Tree of Life

27 Jun

Shero Can't Afford to Miss in Free Agency by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Wednesday, June 27th, 2012 – 8:46 am

Out of everyone in attendance at Consol Energy Center last Friday, Ray Shero became the biggest winner at the draft.

Even after Jordan Staal appeared to whittle his trade value down to nearly nothing, Shero was still able to strike a deal with Hurricanes' GM, Jim Rutherford, sending Staal to Carolina for a pick, a prospect and Brandon Sutter.

Shero wasn't done.

Later in the night, he traded Zbynek Michalek back to the Phoenix Coyotes for a couple of prospects. The move was seen as more of a salary dump, clearing up $4 million in cap space. By the end of the first round, the Penguins reduced their payroll to roughly $55 million, clearing $15 million in cap space with the assumption that the salary cap will reach $70 million this upcoming season.

With $15 million to spend, the Penguins are now in prime position to pursue elite talent in free agency. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are the top free agents this summer and both are rumored to be of high interest to the Penguins.

Parise is a friend of Sidney Crosby and many believe the Penguins are the favorite to sign him when free agency opens up on July 1st. Adding a 30+ goal scorer to Sidney Crosby's line would make last year's highest scoring team even more dangerous.

On the other hand, Parise can be seen as more of a luxury than a need. After all, the Penguins were bounced in the first round of the playoffs because of shoddy play on defense. Ryan Suter would certainly upgrade the defensive core of the Penguins. Suter, paired with Shea Weber in Nashville, became part of one of the top shutdown defensive pairings in the league. Not only is Suter sound defensively, he also possesses excellent offensive skills. Last season, he finished with a career high 46 points.

While signing both players is unlikely, the Penguins still have plenty of other options to upgrade both sides of their team. Players like Bryan Allen or Filip Kuba could provide a big body on defense while Ray Whitney or Shane Doan could provide a scoring touch with a veteran presence.

Regardless of how Ray Shero decides to attack this free agency pool, he cannot afford to miss. With $15 million and only a couple of roster spots to fill -Pittsburgh has 18 players signed- the Penguins have a golden opportunity to add enough talent to potentially become a dynastic team. But they need to make the right moves.

While Ray Shero has been extremely successful with trades, his free agent signings have left a lot to be desired. In the summer of 2008, the Penguins were unable to retain Marian Hossa after trading for him in the previous season. To be fair, Shero was successful in signing Matt Cooke and Ruslan Fedotenko who became role players during the 2009 Stanley Cup run.

In 2010, the Penguins traded for Dan Hamhuis's rights only to see him sign with Vancouver on the first day. Pittsburgh attempted to patch holes by signing Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek. While both players had a solid first season with the Penguins, by the end of their second season they were appropriately named cap-casualties.

The Pittsburgh Penguins need to nail this year's free agency period. Ray Shero did a tremendous job moving players at the draft. He not only got a fair return for Jordan Staal, but he freed up a ton of cap space to get another big name that can hopefully put the Penguins over the top. If Shero lets Suter or Parise slip through his fingers the way others have, the Penguins' quest for the cup will become that much more difficult in the coming seasons.

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25 Jun

2012 NHL Entry Draft: Staal Steals the Show by Michelle Methot

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Monday, June 25th, 2012 – 8:52 am

The NHL Entry Draft marks the beginning of a career for top prospects across North America and Europe who have dreamt of the day in which one of the thirty NHL teams calls their name. The elite players that have dominated their respective junior teams have entered into a professional league where they must begin to work their way up from the bottom of the barrel as rookies to compete with today's NHL stars. As the NHL brass met in Pittsburgh for the 2012 NHL Draft, the home of the Penguins became hockey media central. When the first round of the draft began on Friday at Consol Energy Center, the story lines and headlines shifted from a focus on the prospects in the building to a player that was drafted second overall six years earlier.

Jordan Staal was not present at the draft nor was he anywhere near the state of Pennsylvania. When news broke on Thursday that Jordan Staal had turned down a ten year contract, reportedly worth approximately $60 million dollars, the Penguins fan base knew that the legacy of Ray Shero's three center masterpiece was nearing an end. On Friday evening when Staal was exchanging vows at his wedding in his hometown of Thunder Bay, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman walked to the Draft stage in Pittsburgh to announce a trade.

The hometown crowd cheered as it was announced that Jordan Staal had been sent to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Brandon Sutter, Brian Dumoulin and the 8th overall pick in which Penguins GM Ray Shero would select Derrick Pouliot. In a matter of 24 hours, the highlight reel of Jordan Staal's time in Pittsburgh that began when he was drafted in 2006 was overshadowed by the negative way in which the chapter of his career with the Penguins would come to an end.

Sending Jordan Staal to join his oldest brother Eric in Carolina was a business transaction and a hockey trade that Ray Shero knew he had to make. An entire year of pending contract negotiations would have been a dark cloud over the Penguins locker room as rumors and demands from both parties would have circulated through the Pittsburgh sports media. Signing longterm to a deal upwards of ten years was not a negotiation in which Staal was ready to put pen to paper. Staal should not become a villain in Pittsburgh for not accepting Shero's contract extension. Jordan Staal outgrew his role as a third line center. Ten years without any significant indication to an increased role in the team would not be appealing to a twenty-three year old player with as much talent as Staal. The trade makes sense for both parties. Ray Shero has cleared enough cap space to make the Penguins buyers on the free agent market. Jordan Staal will play alongside his brother in the NHL which has been a dream that was likely born on a pond or inside a rink in Thunder Bay.

Jordan Staal's time in Pittsburgh ended with as much drama and online outrage as possible with the hockey media buzzing in town for the NHL Draft. When Staal returns to Pittsburgh and steps on the ice for the first time on November 23rd, Penguins fans should honor him with the respect that he deserves. Remember Staal for setting the NHL record for scoring seven short handed goals in his rookie season. Remember the great feeling you had when Staal shifted the momentum in the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals with a short handed goal in game four. Remember the guy loved and known by Penguins fans as Gronk.

The NHL Draft marks the beginning of a career. This is where Jordan Staal put on the Penguins jersey for the first time, on the road to setting records as a rookie and winning the Stanley Cup as a twenty year old. On the Friday night in November when Jordan Staal returns to Pittsburgh and a highlight reel and montage plays during a TV timeout, stand up and applaud. Jordan Staal will always be a part of Penguins history. His name will forever be engraved on the Stanley Cup and these memories and his time as a significant part of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization should never be forgotten.

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22 Jun

No Matter What, Pittsburgh Fans Have to Love Sarge by Jarred Treshock

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday, June 22nd, 2012 – 8:21 am

Thank you, Evgeni Malkin. Thank you for reminding me and the city of Pittsburgh of how you were once a rookie and spoke no English at all and didn't understand what anyone was saying in this country. Thank you for reminding me on how far you have come and also reminding me on the one person who helped you the most: Sergei Gonchar.
Malkin gave us all a reminder last night at the NHL Award's Ceremony where he personally thanked Sergei Gonchar and wanted to give him the MVP trophy that he just won. Geno realized how much Gonchar has done for him, but does the city of Pittsburgh realize it?
Let's go back on memory lane and re-visit each of the five seasons Gonchar spent with The Penguins:
2005-2006: 58 pts. 12 goals. 46 assists. -13 rating.
Gonchar's first season with The Pens. By the numbers, he actually had a pretty decent season for being on a terrible Penguin's team. But everyone remembers him that season for his terrible start and not his strong finish.
2006-2007: 67 pts. 13 goals. 54 assists. -5 rating.
Gonchar's second season and the first season he is taking care of Malkin. Gonchar not only has a great season, but also helps run a top-five power play unit, and help Malkin become accustomed to the NHL and America. Malkin finished the season by winning the Rookie of The Year.
2007-2008: 65 pts. 12 goals. 53 assists. +13 rating.
In the middle of his contract, Gonchar had his finest season with The Pens. He helped led The Pens to the Stanley Cup Finals and continued to help Malkin in his growth as a player. Malkin led The Penguins that year with 106 Points.
2008-2009: 19 pts. 6 goals. 13 assists. +6 rating.
Gonchar started the year on IR with a dislocated shoulder and the power play suffered tremendously. The team realized how important he is on the point and how he is one of the best at quarterbacking it. Once he came back, The Pens and the power play were clicking at all cylinders and Gonchar helped lead the team to winning its third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Malkin continued to grow, by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
200-2010: 50 pts. 11 goals. 39 assists. -4 rating.
Gonchar's final season was not the greatest for him. He was showing signs of old-age. He still helped ran a pretty good power play, but everyone remembers Game 7 of The Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Canadians where his lackluster play helped end The Pens Season.

Everybody remembers the first season and the last season. But really take out those two bad moments, and Gonchar was a great defenseman while he was here. He ran a power play like no other. (If you haven't noticed, the power play hasn't been the same since he left.) He was on a top defensive pairing with Brooks Orpik. But most importantly, he helped the growth of a truly great hockey player in Evgeni Malkin. Malkin is now coming into his own and Gonchar had a huge say in that. Without Gonchar, who knows where Malkin would be at, even Geno realizes that.
So no matter how much you couldn't stand how he played, or how he started or ended his time with The Penguins, you have to have respected The Sarge. His effects are still showing in a positive way through MVP Evgeni Malkin.

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21 Jun

Ray Shero Faces Arduous Offseason by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, June 21st, 2012 – 9:05 am

After the Penguins fell embarrassingly to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, Ray Shero stated that changes would be made to the team in the offseason. This news was rather unsurprising considering the Penguins severely underachieved with a relatively healthy roster; a roster proclaimed by many across North America to be the Stanley Cup favorite by a wide margin.

Now, due to the disappointment of 2012, coupled with the previous two seasons in which the Penguins failed to get out of the second round, Ray Shero faces an offseason that could make or break his future with the Pittsburgh Penguins. As general manager, Ray Shero's job rests solely on his ability to improve the team and bring them another Stanley Cup. For Pittsburgh, it means improving a rather soft defense while attempting to keep all the superstars on the roster past the 2013 season and also drafting future stars to create a steady pipeline of prospects.

To further analyze Shero's monumental summer, let's break this down into three parts:

Draft

Other than Jordan Staal in the 2006 draft, Shero hasn't selected any impact players. Simon Despres (2009) will finally get a chance to start in the NHL this season, and Joe Morrow (2011) looks to have an exciting future in the NHL, but that's about it. This year doesn't help with the 2012 draft class less than excitable once you get past the first 5-10 picks. Of the three major parts, this department is of the least importance considering the Penguins' stars are still incredibly young.

The NHL draft is generally a crapshoot, especially when selecting in the bottom half of the draft. As fans or media members, we really have no idea who will work out in the future. But the scouts should have at least an idea. So should the general manager.

Player Management

Jordan Staal and Sidney Crosby will be free agents at the end of the 2012-2013 season unless Shero is able to re-sign them beforehand. Rumors have already been swirling that Sidney Crosby is ready to sign a ten year deal as soon as he is eligible. Jordan Staal, on the other hand, is an enigma.

Staal is coming off a team leading six goal performance in six games against the Flyers in the Eastern Quarterfinals. Despite missing 20 regular season games, Staal finished with a career high 50 points, notching 25 goals and 25 assists. On a team that features two other centers that possess talent unmatched by the world, Staal is still a priority for Shero to re-sign. On Tuesday, he told the media that he was not listening to trade offers and was more focused on trying to get a deal in place to keep Staal in Pittsburgh for a long time.

Unfortunately, Shero may have to listen to offers from other teams. Jordan Staal could help a lot of teams as their top center and it has already been rumored that Staal has expressed an interest in having a bigger role on a team where he is not overshadowed by elite stars.

On the open market, Staal could probably command a salary of 7-8 million a year and a team like the Maple Leafs would gladly pay. Is he worth that much? It depends on the salary cap and the new CBA. And therein lies the problem: Shero has no idea what the new CBA is going to allow and there is no way of knowing what the 2012-2013 salary cap will stand at this time.

Staal will be Shero's biggest challenge this offseason. He has several options to choose from, each equally difficult. The only unacceptable option is to let Staal go to free agency at the end of next season. There would simply be no excuse to let go of a then 24 year old superstar without a hefty return.

Paul Martin is another question mark. Martin had a disastrous 2011-2012 campaign and saw Simon Despres perform admirably in his stead during the playoffs. With three years remaining on his contract, Martin is now a $15 million eyesore and Shero may be looking to dump him before heading into next season. If the Penguins hope to improve their defense, trading Martin would be a step in the right direction.

Free Agency

The financial flexibility of the Penguins depends on how Shero handles the issues previously listed. If the Penguins can rid themselves of Paul Martin and his hefty contract, their options will open up; a winger, a stay at home defenseman, or maybe more cash to throw at Staal and Crosby. And yet, again, this is all based on the salary cap and new CBA.

Since we're still in June, it is far too early to speculate on which free agents could potentially be future Penguins. However, the list of Penguins that are soon to be free agents is much more manageable.

As a restricted free agent, Matt Niskanen will be the Penguins' top priority while UFA's Steve Sullivan, Arron Asham, Richard Park, Steve MacIntyre, and Brent Johnson may be gone. MacIntyre had no value with the Penguins, spending most of his time in Wilkes-Baare, Asham embarrassed the franchise for his barbaric actions in Game 3, Richard Park was a regular healthy scratch, and Brent Johnson was just replaced by Tomas Vokoun. Steve Sullivan had the best season out of this group. However, given how injury prone he has been over the years, it may not be in Pittsburgh's best interest to re-sign the soon-to-be 38 year old winger.

The next three months for Ray Shero will need to be his best. He cannot afford to take the Penguins, as they are presently constructed, into the next season and expect a better result. His decisions will not only determine the fate of the 2012-2013 Penguins, but also the organization's future. The motto over the last few years has been "In Shero we trust". As doubt starts to creep into the minds of Penguins' fans, can Shero reinforce the thought that this is the best team in hockey?

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16 Jun

The Worst Pirate Since PNC Park Opened – more OPS+

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, June 16th, 2012 – 2:04 pm

Who is the worst Pirate to play at PNC Park?

This follows up on our OPS+ conversation from an earlier blog post, where we used the sabermetric "Adjusted On Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage." OPS+ uses ballpark effects and league effects with OPS and SLG to put a player's offensive hitting prowess (base-running aside) on a scale where 100 is league average, 90 is 10% below league average, etc.

For the current 2012 version of the Pirates, through July 16th as I write this, Clint Barmes lags the team with a 43 OPS+. Barmes, therefore, has been a 57% below-league-average hitter through the first few months of the season.

Alex Presley is next worst at 62, with Pedro Alvarez at 72. Matt Hague and Yamaico Navarro have scores of 40, but with more limited plate appearances in reserve roles.

To be fair, all of these current players deserve a full year to get their at-bats and have a chance to get their scores out of the quagmire.

That said, how do these scores compare with the worst in the PNC Park-Era Pittsburgh Pirates?

Going back through the baseball-reference.com archives through PNC Park's first season, 2000, I used two criteria to make this list:

1 – It takes a minimum of 200 plate apperances to qualify
2 – The player must have taken the majority of at-bats for one of the eight infield positions. In other words, he was the team's primary starter at a position for the year.

Here's the worst of the worst:

#1 – Pat Meares with an OPS+ of 39 in 2001

The team's starting second baseman that season (after playing primarily SS in 2000), Meares was wasting $3.79 million a season at an impressive rate. His standard stat line for the year in 284 plate appearances was a .211 batting average, an OBP of .244, with 4 HR, 11 2B, and one 3B. Pirates fans suffered through 87 games of Pat Meares in the second year of the beautiful ballpark's existence.

#2 – Jack Wilson with an OPS+ of 40 in 2001

How to lose 100 games? Have Meares and a 23-year old rookie Jack Wilson as your middle infield. Wilson's .223 average with 3 HR, 17 2B, and 1 3B barely edged out Meares for worst offensive season in PNC Park-Era Pirates history. At least Jack Flash was only making $200,000.

#3 – Andy LaRoche with an OPS+ of 52 in 2010

LaRoche barely played more than Pedro Alvarez in 2010, 102 games to 95, and although he had fewer plate appearances than Pedro I'm qualifying LaRoche for my list as the team's primary third baseman that year. A batting average of .206, with 4 HR, 8 2B, and no 3B, this supposed-key-piece of the Jason Bay trade had one of the worst (and most) offensive seasons in modern Bucco history.

#4 – Adrian Brown with an OPS+ of 53 in 2002

Meares may have been gone by 2002 (although still chewing up payroll), but the Bucs found a way to replace him with a starter in the lineup who was nearly as poor. Adrian Brown .216 batting average over 232 plate appearances as the team's starting CF is awesome in ineptitude. 1 HR, 10 2B, 2 3B, and just 19 BB fill out his line.

#5 – Tike Redman with an OPS+ of 65 in 2005

What a lineage of centerfielders sandwiched around one season of Kenny Lofton (with Chris Duffy soon to follow) as Tike hit .251 with 2 HR, 12 2B, 4 3B, and just 19 BB in 344 plate appearances in his last season as a Pirate. To make matters worse, if memory serves, he hit third in the lineup for a large chunk of the season.

By the way, if bench players were included in my list (keeping the 200 plate appearance minimum), the following guys would have made the top-5:

Luis Rivas in 2008, a 54 OPS+ as he hit .218 with 3 HR, 6 2B, and 2 3B
Jose Hernandez in 2003, a 57 OPS+ as he hit .223 with 3 HR, 9 2B, and 1 3B

The other worst Pirate regulars season-by-season?

2011 – Michael McKenry with a score of 67
2009 – Brandon Moss with a score of 77
2008 – Jack Wilson again with a score of 76
2007 – Chris Duffy with a 76
2006 – Chris Duffy with a 70
2004 – Ty Wigginton with a 68
2003 – Jeff Reboulet with a 69
2000 – Pat Meares again with a 73

Ronny Paulino's 56 in 2008 didn't qualify with only 130 plate appearances.

In 2012, if Clint Barmes doesn't pick it up, he's slotting in as the third-worst offensive Pirate starter we've seen in the last 13 seasons.

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15 Jun

The Best Offensive Season In Pirates History – Fun with OPS+

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, June 15th, 2012 – 1:28 pm

I've been geeking out on sabermetrics of late.

That, combined with an interest to put the season (so far) of Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen into some kind of historical team perspective has me looking at OPS+ here on Friday, June 15th.

What is OPS+, you ask?

Well, I'm relatively new to this stuff myself, but as I've come to understand it:

OPS+ is the sum of a player's On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage while being adjusted for ballpark and league effects, then put on an understandable scale where '100' is the league average. If a player scores an OPS+ of 90, that is 10% below league average, whereas if a player is a 170, that's 70% better than league average (and really good).

While this metric doesn't account for baserunning, nor defense, and while it doesn't account for the difference in importance between On Base Percentage (proven to be twice as important in scoring runs) and Slugging Percentage, it does give a pretty good indication of how good a year a player has had, and makes it useable in comparing players on different years and different teams.

OPS+ is measuring a combination of how often a batter is not making an out, and how much power he is displaying, in the context of where and when it's happening.

In regards to McCutchen, right now baseball-reference.com has Andrew with a score of 158 in OPS+, good for 7th best in the NL and 12th best in baseball. McCutchen is thus 58% above league average. At this moment, his more traditional lines are a .326 batting average, with 11 HR, 3 3B, 10 2B, 21 BB, and 49 SO (with 37 RBI, 34 R, and 13SB… stats that don't matter to OPS+). Those project to a 162-game pace of 186 hits, 29 HR, and 26 2B, which with 97 RBI, 88 R, and 34 SB make for a really good season if McCutchen can keep up the pace.

Where would his 158 OPS+ and his offensive season rank in Pirates history?

Using OPS+ and looking back through the baseball-reference.com archives, here are a few of the best individual seasons in Pirates history that I found, selecting an all-time great's best individual OPS+ season:

#1 – "Honus" Wagner, with an OPS+ of 205 in 1908 (at age 34)

Honus' OPS+ was the best in the league in 1908, accumulated with a .354 average,10 HR, 19 3B, 39 2B, and 201 hits (with 109 RBI and 53 SB not factored in the formula). Wagner only struck out 22 times in 641 plate appearances. Keep in mind, also, that his 10 HR total was 2nd best in baseball that season, behind someone named Tim Jordan of the Brooklyn Superbas (later the Dodgers). That was also the last season the Chicago Cubs won a World Series, so perhaps things were just screwy. But actually, this was the norm for Honus as he put together a career OPS+ of 154 over 18 years with the Pirates, a number that would slot him top-25 all time in MLB career OPS+ (Babe Ruth leads the way with a career 206 OPS+).

#2 – Barry Bonds, with an OPS+ of 204 in 1992 (at age 27)

Bonds' OPS+ was the highest in the league in 1992 as he hit .311 with 34 HR, 5 3B, 36 2B, 147 hits, and 127 BB (with 103 RBI, 109 R, and 39 SB). His slugging percentage alone was .624 in 1992. Bonds is 3rd all time in MLB with a career OPS+ score of 182 when factoring in his literally unreal seasons in San Francisco. In 7 years with Pittsburgh, Barry's OPS+ was 147.

#3 – Arky Vaughan, with an OPS+ of 190 in 1935 (at age 23)

The best OPS+ of 1935 belonged to Vaughan (ahead of Jimmie Foxx), as Arky had a .385 batting average, 19 HR, 10 3B, 34 2B, 192 hits, 97 walks, and only 18 strikeouts in 609 plate appearances. The future Hall of Famer had an unreal season and got robbed of an MVP finishing 3rd behind Gabby Hartnett and Dizzy Dean. OK, so Dizzy won 28-games that year, not bad. But it's unfortunate the Pirates' third baseman that year Tommy Thevenow was hitting a Pedro Alvarez-like .238, with a 50 OPS+, or maybe the team would have won more games and Arky would have got his due. Vaughan's career OPS+ with the Pirates was 141 over 10 years.

tied#4 – Willie Stargell, with an OPS+ of 186 in 1973 (at age 33)

"Pops" had a league-best OPS+ in 1978 behind an incredible 44 HR, 3 3B, 43 2B, 156 hit, and 80 BB season with a .299 average (and 119 RBI). It was a slightly better OPS+ season than Stargell's 1971 season of 48 HR and a 185 OPS+. In '73, Stargell slugged .646 with 337 total bases and finished 2nd in MVP voting to Pete Rose (who had 230 hits). By the way, in 1973 the PIrates' starting SS Dal Maxvill had an unreal low OPS+ of just 40. All told, in 21-seasons as a Pirate Stargell's career OPS+ is identical to Bonds at 147.

tied#4 – Ralph Kiner, with an OPS+ of 186 in 1949 (at age 26)

The team was 71-83 and finished in 6th place, but Kiner's 54 HR year at Forbes Field is incredible stuff. 170 hits all told included 5 3B, 19 2B, and 119 BB as Kiner hit .310 for the season. The season was only 4th best in the MVP voting that year in the NL, behind Jackie Robinson, Stan Musial, and Enos Slaughter. His 54-HR were far and away the highest, with Ted Williams 2nd at 43-bombs. Kiner's lifetime Pirates' OPS+ of 157 over 8-years is 2nd only to Honus Wagner in Pirates career OPS+.

#6 – Roberto Clemente, with an OPS+ of 171 in 1967 (at age 32)

Bobby's OPS+ that year was only 6th best in baseball (at Forbes Field, where an accurate 'park factor' in the OPS+ formula would be of great importance considering the park's difficulties). Carl Yastrzemski's 193 led the way, but Clemente hit .357 with 23 HR (which may be worth 40 in another park), 209 hits, 10 3B, 26 2B and 41 BB (with 110 RBI to along with 9 SB). Incidentally, the Pirates finished in 6th place in 1967 with a team ERA 9th of 10 NL teams, so they wasted (arguably) Clemente's best year. Clemente's lifetime OPS+ of 130 is dragged down by four below-league-average years in 1955, 1957, 1958, and 1959 when Clemente was in his younger 20's.

#7 – Dave Parker, with an OPS+ of 166 in 1978 (at age 27)

"The Cobra" and his 166 OPS+ led all of baseball in 1978 behind a .334 average with 30 HR, 12 3B, 32 2B, 194 hits, and 57 BB with 23 intentional (to go along with 117 RBI, 20 SB, and 340 total bases, three more than Pops had in 1973). Parker was MVP with 95% of the vote that year. Too bad Rennie Stennett and Omar Moreno dragged the team's OPS+ down, as the Pirates finished 2nd to the Phillies in the standings.

#8 – Paul Waner, with an OPS+ of 157 in 1936 (at age 33)

"Big Poison" was 8th best in baseball with an OPS+ of 157 in his highest ranked OPS+ year. His batting average was .373 with 218 hits, but only 5 of his hits went for HR. 53 doubles were no joke, though, to go along with 9 3B, 74 BB, and just 29 BB. Perhaps more impressive with Paul Waner was his consistency, with his first 12 Pirates seasons (of 15) at least 29 % better than league average. His 15-year career OPS+ with Pittsburgh was 131.

What does all this mean?

If Andrew McCutchen's 158 OPS+ continues, might it be considered one of the best individual offensive seasons in Pirates history?

At least in the world of one metric, it would defeat Big Poison but fall haplessly short of The Flying Dutchman.

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15 Jun

Time for the Pirates to Free Rudy Owens by Jon Pennline

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, June 15th, 2012 – 9:37 am

After Brad Lincoln's second consecutive poor start on Tuesday against the Orioles, Clint Hurdle was asked if Lincoln's job as a spot starter was up for grabs.

"We've got him scheduled to pitch the last game in Cleveland but we need him to pitch better." (Washington Post)

Why?

Why is Lincoln scheduled to pitch against the Cleveland Indians on Sunday? Especially when the organization boasts 7-8 legitimate starters from Pittsburgh to AAA Indianapolis. Why does Clint Hurdle enjoy banging his head against the wall expecting a different result?

As a starter this season, Lincoln is 1-2 with a 6.91 ERA. In his two previous starters, Lincoln failed to pitch five full innings while giving up nine combined runs in that span. In 13 relief appearances, Lincoln is 2-0 with a 0.45 ERA.

The Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde performances are linked to the strengths and weaknesses Lincoln possesses as a pitcher. Brad Lincoln is a two pitch-pitcher. He throws a mid-90s fastball and a sharp breaking ball. As a reliever, that works well since relievers rarely see the same hitter twice in the same game. However, a starter with only two pitches is a disaster waiting to happen. Imagine Mariano Rivera starting for the Yankees instead of closing; do you think his cutter would get bashed around by the 3rd or 4th inning? With Jeff Karstens recovering and Charlie Morton out for the season with Tommy John surgery, it is time for the Pirates to promote a starter from AAA.

It is time to free Rudy Owens.

After a disappointing 2011 season in AAA, Owens has been lights out for the Indianapolis Indians this season, posting a 5-2 record with a 2.29 ERA. The 2010 22nd round draft pick out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College has gone at least six innings in each start this season and has yet to allow more than three runs in any of them.

While Owens lacks experience at the big league level -his next start for the Pirates will be his first- he at least has the right frame of mind and the physical endurance to throw six solid innings. Adding him into the rotation while moving Lincoln back into the bullpen would be the most logical decision. Owens may not post video game numbers like Zach Duke did his rookie season, but he would be an improvement over Lincoln who would also benefit by pitching in relief.

Make the call Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle. Free Rudy Owens from AAA and, in the same process, free Brad Lincoln from the rotation.

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14 Jun

Hurdle: Don

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday, June 14th, 2012 – 3:51 pm

The Pittsburgh Pirates are right on track where they were last year at this time with being in contention. Let me repeat that: the terrible hitting Pirates are still somehow in contention for a not just a wild card spot, but also the division crown, despite having a team batting average of .225. That is the second worse in all of baseball with Oakland right behind the Pirates hitting just .222 as a team.
The only reason why the Pirates are still in it and sit three games over .500 is because of their pitching. The Pirates have a team ERA of 3.38. That is fourth best in all of baseball, not just in the National League. That is an amazing stat and very impressive for the team.
With that being said, the Pirates were in the same position last season. The team finished with a team batting average of .244. So they did hit better last year. But the pitching faltered and tired towards the end. In the first half, the Pirates had a team ERA of 3.44, almost exactly the same as this year. In the second half of last season, they had a team ERA of 4.78. The pitching staff was giving up over a run more a game after the All-Star Break.
This year it looks like history is going to repeat itself so this is my message to Clint Hurdle: do not let history repeat itself. Learn from it and change it. The club has a team ERA of 4.03 in the month of June. Kevin Correia and Brad Lincoln both got rocked in their last starts. Charlie Morton and Jeff Karstens are both on the DL. James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and Erik Bedard are carrying the load right now, but how much longer can they do it before they get tired?
So the solution to this problem: start using a six-man rotation. It is time to go against the unofficial rules and use six instead of five. It will help save everyone's arms and keep the whole staff fresh.
Now the next question is who do you use in the rotation? The first three spots are no-brainers with those being occupied by James McDonald, A.J. Burnett, and Erik Bedard. Now the last three are not as easy. I say the number four spot goes to Jeff Karstens when he is healthy, which he is close. He was consistent last year with getting people out and why not give him the chance to have a repeat performance. The fifth spot should go to Kevin Correia/Brad Lincoln. Whichever one is pitching better at time of implementing the six-man rotation gets the nod and loser becomes a long reliever. The final spot goes to Rudy Owens who is pitching lights-out in Triple-A Indianapolis. So Clint, it is time foryou to start using a six-man rotation if you want to save this season. If the pitching staff gets tired, you can forget about the season because the hitting will definitely not save this team.

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