Pittsburgh Pirates

Players To Watch: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are always a good source of fantasy sleepers.  Here are the players you'll want to keep an eye on for 2011.

• Andrew McCutchen, OF.  Drafted in the eighth round before the 2010 season, McCutchen performed very close to his projection.  Perhaps the added reliability and the fact that he's only 24 make him go a round or two earlier in 2011.
• Ronny Cedeno, SS.  If you squint you can see a shortstop capable of 10 homers and 10 steals, which is worth something.
• Neil Walker, 2B.  Despite down-ballot ROY buzz he'll be a sleeper for next year.  Read more on him here.
• Ryan Doumit, C.  I could see him traded to another club and having some use as a second catcher.
• Chris Snyder, C.  He'll get the lion's share of the catching duties, and should be good for 15 homers and an ugly batting average.  With 450 ABs he could actually push 20 homers.
• Jose Tabata, OF.  He could steal 30 bags with 600 plate appearances.  He's only 22, and the power has yet to arrive.  Even so, he could supply runs batting in the #1-2 spots along with a nice average.  A sneaky three-category player who will likely be had late.
• Pedro Alvarez, 3B.  He's already capable of 30 homers and 100 RBIs.  Probably won't help in average or steals, but he could provide good value in the eighth round or so.
• John Bowker, OF.  The Pirates gave 654 PAs to Quad-A guy Garrett Jones, and maybe Bowker could get that chance next year.  He hit .313/.382/.587 with 18 homers in 322 Triple A PAs this year and was even better last year.
• Evan Meek and Joel Hanrahan, RP.  These two righties will compete for the closer job in spring training.  My money's on Hanrahan, but it's too early to call.  If you draft one, try to snag the other later.  Chris Resop is a deeper sleeper to get into the saves mix.
• James McDonald, SP.  An 8.6 K/9 in 11 starts catches the eye.  A .330 BABIP helped push his WHIP to 1.38, as did a just-OK 3.64 BB/9.  On the flip side he can't sustain a 4.3% home run per flyball rate and he does allow a lot of flies.  SIERA had him at 3.74 in his 64 Pirates innings, and he throws pretty hard, so there's enough here for a speculative 20th round-type pick.
• Brad Lincoln, SP.  He failed in the bigs but had solid peripherals at Triple A.  Someone to watch, but not to draft in mixed leagues.  Another note on the Pirates' rotation: they're likely to add a veteran free agent starter.

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2011 Sleepers: Neil Walker

Longtime Pirates prospect Neil Walker finally broke through this year.  The 25-year-old had his third extended shot at Triple-A, switching to second base.  There he hit .321/.392/.560 in 189 plate appearances with six home runs and ten stolen bases in 189 plate appearances.  Astute fantasy owners were all over Walker's May 25th call-up, and were sure to pounce a week later when he became the starter at second base.

Walker rewarded the Pirates and fantasy owners with a .296/.349/.462 performance in 469 plate appearances, which should earn Rookie of the Year consideration.  Fantasy-wise he had a .296-12-66-57-2 line.  His defense didn't draw rave reviews, but that's not a fantasy concern.  Walker mostly batted second or third in the lineup, allowing him to average 4.26 plate appearances per game.  That could mean 639 PAs over 150 games in 2011.

If Walker can keep up this level of offense, we're looking at .296-16-90-78-3 on the season.  I expect different numbers though.  Intuitively I'd look for something like .280-15-70-90-10 from Walker as he lets up on the RBIs, scores more runs, and attempts more steals.  At Triple-A he attempted to steal about 23% of the time, and he'll probably have a better success rate than his big league 40% mark.

We don't know yet where Walker will be drafted in fantasy leagues, but since he's a Pirate and his counting stats were limited by his late May call-up, I'm betting he'll be a bargain.  I'll guess 10th round or later, depending on how hot the sleeper buzz gets by March.

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Who Closes In Pittsburgh If Dotel Is Traded?

As the closer on the last-place Pirates, Octavio Dotel appears a prime candidate to be traded in July.  Evan Meek has closer-worthy numbers, but Joel Hanrahan has experience in the role.  Who would get the nod if Dotel is dealt?  We posed the question to beat writer Dejan Kovacevic, who covers the team for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.  His answer:

Meek is very much in line to be the closer, even though Hanrahan, too, has been good. Better than the numbers would suggest in the case of the latter. That said, Dotel's club option for 2011 is just $4.5 million, which isn't a bad price even for the Pirates given how good he has been. Assuming Dotel is not traded, there is a strong chance the team will seriously consider exercising the option.

Meek seems the superior reliever to stash.  Cleveland's Chris Perez might be another to tuck away, in the event Kerry Wood is traded.  For all the latest closer developments, follow @closernews on Twitter.

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Andrew McCutchen Gets The Call

Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen made his big league debut today, as a direct result of the Nate McLouth trade.  McCutchen figures to get every chance to stick as a regular.  In his debut today, he went 2 for 4 with a walk, an RBI, three runs scored, and a stolen base.  A fantasy baseball bonanza.  Let's take a closer look.

McCutchen, 22, hit .303/.361/.493 in 201 Triple A at-bats this year with 4 HR and 10 SB.  He's a right-handed hitter, and this year he's raked against lefties while holding his own against righties.  The Major League Equivalent of McCutchen's work this year is .259/.306/.405.  McCutchen spent all of last year in Triple A, as well as a short stint in '07.  He didn't show a ton of power in 2007-08.  Even if McCutchen isn't amazing as a rookie hitter, he could post a decent run total atop the Pirates' lineup.

Sometimes with stud prospects you have to look past the stats to see the breakout potential.  Hanley Ramirez didn't impress in Double A, but he had a huge fantasy rookie season the following year.  McCutchen's been young for his levels.  But using the information we have available, he isn't a power hitter yet.  He's also not a high-percentage basestealer.  I'm keeping my mixed league expectations low for 2009.

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Pirates Have Best Rotation In Baseball

The title for the best rotation in baseball right now goes to the Pirates, with a 3.02 ERA in 113.3 innings and 18 starts.  Not coincidentally, the Bucs have the lowest team BABIP at .259.  Previous BABIP leaders: .290 for the Rays in '08, .295 for the Cubs in '07, and .287 for the Padres in '06.

Let's take a closer look at the pitchers and see what's sustainable.

• Paul Maholm - 2.03 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 26.6 innings.  Maholm also had an excellent spring.  But his K rate is dangerously low (3.38 per nine), and his .256 BABIP and 0.0% HR per flyball rates are unsustainable.  His control has improved, but his groundball rate has slipped from 53.6% to 46.5%.  Mahom's xFIP: 5.16.  He is a sell candidate.
• Zach Duke - 2.43 ERA, 1.11 WHIP.  Another guy with a worrisome K rate at just 4.85 per nine.  Still, that's better than last year and his control is excellent at 1.82 per nine.  Duke sports a .289 BABIP and 8.19 hits per nine innings, which I think will increase.  Still, with that kind of control his WHIP may remain helpful once the hits come back.  The 3.8% HR per flyball rate is not sustainable.  Groundballs are down from last year.  Duke has a 4.69 xFIP. 
• Ross Ohlendorf - 3.24 ERA, 1.12 WHIP.  Since he has good stuff,  I figured Ohlendorf might be for real before I looked more closely.  It doesn't appear that way though - he's rocking a .267 BABIP and a 3.6 K/9.  On the plus side, I'm digging the control and the 51.9% groundball rate.  Ohlendorf has a 4.72 xFIP.  The Pirates should be happy with the progress on control and groundballs, but for fantasy baseball it's hard to predict a sub-4.00 ERA from here on out.
• Ian Snell - 4.50 ERA, 1.73 WHIP.  The one guy without BABIP help needs it the most, given a 5.73 BB/9.  The .313 BABIP might come down and the 17.2% HR per flyball should.  But his Ks are down and the ugly control has been a problem for a while now.  His xFIP is 5.45.
• Jeff Karstens - 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP.  The team's fifth starter only has two starts, so we'll hold off on the analysis.

Bottom line: enjoy it while it lasts.  The numbers don't reveal any fantasy studs in the Pirates' rotation.

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McLouth Not A Lock To Start Yet

For some silly reason, Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan are said to be in a "dead heat" for Pittsburgh's center field job.

This is a situation I'll be monitoring on RotoAuthority, as McLouth is a favorite power/speed sleeper of mine.  I have him at .263-15-48-74-22 in 450 ABs, a $4.42 value.  But if McLouth gets 550 ABs, he could approach 20 HR and 30 swipes, helping him outrank bigger outfield names like Jason Bay and Vernon Wells.  Hell, I have Manny Ramirez at just $10.11, a function of a 479 AB projection.  It just shows you how large of a factor playing time is in preseason projections.

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More On Chris Duffy

I last wrote about Chris Duffy on February 12th, mentioning that he could steal 30 bags if he gets 550 ABs.  After reading the praise heaped on him in this article, my confidence in his ability and playing time has improved.

Jim Tracy loves the guy.  It really looks like a foregone conclusion that the center field/leadoff job is Duffy's to lose.  This is his age 26 season, and he's spent plenty of time in the minors.  Despite his blazing speed, Duffy stole only 17 bases in 308 Triple A at-bats last year.  He's not quite  a high percentage basestealer, and he didn't do much in 39 games for the Pirates.

At this point Duffy looks like a .280-.290 hitter who would have a hard time not stealing 20 bases in a full season.  But it seems that he's expected to be aggressive and utilize his speed, so 30 is entirely possible.  Regardless, Duffy has little value to mixed leaguers except perhaps as a short-term injury replacement.   NL-only folks should view him top 25 outfielder worthy of a double digit bid.  In the best case scenario, Duffy becomes Randy Winn in a few years. 

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Fantasy Baseball Advice: Duke Nukes 'Em

Three weeks later, it's time to revisit Pittsburgh prospect Zach Duke.  On the heels of yet another dominant victory, we'll look at just how sustainable the 22 year-old's success will be.

When we last spoke of Zach Duke, we implored you to pick him up immediately.   The Roto Authority was singing his praises after two excellent starts to begin his major league career.  We did caution that his ERA would certainly not remain near  1.93.  In a way, we were right:  Duke's ERA now stands at a miniscule 0.92 after 39.1 innings pitched.  Duke struck out just two in today's annihilation of the red-hot Braves, but his performance was still excellent. 

We expected the strikeouts to come back down to Earth, but we also expected the ERA to ascend to the 3.50 range.   Duke has been stingy with the hits and walks, and it's paid off so far.  Throwing out his rain delay game, Duke is averaging 107 pitches per game.  Despite Duke's age, Lloyd McClendon is not giving him the quick hook.  Expect Felix Hernandez's debut this Thursday in Seattle to be much the opposite - he will be limited to 80 pitches and is no lock to stay in the rotation. 

So what to do with Duke from a fantasy baseball perspective?  What can we expect from him in the future? 

Let's turn to Baseball Prospectus's forecasting system, PECOTA, for some estimates.  PECOTA foresaw a 3.28 ERA in 133 innings from Duke as a best case scenario, that is, his 90th percentile projection.   He can do that while maintaining pretty much the same strikeout and walk rates.   An ERA in the 3 range is a reasonable projection for 2005.

What about a long-term projection?  PECOTA sees Duke's top comparables as Mark Buehrle, Rick Wise, and Tommy John.   Duke should be happy to be mentioned in the same breath as these guys at the tender age of 22.  So you're looking at a durable pitcher with an ERA below 3.50 for at least the next five years.  Wins may be hard to come by on a team like the Pirates. 

Should you "sell high" on Zach Duke?  It depends.  Duke's 0.92 ERA and perfect record are obviously over his head.  Still, he's yet to have a bad start and many teams will still be facing him for the first time.  He could easily finish the year 10-2 with a 2.40 ERA.  Even if the success is fleeting, what pitcher could give you better numbers?  Not very many.

Don't deal Duke for a pitcher unless you receive a bona fide young ace, such as Rich Harden, Mark Prior, or Johan Santana.  Since these deals are unlikely, consider an up-and-coming can't miss position player.  David Wright and Miguel Cabrera come to mind.  Position players are more reliable and less susceptible to injury, so if you consider yourself a shrewd pitching evaluator, deal Duke for one of these types.  Names like Jeff Francoeur might seem tempting, but you need top-line proven talent to pull the trigger.

Rock N' Roto: Today we are recommending an obscure, rocking album from the band Ozma.  Ozma's 2001 album Rock and Roll Part Three features eleven power-pop tracks reminiscent of Weezer, back when Weezer rocked.  The album features the best baseball song ever recorded, the aptly titled, "Baseball."  Expect plenty of keyboards and vocal harmonies.  This blogger is right - "Baseball" may well be one of the best ten songs you've never heard. 

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