[ifspuds]

The story as of mid-July is Harold Perry. After some rumblings about the lack of power the 24-year old rightfielder had shown so far in 1950, he went on a tear like Pittsburgh fans haven't seen in some time. After managing just 6 home runs through the end of June, Perry blasted 7 home runs over the course of 9 games in July and hit .442. He also earned his first All-Star Game selection, pinch-hitting in the 8th and staying in to play right field. Perry is now hitting .304/.384/.503 on the season. Ed Monchak also earned All-Star recognition. Monchak came up as a pinch-hitter in the 7th with runners on second and third and a chance to get the NL All-Stars back in the game with a base hit, but he grounded out to third. Not surprisingly, he didn't take the field after that.

With the Pirates 17 games out of first place, it's reasonable to start looking ahead to next year and see what the future holds for the team. One question that's starting to be asked is what to do with Will Miller Jr. The son of one of the greatest hitters in league history, he's done nothing but hit all season long, and appears to be ready for a major league job after hitting .328/.402/.558 with 19 homers and 21 steals at AAA Indianapolis this season. But where will he play? He's got experience at left field, but Ed Monchak is firmly entrenched there (in more ways than one). He also plays right field, but Harold Perry's got that job. Rumor has it that the team will have him work out in center field for the rest of the season with the potential to take over for Albert Huschke in 1951.

Trade rumors are swirling around Pirate stalwart Elmer "The Jeweler" Menard, who at 34 years old is running out of time to get a World Series ring despite a fine career that's seen him rack up over 2200 hits in a Pirate uniform. The team has neither confirmed nor denied that they are taking offers for one of the great Pirates of all time, but unnamed sources in the front offices say that the team is sensitive to his desires to see postseason action before he retires. But what will the team do if Menard is gone? The top shortstop prospect in the system, Kenneth Whitt, is just 19 and, after a hot start to his season, has tailed off somewhat at AA. While he's still reaching base at a .400+ clip, his average has dipped to .269. It's likely he'll complete the season at AA with the hope of moving to AAA in 1951. Victor Boudet, currently the backup third baseman, can play shortstop, but there are plenty of questions as to whether he can handle a full-time job, even if he's just keeping the place warm for Whitt in 1952 or 1953.

Some sad news came from single-A Burlington on July 2nd, as pitching prospect Will Brown suffered an injury to his shoulder that appears as if it will end his nascent career in just his 2nd year in the league. Brown was known to his teammates as a player who pitched on pure heart, and was considered a quality teammate. He'd pitched well for the Burlington Bees, putting up a 3.19 ERA in 1949 and following it up with a 2.99 mark in 1950 before he was hurt.