico scored 3 runs in each of the 5th and 6th innings, and SS Luis Figueroa contributed an RBI single in the 3rd.

I just stumbled upon some video from the Arizona Fall League, via John Sickels' website. This was posted back in November, but I...

As I went to bed last night, I had a couple of tentative ideas on how I would spend my Saturday morning. First on...

While we're waiting for spring training to start.... Let's begin looking at some of the minor league prospects in preparation for the 2010 season. �These will not be in any particular order, though we'll generally go from the lower levels to the upper levels. To get started.... Rogelios Noris OF�Rogelios Noris is the hometown hero who made his Mexican Pacific League debut for Los Venados de Mazatlan this winter. �Noris, who will turn 21 next month, hit .333 for Mazatlan, including 3 doubles, a homer, and 2 RBI in his rookie MPL experience. �Noris also made his US debut in 2009, after two seasons in the Venezuelan Summer League. �In 41 games for the GCL Pirates, he hit .250, with 10 doubles, 2 triples, 6 homers, and 24 RBI. �His 51 strikeouts (.375 % of ab's) is clearly a concern, but he did drop that rate to 27% in Mazatlan. � He'll need to work on some plate discipline in 2010, to drop the strikeout rate and increase his walks (11 in 2009). �Noris might be ready for A West Virginia, but might benefit from some time at (Short Season) State College. �He's getting a little bit "old" for the Gulf Coast League at this point. Other news: LHP Bobby Livingston, who pitched in Indianapolis in 2009, has signed a contract with the Mets for 2010. �He made one start for the Indians, after being acquired from the Cleveland organization on September 1st. �That one start was in the 16-inning marathon on Sept 4th , when Livingston pitched 7 innings and allowed one earned run and one unearned run on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts. �He left the game long before the fun was over. Caribbean Series The Dominican Republic (Escogido) has won all three of their games so far in the round-robin tournament, while the other three teams -- Mexico (Hermosillo), Puerto Rico (Mayaguez), and Venezuela (Caracas)-- all have a 1-2 record. �A few former Pirates/Indy Indians are involved in the series. �C Carlos Maldonado has appeared in all three of Venezuela's games, but has just one hit in 10 at-bats, plus 2 walks and 4 strikeouts. �OF Mike Ryan went 2-for-4 in Venezuela's first game, but has been 0-for-9 with 5 strikeouts in the next two games. �SS Luis Figueroa had 3 hits and a walk for Puerto Rico in last night's win over Mexico, bringing him to 4-for-12. �2B Luis Cruz is 1-for-8 for Mexico, with an RBI in last night's game. �(The winning team from each country is allowed to pick up players from other teams in their own league to play in the Caribbean Series, so not all of these players are with their original winter league teams.)

I am looking back to 1996, the last time the Pirates attempted an all-or-nothing rebuilding project.  You can find previous installments of this series...