#14 Pirates Prospect - Tony Sanchez

Buried Treasure Top 30 Prospects
#14 - Tony Sanchez

Measurables: 6'0, 220
Bats: R, Throws: R
Position: C
Acquired: 1st Round (4th overall), 2009
Bonus: $2,500,000
DOB: 5/20/1988
Buried Treasure 2012 Top 20: #7

George Kottaras DFA'd; Could he be a Platoon Option for the Pirates?

In the aftermath of the three team trade between the A’s, the Mariners and the Nationals that saw John Jaso, Mike Morse and a couple of prospects swap clubs, Oakland designated catcher George Kottaras for assignment. Kottaras is a player that I would hope that the Pirates would have some interest in acquiring, given that he is a left-handed hitter who would provide the club with a platoon option behind the plate and pinch-hitting flexibility off the bench. 

#23 Pirates Prospect - Zack Von Rosenberg

Buried Treasure Top 30 Prospects 
#23 - Zack Von Rosenberg

Measurables: 6'5, 205
Bats: R, Throws: R
Position: P
Acquired: 6th round (175th overall), 2009
Bonus: $1,200,000
DOB: 09/24/1990
Buried Treasure 2012 Top 20: #19

Pittsburgh Pirates: 5 Moves in an Alternate Universe

Time Vortex!

Everyone would love to re-write history at some point, whether it's involving a monumental event in history or a personal experience that had a giant life impact. Here at Buried Treasure, we'd like to re-write history as well. Here are five moves that the Pirates could have made that would have altered the recent path of the franchise significantly.  Do remember though, hindsight indeed is twenty-twenty.

Minor League Daily Update - 4/13/2012

The Indians dropped another close game, this time losing to the Columbus Clippers 5-4.  Jeff Locke had a rocky outing as the starter, giving up 5 earned runs on 8 hits in 5.0 innings.  Locke did not walk a batter and struck out 3.  Daniel Moskos pitched a perfect inning in relief.  At the plate, Starling Marte hit leadoff and went 1-4 with a strikeout.  Jordy Mercer went 1-4 with 2 strikeouts, but the one hit was a three run blast.  Eric Fryer went 1-4 with a run scored.  Brandon Boggs managed the rare golden sombrero, going 0-4 with 4 strikeouts.

The Curve lost their contest against the Richmond Flying Squirrels 7-3.  Mike Colla started and lasted 5.0 innings, giving up 9 hits, 6 runs (4 earned), while striking out 2 batters and walking one.  Robbie Grossman hit lead off for the Curve and went 1-4 with 2 strikeouts.  He has still yet to walk and has struck out 8 times in 26 at-bats.  Brock Holt went 2-4 with a run scored and a strikeout.  Jarek Cunningham went 0-3 with a walk, a run scored, and a strikeout.  Tony Sanchez matched Cunningham with an identical line.  Matt Curry went 1-4.

Bradenton lost a pitching duel 1-0 to Fort Myers.  Colton Cain got the nod as the starter for the Pirates and had a solid outing.  He lasted 5.0 innings and gave up 2 hits and a walk.  Cain also struck out 2 batters.  At the dish, Mel Rojas Jr. by far had the best game of the Marauders hitters.  Playing right field, Rojas Jr. went 3-3 with a double and a triple.  Wes Freeman went 0-3 with a strikeout and a walk.  Alex Dickerson, Drew Maggi, and Gift Ngoepe each had a single, all going 1-4 with Dickerson adding a strikeout to his final daily line.

The Power managed to prevent an affiliate sweep of losing, beating Greenville 5-1.  Matt Benedict started for the Power and the Orlando Castro came in to pitch most of the rest of the game in relief.  Both had excellent outings.  Benedict lasted 5.0 innings, giving up 5 hits and an unearned run.  He also struck out 4 batters while only walking 1 batter.  Castro struck out 4 batters in 3.0 innings, while only walking one and giving up a sole hit.  Jordan Cooper also pitched a perfect inning with a strikeout.  Offensively, 4 power players had big days.  Alen Hanson hit leadoff for the Power and went 3-4 with 3 runs scored, a triple, a homerun, a walk, and a strikeout.  His OPS on the year now stands at 1.297 and Hanson has maintained a solid 4:6 BB:K ratio in 34 at-bats.  Jose Osuna also had 3 hits, including 2 doubles, a walk and a strikeout.  Josh Bell and Gregory Polanco each had 2 base knocks.  Bell added a double and a strikeout.  Polanco added a homerun - his second in as many days - and a walk.

Minor League Daily Update - 4/10/2012

Indianapolis lost 4-3 to the Columbus Clippers after giving up three runs in the bottom of the ninth.  The loss evened the Indians record at 2-2.  Charlie Morton was on the hill in what should be his last rehab start before rejoining the big league team.  He was downright dominant, going 7.2 innings and giving up 6 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run.  Morton also struckout 8 batters and recorded 10 groundouts to 1 flyout.  Bryan Morris struck out the only batter he faced in the 8th inning before handing it over to Jo-Jo Reyes and Tim Wood in the 9th.  The pair of pitchers promptly blew the save.  Starling Marte had a great game, going 2-4 with a homerun.  Eric Fryer went 2-4 with a double and 2 strikeouts.  Brandon Boggs, Jeff Clement and Brian Friday each had one hit.  Chase D'Arnaud did not play.

Altoona lost their contest against the Akron Aeros 5-1, also leaving them with a 2-2 record.  Starting pitcher Aaron Pribanic had a rough outing.  He only lasted 3.1 innings and allowed 10 runners on base via 4 hits and 6 walks.  Pribanic did strikeout 4 batters and somehow managed to only give up 1 earned run, although he gave up 3 total.  Victor Black pitched an inning in relief, giving up 2 hits and 2 runs (1 earned), while striking out 1 batter.  Robbie Grossman went 1-4 with a strikeout and has yet to walk this year.  Jarek Cunningham went 1-4 with a double.  Cunningham has only struck out 1 time in 17 at-bats so far this year, a welcome sight considering Cunningham's struggles with striking out in the past.  Andrew Lambo had the only other Curve hit.  Tony Sanchez has a poor game, going 0-4 with 3 strikeouts.  Sanchez's OPS is still .795 on the young year despite his bad game last night.

Bradenton also lost, dropping a close contest to the Palm Beach Cardinals 2-1.  The Marauders are now 1-3 on the year.  The big story was Gerrit Cole's minor league regular season professional debut (Cole's actual professional debut was in the Arizona Fall League last season.  Cole lasted 4 innings, giving up 1 earned run on 4 hits and 1 walk.  Cole added in a wild pitch, but he displayed his immense talent and ability to miss bats, striking out 7 hitters, 5 swinging and 2 looking.  On balls put into play against him, Cole managed a 6:3 groundball to flyball ratio.  Offensively, the Marauders only managed 4 hits. Drew Maggi had a good game going 2-3 with a walk.  Evan Chambers and Mel Rojas Jr., who's hitting .313 on the year, rounded out the hitting with a base knock each.  Wes Freeman went 0-2 with a walk and a strikeout, giving him a 3:3 walk to strikeout ratio in 13 plate appearances this year, a good sign.  Freeman also hasn't managed a hit yet either.

West Virginia dropped their contest against the Asheville Tourists to complete a winless day for the Pirates minor league affiliates.  The final score was 13-5, dropping the Power's record to 1-4 on the year.  Zach Dodson got the start.  His final line was 4.2 IP, 6H, 7R, 5ER, 3BB, 3K, a poor start to the season for Dodson.  Offensively, Alen Hanson bounced back from two straight hitless games to continue his blistering hot start.  On the day, the Power shortstop - although he played DH in this game - went 3-5 with a double and a homerun.  Jodaneli Caravajal added another multi-hit game, going 2-4 with 2 runs scored.  Gregory Polanco went 1-4 with a run scored, 2 RBI's, a walk and a strikout.  Willy Garcia was 1-5.  Josh Bell did not play.

Minor League Daily Update - 4/7/2012

The Pirates four full-season minor league affiliate teams played yesterday and finished the day 2-2.  Altoona and West Virginia won, while Indianapolis and Bradenton walked away in defeat.  All four teams are also scheduled to play tomorrow.

Indianapolis lost its opener to the Toledo Mud Hens 5-1.  Justin Wilson got the start and pitched 5.0 innings.  He only gave up 2 hits, but walked 6 batters and gave up 3 earned runs, although Wilson also fanned 6 batters.  Chase D'Arnaud led off and went 0-3 with a run scored, a walk, and 3 strikeouts. Starling Marte went 1-4 in his AAA debut with a deep RBI triple and a strikeout.  Jordy Mercer, Eric Fryer, and Gorkys Hernandez each had a hit, giving the Indians a total of four hits.  Reliever Bryan Morris had an inning for the ages.  His inning was perfect and he managed to strike out four batters because of a dropped third strike.  His K/9 currently sits at a nearly impossible to reach 36/9. 

Altoona bested the Erie Seawolves 4-2 to go to 2-0 on the young season.  Nathan Baker started for the Curve and pitched an efficient 5.0 innings, only giving up 2 hits, 2 walks, and an earned run while striking out 5 hitters.  Tim Alderson did well in relief, giving up a hit and a walk, while striking out 3 in 2.0 innings.  Robbie Grossman led off and went 1-5 with a run and 2 strikeouts.  Jarek Cunningham had another good day, going 2-4, with a run, a double, and 2 RBI's.  Tony Sanchez also went 2-4 and he added a double and an RBI.  Ramon Cabrera DH'd and went 0-4.  Quincy Latimore, Elevys Gonzalez, Matt Curry, and Andrew Lambo all each had one hit, while Brock Holt managed two hits. 

Brandeton lost their second game against the St. Lucie Mets to go to 1-1 on the season.  A.J Burnett struck out 5 in 4.2 innings in a rehab start.  He only gave up 2 hits and a walk, totaling in an earned run.  No one had multiple hits on the Marauders, Gift Ngoepe managed a triple.  Alex Dickerson has yet to get a hit on the season, going 0-4 without a strikeout or a walk.  Wes Freeman was once again the DH and went 0-2, but did manage to avoid striking out and actually drew a walk as well.  Tyler Waldron got rocked coming from the pen, giving up 4 hits and 4 runs, 3 of them earned, in 2.2 inning of play.  Waldron also walked 3 batters, but did strikeout two.

Stetson Allie took the ball for the Power and the results were disastrous.  Unfortunately that might be putting it lightly.  Allie only managed to get one out before exiting the game.  He walked the first 4 batters; that sequenced included 3 wild pitches.  He then struck out a better before hitting another batter, driving in a total of two runs thus far.  Michael Jefferson came in and struck out the next two Hagerstown Suns, limiting the damage.  That ultimately helped the Power to win 5-3.  Alen Hanson was again the offensive star, going 2-5 with a double, an RBI, and a strikeout. Hanson also scored twice.  Josh Bell was also 2-5 with an RBI, but both hits were singles and he struck out in each of his other at-bats (3). Jose Osuna went 1-4 and scored a run.  Willy Garcia was 0-4 with 2 strikeouts and an RBI. Gregory Polanco also struck out twice and managed no hits, but he walked once, so he finished 0-3.  Interesting stat alert: the Power gave up more runs than they gave up hits and had errors combined.  The Power gave up 2 hits and committed no errors, but allowed three runs. 

Information about today's games after the jump.

Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda: Hindsight and the MLB Draft

No complaints on McCutchen

Buried Treasure is expanding!  No, I didn't buy a warehouse.  Yes, I did add a new author.  Please welcome KentuckyPirate to Buried Treasure.  Although this is posted under my name, this is his first article for Buried Treasure.  Personally, I'm very excited to add such a knowledgeable Pirates fan to the site.  Make sure to check back regularly for new content from him, especially if you hate my writing. Welcome him here!

One of the most common complaints levied against the Pirates’ much maligned management lately has been their big “misses” in the Rule IV Draft, namely Pedro Alvarez and Tony Sanchez. If only the team had been smart and drafted instead either Eric Hosmer or Buster Posey and then Shelby Miller  we’d be a playoff team right now! While it may be too early to really pass judgment on any of those picks you could at least make the argument that, given the amount of money the Pirates have invested in the draft recently, it wouldn’t be totally unfair to hope for a better overall product to this point. Having said that, I don’t think the best way to critique a team’s draft strategy is by cherry picking specific selections and playing a hindsight-aided game of “woulda, coulda, shoulda.” The problem with this type of analysis is since you are able to seek out handful of guys in a given draft who really hit it big you are bound to come up with several teams who wound up with a bust instead. The baseball draft is a crapshoot and there is probably not a single team in baseball that doesn’t wish it had a mulligan or two.

#7 Prospect - Tony Sanchez

Tony Sanchez, my #7 Pirates prospect, invokes painful memories of another catcher, Matt Wieters.  It's not as simple as they are both catchers or even that both play or played for the Pirates.  In fact, Wieters plays for the Baltimore Orioles, much to the chagrin of Pirates fans.  Wieters was considered a future star as a two-way Catcher coming out of Georgia Tech in 2007.  The Pirates had the opportunity to draft Wieters, but instead drafted pitcher Daniel Moskos, largely due to Wieters price tag.  That gaffe was seemingly the straw that broke the camel's back for general manager Dave Littlefield, who lost his job.

A Gross(man) Lesson

.631 .728 .688 .869.  Now the outlier is pretty obvious; it's .869.  It's also Robbie Grossman's OPS last year, a vast improvement over his previous three years.  Generally outliers are just that, outliers.  They are indicative of a fluke or statistical anomaly, but here Grossman's OPS increase represents genuine improvement.

Buried Treasure Top 20 Prospects

Here is my top 20 Pirates Prospects list for the 2012 season all in one place. So far I have prospects 11-20 finished.  I promise to have my entire top 20 ready for spring training, so check back frequently! Just click the link to go to that player's profile.






01 - Jameson Taillon
02 - Gerrit Cole
03 - Starling Marte
04 - Luis Heredia
05 - Josh Bell
06 - Robbie Grossman
07 - Tony Sanchez
08 - Jarek Cunningham
09 - Jeff Locke
10 - Nick Kingham
11 - Kyle McPherson
12 - Stetson Allie
13 - Alex Dickerson
14 - Colton Cain
15 - Matt Curry
16 - Zack Dodson
17 - Gorkys Hernandez
18 - Rudy Owens
19 - Zack Von Rosenberg
20 - Clay Holmes