2008 Pirates Awards Part 2

 Without further ado, here is the second part of the Pirates Awards:

 Best Pirates Mid season Acquisition:

 1. Jeff Karstans- Karstans was on his game when he first came to Pittsburgh in the Xavier Nady/Damaso Marte trade. Through his first two starts, he flirted with a perfect game, and allowed zero runs. While he has never been the same since, he throws a lot of strikes and that never hurts.

 2. Brandon Moss- Moss may not have the best average, but boy can he hit.

 3. Andy LaRoche- LaRoche has made tons of errors while wearing a Pirates uniform. His first home run as a Pirate was in Wrigley Field which says a lot about LaRoche's poise. Many said that just acquiring LaRoche in the Jason Bay trade would have made the Pirates winners.

 4. Ross Ohlendorf- Ohlendorf tore apart the minor leagues but since his first start as a Pirate, he has not been the same. He has looked very over matched.

 The Winner: It seems at times that I am picking the lesser of four evils, but for me, the clear winner is Brandon Moss. Moss has torn up pitching and although his average doesn't show it, he is showing true offensive potential. Overtime, his defensive issues will solve themselves as he tries to get used to his surroundings at PNC Park.

  Most Improved Minor League Player:

 1. Andrew McCutchen- Showed he can hit for tremendous average and decent power. He very well could steal an outfield spot in Spring Training.

 2. Neil Walker- The home town kid, Walker adapted to third base and hit a lot of home runs.

 3. Nyjer Morgan- Stolen base machine in minors. It's a shame he can't do that in Pittsburgh.

 The Winner: Has to be McCutchen, at worst case, he is a September call up next season and he could be a true phenom.

 Worst September Call Up:

 1. Craig Hansen- He is still struggling with control and has been a huge disappointment. Any time he pitches a scoreless inning, I thank god for a miracle.

 2. Marino Salas- Based on what he has done so far, he is nowhere near Major League ready.

 3. Ross Ohlendorf- Just looked very over matched in the Majors.

 The Winner: Ross Ohlendorf has to be your winner. He is not ready for the Majors and will need a lot of fine tuning in the off season to succeed in the near future. He clearly is a fifth starter at best right now.

 Best Player that may not be in a Pirates uniform next season:

 1. Doug Mientkiewicz- Now that his name is as easy to spell as Roethlisberger is, he will be missed as a locker room leader. He also didn't strike out much, and hit for a nice average.

 2. Luis Rivas- He was a nice utility man, and could play a lot of positions. The bottom line with Rivas, is that he didn't get enough at bats, and Luis Cruz is younger and can fit in Riva's role.

 3. Jason Michaels- Although he is the most likely to be resigned out of the four, Michaels was a clutch pinch hitter and always seemed to deliver. He makes a nice and gritty fourth or fifth outfielder. With youth not on his side, his time may be up in Pittsburgh.

 4. Chris Gomez- Speaking of youth not being on your side, Gomez was used only in pinch hit situations for the most part. Sure he could play practically any infield position well, but as you can see from the constant starting line up he is not a part of it. It seems fairly clear to me that he is not in the Pirates plans.

 The Winner: To me, it comes down to who I would be most likely to resign out of these four. Mientkiewicz has gotten into hot water way to much, and for that reason Jason Michaels gets my vote. Michaels is best off of the bench which is what his role would be. Michaels also is a great locker room leader and he will definitely be able to keep the player's heads in the game.

 Best Player available for arbitration:

 1. Ryan Doumit- He is a great locker room leader and is above average at his position.

 2. Nate McLouth- McLouth peaked at the right time, and will definitely get paid accordingly. McLouth is not at all a flashy player, but he constantly gets the job done day in, day out.

 3. Paul Maholm- His stats are cause for optimism. Although his numbers look more promising than Gorzelanny's did in 2007, it could be a cause for concern that he will certainly go over 200 innings pitched. Pirates management is worried about what to pay Maholm because they don't want to see the inconsistent Maholm from the past few seasons.

 4. Adam LaRoche- Sure April was a total mess, but isn't it always? After April he was a .290 hitter on the season. LaRoche is at least an average first baseman and cannot be blamed for the Pirates and their struggles. It is very tough to keep up with the average Major League first baseman with talent such as Lance Berkman, Albert Pujols, Jason Giambi, and Kevin Youkilis manning the position.

 The Winner: Nate McLouth really showed his true colors this season. With previous management not giving him a chance to start, McLouth took full advantage of starting and will probably be awarded with a lucrative contract.

 Here are some quick award winners:

 . For his efforts with the Pirates offense, hitting coach Don Long wins the Coach of the Year award.

 . For his nickname of "The Great and Powerful", Luis Rivas wins best nickname award.

 . With the constant amount of participants singing at Pirates games, PNC Park Idol wins the best inning break activity of the year.

 . For his constant humor while broadcasting, Steve Blass wins Pirates Broadcaster of the Year.

 . For his great work before a season ending injury, Phil Dumatrait wins the Most Surprising Player Award.

 . For his courageous efforts in singing our National Anthem, Pirates Third Base Coach Tony Beasley wins Best Performance.

 There you have it, these are your 2008 Pirates Award Winners.