Steven Pearce: Maybe Someone Will Trade For Me

by Charlie on Jul 11, 2008 3:21 PM EDT Comment 12 comments

Even though the Pirates are stacked in the outfield, Pearce said he has plenty of opportunities to get to the big leagues.

Other major league teams send scouts to every game, and Pearce said a good game could encourage teams to trade for him.

"There's 29 other teams in the league, so there's always somebody watching," said Pearce, MLB.com's 2007 Minor League Player of the Year.

"You're not just playing for the Pirates. You're playing for everybody."

This seems like a strange thing to say, since I'm not aware of any rumors that Pearce is going anywhere. The timing of it is also strange, since the next few weeks could see trades of major-league Pirates that would open a spot for Pearce in Pittsburgh. Pearce almost sounds resigned to the possibility that those trades won't happen.

In the meantime, Pearce is finally back to putting up the sorts of numbers that suggest he deserves to be promoted. Here are his monthly OPSes:

April: .684
May .761
June .844
July .929

(That July OPS is only for a handful of games.)

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Geez

That’s what I like to hear from the only decent hitting prospect in the organization!

http://whereisvanslyke.blogspot.com
http://sports.aol.com/fanhouse/mlb

by whygavs on Jul 11, 2008 3:40 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Dynasty

Sounds like management will keep this great dynasty of a team together, by signing long term contracts with Wilson, Bay, and Nady. Why break up such a successful string of losing seasons…..

by long4willie on Jul 11, 2008 3:46 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pearce

Don’t know that he’s the only decent hitting prospect in the organization(McCutcheon,Romak,Ford,etc.),but I can see Pearce’s point. He’s probably just been a bit frustrated. You have to like his desire to get to the bigs….

by rissaldar on Jul 11, 2008 4:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Ford's not much of a prospect.

Probably a backup on a good team. Not much there past the BA, and while he’s got good hands, his range is lacking.

Romak is a prospect, but with his K rate he’s a concern until he shows he can do it in the upper minors.

Cutch is a good hitter for a CF, but a fair bit of his value comes from his glove and legs. He’s maybe more of a Marquis Grissom than a true impact bat.

Pearce is, by far, our best shot at a middle-of-the-lineup run producer.

by Vlad on Jul 11, 2008 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Are Braves to be buyers or sellers?

From an Atlanta Braves blog:
By David O’Brien | Friday, July 11, 2008, 02:21 PM

“Yes, Xavier Nady has been on the radar for weeks, if not months. The Pirates outfielder has hit .320 with 24 doubles, 12 homers and 55 RBI, and his splits are as good or better against lefties (.318/.432/.530) than against righties (.320/.360./533).
Braves badly need an outfield bat to give them some more pop, particularly against lefties. And he’s one who could be had without mortgaging the farm to get him. Unlike, say, Jason Bay, who’s not only going to cost more in return because of his power numbers and affordable contract for 2009, but who also has only a .222 average and two homers and a .403 slugging percentage in 72 at-bats against lefties (he’s .310 with 15 homers and .561 slugging vs. righties).
If the Braves aim a little lower, they might make a run at someone like Cincy’s Ryan Freel, who could platoon against lefties.”

by long4willie on Jul 11, 2008 4:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Clueless

“All three are younger than 30, which means the logjam could continue for years.”
Does the Indy Star make a point of not reading Pirates coverage?
He must be the only person on the planet who thinks this outfield could continue for years!

by TPenaRules on Jul 11, 2008 4:36 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, as if the Pirates get to keep all these guys indefinitely.

by Charlie on Jul 11, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

It sounds like Pearce just got cornered by a reporter, and blurted out the truth.

An unappreciated part of the Pirates pitching saga is Indy’s daily quest to find a starting pitcher. Is it Richert tonight?

by Arnold Rothstein on Jul 11, 2008 5:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Yep

Reichert tonight, Gorzo (and most of Indy’s bullpen) tomorrow, and Barthmaier Sunday. Then the Pirates hunt for more cannon fodder for Indy’s staff.

by Thunder on Jul 11, 2008 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pearce is a really competitive guy.

Last year, he was saying in April that he’d be up in the majors by the end of the year – and then he did it! I think that he’s just frustrated that he didn’t make the roster despite a pretty killer spring training, and now he’s decided that the only reason he didn’t is that the Pirates don’t have him in their plans. Which is probably crazy, but that might not be easy for him to see from the inside.

by Vlad on Jul 11, 2008 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs