Pirates Q&A

by Charlie Wilmoth on Sep 8, 2006 12:43 AM EDT in News

UPDATE: The Q&A has been changed. It now only says the 2002 draft was bad, and not that the 2001 draft was bad.

Here's this week's Q&A at the Post-Gazette.

One thing: I guess it's a matter of opinion, but I have to quibble with this:

Still, as you seem to see for yourself, the well of position players at the top two levels is extraordinarily dry...

The Pirates' explanation for this, you might have read, is that the move of several players to the majors over the past two seasons is to blame, and that it takes time to replenish. Upon closer inspection, though, the more direct reason appears to be very poor drafts for the two years preceding a good one in 2003.

I have no problem with Kovacevic's characterization of Dave Littlefield's 2003 draft as a good one (the Bucs got Paul Maholm, Tom Gorzelanny and Josh Sharpless), nor with his opinion that 2002 was a bad one (the Bucs got only Brad Eldred, Matt Capps and relief prospect Dave Davidson). But I have to wonder about two things relating to Cam Bonifay's 2001 draft:

What would the current weakness of the upper minors have to do with a draft that happened over five years ago? Any genuinely good players from that draft would almost certainly have reached the majors already. If the upper minors stinks now, that's not Bonifay's fault.
The 2001 draft wasn't even bad. Bonifay got Zach Duke, who's currently in the rotation; Chris Shelton, who has already turned in one good big-league season and one average one; and Chris Duffy, who's a regular, albeit a bad one (today's ridiculous performance notwithstanding). In addition, Littlefield was able to trade two other players from that draft, Kody Kirkland and Jeff Keppinger, to get players who ended up with the Pirates.

I admit the 2001 draft hasn't turned out quite as well for the Bucs as Bonifay's excellent 2000 draft did, but then again the 2001 draft would have been fantastic if the Bucs had signed Stephen Drew, who they picked in the 11th round. Unfortunately, Bonifay was fired shortly after the draft, so it was Littlefield who failed to sign Drew. (I'm not sure how signable Drew was, but if this article is accurate he probably wouldn't have cost the Pirates much; maybe WTM can help us out in the comments.)

There's certainly gray area here, but it seems like a stetch to place part of the blame for the absence of good players at Class AAA on a draft that happened more than five years ago (and, by extension, a GM who was fired more than five years ago).

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Comments

Yikes

Knowing we could have, and should have, signed Stephen Drew, sickens me. He zipped through the minors and would be exactly the player we need in this lineup. Imagine this in 2007 had we done so:

Duffy CF (meh)
Sanchez SS
Drew RF
Bay LF
Nady 1b
Bautista 3b
Paulino/Doumit C
Castillo 2b

Its amazing how one player makes us pretty good, pretty fast. Damn DL.

by PGHcager on Sep 8, 2006 3:03 AM EDT reply actions

My mistake, i thought he was a RF like his bro.

Even still

Duffy CF
Sanchez 3B
Drew SS
Bay LF
Nady 1b
Bautista RF
Paulino/Doumit C
Castillo 2b

by PGHcager on Sep 8, 2006 3:06 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm not Wilbur but

The Pirates never tendered a serious offer to Drew. The family advisor (Scott Boras) had and has no interest in letting any of his clients willingly go to Pittsburgh. Drew may have signed if taken earlier by a better organization who was wiling to overpay, but unlike Jason Sharber or Nate Mclouth, Drew was one mickey White reach that was not going to sign with Pittsburgh.

by Greg Schuler on Sep 8, 2006 8:06 AM EDT reply actions

Well, I am . . .

. . . and I think this is correct. Boras' practice has always been to price his clients at their highest potential value, and wait out any stumbling blocks, gambling on getting the right situation. If Drew's value was depressed at the time the Pirates drafted him--BA's capsule on him right before the draft was extemely negative--Boras would have figured on sitting tight, unless somebody came up with first round money at the least. He would have gambled on Stephen doing well in college rather than sign for less. Boras employs experienced scouts and evaluates his clients just like teams do, and he'd have known Drew was sick. I'm sure he'd have figured Drew was a first-round talent and he wouldn't have settled for less.

On the 2001 draft thing, I'm guessing DK mixed the years up or something. I'm certain from various things he's written that he's well aware of the talent White brought into the organization.

by WTM on Sep 8, 2006 9:25 AM EDT reply actions