He hits to all fields, and then some

Entering last night's game, Neil Walker, the switch-hitting second baseman for the Pittsburgh Pirates, had 99 hits for the 2012 season.  So?  Of those 99 hits:

• 33 went to right field 
• 33 went to center field
• 33 went to left field

Last night, in his first at-bat, Walker smacked a single up the middle for his 100th hit.  Then, in the sixth inning, as if he couldn't make up his mind, he hit one out of the park for the winning run in the Pirates' 4-3 win over the Miami Marlins at PNC Park.  For the season, Walker is batting .301 with eight home runs and 45 RBIs.  After 92 games, the Pirates are 52-40 and a half-game out of first place.

Hometown Hero
It's too easy to call Walker "a hometown hero."   The 26-year-old Walker, a Pittsburgh native who grew up a Pirates fan and quarterbacked his Pine-Richland High School football team to the state championship game,  has lived the kind of dream that lots of kids aspire to while playing wiffle ball in the backyard: Play, and be a star player, for his hometown major league team.

Having just concluded a 17-game hitting streak -- and being robbed of a hit in his final at-bat that 18th game -- Walker has played nearly every game this year.  He's steady, not particularly flashy, providing rock-solid defense and quiet leadership.  He is reliable.  Solid.  He is excellent at turning the double-play (having been tutored by none other than the all-time great, Bill Mazeroski).  He is exactly what you want in a second baseman.  He is exactly what the Pirates need.

Hometown hero?  Joey Porter's Pit Bulls would rather call him "signed to a long-term contract."

What's up with J-Up?

Should the Pirates trade Starling Marte and Jameson Taillon for Justin Upton?  It's tantalizing, but no thanks. 

First of all, what is the reason behind Arizona's supposed interest in dealing him?  He's only 24, for crying out loud. That's hard to believe. Why would they want to deal him?

Is Upton healthy?  Why is he having a bad season?  Why is he unhappy?  And why, oh WHY, would Arizona be shopping this guy, a 24-year-old All-Star-caliber outfielder who is under contract for the next three years?  

What's going on out there?  He's getting booed, his defense is brutal, and he's having a lousy season, but he was in the running for the National League MVP last year.  Does Arizona's management team know something we don't?   It doesn't make sense. Buyer beware, caveat emptor, e pluribus unum and all that.

It also runs contrary to the message we hear all the time from Neal Huntington when he talks about "the player being under control" for the next six years or whatever.  Granted, Justin Upton is signed to a contract through the 2015 season, BUT Starling Marte and Jameson Taillon are "under team control" for at least the next six years AFTER they join the big-league club and their service-time clock starts tickling on eligibility for arbitration.  For that period of time, they will be under team control at relatively bargain rates.

A Peaceable Kingdom

We are also leery of upsetting the chemistry on this Pirates team.  The enthusiasm and joie de vivre on this team right now is something we haven't seen since 1979.  It's authentic, it's organic, and it's catching.

 

Not that adding more talent would be unwelcome, but IF Pirates management believes Marte is ready, they should bring him up -- although there's every likelihood he will take time to develop into a fully developed major leaguer.  Also, it would be tough to give up on Taillon.  The Pirates have invested a lot in him, and premium pitchers -- if that's what he is -- premium pitchers are hard to come by.

Bottom Line: We don't see it happening.  And, no, Joey Porter’s Pit Bulls wouldn't do it. We are hoarding our top young prospects.

Footnote: Isn't it amazing how fast Jose Tabata has fallen off the radar screen?

Fallen Appel, Part Two

As for yesterday's deadline to sign picks from this year's MLB amateur draft, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are not at all upset that the Pirates didn't sign their first-round draft pick, Mark Appel.

Almost as soon as they drafted him, it seemed Scott Boras and Appel had no interest in doing anything other than pushing the boundaries of the new rules and trying to maneuver the Pirates into over-spending.  

Scott Boras with an agenda?  Shocking!  After being drafted, Appel promptly declined to speak to the media -- it all seemed very calculated -- and then he stunk up the College World Series. 

Hard to say why, but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls never had a good feeling about Appel.  He seems like a prima donna.  And, not that we know anything, but for some reason, the gut feeling says he's got future arm-elbow-shoulder problems written all over him.  And, looking at his college stats, he didn't really dominate the competition in college.  Feel free to argue.

Maybe Appel will eventually turn into a great pitcher, but we're glad the Pirates held their ground and didn't give in to the demands of Boras, which would have cost the Pirates their first-round pick in next year's draft and other penalties, as well.  Caving in would have set a bad precedent for future years.  Now, because the Pirates did not sign Appel, they will get the ninth overall pick in the 2013 draft in addition to their regular allotted first-round pick.  It's supposed to be a deep draft, too.

We don't pay a whole lot of attention to this stuff, or spend a lot of time on it -- really, we don't, honest -- but Joey Porter's Pit Bulls took a few minutes this morning to look at a couple or news reports and blogs, and it was interesting to see what the Pirates paid to some of their later draft picks.  It seems they had a contingency plan, which was to take the money that would have gone to Appel and use it to sign lower-round picks that would otherwise have gone to big-time college programs.  

The amounts paid to two of these guys caught the eye: The Pirates gave $300,000 to their 16th-round pick, a high-school shortstop named Max Moroff, who had made a commitment to play at the University of Central Florida.  Supposedly, this amount is approximately equivalent to slot money for a fifth-round pick.

Also, and more interestingly, the Pirates paid $400,000 to their 17th-round pick, Hayden Hurst, a high-school pitcher from Florida who is a lifelong Pirates fan and whose father hails from Monroeville.  That sounds like a lot of money for a 17th-round pick and, in fact, it is reported to be the second-highest amount paid to any player taken after the top 10 rounds.  Hurst is 6'5, 235 pounds and had an offer to play at Florida State. 

Hurst had Tommy John surgery as an eighth-grader.  Think about that for a second.  And the surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews, the top surgeon in the world for this procedure.  I don't know about you, but when I was an eighth-grader, well ... 

It will be interesting to watch how the respective careers of Mark Appel and Hayden Hurst play out over the years. It would be ironic if Hurst becomes a top-of-the-rotation starter in the big leagues.

The Jacksonville Times-Union had the following article about the Hurst signing:

Two high school baseball players from the First Coast beat the signing deadline on Friday and reached deals with the Major League Baseball teams that drafted them last month.

Menendez infielder Avery Romero, a third-round pick of the Miami Marlins, signed a contract for $700,000 with just seconds to spare  before the 5 p.m. deadline. Bolles right-handed pitcher Hayden Hurst pulled the day’s biggest surprise when the 17th round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates reached a $400,000 deal to play for his favorite team.

Baseball America said that Hurst’s deal was the second most for a player taken after the 10th round.

Hurst said that he was prepared to forgo his scholarship to Florida State and play junior college baseball for a year so that he could be eligible again for the 2013 draft. The Pirates initially offered Hurst $200,000 last month and then increased their offer to $250,000. At 11:30 Wednesday night, the team called back with the offer that Hurst wanted.

He flew up to Pittsburgh on Thursday and signed at 3:50 p.m., just over an hour before the signing deadline. Hurst’s father is from Monroeville, Pa., less than an hour from the ballpark.

“I’m so blessed to be given this opportunity,” Hurst said. “When we first had this conversation [with Pittsburgh] I thought I was headed to college. The money wasn’t there. My dad was in tears when he first heard [the final offer]. He wanted nothing more than for me to be a Pirate. My mom was the same way.”

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Here an excerpt from the following article from a Florida paper about the shortstop, Max Moroff. This was written after he was drafted but before hie signed ...

http://www.seminolechronicle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/4fd9defe8a81f

Trinity Prep’s Moroff drafted by Pirates

By Chris Boyle | June 14, 2012

For Max Moroff, Trinity Prep's standout everyday shortstop, the 2012 MLB Draft was a whirlwind of emotions.

But when both the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals failed to agree to terms with Moroff, he slipped into the third day of the draft.

"I was a bit disappointed. I got calls in the fifth round, but I turned it down because of the money factor. I got calls in the seventh round, but it just wasn't enough money for me. That's definitely why I slipped," Moroff said.

His disappointment finally turned to relief when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 16th round, pick No. 496 overall.

Moroff admitted that he hoped to be a Pirate after working out for them in a pre-draft combine, citing top-notch facilities and a bond with the coaching staff.

"The fields, where the players stay, the cafeteria, the locker room - it's really the nicest thing I've ever seen," Moroff said. "I talked to some of the coaches down there and they really seemed like good guys. They definitely know what they're talking about. It just seems like an overall great organization."

A prized recruit for the Knights, Moroff hit .397 with five home runs, 23 RBIs and 37 runs scored during his senior season at Trinity Prep. He reached base in nearly 60 percent of his at-bats, walking a team-high 30 times.

The Fallen Appel

Just a little observation about the Pirates' first round pick from this year's amateur draft, who, by the way, stunk up the College World Series shortly after being drafted by the Pirates and haughtily refused to talk to the media or show any enthusiasm (let alone interest) for the opportunity to play for the Pirates:

Stanford right-hander Mark Appel reportedly plans to return to college? 

Good.  Let him.  If he does, the Pirates will get a compensatory pick, ninth overall, in addition to their other first-round pick -- which, the way things are going, might well be, oh, about No. 32 overall.  At this point, we'd rather have next year's No. 9 pick instead of Appel, who "fell" to No. 8 this year.

Here at Joey Porter's Pit Bulls, we've seen all of about four video clips of Appel pitching at Stanford, and our instant analysis says his pitching motion is forced, mechanical and sloppy, and that he falls off the mound way too far toward first base in his delivery follow-through.  There.  That's it. 

But when he refused to speak to the press after being selected, instead issuing a prepared statement (no doubt crafted by agent Scott Boras) to the effect that he "needs to concentrate on his studies at Stanford."  Puh-leeeze.  We don't want him.

On the positive side, in stark contrast to the attitude shown by Appel ...

Mark Appel could learn a thing or two from A.J. Burnett. He likes it here, and the fans love him.

There's A.J. Burnett, a winner.  

Contrast Appel's reluctance with the enthusiasm shown by other draftees that evening, but more to the point, with the love that longtime veteran A.J. Burnett has shown Pittsburgh and his pride in being a Pittsburgh Pirate, as described on Monday by Dejan Kovacevic in the Tribune-Review:

A.J. Burnett walked off the PNC Park mound, the ball now in Clint Hurdle's hand, his work done. The 28,954 on hand, clearly aware that this is The Man on this team, stood and roared, loudly and lovingly.

In turn, Burnett raised his right arm.  Not for a tip of the cap.  Not even for a fist-pump.  No, that fist stayed up, triumphantly, dramatically.

"I don't know what got into me," Burnett told me afterward. "I looked around ... the fans cheering for me, for us ... they brought it out. I'm proud to take the mound for the Pittsburgh Pirates. I'm proud, man. I'm proud to pitch for these players, these fans. I could ..."

He paused.

"I'm not really going to do a good job of putting this into words. I'm just happy to be a Pittsburgh Pirate."

The Pittsburgh Pirates: In First Place at the All-Star Break

Say it loud, say it proud:  "The Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place at the All-Star Break."  

And that's the first time in 20 years we've been able to say that.

We're going to enjoy it while we can.  And you know what?  It's fun.  Feeling good about this team.  We're going to enjoy this special moment of a season and be grateful for it.  It's great to believe, to wake up in the morning and have something good to look forward to -- to see what miracles will unfold next and see what the path ahead has to show us.

And this is a fun, exciting team, one that is having truly starting to believe in itself, and one that is actually proud to be the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Twenty years?  That's done.  Done and gone, and it's not about how far you've fallen or how long you were gone.  It's about how you pick yourself up. 

The Pirates have picked themselves up.  And it's just a start.  No anvils are going to fall this time.  That's not going to happen.  There's no reason to think this good vibe, this karma, this collective goodness is going away.  And all of that -- believing, enjoying the moment, having fun, finding affirmations, visualizing success, looking forward -- is more important than the seamhead minutiae of over-analyzed details involving stats, Sabremetics, WAR,  Zone ratings, BABIP, etcetera, ad nauseaum.  Forget the naysayers.

We'll take what we've got, and what we've got is first place.  At the All-Star Break. It's fun again.  Keep it going.

Happy Birthday to Bob Prince, The Gunner

A hearty birthday salute to Bob Prince, "The Gunner," legendary voice of the Pirates and a one-of-a-kind Hall of Fame baseball announcer. 

And a big Thank You to whomever compiled this collection of Gunnerisms.

The word "Colorful" doesn't even begin to describe Bob Prince and his larger-than-life persona.  He lived large: He was the walking, talking, living embodiment of incisive commentary, laser-sharp wit, encyclopedic baseball knowledge, kindness and generosity.

"He'd a needed an oar to hit that one."  Here's to ya, Gunner.