The Swing Frequencies of the Pirates Offense

The 2013 season is 19 games old for the Pittsburgh Pirates; yet hot or cold starts are still nothing more than that in most cases due to the small sample size of the season. However, a hitter’s swing rate is something that tends to begin to stabilize early on in the season (at around 50 plate appearances) and the Bucs have eight hitters that can be examined using this statistic.

The Current Focus on Splits in Clint Hurdle's Line-Ups

Clint Hurdle’s line-ups so far this season have had a focus on spits (with a lefty-righty balance against right-handed pitching). For example, the clean-up spot has been filled by Pedro Alvarez against right-handers and Gaby Sanchez against lefties, with Garrett Jones and Neil Walker hitting second against righties and Russell Martin against lefties (although Walker will hit second against Clayton Kershaw tonight). The only consistencies have been Starling Marte leading off, Andrew McCutchen hitting third and Clint Barmes eighth.

A Look At The Current Batting Order

Clint Hurdle has elected to continue with the Opening Day line-up for the second game of the season, despite the Pirates offense struggling in the season opener with Cubs right-hander Jeff Samardzija on the mound. While much of the focus centered around Gaby Sanchez’s presence ahead of Travis Snider, I believe that Hurdle’s line-up is really the bigger issue.

Notes After Opening Day

The 2013 season did not begin in an ideal fashion for the Pittsburgh Pirates, dropping the opener to the Cubs while offering little at the plate. Nonetheless, one defeat doesn’t mean that the Pirates are going to struggle, much like a win today wouldn’t have meant that the Bucs were going to be contenders. The Pirates have a shot at bouncing back on Wednesday night, with Wandy Rodriguez getting the start against Edwin Jackson. Drawing conclusions on how the season is likely to pan out would be nothing more than a knee-jerk reaction at this point; however there are some noteworthy items after today's game:

Pittsburgh's 25-Man Roster Set For Opening Day

The Pirates have finalised their 25-man roster ahead of today’s opener against the Chicago Cubs.

Projecting The Offense: Second Base

Neil Walker is firmly entrenched as the Bucs second baseman and he’s accumulated 8.5 wins above replacement since he converted to the position in 2010. Offensively, only four second basemen that would have qualified for the battle title surpassed Walker’s park adjusted wRC+ of 111 in 2012, only dropping to seventh on the list over the 2010-2012 period with a 112 wRC+ (.336 wOBA). While Walker has become a solid contributor offensively, there is an area where he could improve. 

2012: 530 PA, 27 doubles, 14 home runs, .280/.342/.426,.334 wOBA, 7 stolen bases 

2013 Projections: 

Bill James: 647 PA, 40 doubles, 2 triples, 17 home runs, .275/.337/.435,.336 wOBA, 9 stolen bases 

ZiPS: 617 PA, 35 doubles, 3 triples, 16 home runs, .270/.332/.430, .328 wOBA, 8 stolen bases 

Oliver: 584 PA, 29 doubles, 3 triples, 15 home runs, .270/.332/.423, .331 wOBA, 8 stolen bases 

The Case For Jordy Mercer

Many have seen the acquisition of John McDonald as a sign that Jordy Mercer is likely to begin the year at Triple-A.GM Neal Huntington linked the move to Chase d’Arnaud’s injury, with the logical assumption being that Mercer’s April role would be as the Indianapolis Indians’ starting shortstop. Nonetheless, this does not necessarily need to be the case.

More On Brandon Inge And A Dual-Platoon Infield Role

Yesterday I touched on how Brandon Inge appears to be the most likely non-roster invitee to break camp with the Pirates as could have value in the dual platoon role; his career numbers against southpaws could provide an upgrade over Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker when the club faces left-handed starting pitching.

A right-handed hitter that could produce at the plate on a part-time basis would allow the club to limit the exposure of both Alvarez and Walker against lefties while still allowing both players to attempt to improve upon their performances. It’s too early in their careers to give up on either player as a full time option; however giving either player the day off when the club faces a left-hander would likely improve the offense as a whole.

More Platoon Advantage Discussion As The Pirates Sign Brandon Inge

The Pirates have signed utility infielder/outfielder Brandon Inge to a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training, making the former Tiger the 61st player in camp. 

Pirates News & Notes

We’ve approached the time of year when very little noteworthy news tends to happen. Teams are generally coming to terms to contracts with their arbitration eligible players and are gearing up to Spring Training. It is a little different this year, however, as there are still two marquee free agents available (Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse), buy-low candidates (most notably Roy Oswalt) as well as a wealth of arms available to fill 6th or 7th inning roles in the bullpen. Onto some Pirates related news and notes from the past few days:

Pirates Positional Players Depth Chart: Next Man Up

Updated 2/13/2013.

Please note and make use of the scroll bar at the bottom of the screen as there is additional info on the right side of this chart.

Depth Chart Key
Pitchers Depth Chart

Position	Player	Acquired	ST	OL	40/R5	Bats	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
C	Russell Martin	FA13	>6.000		Yes	R	30/$6.5	31/$8.5
	Michael McKenry	TR11	1.136	1	Yes	R	28	29	30	31	32
	Tony Sanchez	DR09	0.000	3	2012	R	AAA	25	26	27	28	29
1B	Garrett Jones	MiFA08	3.158	0	Yes	L	31/$4.5	32	33
	Gaby Sanchez	TR12	3.025		Yes	R	29/$1.75	30	31
	Clint Robinson	TR13	0.007	2	Yes	L	28	29	30	31	32	33
	Matt Curry	DR10	0.000	3	2013	L	AA	25	26	27	28	29
2B	Neil Walker	DR04	2.166	1	Yes	SW	27	28	29	30
	Ivan De Jesus Jr	TR13	0.147	0	No	R	AAA	26	27	28	29	30
	Jarek Cunningham	DR08	0.000	3	2012	R	AA	AAA	25	26	27	28
SS	Clint Barmes	FA12	>6.000		Yes	Allegedly	34/$5.5
	Jordy Mercer	DR08	0.118	2	Yes	R	26	27	28	29	30	31
	Chase d’Arnaud	DR08	0.125	1	Yes	R	26	27	28	29	30	31
3B	Pedro Alvarez	DR08	2.085	0	Yes	L	261/$700k	272	28	29
	Josh Harrison	TR09	1.095	1	Yes	R	25	26	27	28	29
LF	Starling Marte	Int FA07	0.070	3	Yes	R	24	25	26	27	28	29
	Alex Presley	DR06	1.091	1	Yes	L	27	28	29	30	31
	Adalberto Santos	DR10	0.000	3	2013	R	AAA	26	27	28	29	30
	Barrett Barnes	DR12	0.000	3	2015	R	A+	AA	AAA	24	25	26
CF	Andrew McCutchen	DR05	3.123	3	Yes	R	26/$4.5	27/$7.25	28/$10	29/$13	30/$14	31/$14.753
	Gregory Polanco	Int FA09	0.000	3	2013	L	A+	AA	AAA	24	25	26
	Mel Rojas, Jr.	DR10	0.000	3	2013	SW	AA	AAA	24	25	26	27
RF	Travis Snider	TR12	2.091		Yes	L	25	26	27	28
	Jose Tabata	TR08	2.081	1	Yes	R	24	25	26	27	284	29
	Jerry Sands	TR13	0.094	1	2015	R	25	26	27	28	29	30
	Josh Bell	DR11	0.000	3	2015	SW	A+	AA	AAA	23	24	25
	Player projected to start the year in AAA and get called up mid-season; not eligible for arbitration
	Player is in a pre-arbitration year; contract is Major League minimum unless otherwise noted
	Player is arbitration eligible; salary (if noted) = arbitration results
	Player is under contract
	Either the Pirates or the player may exercise an option; details provided below the chart

¹ The Pirates exercised a team option for 2013 on 10/31/2012

² The Pirates have a team option for $700,000 for 2014. The player may void the option if eligible for arbitration.

³ The Pirates have a team option for 2018.

⁴ The Pirates have team options for 2017, 2018, and 2019.

All courtesy of Trogluddite
Key

In Defense of the Front Office

The Pittsburgh Pirates haven't completed a season with a winning record in two decades.  While all of that isn't on current general manager Neal Huntington's hands, a good chunk - arguably one-fourth - of it is.  Therefore, to claim Huntington is or should be immune from intense criticism would be asinine. That's undeniable.

All that hashed out, I personally believe Neal Huntington, and the entire front office he has assembled, have the Pirates on the right track. In addition, I think there is evidence indicating such a statement is true.  My argument consists of several factors, broken down piece-by-piece in the paragraphs below.

The Pirates and Taking the Platoon Advantage

Andrew McCutchen is the Pirates' best hitter by a wide margin and performs at a high level when facing both left and right handed pitching – highlighted by weighted on-base averages of .471 against lefties and .385 against righties in 2012. The problem is that he’s also the only Pirate to provide above average production at the plate against both sets of pitchers. One of the focuses I have had over this winter over at Pirates Musings, as well as my brief time here, is on the benefits of using platoons or at least taking advantage of platoon situations, something the Pirates should be looking to do on an everyday basis.

Extension Candidate Not Named Neil Walker

How about this guy?

I've said this a lot over the last week, but I'll say it again.  The Pirates signed Andrew McCutchen to an extension! Great news for the Pirates undoubtedly, but Neal Huntington's work is far from done.  Before the ink could even dry on McCutchen's contract the focus shifted to contract extension talks with second baseman Neil Walker.  MLB Trade Rumors immediately detailed what an extension would look like, seemingly justifying such a move. David Todd over at Bucs Dugout offered his theory that such an extension is probably a poor idea.  According to Walker himself, the talks haven't "gone very far" yet.