Sanders trying to get Lofton to sign

[imgreat95]

JUst showed an interview on KDKA. Reggie Sanders says he is trying hard to get Kenny Lofton to sign here.

[GiveHyzduashot]

I'm going to like this Sanders signing even if he hits .175 with 5 homers and 12 RBI. He seems like a classy player, and you have to wonder why he's been with six teams in six years ... he puts up good numbers and has a very good attitude, from what we've seen and heard in the limited time he's been here.

[imgreat95]

New Pirates OF Sanders wants Lofton to join him

Wednesday, February 26, 2003

By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Sports Writer


BRADENTON, Fla. -- Reggie Sanders can pitch, too.

On the day Sanders officially joined the Pirates and took his first swings in the batting cage at Pirate City, the agent for center fielder Kenny Lofton visited the same practice fields.


Sanders did his part, from afar, to coax Lofton, his former teammate on the Giants, to sign with the Pirates.

"I've been trying to get him to come here. He has to make up his own mind, but this is a great situation for him," said Sanders, whose one-year deal guarantees him $1 million and includes incentives and some deferred money.

General Manager Dave Littlefield spoke with Lofton's agent, Casey Close, yesterday. It is up to Lofton, still unsigned on the eve of exhibition games, to accept the Pirates' offer.

"The ball is in their court, but as things go, they're aware of our interest," Littlefield said. "[Lofton] is debating what to do. We'll see how things go on a daily basis."

Lofton would provide the leadoff hitter the Pirates lack and negate the need to shift Brian Giles from left to center. But his addition would further crowd the outfield, cloud the role of Matt Stairs and jeopardize roster spots for Rob Mackowiak, Craig Wilson and Adam Hyzdu.


The outfield situation appears to be unsettled but, for now, Sanders will be in left -- a position he hasn't played in three years -- and Giles will move to center.

"When I signed, I knew I was going to be the everyday left fielder," Sanders said. "That's where it stands right now. If you can play outfield, you can play outfield. It doesn't matter what position it is."

Sanders played right field last year at Pac Bell Park, where the most challenging position is in right. At PNC Park, left field is more demanding because of its deep expanses and quirky dimensions.

"That's the stuff that will play itself out, and [Manager Lloyd McClendon] is responsible for choosing the best lineup and positions," Littlefield said.

Sanders was greeted yesterday with handshakes, smiles and even a bear hug from Randall Simon, who was his teammate in Atlanta. He probably will be greeted warmly by Pirates fans if he puts up the type of numbers he had last season with the Giants. Sanders, who won a World Series ring with the Diamondbacks in 2001, had 23 home runs, 85 RBIs and 18 stolen bases while helping the Giants reach the World Series last season.

Sanders nearly signed with the Red Sox last week before Littlefield came through with an offer too good to pass up. Sanders wanted to stay in the National League. With the Pirates, he can be a run-producer on a team with an anemic offense.

"Just his presence out on the field lends more respectability to what we're trying to accomplish," McClendon said. "We struggled to score runs, and he gives us another bat in the lineup. If he does what he did last year, we'll be fine."

After playing in two consecutive World Series, it might seem like a comedown to join a team that hasn't had a winning record in 10 seasons. But Sanders doesn't see it that way.

"I feel very positive about this situation," said Sanders, who will not play in the first few exhibition games. "It's an opportunity to come in and be a leader and show these guys what it takes to win. And I think part of the problem is that they just don't understand the importance of what is needed. It's taking advantage of every situation and every opportunity. When you have a team on the ropes, you continue to put them on the ropes.

"I think these guys are heading in the right direction. Management is trying to get a winning ballclub on the field. Hopefully, we can get a couple of other people in here. That's the only way to win in this game, especially being a small market. Their backs are against the wall all the time, so they have to be creative, have to go out and do things like get young players, and then get key players in here to mold them and get them to where they need to be."



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert Dvorchak can be reached at bdvorchak@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1959.

[GiveHyzduashot]

A decision is coming this weekend from what I've heard ... and his agent is in Bradenton, so I think that's a good sign.

[Greymire]

Lofton's agent in camp: Casey Close, agent for free agent outfielder Kenny Lofton, met with Pirates GM Dave Littlefield for 20 minutes at Pirate City on Tuesday.

That was on the Buccos site!

[00_Agent]

I think this would be a great signing by the Pirates and I really don't care if it gives us too many outfielders. I trust GM David Littlefield to do a good job handling the situation and to do what's best for the team.

00

[imgreat95]

Lofton's cachet 6 years too old

Thursday, February 27, 2003








Support for the signing of Kenny Lofton grows daily, and it's possible that by the time you read this column he already will be a member of the Pirates.

Let's hope not.

Lofton's support is everywhere. The Pirates players want him, the fans want him, and now it looks as if General Manager Dave Littlefield wants him.

This tidal wave of enthusiasm exists for Lofton because he's perceived as being just what the team needs in two areas -- a leadoff hitter and a center fielder. The belief is the Pirates have no one to properly fill either role.

That's not necessarily true. The Pirates have a leadoff hitter who is at least the equal of Lofton. They don't have a center fielder who can play the position as well, but the case can be made that by putting Lofton in center, regardless of his defensive ability, the Pirates actually would be weakening themselves.

Lofton is a bad choice for the Pirates, who are old enough without adding a 35-year old clearly on the downside.

Let's talk about the leadoff position.

There was a time when Lofton was one of the premier leadoff hitters in baseball. In 1997 and '99, his on-base percentages were .409 and .405. More than that, his speed made him a threat to steal and score.

But those excellent numbers were from four and six years ago. Lately, Lofton has been nothing approaching that kind of player. His on-base percentage last season was .350, which is average. The year before it was .322, which is poor. It's true, he stole 29 bases last year, but he was thrown out an unacceptable 11 times.

The Pirates are not without a capable No. 1 batter if they don't sign Lofton. But this player, like Lofton, raises questions.

I'm speaking of Jason Kendall, whose career has gone in reverse the past two seasons, but who, at 28, certainly has the capability to recapture what he lost and become the player he once was. If that happens, Kendall would be an exceptional No. 1 hitter.

Over the past six years, Lofton's two best on-base percentages were in '97 and '99. During that span, Kendall had seasons in which his on-base percentage was .411, .428 and .412. Like Lofton, he wasn't as good the past two seasons, when it was.335 and .350.

Both players have been excellent in past years at getting on base, but both had an on-base percentage of .350 last season. If you had to pick one to go forward, it would be Kendall, based on his age. If you had to pick one to go backward, it would be Lofton, for the same reason.

For Kendall to succeed in this role, he needs to adjust his attitude. He became a different offensive player in recent years. He needs to resume hitting to all fields, not primarily to left. He needs to resume bunting, not only for base hits but also to keep third basemen from playing deep and fielding grounders that otherwise would go past them. He needs, and this is asking a lot, to start placing his left arm in the path of pitched balls, like he once did.

A resurrected Kendall could be the ideal leadoff hitter, a better leadoff hitter than Lofton at 35.

There is no Pirate who can play center field as well as Lofton. That does not mean that Lofton is the Gold Glove performer he once was. He's not, and that has to be considered before adding him to the starting lineup.

If Lofton joins the team and wins the center field job, that means Brian Giles will move from center to left and Reggie Sanders from left to right. That would remove the platoon of Matt Stairs and Craig Wilson -- currently slated to share right field -- from the everyday lineup.

Keep in mind that the Pirates' greatest weakness last year was lack of offense. They were 16th in the league in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and total bases, 15th in runs and RBIs and 14th in home runs. Over the past two seasons, Stairs and Wilson have averaged 568 at bats -- a bit more than a full season -- and 31 home runs and 95 RBIs. That's a significant amount of offense to remove from the lineup for a team desperate for offense.

It also should be noted that defense, while important, is not as important as offense. A fielder can go days or even a week without a chance to make a game-saving play. A batter can affect the outcome of the game every time he comes to the plate.

Lofton's reputation would look good on the Pirates. But the reality is they would be a better team without him.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bob Smizik can be reached at bsmizik@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1468.

[GiveHyzduashot]

I still support signing Lofton to a minor league contract. If he tears the cover off the ball in Spring Training, I believe he's a better option than Wilson or Stairs.

We can never have too many good players, can we??

[Baseball Guru]

Originally posted by GiveHyzduashot
I still support signing Lofton to a minor league contract. If he tears the cover off the ball in Spring Training, I believe he's a better option than Wilson or Stairs.

We can never have too many good players, can we??

I tend to agree....

I like Wilson but all I see from Stairs is a decline the last few seasons....

Was Stairs injured at all last year in Milwaukee??

[imgreat95]

Don';t get me wrong.. I still would definitey support Lofton signing (I have been saying this for 3 years now.)

However, I also believe that Smizik brings up a pretty good point. I think the thing that Lofton brings the most, however, is are the leadership and the "been there done that" mentality.

[amag]

Not that I looked at it this way before, but he has almost always been in the playoffs, like Sanders, and those two could bring a lot to the team, even without the numbers. Kind of like Galarragga in San Fran.

I like his numbers though, and I think his stolen bases and run scoring ability helps more than it hurts, because if Kendall regains his offensive potetential, I think he is better off trying to produce runs with a nice average and OBP. I know he used to, but I wouldn't have my hopes up for him stealing bases and would not feel good about asking that of the catcher either.

As good or bad as it may be, I don't think it would be Lofton replaces Stairs/Wilson in his signing, but Kendall would be replacing them, because he will end up taking thier responsibilities and moving somewhere back in the order.

I don't necissarily think makes it good to sign Lofton, but that is another perspective you can take.