Kuzul

This winter is going to be long and hard for Pennsylvania sports fans, as the Pittsburgh Steelers ended a promising season with a Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Pirates begin what will likely be a record setting 19th straight losing season.
 
Pirate fans are nothing if not loyal. Perhaps hopelessly loyal of a team that has struggled to win since the days of Andy Van Slyke and a steroid-free Barry Bonds. The ghosts of Doug Drabek and Bobby Bonilla can’t help the 2011 Bucs, and the beautiful PNC Park will likely go another season without a winning team.
 
Although the team does have a few promising players like Andrew McCutchen, Evan Meek, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker, they lack the pitching required to compete in the highly competitive NL Central. Newly hired Clint Hurdle will likely bring a new fire and determination to Steel Town, yet from a fantasy perspective, there is very little to get excited about.

Key Additions

Garrett Atkins
Kevin Correia
Matt Diaz
Lyle Overbay

Key Losses

Delwyn Young
Andy LaRoche
Zach Duke

Who to Target

McCutchen is the only marquee player to target on the Pirates. He is similar to Carlos Gonzalez in that he is a five-tool outfielder. However, he lacks the lineup protection that Gonzalez enjoys in Colorado.
 
McCutchen had a nice sophomore season for the Bucs, posting a .286 average with 94 runs scored and 33 stolen bases. I look for Andrew to top 20 home runs for the first time in his career while continuing his base stealing prowess under new manager Hurdle.

Sleeper

Although the Pirates lack established fantasy talent to target in the early rounds, the team does have a few sleeper candidates with breakout potential. One such sleeper is left fielder Jose Tabada, a second-year player from Venezuela.
 
Tabada was originally signed by the New York Yankees as an amateur free agent in 2004. He made his major league debut in 2010 for the Pirates after being acquired by the club in the 2008 Xavier Nady trade.
 
In 441 plate appearances Tabada was able to score 61 runs and steal 19 bases while batting a respectable .299. If he continues his solid play in 2011, he could end up being a nice sleeper candidate in both mixed and NL formats.  His biggest knock is his power; however his base stealing skills and high average make up for lack of pop in his bat.

This article was originally published on www.kramericasports.com, the home of free fantasy news, rankings and advice.

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Yes, the word optimism and the Pittsburgh Pirates does not ordinarily fit into the same sentence, but their are a few reasons for the city of Pittsburgh to look for the light at the end of an 18-year-long tunnel.

The Pirates are coming off a 105 loss season, but with the additions of some veteran players and the continued development of the young players in the current lineup, the Pirates could be better this season. 

I am not saying the Pittsburgh Pirates are going to win the NL Central and make a Tampa Bay Rays-like run to the World Series, but with the right mentality, timely call-ups, and an acquisition or two, the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates could be the group that get the infamous monkey off the organizations’ back.

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Alright, kicking off my 30-team preview, we’re starting in the wonderful city of Sixsburgh. A city of rich sports tradition, and champions all around.

Whether you’re on the frozen pond, or on the gridiron, Pittsburgh knows what it takes to win championships. Even the dismal Pirates were once synonymous with success back in the early 1900s as well as the entire 1970s.

Since their last postseason appearance in 1992 the Pirates have had no winning records, and two 100-loss seasons. The Pirates ship sank a long time ago, and with any hope of bringing it back, well…not even Johnny Depp could produce a winner out of this one. A modern tragedy over 18 years in the making.

The 2010 Pirates were one of two teams in all of baseball with more than 100 loses, and trading away Zach Duke early in the offseason sent a message—that this franchise is in a long, drawn out rebuilding process. But how long does it take to rebuild? 

The hiring of manager Clint Hurdle was a great move in my opinion, he’s someone who can help the Pirates immediately. Hurdle is going to put his best lineup on the field every day, and he is a winner.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have much to work with. Here’s what the Pirates’ lineup and starting rotation looks like right now.

C: Chris Snyder

1B: Lyle Overbay

2B: Neil Walker

3B: Pedro Alvarez

SS: Ronny Cedeno

LF: Jose Tabata

CF: Andrew McCutchen

RF: Garrett Jones

SP: Paul Maholm

SP: Ross Ohlendorf

SP: Charlie Morton

SP: James McDonald

SP: Kevin Correia

CL: Joel Hanrahan

The Pirates were relatively quiet this offseason and that should come as no surprise, but I like the move they made by signing Lyle Overbay. He’s an experienced first baseman who brings a consistent bat to a very inconsistent lineup. 

Jones and McCutchen are the best players on this team though, without question, and it will be interesting to see what happens with both of these player throughout the course of the regular season.

This is McCutchen’s team, and he is an emerging superstar. Leading the Pirates with a .286 AVG last season, as well as 33 stolen bases. There is no doubt in my mind that McCutchen is an all-star talent, but as Pittsburgh has proven in the past. They simply are not willing to pay up in order to keep their talent.

If Pittsburgh manages to hold onto both of them, the rebuilding may be over sooner rather than later…unfortunately, the Pirates are also in one of the toughest divisions in baseball year in and year out.

Pitching is the key concern for the Pirates, as their “ace” Paul Maholm won a total of nine games last season and had an ERA of 5.10. However, their is no lack of talent, or prospects in this rotation.

Ross Ohlendorf has solid stuff, a high 90s fastball and a nasty sinker, he was the only Pirate’s starting pitcher with a winning record during his first full season in 2009. If this club wants to climb out of the cellar of the NL Central, they will be needing a big year from Mr. Ohlendorf.

An interesting position battle surrounds this team heading into spring training as well. That is the battle for the full-time closer between Hanrahan, and Evan Meek. Hanrahan was the closer during the 2010 campaign, but I expect his duties to be handed over to the surprisingly dominant Meek.

As the setup man in 2010, Meek posted impressive numbers for a less than impressive bullpen with a 2.14 ERA, as well as 15 holds for a team that only won 57 games. Meek was also selected to the NL All-Star team and is one of the few bright spots on a team that has not been able to hold on to their talent for over a decade.

Although the Pirates still have many questions, including the middle of their batting lineup, as well as the bottom half of their starting rotation. This is a team who has more potential than the rest of the bottom feeders.

But as for this season, well…the 2011 Pirates may not win any Oscars (or more than 60 games), but this sequel should be an improvement on an atrocious 2010.

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At long last, a man has been called upon to take command of a sinking ship. 

Clinton Merrick Hurdle will take over as the newest manager of a Pittsburgh Pirate team in desperate need of some proper direction.  He comes to the team fresh off a bench ride with the Texas Rangers to their first World Series appearance in franchise history.

Hurdle was the Rockies manager from 2002 through the early part of the 2009 season. He led the team to the 2007 World Series and had a 534-625 record with Colorado.

I know many Pirate fans have to be happy that this long and exhaustive search for a new skipper has finally come to an end.  Of the two “finalists” for the gig, I felt Hurdle was far and away the better candidate over Jeff Banister. 

Hurdle brings a wealth of hitting instructor experience, which can’t hurt with the young emerging superstars the Pirates have on offense.  I am anxious to see if he can help Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jose Tabata and Pedro Alvarez develop even further as major league hitters.

What remains to be seen in what staff Hurdle will put into place to fill out the major league coaching staff.  Hopefully a top notch pitching instructor will enter the mix, as this team will be going nowhere without improvement in that facet of the game.

The “best management team in baseball” didn’t take the cheap way out this time, so hopefully it’s a sign the franchise is ready to start taking all the necessary steps to put a winner on the field. 

Now let’s see if they can get Hurdle some more talent to manage.  I think the fans of Pittsburgh have been more than patient with this ownership group and hope that the promise of better times to come will be honored this time around. 

All in all I am happy with the hiring as they went outside the organization to bring in someone who knows how to win.  Hopefully, that will help inject new blood and new life into this organization as it continues the transition from perennial losers to championship contenders.

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In case you’ve missed this week in the world of the New York Mets, just know, “In Sandy we trust.”

We trust he’s bringing the right people in (DePodesta, Ricciardi, etc.), we trust he’s kicking the right people out (Charlie Samuels) and we trust he’s making considerable progress with the team on the field, beginning with the next New York Mets manager.

Alderson has been adamant when he states he wants a field manager with Major League experience, and someone who can lead this group out flux and back to the glory the Mets franchise needs to be restored to. 

With this said, Alderson has interviewed many, but now, as it seems, with second interviews looming in the near future, Terry Collins, Bob Melvin and Clint Hurdle look to be the front-runners coming out of the pack.

It is still uncertain if Wally Backman will be receiving a second interview with this group, but if he does, he could very well be the dark horse of the group to land the job.

Out of this bunch, it looks like the Mets will have what they need in terms of a manager with experience and understanding of the game, and where the front office wants to take this team, regardless of who gets the job.

If I had to bet, I’d say that the next Mets manager will be Terry Collins. As I’ve stated in a previous article, Collins has the backing of many in the Mets front office, and it’s feeling more and more like it’s his job to lose.

Collins believes in the philosophy Alderson is trying to impress on this team, and with more than adequate professional experience, he looks to take the mold of what Alderson is looking for in his manager.

If it were the case that Collins did not get the job, I’d have to say the next in line would be Clint Hurdle. Hurdle is currently the hitting coach of the AL champs Texas Rangers, and if we all watched this past postseason, we saw that whatever he was doing was working.

He’s got the experience as a manager, going 534-625 all with Colorado, the postseason experience, taking the Rockies to the World Series in 2007, and also from people close to him, they say he is loud, outgoing, smart and doesn’t let his bad day effect him in between the line. All the makings for a great manager during a rebuilding phase of this organization.

As the weeks continue, we get more and more information leaked, regarding who and how Alderson is doing in the search for the next New York Mets manager. As the weeks continue to churn, the more faith I put in this organization, which is a feeling I never really remember feeling before.

Check back soon for more updates on the search for the next New York Mets manager. 

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The Pirates might have hired Eric Wedge as their new manager. Or Phil Garner. But with other teams having taken the main candidates, these choices are basically no longer around.

The reason the Pirates didn’t make a move on the other candidates is because they seemed to prefer Clint Hurdle to the others. Fair enough. But the Pirates have (so far) been dilatory even with Hurdle.

Say whatever you like about him, but Hurdle is a “sportsman.” As a teenager, he defended his offensive coordinator who was blamed for a crucial loss that cost his team a chance at their “playoffs.” Hurdle inspires that kind of loyalty from his players as well.

Hurdle is a peculiarly suitable manager for “underdog” teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 2007, he led the Colorado Rockies to the playoffs, and ultimately the World Series, with a season-ending 14-1 winning streak.

More recently, he was the hitting coach for the Texas Rangers, another team that made it to the World Series this year. If the Pirates have playoff aspirations, this seems to be the man.

Hurdle’s background is in hitting, or offense, which will be a key element in any Pirates resurgence. They have much to do with their pitching, especially their rotation, but it has been hitting (or lack thereof), that has cost the Bucs the most games. In 2010, the Pirates were outscored by every team in the majors except the Seattle Mariners; that includes the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles.

Hurdle isn’t the manager for every team. But he is as good a fit for the struggling Pirates as any. It’s time for the Bucs to run with the one viable choice they have left, before some other team gets him.

The Pirates may get lucky with Hurdle. They may not. But if they don’t, it will be a lesson not to dawdle the next time around.

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There have been many names linked to the Pittsburgh Pirates’ managerial opening.  We’ve heard everything from John Gibbons to Bobby Valentine to Dale Sveum to Ken  Macha to Phil Garner.  Well, you get the point.

As I reported last week, it looked like the Pirates were holding out for the Texas Rangers to be eliminated from the World Series, so they could interview Clint Hurdle.  That indeed was the case and it looks like Hurdle is one of the final two candidates, as the Pirates won’t likely be conducting any more interviews for the job.

The other candidate?  Well, that would be Jeff Banister.

Jon Heyman of SI.com also confirmed that these are the likely last two guys standing.

I gave you Hurdle’s resume in my last article, which you are welcome to read as well.  Hurdle is definitely the more qualified manager and I would like to believe that he is the favorite, but who exactly is Banister?

Banister is no stranger to the Pirates organization, having spent 25 years within the club as a player and coach, in both the Pirates major and minor league system.

He currently served as the Pirates interim bench coach after Gary Varsho was fired during the season.

An interesting fact on Banister is that pitchers couldn’t get him out as a player. The guy batted a perfect 1.000 in his MLB career. That would be real impressive, if his career lasted more then one at bat.

In 1991, former Pirates manager Jim Leyland had to use Banister to pinch hit for injured catcher Don Slaught against the Atlanta Braves.  Banister reached on an infield single in his only MLB at bat and he was sent back to the minors following the game.

In 1993, Banister returned to the Pirates as a coach and field coordinator.  He’s been with the Pirates ever since.  Banister has served as a minor league manager on four different occasions, but not since 1998 when he managed the Carolina Mudcats.

I guess loyalty counts for something,  I’m not overly impressed with Banister’s resume.  I’d still rather have Hurdle.

However, the one thing Banister has going for him is that no one probably knows the Pirates young talent better then he does.

In the end, a decision should be made soon.  So, Bleacher Report followers, who would you hire if you were the Pirates? 

My vote still goes for Hurdle.

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It’s been a little over two weeks since the Pittsburgh Pirates last interviewed a candidate for the open managerial position.  They’ve yet to name a manager and many believe that the Pirates were waiting for the New York Yankees to get eliminated from the playoffs.

Could they be waiting for another guy and another team to get eliminated from the playoffs?  Maybe Texas Rangers hitting coach Clint Hurdle?

It makes sense.

Hurdle, as manager of the Colorado Rockies, has shown the ability to deal with young players.  He handled the learning process great as skipper of the Rockies.  He took a last place team and guided them to the only World Series appearance in franchise history.

It would be a good fit because the Pirates had the youngest roster in the majors last season and likely will get even younger through the next couple seasons.

In Colorado, Hurdle became the public face of the franchise, which elevated credibility of the Rockies as a competitive threat in the eyes of baseball fans. This is important in Pittsburgh as well. 

While young studs like Andrew McCutchen and Pedro Alvarez will become the face of the franchise with time, it also would be good for the team to have a respected leader like Hurdle guiding the ship.

That’s what would separate a guy like Hurdle from the likes of Pena and the others.  That’s no knock on Pena and the other candidates, as they are all great baseball minds, but Hurdle has earned respect as a manager, while Pena and the others have not.

In seven-plus years as a manager in Colorado, Hurdle’s record was only 535-624, but after building with the young talent, he won the National League pennant in 2007.

He just may be the guy that the Pirates are waiting for.

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