Posted on 12/15/2008 6:29:53 AM PST by Publius804
Post 7. DVD rewinder. I like that.
Man, go back and look at the player over the last 10 years and look at the talent that the Pirates couldn’t keep.
I’m going to do it for you,,,but until I do how about
Quality pitchers
Francisco Cordova
Jason Shmidt
John Lieber all on one team
The reason the Pirates are horrible is that they can’t compete and keep their players.
More to come...
Cordova was done after the 1999 season. His best season was 1997 when he shared that 10 inning no hitter with Ricardo Rincon. We traded Rincon for Brian Giles, and Giles landed us Bay and Oliver Perez. Perez then landed us Nady, which in turn, with Demaso Marte, got us Karstens, Olendorff, Tabata, and one other from the Yankess :-) (sorry for the ramble).
Jason Schmidt was touch and go with the Bucs...he didn’t become a dominant pitcher until he was traded to San Fran. Lieber was with the Pirates until 1998 and was hyped up, but after he left he had, what, two sub 4.00 ERA with the Cubs thereafter? He had good stuff, but never became that “Tom Seaver” kind of Pitcher that Jim Leyland said of him.
How are Midre Cummings, Ron Wright (the 1st baseman we got in the Denny Neagle trade), Chad Hermansen, and Chris Benson doing? All four of those were either acquired in trades involving proven talent for prospects or high draft picks. None materialized into anything good for the Pirates.
Trust me, our problem is management. The Pirates do not have any talent to build a team from within nor do they know how to spend money wisely. Derek Bell ring a bell there? Sean Casey for $7M?
Anyway, keep in mind that the Pirates have, in almost all circumstances, had at least the #5 pick overall in the draft since 1993. We have literally had nothing to show for it. One of our best hitting prospects was converted to a pitcher for heavens sake....John VanBenschoten now owns the Major League record for highest ERA with the most innings pitched!!!!! I can’t fault him for that!
Look, I am not saying MLB is perfect....but the Pirates’ problems are all their own. They cried poor until they got their free, new ballpark (at least the Pirates had the decency to put 10% down on that “free” mortgage)....after that, they’ve done absolutely NOTHING to improve the team.
GM-wise, David Littlefield was perhaps the worst GM in all of MLB history and the Pirates extended his contract twice. Our new GM has basically hit the reset button and we’re seeing the same results.
I have some patience to wait for Andy LaRoche to mature a bit with his brother @ 1st, but overall I think this team is going to continue to flounder. We could have Yankee money and it wouldn’t fix a damn thing. The powers that be in charge of 110 Federal St. simply stink to high heaven. I love the Pirates...lets call it blind love....but the organization is stuck in a vicious cycle and it will take a miracle to pull out of it. It kills me to say that seeing I’ve been a fan of this game for as long as I can remember, but it is the truth.
BTW, whoever mentioned that the Yankees needs to follow their 1990s model of drafting talent and infusing the FA when needed is 100% correct.
“Jason Schmidt was touch and go with the Bucs...he didn’t become a dominant pitcher until he was traded to San Fran”
That’s my point. They can’t keep the players.
Here is a list of Pirates that are on the team or went FA, traded etc...
I’m not saying the Pirates are the nirvana of baseball, in fact, they suck lol. What I’m saying is that every decision they make is a payroll decision.
These are players from 98-08 that could field a competitive team:
C Jason Kendall, Ryan Doumit, Benito Santiago
1 Kevin Young, Sean Casey, Adam LaRouche, Daryl Ward, Matt Stairs
2 Tony Womack, Ty Wiggonton, Jose Castillo,
3 Aramis Ramirez, Joe Randa, Jose Bautista, Chris Stynes
SS Jack Wilson, Freddy Sanchez, Ceasar Itzuris, Luis Rivas
Of Brian Giles, Jeromy Burnitz, Xavier Nady, Matt Lawton, Nate McClouth, Wil Cordero, Reggie Sanders, Jason Bay, Kenny Lofton, Raul Mondesi, Emil Brown, Al Martin, Craig Wilson,
SP Francisco Cordova, Jason Schmidt, Kris Benson, John Lieber, Oliver Perez, Esteban Loiza, Mark Redman, Pat Maholm, Ian Snell, Bronson Aroyo, Kip Wells, Jeff D’Amico, Jess Suppan, Tom Gorzellany
RP Ricardo Rincon, Jose Mesa, Mike Williams, Damaso Marte, Mike Gonzalez, Matt Capps, Shawn Chacon, Scott Sauerbeck, Mike Fetters, Al Reyes, Julian Tavarez, Saloman Torres, John Grabow,
This team could compete with these players.
Some of the reason why certain teams can make a good player great is the coaching staff. One of the reasons why I cried when Torre, Bowa, and Mattingly were stiffed by the Yankees is because they are incredible teachers and leaders. No amount of FA purchases can replace supporting staff.
The Pirates, Reds, Rangers, and especially Royals will regain greatness when they regain leadership that reaches for greatness. A sober lesson for the GOP that has lost the spark that conservative leadership offers.
“The Pirates, Reds, Rangers, and especially Royals will regain greatness when they regain leadership that reaches for greatness.”
Sorry I have to disagree. If they should get such leadership, them may have a 2-3 yr run and maybe get to and even win a WS. Then the players will all cash in and go payday under the current system.
I know it is depressing, but it is the truth. The Salary Cap is worked unbelievably well to the financial benefit of the entire NFL. When everybody is on the real level playing field, then you can effectively see who has the quality organization and leadership.
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