Steve Pearce Sent to Indianapolis

by Charlie on Aug 22, 2008 3:54 PM EDT

Doug Mientkiewicz has been activated from the bereavement list; Steve Pearce has been sent to Indianapolis to make room for him, because having three backup infielders, or three thirty-something bench players, is that much more important than giving a young player a shot, I guess.

The Pirates have an open corner outfield spot but have apparently chosen to give it to Jason Michaels, at least for the time being. Michaels is 32 and is a fourth outfielder through and through, and anyone who can read stat lines knows this. Pearce has received only 58 at bats, and while he's looked bad at times, there's no better time than the present to find out what he can do, and 58 at bats isn't nearly enough to do so. This disappoints me.

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Odd move

He’s looked pretty bad, but still …

by woobie on Aug 22, 2008 3:58 PM EDT 0 recs

Right. It’s 58 at bats. They’re JJ’ing him.

by Charlie on Aug 22, 2008 4:05 PM EDT up 0 recs

What's Nyjer shown??

to earn a spot? So much for giving Pearce a chance. May as well let him go back and play 1st at Indy so they can trade either him or LaRoche at the end of the season…because it sure looks like he’s never going to get a fair chance in the OF. He was up for 4 weeks…and didn’t start 3 games in a row the entire time. Morgan starts tonight, he’ll already have bettered that streak.

by Thunder on Aug 22, 2008 4:12 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yep

I’d say Pearce has no future in Pittsburgh unless he travels the McLouth career path.

Steve Z

by steve_z on Aug 22, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up 0 recs

Gorzo pitching tomorrow...

Karstens and Maholm pushed back a day. Capps also to be activated tomorrow.

http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/pbc/default.aspx

by Thunder on Aug 22, 2008 4:09 PM EDT 0 recs

I like Eye Chart

but this is stupid.
At least give Pearce a shot… they’ve been playing him every other day at best.

Why would you keep Morgan over Pearce?

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 Aug 22, 2008 4:19 PM EDT 0 recs

I agree.....

this is a bit of a surprise. However, Pearce did get 353 at bats at Indy this year and put up .258/.310/.425, a huge drop off from the numbers he posted there in 120 or so at bats last year. So, before completely suggesting that he didn’t get a chance, remember he did nothing to warrant a promotion based on his performance this year at Indy. Sure we want to know what we have, and if all the at bats now go to Michaels and Dougie that is a bit of a waste, but maybe Pearce is so far removed from being successful at the plate at the moment that they felt it was doing more harm than good.

Send him down for ten days and let him get some confidence. He’ll be back in a week. It isn’t that big a deal.

by dtoddwin on Aug 22, 2008 4:21 PM EDT 0 recs

Morgan is starting in CF again tonight

McLouth still being sick may be the only reason behind this.

by WTM on Aug 22, 2008 4:23 PM EDT 0 recs

Why not

start Nate Sr. in center, Moss in left, and Pearce in right?

By the way… some of the comments over at Dejan’s blog about this move are just kinda depressing.

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 Aug 22, 2008 4:25 PM EDT up 0 recs

Yeah...they are...aren't they.

Since when did Morgan become our future in CF? I have seen some comments on other boards that indicate he should be here full time. If we needed a CF so bad…bring up Cutch. If he’s not full time by the end of 2010 season…we have a problem anyway.

by Thunder on Aug 22, 2008 4:28 PM EDT up 0 recs

I can't see Michaels playing CF for the weekend...

his hangover and all that running will kill him midway through Saturday’s game.

by ElliottBayBucco on Aug 22, 2008 5:13 PM EDT up 0 recs

God damnit what the hell!

Steve Pearce is awesome, Nyjer Morgan is terrible. I am enraged!

by camoseven on Aug 22, 2008 4:27 PM EDT 0 recs

Weird

Weird, not the end of the world, but you think a team like this would be giving young guys like Pearce a legit shot. Its not like they are doing this with a player of McCuttchen’s caliber though.

On a better note, Tabata was #3 on BA hot sheet for the week:
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2008/266736.html

Hopefully this is the start of Pirates regularly being on the hot sheet.

by Reddrummer9187 on Aug 22, 2008 4:28 PM EDT 0 recs

Morgan = Rajai Davis (v2.0)

or Tike Redman (v4.0).

by Thunder on Aug 22, 2008 4:30 PM EDT 0 recs

Huntington ...

…is starting to put his stamp on the Pirates. Since Pearce was a part of the old regime, he is not a member of the Huntington/Coonelly/Russell club.

Still, this does not explain keeping Morgan on the 25 man, either.

And what are we going to get for Mientkewicz, Michaels, Rivas and Gomez now or at the end of the season? Nothing. The first three are all from Russell’s past and Gomez is Huntington’s off-season “coup”. But none have a place on the 2009 Pirates. And what are they going to contribute in the final six weeks of the season?

This is all very inexplicable.

by thegunner on Aug 22, 2008 4:55 PM EDT 0 recs

Part of it may be

that when you sign a veteran to be your utility guy (Gomez/Minky), and he performs well in that role, you can’t just cut him loose when you feel like it. If they treat guys like that they soon won’t be able to sign any in the spring.

by DITO on Aug 23, 2008 2:49 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don't think....

it is a given that anyone of those four clearly will not be with the team next year. It is unlikely that they would all be back, but I certainly think there is a chance each one of them will be back. Michaels maybe the least likely because he has a $2.4 million option that I don’t see us picking up.

by dtoddwin on Aug 22, 2008 5:00 PM EDT 0 recs

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Shocked to see Pearce sent down. I wonder how sick McLouth must really be to keep Morgan on the 25 man roster. Looking at the 25 man roster, the Pirates still need to add Gorzo and Capps is coming back tomorrow. Two more moves have to be made to accomodate those two guys.

Pearce will be back in September but WTF?!?!?

by ElliottBayBucco on Aug 22, 2008 5:09 PM EDT 0 recs

Romulo and someone...

no?

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 Aug 22, 2008 5:10 PM EDT up 0 recs

Probably Davis

by Thunder on Aug 22, 2008 5:30 PM EDT up 0 recs

I don't know if they would keep Davis if removed from the 25 man,

chance he could be picked up by someone else.

by ElliottBayBucco on Aug 22, 2008 6:09 PM EDT up 0 recs

Relax, people. Take a deep breath...

It’s 8/22. Rosters expand on 9/1.

Don’t read into this move. Nate’s sick, Morgan’s better suited for CF in the interim than the other options. That’s all.

Pearce will be back in a little over a week and play every day.

Everyone feel better now? :-)

by JohnnyNez on Aug 22, 2008 5:31 PM EDT 0 recs

Play every day...

he hasn’t been playing everyday as of yet.
Why should be expect it to be any different in a week?
Just curious.

Oh, and the talk that Nate could be playing less as the season winds down (for rest)… I read that somewhere last week. Does that mean a whole lot more of Morgan in CF as the season draws to a close?

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 Aug 22, 2008 5:35 PM EDT up 0 recs

Here's the answer

From the PG blog:

Nate McLouth remains out of the lineup because of a virus. He had a test for mononucleosis Thursday, which was negative. He also had some bloodwork done Thursday, but the results of that aren’t known yet. It could be another three to five days before those results are back.

Sounds like Nate may be out a while.

by WTM on Aug 22, 2008 5:51 PM EDT up 0 recs

Ouch.

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 Aug 22, 2008 6:06 PM EDT up 0 recs

Maybe McLouth ends up on the DL?

by ElliottBayBucco on Aug 22, 2008 6:07 PM EDT up 0 recs

Why does everyone...

Think that Pearce is so great? If I’m not mistaken, Morgan (who I am not a fan of) has actually hit better than Pearce this year. Morgan gets on base, can run, can field. Pearce swung a big bat in the Minors last year. This year he has basically been garbage. He is not going to be part of the outfield in a couple of years. I just don’t get it. I’m pretty sure Brad Eldred has around 35 homers this year. Should we get him back and make a place for him? Pearce’s only chance to make this team and contribute for a significant portion of time would be at first base. Everyone thinks they should give him a shot to prove himself in the majors…He has had all year to prove himself in the minors and has done nothing!!! Why would he do better in the majors?

by Bucsfanatic on Aug 22, 2008 5:35 PM EDT 0 recs

morgan vs pearce

Morgan OPS .722 Pearce .735

While Morgan flashes a better glove and is tremendous in the field, he is not a good hitter historically. Just becasue Morgan had a good month at the plate doesnt mean hes better than Pearce who has shown he can get on base.

by ihs44024 on Aug 22, 2008 5:43 PM EDT up 0 recs

Morgan has a better glove than converted 1B Pearce in the OF,

but he is not “tremendous in the field” by any stretch of the imagination. There has been much discussion on BD about Morgan`s lack of fundamentals in the OF, and on the basepaths for that matter.

Nyjer Morgan is just filling in for a while. He`ll be lucky to even be in the Pirates organization for a September recall next year.(Maybe we`ll be the lucky ones if he is not.)

by patthatt on Aug 23, 2008 1:40 AM EDT up 0 recs

I like Michaels by the way.

by Bucsfanatic on Aug 22, 2008 5:35 PM EDT 0 recs

not giving up on him

I sure hope the management isnt giving up on him. He has consistently posted an above league average in OBP. Hopefully hes just having a down year. Im worried that pitchers have figured him out by now and hes not adjusting. But like many have said, barring a monster next season he wont be a part of our long term plans since were pretty deep with outfield talent.

by ihs44024 on Aug 22, 2008 5:38 PM EDT 0 recs

One day, the Pirates will set up a rule: you don’t get a chance in the majors until you have a good season in Triple A.

by Arnold Rothstein on Aug 22, 2008 8:59 PM EDT 0 recs

A lot of top players skip AAA

Look for Alvarez to be one of them, a lot of teams dont think that all the junkball/journeyman pitchers at that level help hitting prospects improve.

by Reddrummer9187 on Aug 23, 2008 12:08 AM EDT up 0 recs

Really..........

Well I’d bet you a lot of money that Alvarez spends some time in AAA. Also, provide me that list of “A lot of top players”……maybe just ten. I’m interested to see it.

by dtoddwin on Aug 23, 2008 1:22 PM EDT up 0 recs

Its more hitters than pitchers

NIck Markakis
Alex Gordon
Justin Upton
Hanley Ramirez
Mark Teixeira
Jarrod Saltalamacchia
Ryan Zimmerman
George Kenneth Griffey Jr.
Miguel Tejada
Troy Tulowitzki
Joe Mauer spent 5 games there
Chris Young made 5 starts
Matt Holliday played 6 games
Andruw Jones spent 12 games there
Hunter Pence spent 25 games there
Carlos Lee spent 25 games there
Ryan Braun spent 34 games there
Evan Longoria spent 38 games there just b/c the Rays wanted to delay his service clock

Is that enough for you? I didn’t even bother looking at pitchers (Chris Young only came up b/c I was looking for the hitter). It depends on the organization obviously, some give them a year in AAA and some don’t see it as crucial for top hitting prospects. A struggling organization will often do it for publicity and if a contending team is weak and needs a boost in that position it happens.

by Reddrummer9187 on Aug 24, 2008 12:15 AM EDT up 0 recs

I didn't even bother.....

to check your facts……but in your list if you think by naming ten or so guys over the last ten years you validated “a lot of top players skip AAA” you are delusional.

by dtoddwin on Aug 24, 2008 9:43 AM EDT up 0 recs

are you kidding me?

I know most prospects go to AAA, but i’m talking about the best of hitting prospects not most prospects (The names on that list were all top of the line prospects, not ten guys). Andy McPhail (GM of Baltimore) has stated that he doesn’t really care to send his hitters to AAA because he believes there to be too many AAAA junkball pitchers there. So Matt Weiters probably wont see significant time at AAA if he ever steps foot there. If Alvarez lights up the minors in a fashion close to Weiters he may never step foot in AAA.

by Reddrummer9187 on Aug 24, 2008 10:54 AM EDT up 0 recs

"Delusional?" = everyone with a different opinion than yours

by Pirate in Ole VA on Aug 24, 2008 1:00 PM EDT up 0 recs

Sometimes.......

Yes. But, it just isn’t true that “a lot of top players skip AAA.” Sure there might be one a year. But, out of a couple hundred players that make it to the bigs each year, that doesn’t qualify as a lot of anything, top or not.

by dtoddwin on Aug 24, 2008 2:27 PM EDT up 0 recs

I had not

planned on getting into this, but -

According to Wikipedia:

At the start of the 2007 season, there were 750 players on opening day rosters

So, dtoddwin – how many make it to the bigs each year? Is there such wholesale roster turnover? My opinion is that most teams have only 1-3 rookies on their 25-man roster. With 30 MLB teams, that would be somewhere in the 60-90 rookies range. IMO, that hardly qualifies as “couple hundred.” So, if one or two make it without playing AAA, that would seem to me to be a pretty good percentage.

I admit to only doing marginal research on this, and I’m probably talking out my arse.

When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. -- HST

by cocktailsfor2 on Aug 24, 2008 6:50 PM EDT up 0 recs