Pittsburgh Pirates

[coffeyfiend]

For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, dating back to the Bonds, Bonilla, Van Slyke, Drabek era. And like many fans, I wash crushed when they were beaten by the Braves in the Playoffs in 1992. From that point on, the Dynasty that is the Pittsburh Pirates has been in disarray. Since that faithful season, the Pirates have not finished a season above .500. Since I don't have a time machine my goal is to start from the year 2004 and attempt to bring the Pirate era back.

To do this I'm using a slightly modified version of a roster downloaded from this site. I haven't changed much, just added players I felt were missing.

My goals are as follows:

1 year Goals
My only goals are to finish the season above .500 and make a profit. I would also like to start building towards the future. I don't want to buy a championship (not that I have the money to) I want to build up my own system with young, cheap talent.
With that said, I'll make more goals based on how this first season fares.

Lucky for me, I have a great group of young pitchers in the minor leagues, I need to concentrate on the bats to go with them.

At the beginning of Spring Training there are some roster spots to be filled and a few position battles. The only sure thing in the outfield is Jason Bay. He'll play either left or center field, depending on what happens with Matt Lawton, Tike Redman, Craig Wilson, Daryle Ward and Rob Mackowiak. 1st Base will be manned by either Craig Wilson or Daryle Ward. 2nd base is up for grabs with Jose Castillo, Bobby Hill and Freddy Sanchez as the leading contenders. The shortstop position is Jack Wilson's to lose. 3rd base will most likely be manned by Ty Wigginton, unless Mackowiak has a monster spring, or Wigginton has a dreadful one. Benito Santiago is set behind the plate with Humberto Cota as the likely backup.

As for the pitchers, Oliver Perez, Kip Wells, Mark Redman and Josh Fogg are virtually guarenteed rotation spots. The fifth spot is up for grabs, with Ryan Vogelsong, Dave Williams and Brian Meadows as the top contenders.

The bullpen is pretty solidified with Jose Mesa in the closer's role. Also Mike Gonzalez and Salomon Torres have spots in the Bullpen.

[coffeyfiend]

Now that Spring Training has ended, here is a look at my Roster.

Starting Lineup
Lawton RF
J. Wilson SS
Bay LF
C. Wilson 1B
Wigginton 3B
Redman CF
Santiago C
Castillo 2B

Bench
Ward 1B/LF
Ben Grieve OF
Hill 2B/3B
Sanchez 2B/SS
Mackowiak Util
Cota C

Rotation
Perez
Wells
Redman
Fogg
Vogelsong

Bullpen
Mesa CP
Gonzalez Set
Mark Corey Short
John Grabow Middle
Torres Long
Meadows Alt.

And now for the AAA players
Jose Bautista 3B/OF
Howie Clark 3B
Cesar Crespo SS
Ryan Doumit C
Edwards Guzman 3B/1B/C
J.R. House C
Graham Koonce 1B
Jose Leon 3B/1B
Jon Nunnally OF
Ronny Paulino C
Rich Thompson LF
Jorge Velandia SS

Bobby Bradley SP
Kirk Bullinger RP
Bryan Bullington SP
Sean Burnett SP
Matt Capps RP
Zack Duke SP
Blair Johnson SP
Paul Maholm SP
Matt Peterson SP
Brian Reith RP
Todd Ritchie RP
Joe Roa RP
Ian Snell RP
Cory Stewart SP
John Van Benschoten SP
Rick White RP
Dave Williams SP

Let the season begin!

[Chipper_Jones]

Pitt's the schiznit! No, but seriously, I'm reading, and thought I'd let you know :)

[coffeyfiend]

Here is a look at my Pirates following the first month of the 2004 season. Pittsburgh is 4th in the NL Central with a record of 11-12. We are trailing the Cubs by 5 games, the Cardinals by 2 and the Brewers by 1. We're one game ahead of the Astros and 3 up on the Reds.

The financial situation is fine, right now the Pirates have $28.5 million.

Injuries
On April 20th Tike Redman went down with a stress fracture in his wrist. He should be out for 3 weeks. Until he returns, Mackowiak will patrol centerfield. I brought up Howie Clark to fill Redman's space on the roster.

Trades
I've already started building my minor league system with young position players.
On April 6th I sent Todd Ritchie and Ben Grieve to the Mets and in return I got, Lastings Milledge, an 18 year old CF with a high ceiling. Milledge could very well be the Pirates starting centerfielder of the future. I brought up Cesar Crespo from AAA to fill the roster spot vacated by Grieve.
Just two days later I shipped Bobby Hill and 3 million in cash to the Diamondbacks for Carlos Quentin. Quentin is a 21 year old right fielder with a powerful arm and a bat to go along with it. I brought up Jose Bautista from AAA to replace Hill.
Finally at the end of the month on the 29th, I sent pitchers Bobby Bradley and Mike Johnston along with backup catcher Humberto Cota to the Angels. In return I got Jeff DaVanon, Brandon Wood and 1 million in cash. DaVanon will provide a good bat off the bench and Wood, a 19 year old SS will look to replace Jack Wilson some day. I brought up J.R. House from the minors to be my backup catcher. The acquisition of DaVanon means that Howie Clark is going back to the minors.

Team Performances
Jason Bay (.173, 2, 8) and Craig Wilson(.229, 1, 8) aren't hitting like I need them to. The good news is that Ty Wigginton (.293, 4, 11) is picking up the slack and Rob Mackowiak (.344, 4, 11) has filled in nicely for Redman in CF. As for the pitchers Oliver Perez has gone 0-4 and has an ERA of 4.60. The good news is he has 42 Ks and only 10 walks. Mark Redman is sporting a 2.73 ERA and a 1-0 record. In the bullpen Jose Mesa has saved 7 games and has a 2.63 ERA. The remainder of the bullpen is looking uncharacteristically amateur.

Around the Majors
No trades
Apr 8-Mike Mussina NYY 200th Win
Apr 18-Alex Rodriguez NYY 1000th RBI
Apr 24-Omar Vizquel SFG 300th Steal
Apr 27-Omar Vizquel SFG 2000th Hit
-Larry Walker STL 2000th Hit
Apr 28-Roberto Alomar TBD 1500th Run
Apr 29-Kevin Appier KCR 2000th

Despite some disappointing individual performances my Pirates are only a game under .500 so far. Hopefully we'll play better baseball and improve our record in the following months.

[coffeyfiend]

The Pirates slightly improved this month, going 14-13 and finishing the month with a record of 25-25. The standings for the NL Central look like this:

Cubs 33-17 0 games back
Cardinals 28-23 5.5 games back
Reds 26-26 8 games back
Brewers 25-25 8 games back
Pirates 25-25 8 games back
Astros 21-30 12.5 games back

Injuries
Benito Santiago is starting to show his age he twisted his knee on the 14th putting him out of 9 days. J.R. House assumes the starting catcher position and Ronny Paulino comes up from the minors to play backup.
Three days after returning from his injury, Santiago is injured again on the 26th, this time for 12 days with a stress fracture in his foot. House will start behind the plate again and Paulino comes back to the big leagues to provide a backup.

Team Performances
Matt Lawton (.280, 4, 13) and Jack Wilson (.290, 8, 32) are a lethal combination in the first two spots of the lineup. Behind them Jason Bay (.215, 5, 24) has increased his stats, but they are still subpar for the #3 spot in the lineup. Craig Wilson (.253, 6, 21) is performing only slightly better. The real surprise is Ty Wigginton (.289, 8, 27) who is peforming beautifully in the 6th spot of the lineup. It looks like he'll be switching places with Bay in the lineup, hopefully relieving some of the pressure Bay must be experiencing. Tike Redman (.279, 0, 8) is healthy again and producing well enough. J.R. House (.299, 0, 5) is showing that he can be a starting catcher on a daily basis. Finally, Jose Castillo (.313, 0, 17) rounds out the lineup providing stability at the bottom of the lineup. Off the bench, Jeff DaVanon is hitting .412 and Rob Mackowiak is hitting .317 with 6 homers and 23 RBIs. On the mound, Oliver Perez has improved slightly to 2-5 with a 3.63 ERA and 79 strikeouts. Kip Wells has a 4-2 record with a 3.07 ERA. Mark Redman is still pitching well, sporting a 3-1 record and 3.25 ERA. Josh Fogg is the worst starter, with a 2-3 record and a 5.47 ERA. Ryan Vogelsong is pitching well, rounding out the rotation with a 4-2 record and a 3.78 ERA. In the bullpen, Jose Mesa has improved to 15 saves, but his ERA has also risen to 4.76. The remainder of the bullpen with the exception of John Grabow (3.38 ERA) and Brian Meadows (4.35 ERA) are still pitching poorly.

The Minors
Rich Thompson (.331, 1, 15)
Graham Koonce (.298, 8, 39)
Jose Leon (.290, 1, 10)
John Van Benschoten (2.95 ERA, 72 K)
Paul Maholm (3.44, 35)
Rick White (3.91, 17)

Around the Majors
Trades
May 6
Elmer Dessens (P) traded to TEX
Nick Regilio (P) tradeded to LA
May 8
Jose Valentin (SS) traded to MIN
Olmaedo Saenz (1B) traded to MIN
Matt LeCroy (C) traded to LA

LA makes two trades in the first they sent Dessens to Texas for Regilio. Dessens was pitching horribly and continues to do so and Regilio is pitching quite nicely for LA's AAA club. In the second trade LA sent Valentin and Saenz to Minnesota for LeCroy. Valentin is playing a decent SS for the Twins and Saenz is playing decently for their AAA club. LeCroy on the other hand is LA's starting catcher and is playing horribly.

May 7-Kevin Brown NYY 200th Win
May 8-Craig Biggio HOU 2500th Hit
May 13-Moises Alou SFG 1000th RBI
May 14-Steve Finley ANA 1000th RBI
Sean Casey CIN Hit for the Cycle
May 23-Armando Benitez SFG 200th SV
May 25-Bernie Williams NYY 2000th Hit
May 30-Manny Ramirez 1000th Run

Hopefully, my Pirates will continue to play as they have been and keep their record at least at .500 however some changes could take place next month.
If Bay and Fogg continue to play as they have they'll find themselves on the Bench and the Bullpen respectively. If Mike Gonzalez, Mark Corey and Salomon Torres continue to pitch poorly out of the bullpen, they'll find themselves in AAA. House could find himself as the starting catcher even after Santiago recovers if he continues to hit like he has been.

[coffeyfiend]

My Pirates improved their record again this month, going 15-13. This puts the season record at 40-38, two games above .500. The NL Central Standings now look like this:

Cubs 50-27 0 games back
Cardinals 42-37 9 games back
Pirates 40-38 10.5 games back
Reds 38-39 12 games back
Brewers 35-40 14 games back
Astros 34-44 16.5 games back

Call ups and send downs
Well, I had to make some roster changes due to poor performance. Time will tell if I made the right moves or not. On the 12th I decided to mix things up. Mike Gonzalez, Mark Corey and Salomon Torres were all demoted to AAA. To replace them, I brought up John Van Benschoten, Paul Maholm and Rick White. The Pirates bullpen now looks like this:

Mesa-Closer
White-Setup
Grabow-Short
Meadows-Middle
Maholm-Long
Van Benschoten-Alt.

Josh Fogg improved his pitching and will remain in the rotation for now. J.R. House continues to hit well and so he remains at catcher, benching Benito Santiago.

Injuries
13th-Ty Wigginton pulls a quadrucep and has to sit out for 8 days. I promoted Jose Leon from AAA and made Rob Mackowiak the starting 3rd baseman. Also I sent Jose Bautista down to AAA and brought up Rich Thompson to provide more outfield depth while Mackowiak plays 3rd.
16th-Ryan Vogelsong strains his lower back and has to sit out for 5 days. I moved Van Benschoten into Vogelsong's rotation spot and promoted Bryan Bullington from AAA to fill the Alt. role.
21st-Wigginton has recovered and assumes his place in the hot corner, moving Mackowiak back to the bench. I decided to keep Leon on the roster and demoted Thompson to AAA. Vogelsong is also healthy now and moves back to the 5th spot in the rotation, pushing Van Benschoten back to the bullpen and Bullington back to AAA.
22nd-Jose Castillo has a sore rotator cuff and is out for 8 days. Freddy Sanchez replaces him at second base and Cesar Crespo comes up from AAA to provide infield depth.
29th-Mark Redman has a stress fracture in his wrist, sidlining him for 32 days. Van Benschoten moves back into the rotation and Matt Peterson comes into the Alt. role from AAA.
30th-Castillo returns from his injury and Sanchez and Crespo return to the bench and AAA respectively.

Team Performances
Here's how the lineup looks at the end of June:
Matt Lawton RF (.286, 8, 22)
Jack Wilson SS (.281, 9, 47)
Wigginton 3B (.262, 9, 35)
Craig Wilson 1B (.250, 13, 40)
Jason Bay LF (.237, 9, 39)
Tike Redman CF (.315, 0, 15)
House C (.268, 3, 20)
Castillo 2B (.298, 0, 24)

Rotation
Oliver Perez (4-9 W-L, 4.38 ERA, 121 K)
Kip Wells (7-3, 2.64, 78)
Van Benschoten (0-4, 10.80, 13)
Fogg (5-3, 4.18, 49)
Vogelsong (5-2, 3.87, 63)

Hopefully Van Benschoten will calm down and perform, otherwise, Peterson, Maholm or Meadows will replace him in the rotation.

The Minors
Ronny Paulino (.337, 4, 13)
Rich Thompson (.333, 3, 23)
Cesar Crespo (.296, 0, 3)
Bryan Bullington (2-1, 4.01, 54)
Ian Snell (5-1, 4.28, 86)
Matt Capps (6-3, 4.30, 45)

Gonzalez and Torres are pitching much better in AAA so this is a good sign. Corey on the other hand is pitching worse than he was in the Majors. I may try to pawn him off on another team.

Around the Majors
Trades
June 28
Trent Durrington (2B) traded to PHI
Mark L. Johnson (C) traded to PHI
Clay Condrey (P) traded to MIL
Lou Collier (3B) traded to MIL

Durrington is riding the bench for the Phillies and doesn't appear to be playing any better than he did in Milwaukee. Johnson is playing decently for Philadelphia's AAA club. Condrey is pitching decently for Milwaukee's AAA club and Collier the starting 3rd baseman for Milwaukee.

June 8-Carlos Delgado FLA 1000th RBI
June 9-Johnny Damon BOS Hit for Cycle
June 10-Luis Gonzalez ARI 2000th Hit
-Sammy Sosa BAL 1500th RBI
June 12-Chipper Jones ATL 1000th Run
June 18-Todd Jones FLA 200th Save
June 22-Mariano Rivera NYY 300th Save
June 27-Randy Johnson NYY 4000th K

This month will be the trading deadline, my goal will be to pick up some young talent that can help me this season or next season and to part ways with some older players.

[coffeyfiend]

July was not a good month, the team had a rash of injuries, the trade market was small for a team with my resources and finances and my Pirates fell below .500.

NL Central Standings
Cubs 68-36 0 games back
Cardinals 59-45 9 games back
Pirates 50-54 18 games back
Reds 50-54 18 games back
Brewers 46-57 21.5 games back
Astros 45-60 23.5 games back

Injuries
9th-Ty Wigginton fractured his foot and will be out for 53 days. Rob Mackowiak replaces him at the hot corner and Cesar Crespo moves up from AAA to fill his roster space.
17th-J.R. House stretched his knee ligament and will miss 4 weeks. Benito Santiago moves back into the starting catcher role and Ronny Paulino moves up from AAA to provide backup.
22nd-Josh Fogg developed a blister on one of his fingers benching him for 6 days. Matt Peterson assumes his position in the rotation and Mike Gonzalez comes back to the Majors and moves into the Short reliever role, moving John Grabow to the Middle role, Brian Meadows to the Long role and Paul Maholm to the Alt. role.
28th-Fogg returns from his injury, moving into the 3rd spot in the rotation, pushing Peterson down to the 4th spot.
29th-Tike Redman is benched by a wrist bone spur and will be out for 5 days. Jeff DaVanon will patrol CF in his absence and Rich Thompson is added to the roster for OF depth.
31st-On the final day of the month, the injury problems culminate with the loss of Benito Santiago for 13 days with a stress fracture. This places both of my normal catchers on the disabled list and forces Paulino into the starting catcher role and Ryan Doumit makes his way on the roster as his back up. Thankfully Mark Redman has recovered from his injury, and returns to the 3rd spot in the rotation. Fogg moves down to the 4th spot and Peterson returns to the pen as the Alternate.

Trades
30th
Rick White traded to MON
Larry Broadway traded to PIT
This move slides Gonzalez into the Setup role, shifting Grabow into the Short role, Meadows into the Middle role, Maholm into the Long role and puts Redman in the Alt. role where he'll stay until he recovers from injury tomorrow.
31st
Mark Corey traded to OAK
Matt Capps traded to OAK
Daric Barton traded to PIT
Barton is a young catching prospect who'll compete with Paulino as the Buc's catcher of the future.

Team Performances
The Pirates lineup at the end of July looks like this:
Matt Lawton RF (.309, 13, 32)
Jack Wilson SS (.289, 17, 63)
Craig Wilson 1B (.238, 15, 53)
Jason Bay LF (.251, 16, 60)
Rob Mackowiak 3B (.268, 9, 42)
Jeff DaVanon CF (.329, 2, 8)
Ronny Paulino C (.179, 0, 2)
Jose Castillo 2B (.281, 0, 36)

Rotation:
Oliver Perez (6-10, 4.13, 165)
Kip Wells (8-3, 2.77, 94)
Mark Redman (6-2, 2.86, 57)
Josh Fogg (6-5, 4.41, 67)
Ryan Vogelsong (5-5, 4.45, 83)

Perez is the only pitcher in my rotation without a winning record, not too shabby.

The Minors
Graham Koonce (.294, 19, 83)
Jorge Velandia (.273, 1, 17)
Brandon Wood (.263, 4, 64)
Cory Stewart (6-2, 4.34, 107)
Bryan Bullington (4-2, 4.61, 90)
Dave Williams (8-5, 4.65, 76)

The majority of my minor league pitchers are struggling midway through this season.

Around the Majors
Trades
July 15
Wes Littleton (P) traded to NYY
Jorge Piedra (RF) traded to NYY
Edwardo Sierra (P) traded to COL
Estee Harris (LF) traded to COL
Rey Sanchez (SS) traded to COL
Joe DePastino (C) traded to COL
Alex Graman (P) traded to COL
Bronson Sardinha (3B) traded to COL
Robinson Cano (2B) traded to COL
Matt Hensley (P) traded to COL
Tino Martinez (1B) traded to COL

Colorado picks up 9 players from the Yankees for two prospects. Littleton is pitching well for New York's AAA club. Piedra is the Yankee's DH and is batting very well. Sierra is pitching for Colorado's AAA affiliate and performing decently. Harris is performing poorly there as well. Sanchez is the only position player on Colorado's big league roster and he is riding the bench. DePastino, Sardinha, Cano and Martinez are all playing in AAA and all are playing very well. Graman is Colorado's Alt. pitcher and is pitching very well. Finally Hensley is in the minors and pitching poorly.

July 21
Chris Gomez (3B) traded to MIN
Eddy Rodriguez (P) traded to MIN
Michael Ryan (RF) traded to BAL

Gomez is the starting 2nd baseman for the Twins and playing well. Rodriguez is pitching poorly in the minor leagues. Ryan is on the disabled list for 30 days with a stress fracture in his wrist.

July 22
Neifi Perez (SS) traded to SDP
Todd Hollandsworth (LF) traded to SDP
Tim Stauffer (P) traded to CHC
Mark Sweeney (RF) traded CHC

Perez is playing well for the Padre's AAA club. Hollandsworth is the Padre's starting LF and performing well. Stauffer is pitching decently in the Cub's minor league system. Sweeney is the Cub's starting RF and is playing well.

July 27
Carlos Hernandez (P) traded to DET
Kody Kirkland (3B) traded to HOU
Brian Boehringer (P) traded to HOU

Hernandez is pitching poorly in Detroit's minor league system. Kirkland isn't performing much better for Houston's AAA club. Boehringer is pitching horribly in Houston's bullpen.

Allstars
AL
Jason Varitek (C) BOS
David Ortiz (1B) BOS
Brian Roberts (2B) BAL
Eric Chavez (3B) OAK
Orlando Cabrera (SS) ANA
Manny Ramirez (LF) BOS
Sammy Sosa (RF) BAL
Magglio Ordonez (RF) DET
Frank Thomas (1B) CHW
Travis Hafner (1B) CLE
Angel Berroa (SS) KCR
Johan Santana (P) MIN
Randy Johnson (P) NYY
Joe Pineiro (P) SEA
Roberto Alomar (2B) TBD
Mike Young (SS) TEX
Jason Alfaro (SS) TOR
Curt Schilling (P) BOS
Carl Pavano (P) NYY
Roy Halladay (P) TOR
Octavio Dotel (P) OAK
Billy Koch (P) TOR
Mariano Rivera (P) NYY
J.C. Romero (P) MIN
Arthur Rhodes (P) CLE

NL
Michael Barrett (C) CHC
Albert Pujols (1B) STL
Marcus Giles (2B) ATL
Vinny Castilla (3B) MON
Jack Wilson (SS) PIT
Bobby Abreu (RF) PHI
Barry Bonds (LF) SFG
Andruw Jones (CF) ATL
Shawn Green (RF) ARI
Wily Mo Pena (CF) CIN
Todd Helton (1B) COL
Mike Lowell (3B) FLA
Brad Lidge (P) HOU
Eric Gagne (P) LAD
Ben Sheets (P) MIL
David Wright (3B) NYM
Khalil Greene (SS) SDP
Mark Prior (P) CHC
Jason Schmidt (P) SFG
Tim Hudson (P) ATL
Carlos Zambrano (P) CHC
Billy Wagner (P) PHI
Jason Isringhausen (P) STL
Guillermo Mota (P) FLA
Armando Benitez (P) SFG

July 1-Barry Bonds SFG 2000th Run
July 4-Tino Martinez NYY 300th HR
July 18-Gary Sheffield NYY 400th HR
July 21-Chipper Jones ATL 1000th RBI
July 25-Troy Percival DET 300th Save
July 27-Ivan Rodriguez DET 1000th Run
July 29-Jeff Kent LAD 1000th Run
-Chipper Jones 300th HR

With a little over two months left in the season I need to get and keep my team healthy and try to get them back over a .500 record.

[coffeyfiend]

Well, once again, injuries hampered my team with many members being injured-some more than once-this month it is truly a miracle that the Pirates managed to move to 2 games above .500. We had our best month yet, going 17-11. We also strung together 5 and 6 game winning streaks. Here's the NL Central standings:

Cubs 91-41 0 games back
Cardinals 75-56 15.5 games back
Pirates 67-65 24 games back
Reds 61-70 29.5 games back
Astros 57-76 34.5 games back
Brewers 55-75 35 games back

Injuries
2nd-Kip Wells pulled his groin and will be out for 11 days, Cory Stewart has been called up to replace him, and Matt Peterson assumes his position in the rotation.
3rd-Tike Redman recovers and moves back to CF, moving Jeff DaVanon back to the bench and Rich Thompson back to the minors.
6th-Jason Bay has shoulder tendonitis and will sit out for 6 days. Thompson returns to the Majors and will start in LF.
12th-Bay recovers and moves back to LF, Thompson is back in the minors. Mike Gonzalez has a stress fracture in his hand benching him for 12 days. Wells will move into the Alt. pitcher role for 1 day until he recovers from his injury. John Grabow moves to Setup, Ian Snell moves to Short, Cory Stewart moves to Middle and Paul Maholm moves to Long.
13th-Benito Santiago recovers and moves back behind the plate. Ronny Paulino is benched and Ryan Doumit is sent to the minors. Wells recovers and returns to the rotation moving Peterson to the Alt. role.
16th-J.R. House recovers moving back behind the plate. Santiago is benched and Paulino returns to the minors.
17th-Redman is out again, this time with a sore heel, he'll sit out for 5 days. DaVanon replaces him in CF and Thompson comes back from the minors to take over his roster spot.
18th-Josh Fogg has a stress fracture in his ankle, benching him for 26 days. Peterson takes over his rotation spot and Salomon Torres comes up from the minors to be the Middle reliever, moving Stewart to Long and Maholm to Alt.
20th-Ryan Vogelson has a sore heel and will sit out for 6 days. Maholm takes his roster spot and Bryan Bullington moves to Alt.
22nd-Redman recovers and will start in CF again, DaVanon is back on the bench and Thompson returns again to the minors.
24th-Gonzalez recovers and moves back to Setup. Grabow moves to Short, Snell moves to Middle, Torres moves to Long and Stewart is now the Alt., moving Bullington back to the minors.
26th-Vogelsong recovers resuming his spot in the rotation, Peterson is sent down to the minors.
28th-House is injured again, this time with a stress fracture in his foot that will sideline him for 13 days. Santiago moves back behind the plate and Paulino will be his backup. Also, Wells is injured again, this time with a stress fracture in his forearm that will make him sit for 4 days. Stewart will move into the rotation and Bullington comes up from the minors and will be the Alt.
29th-Redman is injured AGAIN! He is sidelined for 16 days with a stretched ankle ligament. DaVanon moves back to CF and Thompson is back in the majors for OF depth.
31st-Ty Wigginton recovers and Rob Mackowiak shifts from 3rd base to CF, Cesar Crespo is sent down to the minors.

Team Performances
Here's the lineup at the end of August:
Matt Lawton RF (.313, 16, 41)
Jack Wilson SS (.281, 20, 78)
Wigginton 3B (.280, 11, 41)
Mackowiak CF (.285, 16, 68)
Craig Wilson 1B (.253, 16, 68)
Bay LF (.246, 18, 67)
Santiago C (.253, 4, 27)
Jose Castillo 2B (.281, 3, 52)

Lineup:
Oliver Perez (8-13, 4.88, 215)
Stewart (1-1, 3.38, 18)
Mark Redman (9-3, 2.76, 79)
Maholm (0-2, 3.73, 35)
Vogelsong (6-5, 4.49, 94)

Minors
Graham Koonce (.295, 24, 107)
Ryan Doumit (.275, 1, 75)
Daric Barton (.273, 20, 84)
John Van Benschoten (11-1, 3.17, 94)
Matt Peterson (7-0, 3.99, 83)
Brian Meadows (0-1, 4.55, 13)

Around the Majors
Aug 4-Jim Thome PHI 400th HR
Aug 8-Ivan Rodriguez DET 2000th Hit
Aug 9-Juan Gonzalez CLE 2000th Hit
Aug 23-Greg Maddux CHC 300th Win
Aug 25-Jason Giambi NYY 300th HR
-Derek Jeter NYY 1000th Run
Aug 28-Jamie Moyer SEA 200th Win

With little more than a month left in the season my Pirates need to have another month like they just had so they can stay abover .500 and possibly even contend.

[coffeyfiend]

The number of injuries died down a bit compared to last month, but there were still more than I would have liked. For September and October combined my Pirates had a 15-15 record, putting the season record at 82-80, two games above .500! We also managed to finish 3rd in the NL Central which isn't to shabby either.

Here is a look at the standings for the NL Central Division at the end of the regular season:

Cubs 111-51 0 games back
Cardinals 97-65 14 games back
Pirates 82-80 29 games back
Astros 74-88 37 games back
Reds 74-88 37 games back
Brewers 63-99 48 games back

Injuries
1st-Kip Wells recovers and returns to the rotation, Cory Stewart moves to the bullpen and fills the Long reliever role. Ian Snell is sent down to AAA.
3rd-Mike Gonzalez mildly separates his shoulder and will be out for 12 days. John Grabow moves to Setup, Salomon Torres moves to Short, Stewart moves to Middle, Matt Peterson comes up from the minors and moves into the Long role, Bryan Bullington remains in the Alt. role.
7th-Benito Santiago pulls a quadrucep and will be benched for 7 days. Ronny Paulino will now start behind the plate and Ryan Doumit comes in from AAA to provide backup.
10th-J.R. House recovers and assumes the starting catcher role. Paulino is sent to AAA.
13th-Josh Fogg recovers and returns to the rotation, Paul Maholm moves into the Long role and Peterson is sent to AAA.
14th-Santiago recovers, Doumit is sent to the minors. Tike Redman also recovers, Rob Mackowiak is back on the bench and Rich Thompson is sent to AAA.
15th-Ryan Vogelsong strained an elbow ligament and will be out for 4 days. Bullington moves to the rotation, Gonzalez recovers from his injury and moves to the Setup role, Grabow moves to Short, Torres moves to Middle, Stewart moves to Long and Maholm is now the Alt.
18th-Mark Redman has a blister on a finger and will be out for 4 days. Vogelsong moves back to the rotation and should recover from his injury before his turn comes up.
19th-Vogelsong recovers.
22nd-Redman recovers and moves back into his spot in the rotation, Vogelsong who has just pitched needs time to rest before he can pitch again, he moves to the Alt. role. Bullington is sent to AAA and Maholm will pitch in the 5th spot of the rotation until Vogelsong is rested.

Team Performances
Here's how the team looks at the end of the regular season:
Lineup
Matt Lawton RF PIT Stats(140 G, 597 AB, 184 H, .308 AVG, 19 2B, 2 3B, 21 HR, 58 BB, 101 K, 23 SB, 9 CS, 6 SH, 104 R, 50 RBI, .374 OBP .452 SLG)
Jack Wilson SS PIT Stats(160 G, 704 AB, 206 H, .293 AVG, 33 2B, 11 3B, 21 HR, 24 BB, 56 K, 6 SB, 4 CS, 10 SH, 96 R, 87 RBI, .318 OBP, .460 SLG)
Ty Wigginton 3B PIT Stats(101 G, 407 AB, 118 H, .290 AVG, 33 2B, 2 3B, 15 HR, 26 BB, 59 K, 9 SB, 0 CS, 4 SH, 66 R, 60 RBI, .334 OBP, .491 SLG)
Craig Wilson 1B PIT Stats(150 G, 588 AB, 150 H, .255 AVG, 29 2B, 3 3B, 27 HR, 52 BB, 194 K, 3 SB, 3 CS, 0 SH, 87 R, 99 RBI, .335 OBP, .452 SLG)
Jason Bay LF PIT Stats(146 G, 572 AB, 141 H, .247 AVG, 37 2B, 3 3B, 24 HR, 75 BB, 157 K, 8 SB, 8 CS, 1 SH, 87 R, 84 RBI, .333 OBP, .448 SLG)
Tike Redman CF PIT Stats(106 G, 435 AB, 136 H, .313 AVG, 24 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 12 BB, 47 K, 13 SB, 7 CS, 5 SH, 53 R, 48 RBI, .336 OBP, .405 SLG)
J.R. House C PIT Stats(89 G, 308 AB, 83 H, .269 AVG, 18 2B, 6 3B, 4 HR, 46 BB, 54 K, 4 SB, 1 CS, 1 SH, 32 R, 30 RBI, .370 OBP, .406 SLG) AAA Stats(19 G, 54 AB, 15 H, .278 AVG, 3 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 8 BB, 8 K, 4 SB, 2 CS, 0 SH, 7 R, 8 RBI, .371 OBP, .389 SLG)
Jose Castillo 2B PIT Stats(151 G, 550 AB, 153 H, .278 AVG, 23 2B, 3 3B, 4 HR, 55 BB, 140 K, 15 SB, 10 CS, 4 SH, 53 R, 66 RBI, .342 OBP, .353 SLG)
Bench
Jeff DaVanon CF/RF PIT Stats(67 G, 129 AB, 41 H, .318 AVG, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 14 BB, 20 K, 8 SB, 4 CS, 3 SH, 14 R, 12 RBI, .386 OBP, .395 SLG)
Rob Mackowiak 3B/CF/RF PIT Stats(130 G, 447 AB, 124 H, .277 AVG, 23 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 35 BB, 120 K, 8 SB, 3 CS, 4 SH, 64 R, 78 RBI, .333 OBP, .454 SLG)
Jose Leon 3B PIT Stats(72 G, 70 AB, 18 H, .257 AVG, 5 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 10 BB, 16 K, 0 SB, 0 CS, 0 SH, 7 R, 3 RBI, .358 OBP, .329 SLG) AAA Stats(48 G, 115 AB, 36 H, .313 AVG, 6 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 BB, 21 K, 1 SB, 0 SB, 0 CS, 0 SH, 12 R, 12 RBI, .354 OBP, .417 SLG)
Benito Santiago C PIT Stats(54 G, 201 AB, 51 H, .254 AVG, 8 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 BB, 34 K, 1 SB, 1 CS, 0 SH, 24 R, 29 RBI, .299 OBP, .363 SLG)
Daryle Ward 1B/LF PIT Stats(135 G, 180 AB, 47 H, .261 AVG, 9 2B, 0 3B, 8 HR, 24 BB, 18 K, 0 SB, 1 CS, 18 R, 37 RBI, .354 OBP, .444 SLG)
Freddy Sanchez 2B/SS/3B PIT Stats(34 G, 52 AB, 12 H, .231 AVG, 1 2B, 0 3B, 0 HR, 3 BB, 15 K, 1 SB, 0 CS, 0 SH, 4 R, 3 RBI, .273 AVG, .250 SLG)

Rotation
Oliver Perez PIT Stats(33 G, 33 GS, 12 W, 14 L, .462 PCT, 4.69 ERA, 201.1 IP, 109 R, 105 ER, 180 H, 32 HR, 83 BB, 260 K, .234 OBA, 1 CG, 0 ShO)
Kip Wells PIT Stats(31 G, 30 GS, 11 W, 7 L, .611 PCT, 3.09 ERA, 180.1 IP, 71 R, 62 ER, 156 H, 20 HR, 69 BB, 135 K, .229 OBA, 1 CG, 1 ShO)
Mark Redman PIT Stats(26 G, 25 GS, 10 W, 6 L, .625 PCT, 3.69 ERA, 158.1 IP, 68 R, 65 ER, 163 H, 21 HR, 54 BB, 93 K, .258 OBA, 1 CG, 1 ShO)
Josh Fogg PIT Stats(27 G, 27 GS, 10 W, 7 L, .588 PCT, 4.28 ERA, 162 IP, 81 R, 77 ER, 173 H, 29 HR, 46 BB, 92 K, .268 OBA, 2 CG, 2 ShO)
Ryan Vogelsong PIT Stats(26 G, 26 GS, 7 W, 7 L, .500 PCT, 4.23 ERA, 161.2 IP, 81 R, 76 ER, 157 H, 16 HR, 56 BB, 119 K, .249 OBA, 1 CG, 0 ShO)
Bullpen
Jose Mesa PIT Stats(98 G, 0 GS, 6 W, 8 L, .429 PCT, 3.59 ERA, 97.2 IP, 40 R, 39 ER, 95 H, 9 HR, 56 BB, 78 K, .251 OBA, 42 SV, 10 BS)
Mike Gonzalez PIT Stats(65 G, 0 GS, 5 W, 4 L, .556 PCT, 5.27 ERA, 80.1 IP, 49 R, 47 ER, 86 H, 24 HR, 39 BB, 53 K, .273 OBA, 0 SV, 6 BS) AAA Stats(12 G, 0 GS, 0 W, 1 L, .000 PCT, 3.71 ERA, 26.2 IP, 14 R, 11 ER, 19 H, 3 HR, 11 BB, 25 K, .192 OBA, 4 SV, 0 BS)
John Grabow PIT Stats(68 G, 0 GS, 7 W, 1 L, .875 PCT, 3.60 ERA, 85 IP, 35 R, 34 ER, 74 H, 10 HR, 41 BB, 58 K, .235 OBA, 2 SV, 2 BS)
Salomon Torres PIT Stats(32 G, 1 GS, W 1, L 1, .500 PCT, 5.88 ERA, 52 IP, 39 R, 34 R, 54 H, 12 HR, 21 BB, 29 K, .263 OBA, 0 CG, 0 ShO) AAA Stats(7 G, 3 GS, 2 W, 3 L, .400 PCT, 4.45 ERA, 32.1 IP, 21 R, 16 ER, 33 H, 3 HR, 9 BB, 14 K, .254 OBA, 0 CG, 0 ShO)
Cory Stewart PIT Stats(11 G, 3 GS, 1 W, 2 L, .333 PCT, 5.79 ERA, 23.1 IP, 21 R, 15 ER, 38 H, 3 HR, 15 BB, 29 K, .358 OBA, 0 CG, 0 ShO) AAA Stats(17 G, 17 GS, 6 W, 2 L, .750 PCT, 4.34 ERA, 112 IP, 66 R, 54 ER, 109 H, 7 HR, 47 BB, 107 K, .245 OBA, 1 CG, 0 ShO)
Paul Maholm PIT Stats(27 G, 4 GS, 0 W, 3 L, .000 PCT, 3.73 ERA, 62.2 IP, 36 R, 26 ER, 52 H, 13 HR, 27 BB, 50 K, .218 OBA, 3 SV, 1 BS) AAA Stats(10 G, 10 GS, 7 W, 0 L, 1.000 PCT, 3.63 ERA, 67 IP, 32 R, 27 ER, 59 H, 0 HR, 29 BB, 44 K, .227 OBA, 0 CG, 0 ShO)

Around the Majors
Sammy Sosa BAL AL HR Leader (52)
Ichiro Suzuki SEA AL Batting Title (.351)
Magglio Ordonez DET AL RBI Leader (138)
Alex Sanchez DET AL SB Leader (48)
Carl Pavano NYY AL ERA Leader (2.62)
Curt Schilling BOS AL K Leader (245)
Curt Schilling BOS AL Win Leader (19)
Randy Johnson NYY AL Win Leader (19)
Eddie Guardado SEA AL SV Leader (44)
Preston Wilson COL NL HR Leader (53)
Albert Pujols STL NL HR Leader (53)
Cesar Izturis LAD NL Batting Title (.352)
Albert Pujols STL NL RBI Leader (153)
Carlos Febles HOU NL SB Leader (35)
Cesar Izturis LAD NL SB Leader (35)
Mark Prior CHC NL ERA Leader (2.17)
Mark Prior CHC NL K Leader (264)
Chris Carpenter STL NL Win Leader (22)
Eric Gagne LAD NL SV Leader (44)

It is important to note that Pujols came very close to winning the Triple Crown, he finished 2nd in the Batting Title with a .349 AVG.

Sep17-Vinny Castilla MON 300th HR
Sep25-Miguel Olivo SEA Hit for Cycle
Oct1-Luis Gonzalez ARI 300th HR
Oct2-Ray Lankford SDP 1000th Run

Next up, the Playoffs....

[coffeyfiend]

Here is the play off brackets for the 2004 season:

ALDS
Mariners (98-64)
Yankees (91-71) WC


Red Sox (98-64)
Twins (86-76)

NLDS
Dodgers (100-62)
Cardinals (97-65) WC


Cubs (111-51)
Mets (94-68)

ALDS
Yankees win series 3-2

Red Sox win series 3-2

NLDS
Cardinals win series 3-0

Cubs win series 3-0

ALCS
Yankees
Red Sox

NLCS
Cardinals
Cubs

ALCS
Red Sox win series 4-2

NLCS
Cubs win series 4-2

World Series
Redsox
Cubs

Cubs win series 4-3

Next up, the offseason.....

[coffeyfiend]

The free agent market is very slim, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money on overpriced players. I did sign two pitchers though.

Free Agent Signings
Sergio Mitre SP $840,000 for 2 years
Leo Gille SP $590,000 for 2 years

Mitre is young pitcher who didn't really live up to his potential in three games for the Cubs last season, he pitched slightly better in AAA. The good news is his peak is 70 + or - 7 and right now, he is only reached 66. Mitre has some growing to do and unless he wows me this spring, he'll start the season at AAA.

Gille is another young pitcher, he was unsigned in the Minor League Draft and so I took a risk and signed him. Gille also peaks at 70 + or - 7, and right now he is at 60. Gille will start the season at AAA, regardless of how well he plays this spring.

Contracts
Released:
Daryle Ward was asking for nearly $3 million for 7 years. I dropped him because he performed poorly off the bench this past season and still wanted a huge raise. The good news for Ward is that Baltimore decided to give him a chance a chance and paid him exactly what he was looking for.

Jorge Velandia was asking for $300,000 for 5 years. I dropped him because he played mediocre baseball at AAA this past season and at 30 years old, he isn't getting any younger. Plus, with Jack Wilson at SS and Brandon Wood at AAA, I don't need another player vying for games. Velandia was signed by the Diamondbacks for 5 years at $300,000.

Kirk Bullinger was asking for $300,000 for 2 years. I released him because he pitched poorly at AAA and his age probably will limit him from getting any better. Bullinger retired.

Joe Roa was asking for $550, 000 for 4 years. I let him go because he pitched decently in AAA but like Bullinger was probably too old to play any better. Roa retired.

Extensions
Cesar Crespo was signed for $340,000 for 2 years. Crespo wasn't asking for much and can provide useful infield depth.

Rich Thompson was signed for $2 million for 2 years. Thompson played well in AAA last season and in the majors everytime he was called up. Depending on how Spring Training pans out, he could be the starting in CF.

Jose Mesa was signed for $5,500,000 for 1 year. I took a chance with Mesa, who will be 39 this season. He saved games consistently for us last season though and the free agent market provided no better options.

Salomon Torres was signed for $2,900,000 for 2 years. Torres is a good reliever and a good spot starter, he might be a tad expensive but my AAA pitchers need some more experience under their belts.

Brian Meadows was signed for $2,500,000 for 2 years. I resigned Meadows for the same reasons I resigned Torres.

Minor League Draft
The first number inside the parentheses is their overall number, the second is their peak number.
1st round-16th overall
Pat Coffey (76/93) Coffey is 21 years old and is solid at 3rd base. He is also capable at many other positions. He hits well for contact (90) and power (76) he also has a good eye (82). What Coffey lacks in speed (54) he makes up for in range (86) and fielding ability (93).
2nd round-46th overall
Neil Day (71/86) Day is a 22 year old 1st Baseman with a good eye (86). Day hits well for contact (76) and power (78). Day is also quite fast around the bases (72). Day has quick feet at first base and is an amazing fielder (100) with great range (72).
3rd round-76th overall
David Zahler (66/77) Zahler is a 23 year old relief pitcher with great control (80) and power (76). Past that he is an average prospect.
4th round-106th overall
Jonathan Dear (58/75) Dear is a 19 year old SS with lots of room to grow. He doesn't do anything spectacularly, but is very consistent in everything. Dear will have plenty of time in the minors as he is stuck behind Jack Wilson and Brandon Wood.
5th round-136th overall
Elvis Gunther (55/73) Gunther is a 22 year old relief pitcher with amazing control (93). Like Zahler he will spend a few seasons in AAA and will hopefully provide needed bullpen depth.
6th round-166th overall
Luis Liriano (51/73) Liriano is a 22 year old 2nd Basemen with a lot of speed (85). He is solid at 2B, but not by any means great. Liriano may eventually make it to the majors, but not anytime soon.

Team Perfomances
Jose Castillo wins Gold Glove at 2B
Jason Bay wins Gold Glove at LF

Around the Majors
Randy Johnson (NYY) wins 2004 AL Cy Young Award
Eric Chavez (OAK) wins 2004 AL MVP Award
Jason Alfaro (TOR) wins 2004 AL Rookie of the year award
Mark Prior (CHC) wins 2004 NL Cy Young Award
Albert Pujols (STL) wins 2004 NL MVP Award
Khalil Greene wins 2004 NL Rookie of the Year Award

Up next, Spring Training, 2005....

[coffeyfiend]

Following Spring Training, here is what my Roster looks like. Once again the first number inside of the parentheses is the player's overall rating, the second is the player's peak all numbers are + or - 7:
Lineup
Matt Lawton RF (81/81)
Jack Wilson SS (91/91)
Craig Wilson 1B (77/77)
Jason Bay LF (94/94)
Ty Wigginton 3B (75/75)
Tike Redman CF (77/77)
J.R. House C (75/77)
Jose Castillo 2B (75/75)

Bench
Pat Coffey 3B (76/87)
Jeff DaVanon RF/CF (75/75)
Rob Mackowiak RF/3B/UTIL (81/81)
Ronny Paulino C (75/88)
Freddy Sanchez 2B/SS/3B (70/76)
Rich Thompson LF (75/80)

I will be on the lookout for trades involving Redman, Thompson or possibly even Lawton.

Rotation
Kip Wells (87/87)
Oliver Perez (78/78)
Mark Redman (76/76)
Ryan Vogelsong (75/75)
Josh Fogg (74/74)

Bullpen
Jose Mesa Closer (74/74)
Mike Gonzalez Setup (62/64)
John Grabow Short (71/76)
Salomon Torres Middle (70/71)
Cory Stewart Long (69/75)
Bryan Bullington Alt. (74/78)

My young pitchers didn't perform as well as I would have liked in Spring Training, making job competition slim.

AAA
Daric Barton C (68/93)
Jose Bautista 3B/OF (64/73)
Larry Broadway 1B (65/71)
Howie Clark 3B (63/65)
Cesar Crespo IF/LF (64/68)
Neil Day 1B/2B (71/85)
Jonathan Dear SS (63/75)
Ryan Doumit C (65/77)
Howie Kendrick 2B (62/76)
Graham Koonce 1B (73/75)
Luis Liriano 2B (52/73)
Jose Leon 3B/1B (75/75)
Lastings Milledge CF (65/88)
Carlos Quentin RF (73/89)
Brandon Wood SS (68/99)

Sean Burnett SP (62/71)
Zack Duke SP (65/75)
Leo Gille SP (62/70)
Elvis Gunther RP (55/73)
Blair Johnson SP (68/89)
Paul Maholm SP (73/80)
Brian Meadows RP/SP (73/73)
Sergio Mitre SP (68/70)
Matt Peterson SP (77/89)
Brian Reith RP/SP (60/60)
Ian Snell RP (76/85)
John Van Benschoten SP (76/85)
Dave Williams SP (76/76)
David Zahler RP (68/77)

After Spring Training I made 1 trade:
Benito Santiago (C) traded to ANA
Edwards Guzman (3B) traded to ANA
Jon Nunnally (OF) traded to ANA
Howie Kendrick (2B) traded to PIT

This move gets rid of some older players and Santiago's salary and brings in a young, promising 2nd Baseman.

My Goals for this season are to produce a successful, contending team. I would like to continue to get younger and I would like to relieve myself of players like Craig Wilson, Tike Redman, Ty Wigginton, Jose Castillo, J.R. House and Mark Redman. Hopefully my AAA talent will also improve so that I can replace the aforementioned players.

[alvarez16]

keep it going