Roundup: On Pearce and Paulino
by Charlie
on May 31, 2008 11:30 PM EDT
-P- (UPDATE: Naturally, this bit was written before Paulino's explosion today. I think he's just trying to make me mad.) You know, I'm not saying Raul Chavez -- who made two starts in a row earlier this weekend -- should stick with the Pirates after Ryan Doumit returns, but is it crazy that it actually occurred to me that Chavez might be a better backup for Doumit than Ronny Paulino is? Paulino is the better hitter, but he's spent the past year and a half going out of his way to not prove it.
Doumit is a hitting-oriented catcher and he isn't a great defender. Given that Paulino isn't hitting, it'd be nice if he played good defense so that his skills would complement Doumit's. Even the platoon arrangement between the two hasn't really worked out -- Paulino pelted lefties last year, but he's posting a .672 OPS against them this year. Doumit's OPS against lefties is .963. The real problem is that Paulino hasn't shown any discernible skill this year (although I guess his defense is somewhat improved). He's not hitting, he's not hitting lefties, he's not playing great defense, he's not really throwing runners out, and his vaunted ability to handle pitchers has resulted in a 5.67 ERA. (Which, true, has been skewed by catching Matt Morris a few times, but still.) If things don't improve, it may reach the point where permanently replacing him with a Chavez-type backup catcher isn't such a terrible idea.
-P- A couple of minor league updates: Daniel Moskos now has 36 runs allowed in 50 innings. He only had one earned run yesterday against Wilmington, but he had four walks in five innings. That pick looks like more of a disaster with each passing start.
In happier news, Jamie Romak is now hitting .287/.360/.604 after going 2-for-2 with a homer and two walks yesterday. He has 32 strikeouts and 10 walks, so that still needs a bit of work, but he probably should still be sent to Altoona soon. As a guy who strikes out a lot, he may face a difficult test there.
-P- SteveZ and EmmaOMG have already mentioned this Hardball Times interview with Neal Huntington. Most of it is what you'd expect, but there is one particularly interesting quote:
ML: There is much literature circling that says minor-leaguer Steve Pearce, at 25, is ready to contribute in the major leagues now. Is it a matter of delaying his arbitration clock or could it be the front office is waiting until the team has a better chance to contend?
NH: Steve Pearce had a tremendous season in 2007 and we believe he is one of our best prospects. He began last season in A-ball and progressed to finish the season in the major leagues. While we believe he has quality upside, he is not a finished product as a complete player. He certainly put up monster numbers, but the National League does not have a designated hitter. As a result a player needs to be adequate defensively to help a club with more than just his bat. The bat has the biggest impact but the reality is for Steve to fulfill his potential we have some work to do outside of the batter’s box. Steve has worked hard to improve his defensive abilities to allow him to play adequate defense in the outfield.
I was one of the people generating this "literature" about Pearce, and the idea that Pearce's defense might be the issue never occurred to me. The reports on his first base defense in the minors have always been good, and after he was called up last year, he looked downright competent in right field even though he didn't have a lot of experience there. He's a good athlete, he didn't make mistakes, and he played intelligently. He looked better to me than Xavier Nady did, in fact. In that light, the "designated hitter" comment seems bizarrely, pointlessly harsh.
What's especially weird here is that Huntington had every opportunity to just say that he'd wanted Pearce to work out a couple things with his hitting. If he'd said that, the numbers would have made him look prophetic -- Pearce is hitting just .254/.306/.396 so far in Indianapolis. Oh well -- kudos to Huntington for being honest, I guess.
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Charlie
and the idea that Pearce’s defense might be the issue never occurred to me.
How many times have regular posters on this site, myself included, pointed out from last year that Pearce would benefit from working on his OF defense at Indy?
after he was called up last year, he looked downright competent in right field even though he didn’t have a lot of experience there. He’s a good athlete, he didn’t make mistakes, and he played intelligently. He looked better to me than Xavier Nady did, in fact.
Until they prove otherwise, like the previous administration did repeatedly with wrong player assessments, I think we should side with Huntington and his people and that they know more about player development than anyone on this site does.
As a matter of fact, if we really believe they are FINALLY building for the long-term success of this franchise, we should further be happy that the new people are focusing on helping each and every player reach his potential, something that was also absent under the DL administration.
Just plopping a a career first baseman in an MLB OF spot with almost no preparation is a half-ass way to prepare him for his career, and most certainly would hurt the pitchers` performances, too.
Do you honestly think if Pearce had been playing RF from Opening Day that his OF defense would be at least on a par with Xavier Nady`s? Really?
I have great admiration for your writing, but you`re being disingenous with regard to this issue.
by patthatt on Jun 1, 2008 3:47 AM EDT 0 recs
"Disingenous" might be too strong a word
but this really is a more or less settled issue now, isn’t it? Nady is having a fine season. Obviously, he’s going to tail off, because he’s been pretty hot. But he’s still doing a great job. At this point, we’re a little like the guy watching someone shoot 50 straight made foul shots saying “you’re gonna miss” after every one. That guy will inevitably be right.
Pearce needs to make some improvements/adjustments if he’s going to (a) hit MLB pitching and (b) play MLB right field. (Personally, I’m not sure they shouldn’t just be letting him play 1B. I don’t think LaRoche should be blocking anyone.)
Nady’s 29. He isn’t dead. Yes, he’s probably more valuable, long-term, for what he can bring in trade. But that’s a separate issue, to me, than whether he’s unfairly blocking an all-star down on the farm. He’s not. He’s having a good season; Pearce is not. Nady should be playing RF for the Pirates right now, not Pearce. Not non-tendering Nady wasn’t a mistake; not giving Pearce the RF job was not a mistake. Based on the evidence so far, letting Pearce grow in AAA appears to have been the right choice.
by KPatrick on
Jun 1, 2008 11:37 AM EDT
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Disingenuous? How? I hadn’t remembered your writing all that stuff about Pearce’s defense, but it all came back to me when I went back and looked at some of those threads.
Just because you think Pearce needed more time to play defense doesn’t mean it was unreasonable to not think Huntington and co. would agree with you. Playing defense in RF is not hard, and it is common for clubs to put a guy out there who hasn’t had much experience with the position in the minors or in the majors. Just in the last few years the Bucs have done that with Craig Wilson, Ryan Doumit and Brad Eldred.
In light of what I saw when Pearce came up, the “designated hitter” quote was not fair. We’ve all seen some butchers in RF, and Pearce was not one of those. He got good reads and made plays on the balls he should’ve. And last year, Nady was lumbering around quite a bit, probably because of his injury.
by Charlie on
Jun 1, 2008 5:30 PM EDT
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I was very skeptical that a guy like you,
someone who is seemingly on top of everything with the Bucs, would say that ” the idea that Pearce’s defense might be the issue never occurred to me.”
Yes, some teams, including the Pirates, put guys in a corner OF spot with little preparation to get a bat in the lineup. But is this a good baseball sense? I`ve never thought so, and I also think it backfires on you more often than not, especially when you have pitchers who have so many balls put in play like the Pirates do. If the Pirates are truly interested in Pearce having a career as an OF, and not just a few games here and there, then they should prepare him accordingly. What the dip**its did in the recent past with Doumit and Eldred doesn`t make any difference to me.
I think you are reading the “designated hitter” comment wrongly. I believe Huntington is saying that they are thinking Pearce needs considerable work on his OF defense if he`s going to be an everyday player, regardless of what he does at the plate. You can say that “playing defense in RF is not hard” if you want, but I don`t agree with you. Pearce seems to have the physical skills to play the position as you say, but I think he will benefit long-term from getting the reps in the minors, instead of being thrown unprepared into the position at the MLB level.
I guess we`ll have to agree to disagree. I`ll shut up now and let you have the last word if you like.
by patthatt on
Jun 2, 2008 12:23 AM EDT
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No need to give me the last word. But maybe you could tell me what, exactly, about Pearce’s RF defense is a problem?
I don’t recall him messing up a single play last year. (Not saying he didn’t mess up any, just that I don’t remember any.) I would go so far as to say he looked like an above-average corner outfielder to me. Many MLB teams put guys who just can’t play defense (or can’t play anymore) in right field, like Ken Griffey and Brian Giles. No doubt they’d be better if those players were better at defense, but for many teams, RF is where you put a guy who can’t really field very well but maybe has an OK arm. There are several RFs who probably deserve that “DH” tag, but from what I saw, Pearce isn’t even close to being one of them. Just having decent range, getting decent jumps, not throwing terribly, and not messing things up all the time is good enough to make a decent RF, and Pearce passes that test.
by Charlie on
Jun 2, 2008 12:46 AM EDT
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I can`t recall any real weaknesses
from the little I saw of Pearce last season, and I know that most here think he has the physical skills to be at least an adequate OF. That being said, I also feel that the new administration believed he would benefit from more experience at Indy, instead of on-the-job training in Pittsburgh.
I`m simply a strong believer in trying to get guys as prepared as possible to play sound, fundamental baseball. And in the interim, Nady`s trade value has gone up, one would think, and Pearce will get his chance in a couple of months.
Come to think of it, though, maybe all of this talk about Pearce playing RF is becoming a moot point, with the way LaRoche is going.
by patthatt on
Jun 2, 2008 8:37 AM EDT
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BTW, most of the innings the Pirates get from balls-in-play pitchers are from left-handed groundball guys. For guys like that, RF is actually the best place to put a bad defensive player.
by Charlie on
Jun 2, 2008 12:48 AM EDT
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Everybody seems to be ignoring the 800-pound elephant in the room...
and so I’ll mention it. After two miserable starts we must begin to ask ourselves if LaRoche is really the answer to our long-term solution at firstbase. He is off again to a miserable year and has only one more year before his contract expires and we are forced to deal with Scott Boras. Maybe we should consider trading LaRoche before we lose him and get whatever the market is willing to pay and allow Pearce to play at firstbase, his natural position. This might make more sense than attempting to make another big bat learn a different position (Walker). The Cardinals finally sent Duncan down for some badly-needed instruction as to how to play the outfiled because he’ll never displace Albert at firstbase. Perhaps, he could learn from this experiment.
by Illinois Pirate Fan on Jun 1, 2008 11:49 AM EDT 0 recs
Point of order
Duncan didn’t go down for OF instruction, he went down to find his power stroke. He’s a born butcher, and no amount of instruction can keep him from doing a monkey-on-rollerskates act on a simple fly ball.
by azibuck on
Jun 1, 2008 2:48 PM EDT
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Wilson is out again today… Maybe Rivas can stay hot!
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:18 PM EDT 0 recs
Maybe.
But his first at bat ends with a K.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:19 PM EDT
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Double plays.
Da** it.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:20 PM EDT 0 recs
Oh I forgot
Mental Case is pitching today. Great.
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:23 PM EDT 0 recs
Wonder how he pitches to Pujols.
Pujols is 12/22 with 4 HRs against Snell.
And Molina is 7/17
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:25 PM EDT
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I wonder if Chavez is catching
also because of the trouble Snell and Paulino had working together last game
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:24 PM EDT 0 recs
Or simply because
Paulino sucks.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:25 PM EDT
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Got Pujols!
1-2-3 go the Cards.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:27 PM EDT 0 recs
Yeah,
did a nice job with him except for one of the foul balls, which was just hanging up there. We’re lucky Pujols hooked it.
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on
Jun 1, 2008 2:28 PM EDT
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Looper
isn’t pitching all that well so far. Maybe we can take advantage of it here…
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:31 PM EDT 0 recs
That's what it seemed like on Gameday
it showed him out, but the ball was over the wall.
Sad.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:36 PM EDT
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Bautista!
Runs in.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:37 PM EDT 0 recs
Ball took a lucky bounce, but we'll take it!
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:38 PM EDT 0 recs
Good call holding Minky up
They would have thrown him out in a hilariously embarrassing fashion.
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:39 PM EDT 0 recs
Instead,
he gets stranded
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:40 PM EDT
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Buckle up
Snell is starting to suck
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:47 PM EDT 0 recs
SNELL YOU ARE AWFUL.
At least they haven’t scored (yet).
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:51 PM EDT 0 recs
Spoke too soon.
Run in. same scenario as above, for Looper.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:52 PM EDT
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Oh crap.
Bases juiced, no outs.
Adam Kennedy up.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:51 PM EDT 0 recs
A pitching machine would be a better option at this point.
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 2:53 PM EDT 0 recs
Another run.
2-1 Cards.
Same scenario as above (again)... this time for Izturis
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:54 PM EDT 0 recs
I miss...
Phil Dumatrait?
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:54 PM EDT 0 recs
We got an out!
Giving up another run though.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:55 PM EDT 0 recs
Looks on the brightside
If the Bucs somehow come back to win then they’re will be FREE tickets on Wednesday
by Bad Andy on Jun 1, 2008 2:56 PM EDT 0 recs
I live in the Valley of Salt.
The price of tickets has no effect on me.
Sadly.
I’d love to go to a game for free.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 2:58 PM EDT
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FUK Snell
Bring in Bullington…...guess that’s why they didn’t pitch him last night
by Bad Andy on
Jun 1, 2008 2:57 PM EDT
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Snell
trying to pull a Gorzo here in the 2nd.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:56 PM EDT 0 recs
I'm out for now. Yardwork for a bit.
Sadly, I’m too stupid to stay away, so I’ll be back.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 2:57 PM EDT 0 recs
He didn't need 70 pitches
before he blew up….....this dude’s got serious issues
by Bad Andy on Jun 1, 2008 3:01 PM EDT 0 recs
If i did my job
as shitty as Snell and Gorzo did, I’d be living in a box on the street somewhere. That’s what grates on me the most.
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on Jun 1, 2008 3:03 PM EDT 0 recs
shitr.
this is where I come in?
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:03 PM EDT 0 recs
Why
should today be different?
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on
Jun 1, 2008 3:05 PM EDT
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Ah, well...
Now’s as good a time to start drinking as any.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:06 PM EDT 0 recs
So it seems to me like all Snell throws are fastballs. He occasionally mixes in the slider, which misses by a mile 50% of the time. Is this accurate analysis?
by houksyndrome on Jun 1, 2008 3:08 PM EDT 0 recs
Can't tell
from Gamecast, of course, but I would think there’d be a changeup in the somewhere, too.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on
Jun 1, 2008 3:09 PM EDT
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Doesn't look like it, honestly...
.500 or bust...
by phillybucco on
Jun 1, 2008 3:11 PM EDT
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Barenaked Ladies fans:
I have modified the second line in the song “Alcohol.”
It is now “Alcohol, my Pirates-time necessity.”
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:14 PM EDT 0 recs
I was thinking of putting on
some Killing Joke or Leonard Cohen.
You know, something less depressing than this.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on
Jun 1, 2008 3:17 PM EDT
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Snell
63 pitch through 3
At least his ERA is back under 6.
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:20 PM EDT 0 recs
Question:
Who’s gonna “skip a start” first?
Snell or Gorzo?
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:21 PM EDT 0 recs
Rivas
yanked?
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:40 PM EDT 0 recs
Checking in..
I see Sybil Snell decided bad Ian would show up today. Ugh.
by Hitman Easler on Jun 1, 2008 3:41 PM EDT 0 recs
Stopping by for a sec before I jump out again.
Freddy!
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on Jun 1, 2008 3:47 PM EDT 0 recs
Not the desired outcome, but
a run is a run.
3 runs would’ve been nicer though.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 3:47 PM EDT
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0 recs
FVCKING GAMECAST
who is playing? Jack or RBI-vas?
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST
by cocktailsfor2 on Jun 1, 2008 3:48 PM EDT 0 recs
Gameday
says Rivas is on 2nd.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".
by UtesFan89 on
Jun 1, 2008 3:49 PM EDT
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0 recs
Out again.
Go Buccos.
The Utah Jazz. The Jazz... duh.
The best NBA team in Utah... no doubts about it!
Playing For Pride. Pirates, Utes, Panthers, and more...
Because, in the end, only one team can "win it all".