One General Though About Our Recent Trades

by Trogluddite on Jul 30, 2009 10:07 PM EDT

I'm not very enthused about the Gorzo/Grabow trade, but in analyzing the pitchers we are getting in return, I try to keep in mind two systemic improvements to the Pittsburgh Ball Club that make me a little more deferential (at least for now) to management's decisions.

First, Joe Kerrigan is the best pitching coach we've had in years. I think he greatly improves our ability to evaluate pitchers we are receiving in trades and drafting/trading to meet our needs. In other words, I have more confidence with an unknown pitcher drafted/traded with Kerrigan's input than I did when Dave Littlefield was conducting the analysis.

Second, the Pirates now have a single system of analysis/development to guide players at all levels. Having worked in a large bureaucratic organization for 20 years, it is simply breathtaking that before the current regime the low-level supervisors (scouts, A/AA managers) were apparently using different evaluation and reporting metrics than the higher level management. Could you imagine how screwed up a pitcher would be if his A manager tells him he needs to work on his fastball, his AA manager tells him to be more careful w/his pitches, his AAA manager tells him to start pounding the strike zone, and the big league manager asks if he's ever played second? (Okay, even Jim Tracy wouldn't do that.) But this rather simple change should increase the likelihood of prospects progressing rather than muddling about.

Of course, if we don't have a winning season soon, neither of these points will be more than an interesting historical footnote.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.

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Exactly

The corrollary to this is: They’re also coming from a system where Dusty Baker was the top manager.

Poor Gorzo.

by bucdaddy on Jul 30, 2009 10:57 PM EDT reply actions

Oooops.

Living in the past again. Just ignore me, I’m old.

by bucdaddy on Jul 30, 2009 11:04 PM EDT reply actions

Well...

I’m young.. so you are excused.

by McCutchenIsTheTruth on Jul 31, 2009 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions

You bring up an excellent point here. I was absolutely flabberghasted when I heard that Pirates did not have a so-called “Pirate’s Way” of doing business. It certainly explains alot about some of their issues developing talent, but how in the world there was no consistent approach to teaching baseball is beyond me. I was also extremely concerned when I heard Neil Walker say he was told “No one walks to the Majors.”

by glass0941 on Jul 31, 2009 12:44 AM EDT reply actions

...that's pathetic.

by ryebr3ad on Jul 31, 2009 12:59 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow that sounds like what they told prospects in the Dominican...

That type of logic rivals “old wives tale” status. Thank God there is a new management team in place that brings new age analysis with old school talent evaluation.

"Straight ball I hit very much, but curveball, bats are afraid." - Pedro Cerrano

by silencerdu on Jul 31, 2009 12:52 AM EDT reply actions

If I’m not mistaken, Miguel Tejada was also told "No one walks off the Island (the Dominican of course). I remember reading that in Moneyball when they were talking about whether the ability to take walks could be taught or not. Tejada had shown great patience throughout his minor league career (especially after the AA managers job was threatened when his team wasn’t walking enough) but then became, well, Miguel Tejada in the bigs. It is astonishing that this type of logic is still used anywhere in the majors, especially with the revelation that a baserunner is a baserunner, no matter how he gets on base.

by glass0941 on Jul 31, 2009 1:07 AM EDT up reply actions