I think I'm gonna make a new thread once I get to the 2008 season seeing as this one is extremely cluttered.
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I think I'm gonna make a new thread once I get to the 2008 season seeing as this one is extremely cluttered.
http://byrnesblog.mlblogs.com/down_t...an_walshap.jpg
Brandon Webb has become a Pirate in a 7-player deal
July Review
Season Record 48-57
Month Record 9-17
Injuries
Russell Branyan will be out for the rest of the season with a broken wrist. It's gonna be hard without him he is our current HR leader with 14. Rob Mackowiak will take his place at 3rd and Nate McClouth will take RF.
Contracts
Freddy Sanchez got a new contract for 4 million a year through 2010, including a no-trade clause. Freddy has been insane this year with a .334 BA so we needed to lock him up. Freddy is gonna be a player we build around in the future.
Trades
HUGE trade for us at the deadline! Well we needed a true ace in our #1 spot in the rotation, and he had to be a RHP. So we got Brandon Webb. Yes, THE Brandon Webb to be our ace. We did have to give up A LOT of our future for him but it will be worth it. We gave up prospects, Tom Gorzelanny 75/93, Sean Burnett 72/92, Jose Castillo 74/83, Ray Sadler 73/81, Chris Duffy 73/79, and J.R. House 69/72. We just had WAY too many LHP in our rotation so it wasn't that hard to get rid of Gorzelanny and Burnett, and after locking up Sanchez it was pretty clear that we had no plans for Castillo and Duffy was rotting in AA. So now we finally have our ace, the former spot of Oliver Perez who just can't get wins this season. and Webb is 8-5 with a 3.73 ERA so he can get the job done. In the offseason we might need to get another RHP in the rotation or stick Snell in there as there is still more LHP than RHP.
August Review
Season Record 58-76
Month Record 10-19
Contracts
Brandon Webb got a new contract through 2011 for 4 mil. a year to be our future ace. Webb is 10-7 with a 3.46 ERA this season.
Team Notes
- Jason Bay was out for most of the month with a spiked achilles tendon, and has had an injury plagued season.
- Juan Pierre is the league leader in stolen bases with 69
- Top Prospect Kendry Morales 68/85 will be out for a while. Hopefully it won't hamper his development.
- Ian Snell has been struggling in his spot starts, with a 7.85 ERA.
- Matt Capps has meshed well into the setup spot, and is now rated 80/95.
- Our cash now stands at 54 million dollars, just 46 to go.
Season Review
Season Record 75-87 4th Place
September Record 16-10
Team Leaders
ERA: Brandon Webb 3.56
Wins: Joaquin Benoit 13
Saves: Mike Gonzalez 39
AVG: Freddy Sanchez .320
HR: John Olerud 15
SB: Juan Pierre 79 (League Leader)
RBI: Freddy Sanchez 95
OBP: Jason Bay .425
Strikeouts: Oliver Perez 226 (2nd in MLB)
Team Notes
Well, the 2005 is over and it was a rough year to say the least but we have set ourselves up for a good future, with franchise players like Jason Bay, Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Brandon Webb, Mike Gonzalez, and Matt Capps.
John Olerud had a great season this year leading the team in HR's, but he will most likely be released and replaced by ether Brad Eldred 87/95, or Kendry Morales 65/82. It was originally planned for Morales to take his place but he hasn't developed as planned and Elderd has come out of NOWHERE and become a very solid player.
Our power has been our weakest part of our team this year as our top 3 power hitters, Russell Branyan, Jason Bay, and Rob Mackowiak have all been injury plagued and our team leader was John Olerud. I might look into free agency for a big stick but I will most likely stick to what I got.
We had a huge improvement in pitching this year with a team ERA of 4.39 but our only problem is too many lefties in our rotation AND bullpen with 6 lefties and 5 righties. I might look into dealing Zack Duke and signing a right handed starter, but if not will definitely grab a right handed reliever.
One of or draft picks this year Alejandro Mushibay a left handed reliever will most likely start in the bullpen next year. He has a rating of 73/88 and a 94 MPH fastball and looks to be our top middle reliever for years to come, as Capps is our future set-up man, and Gonzalez our future closer.
Off Season Review
Awards
Contracts
Jack Wilson-NL Gold Glove (2)
Brandon Webb-NL Gold Glove (1)
Juan Pierre-NL Stolen Base Leader (79)
John Olerud-Released
Humberto Cota-Released
Signings
Jorge Sosa (82) was signed to a 2 year deal at 2 mil. a year to be that right handed reliever that we needed in the bullpen.
Big Signings
Barry Bonds went back to San Fran after spending a few weeks as a free agent.
Hank Blalock went to Detroit.
Joe Crede went to Boston to try to end the curse of te Bambino.
Miguel Cabrera went to Kansas City to be there franchise player.
Rocco Baldelli went to the Mets.
Do you guys like the new format? I'll post the 2006 season preview a little later, and I have some bad news to start off the season :(
Seems good. Although, a piece of advice, whenever you make a significant trade/signing/etc. (IE the Brandon Webb one), write a completely independent article devoted simply to breaking down the trade and what have you. I wouldn't write an independent article if you sign Joe Schmoe (73) out of the FA pool, but its pretty easy to tell what does and does not deserve it.
Like the format. IMO, it's much better than the slew of box scores you posted for your first season! :D
However, what is the ultimate goal of this franchise? I know that you said the Pirates are moving to Portland, but are you trying to sabotage the team or just move them to better the franchise.?
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to start a new thread for the 2008 season and I'm gonna make sure the presentation is as good as possible. And for the 2008 season there is going to be A LOT of detail as I'm going to take it game by game.Quote:
Originally Posted by YEAH DAAAAWG
I'm trying to build the team up so we can make a serious run for the WS in the 2008 season, but I wanna make sure I have enough money to build a nice stadium because I want to turn this team into the Yankees/Red Sox/Mets type of team.Quote:
Originally Posted by PotatoOfCouch13
Sanchez Out For 4 Months After Spring Training Injury
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Well this is a real tough pill to swallow. Freddy Sanchez will be out for at least 110 days with a broken fibula. Freddy's our best hitter and a very good defensive second baseman, but the thing that really hurts us is the fact that we don't really have a replacement for him. The best guy we have is Bobby Hill who will take over until we can find a possible replacement. I'm thinking about going to the trading block but I don't think Freddy's going to be out long enough for me to do that, and there's absolutely no one fit for the spot in free agency except Pokey Reese and he just won't fit. After this I went and put a whole buttload of money into my medical staff and took a bunch out of my farm seeing as I don't have many prospects left.
Ouch.Quote:
Originally Posted by dannymac910
2006 Season Preview
After a disappointing season last year we are looking to make the playoffs this year. I really felt we had a chance last year but injuries hampered us all year long. This year our younger players improved and were looking to make a big impact this year. Hopefully our power numbers can go up seeing as our team leader last year was a 37 year old with 15 home runs. And now with Webb I feel we can win 10 more just because of his impact.
Line-up
1. Juan Pierre 87/90 CF
Juan has led the league in stolen bases for the past 2 years, once with the Pirates. Although his OBP is a bit low for a lead-off hitter and only had 25 extra base hits all last season. The upside is every time he hits a single it turns into an extra base with his stealing ability. Juan and Freddy Sanchez were the perfect couple with Sanchez's high average which led to his 95 RBI's.
2. Kendry Morales 69/85 1B
After Much debate on weather to start Morales or Eldred I decided to put in Morales. Although Eldred had better ratings, Morales' minor league stats were incredible hitting .350 in the past 2 seasons in AAA and after a spring where he hit .400 I knew that I had to start him. Kendry has a very good eye and can hit so he will fit well in the #2 spot.
3. Jack Wilson 85 SS
Winning his 2nd Gold Glove and 2nd All-Star Game in a row Wilson has to take over the #3 spot that was occupied by Sanchez until his injury. Wilson has batted well the past 2 years with a .292 average in both years. He doesn't have a lot of power so that should give Bay and Branyan a chance to knock in most of the runs.
4. Jason Bay 90/93 LF
After an extremely injury plagued 2005 in which Bay only played 64 games, Jason looks to come back with a big season in the cleanup spot. In those 64 games Bay had an OBP of .425 I feel it's the perfect spot as it will give a chance for Branyan to hit his homers and get a whole bunch of RBI's at the same time.5. Russell Branyan 80 3B
After a disappointing season in which he hit only 14 homers and was injured most of the season, Branyan looks to return to his 2004 form in which he hit 44 home runs. Branyan's not a very good defensive player, more of a DH but I'll keep him for when we move to the AL west and stick him there.
6. Rob Mackowiak 84 RF
The third player in a row that had a season in which he was all banged up. Rob needs to become the power hitter he was in 2004. Rob is a utility player and if Branyan goes down we can move him to 3B and stick McClouth in RF. Another thing to notice is Mackowiak is a better fielder than Branyan so it will work out if Branyan goes down which is inevitable.
7. Ronny Paulino 81/82 C
Paulino had an impressive start to his rookie season last year but came back to reality and ended the season with a .240 average and a .301 OBP. Paulino is a great defensive catcher with a great arm and great handling. Hopefully Paulino can hit a little bit better than last year.
8. Bobby Hill 76/77 2B
Well Hill's all I really have to replace Sanchez, so here goes nothing. Hill has a pretty good eye and doesn't hit that bad so it can't hurt that bad to have him in the 8 spot. He's a great fielder so he won't be a liability at 2B. Hopefully he can play well so I won't have to dip into the trading block for a solution.
Ready to Come Up
Brad Eldred 77/88 1B
If Morales fails the first half of the season then Eldred will come up and replace him. He batted .290 last year in the 94 games he played so it won't be that hard to stick him in there.
Starting Rotation
1. Brandon Webb 92
Our big ace pitcher that we got in the middle of the year is going to get his first full season as a Pirate. Webb had a great ERA of about 3.50 and 161 strikeouts. Hopefully he can be a 20 game winner and lead the team to it's first postseason in a while. He's our first big game pitcher we've had so it should be fun to watch him work this year.
2. Oliver Perez 90/93
Our big strikeout pitcher. Perez was our ace for half of last year but proved he couldn't take on other big game pitchers as it seemed he couldn't win any games last year. He was the MLB leader in strikeouts in 2004 and 2nd to Mark Prior in 2005.
3. Joaquin Benoit 82
Benoit pitched great last year since being converted from the bullpen to a starter and is one of our few RHP. Winning 13 games with an ERA of 3.97. Fans have given Benoit the nickname "Wolverine" for his aggressive style of pitching. Benoit's fastball is still being clocked at 94 MPH and is one of his best weapons.
4. Paul Maholm 87/89
Maholm pitched well in his rookie season with an ERA around 4 and is looking to improve greatly this season. Maholm says his main goal is to win 15 games this season and move up in the rotation. Maholm has a nice repertoire of 4 pitches and know how to use them to strikeout batters. Maholm is one of the 3 lefties in the rotation.
5. Zack Duke 85
Duke had a very solid season in 2005 and went 11-10 with a 4.28 ERA. His only problem is being a lefty. If he underachieves be the trade deadline he will most likely be traded to put Snell into the rotation.
Ready to Come Up
Ian Snell 82/85
Our only prospect pitcher ready to come up to the show may replace Duke to give the righties an advantage. Snell had a lackluster season last year but has improved for the new season and his main goal is to make the rotation.
April 2006 Review
Season Record 14-8
April Record 14-8
Injuries
Jason Bay went out for a week, but it was no big deal so hopefully he can stay healthy.Team Notes
Russell Branyan went out for 12 days with a pulled groin. Branyan has gotten off to a good start with 4 homers. Maybe he can have another 40 HR season.
Our 2005 6th round pick Nick Popp will be out for a month. Nick has developed more than I thought he would and he might earn the long reliever spot in the future.
- Juan Pierre is hitting .454 yes I said .454!! He also has 22 stolen bases and is in a contract year. Maybe a nice fat extension is coming Juan's way? We'll anyway we really need him to keep this up, but of course we can't expect him to hit .400 all year we do need him to have a .400 OBP.
- Paul Maholm has gotten off to a hot start going 3-0 with a 1.74 ERA. Maholm had a great year last year so I'm hoping he can rise up and become a team leader.
- Webb has had an average April with a 2-2 record and an ERA in the 4's. Webb's been striking out guys so I think he can snap out of it and return to his Cy Young form.
- Kendry Morales has had a slow start to his career with a .233 average but his OBP is still in the .300's so I believe he can snap out of it.
Prospect Watch
May 3rd, 2006-Kendry Morales will be out for 33 days with a fractured eye bone. He was hit in the eye by a Jack Wilson throw to first, and Wilson is known to have a cannon at short. The rookie Morales has never been a good fielder at first and he proved it today when he completely missed a routine throw to first. Brad Eldred will replace him. Morales hasn't really had that great of a start in the league so this will be good for Eldred to have a chance to maybe earn a spot in the line-up.
Jason Bay Out for the Rest of May
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May 11th, 2006-Well we have another injury, a spiked achilles tendon, the same injury he had in august of 2005. Bay's been having a good year so hopefully he can bounce back quickly and return to the cleanup spot.
May 2006 Review
Season Record 25-26
May Record 11-18
Wow, what a rough month. Injury after injury and we end up finishing under .500, it was just rough. We just kept dropping game after game and Brandon Webb isn't being Brandon Webb. We'll just have to hope everyone comes back strong from their injuries and we can get over .500 again.
Injuries
Jason Bay (3)
J.J. Davis (6)
Jamin Urraca (11)
Kendry Marales (4)
Freddy Sanchez (49)
Oliver Perez (3)
Joaquin Benoit (14)
I think that's all.
Team Notes
- Juan Pierre is still hitting .400 and leading the league in average.
- Brandon Webb has been struggling with a 4-5 record and an ERA around 5.
- Brad Eldred hasn't played any better then Morales, so I'll put him back in when he's healthy.
- Zack Duke's having a great year in the 5 spot with 5 wins and a 3.41 ERA.
- Paul Maholm started this month off hot again but came back down to Earth.
- Matt Capps has been called down to AAA after giving up 4 losses and 2 blown saves.
Prospect Watch
2006 Amateur Draft Review
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Wow what a draft! there were some really good prospects in there and a couple of 100 peaks :eek: Yup and everyone we got in the draft had a peak over 80. I would say this is a very very successful draft.
June 2006 Review
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Another lackluster month as we got of to a REALLY bad start and ended up turning it around winning 7 straight in a row. Coming up soon is the trading deadline and I know I said I might think about trading Zack Duke but the way he's been playing that isn't going to happen. Some SERIOUS considerations for the trading block are, Russell Branyan as he just can't keep healthy and isn't hitting homers like he should, and Jorge Sosa who's just been a huge bust since giving him that 2 million dollar deal in the off season.
Injuries
Team Notes
Freddy Sanchez (19)
Paul Maholm (7)
- Juan Pierre's batting average has finaly dropped below .400 and now sits at .382
- Zack Duke has been great with a sub 4 ERA all while notching 8 wins.
- Yurendell DeCaster will get some time starting at first base seeing as h's been ripping up AAA and his ratings have jumped into the 80's
- Jason Bay got a new contract through 2010 at a little over 2 mil. a year.
2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh
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*Pirates All-Star-Juan Pierre
Home Run DerbyCode:2006 Home Run Showdown
FIRST ROUND (10 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
Albert Pujols (STL) 10
Andruw Jones (ATL) 9
Wily Mo Pena (CIN) 9
Eric Chavez (OAK) 9
Alex Rodriguez (NYY) 8
Manny Ramirez (BOS) 8
Lance Berkman (HOU) 8
Justin Morneau (MIN) 6
Shea Hillenbrand (ARI) 6
Jonny Gomes (TBD) 1
SECOND ROUND (5 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
Andruw Jones (ATL) 4
Albert Pujols (STL) 3
Wily Mo Pena (CIN) 2
Eric Chavez (OAK) 2
FINAL ROUND (5 Outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
Andruw Jones (ATL) 2
Albert Pujols (STL) 2
EXTRA INNINGS (3 outs)
PLAYER HOMERS
ANDRUW JONES 2
Albert Pujols 1
WINNER: Andruw Jones
All-Star Game
Code:American League All Stars at National League All Stars
July 12, 2006
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + R H E
All Stars (AL) 1 0 0 1 6 0 0 0 0 8 10 0
All Stars (NL) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 1
AMERICAN LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
A. Kennedy (2B) 5 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 .277
A. Rodriguez (SS) 5 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 .281
V. Wells (CF) 4 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 .341
M. Ramirez (LF) 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 .340
J. Morneau (1B) 4 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 .284
E. Chavez (3B) 4 2 0 2 2 4 1 0 .301
J. Gomes (RF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267
J. Lopez (C) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .282
P. Martinez (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
T. Hafner (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
M. Batista (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
G. Gross (P) 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .354
C. Young (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Ordonez (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .307
B. Colon (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
M. Tejada (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 .279
H. Street (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 37 10 1 8 2 8 7 0
2B: A. Kennedy, V. Wells
HR: E. Chavez 2
GIDP: J. Gomes
ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
P. Martinez 2.0 1 2 0 0 0 0 42 3.45
M. Batista 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 27 2.44
C. Young 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16 2.99
B. Colon 3.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 54 3.43
H. Street 1.0 3 0 0 0 0 0 25 0.98
TOTALS 9.0 7 2 0 0 0 3 164
NATIONAL LEAGUE ab h bb r hr bi k sb avg
J. Rollins (SS) 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .316
J. Kendall (C) 4 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 .328
A. Jones (CF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .270
A. Pujols (LF) 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .365
S. Rolen (3B) 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .321
G. Jenkins (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .298
J. Thome (1B) 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 .346
C. Beltran (RF) 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .307
J. Vidro (2B) 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .353
G. Maddux (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .150
L. Berkman (P) 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .285
G. Majewski (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
B. Myers (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .143
R. Clemens (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .129
T. Helton (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .327
J. Cruz (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A. Beltre (P) 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .287
O. Dotel (P) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
TOTALS 30 7 2 0 0 0 3 0
HBP: J. Rollins
GIDP: J. Thome, S. Rolen, A. Pujols
ip h bb hr r er k pit ERA
G. Maddux 3.0 3 0 0 1 1 3 43 2.44
G. Majewski 1.0 1 0 1 1 1 1 15 1.28
B. Myers 1.0 6 1 1 6 6 0 47 2.93
R. Clemens 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 13 5.27
J. Cruz 2.0 0 0 0 0 0 2 33 4.07
O. Dotel 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 1 10 2.13
TOTALS 9.0 10 1 2 8 8 7 161
WP: B. Colon
LP: G. Maddux
Temperature: 73F
Wind: Calm
Attendance: 43,000
Time: 3:31
Zack Duke's Magical Season is Over
http://www.pghsports.com/2006-Issues.../Zach_Duke.jpg
July 31st, 2006- "Well, it was a good season while it lasted." Said Duke in a press conference after announcing that he had a broken tibia and would be out for the rest of the season. Duke's season started with trade rumor because the team had too many lefties, but halfway through the year it was established the Duke was the best pitcher on the team notching 10 wins with a 3.88 ERA. Ian Snell will replace Duke in the rotation for the rest of the season.
This month was better than most but it was hampered by injury after injury, but Freddy Sanchez has returned and has been playing well. This was a very difficult month. I came close to reloading my last save because of all the injuries, and I did put a large amount of money into my medical staff but it hasn't done jack yet. If we can only stay healthy we can make it to the playoffs. We're 4 games under .500 and 10 games back of the lead. I really feel we can get hot and pull of a Colorado Rockies type season.
Injuries
Joaquin Benoit (7)
Oliver Perez (12)
Zack Duke (111)
Trading Deadline
We got rid of Russell Branyan and Reggie Willits and sent them to Oakland for a solid reliever in Ron Flores as our bullpen has just been giving up way too many games..
We also traded Rajai Davis, Jorge Sosa, and Yurendell DeCaster for another reliever Eddy Rodriguez. DeCaster came out of nowhere and was having a great year but I feel more comfortable with Morales at first.
The Yankees made an odd trade as they gave up Mariano Rivera and a slew of prospects for Danys Baez
Team Notes
- Brandon Webb is still very shaky as our ace with an ERA in the high 4's and a record of 7-7
- Juan Pierre is still the league leader in AVG .377 and SB 58
- Paul Maholm is still rolling along with an ERA of 3.25
- Freddy Sanchez is hitting .310 since returning from the DL
League News
Johnny Gomes looks like he might have a shot at breaking the single seasn HR record as he has 42 at August 1st.
Albert Pujols a Pirate in the Off Season?
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August 1st, 2006- Rumors have been swirling over Albert Pujols as it is the final year in his contract and Pittsburgh Pirates GM Danny McLaughlin has been talking to him about joining there division rivals in the off season. If Pujols does go to Pittsburgh it will give them a HUGE advantage in the NL central and turn the tables on the first place Cardinals. Pujols will likely play the outfield but might get some time at 3rd and 1st.
August 2006 Review
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Another month, another losing record, another injury. Yup that sums it all up and really don't know what to do at this point but we're definitely out of contention so I'm just gonna ride it out.
Injuries
Jack Wilson (17)
Ian Snell (14)
Zack Duke (80)
Team Notes
- Juan Pierre's batting aveage has fallen to .352 and is now 2nd in the league
- Brandon Webb has been getting hot and is one of the league leaders in strikeouts
- I have converted Ryan Doumit to right field to see how his arm is out there
- Albert Pujols signed a 5-year extension with the Cardinals. Looks like we won't have him.
- Shane Youman has pitched very well replacing Ian Snell in the rotation.
Prospect Watch
September 2006 Review
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A rough year is over, and it finishes with another losing season in third place. I'm just glad it wasn't a 90 loss season because we managed to sweep the Cardinals in the final three games of the seasons all with 89 losses.
Freddy Sanchez was injured again, this time for six months, although he will be back for the beginning of the 2007 season. Our big ace pitcher in Brandon Webb wasn't at all an ace as he couldn't even notch 10 wins. But all in all I think we're still taking a step in the right direction and I'm looking to make a BIG splash in free agency so stay tuned for that.
Team Notes
- Juan Pierre's average dipped a whole bunch dropping to .334
- Jason Bay finished with 31 home runs and also hit for the cycle in June
- Paul Maholm was our best pitcher all year 13-8 with a 3.28 ERA
- Juan Pierre led the league in stolen bases for the 3rd year in a row with 90
- Mike Gonzalez had 38 saves but 8 blown saves!
- Our first pick Thomas Miller ended up being a total bust and is now a 63/77 he didn't hit a single homer in AAA
- Ian Snell pitched 100 innings with an ERA of 6
- Oliver Perez's strikeout numbers went down but so did his ERA, and that's what we need
Twins Win 2006 World Series!
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Off Season Special
Re-Signings
- Juan Pierre signed a 3-year 10.25 million a year deal. After the way he hit there was no way I could let him go.
- Mike Gonzalez was awarded a 5 million dollar 1 year deal in arbitration
- Geoff Geary was awarded 2.9 million dollar 1 year deal in arbitration
Releases
- John Grabow was released
Trades
- Geoff Geary was traded to Kansas City for Angel Sanchez
And now for the big news!
- Mike Gonzalez and Rob Mackowiak were traded to the Devil Rays for MLB home run leader Jonny Gomes
That's right 53 home run hitter Jonny Gomes is coming to Pittsburgh and will be patrolling right field. The original trade was Gonzalez Gomes straight up but I mad the trade a little more fair by throwing in Mackowiak. It's was hard to give up Gonzalez but I don't think he was worth 5 mil. and it set up one of our big free agency moves. Gomes will add that big power to the #5 spot but I can't expect him to hit 50 again so I won't put him at cleanup.Free Agency
Well here's were things got interesting. With no 3rd baseman and about 10 million dollars open in my budget I decided to make a big splash and got Jimmy Rollins. The best player in free agency besides Manny Ramirez, Jimmy was signed for 6 years at 11 mil. a year. Jimmy will go right into the #2 spot in the lineup and will give us a nice power boost. Jimmy was also one of the league leaders in steals and with him and Pierre we should be the team with the most steals in 2007. Now you may be thinking. "We have Jack Wilson, a Gold Glove shortstop, what do we do with Rollins?" Well, that's a good question. What I wanted was a 3rd baseman and being disappointed with no real good ones out there I looked at Rollins and noticed that he had a great arm and could go into 3rd base with no problem (kinda like an A-Rod situation.) Well with Rollins, Wilson, and Sanchez in the infield it looks like the Pirates will have the best defense in the league.http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/663/rollinsug7.jpg
Welcome Jimmy Rollins to the lineup.
Now I bring you the second splash of the 2007 season. The reason I traded Mike Gonzalez wasn't because he wasn't worth it, but because there was a man in free agency. A legend, a Hall of Famer. That man was Mariano Rivera. We signed him to a 2 year 4.75 million dollar deal and the main reason I did this was to put Matt Capps into the set-up spot and after Mriano's contract is up I'll put Capps right into that closer spot. So now our team is complete and I used up all my budget to make sure we go at least over .500 and maybe make the playoffs.http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/3361/riveracx2.jpg
Also say hello to future Hall of Famer, Mariano Rivera.
Free Agent Signings
- Manny Ramirez went back to his home town and signed with the Mets 4 years 14.8 million dollars
- Jason Kendall went to the White Sox for 4 years 8.7 million
- Ichiro is now with the Tigers for 3 years 7.9 million dollars
- Pat Burell went to the Red Sox to replace Manny; 5 years 13.8 milion dolars
- Jeff Bagwell's with the Mariners; 2 years 4.3 million
- Brad Penny went to the World Champion Twins; 2 years 3.3 million
Updating in a little while...
i like the new format
Thanks, I saw the Red Sox today at Yankee Stadium and Jason Varitek, Josh Beckett, and Jonathan Papelbon walked right by. It was awesome.Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Sox Fan 734
Joaquin Benoit Out For 3 Months
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April 16, 2007- The season started very well for Joaquin Benoit, but that will come to a stop for three months after Benoit suffered a broken tibia after slipping on the mound Tuesday. Benoit had a 2-0 record in 2 starts so far this season notching 15 K's with a 1.29 ERA. The injury shouldn't hamper the Pirates too much as it give a chance for young starting pitcher Ian Snell and will move Shane Youman into the long relievers role. Ian Snell will get his first start of the season against the Brewers on the 21st.
April 2007 Review
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WOW! Wanna talk about a power surge? Or offense in the first half of April our offense went OFF! Jonny Gomes had 10 home runs in the first half only but got into a slump and finished the month with 10. Gomes is one of the league leaders in home runs and RBI's with 26 and also has a great team leading .325 average. If this keeps up Gomes could have a possible triple crown season and is also in a contract year so we might have to pay some big bucks come November.
Everyone on our team had a fantastic offensive start to the season but everyone cooled down come the end of the month as it seemed we couldn't win a single game. Juan Pierre and Jimmy Rollins are a perfect 1, 2 punch combo and Rollins haven't done that badly at third making only one error for the month. Jimmy has a nice .259/.357/.471 stat line with 2 dingers which is all we really need him to do all season. Get on base, steal, score. As simple as that.
Another thing I'd like to talk about is youngster Kendry Morales in his first full season at first base. He's been just great and has been better than I expected in the 8 spot. Hitting 4 homers in 21 games, when last year he hit 5 in 111 games. So far this season he has 10 RBI's and a .261/.354/.464 stat line. Morales really isn't the greatest first baseman but hasn't made an error all year so that's a good sign. I'm looking forward to following Kendry for the rest of the season and see what he can do, and if he struggles at first I'll stick him at DH next year when we move to Portland.
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Pittsburgh's Offensive Stats This Year
Our pitching has been solid this year as we haven't had a pitcher struggle yet as opposed to years past when players would have records 10 games below .500 and our rotation is full of great strikeout pitchers. Our bullpen has struggled a bit but Mariano has been good even if he's only pitched 3 innings. Mariano hasn't given up a run or a single hit and has 4 save in 3 IP. Paul Maholm is having another great April with a 3-0 record, a 2.55 ERA and 33 K's in 35.1 IP, and a .227 BAA.
Pirates Offensive Player of the Month
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Pirates Pitcher of the Month
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Really enjoying the dynasty, hopefully you'll get to the playoffs this year and get to the WS. I like the addition of Jonny Gomes and Jimmy Rollins, they should add some nice offense to your team.
Thanks man, I'm really liking the new format as its quiker and more fun to write.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheBigBomber
May 2007 Review
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May had more ups and downs than the Empire State Buildings elevator. It started off normal and then we hit a 5 game losing streak, but Freddy Sanchez came back and it one of his few bombs in his first game back. But currently no one on the team is hitting over .300 except Freddy Sanchez who's hitting .330 but I can deal with it considering the amount of homers we're hitting now. I never would've guessed big ball would be more effective than the small ball I tried to play in years past.
After all the trials and tribulations of the beginning of the month we got some real bad news. Our first round pick in 2005 Alejandro Mushibay suffered a torn rotator cuff and will be out until late next season. Mushibay was going to be our first draft pick to make it to the bigs as I was planning to call him up later this year. He was pitching well in AA with a sub 2 ERA and was looking to be a quintessential part of our big league bullpen. He will be missed but hopefully he can come back next year and overcome this injury, although it's doubtful.
Jason Bay is turning out to become a bigger home run hitter than Jonny Gomes. Bay has a National League leading 17 home runs with 47 RBI's. Well, since Bay is finally having a season with no injuries he has really flourished. I really think Bay can win the NL MVP this year and I'm close to naming him the team captain.
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Pittsburgh's Stats So Far
Pitching has come along very well and Paul Maholm has become our "guaranteed win" pitcher, but Oliver Perez has the team lead in wins with 5 and him and Brandon Webb have been striking out people all year long. Our only pitching problem is after Joaquin Benoit's injury we just can't seem to find a good replacement and Ian Snell has become a "guaranteed loss" pitcher with a 2-4 record and a 4.50 ERA. And Shane Youman has been HORRIBLE as a starter with a 8+ ERA, but we have no other pitchers ready in the minors so we're just gonna have to deal until Benoit gets back.
Mariano Rivera has settled very well into the closer position with 11 saves and only 1 blown save. Mariano has a sub 2.00 ERA and no injuries yet which is surprising considering his health is in the 50's. Hopefully he can last the entire year and maybe next year as Matt Capps makes his transition into closer.
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Pittsburgh's Pitching So Far
Pirates Pitcher of the Month
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June 2007 Review
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Another rough start to the month. We just kept going back and forth 3 losses here than 3 wins, 2 losses, 3 wins, etc. etc. But if it kept up like that then we'd be over .500 easily. And we were, we finished with a June record of 16-10 which put us 12 games over .500 and got put us snugly into 2nd place only 5 games back from the dangerous Houston hitters. Jason Bay just keeps heating up and has 24 homers and is 1 behind Manny Ramirez for the league lead. Manny's having a triple crown season which is making me regret not throwing massive loads of money at him but we just didn't ave the cash. Bay hasn't made a single error in left field which leaves me to believe that he might get that Gold Glove that has eluded him the past couple of years, but he has been out for a week with a twisted ankle but it won't hurt 'em that much.
Kendry Morales is having a fantastic season I mean he hasn't made a single error and last season he was a very poor defender so it surprised me. Kendry has become everything I hoped for he hits well but the most important thing is he gets on base, .372 OBP is just what I can ask for and add his 9 homers and he has become a real offensive threat. With Jack Wilson struggling at the number 6 spot I thought it was time to give Kendry a promotion and move him up. And now that I look back at that trade from 2004 it really makes me proud. All I had to give up was a couple of aging players and a prospect reliever and I got my future first baseman for years to come. It really worked out well.
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Pittsburgh's Offense Up To June
Now we can talk about pitching and one thin I have to talk about is the turn around of Ian Snell. He's really come around as our number 5 guy with 6 wins and a 3.32 ERA and a 3.12 DICE and he's turned out to be very solid but in order to stay in the hunt this year I may have to package him up with Duke and maybe a prospect and get a veteran starter, but if we can keep it close it may not be needed. Oliver Perez is another guy who's having a career year as he continues to K people like usual but the only thing that's different from last year is tat he's actually winning game now and has a team leading 8 wins, although he does have a bloated ERA of 5.04 he's still finding ways to win and we PLAY TO WIN THE GAME! Paul Maholm has still been our ace even though his ERA jumped a little to 3.58 but he does have a DICE of 3.04 which is comforting. He also has 7 wins. I'm going to have to give him a contract extension, and it will be big and long. (that's what she said)
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Here's The Pitching Stats
Pirates Hitter of the Month
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