3-2 Changeup
07-14-2003, 05:02 PM
Cook: McClendon gets 'A' for his effort
Monday, July 14, 2003
It's report card time for the Pirates, who hit the All-Star break with a disappointing 41-50 record yet remain on the fringe of contention in the National League Central Division, thanks to the grace of the baseball gods and a horribly flawed division.
We start with this premise:
If each of the players had done his job as well as Lloyd McClendon did his in the season's first half, the Pirates would be in first place.
That's why it was nice to see McClendon get that contract extension Friday. He deserved it after last season, but, hey, better late never. McClendon is passionate about his job, works extremely hard and is always strategically prepared even if his players frequently sabotage his moves. There is no disputing that he kept his team together and playing hard at a time when most would have quit on a lame-duck manager. The Pirates went 16-11 in their past 27 games.
Here, without further ado, are the rest of the midterm grades:
A -- Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Suppan, Jeff D'Amico, Jeff Reboulet.
All have matched or exceeded expectations. Lofton hit a three-run home run on opening day and has been making daily contributions since with his bat, his defense in center field or his hustle on the bases. The guy is a winner. Sanders leads the club with 15 home runs. Suppan and D'Amico would be welcome additions on the back end of any contender's rotation. Reboulet, thought to be nothing more than a bench player when he joined the team in mid-May, has played well enough to get 31 starts at second base. The Pirates are 18-13 in those games.
This seems like a good time to also give a high grade to General Manager Dave Littlefield, who signed each of those players at team-friendly prices. But his best work must come between now and the July 31 trading deadline when he must decide which veterans to unload. Unlike the Cleveland Indians, a young team on the way up, the Pirates are an older club that's being held together with tape and Band-Aids until its minor-league prospects are ready. If Littlefield can get what he likes for, say, a Lofton or a Suppan, he has to make the move.
B -- Brian Giles, Kip Wells, Jack Wilson, Matt Stairs, Randall Simon.
It's only a matter of time until Giles, easily the Pirates' best player, bumps his grade up. He would be there already if not for a knee injury that forced him to miss 23 games. Wells has pitched better than his 3-4 record and has watched the bullpen blow six leads for him. He has the stuff to be the staff ace. Wilson, much like Jay Bell before him, can be the shortstop on a winning team. He's a clutch hitter -- a .314 average with runners in scoring position -- and above average defensively despite his 13 errors. Stairs, after a slow start, has become a tough out. Simon, another dangerous hitter, has been much better than expected at first base. It's just a shame he had that hand injury and the bad reaction to Italian sausage.
C -- Aramis Ramirez, Jason Kendall, Josh Fogg.
Ramirez overcame a horrendous start to lead the team with 62 RBIs. It would be nice if he had a few more home runs -- he has 11 -- and his 21 errors at third base are inexcusable. Only Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal has as many. Kendall has rebounded from two poor offensive seasons to hit .308 and takes an 18-game hitting streak into the break. Like Ramirez, though, his defense has been poor. A rib-cage muscle injury in April was a setback for Fogg, who, like Wells, needs to keep improving for the Pirates to be winners.
D -- Kris Benson.
It looked as if Benson would be a Cy Young candidate when he won his first two starts and didn't allow an earned run. Since then, he's 3-8 with a 5.32 ERA. The Pirates can't wait for him forever. They owe him $6.1 million next season, his final year before free agency.
F -- Brian Boehringer, Scott Sauerbeck, Mike Williams.
It's unfair to finger the entire bullpen. Salomon Torres, Julian Tavarez and Joe Beimel have done as well or better than expected. Mike Lincoln is a quality reliever who was missed in the first three months of the season because of a shoulder injury.
Boehringer, Sauerbeck and Williams get failing grades only because they're too good to have pitched so poorly. They were supposed to be the team strength, just as they were last season. They are why McClendon said in April, "I love our chances when we get to the seventh or eighth inning with a lead."
Since then, the Pirates have lost seven games in which they led after six innings. Boehringer has a 6.44 ERA and has given up eight home runs in 36 1/3 innings. Sauerbeck, who has appeared in a major-league leading 49 games, has struggled with his control. Williams has blown five save chances and, even in his 25 saves, wasn't as dominant as last season when he was a deserving All-Star.
McClendon appears to be losing patience. He stuck with Suppan in the ninth inning of a 5-4 victory against Milwaukee Thursday instead of going to Williams. He used Tavarez in the eighth inning of a 5-2 win against Houston Saturday night instead of Boehringer.
As much as fans love to criticize McClendon's moves, no one could criticize those.
Monday, July 14, 2003
It's report card time for the Pirates, who hit the All-Star break with a disappointing 41-50 record yet remain on the fringe of contention in the National League Central Division, thanks to the grace of the baseball gods and a horribly flawed division.
We start with this premise:
If each of the players had done his job as well as Lloyd McClendon did his in the season's first half, the Pirates would be in first place.
That's why it was nice to see McClendon get that contract extension Friday. He deserved it after last season, but, hey, better late never. McClendon is passionate about his job, works extremely hard and is always strategically prepared even if his players frequently sabotage his moves. There is no disputing that he kept his team together and playing hard at a time when most would have quit on a lame-duck manager. The Pirates went 16-11 in their past 27 games.
Here, without further ado, are the rest of the midterm grades:
A -- Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders, Jeff Suppan, Jeff D'Amico, Jeff Reboulet.
All have matched or exceeded expectations. Lofton hit a three-run home run on opening day and has been making daily contributions since with his bat, his defense in center field or his hustle on the bases. The guy is a winner. Sanders leads the club with 15 home runs. Suppan and D'Amico would be welcome additions on the back end of any contender's rotation. Reboulet, thought to be nothing more than a bench player when he joined the team in mid-May, has played well enough to get 31 starts at second base. The Pirates are 18-13 in those games.
This seems like a good time to also give a high grade to General Manager Dave Littlefield, who signed each of those players at team-friendly prices. But his best work must come between now and the July 31 trading deadline when he must decide which veterans to unload. Unlike the Cleveland Indians, a young team on the way up, the Pirates are an older club that's being held together with tape and Band-Aids until its minor-league prospects are ready. If Littlefield can get what he likes for, say, a Lofton or a Suppan, he has to make the move.
B -- Brian Giles, Kip Wells, Jack Wilson, Matt Stairs, Randall Simon.
It's only a matter of time until Giles, easily the Pirates' best player, bumps his grade up. He would be there already if not for a knee injury that forced him to miss 23 games. Wells has pitched better than his 3-4 record and has watched the bullpen blow six leads for him. He has the stuff to be the staff ace. Wilson, much like Jay Bell before him, can be the shortstop on a winning team. He's a clutch hitter -- a .314 average with runners in scoring position -- and above average defensively despite his 13 errors. Stairs, after a slow start, has become a tough out. Simon, another dangerous hitter, has been much better than expected at first base. It's just a shame he had that hand injury and the bad reaction to Italian sausage.
C -- Aramis Ramirez, Jason Kendall, Josh Fogg.
Ramirez overcame a horrendous start to lead the team with 62 RBIs. It would be nice if he had a few more home runs -- he has 11 -- and his 21 errors at third base are inexcusable. Only Atlanta Braves shortstop Rafael Furcal has as many. Kendall has rebounded from two poor offensive seasons to hit .308 and takes an 18-game hitting streak into the break. Like Ramirez, though, his defense has been poor. A rib-cage muscle injury in April was a setback for Fogg, who, like Wells, needs to keep improving for the Pirates to be winners.
D -- Kris Benson.
It looked as if Benson would be a Cy Young candidate when he won his first two starts and didn't allow an earned run. Since then, he's 3-8 with a 5.32 ERA. The Pirates can't wait for him forever. They owe him $6.1 million next season, his final year before free agency.
F -- Brian Boehringer, Scott Sauerbeck, Mike Williams.
It's unfair to finger the entire bullpen. Salomon Torres, Julian Tavarez and Joe Beimel have done as well or better than expected. Mike Lincoln is a quality reliever who was missed in the first three months of the season because of a shoulder injury.
Boehringer, Sauerbeck and Williams get failing grades only because they're too good to have pitched so poorly. They were supposed to be the team strength, just as they were last season. They are why McClendon said in April, "I love our chances when we get to the seventh or eighth inning with a lead."
Since then, the Pirates have lost seven games in which they led after six innings. Boehringer has a 6.44 ERA and has given up eight home runs in 36 1/3 innings. Sauerbeck, who has appeared in a major-league leading 49 games, has struggled with his control. Williams has blown five save chances and, even in his 25 saves, wasn't as dominant as last season when he was a deserving All-Star.
McClendon appears to be losing patience. He stuck with Suppan in the ninth inning of a 5-4 victory against Milwaukee Thursday instead of going to Williams. He used Tavarez in the eighth inning of a 5-2 win against Houston Saturday night instead of Boehringer.
As much as fans love to criticize McClendon's moves, no one could criticize those.