Pirates Player and Pitcher of Spring Training Awards

The Pittsburgh Pirates announce the winners of the Pirates Player and Pitcher of Spring Training Awards. It was managements idea to recognize outstanding contributions made to the team during Spring Training. It was thought that adding an awards ceremony would liven up a dull and otherwise boring time of the year. To be eligible for the Pirates Player and Pitcher of Spring Training Awards-a player has to be a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Failure to be a member is grounds for instant disqualification. So, without further adieu, here is your award winners!
The Pirates Player of Spring Training Award winner is:
Benji Martinez-Benji hit .417 this spring and flashed the leather that won him the gold glove in season 8.
Honorable mentions for this award go out to:
Carlos Lind-Carlos hit .412this Spring and forced Benji Martinez to pick his game up.
Garry Bennett-Gary hit .412 this Spring and continues to let everybody know he wants to be in the show.

The Pirates Pitcher of Spring Training Award winner is:
Tim Loewer-Tim didn't allow an earned run in 13 innings of work. Pirates Management is happy have him in their organization.
Honorable mentions for this award go out to:
Kent Heredia-Kent had a 0.90 ERA this spring, as he prepares to do battle for the Pirates.
Keith Sullivan-Keith had a 3.27 ERA this spring. Both him and Tim Loewer have quite the friendly rivalry going, as they each try to out duel each other, on the mound.

Congratulation's to the winners of the Pirates Player and Pitcher of Spring Training Awards. In other news the Pirates announced today that they have completed a trade with Detroit. Going to Detroit: Willie Machado and Theodore White in exchange for: Jimmie Torres. While it was tough to send fan favorite Machado and up and comer White, management felt they had no choice but to pull the trigger and acquire Torres. Torres will begin season 9 in AA as a SP. It's hoped that he will progress quickly and challenge for a ML job in Season 11.
Stay tuned for more exciting news from the Pittsburgh Pirates, as the season rolls along.

Reds season preview

The Reds go into season 9 still with hope of finding the playoff success that has so far eluded them. After finishing 2nd in the division a game behind the ever improving Cubs for the first time since Reds fans can recall GM erff has taken much needed steps to insure that does not happen again.

Most of the team is still intact though a few moves were made. Most notable were a few trades the GM made. Tommie Jefferies was traded in a move that surprised some Reds fans though with Roger Merrick poised to take over fulltime duties in right field the move makes sense. In return the Reds recieved a couple of highly touted pitched prospects in Victor Chavez and youngster Rob Holzemer. Also included was Raymond Hughes who will likely be used as a reserve outfielder with the big club. Also after unsuccessfully trying to move Max Warden a year ago the Reds were able to ship the inconsistent veteran back to Milwaukee for Ricardo Cela who like Hughes looks to be an outfield reserve when needed.

In a move that won't affect the big club this year the Reds were also able to aquire future frontline starter Ismael Azocar from Tampa Bay for budding stars Francisco Leon and Shane Canseco. Fransisco and Shane were both excited to go to a club where they can finally get some Major League service time as that didn't look likely in Cincinnati. The Reds are very excited about Ismael's future with the club and one scout even refered to him as Yamil Jr.

Reds Starting Line-up:

Catcher - Chris Duran is back as the #1 catcher though his durability will allow William Hernandez to call several games throughout the course of the year too.

1B - William Hernandez starts his 2nd year as a first baseman after catching most of his career. His bat is way too good to be a platoon player and William has adjusted nicely at first base. the Reds expect allstar numbers from him yet again.

2b - Tony Torrealba reurns at second base after inking a nice contract extension. Many fans are disappointed with Tony's defense but what the boy can do with the bat more than makes up for it according to most.

3b - Carlos Santiago is coming off of an off year but Reds fans expect him to rebound back to his near 1.000 ops numbers this year.

SS - Juan Barajas is still holding down the starting shortstop job for now but many fans would like to see Julio Uribe get a shot to see what he could do there. Juan had a respectable rookie season for the Reds and his defense is a breath of fresh air considering the Reds sub-par defense of late but it's tempting to add Julio's bat to the line-up on a daily basis. Julio will likely get starts all over the diamond for the Reds in a utility role though so he'll have his chance to make an impact.

LF - ever an MVP candidate Omar Nixon will be in left for his 2nd year in a row. He seems to have adjusted well to the new position and will undoubtably be a threat at the plate once again

CF - rookie Miguel Rodrigo looks to start the year in center but if he falters as he did last september Julio, Hughes and Cela are all waiting for a shot. Miguel has always put up sick numbers in the minors and the Reds expect nothing less from him now.

RF - the afore mentioned Roger Merrick finally gets his shot to be an everyday player and though his bat hasn't seemed to quite come alive yet the Reds belive that this is the year.

Also returning this year is Reds veteran Emmanuel Nieves, always a fan favorite who will likely see a lot of time in a pinch hit role and possibly some 1st base starts when William is catching. Kyle Sewell is also back with a healthy raise in arbitration and looks to be used in mostly a utility role this year. With last seasons aquisition of Julio Uribe rumors had it that Kyle was on the move but so far attempts to move him have failed.


Pitching:

1. Yamil Pulido - what needs to be said about Yamil?
2. Mel Wagner - Mel's option was picked up. This may be his last year as a Red however.
3. Midre Davis - not one to ever throw a complet game the Reds would like to get as many innings out of Midre as they can. With as potent of a bullpen as they have they are not worried about him only going 5 or 6 innings a start.
#4 and #5. Harry Owen and Bruce Kinney are penciled in as of now but if they show inconsistencies like they have in the past there are a couple of long relievers and triple A guys itching to get a chance.

Long Relief - Wayne Mays, Gabe Lee and Charles Kinney are all back this year. Charles will be in his first year in a relief role after spending his career as a starter (and winning a Cy Young as well) but the Reds still believe he can start if need be. So much so they brought the old vet back for 2 more years.

Set-up - Jaime Phillips returns coming off of an exceptional year. Youngster Tom Waters is also back and after dealing Max the Reds signed Gary West to replace him. Gary doesn't look to pitch much and will be used mostly against lefties anyhow. Even Max only logged 17 innings last year.

Closer - Mitchell Ray returns looking for more fireman trophies for his mantle.



To sum it up... the Reds are looking to win and win it all....finally.

Season 9-The future is bright in Pittsburgh

Season 9 will be a season of patience and hope for the future. Pirate Management will be counting on the continued improvement from the young prospects in the minors. They will be counting on their scouts to find the brightest prospects for the draft and unearthing some key international free agents. Season 9 began with the Dover Stangs looking for a new home. After wearing out their welcome in Dover, they found a home in Pittsburgh as the fans welcomed these homeless Stangs as their own. Other than that it has been a quiet off-season. A minor trade was made with the Old Pirates as Ozzie Chang was dispatched for promising prospect Ron Hudson . Here is the tentatively scheduled lineup for season 9. I say tentatively as Management has a history of not seeing a trade they don't like.
C-Raymond Strong -should be a big year for this guy, hoping for 135 games out of this potential all star. Career Minor leaguer Tony Castilla will be the backup.
1B-Willie Lopez. When fan favourite Willie Machado was traded to Detroit this spring, there was hole at 1B. Lopez was claimed off the waiver wire to fill that hole, after he was released by the Yankees. He will have a lot RBI opportunites hitting in the 5 hole, behind Rushford.
2B-Benji Martinez-a pleasant surprise from season 8. Gold Glover winner. He was also in the running for rookie of the year.
SS-Matt Wise-picked up from Milwaukee last season for Matt Carroll. Good glove if Wise can hit a bit, it will be a bonus. Jackson Sewell another waiver wire pickup from last season, will back up. He also will see some time in the OF and 2B.
3B-Tommy Johnson-free agent signing, will hit against righties. Josias Flores will see time at third against lefties and be a backup in the OF.
LF-Don Riske-Rule 5 pick Season 8-he will be given the chance to play LF and be the leadoff hitter. His on base percentage will have to improve this season if he expects to stay in the starting lineup.
CF-Doug Strong-takes over in CF this season. Season 9 could be an up and down year for Strong, but Management is a big supporter of his.
RF-Paul Rushford-Rule 5 pick from Season 7. Player of the week, All star team and he was in the running for the MVP of the league in Season 8, until a late slump knocked him out of the running. Barry Leach -Rule 5 pick Season 9 will see some time in the OF and 1B. Todd Darnell might get called up to fill out the bench.
SP-Kent Heredia,Jared Hampton ,Ryan Stargell ,Pablo Montanez ,Gregg Duncan ,
Mopup/Spot Starter/Long Relief-Miguel Gomez
Setup-Victor Aguilera,Pasqual Guardado ,Charlie Smith , Jimmie Sardinha,
Closer-Andres Coronado with Guardado helping out when needed

Management is still undecided on the 25th roster position. Maybe it will be a waiver wire pick. Management predicts it will be a tough season 9 in the NL North. Cincy and Chi look tough. With i suspect, a much improved Milwaukee team battling for the only wild card spot available. Chi or Cincy will get the division with the other winning the first wildcard. This leaves a pile of teams fighting for the last wildcard spot. Management feels they don't have the SP yet to contend for this last wildcard spot and as such they will be in discussions and on the look out for another SP to add, someone like Kent Heredia with better splits. Stay tuned and watch for exciting developments from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

How I Handle Spring Training

This season was a little different for Spring Training as it had been in the past. For one I started three games on the road. What has that got to do with anything right? A lot when you are moving into a new stadium and want to see how your starters are going to react. So the position starters were for the most part held back after the first game. So now we are into the 8th game and my starters are pretty much done with spring training, just some of the bench players and minor league players is all that is left.

The pitching staff is a bit up in the air yet, but the starting staff has almost worked its way out and most of the pen is getting up to form. Chance are the Indians will be losing quite a few games from here on out as the minors will be taking over for the most part.

Kansas City Royals Preview

The Royals head into their 5th season under GM knucklebones and their 2nd in new home Kansas City. The city is buzzing with the new additions to the team and are unified by the total lack of respect given by the league, including their own GM, who also did not vote for them in the polls.

The Royals do expect to make the playoffs in spite of no votes. I think its clear to everyone the Slobs are a favorite to repeat and San Diego, Arizona won't be pushovers either. That being said Gm knucklebones thinks the pieces are here for a run at the playoffs which is according to plan.


New additions to the team are Sidney Kotsay,Oswaldo Fernandez,Louie Rodriguez,Aramis Figureoa, & Al Uribe, aquired through free agency and Dallas Payton,Hector Campbell, Tuck Buck, & Miguel Owen aquired via trades. Ralph Harvey,Travis Borkowski,Fernando Gonzalez, & Ozzie Biddle were also aquired in the Rule 5. The major losses for the team Include Hume, Ontiveros, & Wood in the Tuck Buck trade, and also a couple of prospect pitchers to aquire Campbell & Payton. If nothing else the offense will provide fireworks and Tuck Buck will provide season long fodder for the chat board. Here are your Season 9 Royals:

Catchers - Hector Campbell will start, provide excellent defense and pitch selection while swinging a decent bat. The Royals will use long time NY'er Aramis Figureoa as a backup and he should provide a decent bat and pitch calling when needed.

Firstbase - Art Peters will start against righties and Thomas Schmidt against lefties. The tandem should combine for an all star like .300 avg 35+ hrs & 100 Rbis/Rs.

Secondbase - Spud Hoyt will no doubt man 2b for seasons to come. He came into his own last season as the lone All Star representive for the Royals. They expect more of the same and more this season as he comes into his prime years. Hoyt is also the team Captain.

Thirdbase - Future starting SS and Rookie of the year candidate Charlie Stone will man the hot corner and move over to SS for probably his career next season. The Royals are counting on big things out of Stone.

Shortstop - The Royals signed FA Oswaldo Fernandez to play shortstop this season. Hes an excellent on base guy and could get 40 or 50 steals to go with 100 Rs, while providing a better than average glove at the position.

Leftfielder - Long sought for Dallas Payton finally landed in KC after numerous trade offers over the last couple of seasons. Payton is an MVP candidate and will provide the monster middle of the lineup bat the Royals were always missing. Barring injury theres no question he'll be in the running for MVP once again.

Centerfield - Big FA signee Sidney Kotsay will patrol centerfield for the Royals and should provide All star numbers at the position.

Rightfield - This was a toss up, but we're giving the edge and the starting job to Charles Kashmir. If he maintains his normal production he should provide consistency and pop at the postition and may even be in the running for an All Star spot.

DH - John Bang is the full time DH and possibly a future Hall of Famer. The Royals like the solid numbers he puts up and would like to see him retire in a Royals uniform.

Starting Pitching - Marcus Wood, Tuck Buck,Rico Dali, & Victor Guzman should be a solid if unspectacular Rotation. The Royals are expecting 10 wins plus out of all of them with sub 5.00 eras.

Bullpen - The pen will be anchored by vet Bill Roth coming off a solid season 8, & the Closer will be Miguel Owen. A gang of guys will fight for the middle inning spots and two of the following will probably be let go sometime during the season - Ozzie Biddle,Fernando Gonzalez,Orlando Delgado,Frank Kim,Carlos Armas,Travis Borkowski, & ,Ralph Harvey.

Significant bench guys Al Uribe & Louie Rodriguez should provide great insurance and rest for the starters.

The Royals expect to be one of the top offenses in the league and have solid, veteran, pitching. Anything short of the wild card would be a huge disappointment for gm knucklebones & the Royals.

Prediction - 2nd place/wildcard

Multiple Spouses Preview

The Multiple Spouses look to repeat as division champions.
The key additions were Catcher Don lee and pithcewr Clay Grifffith, both of whom were signed as free agents.
Key losses were pitchers JT Witt, the dissapointing Howard Barkley and Erubiel Beltre. Also released were highly overpaid 1B Jeffrey Abbott and catcher Tom Norton.

Here's the preview:
Free agent signee Don lee will see the mojority of time at catcher. The Spouses look for him to match his career averages of .327/.398/.526

The departed Jeffrey Abbott will be replaced by John Prinz. Prinz is a very similar player to Abbott but his salary is about 5% of what Abbott's was.

Yamid Maranon should duplicate his numbers of .283/.361/.440 from last season and play a dependable 2b

Shortstop Wes Kelly looks for a repeat of last season. he shouild hit over .300 with 20 - 30 stolen bases

Third base will be split between Hayes Casarone and Fred Wilson unless one of them shows he deserves the job right off the bat.

Team leader Patsy Wheeler mans LF and another .336/.416/.618 season would make the Spouses happy.

Returning MVP and gold glove CFer Jeff Brooks is looking to improve on his batting average and stolen bases from last season

RFer Zephyr Roosevelt got off to a very slow start last season but finished with very respectable .315/.406/.539 numbers. He's in his contract year so he's looking to improve on all those numbers for a large payday next year.

The starting pitching is dependable, with no "aces". AJ Davis, Vic Rogers, Justin Sadler and Clay Griffith can all eat a lot of innings and keep the team in most games. Late season callup Samuel martin performed very well in his short stay last season and will be given every chance to earn a starting job this season.

The bullpen is probably one of the strongest in the league. Long relievers Peter Thomas, Brian Baker and Stephen O'Brien are all durable and dependable. Setup men Rigo Piniero and Earl Miller will handle the 7th and 8th inning before giving way to Jorge Owen who was spectacular last season with 53 saves and a WHIP under 1.00

Pork N Beans Season Preview

The Pork N Beans hope this is the season they go from being better than average to one of the leagues elite joining the likes of the Cubs, Slobs, Deuce Droppers, and Brewers. The PnBs do have 5 straight division titles and 1 NL title, but anything less than a World Series title is an absolute failure in the eyes of the owner. This season the PnBs hope to get off to a better start than the 2 previous seasons. Over the last 2 seasons the team was under the .500 mark at the mid-point of the season.

C - Max Lima and Vince Fyhrie - Lima is the starting catcher. His defense and pitch calling are relatively weak, but he is monster at the plate. The 23 yr old crushed the ball last season with 43 HRs, and 98 RBIs. Fyhrie is a very capable backup.

1B - Zoltan Mercedes and Junior Bocachica - Zoltan is the starter. Junior will rest Zoltan and should see some time in LF. Both of these guys are solid at the plate. Zoltan hit 29 HRs and 83 RBIs last season. At only 26 years of age he just now hitting his prime. In a part time role last season Junior smacked 23 HRs and had 71 RBIs.

2B - Shawon Walters and Raymond Neal - Walters was brought in this season to be the PnBs new lead off hitter. He is solid at the plate and should be good for 20+ steals. Neal is the future for the PnBs at 2nd and will be ready to go if Walters fails in his role.

3B - Slash Kroeger and Harry Delgado - Slash should get the bulk of the starts at 3rd this season. Last season he managed 23 HRs and 59 RBIs in only 378 ABs. His biggest weakness is defense. Delgado is a solid vet who has over 350 HRs in his 8 season career.

SS - Vernon Rooney - Couldn't ask for much more at short. Solid at the plate, and a solid glove. He is only 24 so he is just now entering his prime.

RF - David Guardado - Guardado should be a big part of this team for many seasons to come. In his 2nd full season he managed an impressive 38 HRs, 118 RBIs, 24 SBs and 109 Runs. Junior should also see some time in LF.

CF - Pedro Fernandez and David Colin - This is going to be a true platoon with Colin starting against left handed pitchers and Fernandez starting against right handed pitchers. Both are solid at the plate. They are very similar players, but Colin has a little more power and Fernandez has a little more speed.

RF - Maximo Starr - RF has tentatively been handed to Maximo. Last season he managed 30 HRs in only 323 ABs. It should be interesting to see what he can do as a full time starter. Delgado should also see some playing time in RF.

SP1 - Bubba Rose - Rose isn't nearly at the level of some the top starters in the NL, but he is solid. Hopefully this season his era will drop below 4.

SP2 - Cookie Almanza - Last seasons #5 moves up to #2. The veteran pitcher performed well over the 2nd half of last season. Hopefully this season he can perform well over the whole season.

SP3 - Michael Ming - Last season Ming was pathetic early on, but did improve as the season progressed. Hopefully this season will see big improvements in his performance.

SP4 - Gary Wyatt - Wyatt was really inconsistent last season. At times he was dominant, and other times he was horrible. He is still young so he should improve.

Closer - Dan Stearns - Last season the PnBs blew way too many saves, so it makes no sense to hand over the closer role to one of your worst relievers. Well this is exactly what the PnBs are doing. Stearns was an absolute failure as the PnBs closer last season. If he struggles this season expect to see Willard Farley take over as the PnBs closer.