Pirates on the Rise?: Past Failures Admitted and New Coaches Added

Despite the fact that the Pirates did not have a breakout season this year, they have had a lot going on lately, and for that reason, this article had to be written.

1. The Pirates Have a New Pitching Coach

The Pirates hired Joe Kerrigan to be their new pitching coach, replacing Jeff Andrews. I feel as though it was the right hire. Once Andrews was fired, I instantly thought that we should sign Kerrigan because of the experience he provides.

He was the pitching coach when Pedro Martinez won two of his three CY Young Awards. He also was the pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies and the bench coach for the New York Yankees.

If that resume doesn't show you that he knows how to win, then you may also want to know that he was a broadcaster for the World Champion Phillies (the job he left to be in Pittsburgh). Kerrigan brings experience to the table as a pitching coach and I am excited to see what he can do for the Pirates.

2. Four Players Taken Off of the 40-Man Roster

Very recently, the Pirates dropped four pitchers from their 40-man roster. These pitchers are John Van Benschoten (whom many call JVB), Marino Salas, Yoslan Herrera (who was known as the Pinata) and Ronald Belisario. Although it may seem like no big deal, it truly shows that this new Pirates management, under Neal Huntington and Frank Coonelly, knows what they are doing.

All four of these pitchers seemed to be over matched on a consistent basis, and thus were taken off of the 40-man roster. Once you are taken off the 40-man roster, you are instantly placed in the Minor League (which was not really a problem for Belisario because he had no major league experience anyways) and cannot make the Major Leagues (unless, of course, you are placed back on the 40-man roster).

John Van Benschoten is a perfect example of an overmatched Pirates'. Based on his work the past couple of seasons, he showed the Pirates he was a lifetime Triple-A pitcher at best. While he seemed to dominate at Triple-A, he ultimately failed as long as he was wearing a Pirates' uniform.

Whether he was designated as a starter or a reliever, JVB struggled immensely. Through 2008, his Major League record was 2-13 with an ERA of 9.20.

Marino Salas also never really panned out in a Pirates' uniform. Salas, if you recall, was a part of the trade that sent Salomon Torres to the Milwaukee Brewers. Salas proved his worth in his first relief appearance against the St. Louis Cardinals as he escaped a bases-loaded jam (none of the runners on base were his responsibility) without allowing a run.

However, after that appearance, it never seemed to click for Salas. He was seemingly given one last chance as one of the many September call-ups for the Pirates, but only appeared in one game during the month of September.

Whether that was because of his ability or how many other players the Pirates players had on the roster at the time is tough to call, but it was very apparent that he fell out of the organization's favor and thus was given the heave-ho to the minors. While Salas did have a 1-0 record in the Majors, his ERA was 8.47.

Yoslan "the Pinata" Herrera is a true wild card. He is known as the Cuban defector that Dave Littlefield (who is now with the Cubs somehow) signed. Herrera was in Double-A throughout the remainder of Littlefield's tenure with the Pirates, and afterwards slowly climbed the ranks.

With injuries and ineffectiveness of Pirates pitching as well as Herrera's dominance in Triple-A, he was called up. Herrera, in short, seemed to be very much like Rick Ankiel when pitching.

With Herrera, you never knew where the ball would be hit to and also if the pitch would even land in the catcher's mitt. Herrera was fairly ineffective as a Pirate pitcher, and was optioned back to Double-A in early August. Herrera was not one of the September call-ups. In a Pirates' uniform, Herrera finished with a record of 1-1 with an ERA of 9.75.

It is hard to write much about Ronald Belisario mainly because he never made it out of Double-A. He was drafted in 2000 by the Florida Marlins never made it out of Single-A (except for a very brief stint in 2004). He was a part of the 2007 Florida Marlins' 40-man roster, but never appeared in a game. He was a part of the Pirates' 40-man roster and pitched in Double-A Altoona the whole season. He allowed 30 runs in 57 innings (4.74).

With this shakeup, the Pirates have four spaces left on the 40-man roster, they are likely to use the moves to put Tom Gorzelanny and Phil Dumatrait back on the roster. They also probably plan to sign some free agents or sign some Rule-Five draft picks to contracts, and therefore need the extra space for future purposes.

3. Perry Hill Is the Answer at First Base

The Pirates have hired Perry Hill as their first base coach. This signing completes the 2009 Pirates' coaching staff. Lou Frazier was the previous first base coach, but was fired for what was seemingly a lack of experience. Hill, who also will serve as the infield instructor, has twenty-three years of coaching experience, and is highly regarded for this.

His 14 years of major-league experience include time with the Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos (now known as the Washington Nationals), Florida Marlins, and Detroit Tigers.

4. The End of an Era

Many Pirates' fans will remember the name Chris Duffy for a variety of reasons. Many remember the speed he possessed but many more remembered how he was seemingly always injured.

Last season Duffy who was coming off of an injury, was invited to Spring Training to participate in the center field battle between himself, Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan (as we all know, McLouth won the job).

Between Spring Training and the end of the season, a lot has happened. Duffy was out for an extended period of time in the minors, damaging his value to the Pirates. Also, the trade deadline did not help Duffy at all.

With Steve Pearce, Nyjer Morgan and Andrew McCutchen already ahead of him in the depth chart, Jose Tabata was acquired from the Yankees, and Duffy sank further and further from the depth chart. For these reasons, the 2006 opening day center fielder filed for minor-league free agency and expressed no interest in rejoining the Pirates.

Recently Duffy was assigned to Mexico to play winter ball, but left after three games because he did not want to be there. Because Chris Duffy was on the 40-man roster, a spot needed to be filled, and it was filled by Evan Meek.

Meek would have been a part of the Rule-Five draft had he not been on the 40-man roster. Franquelis Osoria, Melvin Dorta, Luis Ordaz, Luis Cruz, Matt Kata, Miguel Perez and Carlos Maldonato also filed for Minor League free agency.

5. Nate McLouth Wins a Gold Glove

Although many berate the criteria for a player to win a Gold Glove, Nate McLouth is not one to complain. He was one of three National League outfielders to win a Gold Glove award.

The award, McLouth’s first, came in a year in which he made only $10,000 more than the minimum amount a player makes and also when he was the only starter to have to fight for his job in spring training.

McLouth may best be known this year for his throw in the All Star game to Russell Martin to keep the National League in the game. McLouth made only one error all season and didn’t even think the award was a possibility for him.

Many think McLouth is one of the worst center fielders in the major leagues and gets to every ball he can.

The other two National League outfielders to receive the award were Carlos Beltran and Shane Victorino.

6. Frank Coonelly Opens Up to Fans

If you remember in a previous entry I wrote, you will see that I named Pirates' Management the MVP of the 2008 season. Well, a recent meeting between team President Frank Coonelly and fans at Primanti Brother’s restaurant, in Pittsburgh, really showed why. He admitted to the fans in attendance, that they did not trade well in the Boston Red Sox trade.

This is the trade if you recall, that sent Manny Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers and Jason Bayto the Red Sox while we acquired Craig Hanson, Andy LaRoche, Brandon Moss, and Bryan Morris. He specifically singled out Brandon Moss out when he said this because of the injury Moss experienced (knee) during the season.

He also stated that Adam LaRoche, must start the year out hot, and if not then management will look for change. LaRoche, no matter what he has tried, has always been a slow starter undergoing slumps in April and May every year.

These two statements prove that Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntington know what they're doing with the Pirates, in contrast to previous management. If they continue to do what they do, Pittsburgh will be experiencing winning seasons, for years to come.