Pirates Designate T.J. Beam for Assignment

by Charlie Wilmoth on Jan 30, 2009 9:39 PM EST

To make room on the roster for Eric Hinske, the Bucs have designated T.J. Beam for assignment. When Beam arrived after the 2007 season, I thought he might end up being a good reliever--he'd always posted very good numbers in the minors, but didn't get a lot of opportunities in the majors because the Yankees don't have much patience for youngsters who don't dominate right away. Beam was again pretty good in the minors in 2008, but he struggled in the majors. Well, maybe "struggled" isn't the right word--his pitching actually didn't lead directly to a bunch of runs on the board, as he posted a 4.14 ERA and a 4.18 Fair RA--but he had 24 strikeouts and 20 walks, which indicated that he wasn't really very effective. I'm not sure whether Beam will get through waivers or not.

By the way, I have no idea why the Bucs picked Beam instead of, say, Dave Davidson, or Romulo Sanchez, or Luis Cruz. It's not a big deal, but it's strange.

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Defintely strange...

Personally, I would vote Cruz or Sanchez off the island before Beam.

by Deaner on Jan 30, 2009 11:08 PM EST reply actions

I agree those 2 would have been better picks, but I also agree it doesn’t matter unless it’s a manifestation of some bigger judgment issues.

by Scranton on Jan 30, 2009 11:33 PM EST reply actions

I can only assume they didn’t drop David Davidson and Romulo Sanchez due to their enjoyable names.

by wickethewok on Jan 30, 2009 11:43 PM EST reply actions

That’s Romulo! Get it right.

by WTM on Jan 31, 2009 12:02 AM EST up reply actions

clearly it’s due to the romulo bobblehead write-in campaign

by johnnycuff on Jan 31, 2009 1:15 AM EST up reply actions

argh

excuse me, romulo!

by johnnycuff on Jan 31, 2009 1:15 AM EST up reply actions

Charlie --- It's A Bigger Deal Than You Think!...

because it still all comes down to talent evaluation and roster building.

I hope that Beam clears waivers and accepts an Indy assignment and an invite to major league spring training.

He is far more valuable to the Pirates than either Cruz or Romulo.

by thegunner on Jan 31, 2009 12:27 AM EST reply actions

Cruz will make the team

I’m not trying to stick to my call since the beginning of the offseason that Cruz would be the starting SS in 2009, but I still think the org likes him a lot, and he fits the UTMI bill. I wondered when Dejan mentioned him as likely to be the cut, as I thought DK might have more than just an inkling, but apparently that’s not the case. Beam is older, and probably more likely to make it through than Davidson or Sanchez, but whatever. I think it’s doubtful Cruz was even in the discussion of who to cut.

by azibuck on Jan 31, 2009 10:46 AM EST reply actions

R omulo's Stats

in the minors are comparable to T.J. Beam and he is four years younger. Sure, he does not have a full year service time like T.J., but I don’t see where the hate for this guy is coming from.

by SkeedTom on Jan 31, 2009 10:46 AM EST reply actions

Agreed....

I still think Romulo! is a prospect. It can be debated whether he’s an interesting one or not but as you point out above it’s pretty ovious Beam should have been cut 1st. And why everyone is so surprised, except azibuck, that Cruz was not cut escapes. NH made it pretty clear at the end of last season that Cruz has a place on this team. They really like him in the utility role. We’ll have to wait and see whether or not Cruz proves NH right or ends being another Rivas.

by Slick1 on Jan 31, 2009 11:28 AM EST up reply actions

Inferior, not comparable.

Big difference in the two players’ K rates, and Romulo’s control has sometimes been weaker as well.

by Vlad on Jan 31, 2009 2:57 PM EST up reply actions

Cruz Is Better Than Rivas, But ...

he’s very comparable to “#11, Enzo Hernandez” who played for the early Padres around 1970. Check his stats!

by thegunner on Jan 31, 2009 12:11 PM EST reply actions

Now that's an ugly thought.

by Thunder on Jan 31, 2009 1:24 PM EST up reply actions

Beam

Control issues, sure, but also a 1.04 ratio against righties. Idve held onto a guy who can do that.

by Orrington on Jan 31, 2009 1:46 PM EST reply actions

Wait to see if Beam clears before passing judgment on this move.

If he clears waivers and is signed to a minor league contract I’ll feel a lot better with the move but I just don’t see that losing Beam is that big a deal. It’s important to note that NH did the same thing with Burnett last year and he ended up making the team. If Beam makes it through it would seem to indicate that NH is a pretty good at evaluating the environment.

by Slick1 on Jan 31, 2009 2:45 PM EST reply actions

Tough Comparison To Make

Burnett wasnt in the majors during ’07 and had a crummy half season in AAA, a 1.73 WHIP down there. Beam spent much of ’08 with the Bucs and, as previously noted, showed a reasonable effectiveness vs righties at that level. I hope Beam clears waivers, and yes, one cant characterize this as a “great loss” if things dont work out. On the other hand, I dont know if this could be called a good move either.

by Orrington on Jan 31, 2009 2:53 PM EST up reply actions

Agreed

A team would’ve been crazy to claim Burnett when we waived him. As weak as he was against RHB last year, I’m not sure he’d get claimed if we waived him right now, even though he clearly improved his game over the last season.

We might slip Beam through waivers, but if we do, it’ll just mean that we got lucky.

by Vlad on Jan 31, 2009 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

You can't call it a good move yet.

You can’t because it’s a risky move given what you have said about Beam. Risky because of the talent level we have now in this organization. All I’m saying is that if Beam clears and we happen to retain him, then I think you can call it a good move. You are correct about Burnett but I believe Burnett had pretty good success in the minors and majors before he got hurt. It would seem that NH would be pretty good at evaluating other team’s rosters and needs when playing the DFA game.

by Slick1 on Jan 31, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions

Refresh my memory:

I was out sick at the start of last week – who’d we drop to make room for Vasquez?

by Vlad on Jan 31, 2009 3:02 PM EST reply actions

Nobody

Had an open spot.

by WTM on Jan 31, 2009 3:03 PM EST up reply actions

Which of these does not belong?

A. Cam Bonifay — Derek Bell
B. Dave Littlefield — Dan Moskos
C. Napoleon Bonaparte — Waterloo
D. Neal Huntington — T.J. Beam

by WTM on Jan 31, 2009 3:03 PM EST reply actions

A?

Agreed. This is not a big deal.

by Slick1 on Jan 31, 2009 3:04 PM EST up reply actions

Not a big deal...

…but I liked Beam on a personal level, so it’s disappointing to me. I liked the way he looked when he threw, as tall as he was.

I also think that his K/BB would’ve drifted toward his minor league numbers more this year, now that he’s finally gotten his feet wet in the bigs.

by Vlad on Feb 2, 2009 8:34 AM EST up reply actions

History repeating itself...

If Napoleon had thrown his forces to the inside of the Mont St Jean escarpment, he would have probably emerged victorious…
History repeating itself …Napoleon – short of stature, unwilling to go inside / Ian Snell- short of stature, unwilling to throw inside…coincidence?
Don’t stomp on me…I made up the part about the attack on Waterloo…

by sludgeworm on Feb 1, 2009 10:48 AM EST up reply actions