Joshua Palacios had three hits, including a key home run, helping Indianapolis to a victory on Friday night.
The Pirates' Triple-A squad was down 2-0...
Alika Williams had four hits on Thursday night for Indianapolis.
Since being sent down for Nick Yorke, Williams is 8-for-14 at the Triple-A level. He's...
The DSL Pirates teams ended their seasons this week, which brings the rookie-level affiliates to an end.
I've been reviewing the best performing hitting and...
The Pirates have signed 1B/OF Larry Broadway -- but not to a player's contract. Instead, Broadway will begin a new phase of his baseball career, in the area of scouting. He will be the Pirates' area supervisor for Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Las Vegas. Broadway, who will turn 29 in a few days, was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 3rd round of the 2002 draft. He moved up through the Expos organization, and continued at the AAA level when it became the Washington Nationals' organization. Broadway had hit well against the Indianapolis Indians when he was playing for the AAA Columbus Clippers in 2007 and 2008. He signed a minor league contract with the Pirates in 2009 and spent the season with the Indy Indians. Unfortunately, Broadway was hampered by injuries, which hurt his numbers and put him on the disabled list for a significant amount of time. His best month at the plate was June, when he hit .300 with 3 homers and 10 RBI. He also had 3 homers and 8 RBI in July, when he hit .273. He struggled again in August, but ended the season with a strong finish, hitting .278 over his last 10 games including a 3-hit game with a homer and 3 RBI on Sept 5th. Broadway also did some pitching in emergency situations for the Indians and the Clippers -- in 4 games in 2009 and 5 games in 2008. Broadway spent a lot of time watching and observing and coaching at first base while he couldn't play this past season... getting him ready for the next step. Best of luck to him.
Not much winter league action on Monday evening...
Cardenales de Lara 8, Tiburones de La Guaira 5
Four runs in the 5th inning gave Lara the edge, and three former Pirates' pitchers got into this game. Lara's Romulo Sanchez earned the win with 2.1 innings of work. He entered the game in the 6th inning, with one run in, the bases loaded, and one out, and ended the inning with a strikeout and a ground out. Sanchez pitched a scoreless 7th inning, but loaded the bases with two singles and a walk in the 8th, and was responsible for the run that scored on a ground out. Another walk loaded the bases again, and Sanchez was relieved. Former Indy Indian Giovanni Carrara pitched 1.2 innings for Lara. He finished the 4th inning, and gave up a run in the 5th on a single, a fielding error, and a passed ball. Ronald Belisario pitched one scoreless inning for La Guaira, and allowed just one hit.
Pirates' players and friends in Sunday's winter league action...
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Tomateros de Culiacan 4, Caneros de Los Mochis 1
2B Luis Cruz had a big day, going 3-for-4 at the plate and blasting his third home run in three days, and his fourth in just over a week. Cruz is hitting .331 overall for Culiacan, and .405 over the last 10 days. Cruz singled and scored in Culiacan's 2-run 2nd inning. His solo homer gave Los Tomateros their fourth run in the 6th inning. Cruz also hit the middle of three singles in the 8th inning, but Culiacan left the bases loaded without scoring in that inning.
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Caribes de Anzoategui 7, Cardenales de Lara 4
Six runs in the 7th inning gave Los Caribes the win over Lara. Los Caribes entered the bottom of the 7th behind 4-1. They opened the inning with a single, a walk, and an RBI double by CF Gorkys Hernandez. Hernandez was replaced by a pinch-runner, who scored when the next batter smacked a 2-RBI triple. A walk and a homer brought in 3 more runs. Hernandez also singled in the 2nd inning, but was out in a double play.
Tiburones de La Guaira 5, Navegantes del Magallanes 4
La Guaira scored on a 3-run homer in the 2nd and a 2-run homer in the 5th. Magallanes scored a run in each of the 3rd and 4th innings, plus two more in the 6th. LF Mike Ryan was 0-for-4 in the game. Both Jean Machi and Corey Hamman pitched in the 9th inning for Magallanes. Hamman came onto the mound with the first batter on first base by a walk, and he got the only batter he faced to line out for the first out of the inning. Machi relieved Hamman and was on the mound when the base runner was thrown out trying to steal second base. Then Machi ended the inning with a fly out.
Tigres de Aragua 11, Bravos de Margarita 3
Aragua's 1B Hector Gimenez contributed 4 RBI with a single and a double. Aragua began with 3 runs in the top of the 1st, with the first two runs coming in on Gimenez's RBI double. Gimenez scored on an RBI single. CF Sam Fuld's (Cubs) triple brought in two more runs in the 4th. Gimenez was intentionally walked in the 5th inning, putting runners on the corners. A grounder for a force out allowed another run to score. Gimenez walked again in the 7th, in the rally that produced a single run. Two singles and a fielding error loaded the bases for Aragua in the 9th. Gimenez followed with a 2-RBI single. Pinch-hitter Jorge Cortes worked a walk, as did the next two batters, which forced in two runs, including Gimenez.
The Dominican League is on break for it's All-Star Game, but everyone else in the winter leagues is going strong.
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Leones del Caracas 6, Tiburones de La Guaira 3
Remember when you used to dream of coming to the plate in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded and hitting the walk-off grand slam home run to win the game? Well, that's exactly what happened to Caracas' pinch-hitter Jackson Melian on Saturday. Caracas went into the bottom of the 9th behind 3-2, and after a single, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt that turned into a fielding error, the bases were loaded. Melian was called upon to pinch-hit -- and his walk-off grand slam won the game for Caracas. Caracas' reliever Ronald Uviedo was the pitcher of record at the time, and he was credited with the win. Uviedo pitched to 7 batters over the 8th and 9th innings, getting two strikeouts, four ground outs, and allowing one solo home run.
Caribes de Anzoategui 8, Cardenales de Lara 3
A 5-run 5th inning gave Los Caribes the edge. Three of Lara's four errors occurred in that inning. CF Gorkys Hernandez singled to lead off the 8th inning, but was out at third base on a double play.
Tigres de Aragua 5, Bravos de Margarita 1
1B Hector Gimenez homered for the fourth time in four days (two last night). The game was scoreless until Gimenez's solo blast led off the top of the 6th for Aragua. The homer was followed by four singles and a sacrifice bunt, for two more runs. Gimenez doubled in the 7th inning, and two walks loaded the bases for Aragua. A sacrifice fly brought in one run, and two more walks forced in another run. LF Jonel Pacheco went 0-for-3 for Margarita. Tim Harikkala made the start for Margarita, and he pitched 5.1 innings. He was responsible for all of the runs in the 6th inning, so was charged with the loss.
Navegantes del Magallanes 17, Aguilas de Zulia 5
Zulia got the first run of the game in the top of the 1st inning, but things got out of hand very quickly after that. Magallanes scored 5 runs in the 1st, 2 runs in the 2nd, and 6 in the 3rd, for a 13-1 lead. They added 4 more runs in the 7th, just for good measure. LF Mike Ryan led the charge with two homers, both 3-run shots, one in the 1st inning and one in the 3rd. Argenis Diaz pinch-hit for Magallanes in the 7t, but grounded out.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Criollos de Caguas 6, Gigantes de Carolina 4
Caguas scored in each of the first four innings, plus one more in the bottom of the 8th, and held off Carolina for the win. SS Luis Figueroa dropped his average to .369 by going 1-for-3, with a walk, and he was hit by a pitch in the 8th inning rally. His hit led off the bottom of the 1st inning, and he came around to score on another single and a 2-RBI double.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Caneros de Los Mochis 6, Tomateros de Culiacan 5
A bases-loaded single in the bottom of the 9th broke the 5-5 tie to give Los Caneros the win. Culiacan took the early lead with a run on three singles in the top of the 1st. A solo homer by DH Jorge Vazquez, a double, and a 2-run homer by 2B Luis Cruz to lead off the 4th inning gave Culiacan a short-lived 4-0 lead. Los Caneros bounced back with 4 runs in the bottom of the 4th, and took a 5-4 lead with one more run in the 5th. Culiacan tied the score again in the 6th, when Cruz smacked a 2-out double, which was followed by a single, a walk, and an RBI single. Both teams were quiet until the bottom of the 9th and Los Caneros' walk-off win.
Former Pirate OF Chris Duffy has signed a minor league contract with the Phillies. We'll probably see him when the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs come to Indianapolis.
Checking in with Pirates' players and friends in Friday's winter league games:
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Aguilas Cibaenas 4, Tigres del Licey 2
Three runs in the 8th inning gave Los Aguilas the edge over Licey. Los Aguilas loaded the bases with a hit batter, a fielding error, and an intentional walk, then scored three runs on a wild pitch, a sacrifice fly, and an RBI double. Erik Kratz came in as a late-inning defensive replacement behind the plate for Los Aguilas, but did not have a turn at bat. Jake Fox went 0-for-4 for Licey.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Indios de Mayaguez 8, Leones de Ponce 2
Mayaguez held Ponce to 4 hits while posting 12 of their own. Reliever RJ Rodriguez pitched to two batters in the top of the 9th, and got a ground out and a strikeout.
Criollos de Caguas 12, Lobos de Arecibo 3
Caguas scored 4 runs in both the 1st and the 4th innings and recorded 19 hits, while keeping Arecibo much quieter with only 6 hits. SS Luis Figueroa smacked his first homer of the season with a solo blast to open the 4th inning. Former Pirate starter Shane Youman made his second start for Arecibo, and it was not good. He gave up 4 runs on 6 hits in the top of the 1st. After getting Figueroa to ground out, Youman surrendered a homer, single, double, and three more consecutive singles, and then was removed.
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Caribes de Anzoategui 6, Cardenales de Lara 5
Lara scored in each of the first four innings, then Los Caribes' pitchers shut down Los Cardenales and Los Caribes' batters scored 6 unanswered runs over the next four innings. Three runs came in during the bottom of the 4th inning, on a double and four singles. A 2-run homer tied the score in the 6th inning. Los Caribes' CF Gorkys Hernandez led off the 7th with a single, and advanced to second base on a bunt. Lara's Romulo Sanchez was brought on in relief, but Sanchez gave up a double, and Hernandez scored the winning run.
Tigres de Aragua 10, Aguilas de Zulia 9
Aragua poured it on and scored in each of the last four innings, to catch up to and slip past Zulia. Zulia scored 4 runs in the 2nd inning and two more runs in each of the next two innings, and held an 8-1 lead going into the bottom of the 4th. 1B Hector Gimenez blasted a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 4th to make it 8-3, then Zulia added one more run in the top of the 6th. Then Los Tigres started roaring. DH Wilson Ramos and Gimenez hit back-to-back homers in the bottom of the 6th. Then Los Tigres loaded the bases with a single and two walks, including one to C Raul Chavez, and another single drove in two runs. In the bottom of the 7th, two walks, a sacrifice bunt by Gimenez, and another walk loaded the bases again, and this time it was Chavez's single that brought in a run. Two doubles produced another run in the 8th, to tie the score at 9-9. Zulia reliever Chris Hernandez came on to pitch the bottom of the 9th, and he was charged with the loss when Raul Chavez reached on a fielding error, moved to second on a single, and scored on a walk-off RBI double.
Bravos de Margarita 8, Navegantes de Magallanes 4
Margarita sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the 8th inning and scored 7 runs to surge past Magallanes for the win. A throwing error, a wild pitch, and a 3-run homer by C JC Boscan contributed to the Big Inning. Jonel Pacheco played left field for Margarita in the top of the 9th. Magallanes scored all of their runs in the 6th inning, which featured a lead-off homer, and a 2-RBI double. Corey Hamman came in to pitch with one run in, one out, and two runners on base. One of those base runners was caught stealing second, but the other made it safely to third base, and then scored on Hamman's wild pitch. Hamman walked one, and then got the ground out to end the inning. SS Argenis Diaz went 0-for-3 with a walk for Magallanes.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Tomateros de Culiacan 6, Caneros de Los Mochis 3
An RBI single and a 3-run homer gave Culiacan four runs in the top of the 1st, before an out had been recorded. Los Tomateros added another run in the 2nd on three singles. 2B Luis Cruz gave Culiacan one more run with his lead-off homer in the 5th inning.
Thursday night's action in the winter leagues, involving Pirates' players and friends...
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Leones del Caracas 5, Tigres de Aragua 2
Reliever Ronald Uviedo earned the win for Caracas with 1.1 scoreless innings. Uviedo and his colleagues held Los Tigres to just 3 hits. Two of those were solo homers, both in the bottom of the 1st inning, by SS Ronny Cedeno and Wilson Ramos. DH Raul Chavez had the only other hit, which was a single to open the 5th inning. Chavez moved to second base on a bunt and advanced to third on a ground out. Uviedo came in from the bullpen at that point, and got Cedeno to ground out, leaving Chavez on third. Then Uviedo retired the side in the 6th. Carlos Maldonado pinch-hit for Los Leones and remained in the game as the designated hitter. He struck out twice in two at-bats.
Navegantes del Magallanes 2, Bravos de Margarita 0
LF Mike Ryan brought in the only runs of the game with his 2-run homer in the 6th. Margarita out-hit Magallanes 9-5, but left 7 runners on base and fell victim to three double plays by Magallanes. Los Bravos put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the 6th, but Corey Hamman came in from Los Navegantes' bullpen and pitched to one batter, getting an inning-ending double play. Jean Machi earned his 14th save for Magallanes by striking out two batters with the bases loaded to end the 8th inning. He gave up a walk in the 9th, but erased that runner with a double play.
PUERTO RICAN LEAGUE
Criollos de Caguas 9, Lobos de Arecibo 4
SS Luis Figueroa led Caguas' 16-hit attack by going 4-for-5, with four singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a double. While he contributed to run-scoring rallies in three innings, he did not come around to score at all.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao 5, Aguilas Cibaenas 0
C Erik Kratz was 0-for-2 for Los Aguilas, who left 8 runners on base. Juan Perez pitched to one batter in the 8th inning for Los Gigantes, and struck him out.
Toros del Este 10, Estrellas de Oriente 4
The game began poorly for Los Toros, when the first three batters of the game walked, including SS Pedro Lopez. DH Robinzon Diaz followed with a grounder that went for a double play, but one run still scored (no RBI). Los Toros turned it around, though, and piled up 15 hits on their way to 10 runs. Diaz singled to lead off the 6th inning, but was forced out at second base on a subsequent grounder. He also bounced into another double play. Lopez was 0-for-3 in his remaining at-bats.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Yaquis de Obregon 4, Tomateros de Culiacan 4 -- tied after 12 innings
Obregon held a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the 9th, when a double, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single gave Culiacan the run they needed to tie the game. The tie held until the top of the 12th, when Obregon scored on a single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI double. But Culiacan came back again, with a single, a sacrifice bunt by 2B Luis Cruz, an intentional walk, and an RBI single. Cruz hit the first of three consecutive singles for Culiacan in the 2nd, but all three runners were left on base. He brought in a run in the 3rd on a sacrifice fly, even though Obregon's RF Chris Snelling alertly fired the ball back into the infield to double up one of the other base runners. Snelling walked in the 3rd inning, then was hit by a pitch and came around to score in the 6th.
The Pirates finished out the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis by selecting two players in the Rule 5 Draft.
In the major league portion of the draft, they selected OF John Raynor from the Marlins. This Tennessee native will turn 26 in the beginning of January. The Marlins drafted him in the 9th round in 2006, and he did very well in their organization for his first three years. He finished out the 2006 season at A- (New York/Penn League) Jamestown, where he hit .286 in 54 games, with 4 homers and 21 RBI. When he moved up to A level in 2007 (Greensboro), he hit .333 with 28 doubles, 8 triples, 13 homers, and 57 RBI, plus a whopping 54 stolen bases (caught only 8 times). He was named to the South Atlantic League's All-Star team and was named the league's 2006 MVP. His hot hitting continued in 2008 at AA Carolina, where Raynor's average was .312 with 29 doubles, 6 triples, 13 homers, 51 RBI and 48 stolen bases. He was again named to the All-Star team, this time for the Southern League, and his speed earned him the designation of "Fastest Baserunner in the Southern League" by Baseball America. But Raynor struggled at the AAA level (New Orleans) in 2009, in what he has called a "learning experience". His totals for the season reflect that: .257 average, 6 homers, 36 RBI, and 19 stolen bases. He had struck out often in the previous two seasons (98 and 122 respectively), and continued in that vein in 2009 with 121 strikeouts. Raynor did have a good month of May, when he hit .323 with 6 RBI, and he was looking better in August, when he hit .306, with 7 doubles, 2 homers, and 10 RBI.
The Pirates have indicated that Raynor will be competing for an outfield position. It's going to be a tough battle, with Andrew McCutchen and Lastings Milledge pretty firmly in place, and then Brandon Moss, Delwyn Young, and Garrett Jones also vying for a spot. If Raynor does not make the Pirates out of Spring Training, then as a Rule 5 draftee, he would have to be offered back to the Marlins. Maybe the Marlins won't want him back (he was blocked in their outfield), and the Pirates can keep him as they did with Evan Meek in 2008. If that happens, then we might see Raynor in Indianapolis.
In the minor league portion of the draft, the Pirates picked up SS Rodolfo Cardona from the Orioles. Cardona just turned 23 years old, and is a native of Venezuela. He reached US ball in 2007 with the GCL Orioles, and moved up to Appalachian League Bluefield in 2008, hitting .283 in both seasons. He spent most of 2009 at A-level Delmarva, wehre he hit .235 in 46 games, with 8 doubles, 3 triples, one homer, and 22 RBI. Cardona was promoted to A+ Frederick, where he appeared in 14 games, and hit .238. He also made 6 appearances with AA Bowie, but went 0-for-14 at the plate. Cardona is on the roster for Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League, but only made one appearance, and that was back in mid-October, just as their season was starting. Cardona might get plugged in to the shorstop spot in AA Altoona or A+ Bradenton, depending on how his spring goes.
The Pirates did not lose any players in the Rule 5 Draft. There had been rumors that other teams might be interested in reliever Jean Machi, but nothing came of it.
Other notes: C Robinzon Diaz was signed by the Tigers to a minor league contract. We may see him again with Toledo. Reliever Jesse Chavez was traded to the Braves for Rafael Soriano. INF Josh Wilson signed a minor league contract with the Mariners.
While we wait for the final word on the Bobby Crosby signing, pending his physical....
some winter league action involving Pirates' players and friends:
VENEZUELAN LEAGUE
Caribes de Anzoategui 2, Bravos de Margarita 0
Los Caribes' starter Fernando Nieve pitched 7 no-hit innings, no walks either, and the only Margarita batter to reach base over those 7 innings was CF Frank Diaz, who reached on an error in the 5th. Nieve finally gave up 2 hits, a double to Diaz and a single in the 8th inning, but did not allow a run to score. Nieve was relieved by Pedro Rodriguez for the 9th inning. Rodriguez did not allow a hit, but walked one and had a batter reach on an error. Los Caribes scored only two runs, one in the 1st and one in the 2nd. CF Gorkys Hernandez went 0-for-3.
Tigres de Aragua 5, Leones del Caracas 2
Starter Wil Ledezma earned his second win for Aragua as he allowed 2 runs on 7 hits in 5.1 innings. Two singles and two ground outs gave Caracas one run in the 3rd inning. Ledezma struck out the side in the 4th inning. He loaded the bases in the 5th with two walks and a double, but struck out Caracas' 2B Jose Castillo to end the inning without a run scoring. Two singles and a ground out brought in another run for Caracas in the 6th inning, and after a walk, Ledezma was relieved. Aragua scored their first run in the top of the 1st, on lead-off singles by CF Sam Fuld (Cubs) and SS Ronny Cedeno, plus two wild pitches. Two walks, a single, and two doubles gave Los Tigres 3 runs in the 5th inning. 1B Hector Gimenez added one more run in the 7th inning with his 4th homer for Aragua.
DOMINICAN LEAGUE
Gigantes del Cibao 6, Tigres del Licey 4
Los Gigantes scored 4 runs in the 5th inning to get the edge over Licey. Licey scored one in the 1st, two in the 3rd, and one final run in the 6th. Licey also threatened in the 5th inning, when DH Wily Mo Pena and Indy area native LF Jake Fox hit back-to-back singles, and a grounder force out left runners on the corners. Pinch-hitter Ronny Paulino also grounded out, though, and the runners were left stranded.
MEXICAN PACIFIC LEAGUE
Algodoneros de Guasave 1, Venados de Mazatlan 0
Guasave was held to just 2 hits -- and they still won the game, when a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and a single brought in the only run of the game in the 5th. LF Yurendell de Caster was 0-for-3 for Guasave.
Tomateros de Culiacan 5, Yaquis de Obregon 4
Two runs in the top of the 9th were not enough for Obregon to catch up to Culiacan. Obregon began the game with a run in the 1st inning, and they added another run in the 4th, on a walk and two singles, including a single by RF Chris Snelling. Culiacan tied the score in the 5th, on two doubles and a single. They took the lead in the 6th, when a walk, a single, and a walk to 2B Luis Cruz loaded the bases, and a third walk forced in a run. That situation lasted until the bottom of the 8th, when Culiacan picked up two insurance runs with a solo homer, and two doubles, one by Cruz. Obregon made Los Tomateros sweat, though, with a single and a home run in the top of the 9th to come within one run. Another single followed the homer, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the game.
The final bit of news from the 2009 Arizona Fall League: the Top Prospect Team has been named, and two of the Pirates' prospects were on it.
Starting pitcher Donnie Veal was one of two starters named (Nationals' Steven Strasburg was the other). He led the AFL with a 2.14 ERA, 21 innings, 22 strikeouts, and a 1.14 WHIP. Not bad for last year's Rule 5 pick.
OF Jose Tabata led the AFL with 120 at-bats and 47 hits, and was third in the league with his .392 average. Add to that 6 doubles, 3 triples, a homer, and 21 RBI. Plus, he was a vacuum cleaner in center field. Definitely cemented his position as a Pirates' top prospect.
Two other members of the Scottsdale Scorpions were named to the Top Prospect team:
C Buster Posey (Giants) was not a big hitter (.225), but he still had 2 doubles, 2 homers, and 12 RBI, and he threw out 26% of potential base stealers.
OF Domonic Brown (Phillies) didn't have a big average either (.229), but he always seemed to come through in the clutch. He had 9 doubles, 2 homers, and 18 RBI. He also was second in the AFL in at-bats (118).
