3-2 Changeup
06-08-2003, 08:40 AM
The Pirates are sinking fast and doing nothing about it. After losing to the Atlanta Braves, 8-6, last night, they remain a half game out of last place and standing so pat you’d think they were a winner. Of the 16 National League teams, only two had a worse record, yet almost every day it’s the same lineup and the same nonproducing cast of reserves. The team is on a treadmill of defeat. It’s time for changes.
Here are some thoughts on retooling the Pirates in hopes of salvaging something out of this season.
Let’s start with Manager Lloyd McClendon. Inexplicably, he was managing for the future, not the present, last week in the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. With the Pirates trailing, 6-0, in the fifth inning, No. 8 hitter Abraham Nunez led off with a single. McClendon, astonishingly, allowed starter Kris Benson to bat.
The Pirates came out of the inning with a run but might have scored more if McClendon had batted for Benson. Asked to explain his decision, McClendon said he didn’t want to wear down his bullpen because he needed a reliever to start today.
Someone should have told McClendon what Leo Durocher, or somebody, once said. “It might rain on Sunday.” It did rain Friday and McClendon’s concern about a Sunday starter was for naught.
It’s time to address the McClendon issue head-on. It’s true, he has never been given much of a team to work with. By the same token, he’d done little to distinguish himself. Going into last night’s game, the Pirates were 159-222 in his tenure, which comes to an average of 68 wins a season. In Gene Lamont’s four seasons, he averaged 72 wins.
The Pirates should give McClendon a target date to get the team to .500. For discussion’s sake, it could be the All-Star Game, it could be a week or two later. If the team isn’t at .500 by the designated date, McClendon is gone. If it is, he not only stays, but he gets an extension through the 2004 season. If the team finishes above .500 at the end of the year, he gets an extension through 2005.
It might be suggested he has no chance to get the team to .500 by mid-July. Too bad. He has had more than two seasons, which is a fair chance.
Setting a date puts parameters on the issue. It might even get the players to play harder or focus more intently. They maintain McClendon is their guy. Some of them even lobbied for him to get the job. Now here’s their chance to show him some love.
Speaking of those who lobbied for McClendon, Kevin Young should be released immediately.
It hurts to write that because Young is one of the classiest guys to ever play for the Pirates. But when he went public and blamed the fans for the team’s abysmal home record, he crossed the line. It speaks to the gutlessness of the team’s upper management that it did not strongly admonish Young for his comments and remind him of the world’s oldest business axiom: The customer is always right.
Unfortunately, in the haywire world of baseball, it’s the player who is always right.
Releasing Young would send a message to the fans that the Pirates still care about them.
Another player who has to go is Rob Mackowiak, and note, please, you can’t spell Mackowiak without two Ks. The man is a whiff machine with 32 strikeouts in 81 at-bats. And it’s not like he’s Dave Kingman the rest of the time. He was batting .185 with one home run and two RBIs, and that’s not the half of it.
He’s a left-handed batter who’s supposed to give the team some help against right-handed pitching. He’s batting .164 (11 for 67) against right-handers with 30 strikeouts. Of his 11 hits, 10 are singles.
His spot on the roster should be taken by John Barnes or Mike Gulan of Nashville. Barnes was batting .319 and Gulan .317, eighth and 10th in the Pacific Coast League.
On a more positive note, it’s time to give Craig Wilson the playing time his numbers say he deserves. It’s true, Wilson might feel more at home in right field with a meat cleaver than a glove, but his bat sends a different message.
He’s only hitting .232, but look at his other numbers. He has hit 32 home runs in 608 major-league at-bats. That’s a home run every 19 at-bats, second only to Brian Giles on the Pirates. By comparison, Reggie Sanders has hit a home run every 21 at-bats, Randall Simon a home run every 32 at-bats.
There’s more. Wilson, despite striking out a lot, is not a hacker of the Simon and Mackowiak mold. He looks at more pitches per at-bat than even the highly disciplined Giles. That’s a positive that indicates Wilson has the plate presence to become an accomplished hitter. But he has to get the playing time. His career on-base percentage of .362 is another sign of promise. At 26, he could have a future with the team. It’s time to find out.
If Wilson is going to be the right fielder, he needs a caddie. Recall Tike Redman from Nashville to replace Adam Hyzdu. Redman is batting .313 with 24 stolen bases. He’s a rarity in the free-swinging Pirates organization. He has more walks (23) than strikeouts (17). He deserves another chance. Since July, Hyzdu is batting .127 (15 for 118).
These changes may or may not work. But what do the Pirates have to lose?
Here are some thoughts on retooling the Pirates in hopes of salvaging something out of this season.
Let’s start with Manager Lloyd McClendon. Inexplicably, he was managing for the future, not the present, last week in the first game of a doubleheader against the Boston Red Sox. With the Pirates trailing, 6-0, in the fifth inning, No. 8 hitter Abraham Nunez led off with a single. McClendon, astonishingly, allowed starter Kris Benson to bat.
The Pirates came out of the inning with a run but might have scored more if McClendon had batted for Benson. Asked to explain his decision, McClendon said he didn’t want to wear down his bullpen because he needed a reliever to start today.
Someone should have told McClendon what Leo Durocher, or somebody, once said. “It might rain on Sunday.” It did rain Friday and McClendon’s concern about a Sunday starter was for naught.
It’s time to address the McClendon issue head-on. It’s true, he has never been given much of a team to work with. By the same token, he’d done little to distinguish himself. Going into last night’s game, the Pirates were 159-222 in his tenure, which comes to an average of 68 wins a season. In Gene Lamont’s four seasons, he averaged 72 wins.
The Pirates should give McClendon a target date to get the team to .500. For discussion’s sake, it could be the All-Star Game, it could be a week or two later. If the team isn’t at .500 by the designated date, McClendon is gone. If it is, he not only stays, but he gets an extension through the 2004 season. If the team finishes above .500 at the end of the year, he gets an extension through 2005.
It might be suggested he has no chance to get the team to .500 by mid-July. Too bad. He has had more than two seasons, which is a fair chance.
Setting a date puts parameters on the issue. It might even get the players to play harder or focus more intently. They maintain McClendon is their guy. Some of them even lobbied for him to get the job. Now here’s their chance to show him some love.
Speaking of those who lobbied for McClendon, Kevin Young should be released immediately.
It hurts to write that because Young is one of the classiest guys to ever play for the Pirates. But when he went public and blamed the fans for the team’s abysmal home record, he crossed the line. It speaks to the gutlessness of the team’s upper management that it did not strongly admonish Young for his comments and remind him of the world’s oldest business axiom: The customer is always right.
Unfortunately, in the haywire world of baseball, it’s the player who is always right.
Releasing Young would send a message to the fans that the Pirates still care about them.
Another player who has to go is Rob Mackowiak, and note, please, you can’t spell Mackowiak without two Ks. The man is a whiff machine with 32 strikeouts in 81 at-bats. And it’s not like he’s Dave Kingman the rest of the time. He was batting .185 with one home run and two RBIs, and that’s not the half of it.
He’s a left-handed batter who’s supposed to give the team some help against right-handed pitching. He’s batting .164 (11 for 67) against right-handers with 30 strikeouts. Of his 11 hits, 10 are singles.
His spot on the roster should be taken by John Barnes or Mike Gulan of Nashville. Barnes was batting .319 and Gulan .317, eighth and 10th in the Pacific Coast League.
On a more positive note, it’s time to give Craig Wilson the playing time his numbers say he deserves. It’s true, Wilson might feel more at home in right field with a meat cleaver than a glove, but his bat sends a different message.
He’s only hitting .232, but look at his other numbers. He has hit 32 home runs in 608 major-league at-bats. That’s a home run every 19 at-bats, second only to Brian Giles on the Pirates. By comparison, Reggie Sanders has hit a home run every 21 at-bats, Randall Simon a home run every 32 at-bats.
There’s more. Wilson, despite striking out a lot, is not a hacker of the Simon and Mackowiak mold. He looks at more pitches per at-bat than even the highly disciplined Giles. That’s a positive that indicates Wilson has the plate presence to become an accomplished hitter. But he has to get the playing time. His career on-base percentage of .362 is another sign of promise. At 26, he could have a future with the team. It’s time to find out.
If Wilson is going to be the right fielder, he needs a caddie. Recall Tike Redman from Nashville to replace Adam Hyzdu. Redman is batting .313 with 24 stolen bases. He’s a rarity in the free-swinging Pirates organization. He has more walks (23) than strikeouts (17). He deserves another chance. Since July, Hyzdu is batting .127 (15 for 118).
These changes may or may not work. But what do the Pirates have to lose?