I Still Can't Believe My Eyes

I still cannot believe what I am seeing the the Grapefruit League standings. Ten games into Spring Training games, and the Pittsburgh Pirates are tied for first with a 7-3 record. Their offense has also scored 55 runs this season (5.5 RPG). Opponents have scored 43 runs (4.3 RPG). The fact that the Pirates have been scoring 1.2 runs more per game COULD be a good sign for the upcoming season. It's only 10 games, a very small sample size, but still encouraging.

I know that it's only Spring Training and that most of the pitchers we are facing late in the games are more than likely career minor league pitchers, but who knows. There are a lot of people on this team now that have that "winning culture" attitude them. And that is something the team so badly needed. And if it does not pan out this year, as most people expect, surely the Pirates will be looking forward to the 2010 or 2011 seasons. That's when a lot of these younger guys will be making their presence known at PNC Park. However, I feel that this is finally the year in which the team will make a turn for the better and improve on their 67 wins from last year.

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It looks like Eric Hinske will be getting a lot of playing time this April. Brandon Moss, who was a lock to be a starting right fielder, injured his right thumb yesterday against the Twins. A MRI and all of that good stuff will be done to determine the extent of the injury. here's to hoping that Moss can get through this with some R&R and not have surgery. A major injury like this would be a huge blow to the Pirates upcoming season. I am confident though having Hinske as a back-up.

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I am trying to decide whether or not I want to purchase one of the new jerseys for the upcoming season. If I do get one, I know it'll probably end up being either the home or away jersey. Then, I don't know whether I should get #55 or #58 on it. Or, should I just wear the Bobby Hill BP jersey I bought a few years back at PirateFest?

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A lot of debate over the decision as to whether or not the Buccos should bring in Pedro Martinez as a back of the rotation guy. Sure he'd bring in some more fans and he could end up regaining some of his form from previous years, but is it worth the financial risk? Would he even sign with the Pirates? It was said that Pedro could go for 2-3 million. The Pirates could pay slightly higher than that to try and get him. I don't know if it is worth the risk. A good discussion can be found on the Unofficial Pirates Message Board.

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Japan is going to mow through the WBC. No doubt in my mind. Expect the Netherlands to be a surprise.

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All is quiet now, but expect another large push for the Vote for Romulo campaign in the upcoming weeks. The deadline to vote is April 30th.

Let's Go Bucs
Vote for Romulo!

Breaking News: Pirates Third Most Popular Professional Team In Pittsburgh

Obviously, there isn't too much going on in the world of PNC Park today. Dejan has a couple of interesting reports in his weekly Hot Stove article. Andy LaRoche needs to work on building up morale, the Pirates will field trade offers for Adam LaRoche later in the season, more scouts have been added around the world, Neil Walker talks about pressure from the top and bottom at third, John Grabow has elbow chips, the Pirates have changed the way they set up conditioning programs, and yes...more on Eric Hinske.

Steelers...DO IT!
I'll be sure to post more on the headline at some point today.
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photo credit: Hines Ward leaps his way into the end zone and is well on his way to Super Bowl XL MVP - Dan Powers, The Post-Cresscent

Beam Me Up (Down) Hunty

Reliever TJ Beam was designated for assignment to make room for Eric Hinske on the 40-man roster. The Pirates will look to place him on waivers and have Beam clear them so he can be assigned to AAA Indy.

I don't think Beam will clear, and thus, will be picked up by some other team. His 4.14 ERA over 32 games (45.2 innings) isn't horrible. However, he will need to work on his K:BB ratio for better success. He had 24 Ks against 20 BBs last season.

Beam, I feel, would be a decent low risk, high potential pick up for some team out there.

Crap...I just realized that I made another Hinske related post.

Lets Go Bucs!

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photo credit: TJ Beam as a Yankee - 316sports

Maholm\Hinske\Mientkiewicz...Are We Done Yet?

I'm not in much of a blogging mood. And if you've lived under a rock for a majority of the day, then you should just smash your head off of said rock. The Pirates have officially signed Paul Mahom and Eric Hinske to their contracts.

Maholm, signed a 4 year deal worth a guaranteed 14.5 million Bucs. Actually, the contract is for 3 years, and a club option for the 4th year, Maholm's first in free agency. Given the track record of management and long-term contracts, I would expect to see Maholm on the DL by mid-May and pitching in Indy around August 15th.

Eric Hinske was signed as a free agent from the AL Champion Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. Hinske's contract could total 2.5 million Bucs (1.5 million base pay and 1 million in bonuses). The 31 year old Hinske was signed over the widely popular Doug Mientkiewicz, and the ancient Luis Gonzalez. Hinske will be able to play the corners of the in and out fields. He is another left-handed power bat, which I think will workout well in PNC Park. Just as Maholm is leaving for the DL, I expect Hinske to be getting regular playing time at first base. That'll last until mid-June when Adam LaRoche will decide to hit well.

Now that these contracts are signed, I do not want to have to make another post featuring the names Paul Maholm, Eric Hinske, or Doug Mientkiewicz for a long, long time.

More Blogs on Hinske

Mike from The Unemployed Asshole took a bit of a Hugh Morris spin on the Hinske signing.

As Expected, Pirates Hinske/Maholm Inks Deal

As I predicted, Paul Maholm and the Pirates have agreed to a multi-year deal earlier this morning. According to Dejan, this is a three year deal, with a club option for a fourth year. This will secure Maholm through all three years of arbitration plus his first year of free agency. No monetary figures have been released as of tonight. Those should be available following a physical and the official contract signing. I'm still predicting that Nate McLouth will head to an arbitration hearing on the 17th of February.

Also, as expected, Eric Hinske was signed this morning to a one year deal. As with Maholm, Hinske will need to complete a physical before the t's are crossed and i's are dotted. A total cost has not been released, however the base salary is believed to be around $1.5 million. There could be as much as $1 million in performance bonuses.

In my opinion, these were two pretty important signings today.

Good bye Doug.

Let's Go Bucs!

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photo credits: Eric Hinske - www.soxnest.com, Paul Maholm - AP Photo/Pat Sullivan

More on Hinske

Dejan is running a piece today in the Post-Gazette that makes it sound like Eric Hinske will most likely be signing a contract with Pittsburgh later this week. As I mentioned before, Hinske would be the best of the three free agent choices we have out there right now. He's younger than Luis Gonzalez and Doug Mientkiewicz and he has more power than the ever so popular Mientkiewicz.

Hinske isn't the right-handed power bat that the Pirates were looking for, however, his power from the left could prove to be an advantage to him at PNC Park, all thanks to the 321' Clemente Wall in right field.

I've linked the three free agent outfielders career stats that have been the topic of discussion for the Pirates this off season so that you may compare numbers and make a decision for yourself who would be the better player for this team. Hinske Gonzalez Mientkiewicz

A Mientkiewicz mutiny ahoy!

Let's Go Bucs!

PS: I can pretty much spell Mientkiewicz now without looking it up.
PSS: Dejan also has a great write-up as to why it's worth it to go cheap when signing bench players

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photo credit: Right field and the Clemente Wall. baseball-reference.com

Hinske in the Free Agent Outfield Mix

Earlier today it was announced that the Pirates were looking at Luis Gonzalez as a potential 4th outfielder and veteran leader. He is a guy with decent numbers, however, his age (41) is an issues with me. He's also seems to be limited to the positions in which he could play. Dejan mentioned that the Pirates were looking at several other free agents. Turns out one of those free agents will be Eric Hinske formally of the Tampa Bay Rays.



Hinske's numbers aren't quite where Gonzalez's numbers are at, however, he is a decade younger. And, unlike Gonzalez, he can play the corner spots of the outfield and first and third base. According to the article on pirateball.com, it sounds like Hinske is a priority for the Pirates and he could be in town as soon as the end of this week. It's looking less and less likely that Meintkiewicz will be back in Pittsburgh.



Because I'm lazy, check out link to the article above for all of the details on Hinske and Gonzalez.

Lets Go Bucs!

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photo credit: Eric Hinske strikes out during Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. daylife.com