Pirates 8, Padres 3: Adam LaRoche Powers Pirates

by Charlie on Apr 26, 2009 6:46 PM EDT Comment 49 comments

More photos » by Lenny Ignelzi - AP

Nyjer Morgan and Ramon Vazquez congratulate Adam LaRoche on his three-run bomb this afternoon against the Padres.

The Bucs win again, this time behind seven strong innings from Ross Ohlendorf and two homers by Mr. Early Season himself, Adam LaRoche. The Bucs also got a couple hits apiece from Andy LaRoche (whose average is now all the way up to .264 and who now has a ten-game hitting streak going) and Nyjer Morgan, who also grabbed an HBP. (Morgan also ran his way into an out on the bases, however.) Everyone in the lineup except Ohlendorf got at least one hit. The Pirates were able to score seven runs despite not having Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Freddy Sanchez or Jack Wilson in the lineup.

In a theme that's appeared throughout this young season, Ohlendorf produced a quality start despite only having two strikeouts in this afternoon. Entering today's game, the Bucs had just 88 strikeouts, last in the majors, to go with 62 walks. Despite this, they led the majors in ERA by a fair margin. 88 strikeouts against 62 walks isn't going to get the job done in the long term, so don't be surprised when the pitching takes a step backward, but I think some of the improvement here is legitimate.

Prior to today's game, only 11 teams had allowed fewer walks than the Bucs, and only two teams had allowed fewer homers. Last year the Pirates allowed more homers than all but six teams and more walks than all but one. So there have been enormous improvements so far in terms of getting the ball into the zone, and Ohlendorf, who now has just six walks in 25 innings after piling up 31 in 62.7 innings last year, is the poster child for those improvements. Without strikeouts, that won't produce a great pitching staff, but in a weak, no-DH league like this year's NL, it may be enough to make them a pretty good one.

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Who's willing to forecast a season line for Adam LaRoche?

.276 31 94 w/ .354 obp .579 slug .896 ops

by RetireNutting on Apr 26, 2009 6:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Think the Pirates will keep him around for the full season?

If he plays well throughout the first half, that performance plus his reputation for a hotter second half might make him a valuable trading piece.

I’m not trying to be negative—I’m really enjoying the season so far—but if he keeps doing this well, it makes sense to trade him if they can get a great prospect back. He’s 29, and only signed through this year. If he has a great season, re-signing him for next year wouldn’t make much sense.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 26, 2009 7:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

...

I’d be interested in thoughts on his line for the year, regardless of where he ends up after the deadline.

I’d surely trade him if Neil and Frank thought they got the right offer… we’re not going anywhere this year.

by RetireNutting on Apr 26, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm optimistic after his hot start

So maybe I’m willing to inflate a bit, but that sounds mostly reasonable.

BA and OBP sounds about right, but that SLG seems really optimistic. I’d be really happy with 28-30 HR.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 26, 2009 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yeah ...

you’re probably right – lets back that off to .561

by RetireNutting on Apr 26, 2009 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

See, this is where Adam’s situation get tricky. Look, the Pirates traded for him to fill a glaring need- a power-hitting 1B. His glove was a plus. The Pirates wanted this guy to be their power-hitting 1B for many years to come. He’s only 29. If he can keep this first half tear going and show that he can be consistent with this first half performance and has a good year overall, they may keep him and re-sign him. The problem was that he hadn’t provided that power and production that the Pirates brought him here to provide. If he had another terrible start this year, then I don’t think the Pirates would have had any intention of re-signing him. BUT the wild card in all of this is Pedro Alvarez. He will be in the majors within a year, and with his fielding problems, do they leave Andy at third and move Pedro to 1B? That’s something that the Pirates will strongly consider if Alvarez doesn’t improve his fielding at 3B. LaRoche can provide you with 30 HR power and 100 RBI’s, but so can Alvarez from day one in Pittsburgh and he will be a lot younger (although LaRoche isn’t old), so what do the Pirates do? They have some crucial decisions coming up after the season, but what happens during the season will have a lot to do with their decisions.

by thelumberco. on Apr 26, 2009 7:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

As I said below...

I think they will try to resign him. I do see them selling high on Sanchez though. He’s a big injury risk in my opinion.

by Slick1 on Apr 26, 2009 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ohly's...

fastball was at 92-93 for a lot of the afternoon and it has a lot of movement on it. He also throws his sinker quite a bit it seems which most likely accounts for the low K rate. He did get a couple of timely DP’s. All in all I’m not quite sure what to expect from him yet…time will tell. Other than the 1st inning where he had trouble locating his pitches he had a very solid outing… probably shouldn’t have started the 7th though. I’ve been encouraged with the results so far.

On another note, let me preface this by saying I’m not a Nyjer Morgan fan, but I’ve watched every this year and his plate discipline has improved immensely. His walk rate is slowly creeping up and other than yesterday he’s been pretty good on the bases. He was caught stealing today but in all honesty I thought he was safe. A lot of people weren’t too thrilled with him starting, including myself, but so far NH seems to have an eye for evaluating talent IMO. Nyjmo this year, Doumit and McClouth last year. It’s early but I hope he can keep this up and generate some trade value for when McCutchen is ready to come up.

by Slick1 on Apr 26, 2009 7:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I’ve been planning on writing some nicer things about Nyjer. Today didn’t seem to be the right day to do it, because I want to focus on his defense and baserunning, but I’ll probably do it soon.

by Charlie on Apr 26, 2009 7:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Oh, one other thing...

I’m proabably going to get blasted for saying this but, I like Adam Laroche. I thing he has been a solid player regardless of his slow starts. He’s been the best 1B we have had in the Burg possibly going back to Pops. I think the Bucs should look to take advantage of this economic environment and lock him up to a 3-4 yr extension if possible. What kind of contract could we expect to pay him in light of some of the FA signings of the off seaso? At 3-4 years are we looking Adam Dunn money, Abreau money, or somewhere in between?

by Slick1 on Apr 26, 2009 7:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LaRoche and Dunn are both 29, Abreu is already 35 and doesn’t have near the power of Dunn (or LaRoche).

LaRoche is getting 7 mil this year, Dunn $10 mil a year for 2 years. Abreu is 5 or 6 I think.

I’d say he’s looking at a deal much closer to Dunn than Abreu. The Adams are similar players. Dunn gets on base more and has more power, but LaRoche is better at defense, I’d say.

If Adam keeps it up and has a great year, I’d think he’d get around the same deal as Dunn, but maybe 8, 9 a year? The thing about Dunn is he had an option for 12-14 million or something like that, and you’d think a lot of teams would jump on that if the market hadn’t gone south.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 26, 2009 7:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget...

…that all of this offseason’s signing numbers were depressed by the economic recession, and teams’ need to hedge by keeping more institutional liquidity.

by Vlad on Apr 27, 2009 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

True enough. That’s what I meant to address by saying I thought a lot of teams would have gladly paid Dunn his option price in any other year. Clumsy language on my part.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 27, 2009 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

FA 1B

With all the prospects and aging corner outfielders that end up getting moved along with NL sluggers, it seems like the market for above average 1B (not counting exceptional ones like Tex) could be even less. I think a lot of teams would like to spend their FA dollars on guys who play premium positions or pitching. I am also curious to see what other teams think he is worth, even though is a + glove at 1st.

McLouth is The Trouth

by GTrain on Apr 27, 2009 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

3rd best run differential in the NL.

1.5 games behind the Redbirds.

1.5 games AHEAD of the Cubbies (who are behind Cincy!).

Happy Sunday, everyone!

I'd rather be dead than singing "Satisfaction" at forty-five. -- M. Jagger

by cocktailsfor2 on Apr 26, 2009 7:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

CORRECTION:

3rd best run differential in BASEBALL: hahaha!

I'd rather be dead than singing "Satisfaction" at forty-five. -- M. Jagger

by cocktailsfor2 on Apr 26, 2009 7:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

An excellent start from Ohlendorf,

some nice hitting from the LaRoche brothers, and another sweet win on the West Coast.

by patthatt on Apr 26, 2009 7:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let's get the NL Wild Card!

by patthatt on Apr 26, 2009 7:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

did you do what i did?

did you click on the wildcard tab of the standings and see the Bucs would have it if the MLB were to forgo the other 144 games and end the season today?

by RetireNutting on Apr 26, 2009 7:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Whoa…don’t get ahead of yourself man. It’s just 18 games. I like the optimism, though.

by thelumberco. on Apr 26, 2009 7:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

3 runs given up by the starting pitcher? It’s the worst I’ve see all year!!! :)

Acording to Yahoo, McCutchen could be up soon because of McLouth’s injury.

by ddff22 on Apr 26, 2009 8:17 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Can't find it...

Do you have a link?

by thelumberco. on Apr 26, 2009 8:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I found it.

Here’s the relevant part. It’s basically speculation based on McClouth:

Premiere centerfielder, and “Farm Aid” subject from earlier this season, Andrew McCutchen (three percent-owned), could be recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis possibly as early as this week. The oblique strain Nate McLouth has battled with over the past couple games is worse than originally thought. Pirates management has not ruled out a possible DL stint for their star centerfielder.

McCutchen, arguably one of the brightest all-around outfield prospects in the minors, has scorched at Triple-A, collecting a .304 BA with a homer, six RBI, five triples and four steals in 69 at-bats. He’s also posted an admirable .351 OBP. Given his plus tools, keen eye and drag-racer wheels he could yield instant dividends in SBs if promoted. With a torrid trial run, he could force McLouth permanently to left. If that situation unfolds, Nyjer Morgan could supplant the light-hitting Brandon Moss in right, a position he played six times in ’08.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 26, 2009 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I have no idea why the link didn’t appear correctly. I even used the link button!

Let’s try that again.

by CptnAwesome on Apr 26, 2009 11:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

preciate it man…now McLouth could go on the DL?!?! This is just getting worse and worse. I mean, I’d love to see McCutchen in the Burgh, but McLouth is one of our top offensive threats. This injury bug is hitting the Pirates hard. Man, I hope he just misses the Brewers’ series and that’s it.

by thelumberco. on Apr 27, 2009 12:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Bummer

We need Nate’s D and bat in the lineup. It will be hard to keep this up without our catcher and center fielder / 3 and 4 hitters. Really excited to see cutch though. I have problems with the link button to on SB Nation. I swear I put it in and everything. Then nothing.

McLouth is The Trouth

by GTrain on Apr 27, 2009 6:36 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

This is really random

Does anybody else think Jaramillo kinda looks like Jacoby Ellsbury of the Red Sox?? I see it.

by thelumberco. on Apr 26, 2009 8:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Boy Charlie

You sure know how to find the cloud behind every silver lining.

We just took five out of six from a pair of 1st place clubs with most of the wins by a comfortable margin and the only loss by one run in extras, but you find a way to worry us because our pitchers aren’t striking out enough guys. I look forward to the day when even you find a way to be optimistic about the Pirates.

by WestCoastBuc on Apr 26, 2009 8:22 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

I agree

I love this blog and the strong writing and analysis, Charlie, but let’s enjoy what the Bucs are doing here. As fans, It’s nice to have something to cheer about. Let’s keep a critical eye, sure, but how about lighten up a bit? Go Bucs!

by twinpirate326 on Apr 26, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not to put a damper on things, but

Alvarez went 0-4 with 4 K’s this afternoon taking him down to a .217 average. With the walks and the power, his OPS is still over .700, but that’s still pretty disappointing. I doubt it’s really that bad, but I wonder if they’re going to change strategies with him some.

On the plus side, the whipping boy, Andy LaRoche has around a 1.000 OPS since he started hitting.

charity standing orders

by BadMaafala on Apr 26, 2009 8:37 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Pedro

Still pretty early. I’m not watching him play but it seems a little soon to make any major changes.

I made most of my life decisions at a Foghat concert... I stand by them.

by Chester J Lampwick on Apr 26, 2009 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yep.

by Vlad on Apr 27, 2009 9:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Mustn't get hopes up, mustn't get hopes up ...

by bucdaddy on Apr 26, 2009 8:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

The New York Post article makes a decent point that we may have been hosed on Jose Tabata’s age. If he is 23 or 24 years of age, that would cut into his perceived upside big time. Then he would probably project as a Ryan Freel at best.

by ddff22 on Apr 26, 2009 9:01 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

^The article in the last thread.

by ddff22 on Apr 26, 2009 9:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Others can fill you in better on those details but it has been speculated by some on this blog since this spring’s events that he might be older than the roster states, mostly because he was married to a much older woman (obviously not substantial proof) and the timing of that speculation and the revealing of his marital status might be wholly unrelated.

I made most of my life decisions at a Foghat concert... I stand by them.

by Chester J Lampwick on Apr 26, 2009 10:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I love the way Adam is playing, and I think he's a quality first baseman

…but one of the LaRoche Bros. is going to have to lose his job to Alvarez at some point in the not all that distant future. My guess is Adam would be the one to go, as he has more trade value than his brother and is older.

If Pedro could play right field, maybe both LaRoches could theoretically be here long-term, but I’m not sure how feasible that is.

Anyway, great game.

by Suffering Buc on Apr 26, 2009 9:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Let Alvarez get here first...

before we start worrying about who we are going to get rid of. My hope is that in the best case scenario Alvarez can play third and Andy can move over to second. Adam will keep 1st warm until Ackley is ready to take over. I think he’s are #1 pick this year. I don’t see Green being availble and the pitchers that would be available shouldn’t be taken that high IMO.

by Slick1 on Apr 26, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ackley will be gone before Green

I’d be stunned if it was the other way around.

by Suffering Buc on Apr 26, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I posted in the SS Fanpost about this

In the Keith Law chat someone asked about Green and he said the feeling among a lot of scouts is that he may not be a SS in the majors and doesn’t hit for power. Which sounds like he would be more of a 2B type. Not a huge K Law fan but he does have info I don’t for sure. Ackley please.

McLouth is The Trouth

by GTrain on Apr 27, 2009 6:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Too bad.

Ackley is awesome.

by Vlad on Apr 27, 2009 9:43 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yea I would like to see the Ack attack on the PBC. From that same chat, he said apparently Scheppers is healthy know and pitched lights out for scouts in CA. However, he said he couldn’t fault the Pirates as he wanted 1st round money and looked bad in his audition. Personally I wouldnt mind us taking a risk on a big talent pitcher, but given the finances involved I can’t really blame them either. Everyone would be railing against them if they had given him that money and he never got healthy.

McLouth is The Trouth

by GTrain on Apr 27, 2009 10:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If he really is healthy and looking good...

…we might very well end up re-drafting him this year anyway. I have a feeling that our slot is going to come down to best available pitcher, with Ackley getting picked before us and Green kind of disappointing so far this year.

by Vlad on Apr 27, 2009 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Is that allowed?

I thought that a team couldn’t draft the same player two years in a row.

by Rambuncle on Apr 27, 2009 10:48 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

They can do it...

…with the player’s permission. And if Scheppers really isn’t upset, he’d have no reason to withhold that permission.

by Vlad on Apr 27, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Excerpts

Since Ive referenced this chat regarding Scheppers and Green I figured I would just post the link. I think he talks about Nyjer and our pitching in there too.

http://sports.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=26121

Mike (Pittsburgh): Are Scheppers injury troubles behind him? And looking back, should the Pirates have signed him?

SportsNation Keith Law: Word is he threw the other day in California and was lights-out. He threw badly for the Pirates in August and still wanted first-round money … I don’t blame them for passing. I would have too.

Dan (NY): No Grant Green in the top ten?

SportsNation Keith Law: No power. Some disagreement on whether he can stay at short. And Boras. Of course he might go in the top ten, but there are more question marks on him than on the top nine guys I listed, and I don’t think Washington takes a top Boras guy at 10.

McLouth is The Trouth

by GTrain on Apr 27, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pitching

I’m really worried about the lack of strikeouts too — the combination of that BB/K ratio and that ERA is not going to last long. Ohlendorf, though, might be able to keep it up if he can continue to get as many ground balls as he did today; his GB-FB ratio for the start was 15-3.

by shayborg on Apr 27, 2009 3:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs