Here's a reason Aki was better to sign than Kelly Johnson

[GoBucs21]

I don't believe I've ever said start Alvarez here at the beginning of the season.  I would not advocate that and I do not advocate that.  I would go with Young through mid-season.  Bring up Alvarez when he can be on no danger of becoming a super two and move Laroche to second.   You save $4.5m on Iwamura and mitigate the dame Young can do.

So you are ok with paying someone the league min to play so bad that he costs your team wins instead of playing someone a realtively cheap contract to play average to slightly above average and helping your team win a few games? 

No one has said Walker cannot play 2B, just like no one has said LaRoche cannot, but at least LaRoche has played a few games there, and worked there in the fall.  Walker needs at least a game or two there before you annoint him a starter.  Or maybe hit in AAA.

Until Alvarez gets here?  Yes.  I think many but not all of you who like Iwamura over value him and under value Young.

While Young is playing second here, move Walker to second at AAA.  That way if Laroche doesn't pan out after Alvarez comes up, you have another option.

[gamecckfn]

I don't believe I've ever said start Alvarez here at the beginning of the season.  I would not advocate that and I do not advocate that.  I would go with Young through mid-season.  Bring up Alvarez when he can be on no danger of becoming a super two and move Laroche to second.   You save $4.5m on Iwamura and mitigate the dame Young can do.

So you are ok with paying someone the league min to play so bad that he costs your team wins instead of playing someone a realtively cheap contract to play average to slightly above average and helping your team win a few games? 

No one has said Walker cannot play 2B, just like no one has said LaRoche cannot, but at least LaRoche has played a few games there, and worked there in the fall.  Walker needs at least a game or two there before you annoint him a starter.  Or maybe hit in AAA.

Until Alvarez gets here?  Yes.  I think many but not all of you who like Iwamura over value him and under value Young.

While Young is playing second here, move Walker to second at AAA.  That way if Laroche doesn't pan out after Alvarez comes up, you have another option.

Post Alvarez, I am fine with LaRoche and Walker at 2B.  Pre Alvarez, putting Young at 2B does not help anything.  Putting Iwamura there for now does not hurt anything.  And either does paying him.  I am not sure how they are putting a dent in their budget.

[GoBucs21]

I don't believe I've ever said start Alvarez here at the beginning of the season.  I would not advocate that and I do not advocate that.  I would go with Young through mid-season.  Bring up Alvarez when he can be on no danger of becoming a super two and move Laroche to second.   You save $4.5m on Iwamura and mitigate the dame Young can do.

So you are ok with paying someone the league min to play so bad that he costs your team wins instead of playing someone a realtively cheap contract to play average to slightly above average and helping your team win a few games? 

No one has said Walker cannot play 2B, just like no one has said LaRoche cannot, but at least LaRoche has played a few games there, and worked there in the fall.  Walker needs at least a game or two there before you annoint him a starter.  Or maybe hit in AAA.

Until Alvarez gets here?  Yes.  I think many but not all of you who like Iwamura over value him and under value Young.

While Young is playing second here, move Walker to second at AAA.  That way if Laroche doesn't pan out after Alvarez comes up, you have another option.

Post Alvarez, I am fine with LaRoche and Walker at 2B.  Pre Alvarez, putting Young at 2B does not help anything.  Putting Iwamura there for now does not hurt anything.  And either does paying him.  I am not sure how they are putting a dent in their budget.

I see no good reason to spend $4.5M on a second baseman for half a season.

[CAfan]

Who is the second baseman for the 2nd half of the season? LaRoche? Walker? Young?  None of these guys has proven to be a 2Bman at any level of professional baseball.  perhaps they can transition, but turning a DP as a 2nd baseman is an important skill, and on a groundball staff it becomes amplified.

[GoBucs21]

Who is the second baseman for the 2nd half of the season? LaRoche? Walker? Young?  None of these guys has proven to be a 2Bman at any level of professional baseball.  perhaps they can transition, but turning a DP as a 2nd baseman is an important skill, and on a groundball staff it becomes amplified.

I believe I've already covered that.  I would move Laroche to second before bringing up Walker. Laroche has shown himself to have soft hands, good foot movement and some athleticism.  Those are skills that could, repeat could, transfer to second base.

While all of that is happening, I would have Walker playing full time at second base at AAA.  If he works, he gets a shot there next year.  If Laroche is bombing, then move him up this year.

You guys insist that Laroche, Young and Walker can't do it.  But there is a chance that Iwamura is on the down side of a career.  He was average when healthy.  What will you do if Iwamura bombs?

[Bloop and a Blast]

Who is the second baseman for the 2nd half of the season? LaRoche? Walker? Young?  None of these guys has proven to be a 2Bman at any level of professional baseball.  perhaps they can transition, but turning a DP as a 2nd baseman is an important skill, and on a groundball staff it becomes amplified.

I believe I've already covered that.  I would move Laroche to second before bringing up Walker. Laroche has shown himself to have soft hands, good foot movement and some athleticism.  Those are skills that could, repeat could, transfer to second base.

While all of that is happening, I would have Walker playing full time at second base at AAA.  If he works, he gets a shot there next year.  If Laroche is bombing, then move him up this year.

You guys insist that Laroche, Young and Walker can't do it.  But there is a chance that Iwamura is on the down side of a career.  He was average when healthy.  What will you do if Iwamura bombs?

I insist that Walker plays a full season at AAA and plays every position they can get him to play MLB average at. I insist that Young is given every chance to make the team in a bench role. I insist that LaRoche be left at his natural position so that he can continue to develop his game and increase his potential trade value (if Alvarez remains on track and as a 3b). I insist that Cedeno and Crosby are both cabable back-ups at 2b, should Iwamura get hurt. Lastly, I insist that there is no indication that Iwamura will be a bust in an easier league. Keep developing future 2b in the minors and keep our young players in their natural positions. If they are forced out of those spots because a prospect is pushing them off, that's a good problem to have and one that we'll gladly deal with if and when it happens.

Lastly, if the Pirates, the one's that actually got to evaluate LaRoche at 2b in offseason training, thought, or think, that LaRoche can handle 2b when Iwamura is dealt, I'm certain they know what they have or don't have.

[CAfan]

I guess if you are fine with someone who maybe, possibly, could play 2B though he hasn't in his professional career, over some who quite obviously can at the ML level, then we just likely have a different perspective on the value of the position.  I see a strong defensive as critical to the development of our pitchers.  I also see the importance of TRYING to field a competitve team. I don't think the major league level is where people learn on the job to play positions they haven't played before.  LaRoche is a good 3Bman who should be focusing on his hitting, not learning a new position.  Too many changes keeps players from developing, and the change from a corner to a middle inf position is fairly seldom done, it usually goes from the inside positions outward.

That said I'm not opposed to LaRoche at 2B (Walker has proven Nothing, and Young is a PHer or DH at best), I just think we were going to have a hole at either 2B or 3B this year, and Aki is a strong way to fill either one of those spots.

[scrapiron]

I think the problem is that some people believe that since the pirates are not expected to compete for the playoffs in 2010 it doesn't matter how awful the team is this year.  Given that kind of philosophy I can understand playing Young at second and not even trying to fill the hole there for the current season.  I just happen to disagree with that thought process.  While a fan may be able to think that way, the club cannot afford to think like that.  They need to field the best team they can, playoffs or not.  If that means trading for an average second baseman to play over a defensively rotten one, so be it.  With the payroll so low I don't see how anyone can possibly say that the team is cash strapped and that paying this player 5M for the season is too much.  Especially when they tried to keep Sanchez at 6M for 2010, and Freddy is no longer better then Iwamura in any facet of the game as far as I'm concerned. 

It is fun to discuss what may happen when alvarez is ready to play, but there are so many options depending on how the season progresses that it is irrelevant to the beginning of the season.  Maybe LaRoche moves over to 2B at that time and Aki is traded.  It is a valid option.  Or maybe Andy is messing the bed and is just benched.  Perhaps someone is hurt and Pedro simply moves in at 3B.  Maybe Clement never hits ML pitching and Pedro is moved to 1B when he comes up.  All interesting options to discuss, but the season has to play out to see what really happens. But the question still remains who starts at 2B to start the season.  Young is that absolute last player I want to see start for the Bucs.  Walker would be a better option if you wanted to cheap out and not sign anyone from outside the team.  However, I think that would be horrible for Walker's development. 

[Will]

Until Alvarez gets here?  Yes.  I think many but not all of you who like Iwamura over value him and under value Young.

While Young is playing second here, move Walker to second at AAA.  That way if Laroche doesn't pan out after Alvarez comes up, you have another option.

Apart from what others have said about there being a distinct possibility that none of those guys would make viable MLB second basemen for some reason or another, it's also important to keep in mind that Pedro may not just show up in Pittsburgh on June 1 like clockwork. He could struggle in AAA. He could get hurt. While obviously the most beneficial situation to the organization is if he rakes for the first two months and gets the call up, it's not a good idea to be banking on that happening while figuring out your organization plans for other positions.

[GoBucs21]

Who is the second baseman for the 2nd half of the season? LaRoche? Walker? Young?  None of these guys has proven to be a 2Bman at any level of professional baseball.  perhaps they can transition, but turning a DP as a 2nd baseman is an important skill, and on a groundball staff it becomes amplified.

I believe I've already covered that.  I would move Laroche to second before bringing up Walker. Laroche has shown himself to have soft hands, good foot movement and some athleticism.  Those are skills that could, repeat could, transfer to second base.

While all of that is happening, I would have Walker playing full time at second base at AAA.  If he works, he gets a shot there next year.  If Laroche is bombing, then move him up this year.

You guys insist that Laroche, Young and Walker can't do it.  But there is a chance that Iwamura is on the down side of a career.  He was average when healthy.  What will you do if Iwamura bombs?

I insist that Walker plays a full season at AAA and plays every position they can get him to play MLB average at. I insist that Young is given every chance to make the team in a bench role. I insist that LaRoche be left at his natural position so that he can continue to develop his game and increase his potential trade value (if Alvarez remains on track and as a 3b). I insist that Cedeno and Crosby are both cabable back-ups at 2b, should Iwamura get hurt. Lastly, I insist that there is no indication that Iwamura will be a bust in an easier league. Keep developing future 2b in the minors and keep our young players in their natural positions. If they are forced out of those spots because a prospect is pushing them off, that's a good problem to have and one that we'll gladly deal with if and when it happens.

Lastly, if the Pirates, the one's that actually got to evaluate LaRoche at 2b in offseason training, thought, or think, that LaRoche can handle 2b when Iwamura is dealt, I'm certain they know what they have or don't have.

All that insisting makes you seem like a pretty uptight poster.

I still think Iwamura is a bad investment.  We just have agree to disagree but you will probably insist otherwise.

[GoBucs21]

I guess if you are fine with someone who maybe, possibly, could play 2B though he hasn't in his professional career, over some who quite obviously can at the ML level, then we just likely have a different perspective on the value of the position.  I see a strong defensive as critical to the development of our pitchers.  I also see the importance of TRYING to field a competitve team. I don't think the major league level is where people learn on the job to play positions they haven't played before.  LaRoche is a good 3Bman who should be focusing on his hitting, not learning a new position.  Too many changes keeps players from developing, and the change from a corner to a middle inf position is fairly seldom done, it usually goes from the inside positions outward.

That said I'm not opposed to LaRoche at 2B (Walker has proven Nothing, and Young is a PHer or DH at best), I just think we were going to have a hole at either 2B or 3B this year, and Aki is a strong way to fill either one of those spots.

I just don't think Iwamura makes that much difference.  The will finish last with him and last without him.  I don't see much difference in that.

[wvbucco]

I think they got him because they wanted some solid defense behind our pitchers, most of whom are very contact-oriented.

[The Moose]

A lot of people are calling for this team to lose 100 games. I think with the pitching a year older, and a better bullpen, this team should be better than last year.

It's very hard to say how the Pirates will do, this year. The are a lot of question marks on the field. Some guys like Morton, LaRoche and Milledge could easily step up, this year. So guys like G Jones, Ohlendorf, and McCutchen could show that last year was no fluke.

Or not.

Any win total for 2010 between 60 and 78 wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. The 2010 team, at least to me, is very tough to get a real handle on. The season could go either way, as I see things presently.   

[Doumits Girl]

There is no way on earth you know if the veteran presence and teaching has played out on the field.  The reason you don't know that is because you have no clue if the player took it to heart or did not.

I know, because I look at the MLB standings at the conclusion of every season, and note where the Pirates are.

I'm not saying no one should ever have an aging veteran to offer advice- Neal made sure we have plenty of those this offseason.  What I'm saying is that the Pirates' young talent level has never been high enough for that to make any real difference in the standings.

So forgive me if I'm numb to the most recent installment of the "Spring Training veteran sparkplug" article.


Jacen

[RJReynolds]

I think the problem is that some people believe that since the pirates are not expected to compete for the playoffs in 2010 it doesn't matter how awful the team is this year.  Given that kind of philosophy I can understand playing Young at second and not even trying to fill the hole there for the current season.  I just happen to disagree with that thought process.  While a fan may be able to think that way, the club cannot afford to think like that.  They need to field the best team they can, playoffs or not.  If that means trading for an average second baseman to play over a defensively rotten one, so be it.  With the payroll so low I don't see how anyone can possibly say that the team is cash strapped and that paying this player 5M for the season is too much.  Especially when they tried to keep Sanchez at 6M for 2010, and Freddy is no longer better then Iwamura in any facet of the game as far as I'm concerned. 

It is fun to discuss what may happen when alvarez is ready to play, but there are so many options depending on how the season progresses that it is irrelevant to the beginning of the season.  Maybe LaRoche moves over to 2B at that time and Aki is traded.  It is a valid option.  Or maybe Andy is messing the bed and is just benched.  Perhaps someone is hurt and Pedro simply moves in at 3B.  Maybe Clement never hits ML pitching and Pedro is moved to 1B when he comes up.  All interesting options to discuss, but the season has to play out to see what really happens. But the question still remains who starts at 2B to start the season.  Young is that absolute last player I want to see start for the Bucs.  Walker would be a better option if you wanted to cheap out and not sign anyone from outside the team.  However, I think that would be horrible for Walker's development. 

There is alot to agree with here Scrap. I readilly admit that I am seeking the optimum situation...a 100% rebuild. Most likely you are correct that such a thing may be a smart baseball decision on some levels but not good for business and the bottom line. If you can't tell, I'm the type of person who is a bit of a purist. A give NH a ton of credit for what he has done so far. It needed to be done long ago. I hope and pray that his talent evaluators have done their jobs and helped NH bring in key pieces for the future. That remains to be seen. Perhaps I am asking for too much...I don't know. But seeing a dream purging the likes of which Princess Diana would have proud has lead me to get a bit greedy in wanting it to be total. Iwamura reminds me that this is not quite the case.

The team is certainly not cash strapped. But if they are going to spend X amount I would rather it be with an eye on 2011 and beyond rather than a player who, if they really do like him, could have been brought in for 2011 without needing him to be here in 2010.

RJR