PIRATES 6-14-02

PIRATES - 6/14/02

31-34, 5.5 games behind first-place Cincinnati

LATEST TEAM INFO:
For most of the season, the fantasy world has focused on questions regarding Pirate players, both in terms of injuries and playing time. Over the last few weeks, little has changed. Craig Wilson, Kris Benson, Chad Hermanson, Dave Williams, Adrian Brown, Armando Rios, and just about everyone on the Pirates has had some kind of question hanging over their head for at least some of the 2002 season. Coming off a 3-game sweep of the Brewers (contract the Brewers!), the Pirates lost 2 of 3 in Anaheim and will face off against the first place Reds before taking on more AL West teams: Oakland and Texas are coming to PNC Park next week.

With RF Armando Rios on the shelf, Craig Wilson has started most every game and finally warmed up to become the player many thought he could become, hitting .302 with 3 HR and 23 RBI in 139 AB. Once Rios returns, Wilson will platoon with Rios in RF and also see time at 1B, where he will battle the moderately warm Kevin Young for playing time.

Wilson's presence in the lineup has provided a boost which is sorely needed, due largely to the awful performance by Aramis Ramirez over the last month. Since returning from injury, Ramirez hit .160 in May and has posted a terrific .032 average in June. Even 6 weeks after his return, Ramirez is still hobbled. He DH'ed all 3 games in Anaheim and could be headed back to the DL, or at least to the bench for a few days. Rob Mackoviak and Mike Benjamin would likely fill in for Ramirez if he does miss time.

SP Kris Benson has struggled mightily since his return from Tommy John surgery (2.20 WHIP and 8.23 ERA). His pitches are fine - hard fastball, good slider and curve, good changeup - but his command has been terrible. Sometimes he misses the strike zone (14bb in 27 innings) and other times he throws it down the pipe (46 hits and 4 HR in 27 innings). Benson will improve, but I wouldn't expect anything better than league averages for the rest of the season. The most promising development is his pitch counts, which manager Lloyd McClendon has kept reasonable (100 and 96 are his 2 highest totals in 6 starts).

SP Dave Williams has opted not to have surgery (see below) and the Pirates will fill his rotation spot with LHP Joe Beimel for the short-term. Bronson Arroyo was called up to fill in, got rocked in his only start and was sent back down to AAA Nashville. Should Beimel struggle, Arroyo or reliever Sean Lowe could get the call.

OF Adrian Brown, previously a switch-hitter, has been asked to give up batting left-handed in order to improve his hitting. This could be a move to make him easier to coach, but I expect the results will be slightly better. With Chad Hermanson looking less like The Answer in CF, Brown could be worth having around in the second half.

LOCAL PERSPECTIVE:
The Steelers are starting to dominate the local headlines. Pittsburgh is, first and foremost, a football town. Saturday (6/8) vs. Milwaukee was the Pirates' biggest fireworks display of the year. Except for the opportunity to throw quarters at A-Rod this week, the Pirates' fans don't have much to look forward to, just the inevitable decline and sub-.500 finish. The Pirates really do play an entertaining brand of baseball, and another month in contention would do wonders at the box office, but they won't be on the back page much from here on out.

RUMOR MILL:
If the Pirates could ever get all of their outfielders healthy, they would have a surplus and a good opportunity to make a deal. Chad Hermanson or Adrian Brown could be sent to a team needing a solid 4th OF. There are still persistent rumors about the Pirates taking offers on Brian Giles, but GM Dave Littlefield has basically said that he wants someone to offer way too much for Giles (a good hitting OF, a pitcher and a couple prospects) in order to deal him. Mike Fetters and Kevin Young are, as always, on the block, but their salaries will likely keep them in Pittsburgh.

INJURIES:
SP Dave Williams has elected not to have surgery on his torn labrum. After visiting with Dr. James Andrews, shoulder guru, he has decided to rest for 2-3 months and then attempt to pitch again. This could work out well, especially since there is less of a history of successful recovery from labrum surgery, as opposed to the more famous "Tommy John" surgery. More likely, though, Williams will end up needing surgery down the road.

3B Aramis Ramirez is still hobbled by the ankle injury he suffered when big oaf Richie Sexson fell on his ankle. Ramirez had an MRI and nothing was found, but he is obviously still hurting. He could be in for another DL trip, or at least a few days off.

RF Armando Rios, on the DL with a left knee injury, strained his right calf on a rehab assignment, setting him back about a week. He should return some time in the next 7-10 days. Hopefully he'll bring his power with him, as he was not hitting for power before the injury. Rios is still not 100% from off-season ACL surgery.

QUICK VIEW:

Add:
1B/RF Craig Wilson - he has hit his way into the lineup and should continue to play 3-5 games per week. As an added bonus, he has played 3 games at catcher and could play another 2 by mid-June, which would qualify him at catcher in many leagues.

SS Jack Wilson - if you're in a deep league, you could do a lot worse at SS. Jack hit .330 in June last year and is hitting .395 so far this season. He has been moved up to the #2 spot in the lineup and is seeing a lot more pitches to hit. Expect a reasonable .275 average with a couple HR and good runs totals the rest of the way.

Hold:
C Jason Kendall - after a terrible April, Kendall has warmed up with a .308 May and a .350 June. If you drafted him as the 2nd best catcher in the NL, you're starting to see the results.

Sell:
SP Kip Wells - he's been touted as a darkhorse Cy Young candidate this year. Well, I don't think he's there yet. Expect his numbers to drop off in the 2nd half. If you've got him cheap, you might be able to land a very nice pitcher in return. He's still worth keeping around if you're looking towards 2003, since I expect he'll have a nice year next year.

3B Aramis Ramirez - if you can get anything for him, it might be worth considering. His injury could linger all season, and someone in your league could be more optimistic about his return to form than I am - .275-13-50 is about as high as I can see his upside for the rest of the season.

Drop:
SP Dave Williams - surgery or no, he probably won't help much the rest of the way.