Treasure Trove: 6/18/2013

Indianapolis DNP - Rain postponement; The Indians will play a doubleheader on 6/19, with Jeanmar Gomez slated to start the first game and Andy Oliver the second game.

Buried Treasure Exclusive Interview: Mike Jefferson

By now, it's pretty clear what this series is about.  This is the fourth installment of an interview series that poses questions to members of the Pirates organization and gets answers back.  First was pitcher Michael Colla.  Outfielder Mel Rojas Jr. followed him.  Third was pitcher Zack Dodson. Next up, pitcher Mike Jefferson. Enjoy after the jump.

Update: Next Man Up Depth Charts

Next Man Up Depth Charts have been updated 2/13/2013.

Thanks to Trogluddite, Buried Treasure has added the Next Man Up depth charts as a permanent fixture.   The charts are highlighted by a tab at the top of the page.  Currently there are two charts, one for positional players and one for pitchers. Links to each chart plus a key and explanation for the charts are below.  Enjoy!

Positional Players Depth Chart
Pitchers Depth Chart
About "Next Man Up" Depth Charts
 

Buried Treasure Exclusive Interview: Mel Rojas Jr.

In an effort to produce better and more unique content about the Pittsburgh Pirates, Buried Treasure has reached out to members of the Pirates organization for interviews.  The response was awesome, starting with our first volunteer, Pirates farmhand and pitcher Michael Colla. Moving into the future, the hope is to have more interviews similar to this one.  This particular interview is with our second volunteer, Mel Rojas Jr.  It's after the jump.  Enjoy!

Reminder: Facebook Page and Twitter

Please like Buried Treasure's Facebook page. Doing so helps Buried Treasure's reputation and also allows us to easily inform you, the reader, of recent content.  Nothing is posted on the page except a link to new blog posts, cutting down on spam.  By liking, your newsfeed will contain stories as they are posted, updating you on the latest from Buried Treasure. 

Also, please follow Buried Treasure's authors on Twitter. @CutchistheTruth and @JimmyCoverdale for the same updates. Thank you!

Buried Treasure Exclusive Interview: Michael Colla

In an effort to produce better and more unique content about the Pittsburgh Pirates, Buried Treasure has reached out to members of the Pirates organization for interviews.  The response was awesome, starting with our first volunteer, Pirates farmhand and pitcher Michael Colla.  Moving into the future, the hope is to have more interviews similar to this one.  This particular interview with Michael Colla is after the jump.  Enjoy!

We've Entered the Facebook Realm; God Help Us All

It's official. Buried Treasure has a Facebook page to go along with our twitter account.  If Facebook is more your thing, like our page, friend the account, and find all of Buried Treasure's content linked on our new page.  We've started and now we can't turn back (I mean we can, but we're not) so join us for the ride!

Buried Treasure Facebook Page!

Internal Transactions

Baseball is fairly unique.  Twenty-five players comprise a major league squad, but an organization has contractual control over significantly more than that amount.  They are prospects - players in the minor leagues.  Take a glance at a major league team today and a good portion of their players were in that teams farm system in the past.  That's one of the focuses of Buried Treasure - examining and evaluating the minor league system of the Pittsburgh Pirates because it's the lifeblood and foundation of the major league team.

External Transactions

Baseball is fairly unique.  Twenty-five players comprise a major league squad, but an organization has contractual control over significantly more than that amount.  They are prospects - players in the minor leagues.  Take a glance at a major league team today and a good portion of their players were in that teams farm system in the past.  That's one of the focuses of Buried Treasure - examining and evaluating the minor league system of the Pittsburgh Pirates because it's the lifeblood and foundation of the major league team.

Buried Treasure: A Little Introduction

My name is Jimmy Coverdale and I’m a Pirates fan from the United Kingdom, currently living in Nottingham.

I have been writing for my own blog (Pirates Musings) for the last 15 months, mainly focusing on the Major League team, and have been invited to write here to help provide a comprehensive view of the Pirates. I tend to include a lot of advanced statistics in my work, partly because of my interest in advanced stats but also because I believe that an argument should be backed up by more than opinion. As I am based in England, it does mean that I miss out of weekday night games as well as some breaking news; however I attempt to counter this by providing additional analysis – especially when it comes to player acquisitions.

I’m also on Twitter (@JimmyCoverdale) if you’d like to follow me - I’ll be posting links to everything that I publish on there. I will be writing as much as can for this blog and would appreciate any feedback. 

Buried Treasure: New Addition

Here at Buried Treasure, we are always looking for new and innovative ways to get better.  That's important to us so we can fulfill our mission; to provide to you, the customer, the best service possible.  Sounds like an infomercial.

Back to reality.  I personally enjoy writing for this blog and I do try and post content that I enjoy writing about and that I think is helpful and informative to the people who read said content.  In that vein, I've always been open to opportunities that allow Buried Treasure to have even more helpful/informative content.  Luckily, an opportunity presented itself.

Introducing Jimmy.  Currently, Jimmy has his own blog - Pirates Musings. It's a site (which you should check out to see the quality of his work) that has allowed Jimmy to put pen to paper and materialize his thoughts and opinions about baseball and the Pirates, similar to Buried Treasure.  That similarity has led to what is essentially a merger.  On the technical side, Jimmy will be joining the Buried Treasure "staff" and writing on this website, but effectively we will both now co-author (with the help of KentuckyPirate) Buried Treasure.  The merger is especially exciting considering Jimmy does a fantastic job covering the major league squad while I focus more on things happening down on the farm.  Together, we should be able to provide comprehensive coverage of all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

So without further ado, welcome Buried Treasure's newest author, Jimmy!

Top 30 Pirates Prospects

Last year it was 20 (link here); this year it'll be 30.  Below will be listed my top 30 prospects, unveiled from the bottom of the list to the top, with a detailed breakdown of each prospect in a separate and individual article.  Those articles will be published throughout the off season, so stay tuned. Click the link to go to each individual profile!

And We're Back...

The great thing about hobbies is the fact that they can be ignored from time to time.  It's for pleasure and enjoyment.  That's certainly true about Buried Treasure.  Unless something insane happens, this blog isn't bringing home anyone's bacon.  Because of that, I'll most likely go AWOL from time to time.  The last few months has been that time. Now I'm back.

I can't guarantee I won't go AWOL again and it could be soon.  I'm not going to lie.  That said, I've got some baseball writing fever again and with the look of things in Pittsburgh - 2nd half collapse, great farm system, potential new management - there will be plenty to write about, so I'm going to sit back and enjoy the ride. Y'all - yes I said "y'all" are welcome to come along.

Buried Treasure is back baby.

Buried Treasure Is Not Dead

Buried Treasure is not dead, nor am I.  I sincerely doubt anyone was extremely distraught or upset over the lack of posting over the last few weeks.  Unfortunately, I have had finals and a broken laptop to contend with, and it's prevented me from being as active as I like.  That rolled into a lack of motivation, and hence the long layover.  I'm back though baby. My laptop should arrive by the weekend and I shall commence posting again.

Baseball is in full swing.  The Pirates are only a game under .500 as of now and are still hanging around in the NL Central.  Players and prospects have produced statistics of a sample size worth judging.  The MLB draft is next Monday.  There is a lot going on.  I plan to give my thoughts and analysis on several subjects.  Look for a final mock draft, a new top 20 prospect list, and more in the coming days!

Buried Treasure Top 100 Prospect List

This post contains my top 100 prospects all in one list.  Click on a prospect to be taken to the page that contains that prospect's write-up. There are a total of 10 pages with 10 prospects on each (and 11th on the last page).

#3 Prospect - Starling Marte

Talk about bang for your buck.  The Pirates signed Starling Marte - who was originally scouted as a pitcher - out of the Dominican Republic for a scant $85,000 bonus.  The investment turned out to be a great one.  Marte, who stands 6'2, 185 lbs according to fangraphs, oozes tools, highlighted by blazing speed and a strong arm.  Combining those tools with good jumps and reads, Marte is an elite defensive centerfielder.  On the other side of the game, Marte's bat has developed nicely, making him a very good overall prospect. 

Reaction Series

Here on Buried Treasure, I do love producing my own content.  My prospect list is all my work.  So is my mock draft and big board.  Yes I used info from other sources, but those articles are all my opinion.  Other times though, I find it beneficial to take a piece produced by another excellent baseball writer and respond to it, react to it if you will.  Sometimes it's just my reaction to news, a trade, signing, or even a rumor. That's what this series is about.  My reactions, both negative and positive, to the world of baseball.  Enjoy.  Articles after the jump.