Results tagged ‘ free agent ’

Garrett Atkins: What You Need To Know

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The Pirates continue to throw more players into the pool of potential contributors with the addition of Garrett Atkins, who was signed to a minor league contract last week. Let’s take a look at what the Pirates have acquired. 

Garrett was drafted in the 5th round of the 2000 draft. His first full season was in 2005 where he hit .287 with 13 HR and 89 RBI. The next year would be his breakout season, and his best of his career where he hit .329 with 29 HR and 120 RBI. His power to the gaps and patience  was also very good as shown through his .965 OPS. Though his numbers in 2007 and 2008 weren’t as good, they were still decent as he would average 23 HRs and and a .285 AVG. 
However in 2009 his numbers tailed off dramatically. He hit just .226 and had just 9 HR. The Rockies non-tendered him and the Orioles took a chance on him in 2010. After putting up abysmal Ryan Church-like numbers hitting .214 with 1 HR before being released in June.
The coincidence behind Atkins’s good years and the Pirates? He performed well under Clint Hurdle. 
However you shouldn’t go around thinking that just because the two are back together, that Atkins will be back as a middle-of-the-lineup force. He won’t be a starter. He will most likely be a key part of the now depleted Pirate bench. The Pirates are just hoping to get a little extra out of him by reuniting him with his former manager. 
Atkins seems to fit a similar role as another Pirate from past years Steve Pearce. After showing promise against lefties, Pearce’s season was derailed with an injury. The addition of Atkins seems to thwart any chance of a comeback and I expect Pearce to be left off the roster.
This is a shame. In the few times I’ve met him Steve has been a great guy. He has always been one of my favorite players despite his underground standing with the team. Unfortunately in this business, being nice doesn’t guarantee success. We’ll just have to see how the roster shakes out.

Pirates cut ties with Duke, LaRoche, Young

Late Friday night, the Pirates announced that they had designated pitcher Zach Duke, infielder Andy LaRoche, and utility-man Delwyn Young for assignment. 

This comes at no surprise to me as all three players were becoming dead weight on this roster. They were all in over their heads at the major league level. Lets take a look back at these three players’ time with the franchise.
Zach Duke
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Zach exploded onto the scene during the second half of the 2005 season, going 8-2 with an ERA of 1.81. However from 2006 to 2010 he could regain his dominance as he went 37-68 and his ERA ballooned to 5.28. Many blame ex. pitching coach Jim Colborn’s tinkering with Duke’s mechanics for his demise. While that could be a part of it, I think the primary reason is Zach just wasn’t as good as we thought he was. He never threw hard, and his pitches didn’t have much movement. After his honeymoon period in 2005 batters started to figure him out. After a variety of setbacks including minor league stints and injuries, Zach had appeared to rebound in 2009 going 11-16 with an ERA 4.06. At the all star break Duke had one of the lowest ERAs in the NL and was rewarded with being selected to the all star game to replace an injured player. But in the second half Duke would fade, foreshadowing his rough 2010 campaign. Duke put up dismal numbers and was shown the door. 
Andy LaRoche
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The centerpiece of the Jason Bay trade, Andy was once a highly regarded prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system. After coming to the Pirates, he was given the third base job where he put up abysmal numbers in his first two months with the club hitting .152 with 3 HR and 12 RBI. In 2009 he showed great improvement, flashing a steady glove at the hot corner while putting up mildly respectable numbers at the plate hitting .258 with 12 HR and 64 RBI. In 2010, he was long rumored to be on the move to second base when prospect Pedro Alvarez came up to the majors. However Neil Walker had other plans, leaving Andy without a position. After rotting away on the bench the rest of 2010 Andy has been released. Though he may not had been the greatest success on the field, Andy was a great guy that really enjoyed his job. At every community or fan event you could count on Andy to be there. 
Delwyn Young
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Acquired for single-A pitcher Eric Krebs and $1 from the LA Dodgers, Delwyn was the utility man for the Pirates in 2009 and 2010. He was a favorite of John Russell to come off the bench and pinch hit. He did fairly well off the bench but lacked power to be a true threat at the plate. Despite seeing time many positions including second base and right field, he never excelled at one position in particular. Like Andy, by the end of 2010 he was without any real use to the team. 
Having met all three players I can say they are all great guys. I wish them all the best in the rest of their careers. 
And in remembrance of “The Best Around” Andy LaRoche, I will play this song once more in his honor.
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Pirates Sign Church

 

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The Pirates made a little splash with the signing of free-agent outfielder Ryan Church. The 31 year-old signed a one-year, 1.5 million contract today and figures to be a reserve behind Lastings Milledge, Andrew McCutchen, and Garett Jones. Last season he hit .273 with 4 HR and 40 RBI as he played 110 games between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

This move is bad news for Brandon Moss, as it seems time is running out for him to make his mark in the majors. Having Church on the bench with him will further cut his playing time, and his opportunities to establish himself as an everyday player. Another question is what will happen to Rule 5 selection John Raynor, as it is very unlikely that the team will carry six outfielders. He would have to pass waivers before being allowed to be demoted to the minors for the entire 2010 season.

This signing also means the end of the Pirates’ pursuit of Rick Ankiel. I feel that Church is a much better signing than Ankiel, as the Pirates would have had to pay much more for Ankiel, who was rather disappointing in 2009.

You can view Church’s career stats HERE. 

 

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