The Kids Are Alright

This will probably be my next to last post about the 2010 Pirates, and I don't want to end things on a bad note. Given the Buccos 46-91 record, viewing things in a positive light is difficult, nearly impossible. Watching Pirate games is akin to watching an antelope evading a lion. The effort put forth by the antelope is both heart-wrenching and admirable, but the natural order is such that the story seldom ends well. That's the way it's been for the 2010 Pirates, loads of heart, but a dearth of victories. That dichotomy makes Pirates games difficult to stomach. Watching things like Ryan Doumit pumping his fist and pointing at Pedro Alvarez after Alvarez made a great defensive play are images that we, as fans, grasp on to. The talent on this team has yet to catch up to their heart.

But the times, they are a' changing. The youthful infusion is starting to pay dividends for the Pirates. Three players that weren't in Pittsburgh on Opening Day have become staples of the team. Can Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker alone save the Pirates? Of course not. But along with Andrew McCutchen, they are certainly proving to be a step in a different direction. Guys who didn't come to the major leagues to toil in mediocrity, but rather to lift each other to levels unseen. There seems to be a tomorrow for this team, and from the looks of it; Tabata, Alvarez and Walker certainly want their say.

Jose Tabata

The youngster that was the key cog in the Marte-Nady deal with the Yankees (side note: that deal looks much better than it did 2 years ago) started hitting right from his call-up, and hasn't stopped since. Tabata has kept his average above .300 for the majority of his time in the Bigs, and has shown glimpses of what he can offer the Pirates on the basepaths. His patience, speed and effectiveness as a contact hitter help label him as a potential star leadoff man, something the Pirates have lacked since their playoff days.


Pedro Alvarez

Of the three players mentioned in this article, the one who came in with the most fanfare was undoubtedly Alvarez. Early on, Alvarez showed signs of a player who was tremendously burdened by the expectations of a city; constantly swinging for the fences, and having defensive lapses. However, as his season has progressed, Alvarez has begun to grow into himself offensively and defensively. He's shown a flare for the dramatic, saving his best for when the game is on the line (basically Adam LaRoche's complete opposite). Alvarez has also displayed his range at third, making some absolute gems. Pedro will probably never be a consistent .300 hitter, but he gives the Pirates significant power at a corner infield spot, just one of the tonics the Pirates have so desperately needed.


Neil Walker

If you watch any Pirate games at all, and you HAVEN'T fallen in love with Neil Walker, then you may not have a heartbeat. A year ago, many wondered how and if Walker had a place on this team. After showing tremendous versatility in the entire infield, he finally found a home at second base (.986 fielding percentage). His recent offensive burst has put him in NL Rookie of the Year conversations with a .312 average, 10 HR and 51 RBIs in 85 games, alongside 25 doubles. If the Pirates were to get that type of offensive production by a middle infielder, it gives them an advantage over almost every team in the National League.

Moreover, Walker seems to be the type of player that Pittsburgh needs on the Pirates: A hometown kid who barely remembers Sid Bream crossing the plate in 1992, but who knows exactly how things have been for the team since. Someone who the city can wrap their arms around. We all have dreams as a kid of hitting that decisive home run in the bottom of the ninth for your hometown team: a scene that plays out in schoolyards and backyards every summer. Walker gets to live his. That should be motivation enough for anybody.

There's a lot of work left to do, but the Pirates focus on youth over the past couple of years is starting to come to fruition.

The world is cyclical. The downtrodden don't stay down forever. Empires rise and fall.

And sometimes the antelope becomes the lion.

The Pirates Have Been Plundered

Even the Pittsburgh Pirate himself is pained by watching the games.

At some point, you have to feel bad for Pirates players. The recent eight game losing streak certainly hasn’t been for lack of trying on their part. It is merely a reflection of ownership’s unwillingness to spend the money it would take to make this team competitive on a yearly basis. Three years ago, when previous owner Kevin McClatchy left Pittsburgh, there was a sense that the new ownership may break the spell and begin to take the team in a different direction.

But in the words of the great author George Orwell, “This new version is the past, and no different past can ever have existed.”

New ownership, same tactics. You can tell how bad things are when you start to feel bad for players who are drafted by the Pirates (sorry, Jameson Taillon). It’s simply unfair. It’s unfair to the fans, those who knew better days for the Pirates, and those who didn’t. It’s unfair to the players, many of whom work extremely hard on the field and do many great things in the community. It’s not fair to the city of Pittsburgh, which deserves a baseball team worthy of the beautiful complex the city provided.

If you are fan enough to watch Bucco games with any consistency, I’m sure you feel the same. It’s one of those rare instances when players can’t truly be blamed for the team’s performance. They have been handcuffed and blindfolded by those above them. There are some good major league players on the Pirates, one of whom is a budding superstar. But the vast majority of the Pirates are players with more heart than talent. Having heart is valuable, I don’t want to take that away. But you don’t win baseball games without talent, and if you watch a Pirates win, you get the sense that it wasn’t because they were better than the opposition, it was because they just wanted it more.



It is to that point that leads us to wonder, where is Pedro Alvarez? I know that there are no quick fixes for this team; no saviors. But why bring up Lincoln and Tabata without Alvarez? It certainly wasn’t for lack of production, as Alvarez leads the Indianapolis Indians in home runs and RBI’s by far. At this point, every day that Alvarez spends in AAA ball hurts the Pirates. Alvarez is not a raw 19 or 20 year old (Note: Tabata, who is with the big squad, is merely 21), he’s a 23 year old who has spent significant time in both college ball and the minor leagues. Alvarez needs to be up sooner rather than later.

I’m not entirely pessimistic about the future of the Pirates. They have young talent with McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, Tabata and Alvarez. But until management ponies up the money to spend on these players, they will face the same fate as players such as Nate McLouth and Jason Bay, gone before their time.

The cards have been dealt. Will management ante up? Or will they fold once again?

A quick note to Pirates players:



Additional note: My good friend Pat has started a blog. He is an exemplary writer and human, and you would be doing your brain a disservice by not reading.