Pirates and Angels Swap Closers

The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Los Angeles Angels have agreed to swap closers marking the first major trade of the season. Jason Grilli will be finding his home with the Angels and Ernesto Frieri will be finding his home with the Pirates. Both closers have had their struggles this season, so as of right now the trade doesn't benefit anyone, but in the long run it benefits the Pirates. They acquire a younger pitcher with 2 more years of team control.

This season Ernesto Frieri has a 6.39 ERA in 31 innings pitched. Jason Grilli has a 4.67 ERA in 20.1 innings pitched this season and was actually injured for part of the season. It appears Grilli may be able to help the Angels more than Frieri will be able to help the Pirates, but if the Ray Searage effect is activated Frieri may be a great addition to this Pirates team.

Ray Searage and the Pirates Effect

Ray Searage was a left handed pitcher for the Mets, Brewers, White Sox, and Dodgers in the 80s. He ended his career with a 3.50 ERA in 287.2 innings and 193 strikeouts. By no standards was a he an overpowering pitcher, but he is dominating the game now. He is currently the pitching coach for the Pittsburgh Pirates and a huge reason for their recent success. in August of 2010 he earned the position and has improving pirates pitchers ever since.

Ray Searage and Garret Cole

To show the success that Searage has had with Pirates pitchers I will use ERA+. ERA+ is a pitcher's
ERA as compared to league average and adjusted for home ballpark. The higher the ERA+ the better, anything below 100 is below league average. By comparing the ERA+ of pitchers before and after they came to the Pirates and worked with Ray Searage, we can see the improvement.

Mark Melancon pitched for the Boston Red Sox in 2012 and logged 45 innings. His ERA+ with the Red Sox was 68. In 2013, his first season with the Pittsburgh Pirates Melancon improved his ERA+ to an astounding 256 in 71 innings.

Searage came to the Pirates at the end of the 2010 season and in 2010 Jeff Karstens had an ERA+ of 82 in 122 innings pitched. in the following season Karstens logged 162 innings with a 110 ERA+, 28 points higher.

Paul Maholm had a terrible ERA+ of 78 in 2010 over 185 innings pitched. He followed that with a 102 ERA+ in his 2011 campaign which included 162 innings pitched.

Joel Hanrahan

Joel Hanrahan was the highly though of closer for the Pirates in the 2011 and 2012 seasons, before being traded to the Boston Red Sox. His ERA+ in 2010 was 112 which in 70 innings is very respectable, but in 2011 his ERA+ was 203 which is absolutely fantastic.

Francisco Liriano was an All Star in 2006 overshadowed by Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana, but Liriano quickly fell out of sorts. In 2012 with the Twins and White Sox Liriano had an ERA+ of 78 and in 2013, his first season with the Pirates Liriano had a 118 ERA+.

Jason Grilli is the current closer for the Pirates and did not even play in 2010. In 2009 he played with the Rockies and Rangers and had an ERA+ of 89, but then 2011 Grilli pitched his first season with the Pirates and recorded an ERA+ of 151.

AJ Burnett 

AJ Burnett was acquired by the Pirates from the Yankees in the 2011 off season. In 2012 Burnett had an ERA+ of 83 and in 2012 he record his best season since 2005 with a 107 ERA+.

Ray Searage is one of the best, if not the best pitching coach in the Major Leagues. He is in part responsible for the success of the Pirates, and should receive more recognition for the players he helps.

The Pittsburgh Pirates

Andrew McCutchen

The Pirates have the reigning National League MVP patrolling their outfield, they also a few other very important parts to their team. They did in fact lose Justin Morneau to free agency when he signed with the Colorado Rockies, and AJ Burnett when he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies. Nonetheless the Pirates have a very good core of young players that look to compete in 2014.

The power comes from Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez who proved to be a terrifying duo in 2013. Starling Marte is also emerging as a great talent in the outfield. The Pirates may not have the strongest lineup in the league, but the top of it is stronger than many in the National League. Here is how the Pirates may stack up in 2014.

1. R Jose Tabata RF 119 OPS+
2. S. Neil Walker 2B 115 OPS+
3. R. Andrew McCutchen CF 158 OPS+
4. L. Pedro Alvarez 3B 116 OPS+
5. R. Starling Marte LF 122 OPS+
6. R. Russel Martin C 100 OPS+
7. R. Gaby Sanchez 1B 117 OPS+
8. R. Clint Barmes SS  58 OPS+

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The pitching rotation for the Pirates seems to always perform no matter who is in it. The Pirates always pick up someone and they do phenomenal. They got Francisco Liriano and he performed great, also with AJ Burnett, and plenty other players. This year it may be Edison Volquez, but young gun Garret Cole will be in the rotation and ready to play. Here is how the roation may look in 2014.

1. L. Francisco Liriano  117 ERA+
2. R. Garret Cole  109 ERA+
3. L. Jeff Locke  100 ERA+
4. R. Edison Volquez  60 ERA+
5. L. Wandy Rodriguez  99 ERA+

The bullpen was stripped of Joel Hanrahan last season and Jason Grilli emerged as a great closer. Additionally Mark Melancon came through as a stellar set up man. The bullpen for the Pirates is composed of several other decent arms which combat their half decent rotation.

Mets Sign Colon. Pirates Sign Volquez

The New York Mets have made another free agent signing in the form of Bartolo Colon. Colon will pitch for the Mets on a 2 year $20 Million contract. Colon posted a 2.65 ERAwith 190 innings pitched in 2013 at the age of 40 with the Athletics. The Mets will see if Colon has anything left in the tank and will likely be replaced by Harvey in 2015 when he returns from Tommy John surgery. For the second year of the contract Colon may be moved to the bullpen or be traded.

Edison Volquez signed a 1 year $5 Million deal with the Pirates after a terrible 2013 campaign. He played with the Dodgers and the Padres in 2013 posting a 5.71 ERA in 170 innings pitched. Volquez has battled injuries throughout his career and will be 31 during the 2014 season. The Pirates are continuing their buy low strategy as they did with AJ Burnett and Francisco Liriano.

The Final Two

I've been watching the World Baseball Classic and Pre-Season Baseball, so these team evaluations took longer than I expected, but finally we made it, the final two teams, the White Sox and the Pirates. The White Sox and Pirates are in the same position, remaining the same team in a division getting stronger. The Tigers, Royals, and Indians are getting stronger and the Reds and the Cardinals are getting stronger, but these two teams are going to try to win in 2013.

No Paul, that is not food!

The White Sox lost a big piece of their offense in 2012, AJ Pierzynski had a career year and signed with the Texas Rangers. Adam Dunn was a big part of the White Sox offense in 2012 after a terrible year in 2011. Finally the White Sox's seasons with Paul Konerko are dwindling down, he may retire in a few years.

1. L De Aza CF       104 OPS+
2. R. Keppinger 2B  127 OPS+
3. L. Dunn DH         112 OPS+
4. R. Konerko 1B    128 OPS+
5. R. Rios RF           124 OPS+
6. R. Viciedo LF      96 OPS+
7. R. Ramirez SS       74 OPS+
8. R. Beckham 2B     79 OPS+
9. R. Flowers C         88 OPS+

The pitching rotation for the White Sox is much better than people think it is. Led by lanky lefty Chris Sale, the White Sox's pitching rotation is underrated. Former Padres ace Jake Peavy is part of the rotation as well and can match up with almost any other pitcher. The fifth spot is a fight between Dylan Axelrod and John Danks. I like Axelrod more, but Danks has more experience. 

1. L. Chris Sale 3.05 ERA
2. R. Jake Peavy 3.37 ERA
3. R. Gavin Floyd 4.29 ERA
4. R. Jose Quintana 3.76 ERA
5. R. Dylan Axelrod 5.47 ERA

Young closer with another one of my favorite baseball names, Addison Reed will pitch the 9th inning once again for the White Sox after a rough 4.75 ERA but 29 converted saves in 2012. Then the White Sox have the lefty-righty combination Matt and Matt: Matt Thornton and Matt Lindstrom. Thornton pitched to a 3.46 ERA and Lindstrom pitched to a 2.68 ERA in 2013. The 7th, 8th, and 9th innings seem to be secure for the White Sox. Jesse Crain and his 2.44 ERA will get some work in both the 7th and 8th innings to help secure wins for the South Siders in 2013.

I project 82 wins for the White Sox in 2013.

The Pirates were so close to a winning season in 2012, and I personally think they will get a winning record in 2013, but that comes at the end. The Pirates added Russel Martin to their team which is more of a defensive upgrade than an offensive upgrade, but he will improve both the lineup, defense, and pitching rotation.

1. R. Marte LF 104 OPS+
2. S. Walker 2B 114 OPS+
3. R. McCutchen CF 168 OPS+
4. L. Alvarez 3B 117 OPS+
5. L. Jones 1B 129 OPS+
6. R. Tabata RF 86 OPS+
7. R. Martin C 92 OPS+
8. R. Barmes SS 66 OPS+

The Pirates added AJ Burnett in the beginning of 2012 and he pitched great for the Pirates, exactly the ace they needed. Mid-season they added Wandy Rodriguez who was also great for them for half of the season. They also signed Francisco Liriano but he sustained an injury and may not be with the team for the first half of the season.

1. R. AJ Burnett 3.51 ERA
2. L. Wandy Rodriguez 3.76 ERA
3. R. James McDonald 4.21 ERA
4. R. Jeff Karstens 3.97 ERA
5. L. Francisco Liriano  5.40 ERA

The bullpen for the Pirates is without Joel Hanrahan because he is with the Red Sox due to a trade. Jason Grilli will take over as closer. He pitched to a 2.91 ERA in 2012 and will look to improve on that in 2013. In the trade that sent Hanrahan to Boston the Pirates acquired Mark Melancon. He was terrible in 2012, but pretty good in 2011. I think he can return to 2011 form while in Pittsburgh.

I project a winning season for the Pirates in 2013, 82 wins.

Moving On Up

Some players will get the chance to move up in baseball. Their teams were in last place, but now they have the chance to reach the playoffs.

Hanley Ramirez and Randy Choate were part of a big trade last night. The Dodgers will receive the 2 players stated in exchange for Nathan Eovaldi and Scott McGough. Hanley Ramirez is hitting .246/.322/.430 this season with 47 RBI and 14 stolen bases. Randy Choate has been sporting a 2.49 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched. The lineup for the Dodgers when everyone is healthy would look like the following: Gordon SS, Abreu LF, Kemp CF, Ethier RF, Ramirez 3B, Loney 1B, M. Ellis 2B, A. Ellis C


Wandy Rodriguez will join playoff contention with the Pirates. He was acquired by the Pirates in exchange for the following minor league players: Rudy Owens, Robbie Grossman, and Colton Cain. Rodriguez will join a rotation with James McDonald, AJ Burnett, Eric Bedard and Kevin Correia. Rodriguez has a 3.79 ERA in 21 games started this season. Over his past 5 seasons Rodriguez has a 3.45 ERA and the Pirates will take that. Their next mission is to find a bat to add to their lineup. 


Cole Hamels is moving on up in the bank as he signed a contract extension for 144 million dollars over 6 years. That is the second most expensive contract given to a pitcher ever. Only CC Sabathias contract is greater. 

Andrew McCutchen

Andrew McCutchen is the best player in the Major Leagues at the moment. He doesn't get much publicity playing in Pittsburgh but he has a multitude of tools that he can use to help win the game. McCutchen is one of the many reasons the Pirates are contending for the National League Central.

First off McCutchen plays a stellar center field, it seems like there isn't a ball he can't get to. The combination of skill and speed makes him one of the best defensive center fielders in baseball. That defense is overlooked often because of his amazing offensive statistics.

In previous years McCutchen's offensive production has been nothing but average. In 2011 his batting average dropped and his on base percentage remained the same, but his power numbers took a tremendous increase. McCutchen has finally put all of the numbers together in 2012. The combination of power, speed, and consistency can be very dangerous for opposing teams.

In the 2012 season McCutchen has a .371/.423/.651 slashline. The slugging percentage is high due to 21 home runs, 5 triples, and 17 doubles. Lets not forget about his speed, McCutchen also has 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts. That is a 78%  success rate on the base pads, anything over 70% is beneficial to an offense.

In 2011 McCutchen hit a total of 23 home runs and it looks like he may eclipse that number soon in the 2012 season. When McCutchen makes contact, 25% of the time that contact results in a line drive which is most likely for a hit and 8% of the time it is home run. In 2011 when McCutchen made contacted it was just a 5% chance of a home run.

If you put speed, power, fielding, contact, and a powerful throwing arm you get Andrew McCutchen. Also you cant overlook his leadership on the Pirates and his ability to be consistent. 

Why Does Everything Happen On Friday?

The first thing to write about is Justin Verlander's dance with a no hitter. The Tigers supplied Verlander with a 6 run lead entering the top of the ninth. Verlander had just over 100 pitches and 12 strikeouts with 1 out into the 9th. Then a fate that happened to so many pitchers before a seeing eye single up the middle. Verlander finished the game with a complete game shutout 1 hit and 2 walks. It would have been his 3rd no hitter.

The second thing that happened on Friday was just dandy. Dandy Andy, Andy Pettitte looked like he was still in the early 2000s with his stellar performance on Friday. Pettitte pitched 8 shutout innings against the Cincinnati Reds. He struck out 9 and allowed only 4 hits and 1 walk. Pettitte's fastball was around 87-89 MPH, but it was his curveball and his cutter that looked just masterful. The Reds' hitters just couldn't hit it. The Yankees won 4-0

The Blue Jays beat up on the Mets on Friday night in a 14-5 victory in Toronto. JP Arencibia went 3-5 with 2 home runs, 6 RBI's and 3 runs scored. The Jays had their way with the Mets not only on offense but on pitching.  Ricky Romero pitched 6 innings allowing only 3 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 6.

Kerry Wood was a phenom in the late 90s and early 2000s, but in 2012 he retires from baseball. In his final game with the Cubs Kerry Wood did what he did best, struck out his batter. A 3 pitch strikeout to ride off into the sunset with must be nice. You have to wonder what would the Cubs be like if Mark Prior and Kerry Wood would have stayed healthy, but anyway Wood takes his 4 200+ strikeout seasons home.

Another thing that has been occurring in the past few weeks was a heat up from Albert Pujols. Pujols has a few home runs now, but still isn't his MVP self. He is scoring runs and collecting RBI's and the Angels are winning ballgames. It looks like Pujols may be arriving soon.

Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting

What a busy Saturday April 21, 2012. A perfect game, a 9-0 comeback win, a double header between two powerful teams, and several great pitching performances.

Lets start off with The Humber Games. The 21st perfect game in MLB history goes to the 29 year old Phillip Humber. Collecting 9 strikeouts against The Seattle Mariners Humber enters baseball history as another pitcher to complete baseball immortality. A very exciting game for baseball fans all over the country and congratulations to Phillip Humber.

The next thing to talk about is the greatest rivalry in sports history. The Yankees beat the Red Sox in the first game of a 3 game set 6-2. In game 2 of the weekend series The Red Sox looked dominant through the first 6 innings. Starter Felix Doubront pitched 6 innings and gave up just 1 run, a solo home run to Mark Teixeira. Doubront was taken out after the 6th inning with a 9-1 lead. The problem for The Red Sox this season has been the bullpen and yes they did not perform well. A grand slam and a 2 run double for Nick Swisher and a 3 run homer and a 2 run double for Teixeira lead The Yankees to  an momentous 15-9 victory over The Red Sox.

A double header between The Tigers and The Rangers took place on Saturday as well. In the first game Rick Porcello got rocked pitching only 1 inning while giving up 8 runs. The Rangers got an easy victory in that game. In the night game Justin Verlander took the hill for The Tigers and Neftali Feliz took the hill for The Rangers. Feliz went 8 innings giving up 3 runs and Verlander went 6 innings giving up only 1 unearned run. The two teams split the double header.

AJ Burnett made his first start of the season after recovering from an injury in spring training. He pitched 7 shutout innings against The Cardinals. He was acommponied by Justin Verlander, Stephan Strasburg, Clayton Kershaw and Phillip Humber as starters to not allow a run on Saturday.





What will Sunday hold?