Side tidbit, The Pirates season has been absolutely tremendous, and the coverage of this team is fantastic, and a new take on providing information is Twitter. I seriously recommend Twitter to the avid Sports Fan. Almost any athlete, writer, insider, analyst ect. has a twitter and it is a great way to stay current on Sport's news and information. It is direct and genuine, even if you do not Tweet yourself, you will love the instant information. Pittsburgh writers like Dejan Kovacevec, Jenifer Langosch, and Rob Biertempfel do great things, plus players Neil Walker, Joel Hanrahan, and Paul Maholm are interesting to see, and all ESPN and national media personalities are great follows as well.
1. Let's start with a tough one because there's no middle ground on this question. The Pirates are six games over .500. What do they have a greater chance of doing this season: Winning their division? Finishing under .500?
I would have to say finish over .500. Winning the division is great, and right now seems within reason. But still this team has 62 games remaining, 38 of which against contenders for Playoff berths. The Pirates have a better team than in year's past. But they still lack a formidable offense to combat against Milwaukee and St. Louis. Pittsburgh needs 29 more wins over 62 games to attain .500. Very reachable in my opinion.
2. What record would you consider a success for the six remaining games with Atlanta and Philadelphia?
2-4. That would give them 3 wins against the best two teams in the league on the road. That is really good for this team. Hanson, Jurrjens, Halladay, and Lee are four of the pitchers they must face. Realistically this team could potentially lose all 6 of these games, but the resiliency Hurdle's team has shown is impressive. They can probably do something completely unexpected and win 4 of these remaining 6 games.
3. Which Pirates has been the biggest surprise this season?
You could potentially put over the half the team here and not be wrong. But I would have to say Charlie Morton. And a lot of this has to do with where he was last season, and to where he is now.
Charlie went 2-12 last season with a 7.57 ERA. I will never understand why he got 17 starts with those numbers, either way he is now 8-5 with a 3.69 ERA. He is relying more on his Sinker, and has modeled his windup to Roy Halladay, and no doubt it has worked. His recent struggles show that he is throwing less Sinkers than he was during the beginning of the year, and he has not been as effective of late.
4. Which has been the biggest disappointment?
Easily Pedro Alvarez. I do not think anyone was expecting this guy to ever be a hitter with a good average, but 20 Home Runs and 60 RBI's right now? Yeah, thats what he should be doing, and needs to be doing. I understand he missed nearly two months, but April and Early May showed no signs that he would be having a productive year. He can be a 100 RBI type of guy for many years in this league. Who knows maybe the Bucs may have added the best Bat before the Trade Deadline?
5. If they finish above .500, do you think the Pirates should raise ticket prices next season? By how much: $2, $3, $4, $5.
I do not really see management raising them. Actually I do not believe they should anyway. They finally started getting crowds again, and who knows if they have really turned the corner. What happens when you raise prices, and the team goes into the tank? Would not look good. Stand pat, see what you have, and raise them if things really have changed.
6. When Ryan Doumit is healthy, who should be the Pirates No. 1 catcher: Doumit or Michael McKenry
McKenry, no doubt. His bat has been adequate, but his defense has been outstanding. I do not remember a Pirates catcher with his Defensive skill set since Kendall. He handles the staff well. Doumit has been inconsistent his whole career. Sure his offense is way more promising than McKenry, but his defense is horrible. Doumit could see some At Bats as First or Right, depending on what happens before Sunday. Backups catchers usually have to play anyway. Doumit would not be underused.
7. Which position do you think Neil Walker will play most in his MLB career?
Neil is playing a good second base, but a slick fielding, quicker kid may come up at some point and supplant him. Neil could go back to Third if the Pirates ever experiment with Alvarez at First Base. I could also see him moving to Left Field potentially. He can move and he is an athlete, stick him anywhere and he will produce and play solid defense. But who knows, Second Base may end up working out for the long haul.
8. Which two Pirates, other than Andrew McCutchen, do you consider the most untradeable?
Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez. At this point those are my two. Neil is a great player, and was very undervalued by Huntington's front office. He has turned out to be a consistent defender, and a nice middle of the order bat that can produce. He has versatility down the line, and he is the Hometown kid. He is popular, and its not everyday that you can have an All Star caliber player on the Pirates that is from the Pittsburgh area. Alvarez, is the future. He was drafted highly, and it will take a lot for this management group to admit that he is a bust. They can not be faulted for selecting him, any team would have. He just had a bad few months, and it feels like people are writing him off. He is good, he can be really good, and this club needs him to be good sooner rather than later.
9. Which team do you think will win the NL Central?
St. Louis. Pujols, Holliday, and Berkman is a lethal heart of the order. La Russa gets the most from his role players as well. They have the best manager and player on their side. Two things I would feel comfortable with. Milwaukee could win it. Cincinnati has a great offense, and Pittsburgh is doing enough to stay in it. But St. Louis is the best team.
10. If you could only choose one position, which do you think should be the Pirates off-season priority, either in trade or free agency?
I would love to see Pittsburgh go out and get a First Basemen. They seem set with McCutchen and Tabata in the Outfield. Marte isn't too far away and Presley can hold things up for a while. Maybe they go for a quick 2 year fix there. Alvarez and Walker are set. Catching seems abundant. McKenry is young enough to Catch for a few years, and maybe Tony Sanchez will overcome this bad year and be in Pittsburgh by 2013. First Base seems like the logical choice. Overbay was a bust, Curry in AA has been great this year but who knows if it is for real. They need a guy that can provide insurance in the 6 hole, and play solid defense. I do not want them to go to high price, and I'd rather see them spend money and securing the players they have. If they can upgrade over Ronny Cedeno, hey maybe look to do that. But again, would not go out of my way to sign somebody unless he is at the right price.
11. Which of these free-agents to be would you prefer to see the Pirates acquire: Left-handed hitting first baseman Carlos Pena, .239, BA, .779 OPS, 20 homers, 51 RBIs? right-handed hitting outfielder Josh Willingham, .241 BA, .750 OPS, 13 homers, 50 RBIs?
Carlos Pena fits the needs of this team more.
12. Eliminating Carlos Beltran and Hunter Pence, which player would you most like to see the Pirates acquire for the stretch drive?
BJ Upton. He is young, aggressive and fits the mold of Hurdle's style of Baseball. He could play here for a few seasons. He has pop and speed. Might take something to get him, but he is very, very intriguing. Doubt to see him in Pittsburgh though. If they pursued Ryan Ludwick I would also be happy. He has 62 RBI's and would give this lineup another threat. Very attainable.
13. In the final 62 games, how many home runs will Pedro Alvarez hit?
He is capable of getting red hot and striking for 14 or so. Will he? No. I see 7-8, and hopefully 30 + RBI's come with those Homers. He is supposed to one of the team's best power producers, and they made it to First Place basically without him.
14. Which reliever should be used as the eighth inning setup man: Jose Veras, Chris Resop, Daniel McCutchen, Joe Beimel?
I prefer Resop. He has pitched out some key situations. His Fastball touches mid 90's, and has done an overall great job this year. This whole Bullpen has, and these other guys are also qualified.
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