Pitt Football: Paul Chryst Tabs Tino Sunseri Starting Quarterback
To the surprise of absolutely no one, new Pitt head coach Paul Chryst is sticking with veteran Tino Sunseri as the team’s starting quarterback going into fall practice.
Chryst said Tuesday during the ACC spring meetings, “He was the best quarterback we had out of spring. That’s why he’s the starter.”
After a brutal 2011 season in which he never really grasped the “low-octane” offense of former head coach Todd Graham, Sunseri gets a fresh start in 2012 under his third offense in as many years.
Sunseri threw for 2,616 yards and only 10 touchdowns in 2011, and also threw 11 interceptions while getting sacked an NCAA-leading 61 times. Despite the lack of production, there really wasn’t much competition for the job this spring, as Sunseri’s only competition was Mark Myers and Trey Anderson.
The move by Chryst is the right one.
A first-year head coach needs a veteran signal-caller, and while Sunseri will never be confused with a Heisman Trophy contender, he did show some ability in 2010 by throwing 16 touchdowns to only nine interceptions under former coach Dave Wannstedt.
Sunseri was not a good fit for Graham’s spread attack, but his primary problem through two years as a starter has been overall inconsistent play.
He can make a couple of good throws on one drive, then leave you scratching your head the next.
Pitt fans may not be happy seeing Sunseri under center for a third-straight season, but given the current roster he’s the only real option Chryst has.
That could change when heralded freshman Chad Voytik arrives for fall practice, and it will be interesting to see how much Voytik is worked in initially as Chryst has yet to name a backup.
The chance of Voytik being named the starter for the opener is slim, but if the freshman has a good camp it wouldn’t surprise me to see him worked in early.
As for now though, it’s another year of Sunseri under center for the Panthers. Hopefully for their sake he can bounce back and be a somewhat productive quarterback.
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Pittsburgh Pirates: Should Brad Lincoln Have a Bigger Role?
The Pittsburgh Pirates starting rotation, and pitching staff as a whole, has done a tremendous job throughout the early part on the season so far, entering play on Monday with the second best ERA in the majors at 3.15.
A guy that’s been a big part of that and often goes unnoticed is former first-round draft pick Brad Lincoln.
Lincoln seems to have found his nitch in the bullpen, entering the Monday with a 0.63 ERA in 14.1 innings out of the Pirates’ pen.
But the former No. 4 overall pick in the nation showed his ability as a starter as well in Monday’s 3-2 victory over the Miami Marlins, improving his record to 3-0 on the season.
The win gave the Bucs a season high three-game win streak and pulled them within a game of .500 at 17-18.
But what should manager Clint Hurdle do with Lincoln long-term?
If he remains in the bullpen I would like to see Lincoln be given a bigger role and used in more important situations, but personally I’d like to see him used as a starter.
Sure he can fill the old role of Jeff Karstens and could pitch out of the pen and serve as a sixth starter when needed, but I feel Lincoln’s true value is in the rotation.
I’ve always been a fan of Lincoln’s and after some arm problems early in his career, he got the long-awaited call in 2010. But after some struggles initially, I don’t feel that Lincoln ever really got a fair look after that.
Eventually some tough decisions are going to need to be made when the young Pirates pitching prospects throughout the organization are deemed ready. That decision process can begin now by giving Lincoln a long look in the rotation.
He’s a much different pitcher now than what Pirates fans saw in 2010. Lincoln has much better command of the strike zone (54 of 80 pitches for strikes on the night), especially with his fastball and just throws all of his pitches with more confidence.
I’d much rather Hurdle give Lincoln the ball every fifth day than a guy like Kevin Correia.
Nothing against Correia, but there’s much more upside with a guy such as Lincoln at the moment. I would even favor Lincoln in the rotation over Karstens.
Through 162 games of the season, things tend to average out and I think you saw that last season with both Correia and Karstens. Given the choice I’d much rather have the live arm and potential of Lincoln in the rotation.
If he keeps pitching well, Hurdle is going to have to address the matter sooner, rather than later.
Hopefully he makes the right choice.
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Pittsburgh Pirates: Should the Bucs be Worried about Joel Hanrahan?
When the Pittsburgh Pirates shipped Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett to the Washington Nationals for Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan in June of 2009, you couldn’t have found a happier Pirates fan than me.
Morgan and Burnett were no parts of the Pirates future and while I liked taking a chance on the upside of Milledge, I absolutely loved acquiring Hanrahan.
During that spring, the unproven Hanrahan caught my eye as Davey Johnson turned to him late in games for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic. At the time he seemed just like the type of power arm with a future the Bucs needed.
Looking back at the deal, it’s a win for general manager Neal Huntington as he would likely deal Morgan and Burnett for just Hanrahan ten times out of ten in the future.
Hanrahan had a successful 2010 season, he struck out 100 batters in 69 2/3 innings and became the Pirates’ closer at the end of the season; but came of age in 2011 when he garnered a career high 40 saves, and finished the year with a 1.83 ERA.
He’s jumped right back into success in 2012 as Hanrahan has converted six of seven save opportunities, with the National League hitting a meager .156 off of him.
But despite the success, is it time to worry about “The Hammer?”
I’ve always been a big supporter of the Hammer. I like the way he attacks hitters and it’s hard to argue with the results, but something is different with him this season; especially when it comes to his control and that alone is something to keep an eye on.
Hanrahan throws two pitches exclusively: a four-seemed fastball (96-99 mph) and a slider in the upper 80s. His fastball is his primary pitch, and the one he throws most often in every count.
That’s fine as long as the results are there, but way too often he can’t get the fastball over the plate. When he does, opposing hitters can’t catch up to it consistently.
But he must start painting the strike zone with it more consistently.
Also that once nasty slider hasn’t looked so nasty this season.
It’s another pitch he hasn’t been able to find the strike zone with consistently and throws it less and less per game. When he’s going good Hanrahan’s slider is a weapon. Right now it’s not.
It’s definitely something worth keeping an eye on in the upcoming weeks.
Should the Hammer still be the Bucs closer? Absolutely.
You can’t argue with the results even though he’s making things more and scarier by the appearance. The bottom line is that Hanrahan’s getting the job done.
However, the control needs to get better or down the road Pirates manager Clint Hurdle could be forced to make some tough decisions.
Pitchers change and right now, Hanrahan is trending in the wrong direction. Hopefully when he returns to the team next week the break will have done him some good as for the Pirates to compete, they will need the Hammer at his absolute best.
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