Pirates spring training thread

[Witlon]

Figured I'd get an early start on this.

All Pirates ST news will go right cherre.

[HafDawg2003]

I'm excited looking at this roster. They're underrated.

[Witlon]

JVB gets another setback. Ugh

Credit: Postgazette.com

BRADENTON, Fla. -- John Van Benschoten must take yet another step backward, but he hopes it will be a brief one.

Van Benschoten, a right-handed starter and the Pirates' first-round draft pick in 2001, said yesterday he was feeling "some stiffness" in his surgically repaired right shoulder and will be kept off the mound for an undetermined amount of time.

He had been pitching regularly since Jan. 11, when he took the mound for the first time in 16 months at minicamp, but he complained of the discomfort after a throwing session Wednesday.

"It's the kind of thing that happens, and I don't think it will take long to be back," Van Benschoten said. "I'm just glad it didn't happen during the season."

A team official confirmed the discomfort is not believed to anything more than the variety that is common when pitchers return to hard throwing, but he cautioned that was uncertain.

Van Benschoten had surgery on both shoulders shortly after his major-league debut late in the 2004 season, each to repair labrum tears. His left shoulder continues to have pain, too, but neither he nor the team sees that as an impediment to pitching.

When Van Benschoten recovers, he is expected to start at Class AAA Indianapolis.


Two relievers missing


Relievers Roberto Hernandez and Giovanni Carrara did not report in time for the first workout for pitchers and catchers yesterday at Pirate City.

Hernandez was dealing with personal matters, general manager Dave Littlefield said, and is expected early next week. Carrara was having visa problems in trying to leave his native Venezuela and should arrive "in the next few days," Littlefield said.

In all, 22 pitchers, seven catchers and three position players recovering from injuries participated in the three-hour workout under a cloudless sky and 76-degree heat.

The session lasted three hours and was highlighted by 14 pitchers throwing 30-40 pitches off bullpen mounds, including Sean Burnett, who is trying to return from two surgeries on his throwing arm and regain a spot in the rotation.

"I feel great," Burnett said. "I consider myself to be in this battle, for sure."

The other pitchers taking mounds: Oliver Perez, Zach Duke, Mike Gonzalez, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Ryan Vogelsong, Ian Snell, Terry Adams, Brandon Duckworth, Scott Strickland, Britt Reames, Jonah Bayliss and Nerio Rodriguez.


Buried treasure


Manager Jim Tracy gave a short talk to the group before the session. "There was one word I kept coming back to, and that was 'accountability,' " he said. "We're going to be accountable. Age, payroll and all that stuff is out the window. This is not going to be a good place to be if you think mediocrity is going to work."

The only position players permitted to participate in the early phase of camp are those recovering from injuries. Outfielders Chris Duffy (torn left hamstring) and Jody Gerut (right knee surgery) took batting and fielding practice and are cleared for all baseball activities. Third baseman Jose Bautista (fractured left wrist) took infield grounders.

Second baseman Jose Castillo, who missed the final six weeks of last season because of a torn left knee ligament, was not asked to report for this phase, Littlefield said.

Pete Mackanin, the Pirates' interim manager after Lloyd McClendon was fired in September, yesterday was named the Cincinnati Reds' advance scout. Mackanin had been assigned to manage the Pirates' rookie-league team in Bradenton. Littlefield said he had no immediate replacement for the Bradenton opening.

Manny Sanguillen will return to instruct the catchers, raising the number of attending alumni to four.

Three Pirates have new jersey numbers: Perez is wearing No. 59 after giving up No. 48 in deference to pitching coach Jim Colborn, pitcher Paul Maholm is wearing No. 28, and Duffy is wearing No. 6.

[go_bucs2000]

not JVB again hes one of my favorites and I hate seeing him hurt so much hes so young and so many surgerys just hope hes good for the Indians and gets a quick call up....I do not like number changes Perez will look weird as 59 but hey Wilson fit into #2 good from 12

[Witlon]

As for JVB, I've been wishing since the beginning that they just let him play first and forget about pitching. When he started having success, I kinda forgot about that, but all the arm injuries later, I kinda wish they would've done that to begin with.

May he'd be a better option in relief, and give Snell a shot at starting, I guess.

And Burnett wanting to compete= best case scenario for the season. I'd rather have him starting the season as the 5 than Maholm or anyone else. Perez, Duke, Wells, Santos is a nice top 4, from where I'm sitting, and Burnett would be the perfect 5, giving Maholm a little more time in the minors.

[go_bucs2000]

I agree 100% Burnett is a good choice for #5 to start the season Maholm is to young to be in a Major League rotation...but hey who knows what Tracy will do

[Providence A's]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06051/658278.stm

No deal for Duke

The Pirates have made a contract offer to starter Zach Duke for one year at $335,000, which would be $8,000 more than Major League Baseball's minimum wage. Duke, who was 8-2 last season and led all National League rookies with a 1.81 earned run average, has not accepted it.

Because Duke has less than three years experience, the team reserves the right to impose any terms it wishes on him, even if he refuses to sign. The Pirates have set a deadline of March 1 to complete all such contracts.

Last spring, the Pirates offered Bay $355,000 when he was coming off being the league's rookie of the year, and he declined to sign. Starter Oliver Perez did the same when the team offered $381,000 after he led all of baseball by averaging 11 strikeouts per nine innings. Each contract was implemented by the team at those terms.

The Pirates have 17 players in that category still unsigned.

How common is this type of "negotiating?" It seems to me that it would cause some animosity from the players...

[Dry1313]

They Have a solid young rotation
JVB
Ollie
Sean Burnett
Duke

cant wait to see their team do really mediocre

[go_bucs2000]

yeah we have a nice rotation going on need everyone healthy though and we may be on of the top 5 rotations in the NL ....the wins will depend on how we hit that ball

[Dry1313]

yeah the offense is a little lacking but in 2 or 3 years when all the prospects are here the pirates are gonna be amazing

[Witlon]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06051/658278.stm



How common is this type of "negotiating?" It seems to me that it would cause some animosity from the players...

You know, I had never heard of it anywhere before Perez and Bay did it. I'm really not sure how common it is, but it doesn't seem like it's a big deal to do it.

[Witlon]

Jose Castillo and other random news...http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06052/658577.stm

BRADENTON, Fla. -- It wasn't a promising reintroduction to second base for Jose Castillo, but it had a fine finish.

Castillo took 30 ground balls yesterday in his first field action since a left knee ligament was torn Aug. 22 at PNC Park, and he muffed four of the first 11 even though special instructor Bill Virdon was swatting them right at him.

But he soon appeared more comfortable and scooped all but one of the final 19. That included a sensational stop on the final attempt, as he ranged beyond second base and wheeled an underhand bullet to first.

He then trotted off the field with a smile and said to a reporter, "I told you."

Castillo had been saying since minicamp last month that he was healthy, and his workout yesterday provided the most telling test of that. He looked stiff at times, but he gave no indication he was unable to do the job.

"He looked all right after the first few," Virdon said. "He'll be OK."

Castillo also took a round of batting practice for the second day.

Carrara arrives

Reliever Giovanni Carrara made it to camp after missing three workouts because of a delay in getting a visa to leave Venezuela.

He said that, initially, the earliest appointment he could get for his visa was in March. He succeeded in getting that moved up to Feb. 15 but needed to wait three more days to have the documentation mailed to his home.

"You want to be here early and try to impress," Carrara said. "I want to be in the big leagues. When you're not able to get here, it's tough. But I'm ready to go."


Pirates right-hander Kip Wells threw a 30-minute session yesterday at spring training at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.
Click photo for larger image.




Carrara is considered the favorite of a long list of minor-league tryouts vying for bullpen work, but he flatly rejects the notion he will have an advantage because he pitched four of the past five years for manager Jim Tracy in Los Angeles.

"It's not like, just because I was with them before, I can come here and do whatever I want," he said. "I have to bust my behind out there. I've got to do everything they ask. If I don't do well, I don't deserve to be here."

Carrara did long-tossing yesterday and will pitch today.


Maholm held back


Starter Paul Maholm missed his scheduled throwing session because of a strained hamstring. Tracy described Maholm's status as day to day.

"He had a little extra jump in his delivery," Tracy said. "This was precautionary."


New look for Wells


The other 13 pitchers expected to throw took their turns, with the highlight being starter Kip Wells' half-hour session, about 20 minutes longer than the norm for this time of year.

With Tracy watching the entire time, Wells and pitching coach Jim Colborn discussed and practiced adjustments to Wells' delivery.

"I saw a lot of signs of improvement," Tracy said. "This isn't the same pitcher I saw last year in Los Angeles."


Buried treasure


Reliever Roberto Hernandez, who has been absent for personal reasons, is due today.

Catcher Ronny Paulino has been told he will make the 30-man roster of the Dominican Republic's entry into the World Baseball Classic, joining relievers Salomon Torres and Damaso Marte. That raises the Pirates' known participants to seven, including outfielder Jason Bay (Canada), starter Oliver Perez and catcher Humberto Cota (Mexico), and utilityman Yurendell DeCaster (Netherlands).

Position players are required to report today. A few more showed up yesterday, including infielder Freddy Sanchez.

One member of the Pirates organization, Maholm, made Baseball Prospectus' list of the top 50 prospects in the game, released yesterday. He ranked 38th. Only players with rookie eligibility were considered.

[Witlon]

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06054/659785.stm

Pirates Notebook: Will Burnitz or Casey bat cleanup?
Thursday, February 23, 2006

By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette


Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
With outfielder Jason Bay leading the way, the Pirates begin their first full-squad workout yesterday at Pirate City in Bradenton, Fla.
Click photo for larger image.





BRADENTON, Fla. -- Although the Pirates' starting lineup is set, one issue still hovering this spring for manager Jim Tracy will be choosing a cleanup hitter.

It might float right into the season, too.

"It's flexible," Tracy replied yesterday when asked about the heart of his order. "It has the potential to be interchangeable."

Jason Bay, Tracy and other team officials agree, probably is best cast as a No. 3 hitter, largely because of his speed and, to a lesser degree, his ability to steal.

That leaves Jeromy Burnitz and Sean Casey, but in what order?

Over the past three seasons, Burnitz has had 334 at-bats at cleanup and batted .251 while averaging a home run every 24 at-bats. He has fared better in 716 at-bats at No. 5, batting .270 with a home run every 18 at-bats.

In the same span, Casey, most commonly a No. 3 hitter, has had 254 at-bats at cleanup and batted .299 with a home run every 42 at-bats. He, too, is better at No. 5, batting .341 with a home run every 25 at-bats.

Nothing clear there? There are other back-and-forth arguments, too:

Burnitz has better speed and is less likely to ground into a double play, so he might be better suited for cleanup.

Casey's .321 average against left-handers the past three years is far superior to Burnitz's .253, so he might be the stronger choice to hit higher.

Perhaps as a result of all this ambiguity, Tracy appears to be leaning toward examining the day's pitching matchup rather than entrenching anyone at cleanup.

"Are there people who could overwhelm you with a performance over the course of a season? Sure, there are," he said. "But the consistency of the group collectively, if everyone does what they're capable of doing, it has a chance to be fairly dynamic."

This much seems certain: Neither Burnitz nor Casey cares much.

"Not at all," Burnitz said. "Maybe for a while there I was a guy with a little bit of an ego who wanted to hit in the middle of the lineup, blah, blah. But that's years in the past, and I'm well over that. Eighth, fourth, who cares?"

"Wherever Trace puts me," Casey said, "that's where I hit."


Wells, Perez adjust


Pitching coach Jim Colborn has been working on delivery adjustments for starters Oliver Perez and Kip Wells. For Perez, it has been keeping the back leg steady. For Wells, it has been straightening his general posture.

Colborn's norm is to avoid multiple adjustments with any pitcher.

"I think you have one bullet," he said. "You'd better figure out what one thing you're going to say, and that's it. When we start shopping around, we get the pitcher confused."

Perez and Wells were among 17 pitchers who threw from mounds yesterday.


Buried treasure


All 62 players invited to major-league camp were present for the first full-squad workout of the spring. All except starters John Van Benschoten (shoulder stiffness) and Bryan Bullington (shoulder surgery) participated in all drills.

Starter Sean Burnett, coming back from two arm surgeries, had an extended -- and apparently effective -- outing off the mound after skipping a day at his request. "He's doing fine," Colborn said. "But we're going to continue to be cautious."

Bill Mazeroski returned to the field in his annual role as a special instructor. Kent Tekulve, the team's recently appointed advance scout, also showed up, but he will not begin instructional work until March 1.

Casey, on his first day with the Pirates after eight with the Cincinnati Reds: "It's definitely weird for me, putting on a different uniform. But it feels good. I've followed this emblem pretty much my whole childhood."

I'd rather have Burnitz hitting 4th than 50 DP Casey. I'm sure the team will go the other way, though. What do you guys think?

[Witlon]

http://www.postgazette.com/pg/06058/661861.stm

Pirates Notebook: Bullington makes big step in recovery from surgery
Monday, February 27, 2006

By Dejan Kovacevic, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette



BRADENTON, Fla. -- On the day the Pirates received ominous health news about Kip Wells, another right-handed starter made a significant stride in his recovery.

Bryan Bullington, the No. 1 overall selection in Major League Baseball's 2002 amateur draft, threw a baseball yesterday morning for the first time since before his Oct. 17 surgery to repair a torn labrum. It was only 10 minutes of soft-tossing from 30 feet, and it came on a cloudy, windy day, but he was not complaining.

"The shoulder felt great," Bullington said. "And it felt great just to be out there again."

Bullington, 25, had a dominant stretch with Class AAA Indianapolis from June through August, going 7-1 with a 1.69 earned run average, before being a September call-up for the Pirates. He made his major-league debut Sept. 18 and pitched 11/3 innings of relief, after which he was shut down because of shoulder irritation.

The Pirates' plan is to bring him back slowly and have him pitching competitively by June, likely at a level lower than Class AAA. He will move up as performance warrants.

"It does take patience, but you learn to deal with it," Bullington said. "What matters to me is that things stay on pace, and they have."

He had not been expected to throw until today.


Buried treasure


Infielder Freddy Sanchez, carted off the field Saturday after a foul ball bruised his left calf, participated in all drills. That included batting practice, during which he wore a protective guard.

Wet grounds forced the Pirates to conduct batting practice indoors and shorten their usual three-hour workout by an hour. Among the nine pitchers who threw to hitters were Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Ryan Vogelsong, Mike Gonzalez and Salomon Torres. Three others threw bullpen sessions.

Starter John Van Benschoten said after another long-tossing session that he expects to pitch sometime this week.

The starting time will be 1 p.m. for the Pirates' March 10 minor-league exhibition against Saint Vincent College at McKechnie Field. The parent Pirates will be in Fort Myers that day against the Minnesota Twins.

Great, great, great news to see Bullington starting to throw already, especially with what happening to Kip. As for Freddy, it's great to hear he's okay, he's a huge part of that bench this year.

[go_bucs2000]

agreed I want to see Bullington become a good player and Freddy and Craig will be the two big bench guys