ARRRR The Pirates Ready For Some Changes?
January 30, 2010
The 1962 season has been one of immense disappointment for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their fans. As the season turned to July, the once proud franchise (only two seasons removed from a World Series title) found itself in the NL cellar, even trailing the expansion Houston Colt .45’s. The poor play only the field led to changes in the front office, as ownership brought in Andy Williams as General Manager.
In his first move in his new position, Williams relieved Manager Danny Murtaugh and named Herman Franks, General Manager of the Salt Lake Bees his successor. Franks has also spent many seasons in the Giants organization as a scout and coach with Leo Durocher’s. Williams explained his decision to the press:
“I believe that Herman is the right man to help us turn around the Pirates. He has a no-nonsense approach to the game and an intensity that I hope will rub off on our players. However, don’t expect us to emulate Durocher’s managerial style. What I am most concerned about is increasing the talent level on our roster. Herman will manage to the strengths of our roster. Whether that means hitting the ball out of the yard or playing small ball to score one run at a time, our personnel will dictate that.”
Speaking of personnel, Williams inherited a severely mismanaged roster, which contained as many catchers as infielders (4 each) and no shortstop in the entire organization. Williams recognized the problems, and made two quick and decisive moves that shook the fan base to its core.
First, he traded rookie sensation 1B Joe Pepitone, veteran reliever Bobby Schantz and 3B Don Houk to the Los Angeles Angels for LF Leon Wagner, 3B Tom Satriano and SS Ken Hamlin. The following day, RF Roberto Clemente (the face of the franchise) and 16 year old C Ed Kirkpatrick were shipped to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for hard hitting RF Frank Howard and All-Star SS Maury Wills. In the aftermath of the trades, a new team has emerged (6 of the 8 starters are different from the pre-Williams Pirates) and the General Manager was kind enough to sit down with to review the roster with us.
Catcher: This is definitely an area of weakness on the team now. Kirkpatrick had won the starting job, but obviously he is gone now. In his place, expect to see a strict platoon between Bob Oldis and Don Leppert. Neither can hit a lick, but are excellent defensively and handling pitchers. This is an area the Pirates will work to upgrade in the offseason, so hopefully this is a competition for a reserve role on the 1963 team. Hal Smith rounds out the position, but is not in the team’s long term plans.
First Base: The new starter at 1B is Donn Clendenon, who has been LF when he’s been healthy this season. The acquisitions of Howard and Wagner moved Clendenon to the infield, and the team is hoping his bat stays hot after his position switch. Veteran Dick Stuart, on the verge on his 4th straight 20 HR season, finds himself on the bench for now after playing out of position at SS for the last two months (an aside: how does an MLB team not have one player capable of playing shortstop on its team or any affliate?!?!). He’s sure to be unhappy with his new station on the team, but having a player of Stuart’s caliber waiting in the wings is a sign things are turning around, right?
Second Base: Rookie Dick Green has been tremendous thus far, and looks like a long term piece of the puzzle going forward. Not much else to say here.
Shortshop: Maury Wills gives the Pirates a legit lead-off hitter with fantastic speed. He does a nice job of getting on base and wreaking havoc once he gets there. Expect him to run early and often. On the defensive side of things, the pitching staff will breathe a sigh of relief seeing Wills track down grounders rather than the statuesque Stuart.
Third Base: Out is the 34 year old underachieving Hoak, and in is the 21 year old Satriano. Satriano does a good job of being a tough out and not being afraid of taking a walk. Defensively he is a standout who should be an annual gold glove candidate. The improvement on infield defense should be noticed and appreciated by the pitchers and fans alike for the rest of the season.
Left Field: Left Field will be the new home of Leon Wagner who will also bat clean-up for the Pirates. Williams hopes that he continues to be an offensive force going forward (99 RBIs with 2 months remaining in the season) and helps improve an anemic Pirates offense (9th in the NL in Runs Scored).
Center Field: With the Pirates out of the Pennant Race, the team has benched free agent to be Bill Virdon and handed the position to young Jimmy Wynn. Wynn has struggled thus far in limited duty, but seeing the rookie first round pick reach his potential will be integral to the Pirates hopes of contending. Williams hopes the experience Wynn gains over the rest of the season will pay off in later years. Wynn’s defense in Center Field is a concern, but at this point the Pirates do not have a better option.
Right Field: The task of replacing the icon Clemente falls to 25 year old Frank Howard. Howard is an offensive force, plain and simple, and Williams is betting fans will warm up to Howard after seeing how many souvenirs he will deposit into the Left Field bleachers at Forbes Field for Pirates fans. Expect him to compete for the NL Home Run going forward, and for the offense to be constructed around him.
Starting Pitching: The starting rotation is about as strong as I’ve seen on a 9th place club. Bob Friend, Joe Gibbon, Earl Francis and Al McBean (the starters who will finish the season, barring injury) all have ERAs under 4 and do a good job keeping the club in games. The club lacks a certifiable ace (although Friend has had a good campaign and Gibbon has flashed ace potential), but this area is not a weakness.
Bullpen: This area was a strength early in the season, but has largely been gutted by Williams. Closer Roy Face remains to anchor the bullpen and serve as closer, but after that familiar faces are few and far between. Gone are Bobby Schantz (trade) and Fred Green, George Witt (minors). In there place are talented minor leaguers Tom Baker, Jim Duckworth, Mike Joyce and Herman Starrette. Expect Williams to add a piece or two here in the offseason, but in the meantime auditions are open for the 1963 bullpen.
There you have it folks. Although 1962 is a lost cause in Pittsburgh, all is not lost. In fact, there is reason for optimism for the future. Although the Pirates are probably not a Pennant contender as currently constructed, glaring weaknesses have been shored up for the most part. Williams can now spend the offseason improving the talent level of the roster without being held hostage at multiple positions, and can approach the draft by taking the best available player rather than drafting for need. The Pirates will spend the rest of 1962 fighting for 9th, but have the look of a team on the rise in the future.
