2012 Pirates Season Thread

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  • milladrive
    • Sep 2006
    • 9581

    2012 Pirates Season Thread

    'Tis the season. Feel free to discuss the 2012 Pirates season here.


    Put it in the books.
  • BeatEmBucs
    Registered User
    • Feb 2005
    • 475

    #2
    Bucs are getting thrown into the fire imediately to start the season. First 15 games are the Phillies, then a 9 game west coast trip thru LA,Frisco, and Arizona, then come home to 3 against the defending champs. I'm hoping for 8-7 in this stretch, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs finish this stretch below 500. But I would worry if they go 5-10 or worse. If they exceed expectations and go 10-5 or better, I think it would give the young Bucs confidence being they would do that against 3 playoff teams, and teams expected to contend this season, and could vault the Bucs to that ever-elusive 500 season.
    LETS GO BUCS!!

    Comment

    • BigRon
      Registered User
      • Jan 2009
      • 9528

      #3
      Way too many question marks to predict anything at this point. Pitching staff largely remains an unknown. Will Bedard be reasonably healthy? Will burnett (when he comes back) show some of his older form? Will Correia and Karstens rise above journeyman status/ Will morton show continuued progress when he comes back? And on and on....

      Catching- an old "new" catcher and a backup who doesn't hit and can't throw runners out.

      Alvarez may be the key to offensive success. If he can hit .250 with 25 homers, the Pirates may score some runs. If he doesn't, McGehee, Jones, somebody else better show some real power. McCutchen's the only sure thing in the outfield. Presley's played half a season, Tabata's been hurt.

      Almost everything breaks right (very unlikely) the Pirates could break .500. Almost everything goes poorly (very unlikely), the Pirates could have the worst record in baseball. Breaks down the middle, they're probably looking at a record similar to last year.

      Comment

      • Blue387
        Ya gotta believe
        • Jul 2010
        • 10437

        #4
        Pedro Alvarez: demote or platoon?
        The Mets have the best, smartest fans in baseball.

        Comment

        • BeatEmBucs
          Registered User
          • Feb 2005
          • 475

          #5
          Originally posted by Blue387 View Post
          Give him the chance to sink or swim in the month of April. If he's hitting around the Mendoza line and his fielding doesn't improve, platoon with Casey McGehee or Josh Harrison. The Bucs have invested heavily in Pedro, and except for a 2 month stretch in 2010, there hasn't been much return on the investment.
          LETS GO BUCS!!

          Comment

          • BeatEmBucs
            Registered User
            • Feb 2005
            • 475

            #6
            What a start to the season, 3 down to the wire games with the Phils, with the Bucs taking the last 2 in walk-off fashion! Now on to the west coast for the 9 game roadtrip.
            LETS GO BUCS!!

            Comment

            • BeatEmBucs
              Registered User
              • Feb 2005
              • 475

              #7
              0-for LA. 3 strong starting pitching outings. 3 more games where the bats were too quiet. 2 one-run losses and one 2-run loss. Gotta do better in Frisco over the weekend.
              LETS GO BUCS!!

              Comment

              • Blue387
                Ya gotta believe
                • Jul 2010
                • 10437

                #8
                To be fair, the Pirates faced some of the toughest pitchers in the National League in the past two weeks.

                Halladay, Lee, Hamels, Kershaw and Cain. That's sounds like a rotation of Cy Young winners.
                The Mets have the best, smartest fans in baseball.

                Comment

                • BeatEmBucs
                  Registered User
                  • Feb 2005
                  • 475

                  #9
                  Yeah those were some tough pitchers, but those are the kind of Pitchers the Bucs need to beat a time or 2 if they want to get to 500.

                  Good to salvage 1 in Frisco. Starting pitching has been solid the first week and a half of the season. Hope it holds up all season. On to Arizona. LETS GO BUCS!!
                  Last edited by BeatEmBucs; 04-16-2012, 08:22 AM.
                  LETS GO BUCS!!

                  Comment

                  • Blue387
                    Ya gotta believe
                    • Jul 2010
                    • 10437

                    #10
                    A.J. Burnett leads Pirates to 2-0 win over Cardinals. He pitched seven scoreless innings.
                    Last edited by Blue387; 04-21-2012, 10:33 PM.
                    The Mets have the best, smartest fans in baseball.

                    Comment

                    • bluesky5
                      Registered User
                      • May 2011
                      • 20217

                      #11
                      I go to school near Pittsburgh so I watch a lot, go to a few games. The Pirates with the exception of Alvarez play hard and you can tell they want to prove something. They are also exciting to watch. I think Hurdle does a good job platooning. Surely he is forced to play Alvarez.

                      But the pitching!!

                      The Pirates have been bringing in relievers seemingly at will recently. They had to pull Karstens against Arizona on Tuesday due to a shoulder problem (understandable) in the first and pulled James McDonald the next day after 4! He gave up 3 H, ER, BB, had 2 SO! I was at the game last night, they pulled Morton last night after 5 and he had the bottom of the order coming up. It was a 2-1 game and his line was: 4 H, 2 R, ER, 3 BB, 2 K. The defense was not helping him and he was pitching fine. The bullpen (Hughes) blew the game. Think that bullpen will last til the mid-summer if this continues? I doubt it.
                      "No matter how great you were once upon a time — the years go by, and men forget,” - W. A. Phelon in Baseball Magazine in 1915. “Ross Barnes, forty years ago, was as great as Cobb or Wagner ever dared to be. Had scores been kept then as now, he would have seemed incomparably marvelous.”

                      Comment

                      • Blue387
                        Ya gotta believe
                        • Jul 2010
                        • 10437

                        #12
                        Will Pirates score enough runs to compete?
                        You have a baseball team. Let's call it the Pittsburgh Pirates. The season is about two weeks old, so you decide to take stock. The first thing you notice is that the pitching has been much, much better than anyone would have thought.
                        The Mets have the best, smartest fans in baseball.

                        Comment

                        • BigRon
                          Registered User
                          • Jan 2009
                          • 9528

                          #13
                          Originally posted by bluesky5 View Post
                          I go to school near Pittsburgh so I watch a lot, go to a few games. The Pirates with the exception of Alvarez play hard and you can tell they want to prove something.
                          Why do you say Alvarez doesn't play hard? what evidence do you have? Have you been on the field with him? Have you talked to him? Have you talked to his teammates? Alvarez has struggled- so have most of his teammates. Why do you single him out?

                          Comment

                          • bluesky5
                            Registered User
                            • May 2011
                            • 20217

                            #14
                            Originally posted by BigRon View Post
                            Why do you say Alvarez doesn't play hard? what evidence do you have? Have you been on the field with him? Have you talked to him? Have you talked to his teammates? Alvarez has struggled- so have most of his teammates. Why do you single him out?
                            Just seems like he lacks focus. He has talent. His approach at the plate seems to be only to hit HR's and he is a decent contact hitter (hence his BA). Maybe my opinion is skewed. A lot of Pirate fans I talk to complain about him. His production does nothing to help tho.
                            "No matter how great you were once upon a time — the years go by, and men forget,” - W. A. Phelon in Baseball Magazine in 1915. “Ross Barnes, forty years ago, was as great as Cobb or Wagner ever dared to be. Had scores been kept then as now, he would have seemed incomparably marvelous.”

                            Comment

                            • BigRon
                              Registered User
                              • Jan 2009
                              • 9528

                              #15
                              Originally posted by bluesky5 View Post
                              Just seems like he lacks focus. He has talent. His approach at the plate seems to be only to hit HR's and he is a decent contact hitter (hence his BA). Maybe my opinion is skewed. A lot of Pirate fans I talk to complain about him. His production does nothing to help tho.
                              Pedro has become the poster child for Pirates fans' frustrations. 20 years of losing can do that. Pedro alienated a lot of fans before day 1 when he- through his agent- held out until the last minute to obtain the highest bonus possible. Sounds like good business sense to me, but Pgh fans- and I know them as well as anyone- I grew up in WPa, have lived in WPa for all but about 5 of my 65 years- can be a spiteful, resentful bunch. They hate big bonuses and big salaries unless the player really delivers. And, if he doesn't deliver, he's a bum. And if he doesn't look just right, or if he wears his hat a little bit differently, watch out!

                              I've never seen Alvarez loaf. I've seen him make plenty of bad plays, and some good ones, but I've not seen a lack of effort. The comments about his conditioning are ridiculous. He may have been a few pounds heavier than optimal his first couple of seasons, but I'll guarantee you that he's in better condition than 99.9% of those who are belittling him.

                              I'm not sure how he'll pan out- he has some problems with pitch recognition, and swings at a lot of pitches out of the strike zone- fastballs up, and breaking balls down. Two years ago I thought he'd become a star- now I'm pretty uncertain. But, I seee no evidence whatsoever that his problems are from lack of effort or "bad" attitude. I'd play him all year, as long as he's healthy, to see if he can straighten himself out. But, Pittsburgh fans will run him out of town before then if he doesn't start hitting.

                              Comment

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