Pittsburgh Lumber Co.

In an article published on November 20, Rich Lederer of BaseballAnalysts.com mentioned that Jason Bay’s “power has been gradually drifting from left toward right field over the past couple of years.” He provided Bay’s hit chart at PNC Park in 2007 to support this idea. This interested me, so I decided to dig deeper [...]

Continuing with a look back on some forgotten or semi-forgotten Buccos…
This time, the topic is Ken Brett. It was four years ago last week than Kemer succumbed to brain cancer. I heard his name mentioned in conversation the previous month when I dined with some new co-workers. The spouse of my boss’ boss is an [...]

The “Million Dollar Infield” wasn’t worth a thousand bucks, at least as far as a salary for playing baseball. The book is the brainchild of Gerry McCauley who went to Spring Training in Bradenton in 1973 with five of his friends and acquaintances. You could say that this was the birth of the Fantasy Camp. [...]

On Tuesday, the Pirates designated Josh Phelps for assignment in order to make room on the 40-man roster. This move came as a surprise to me, as he enjoyed staggering success in a limited role with the team in 2007. After struggling with the Yankees early in the season, Phelps took off after [...]

The Pirates announced the hiring of three coaches today. Gary Varsho will be the new bench coach, Tony Beasley will man the third base coaching box and Luis Dorante will be the team’s bullpen coach.
Varsho had a 383-319 record manging in the Seattle and Philadelphia organizations from 1997-2001. He was the Phillies’ bench [...]

1st Round – Andrew McCutchen OF
McCutchen is the top prospect in the Pirates’ organization, the crown jewel of a bleak minor league system. Just over a month removed from his 21st birthday, he has the tools to be a very good Major League player. McCutchen was good in 2005 and 2006, jumping four [...]

The Pirates have a barren minor league system, mostly devoid of impact talent. The Major League team has won less than 70 games in three consecutive seasons. The majority of the team’s offense is made up of average players in their prime who will be eligible for free agency in two or three [...]

It is far too early to make any final judgments, but let us revisit some of the players that the Pirates drafted in June 2006.
1st Round – Brad Lincoln RHP
Lincoln, being the team’s first round draft choice, naturally received the most media coverage of any player selected in the 2006 draft. After the fourth [...]

The Buccos were in it in 1982. They didn’t win it, but they played meaningful games in September – something that the club has failed to do in recent times. And as Willie Stargell once said, “I love September, especially when we are in it.” Pops retired following 1982. With a strong offense (2nd in [...]