Pirates Q&A: Championship pressure?

By Dejan Kovacevic | 8 a.m. Thursday

Click here to submit a question.

MINNEAPOLIS -- We have Qs ...

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Q: Hi, DK. First, the Steelers and, now, the Pens. Does this create more pressure on the Pirates?

MC1 Troy D. Miller aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Arabian Sea

KOVACEVIC: Variations of this question dominated the mail this week, as one might expect, and I have one very simple answer: If the people who run the Pirates need external things - whatever those happen to be -- to motivate them to win, you are all in trouble.

I also have a more involved answer: The people running the Pirates maintain that the course they are taking is the best one with which to achieve a parade, as it applies to their conditions in Major League Baseball. Obviously, they cannot spend up to the salary cap, as is possible in the NFL and NHL, because there is no cap in baseball. So, they aim to work within what they see as their means, using a plan that draws -- in part -- from other teams that have spent in their range.

Could they spend more?

To pound this poor horse 16 feet underground, yes, of course, because Milwaukee spends more and -- repeat after me -- the Brewers play in a market two-thirds the size of Pittsburgh. The only reasonable excuse the Pirates could have for not spending up to the Brewers' level is if they are strengthening their financial position to do so later. They maintain that is what they are doing.

If they are not, see my very simple answer above.

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Q: Dejan, thanks for the great article Tuesday, "When is now?" with Neal Huntington, Bob Nutting and Frank Coonelly. It seems that you hit on most of my own questions with Huntington.

I wondered though, if his response that third was an organizational strength didn't merit a follow-up: Is he referring to Andy LaRoche, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker or all three? 

While LaRoche is hitting better for average, he still ranks in the bottom third of third baseman in the majors, and I would have liked Huntington's thoughts on why the rushed Jason Bay deal was done without getting any top prospects from LA or Boston. It's deals like that and draft picks like Danny Moskos that makes everyone so skeptical about the Nate McLouth trade and Tony Sanchez selection.

Brayden Graber of Atlanta

KOVACEVIC: There was a good amount of feedback to that piece, and a surprising portion of it focused on that one line that third base and center field were seen as organizational strengths.

That was not culled from these weekend interviews, nor was it stated as such. The Pirates, including Huntington, frequently point to those positions as models for how they would like their entire system to develop at some point, where talented players are pushing other talented players, and the best ones win out. And that is it. I never have heard anyone suggest they are through pursuing third basemen or center fielders.

I could have made that clearer in the original piece.

A couple other points in response, Brayden:

> The Bay deal was consummated at about a minute before the trading deadline, and the process that led to it took months. Whatever criticism can be leveled at the actual transaction, "rushed" is not among them.

> The current management team did not draft Moskos.

> Specifically regarding third base, the Pirates also have a youngster named Matt Hague who looks promising at the position. He was bumped across the diamond for Pedro Alvarez in Lynchburg, but a breakout on his part could move him back, probably. Remember Jarek Cunningham, too, who had a terrific debut in 2008 only to lose all of this season to knee surgery.

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Q: DK, any indication the Pirates will offer Miguel Sano a larger signing bonus after signing Tony Sanchez below slot?

Everything I've read on Sano makes him sound like a bona fide elite prospect. Having him alongside Alvarez and Jose Tabata sounds like a quality offensive core you could build a contender around.

Nick Radio of Freeport

KOVACEVIC: It certainly does, Nick, and it is the type of acquisition that teams serious about building from within will seriously pursue. Regardless of what you have culled about Sano's potential from my many pieces on him so far, consider just this: The Cardinals are working him out this week, and their GM, John Mozeliak, is making a special trip to the Dominican to watch.

As for your initial question, the Pirates are adamant that the draft and Latin America budgets are independent, but one wallet is one wallet.

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Q: Why on earth was Jeff Karstens bumped from the rotation rather than Ian Snell?

Do the Pirates feel Snell would pout in the bullpen?

Karstens seems teachable and talented. Snell seems talented but takes very little responsibility for his own shortcomings and seems stuck in mediocrity.

David Hyatt of Connellsville

KOVACEVIC: Snell has ability, as we saw again last night with his recovery in those final three innings. And his attitude is not at all what it is portrayed to be by so many people who write to me. You are correct about a lack of taking responsibility -- again last night, he blamed the home plate umpire for his early labors -- but there is no sign that I can see of anybody else being terribly turned off by it, certainly not to the point of distraction.

I often write that intangibles are overrated, usually referring to leadership. But the same applies the other way. All successful teams -- and you can go through Pirates history for plenty of evidence -- have players who are quirky, out of bounds, irritating, even downright infuriating, but they learn to deal with them. Snell is nothing close to any of those extremes. He is a kid, a big kid, but a good, big kid. And he has a very good arm.

What he needs to figure out is how to be more efficient, more aggressive early in the game. If that happens, I strongly suspect no one will mind much what he says afterward.

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Q: I was surprised to see that Rudy Owens got no mention whatsoever in your revised Top 10 Prospects list. Albeit at a lower level of competition, he's been one of the Pirates' three truly outstanding minor league pitchers this year.

Is he not even on the radar?

Eric Pearce of Kansas City

KOVACEVIC: Owens has been exceptional, Eric, in going 7-1 with a 2.20 ERA, 65 strikeouts, 11 walks and .198 opponents' batting average. And his most recent outing Tuesday was his best, retiring his first 16 batters, then 24 of 25 over eight scoreless innings. All that, and he is 6 feet 3, just 21 and left-handed.

However, level assignments are the most telling sign of how an organization feels about a player's potential. This is Owens' third year in the system and, after having 5.32 and 4.97 ERAs in the first two, he was assigned to low Class A West Virginia, while at least one other left-hander out of the 2008 draft class, Justin Wilson, went right to high Class A Lynchburg. Sure, Wilson was a college kid, but one was perceived as being more ready than the other at that point despite Owens having professional experience.

That might or might not mean anything. Just pointing it out.

At any rate, one would think Owens will be moving up soon.

As for the list, I checked on Owens and other players and felt comfortable in leaving off the players I left off. Obviously, if he keeps pitching as he has, especially at a higher level, he will make the list.

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Q: A lot has been discussed regarding the perceived lack of return for the McLouth trade and the lack of power in the PBC system. With that said, players often develop power over the course of their careers. Nate is a prime example: In 2,100 minor league at bats, Nate hit 40 home runs, 127 doubles. This represents very little power potential. Is it that far out of the realm of possibility that Jose Tabata, Gorkys Hernandez or Andrew McCutchen especially could not develop the power Nate has displayed?

In fewer at-bats in the minors, 1,900, McCutchen had more home runs, 43, and comparable doubles and triples to Nate.

Could it be that management sees someone in the system having the ability to develop the power that they have lost in Nate?

Matt Kelly of Morningside, Pittsburgh

KOVACEVIC: They see McCutchen and Hernandez as having some pop, more in the gap-to-gap sense than home runs, but no one is ruling out they could hit 15-20 at some point. Tabata is different. He has the strength, the raw power and all kinds of other offensive ability to break out in this regard, more than the other two.

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Q: With the horrendous start at Altoona, is there any discussion on potential changes to the coaching staff?

The hitting on that team has been a complete embarrassment

Judd McCullough of Rural Valley, Pa.

KOVACEVIC: Actually, the embarrassment in the Curve's 22-42 start, from what I know, has been the team's defensive play. This is particularly responsible for Brad Lincoln's 1-4 record despite a 2.20 ERA, and it surely cannot be helping Moskos and Mike Crotta, each ground-ball pitchers.

The error parade includes 24 at shortstop alone, between Brian Friday's 13 and Pedro Lopez's 11, plus 12 by Angel Gonzalez at third, eight by Jim Negrych at second, and even seven at first base by Jamie Romak.

But no, I have not heard that manager Matt Walbeck or anyone else on the staff there is in trouble.

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Q: Dejan, I've read often that wrist injuries often sap power from a hitter for a while even after the hitter is cleared to play. Is there any reason to believe that this will or will not be the case with Ryan Doumit's injury?

Kevin Cardone of Columbus, Ohio

KOVACEVIC: What you might be thinking of, Kevin, is the broken hamate bone Pedro Alvarez had last spring with Vanderbilt. That is in the hand and, although it heals well, it saps a hitter of his power for a few months.

Judging by Alvarez's power numbers in 2009, that is well behind him.

Doumit's injury, as it relates to power, was only going to be an issue if the scaphoid bone, which is in the wrist, did not heal properly once the pin was inserted to guide it. According to the most recent CT scan, it healed even better than Dr. Mark Baratz had expected at this point, which surely is an encouraging sign for Doumit.

From there, once the bone is healed, it is no different than any other healed bone. Should have no negative impact.

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Q: Greetings, Dejan. This is not so much a question, as much as an observation ...

I took a ride to Dick's Sporting Goods in Robinson on Saturday morning at about 11 a.m. to get myself the slick new Stanley Cup Championship hat. As I sort of expected, they were already sold out.

As I was fighting to scoop up the kids among a sea of people diving for whatever championship T-shirts remained, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye: In the Pirates' section of the store, there is the Pirate Parrot. Alone. His fake grin was stitched into his costume, but his head was hanging low as he looked at the floor and kids rushed past him in search of a Sidney Crosby shirt, Evgeni Malkin token or anything Penguin.

A million thoughts raced through my mind, but I find myself having difficulty elucidating any of them. It was so uplifting, yet depressing at the same time. Ultimately, I'm left with fear. Fear that those kids who were oblivious to the giant parrot will be oblivious to the Pirates themselves. Most of the parents of those children were no older than their spawn the last time they saw winning baseball around here.

John Lubic of Ambridge

KOVACEVIC: Look at it another way: Nearly four decades after his death, Roberto Clemente is today, unquestionably, the Pirates' most marketable commodity. The No. 21 T-shirts and other wear not only are the biggest sellers but also are just about all that remains of the franchise that comes with a legitimate "cool" factor, akin to what we see with the Penguins. (Though obviously not close to that level at the moment.)

Your "fear," John, well stated as it is, already has been realized: The Pirates are an absolute afterthought to the younger generation in our city.

And that will not change until they have elite talent, again, akin to what we see with the Penguins and Steelers.

PHOTO of Owens: West Virginia Power