By Dejan Kovacevic | 12:30 a.m. Wednesday
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MILWAUKEE -- We have some Qs ...
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Q: Looking forward to the next possible Pirates team that even achieves mediocrity, I started filling out my lineup card for April 4, 2011. But I ran into some hazy issues. Particularly, what can we make of Andy LaRoche?
Less than six months ago, he was seen as one of the top 15 prospects in baseball, somewhere between Jacoby Ellsbury and Matt Wieters. It sure would be nice to say we could get a .290 average with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs from him in 2011. Based on his minor league stats, that would seem well within the realm of possibility, but we all remember Chad Hermansen's minor league stats, too. Can Andy develop into the real deal? Are scouts sour on him now that he has struggled in the majors?
Brian Leary of Clarion
KOVACEVIC: It is entirely possible, Brian, that all the scouts were wrong. It happens, even to those capable of "walking on water," as was Woody Huyke's infamous declaration regarding Hermansen all those years ago.
I look at LaRoche with my untrained eye, and I cannot begin to understand what the scouts saw. I do not see the excellent eye that has been described. I do not see the even, controlled stroke. I see the power only when a pitcher hangs some awful breaking pitch. And, above all, I do not see this above-average glove.
Where is it? Any of it?
(And this is to say nothing of more than one issue already involving effort.)
That said, when you bring this up with people who have trained eyes, they look at you as if you are nuts. They see all kinds of talent, all kinds of potential, but they see a player who is immensely struggling and fighting himself and, as a result, making his hole even deeper.
And, as Neal Huntington mentioned a week back when I raised the "scholarship" issue with him regarding why LaRoche seems immune to accountability, there apparently are teams eager and willing to take LaRoche off the Pirates' hands.
Not seeing it.
By the way, Lloyd McClendon once said of Hermansen, "He doesn't look defeated when he strikes out." And he intended it as a positive. Buddy of mine used that as his scrolling screensaver.
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Q: Dejan, has Sean Burnett locked up a bullpen spot next year as a result of his second-half performance?
Brian Dulski of Lebanon, Ill.
KOVACEVIC: No, he has not, Brian. Management's view is that the only bullpen locks going into next spring are Matt Capps and John Grabow, though they seem to acknowledge Burnett right there in the next tier with Tyler Yates. The tier after that has Denny Bautista and T.J. Beam.
Burnett's splits are not as clean-cut as first-half/second-half, as these figures will show. But the most important element, probably, is that he has been very good since a Jeff Andrews mechanical instruction that moved him on the rubber and gave fresh life to his fastball and slider, as well as the implementation of a changeup that allowed him - finally - to get righties out.
It is fairly easy, I think, to project that Burnett will be part of the pen. For one, bear in mind that the Pirates control his major league rights for four more years and would risk losing him through waivers if they try to demote him. For another, add up all the left-handed relief candidates in the entire organization for 2009, and it comes down to ... well, Grabow and Burnett. Juan Perez is still down there, as is Dave Davidson in Class AA, but neither should be taken seriously going into the next spring training.
Hey, isn't Damaso Marte about to become a free agent?
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Q: Hi, Dejan. I went to the final game Sunday and, while the play on the field was not that enjoyable to watch, the scoreboard was another matter.
I appreciated the players thanking fans and their announcements of the winners of their jerseys. I was so looking forward to something more after the game, but there it fell flat. There was silence where I expected a speech and the only fans noticeably receiving attention were the winners. You've reported that there was more later. If I'd known, I would have waited, but I left.
This was a good start. Now, it needs a better finish.
Marda Hook of Wexford
KOVACEVIC: Nice to see that "Wexford" after your name, rather than "New York." Congratulations on the move, Marda.
I have said my piece regarding Sunday, as have several ticket-holders who attended, but I can add this: A couple readers wrote in complaining that ushers did not allow them to approach the field-level railing after the final out, which, if true, would be a first. Not to mention strange. If fans can approach that railing when the Yankees are taking batting practice, they certainly should be allowed to bid farewell to their own team.
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Thing No. 111 that makes Pittsburgh great: The long park along Fort Duquesne Boulevard, Downtown.
Nate Clark of Napa, Calif., emailed a link yesterday to the Library of Congress' collection of panoramic photos, which can dig up some great city shots (including the 1909 world championship PBC that adorns each edition of the Q&A).
Anyway, that got me thinking about a neat moment shared last week with this person I married a long time ago. (Multiple sources indicate strongly that we still are married, but I await independent confirmation when this whole baseball thing ends next week.) After a gyro stop on Sixth Street, we walked over to the portion of the park between the Clemente and Warhol bridges, and I asked her to look at the North Shore, way left and way right, to try to recall what it all looked like. The stadiums and dramatically upgraded riverfront, including the water steps, obviously stand out. But Alcoa's signature headquarters (funny how no neon sign is necessary in light of great design), the Lincoln at North Shore apartments (former residence), and the fairly new second Siemens building directly across the river did just as much to alter forever what had been ... well, does anybody really remember what was over there?
I do, specifically as it relates to all the houses.
It seems remarkable but, just a decade ago, there was an entire - though small - neighborhood directly on the site of PNC Park, closer to the first-base side. There was an extension of River Avenue along the water and two perpendicular side streets leading up to General Robinson, all filled with real houses with real people in them. There also were rows of houses along General Robinson. All were bought up by the city in one of the city's few financial contributions to Plan B.
The park itself has two tiers, the upper lined with a long, winding stone bench and some sturdy landscaping. The lower tier, which looked pretty stupid when it opened eight years ago, did actually fulfill its architect's promise that it would grow into something nice once the trees and other stuff grew up.
Oh, yeah, and that used to be a long parking lot.
The person who might merit credit for starting it all was the one laughed at when it started: Mayor Sophie.
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Until tomorrow ...
Posted
Sep 24 2008, 12:30 AM
by
Dejan Kovacevic