Pittsburgh Pirates: Report Card for the Bucs Offense in 2011
By Matt Shetler
Well it was a fun four months if anything.
What the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates put fans through until mid-July was tremendous if anything and hopefully a sign of things to come in the future. Unfortunately for them, the season is 162 games and not 81. During a 162 games season, everything averages out. You can get hot for half of season, but in the end, there is no fooling the baseball gods.
You are what you are at the end of the day.
In the case of the Pirates, that means they weren’t a very good ball club.
After a promising start, the Pirates finished at 72-90. While it amounted to their 19th consecutive losing season, the Bucs improved by 15 wins in Clint Hurdle’s first year on the bench. When I was asked before the season what I would be happy with from this team, a 15-game improvement was the bench mark. I said i would be thrilled with that and I still am. Although the way they got to that 15-game improvement was very disappointing.
Considering that a majority of the team that finished the season wasn’t on the opening day roster, the future could be somewhat optimistic.
Yet, in the same way that a team shows its true colors throughout 162 games, so do individual performances.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the report card for the 2011 Pirates offense.
Catchers
– Chris Snyder: .271 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI: It would have been nice to see what Snyder could have done as the Bucs fulltime backstop, but a back injury limited him to only 34 games. He became one of a whopping eight catchers used on the season. His option is very unlikely to be picked up by the club in 2012. Grade: Incomplete
– Ryan Doumit: .303, 8, 30: No one is a bigger critic of Doumit than myself, but I will give the guy some credit. He didn’t have a bad year with the bat in only 77 games played, but just like any other year, it saw him spend a ton of time on the disabled list. It not only hurt his trade value, but the Bucs needed a productive bat in the middle of the lineup at the time he was out. On the downside, he showed little improvement defensively and as usual seemed to get lazier as the season went on. He’s likely played his last game in a Pirates uniform. Grade: C-
– Michael McKenry: .222, 2, 11: McKenry gave Pirates fans perhaps the moment of the season when he connected off the Cubs Carlos Marmol in front of a packed house at PNC park in late June. Unfortunately for The Fort, that was about all he would produce all season. He’s the kind of guy that fans like, but this isn’t a popularity contest, the goal is winning. McKenry is severely overmatched at the plate and even more disturbing is that his once solid work behind the plate deteriorated as the season went on.
He will play in the Arizona Fall League this year and the hope is that he can make major strides. Hurdle is a fan of his and it’s a good bet he will be on the opening day roster, but if he’s the everyday catcher, the Bucs could have problems. Grade: D
First Base
-Lyle Overbay/ Steve Pearce: Combined they gave the team little to nothing. Grade: F
-Derrick Lee: .337, 7, 18: It’s a shame Lee went on the DL just days after being acquired from the Orioles. It would have been nice to see what type of impact he could have made in games that mattered. Though when he was healthy he was outstanding for the Bucs, putting up very solid numbers in only 28 games. His OPS of .982 shows he could have been the middle of the order run producer the Pirates desperately needed.
His future is uncertain, but they should make an aggressive attempt to bring Lee back for 2012. He showed that his bat still has some life and he could be the veteran leader to show this young team how the game is played at the major league level. Grade B+
–Garrett Jones: .244, 16, 58: Jones is such an enigma and he’s something the Pirates have to figure out in order to be competitive in 2012. The Jones of August is someone you want hitting in the middle of the lineup every single day. Yet the Jones of April-June is someone they simply can’t afford to run out there everyday. While he carried the offense in August, you can’t ignore the fact that he killed them early on.
The book is out on him around the league and his long swing is exposed most of the time. You won’t see production from him like when he was called up in 2009 anymore unless he can show the ability to adjust mid at bat. He’s a very popular player among Pirates fans, but eventually tough decisions will have to be made. In today’s game, you have to get run production from certain positions. A corner guy that approaches 500 at bats can’t throw up mediocre numbers like his.
Jones is arbitration eligible for the first time and is certain to be tendered, which is a good thing. But his role on the team is becoming clearer. He should be a guy that gets a start or two in the outfield and maybe one or two at first base per week. An upgrade at first base is needed, but Jones can prove to become a valuable bench guy. A guy Hurdle can ride when he gets hot. However, he’s done nothing in two years to warrant becoming the everyday first baseman and committing to him in that way would be a huge mistake.
Fans weren’t happy with Adam LaRoche or Lyle Overbay at first base and they shouldn’t have been, but they have been more productive over the past three seasons. Grade: C
Second Base
-Neil Walker: .273, 12, 83: If there was a guy I may have been wrong on coming into the season, it’s definitely Walker. What he’s done at second base has been nothing short of amazing. His glove has been tremendous and his bat has advanced much better than I projected at this level. No one on the team gives major league quality at bats the way Walker does, especially in clutch moments.
If he could have avoided a couple of prolonged slumps, the numbers would have been even better. Now the goal is to get more consistent and avoid the slumps. If the team could somehow get a couple of productive bats in the lineup it would benefit Walker, who could slide down some in the lineup, where he likely belongs. Grade: B
Third Base
-Pedro Alvarez: .191, 4, 19: Alvarez was clearly the disappointment of the season, but its way too early to give up on him. You have to realize how very little time he’s spent in pro ball and also have to realize he was promoted way too soon. Coming off of the September he had in 2010, the expectations were maybe a little too high. He did show some good things, but a quad injury somehow sidelined him for nearly two months. That could be part of the reason why the Pirates training staff was let go following the season.
Yet looking back at 2010, he showed the promise of a productive middle of the order hitter. Now is no time to have your finger on the panic button with Pedro. If we are still having this conversation next year at this time then go ahead and push that button, but the Bucs need him to bounce back. If he does, the lineup becomes a whole lot better. having said that though, his 2011 season was nothing short of a disaster. Grade: F
-Josh Harrison: .272, 1, 16: Harrison gets the ultimate compliment from me and it’s that he’s a baseball player. He doesn’t do any one thing exceptionally well, but has a knack of making things happen when he’s in the lineup. The Pirates record wasn’t bad when Hurdle pencilled him in as a starter. His lack of power will prevent him from ever becoming an everyday player, but he should find his way onto the 2012 team as a utility guy. Grade: C+
– Brandon Wood: .220, 7, 31: I’m higher on Wood than most. He did some good things and can field almost every position on the field very well. He won’t hit for average, but has some pop and proved to be a valuable bench guy. It would be nice to see him on next year’s team, but he’s out of options so we will have to wait and see. Grade: C
Shortstop
– Ronny Cedeno: .249, 2, 32: Cedeno had an outstanding start to the season with the glove, but just doesn’t seem to get it at the plate. after seven big league season’s, it’s likely he never will. He lacks discipline and at time effort, which landed him in Hurdle’s dog house. He’s another guy they must find an upgrade for. Cedeno would be an excellent bench guy, but has proven he’s not an everyday shortstop. Grade: C-
– Chase d’Arnaud: .217, 0, 6: d’Arnaud probably got the call too soon, but was forced to come up due to the wealth of injuries. He did some good things, mostly with his legs, and showed the ability to become an exciting major leaguer. Yet the glove and bat need some more work before we can throw the words everyday shortstop in front of his name. Grade: D+
Outfielders
– Matt Diaz: .29, 0, 19: Quite simply he had his worst season of an otherwise productive career. It was a blessing Atlanta took him off the Pirates hands, since he is signed through 2012: Grade: F
– Xavier Paul: .254, 2, 20: Paul did some good things with the bat in his spot starts, but as a bench guy his main job was to produce as a pinch hitter; something Paul was dreadful at. However, he is a solid defensive outfielder and showed the ability to swipe some bases. Grade: C-
– Ryan Ludwick: .232, 2, 11: I wanted to see what Ludwick could do, but similar to Lee he landed on the DL shortly after arriving in Pittsburgh. After that he never really got in a groove. Grade: Incomplete
– Alex Presley: .298, 4, 20: This guy is a ball player. Presley showed the ability to be a true leadoff guy and is simply just a hitter. After dominating the minor league level for the past two season’s, Presley got the long-awaited call and one thing is for sure, his minor league playing days are officially over.
Presley showed the ability to be the catalyst at the top of the lineup the Bucs desperately need. He’s a true leadoff hitter and will be pencilled in there on Opening Day next season. It will be interesting to see what he’s capable of with a full season of at bats under his belt. Grade: B+
– Jose Tabata: .266, 4, 21: Tabata got of to a fantastic start to 2011 before struggling in May. He started to get in a grove again, when just like almost every other Bucco, he landed on the DL for the first of two times. His approach at the plate is outstanding and he was on a great pace swiping bags before the injury. Tabata showed improvement defensively as well which is a positive. Yet, we need to see some more consistency out of him in 2012. Grade: C+
– Andrew McCutchen: .259, 23, 89: Cutch surprisingly provided the power this club was lacking, but that’s not necessarily a good thing. had you said before the season that your potential leadoff hitter would spend most of the year hitting cleanup, well then you have problems. Regardless, McCutchen had a very productive season and was rewarded with the first of many all-star selections.
One concern to keep an eye on though is him getting way too pull happy for long stretches. That played a major factor in him losing nearly 30 points off his batting average after the all-star-break. He’s a better player with maybe a few less homers and more double and triples. He also stole 23 bases, but I’d still like to see him run much more.
The Pirates have, and rightfully so, have become his team. With that comes a bit of pressure and it was evident he was pressing at times. It’s hard to blame him though since at times he was the only one hitting. The sky is the limit for Cutch and 2011 was a productive season, but you can’t help but wanting more. Grade: B.
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