By Dejan Kovacevic | 8 a.m. Thursday
Click here to submit a question.
CHICAGO -- We have Qs here on the off-day ...
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Q: Hi, Dejan. I'm sure I am not the only one who has grown weary of Ian Snell, particularly his attitude. His latest batch of lame-excuse quotes after yet another schizophrenic performance is simply, well, inexcusable.
Why is there no talk of a short leash for Ian?
Tom Gorzelanny appears to have taken his demotion to heart and has looked impressive thus far. Any chance he stays and Ian goes down to fix himself?
Karen Rempel of Indiana, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: Many strong words aimed at Snell hit the inbox in the past 48 hours, so here is another sampling ...
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Q: Why does Ian Snell continue to blame his inability to execute on everyone else?
Every time he struggles it was either the umps, catcher, fielders or coaches who messed up, not him. I've had it up to here with his excuses. He needs to shut up and pitch.
Deanna Yee of Bethel Park
KOVACEVIC: You left out the mounds, Deanna, a regular source of Snell's criticism in spring training.
There is no question that Snell has been, as I described him in that game story, maddening for those in the organization and, quite obviously, those who follow it. The Pirates preach accountability, and that includes looking in the mirror from time to time. To be fair, Snell also listed "bad pitches" as one of his problems that night, but he also mentioned -- though not by name -- Robinzon Diaz's work behind the plate, home plate umpire Jeff Nelson, and maybe even pitching coach Joe Kerrigan by citing the strategy of attacking hitters' weaknesses.
This is part of his personality, and there are those who do not like it.
As for replacing Snell in the rotation, with Gorzelanny or anyone else, the Pirates do not sound as if they are near that point. So long as he continues to show spurts such as those that were there again Tuesday night, they feel they can get far better value out of Snell by getting him right than by sending a message.
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Q: Do Ian Snell and Sean Marshall get credit for a complete game when it is rain-shortened like that?
It would be odd to get a CG when neither pitched enough innings to qualify for a quality start.
Greg Hill of Indiana, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: The answer is yes, Greg, and that was the topic of some discussion in the press box that night, too. It is odd, and it surely diminishes the CG as it compares to those that, say, Zach Duke has pitched. But baseball games are complete with the final out, whether that comes in the fifth inning or the 25th.
Think of it the same way poor Harvey Haddix had that perfect game designation stripped away: His game did not end in the ninth, nor in the 12th, but in the 13th. Thus, he could, in the eyes of the commissioner, lay claim to a perfect "game."
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Q: What is the Pirates' record this year without Jack Wilson in the lineup as compared to their record when he plays?
Ken Simon of Washington, D.C.
KOVACEVIC: The Pirates are 16-12 when Wilson starts at shortstop, 5-14 when he does not. They also are 2-0 when he does something really dramatic in the ninth.
Freddy Sanchez was rested yesterday, too, and they are 1-3 when that happens.
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Q: Why would the Pirates refuse to give Jack Wilson $8 million next year and can't wait to give a 16-year-old $4 million?
Wonder what players on the team think of that.
Joel Nace of Girard, Pa.
KOVACEVIC: First off, Joel, neither is definitively the case yet. Wilson's 2010 club option, worth $8.4 million, has not yet been rejected, though it likely will be assuming he remains with the Pirates that long. And there has been no formal offer yet to Miguel Angel Sano, for $4 million or any other figure.
You have to consider in these matters overall value ...
If the Pirates pick up Wilson's option, what will be his worth compared to the National League-average shortstop? Could a comparable player be acquired for much less through other means? (We know there are no answers internally, so that would have to come from the outside.) Even Wilson has, to an extent, acknowledged that the option figure is high by offering to renegotiate it if he could secure a longer-term extension.
If the Pirates sign Sano to the $4 million figure you cite, what is the overall value of retaining his rights all through the minors, then for six years in the majors, if he turns out to be even half of what some evaluators are projecting? And how does that compare to $4 million spent elsewhere, say, on two years of Ramon Vazquez on the bench?
As for what players think of it, know only that the clubhouse is filled with people who were delighted -- and maybe pleasantly surprised -- when the team stepped up and gave Pedro Alvarez $6.355 million last summer. Initially, there might have been some trepidation because of how long it took Alvarez to sign, but all that changed when they saw him launching balls into the parking lot in spring training.
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Q: Dejan, I know Chuck Finder is following the draft, but I'm curious as to your opinion on this: Would you be at all surprised if the Pirates spend their first-round pick on a very signable player who they can pay at or below slot, then divert the extra cash to signing Miguel Angel Sano?
Ryan Kok of Oakdale
KOVACEVIC: Not in the slightest, Ryan.
It is, by most accounts, a lousy draft. If Sano has the talent to match the descriptions of those who have seen him, he would be a very high pick if draft-eligible and, possibly, worth that type of money more than the draft pick available at No. 4 overall.
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Q: Given Brandon Moss' hot bat, is there any justification for continuing to spell him when the Bucs face lefties?
I remember J.R. doing the same thing recently with Andy LaRoche, sending in a pinch hitter in a crucial late-inning at-bat. Moss and Andy LaRoche aren't this fragile, are they? They've shown quite a bit of grit to get back on top after stinking it up early on. Yet, they're regularly held back.
Jason Webb of Greenfield, Pittsburgh
KOVACEVIC: Moss was on a .442 tear -- 19 for 43 -- at the time he was benched Tuesday night in favor of Craig Monroe, so your point is a strong one, Jason.
When Russell is asked about this, or LaRoche and similar matters, he answers twofold by saying that he wants to rest those players as he rests all players, and by saying that he wants to keep his bench involved. The latter seems to get emphasized more than the former.
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Q: Why would a manager of a Major League Baseball team -- the Pittsburgh Pirates -- refuse a team invitation to attend a private tour and meeting with the President of the U.S.?
I understand that James Harrison of the Steelers is standing his ground. But John Russell is the manager of a team. Should he not be there as part of the team?
I say fire him for insubordination of the Pirates team and as a representative of the city of Pittsburgh.
Kathleen Twele of Elizabeth
KOVACEVIC: There is a significant difference between being invited to the White House and asking for a tour. The Pirates, hardly a reigning champion, did the latter. And never was President Obama expected to be part of that tour, so meeting him was not "refused," as you put it.
Some of the Pirates wanted to see the White House. Some did not.
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Q: Dejan, two weeks ago, Frank Coonelly took offense to being questioned about the recent benchings of Freddy Sanchez and the implication that the Pirates were not fielding their best lineup possible while in the midst of a losing streak.
Isn't carrying Donnie Veal on the 25-man roster instead of an experienced long man like Tom Gorzelanny and limiting John Russell's bullpen options a clear example of not fielding their best team possible to win now?
Kirk Doel of Clinton
KOVACEVIC: Apples and oranges, Kirk. Teams of all pedigree and payrolls carry young players on their rosters for various reasons, including Rule 5 guys.
And Veal is not, by himself, what has kept the Pirates from adding a long man such as Gorzelanny, obviously, since Veal and Gorzelanny currently share the same clubhouse. What hurt the long-man position was Phil Dumatrait healing so slowly, then nobody -- not even the much-touted Virgil Vasquez -- stepped up in the spring.
The Sanchez matter is different. I felt it was a fair question to ask Coonelly because it was a topic of significant conversation that day in New York, and I wanted to give him a chance to explain his side. He did so with gusto and, as I have written previously, I had no issue with that.
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Q: Given the extreme dearth of pitching talent in the Pirates' minor league system, and the significantly higher impact pitchers contribute relative to position players, is there a reason the Pirates wouldn't simply take the shotgun approach and draft starting pitchers in every round of the draft?
Perhaps that is extreme, but at least it would seem there is value in taking a disproportionate number of pitchers. If even only one or two pan out, it would change the entire complexion of the team.
Joe Willis of Edgewood
KOVACEVIC: Crazy as that sounds, your idea might have some merit, Joe.
There all kinds of mitigating factors, obviously, not the least of which is that you are not going to find 50 pitchers worthwhile. But focusing on adding all kinds of arms ... hey, why not? The bonuses, once you get past the top third of the draft, almost invariably are four-figure signings, so the expenditure would be minimal.
I wrote during Dave Littlefield's tenure that it was difficult to explain how a terrible system would sign only 27-28 of its 50 picks, and I echoed that last year when the current management signed 32. Yes, that is slightly above the industry norm. But the Pirates' system is well shy of the industry norm.
Posted
May 28 2009, 08:00 AM
by
Dejan Kovacevic
Filed under: Pirates Q&A, Ian Snell, Freddy Sanchez, Pedro Alvarez, Frank Coonelly, Tom Gorzelanny, Brandon Moss, Andy LaRoche, John Russell, Phil Dumatrait, Jack Wilson, Robinzon Diaz, Donnie Veal, Virgil Vasquez, Miguel Angel Sano