Remaining Options at First Base

This past week, the Rays signed Carlos Pena to a one year $7.5MM deal.  With Pena now off the market, the Pirates list of possible first basemen is dwindling.  As it stands now, the Bucs have handful of internal options, and a couple of free agent options.

Free agents:
Derrek Lee – Yeah, its unlikely.  VERY, VERY unlikely.  Lee has already expressed that he isn’t really interested in returning, and has said that he will retire if he doesn’t get the kind of money offers that he wants.  But the Pirates shouldn’t give up on Lee just yet.  By no means will DLee put up the type of numbers he did in 2011, but he could still be productive.  He’ll be 36 on Opening Day, which is a concern.  Still, Lee would probably be the best power hitter in the Bucs’ lineup.

Casey Kotchman – Kotchman has bounced around the league and has been with a few teams.  While he is slightly above average defensively, his bat is a huge question mark.  He had a great 2011 campaign, hitting .306, but hasn’t been very productive other than that.  Kotchman probably wouldn’t cost too much, and would add some decent pop to the lineup.

Internally, the Bucs have 5 options that they could use at first base in some combination.
-Casey McGehee
-Garrett Jones
-Nick Evans
-Matt Hague
-Pedro Alvarez
We won’t get in to the specific numbers that each of these guys has put up, but there are a few possibilities within them.  The most likely possibility is that Jones and McGehee start Opening Day in some sort of righty/lefty platoon.  A good idea in theory, but we saw how the Jones/Diaz RF platoon worked out last year.  Another possibility is that Pedro switches to first base.  The odds of this happening are slim to none, as Pedro is much more useful at third base, providing he hits well.  Don’t count on El Toro being a first baseman.  The other two options are Hague and Evans.  Evans has had minimal major league experience, and did relatively well at the plate.  Hague has had a pretty successful minor league career, and is intriguing.  Whether he starts out in AAA or the majors will be determined in Spring Training.

Hague could get a chance to make the club

So with Pena going to Tampa, it looks like the best option for the Pirates’ first base issue will have to be solved from within their system.  Personally, it would be nice to see Evans and Hague get a chance.  Couldn’t hurt right?  As of now though, it looks like Jones and McGehee will be the co-firstbaggers.  Can they put up the power numbers that the Pirates need from the corner positions?  We’ll have to wait and see.

Can McGehee return to his 2010 form?

Go Bucs

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Pirates Christmas Wish List

First off-Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of the fellow Bucco fans out there.  Here are a few things that we’ll accept as late Christmas gifts from the Pirates in 2012:

1.  A consistent power hitter, preferably at first base.  With all of the power hitting first basemen on the market, I’d love to see the Bucs pick one up.  It could be what finally gets them over the hump if the pitching does well.

2. J-Mac, Chuck, and Karstens to all have good seasons.  All three showed signs of greatness last season, and it would be awesome to see them really break out in 2012.  If they could repeat what they did in the first half of 2011 for the whole 2012 season, the Pirates could be a playoff team.

3.  Pedro to do well.  I want to root for Pedro.  I want him to hit the crap out of the ball and prove all of his haters wrong.  He was our #1 draft pick a few years ago, and it would be great to see him break out as that clean-up hitter that everyone hoped he could be.

 

4. The Brewers to suck.  It made me sick to see the Brewers go as far as they did last season.  I don’t want that to ever happen again.  I hope they go 0-162 in 2012.  With Braun out for 50 games, and Prince most likely signing elsewhere, it’s possible that the Brewers miss out on playoffs.

5. Last, but certainly not least, a winning season.  82 wins.  That’s all.  Heck, I’ll take 81.  Bucco fans have been wishing for this for almost 20 years.  I think it’s about time the boys bring a winning season back to Pittsburgh.

Happy Holidays, and Go Bucs

Who’s On First?

No, not like that.

But who is going to be playing first base for the Pirates in 2012?

Right now, it’s looking like Garrett Jones could very well end up being the starting first baseman. However, it is known that Jones cannot hit lefties very well. In 2011, he hit just .147 against southpaws.

So where do you go from there? With Jones’ inability to hit lefties, we could very well see at platoon at 1B. Either Nick Evans, who was picked up in free agency from the Mets, or Casey McGehee, acquired in last week’s trade with Milwaukee, could be candidates for the platoon job. Evans is a career .295 hitter against left-handers. McGehee has only played a handful of games at 1B and will most likely be a backup to Alvarez anyway. I, for one, am not a fan of the platoon, as it has not been very successful in past years for the Buccos.

Another option would be to aggresively pursue a first baseman in free agency, such as Carlos Pena or Derrek Lee. The Pirates are still showing interest in Lee, although it’s unknown if he has any interest in them. Pena’s name has been quiet and has been relatively left off the rumor mill. Although he strikes out a ton, it would be great to have a bat like Pena’s in the middle of the Pirates lineup. I expect both of their names to be brought up in discussion once Prince Fielder makes a decision on where he will play in 2012.

I would love to see the Pirates attempt to make a trade for a first baseman. Ike Davis has been rumored to be on the trade block, but it would cost a good amount (Marte, Lincoln, etc.) to acquire him. I feel that the Pirates have plenty of trading pieces. The outfield packed with Cutch, Tabata, Presley, and Marte on the way. Also, Joel Hanrahan‘s value is higher than ever, after Heath Bell and Jonathan Papelbon received massive contracts.

Regardless of who’s on first for the Buccos in 2012, we hope that they can provide consistent offense, as the team really needs to get the offense going to be successful.

Go Bucs