Google, Facebook, and Baseball - A Pittsburgh Renaissance

[JustinM]

The Pittsburgh renaissance was thought to be complete in the 1990s with the resurgence of the Pirates, the rise of the Penguins, and the construction of buildings like BNY Mellon Center, PPG Place, and Fifth Avenue Place. Fortunately, things had only gotten started. The city began to shed its image of smokestacks and smog to become a technological center, attracting companies like Google to the area. Something went wrong though, and it went wrong for Twenty Years. That particular duration deserves proper noun status for all fans, a sporting version of the Ice Age.

In the last few years, we've seen things turn around once again. We've become a center for robotics and self-driving cars, Uber and Facebook moved in, and the Pirates are good again.

So when Neal Huntington stepped aside unexpectedly to become Assistant GM--using the tried and not-always-true "spending more time with the family" line--the Pirates hired lifelong fan Justin Miller as manager/GM right before the 2016 season began. If it doesn't work out, hey, he can just go back to tech.

[JustinM]

SEASON PREVIEW
April 2, 2016

Thankfully, all new GMJM has to do is avoid screwing things up too badly and everything should be perfectly fine...wait...



OK, no pressure, I guess.

My suspicions are that the outfield is fine, the infield will be fine provided that Jung-Ho Kang is himself when he returns from his gruesome injury, and the pitching staff will need help, but not urgently.

This year's players, last year's stats.

Starting Lineup
2B Josh Harrison (.287/.327/.390, 4 HR, 28 RBI, 10 SB)
C Francisco Cervelli (.295/.370/.401, 7 HR, 43 RBI, 1 SB)
CF Andrew McCutchen (.292/.401/.488, 23 HR, 96 RBI, 11 SB)
LF Starling Marte (.287/.337/.444, 19 HR, 81 RBI, 30 SB)
1B John Jaso (.286/.380/.459, 5 HR, 22 RBI, 1 SB with the Rays)
3B David Freese (.257/.323/.420, 14 HR, 56 RBI, 1 SB with the Angels)
RF Gregory Polanco (.256/.320/.381, 9 HR, 52 RBI, 27 SB)
SS Jordy Mercer (.244/.293/.320, 3 HR, 34 RBI, 3 SB)

Bench
C Chris Stewart (.289/.320/.340, 0 HR, 15 RBI, 0 SB)
UTIL Sean Rodriguez (.246/.281/.362, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 2 SB)
3B/1B Jason Rogers (.296/.367/.441, 4 HR, 16 RBI, 0 SB with the Brewers)
OF Matt Joyce (.174/.272/.291, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 0 SB with the Angels)
1B Mike Morse (.231/.313/.336, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 0 SB with the Marlins/PIT)

Rotation
RHP Gerrit Cole (19-8, 2.60 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 202 K, 208 IP)
LHP Francisco Liriano (12-7, 3.38 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 205 K, 186.2 IP)
LHP Jon Niese (9-10, 4.13 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 113 K, 176.2 IP with the Mets)
LHP Jeff Locke (8-11, 4.49 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 129 K, 168.1 IP)
RHP Juan Nicasio (1-3, 3.86 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 65 K, 58.1 IP with the Dodgers)

Bullpen
LHP Cory Luebke (missed 2013 and 2014 due to injury, pitched 7 innings across three levels in 2015)
RHP Ryan Vogelsong (9-11, 4.67 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 108 K, 135 IP with the Giants)
RHP Neftali Feliz (3-4, 6.38 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 39 K, 48 IP, 10 SV with the Rangers and Tigers)
RHP Jorge Rondon (3-1, 2.23 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 50 K, 60.2 IP in AAA)
RHP Arquimedes Caminero (5-1, 3.62 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 73 K, 74.2 IP)
LHP Tony Watson (4-1, 1.91 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 62 K, 75.1 IP)
RHP Mark Melancon (3-2, 2.23 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 62 K, 76.2 IP, 51 SV)

Personnel
GM and Manager: Justin Miller, 37 (Unproven)
Assistant GM: Neal Huntington, 47 (Fair)
Bench Coach: Dave Jauss, 59 (Excellent)
Pitching Coach: Ray Searage, 60 (Fair)
Hitting Coach: Jeff Branson, 49 (Fair)
Scouting Director: Greg S. Smith, 50 (Excellent)
Team Trainer: Todd Tomczyk, 50 (Good)

Top Prospects
SP Tyler Glasnow, AA (3.0 stars) (21st overall in MLB)
SP Chad Kuhl, AAA (2.5 stars) (30th overall in MLB)
2B Alen Hanson, AAA (3.0 stars)
SP Nick Kingham, AAA (2.0 stars)
C Elias Diaz, ML disabled list (3.0 stars)
System Rank: 2nd

Financial Summary
Budget: $160,000,000 (19th)
Payroll: $103,248,500 (20th)
$ for FA: $42,862,209
$ for Ext: $61,646,500
Market Size: Average
Fan Loyalty: Average
Fan Interest: 67
Ticket Price: $25.50

[JustinM]

PITTSBURGH BIDS ON GURRIEL
April 3, 2016

Pittsburgh has reportedly expressed interest in Cuban slugger Yulieski Gurriel. The 31 year old third baseman is rumored to be looking for a salary in the $9.5MM range with several teams making bids in the last few days. Gurriel, a right-handed batter, has hit 258 home runs across 15 professional seasons, one of which was spent in Yokohama, Japan.

Pirates GM Justin Miller said, when asked for comment, "I won't comment on any potential foreign signings even to say whether we're interested or not interested, but I will say that you have to be careful with this type of player. He can hit in Cuba, but that's a lower tier of baseball to be certain, and he's on the downswing of his career. I'm sure he has a place in the Major Leagues, but that place is unclear."

One scout agreed to go on record anonymously. "Yulieski has phenomenal talent at the plate. He consistently wows fans, coaches, and scouts with his ability to hit. Unfortunately, his defense is just average."

Fans of the Pirates may remember similar things being said about Pedro Alvarez, so the GM's hesitance may be warranted here.

[JustinM]

SO MUCH FOR THE PITCHING
May 1, 2016

MLB Standings - Updated: May 1, 2016
NL CENTRAL	W	L	GB
Chicago Cubs	12	12	-
Pittsburgh Pirates	12	13	0.5
St. Louis Cardinals	11	12	0.5
Milwaukee Brewers	11	13	1
Cincinnati Reds	10	13	1.5

The biggest news of April was the signing of Cuban 3B Yulieski Gurriel to a one-year deal. Gurriel profiles as having plus power and contact, although he did start his Major League career 0-for-11 before knocking a single to right field against the Tigers' Anibal Sanchez. Unfortunately, just a few days later, Jordy Mercer went down with an oblique strain that will put him out between 4 and 5 weeks. This leaves the team without a true shortstop. Sean Rodriguez is now the team's best defensive option at that spot on the field. Additionally, Mark Melancon was out for a week with a strained back that he sustained in a car accident, so the bullpen was in flux at the end of the month. Thankfully it came during a day off, so everyone was rested for the doubleheader against the Padres the next day, where Gerrit Cole pitched a complete game to start things off, saving the bullpen from almost certain ruin when Ryan Vogelsong went down in the second game with abdominal soreness.

Unfortunately, a substantial portion of the pitching staff simply was not up to snuff in April. Gerrit Cole ended up with the only ERA below 4.18 among the starters, and your Pittsburgh Pirates went a decidedly mediocre 12-13.

TEAM MOVES
4/7 - Activated Elias Diaz from the 15-day DL and optioned him to AAA Indianapolis.
4/11 - Signed 3B Yulieski Gurriel and optioned 3B Jason Rogers to AAA Indianapolis.
4/12 - Activated RHP Jared Hughes from the 15-day DL and optioned RHP Jorge Rondon to AAA Indianapolis.
4/16 - Placed SS Jordy Mercer on the 15-day DL retroactive to 4/15 and purchased the contract of 2B Cole Figueroa from AAA Indianapolis.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
4/25 - New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira hit his 400th home run in a loss to the Texas Rangers.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
4/6 - Cincinnati Reds 1B Joey Votto strained a hamstring and will miss a month.
4/6 - Detroit Tigers SS Jose Iglesias strained an elbow and will miss at least 8 weeks.
4/8 - Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia tore ligaments in his ankle and will be out for 3 months.
4/8 - Texas Rangers CF Delino DeShields, Jr. suffered an oblique strain and will miss 6 weeks.
4/8 - San Francisco Giants C Buster Posey was struck with a pitch and will miss 3 weeks with a broken foot.
4/8 - San Francisco Giants 1B Brandon Belt will miss 5 weeks with a hamstring strain.
4/10 - Houston Astros SS Carlos Correa will miss 2 weeks with an oblique strain.
4/14 - Chicago Cubs RHP Justin Grimm will miss 4 months with a torn back muscle.
4/22 - St. Louis Cardinals RF Stephen Piscotty will miss about 5 weeks with shoulder inflammation.
4/22 - Milwaukee Brewers C Jonathan Lucroy will miss 3 to 4 months with a ruptured achilles tendon.
4/23 - Arizona Diamondbacks RF Yasmany Tomas tore a labrum and will be out for the remainder of the season.
4/27 - New York Mets RHP Addison Reed will miss the remainder of the season with a torn UCL.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
4/2 - The Baltimore Orioles sent recent signee 1B Pedro Alvarez and $3.75M cash to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for SS Freddy Galvis and minor league LF Cornelius Randolph.
4/4 - The Milwaukee Brewers signed 35-year-old Cuban LF Frederich Cepeda to a 2yr/$9.6M contract. Cepeda had been playing in Japan and is known as a power bat.
4/7 - The Houston Astros extended the contract of RHP Doug Fister by 2 years, worth $15.8M total.
4/10 - The Kansas City Royals signed 24-year-old Cuban 3B Luis Yander La O to a 1 year deal worth about $4M. La O is known as a contact hitter and athletic fielder.

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Maikel Franco (PHI) - .404
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.166
HR - Ian Desmond (TEX) - 9
RBI - Carlos Gonzalez (COL) - 23
ERA - Joe Ross (WAS) - 0.72
Wins - three way tie - 5
Strikeouts - Drew Smyly (TB) - 50
Saves - Sergio Romo (SF) - 11

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - Starling Marte - .351
OPS - Starling Marte - .942
HR - Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen - 5
RBI - Starling Marte - 17
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.57
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 4
Strikeouts - Francisco Liriano - 31
Saves - Mark Melancon - 6

[JustinM]

APRIL 2016 BATTING


APRIL 2016 PITCHING


APRIL 2016 STANDINGS

[JustinM]

SO MUCH FOR THE HITTING?
June 1, 2016

On the first of May, Manager/GM Justin Miller instituted a platoon at third base. Platoon? There aren't any left-handed batting third basemen on the roster. True, but David Freese can hit right-handed pitching fine, so he gets those games. On the third of May, finally, Yulieski Gurriel hit his first home run in the Major Leagues off Jon Lester of the Chicago Cubs. Related? Of course not, but his numbers did see an uptick this month.

Faced with the mounting ERA of Juan Nicasio and his inability to pitch deep into games, I punted him back to the bullpen and inserted Ryan Vogelsong into the rotation.

In contract news, Matt Joyce, Ryan Vogelsong, and Sean Rodriguez requested extensions. Joyce wants a 2-year major league contract worth about $2.25M. For a bench guy that can play both corner outfield positions, that seems reasonable. I met the demand and he accepted the offer a few days later. Ryan Vogelsong wants a 3-year major league contract worth a total of $19M. That is nuts for a 38 year old RHP with fading stuff and peripherals that don't match his current traditional stats. I'm inclined to ignore this request. Rodriguez is interesting. His walks are way up and his strikeout rate is down, but his BABIP is sky-high at .366 currently. He wants a 2-year contract worth $6.2M. I'm more inclined to use him as trade bait than to re-sign him for the moment.

The return of Jordy Mercer and Jung-Ho Kang flipped the lineup on its head. I still haven't figured out how I want to move all the parts, especially with the Gurriel signing, but Cole Figueroa and David Freese were the losers in that deal. Josh Harrison, too, who ran into a slump and saw his playing time decrease; he had a resurgence in a series against Texas, though, complicating matters further. Starling Marte also fell off significantly, but without a reasonable replacement (Matt Joyce is nice off the bench but he's not an everyday player), his spot is safe on the lineup card.

There was an interesting AL Rookie of the Month for May. Detroit Tigers RF Steven Moya has only 30 AB on the season, 13 of which resulted in hits for a .433 batting average. 8 of those 13 hits went over the damn fence. Last year he hit 20 home runs in 535 plate appearances at AAA Toledo. This year? 14 homers in 124 plate appearances between Toledo and Detroit. Well done, kid.

Last but certainly not least, with a line of 5-0 in 6 starts, 42 strikeouts in 45.1 innings and a 2.18 ERA, Gerrit Cole is your NL Pitcher of the Month of May.

TEAM MOVES
5/1 - Added John Holdzkom to the 40 man roster.
5/16 - Optioned 2B Cole Figueroa and 3B David Freese to AAA Indianapolis. Activated SS Jordy Mercer and 3B Jung-Ho Kang from the 15-day DL.
5/31 - Extended the contract of LF Matt Joyce by 2 years, worth $2.233M total.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
5/17 - Atlanta Braves C A.J. Pierzynski hit his 2000th hit in a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
5/18 - Tampa Bay Rays LHP Drew Smyly threw a no-hitter against the Toronto Blue Jays.
5/19 - New York Yankees RHP Michael Pineda threw a no-hitter against the Oakland Athletics.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
4/29 - Miami Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton will miss 5 weeks with an elbow strain. This injury was not announced until 5/4.
5/3 - St. Louis Cardinals RHP Adam Wainwright will miss 4 months with a torn rotator cuff.
5/3 - Detroit Tigers LF Justin Upton will miss 4 to 5 months with a ruptured achilles tendon.
5/4 - Kansas City Royals RHP Luke Hochevar will miss 4 months with a torn labrum.
5/7 - Seattle Mariners 2B Robinson Cano will miss 3 weeks with a sprained knee.
5/8 - Toronto Blue Jays C Russell Martin will be out 3 to 4 weeks with a strained back muscle.
5/11 - St. Louis Cardinals RF Randal Grichuk will be out 4 to 5 months with a broken ankle.
5/11 - Boston Red Sox RHP Carson Smith will be out 4 weeks with a herniated disc.
5/13 - Baltimore Orioles CF Adam Jones will miss at least 4 weeks with a torn meniscus.
5/13 - Washington Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg will miss 4 months with radial nerve compression.
5/17 - Cleveland Indians LF Michael Brantley will miss 5 weeks with a broken rib.
5/18 - San Francisco Giants C Buster Posey will miss 5 weeks with chronic back pain.
5/19 - St. Louis Cardinals C Yadier Molina will miss about 5 weeks with a broken foot.
5/22 - San Francisco RHP George Kontos tore a flexor tendon in his elbow and will miss the rest of the season.
5/24 - Seattle Mariners 2B Robinson Cano will miss another 2-3 after aggravating his sprained knee.
5/26 - Arizona Diamondbacks RHP Josh Collmenter will miss the remainder o fthe season after suffering a torn UCL.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
5/14 - The San Diego Padres sent RF Jabari Blash (.263/.371/.447) to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league LF Courtney Hawkins (.262/.372/.438 at AA).
5/17 - The Tampa Bay Rays sent LHP Xavier Cedeno (5.40, 16 K, 13.1 IP) to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for minor league SS Michael Chavis (.265/.305/.418 at A).
5/26 - The Oakland Athletics sent RHP Jesse Hahn (3.78, 30 K, 64.1 IP) to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for minor league RHP Ben Lively (3.31, 49 K, 51.2 IP at AA) and minor league LF Ricardo Baez (.161/.277/.287 at R last season).

RETIREMENTS
5/26 - Chicago Cubs 1B Carlos Rivera retired.

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Adeiny Hechavarria (MIA) - .365
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.137
HR - Chris Davis (BAL) - 19
RBI - Chris Davis (BAL) and Anthony Rizzo (CHC) - 46
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 24
ERA - Joe Ross (WAS) - 1.52
Wins - Jake Arrieta (CHC) and Gerrit Cole (PIT) - 9
Strikeouts - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 101
Saves - Zach Britton (BAL) - 18

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - Francisco Cervelli - .296
OPS - Sean Rodriguez - .878
HR - Starling Marte and Sean Rodriguez - 7
RBI - Josh Harrison - 30
SB - three way tie - 1
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.35
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 9
Strikeouts - Gerrit Cole - 72
Saves - Mark Melancon - 13

[JustinM]

MAY 2016 BATTING


MAY 2016 PITCHING


MAY 2016 STANDINGS

[azdevil2004]

Good luck in your dynasty! I enjoy your articles and the graphics!

Glancing at your team's performance, looks like Matt Joyce could use some more playing time.

Joyce: .395 AVG and 13 RBI with only 38 ABs! Math = 1 RBI every 2.92 ABs

Polanco has 20 RBI with 187 ABs. Math = 1 RBI every 9.35 ABs

Marte has 29 RBI with 226 ABs. Math = 1 RBI every 7.79 ABs

Maybe sprinkle in some more starts for Joyce to give Polanco/Marte days off.

Curious: Are you managing each game or simulating?

[JustinM]

Game crashed, redid May 31. If you looked between 5:17 PM and 5:54 Eastern, there may be changes.

[JustinM]

Originally Posted by azdevil2004

Good luck in your dynasty! I enjoy your articles and the graphics!

Glancing at your team's performance, looks like Matt Joyce could use some more playing time.

Joyce: .395 AVG and 13 RBI with only 38 ABs! Math = 1 RBI every 2.92 ABs

Polanco has 20 RBI with 187 ABs. Math = 1 RBI every 9.35 ABs

Marte has 29 RBI with 226 ABs. Math = 1 RBI every 7.79 ABs

Maybe sprinkle in some more starts for Joyce to give Polanco/Marte days off.

Curious: Are you managing each game or simulating?

I'm managing the games. Even when I set my manager up exactly how I think it should work, they end up doing things I don't expect, so my OCD ends up forcing me to manage eventually anyway. The only thing I really let my organization do on its own is lineup/pitching slots for the minor league teams, because nobody has time for that.

As for Joyce, he's got a .484 BABIP. The guy is going to crash hard soon. But you're right on one count, Polanco just isn't hitting. Out of all the people I have in one starting lineup or another, only two--Polanco and Mercer--have OPS+ of less than 100. Polanco is 88 and Mercer is in a crater at 41.

[NovaNation19]

Have enjoyed reading this so far, best of luck to you. Pirates were the first team I ever chose way back on iOOTP 13, my first OOTP experience. Fun team and bit of a tough one to handle, with small market challenges but a consistent and competitive core of players.

[JustinM]

UP IN SMOKE
July 1, 2016

The good news is that the starting rotation has started to settle down this month with ERAs falling for everyone not named Gerrit Cole, and Cole has stayed steady.

Unfortunately, Tony Watson, Juan Nicasio, Cory Luebke, and Arquimedes Caminero have been iffy at best in the bullpen. Meanwhile, the bats completely dried up in the first

half of the month. If that weren't enough, Jeff Locke hurt his throwing halfway through the month, putting him out until about the All-Star break. This did allow Trevor Williams to make his Major League debut in which he gave up 4 earned runs in 5.1 innings, struck out 2 and walked 6 in a no decision.

Then, Andrew McCutchen, Matt Joyce, and John Jaso got hurt, because we've just had way too much offense lately and something had to be done about that. Cutch is out for a few weeks with thumb tendinitis, Joyce is out for a week or so, and Jaso is out for 6 weeks with a broken thumb. This let Cole Figueroa return to the club and Willy Garcia to make his Major League debut, although he's been underwhelming in his first 8 games.

The resultant free fall from a couple weeks of ramshackle lineups caused Francisco Liriano and Jon Niese to throw up their hands and demand a trade. Gerrit Cole didn't win a single game in June.

Good news, though. All of my top end draft picks ended up signing.

DRAFT RESULTS
The 2016 MLB Draft took place on June 6. The Pirates had picks number 23 and 41 in the first round. Star ratings reflect my scout's potential rating, not OSA's. Because I already have one of the best systems in the Major Leagues, I went with a number of difficult signs in this draft. I did the first 15 rounds and then let my scout take care of the remaining rounds.

Rd 1 #23 - 2B Cavan Biggio (5 stars - college)
The son of Craig, he'll be a solid contact hitter with some pop, great eye, and reliable but unspectacular in the field. I also drafted his brother Conor in the 9th round.
Rd 1 #41 - CF Ryan Boldt (4.5 stars - college)
Another good contact guy with moderate power and a great eye. Very very quick and decent in the field.
Rd 2 #27 - 3B Ray Gaither (4 stars - high school)
Average contact, plus power, plus eye, inconsistent fielder. In real life, opted to sign with Dallas Baptist U.
Rd 3 #29 - C Jake Jessell (3 stars - high school)
Plus contact, plus power, decent eye, unfortunately just average on defense. Bonus: he's a Pittsburgh kid. In real life, he went to Woodland Hills HS and will be attending the University of Pittsburgh in the fall; in reality, he'd be a very easy sign, but in OOTP, he's Extremely Hard.
Rd 4 #29 - RP Alden Cartwright (3 stars - college)
Strikeout pitcher with decent command.
Rd 5 #29 - 3B Vance Vizcaino (3 stars - college)
Contact guy, good eye, good hands.

TEAM MOVES
6/15 - Placed LHP Jeff Locke on the 15-day DL. Purchased the contract of RHP Trevor Williams from AAA Indianapolis.
6/20 - Placed 1B John Jaso and CF Andrew McCutchen on the 15-day DL. Purchased the contract of RF Willy Garcia from AAA Indianapolis.
6/27 - Recalled 2B Cole Figueroa from AAA Indianapolis.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
6/4 - Seattle Mariners RHP Hisashi Iwakuma throws a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over the Texas Rangers.
6/8 - Toronto Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista hit his 300th home run in a 5-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers.
6/19 - New York Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez hit his 700th home run in a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Twins.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
6/1 - Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz will miss at least 3 to 4 weeks with hamstring tendinitis.
6/4 - Cincinnati Reds LHP John Lamb tore his ulnar collateral ligament and will be out for the rest of 2016.
6/5 - Colorado Rockies LF Carlos Gonzalez will miss the remainder of the season after he broke his elbow.
6/9 - Houston Astros SS Carlos Correa will miss 6 weeks due to a torn ligament in his thumb.
6/10 - Oakland Athletics RF Josh Reddick tore his ACL and will be out for the rest of the season.
6/14 - Tampa Bay Rays LHP Blake Snell suffered a torn labrum and will miss the rest of the year.
6/15 - Pittsburgh Pirates LHP Jeff Locke strained a tricep tendon and will be out for about 3 weeks.
6/15 - Minnesota Twins RHP Phil Hughes tore his UCL and will be out for the remainder of the season.
6/20 - Pittsburgh Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen suffered wrist tendinitis and will miss 2 to 3 weeks.
6/20 - Pittsburgh Pirates 1B John Jaso broke his thumb and will miss 6 weeks.
6/23 - Pittsburgh Pirates LF Matt Joyce has a sore elbow and will miss about a week.
6/26 - Minnesota Twins RF Miguel Sano has an elbow sprain and will miss 4 weeks.
6/26 - St. Louis Cardinals 3B Matt Carpenter will miss 5 to 6 weeks with a sprained ankle.
6/26 - Miami Marlins RF Giancarlo Stanton will miss 4 weeks with chronic back pain.
6/27 - Houston Astros RHP Pat Neshek will miss 3 months with a ruptured finger tendon.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
6/9 - The Colorado Rockies sent CF Charlie Blackmon (.309/.347/.500, 6 HR, 19 RBI) to the Detroit Tigers in exchange for RHP Mike Pelfrey (5.85, 36 K in 64.2 IP) and $2.8M cash.
6/9 - The Cleveland Indians sent 1B Mike Napoli (.234/.354/.448, 12 HR, 42 RBI) and $3.8M cash to the Houston Astros for RHP Josh D. Fields (3.81, 31 K in 28.1 IP).
6/10 - The Seattle Mariners sent 1B Adam Lind (.252/.330/.388, 2 HR, 8 RBI) to the St. Louis Cardinals for SS Ruben Tejada (.295/.368/.462, 1 HR, 6 RBI).
6/21 - The Detroit Tigers sent 1B Victor Martinez (.308/.354/.476, 6 HR, 30 RBI) and $6.9M cash to the Oakland Athletics for LHP Sean Doolittle (5.64, 39 K in 30.1 IP) and minor league CF Jaycob Brugman (.282/.381/.412, 2 HR, 18 RBI at AAA).
6/25 - The New York Yankees sent 3B Chase Headley (.267/.337/.458, 12 HR, 32 RBI) and $6M in cash to the Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Chase Anderson (4.94, 55 K in 78.1 IP).
6/25 - The Colorado Rockies sent minor league 2B Rafael Ynoa (.336/.395/.414, 1 HR, 28 RBI at AAA) to the Kansas City Royals for LHP Danny Duffy (3.60, 57 K in 75 IP) and $2M cash.

RETIREMENTS
none

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Phil Gosselin (ARI) - .378
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.136
HR - Lucas Duda (NYM) - 26
RBI - Manny Machado (BAL) - 64
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 32
ERA - Jake Arietta (CHC) - 1.52
Wins - Jake Arrieta (CHC) - 13
Strikeouts - Jose Fernandez (MIA) - 153
Saves - Wade Davis (KC) - 26

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - John Jaso - .276
OPS - Andrew McCutchen - .798
HR - Starling Marte - 9
RBI - Starling Marte - 39
SB - Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen - 2
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.66
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 9
Strikeouts - Gerrit Cole - 114
Saves - Mark Melancon - 14

[JustinM]

JUNE 2016 BATTING


JUNE 2016 PITCHING


JUNE 2016 STANDINGS

[JustinM]

So I decided to take a look at real life through June 17th's Pirates game and this dynasty only to discover that while the problems aren't one-for-one clones, they are definitely similar. Looking at Baseball Reference and not seeing Andrew McCutchen in the team's top 12 by WAR, and you get an idea of where the season has gone. I'm a bit perturbed by Marte, Polanco, Kang, and Freese not hitting anything like they are in real life, but then I guess I have a real Jon Niese and...not so much in real life.

The saddest part about the real team? After two games in a Pirates uni, Jameson Taillon is 12th on the team in WAR.

EDIT: Also, while this may be a Pirates dynasty, I'm not opposed to talking about other teams and players. If you have a question about how someone is doing, feel free to ask.

[JustinM]

Come on now...



Yeah, Cory Luebke. Yeah. He's the key to our ongoing success. Maybe stick to running your crappy ski resort.

[JustinM]

ALL OVER BUT THE CRYING
August 1, 2016

International free agency came around on July 2, and we immediately put down an offer for C Ricky Cruz, who projects to be an absolutely dominant force in a few years: plus-plus contact, plus to plus-plus power, solid eye. This is the type of batter who could alter the course of a franchise. His bonus demand is large enough that we won't be able to sign anyone for over $250k next season, but frankly if this works out, that may not matter. We also put out an offer on SP Jose Quinones, who in my mind projects as a future closer or setup guy--incredible strikeout pitcher but no control to speak of at all. Both signed two days later and went to the international complex. Honestly, Cruz is probably better than the players I have in rookie ball, and he's 16 years old.

In some more good news, Yulieski Gurriel was named National League Player of the Week for June 27 to July 3. He hit .440 with 3 home runs, 5 RBI, and 6 runs scored and then

NL Rookie of the Month for July by hitting .333 with 6 home runs, 17 RBI, and 6 runs scored.

Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen were voted as starters into the All-Star game. The only other Pirate included is Gerrit Cole.

Unfortunately, at the end of the month, Matt Joyce wrenched an ankle rounding first base on his way to second, and he'll miss most if not all of August as a result.

In an attempt to rearrange deck chairs on the Titanic that is this team, I traded 3B David Freese to the St. Louis Cardinals for LHP Mark Buehrle and RHP Mark Melancon to the Atlanta Braves for SS Erick Aybar and RHP Chris Ellis. All the players I traded away were in the last couple of months of contracts that I was not going to renew.

This month brought notifications as well about personnel contracts expiring. I've got quite a list:

Manager Dean Treanor (AAA Indianapolis): He's not interested in continuing with Indianapolis.
Pitching coach Stan Kyles (AAA Indianapolis): Re-signed for 1 year.
Hitting coach Butch Wynegar (AAA Indianapolis): He's not interested in continuing with Indianapolis.
Manager Joey Cora (AA Altoona): He's not interested in continuing with Altoona.
Pitching coach Justin Meccage (AA Altoona): He's not interested in continuing with Altoona.
Hitting coach Kevin Riggs (AA Altoona): Re-signed for 2 years.
Pitching coach Jeff Johnson (A+ Bradenton): I'm going to pass on signing him.
Hitting coach Keoni De Renne (A+ Bradenton): He's not interested in continuing with Bradenton.
Pitching coach Matt Ford (A West Virginia): Re-signed for 2 years. He has only been on the job for a year, so I think it's fine to see how he shakes out.
Pitching coach Mark DiFelice (A- West Virginia): He's not interested in continuing with West Virginia.
Manager Edgar Varela (R Bristol): He's not interested in continuing with Bristol.
Pitching coach Tom Filer (R Bristol): He's not interested in continuing with Bristol.
Hitting coach Austin McClune (R Bristol): Re-signed for 1 year. He has only been on the job for a year, so I think it's fine to see how he shakes out.
Manager Milver Reyes (R GCL Pirates): He's not interested in continuing with the GCL Pirates. He loves sabermetrics, and I'll likely promote him toward the end of the season.
Hitting coach Kory DeHaan (R GCL Pirates): Re-signed for 1 year.
Pitching coach Dan Urbina (R DSL Pirates 1): Re-signed for 1 year.

TEAM MOVES
7/2 - Optioned SP Trevor Williams to AAA Indianapolis. Activated SP Jeff Locke from the 15 day DL.
7/8 - Optioned RF Willy Garcia to AAA Indianapolis. Activated CF Andrew McCutchen from the 15 day DL.
7/16 - Placed RHP Ryan Vogelsong on the 15 day DL. Recalled RHP Trevor Williams from AAA Indianapolis.
7/24 - Placed LF Matt Joyce on the 15 day DL. Recalled RF Willy Garcia from AAA Indianapolis.
7/29 - Traded minor league 3B David Freese to the St. Louis Cardinals for LHP Mark Buehrle. Optioned RHP Trevor Williams to AAA Indianapolis.
7/29 - Traded RHP Mark Melancon to the Atlanta Braves for SS Erick Aybar and RHP Chris Ellis. Optioned SS Jordy Mercer to AAA Indianapolis.
7/30 - Activated 1B John Jaso from the 15 day DL.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
7/21 - New York Yankees RF Carlos Beltran got his 2500th hit in a 9-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
7/4 - Toronto Blue Jays RHP Marcus Strohman will miss 5 months with shoulder inflammation.
7/5 - Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera will miss 3 weeks with knee tendinitis.
7/7 - Toronto Blue Jays RHP Jesse Chavez has a torn rotator cuff and will miss the rest of the season.
7/9 - Oakland Athletics LHP Sean Manaea suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow and will miss the rest of the season.
7/9 - Milwaukee Brewers RHP Corey Knebel will be out for about 5 weeks with a bone spur in his elbow.
7/9 - Pittsburgh Pirates RHP Ryan Vogelsong will miss 6 weeks with a strained hamstring.
7/16 - Minnesota Twins SS Francisco Lindor will miss 2 weeks with a strained abdominal muscle.
7/20 - Toronto Blue Jays SS Troy Tulowitzki will miss 6 weeks with an oblique strain.
7/20 - Chicago Cubs CF Jason Heyward will miss 2 weeks with ankle soreness.
7/21 - Washington Nationals LHP Felipe Rivero suffered a torn flexor tendon in his elbow and will miss the rest of the season.
7/21 - Pittsburgh Pirates LF Matt Joyce will miss 5 weeks with a sprained ankle.
7/22 - Tampa Bay Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier will miss 3 to 4 weeks with a broken thumb.
7/27 - Washington Nationals RF Bryce Harper will miss up to 3 weeks with a strained tricep tendon.
7/29 - Baltimore Orioles RHP Mychal Givens will miss the rest of the season with a torn UCL.
7/30 - Miami Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez will miss 10 to 11 months with a damaged elbow ligament.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
7/2 - The Tampa Bay Rays sent RHP Jhan Martinez (2.89, 46 K in 37.1 IP) to the Colorado Rockies for minor league SS Pedro Gonzalez (.183/.269/.183, 0 HR, 5 RBI in R).
7/2 - The Boston Red Sox sent RHP Koji Uehara (0.69, 41 K in 26 IP) and $1.5M cash to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league 1B Luis Encarnacion (.235/.302/.270, 0 HR, 2 RBI in R).
7/2 - The Milwaukee Brewers sent CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis (.174/.244/.303, 4 HR, 20 RBI) and minor league SS Franly Mallen (.253/.406/.347, 1 HR, 13 RBI in R) to the Miami Marlins in exchange for RHP Tom Koehler (3.14, 60 K in 91.2 IP) and $1.5M in cash.
7/3 - The Seattle Mariners sent CF Franklin Gutierrez (.256/.321/.444, 11 HR, 35 RBI) and $50k to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league 3B Jose Cuas (.172/.250/.215, 0 HR, 2 RBI in A and .270/.365/.350, 1 HR, 15 RBI at R).
7/3 - The Atlanta Braves sent minor league C Lucas Herbert (.253/.328/.360, 4 HR, 23 RBI at A) to the Atlanta Braves for C Manny Pina (.262/.307/.371, 2 HR, 22 RBI).
7/3 - The Miami Marlins sent 2B Derek Dietrich (.250/.305/.405, 3 HR, 17 RBI) and minor league RF Dexter Kjerstad (.261/.313/.348, 3 HR, 30 RBI at A+) to the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Rubby De La Rosa (3.16, 39 K in 37 IP) and $500k.
7/5 - The Seattle Mariners sent RHP Tony Zych (1.60, 48 K in 33.2 IP) to the Colorado Rockies for minor league CF Wes Rogers (.206/.275/.309, 3 HR, 24 RBI at AA).
7/6 - The Kansas City Royals sent minor league RF Jose Martinez (.241/.279/.321, 3 HR, 22 RBI in AAA) to the Colorado Rockies for minor league LHP Tyler Anderson (3.25, 35 K in 36 IP at AAA).
7/6 - The San Diego Rockies sent RHP Jon Edwards (4.43, 36 K in 20.1 IP) to the Arizona Diamondbacks for minor league LF Chuck Taylor (.261/.352/.381, 8 HR, 34 RBI at A+) and minor league RF Gabriel Guerrero (.252/.293/.436, 4 HR, 21 RBI at AA).
7/8 - The Los Angeles Angels sent RHP Mike Morin (1.21, 44 K in 37.1 IP) and minor league C Taylor Ward (.236/.311/.325, 4 HR, 35 RBI at A+) to the Houston Astros for LF Evan Gattis (.259/.304/.448, 8 HR, 30 RBI).
7/10 - The Seattle Mariners sent RHP Steve Cishek (2.75, 44 K in 36 IP) and $200k to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league CF Yerald Martinez (.143/.242/.214, 0 HR, 3 RBI at R) and minor league 2B Jorge Quiterio (.234/.329/.350, 2 HR, 14 RBI at R).
7/11 - The Seattle Mariners sent LF Stefen Romero (.256/.281/.465, 4 HR, 15 RBI) and minor league 2B Jorge Quiterio (.234/.329/.350, 2 HR, 14 RBI at R) to the Boston Red Sox for RHP Joe Kelly (4.26, 60 K in 82.1 IP).
7/13 - The Chicago Cubs sent CF Dexter Fowler (.276/.361/.442, 4 HR, 20 RBI) and $675,926 to the Oakland Athletics for RHP Ryan Madson (3.09, 34 K in 32 IP) and minor league SS Yairo Munoz (.264/.325/.392, 5 HR, 31 RBI at AA).
7/13 - The Kansas City Royals sent RF Jarrod Dyson (.261/.344/.279, 0 HR, 7 RBI) to the Seattle Mariners for RHP Nick Vincent (3.12, 43 K in 40.1 IP) and minor league CF Wes Rogers (.207/.279/.314, 4 HR, 27 RBI at AA)
7/13 - The San Diego Padres sent RHP Colin Rea (4.70, 51 K in 84.1 IP) to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league C Rafael Marchan (.302/.339/.340, 0 HR, 3 RBI at R).
7/14 - The Milwaukee Brewers sent LF Frederich Cepeda (.249/.351/.420, 12 HR, 45 RBI) and $1M in cash to the San Francisco Giants for RHP Hunter Strickland (1.62, 31 K in 33.1 IP) and minor league 1B Chris Shaw (.253/.299/.372, 7 HR, 28 RBI).
7/15 - The Tampa Bay Rays sent RF Brandon Guyer (.263/.316/.342, 1 HR, 14 RBI) to the Kansas City Royals for 1B Kendrys Morales (.254/.311/.402, 9 HR, 38 RBI) and $3.6M in cash.
7/24 - The Chicago White Sox sent minor league RF Micker Adolfo (.239/.342/.254, 0 HR, 4 RBI at R) and minor league 1B Keon Barnum (.285/.354/.415, 3 HR, 20 RBI at AA) to the Milwaukee Brewers for RHP Jeremy Jeffress (3.28, 34 K in 35.2 IP).
7/25 - The Kansas City Royals sent CF Reymond Fuentes (.211/.300/.341, 4 HR, 26 RBI at AAA) to the Texas Rangers for LHP Jake Diekman (4.50, 43 K in 36 IP) and minor league 3B Josh Morgan (.290/.364/.420, 4 HR, 22 RBI at A+).
7/25 - The Los Angeles Dodgers sent C Austin Barnes (.308/.400/.484, 4 HR, 19 RBI at AAA) to the Minnesota Twins for LHP Fernando Abad (1.95, 56 K in 50.2 IP) and minor league SS Wander Javier (.188/.228/.225, 0 HR, 10 RBI at R).
7/25 - The Philadelphia Phillies sent RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5.14, 32 K in 42 IP) and $220k in cash to the Arizona Cardinals for minor league C Jose Herrera (.239/.352/.350, 2 HR, 13 RBI at A-).
7/25 - The Tampa Bay Rays sent RF Taylor Motter (.195/.247/.293, 3 HR, 15 RBI) to the Colorado Rockies for minor league C Dom Nunez (.248/.346/.404, 7 HR, 43 RBI at A+).
7/26 - The Seattle Mariners sent LHP Charlie Furbush (1.45, 46 K in 37.1 IP) and $40k to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league C Bismar Nunez (.238/.344/.307, 1 HR, 8 RBI) and minor league 1B David Denson (.267/.354/.406, 6 HR, 48 RBI).
7/26 - The Arizona Diamondbacks sent 2B Jean Segura (.281/.309/.363, 2 HR, 33 RBI) to the Texas Rangers for RHP Tony Barnette (5.40, 33 K in 36.2 IP) and minor league CF Leodys Taveras (.277/.302/.307, 0 HR, 20 RBI).
7/26 - The Los Angeles Dodgers sent LF Carl Crawford (.261/.296/.407, 7 HR, 27 RBI) and $6.3M in cash to the Cincinnati Reds for RHP Caleb Cotham (5.87, 18 K in 15.1 IP) and minor league SS Blake Trahan (.257/.332/.335, 3 HR, 26 RBI).
7/26 - The Boston Red Sox sent RHP William Cuevas (2.70, 11 K in 10 IP) to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league C Deivi Grullon (.298/.380/.456, 3 HR, 18 RBI).
7/27 - The St. Louis Cardinals sent RF Brandon Moss (.215/.295/.360, 5 HR, 26 RBI) and $2.3M in cash to the Chicago White Sox for RHP Zach Putnam (2.30, 56 K in 43 IP) and minor league C Jhoandro Alfaro (.176/.250/.255, 0 HR, 0 RBI at R).
7/27 - The Texas Rangers sent minor league C Jose Trevino (.267/.352/.400, 5 HR, 42 RBI at A+) to the Tampa Bay Rays for RHP Brad Boxberger (4.11, 41 K in 30.2 IP).
7/27 - The Tampa Bay Rays sent RHP Danny Farquhar (3.12, 41 K in 43.1 IP) to the Texas Rangers for minor league RF Jose Almonte (.325/.398/.545, 8 HR, 30 RBI at R).
7/28 - The Boston Red Sox sent RHP Noe Ramirez (2.66, 52 K in 44 IP at AAA) to the Cincinnati Reds for minor league C Mitch Trees (.284/.338/.452, 10 HR, 57 RBI at A).
7/28 - The Texas Rangers sent minor league RHP A.J. Griffin (3.46, 109 K in 140.1 IP at AAA) to the Oakland Athletics for C Matt McBride (.313/.343/.582, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and minor league SS Edwin Diaz (.302/.344/.453, 2 HR, 9 RBI at A-).
7/29 - The Minnesota Twins sent RHP Michael Tonkin (3.89, 44 K in 39.1 IP) to the Tampa Bay Rays for minor league 3B Kevin Padlo (.271/.327/.410, 9 HR, 51 RBI at A) and minor league C Jake DePew (.234/.323/.321, 1 HR, 13 RBI at AA).
7/29 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sent minor league 3B David Freese (.204/.285/.321, 5 HR, 25 RBI at AAA) to the St. Louis Cardinals for LHP Mark Buehrle (3.60, 23 K in 30 IP).
7/29 - The Pittsburgh Pirates sent RHP Mark Melancon (3.51, 25 K in 25.2 IP) to the Atlanta Braves for SS Erick Aybar (.321/.385/.461, 4 HR, 25 RBI) and minor league RHP Chris Ellis (4.62, 53 K in 78 IP at AA).
7/30 - The Minnesota Twins sent RHP Kevin Jepsen (2.93, 41 K in 43 IP) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league RF Carlos Rincon (.204/.235/.347, 2 HR, 5 RBI at R) and minor league C Julian Leon (.315/.378/.552, 13 HR, 46 RBI at A).
7/30 - The Boston Red Sox sent RHP Junichi Tazawa (3.57, 52 K in 45.1 IP) and $160k to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league SS Malquin Canelo (.260/.328/.328, 2 HR, 32 RBI at A+).
7/31 - The San Diego Padres sent 1B Brett Wallace (.283/.338/.450, 2 HR, 7 RBI) to the Milwaukee Brewers for minor league RF Demi Orimoloye (.291/.339/.400, 1 HR, 5 RBI at A).
7/31 - The Cincinnati Reds sent RHP J.J. Hoover (4.15, 46 K in 47.2 IP) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league CF Yusniel Diaz (.295/.378/.444, 5 HR, 25 RBI at A) and minor league SS Damaso Marte, Jr. (.203/.259/.230, 0 HR, 1 RBI at R).
7/31 - The Oakland Athletics sent LF Mark Canha (.240/.297/.408, 5 HR, 19 RBI) to the Philadelphia Phillies for minor league 1B Rhys Hopkins (.237/.306/.387, 8 HR, 43 RBI).
7/31 - The Los Angeles Dodgers sent C A.J. Ellis (.219/.275/.329, 1 HR, 11 RBI) to the Los Angeles Angels for RHP Joe Smith (5.76, 26 K in 29.2 IP) and minor league LHP Nathaniel Bertness (1.80, 4 K in 5 IP at R).
7/31 - The Philadelphia Phillies sent minor league RHP Colton Murray (2.79, 21 K in 19.1 IP at AAA) to the Los Angeles Dodgers for minor league RF Starling Heredia (.176/.236/.213, 0 HR, 7 RBI at R) and minor league 3B Jose Cuas (.190/.312/.302, 1 HR, 7 RBI at R).

RETIREMENTS
none

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Miguel Cabrera (DET) - .357
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.112
HR - Chris Davis (BAL) - 34
RBI - Chris Davis (BAL) - 80
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 39
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 2.29
Wins - Jake Arrieta (CHC) - 16
Strikeouts - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 193
Saves - Wade Davis (KC) - 32

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - Yulieski Gurriel - .302
OPS - Yulieski Gurriel - .912
HR - Yulieski Gurriel - 14
RBI - Starling Marte - 45
SB - Starling Marte and Andrew McCutchen - 2
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.75
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 11
Strikeouts - Francisco Liriano - 150
Saves - Mark Melancon - 20

[JustinM]

JULY 2016 BATTING


JULY 2016 PITCHING


JULY 2016 STANDINGS

[JustinM]

PIRATES ARE AT SEA
September 1, 2016

On 8/2, what little hope we had left went out the window when Andrew McCutchen went down for several months with a hamstring strain. Then Gregory Polanco on 8/10. On 8/19, LF Matt Joyce suffered a setback and would miss another 2 weeks.

SS Erick Aybar asked for an extension. He wants $19M...PER YEAR! Apparently he hasn't yet gotten word that he's a stop-gap.

The Mark Buehrle experiment came to an end as quickly as it began. It seemed originally that the Cardinals had given up on him as a starter too quickly; they hadn't allowed him to start a game all season, and he seemed passable in 2015. No such luck. He started 5 games for me and pitched only 29.1 innings with just 9 strikeouts and a WHIP of nearly 2. His "stuff" rating dropped like a rock after I got hold of him and every pitch was straight as an arrow. Ryan Vogelsong wasn't good for me, but at least he isn't guaranteed to lose his starts.

Angel Alicea, a player I drafted in the 11th round this year, won New York-Penn League Player of the Week for the week of August 22. He hit .414 with 2 home runs, 7 RBI, and 6 runs scored. He entered the draft as a pitcher, but I noticed that he had pretty decent batting potential, so I drafted him and converted him to 1B. So far, so good.

St. Louis waived RHP Matt Bowman, a 25-year-old closer at AAA Memphis, with a 1.44 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 62.1 innings pitched. I assume this is in an attempt to make a waiver trade, but I put a claim on him anyway. I didn't get notified, but it appears that St. Louis revoked the waiver status and he's resumed his closer role in Memphis.

In a sign of the way the year has gone, we have only 4 qualified batsmen on the roster--Gurriel, who joined slightly late, Cervelli, who has played more games than a catcher really should, Marte, and Harrison.

TEAM MOVES
8/4 - Placed CF Andrew McCutchen on 60 day DL. Recalled RHP John Holdzkom from AAA Indianapolis.
8/11 - Placed RF Gregory Polanco on 60 day DL. Purchased contract of LF Danny Ortiz from AAA Indianapolis.
8/24 - Designated LHP Mark Buehrle for assignment. Activated RHP Ryan Vogelsong from the 15 day DL.
8/29 - Optioned RF Willy Garcia to AAA Indianapolis. Activated LF Matt Joyce from the 15 day DL.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
8/2 - New York Yankees RF Carlos Beltran hit his 400th home run in a 9-7 loss to the New York Mets.
8/8 - Miami Marlins SS Adeiny Hechavarria hit for the cycle in a 6-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants.
8/17 - Cincinnati Reds LF Carl Crawford got his 2000th hit in a 6-5 win over the Miami Marlins.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
8/2 - Pittsburgh Pirates CF Andrew McCutchen will miss 2 to 3 months with a hamstring strain. Recalled RHP John Holdzkom from AAA Indianapolis.
8/6 - New York Yankees LHP Aroldis Chapman will miss 1 to 2 weeks with shoulder tendinitis.
8/6 - St. Louis Cardinals RHP Trevor Rosenthal will miss 2 weeks with a strained back muscle.
8/7 - Washington Nationals RHP Trevor Gott will miss at least 4 months with a fractured elbow.
8/8 - Cincinnati Reds RHP Noe Ramirez will miss the rest of the season with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.
8/9 - Toronto Blue Jays LHP Wade LeBlanc will be out for the rest of the year with bone chips in his elbow.
8/10 - Pittsburgh Pirates RF Gregory Polanco will miss 6 to 7 months with a torn rotator cuff.
8/12 - Detroit Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera will miss 5 to 6 weeks with a strained oblique.
8/14 - Toronto Blue Jays 2B Devon Travis will miss 3 weeks with a sore shoulder.
8/16 - St. Louis Cardinals Matt Holliday will miss 5 weeks with a broken hand.
8/23 - Miami Marlins RHP Jose Urena sustained a torn ulnar collateral ligament and will miss the rest of the season.
8/23 - Washington Nationals SS Trea Turner is out for 6 weeks with an elbow sprain.
8/23 - Tampa Bay Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier will miss 3 weeks with a strained back muscle.
8/25 - Kansas City Royals RHP Wade Davis has biceps tendinitis and will miss 2 months.
8/26 - Texas Rangers 2B Rougned Odor will miss 5 weeks with a sprained ankle.
8/27 - Boston Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia will miss 3 to 4 weeks with a separated shoulder.
8/28 - Detroit Tigers C Jarrod Saltalamacchia will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
none

RETIREMENTS
none

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Bryce Harper (WAS) - .366
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.147
HR - Chris Davis (BAL) - 39
RBI - Chris Davis (BAL) and Mike Trout (LAA) - 95
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 45
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 2.13
Wins - Jake Arrieta (CHC) - 22
Strikeouts - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 244
Saves - Wade Davis (KC) - 40

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - Yulieski Gurriel - .300
OPS - Yulieski Gurriel - .918
HR - Yulieski Gurriel - 21
RBI - Starling Marte - 59
SB - Starling Marte - 4
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.82
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 13
Strikeouts - Gerrit Cole - 186
Saves - Mark Melancon - 20

[JustinM]

AUGUST 2016 BATTING


AUGUST 2016 PITCHING


AUGUST 2016 STANDINGS

[JustinM]

MERCY AT LAST
October 3, 2016

September callups! I recalled RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Jorge Rondon, RHP Rob Scahill, C Elias Diaz, 3B Jason Rogers, SS Jordy Mercer, and RF Willy Garcia from AAA Indianapolis. Recalled 2B Alen Hanson and RHP A.J. Schugel from AA Altoona.

On 9/15, the Pirates were eliminated from playoff contention. I'm a little surprised it took that long.

On 9/17, when we were behind 18-5, Jung-Ho Kang made his Major League pitching debut. He pitched one inning, gave up 1 hit. This person then stole second and moved up to score on two consecutive ground outs.

TEAM MOVES
9/3 - Released LHP Mark Buehrle.
9/9 - Recalled RHP Trevor Williams, RHP Jorge Rondon, RHP Rob Scahill, C Elias Diaz, 3B Jason Rogers, SS Jordy Mercer, and RF Willy Garcia from AAA Indianapolis. Recalled 2B Alen Hanson and RHP A.J. Schugel from AA Altoona.
9/11 - Placed 1B John Jaso on the 15 day DL.
10/1 - Activated 1B John Jason from the 15 day DL.

LEAGUE MILESTONES
9/1 - San Francisco 1B Brandon Belt hit for the cycle in a 12-4 win over the Chicago Cubs.
9/16 - Los Angeles Dodgers 1B Adrian Gonzalez hit his 300th home run in an 8-4 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
9/23 - Toronto Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion hit his 300th home run in a 5-2 win over the New York Yankees.
9/26 - St. Louis Cardinals LF Matt Holliday got his 2000th hit in a 6-1 loss to the Cincinnati Reds.

NOTABLE LEAGUE INJURIES
8/30 - Toronto Blue Jays RF Jose Bautista has a strained oblique and will miss the rest of the season. This injury was not announced until 9/2.
8/30 - Baltimore Orioles CF Adam Jones will miss 5 to 6 months with a torn labrum.
9/2 - Atlanta Braves 2B Kelly Johsnon will miss 6 months with a broken elbow.
9/3 - Los Angeles Angels RHP David Carpenter will miss the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff.
9/3 - Boston Red Sox FR Mookie Betts will miss the rest of the season with a broken wrist.
9/3 - St. Louis Cardinals RF Stephen Piscotty will miss 3 to 4 weeks with shoulder soreness.
9/4 - Kansas City Royals LHP Tyler Lyons will miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation.
9/10 - Pittsburgh Pirates 1B John Jaso will miss 3 weeks with a sprained knee.
9/11 - Atlanta Braves RHP Kyle Lohse will miss the rest of the season with shoulder inflammation.
9/14 - Los Angeles Dodgers 3B Justin Turner will miss 6 weeks with a broken tibia.
9/16 - Chicago White Sox LHP Jose Quintana will miss the rest of the season with a stretched elbow ligament.
9/21 - Chicago White Sox RHP Mat Latos will miss the remainder of the season with a broken elbow.
9/25 - Texas Rangers LHP Cole Hamels will miss the rest of the season with a torn UCL.
9/25 - Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw will miss the rest of the season with a strained oblique.
9/27 - Kansas City Royals LHP Wesley Wright will miss the rest of the season with a torn flexor tendon in his elbow.
10/1 - Houston Astros 3B Matt Duffy will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
10/2 - Toronto Blue Jays RHP Pat Venditte will miss the rest of the season with a torn labrum.
10/2 - Oakland Athletics LHP Marc Rzepczynski will miss 7 to 8 months with shoulder inflammation.

NOTABLE LEAGUE TRANSACTIONS
9/14 - The Philadelphia Phillies sent minor league RHP David Buchanan (5.23, 80 K in 139.1 IP at AAA) to the Atlanta Braves for minor league CF Ronald Acuna (.239/.322/.327, 5 HR, 41 RBI at A).
9/15 - The New York Mets extended the contract of 2B Neil Walker by 6 years, worth $110.4M total.

RETIREMENTS
10/2 - Boston Red Sox CF Rene Reyes retired.

MLB LEADERS
Batting Average - Bryce Harper (WAS) - .362
OPS - Bryce Harper (WAS) - 1.117
HR - Chris Davis (BAL) - 48
RBI - Mike Trout (LAA) - 120
SB - Billy Hamilton (CIN) - 60
ERA - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 2.16
Wins - Jake Arrieta (CHC) - 26
Strikeouts - Clayton Kershaw (LAD) - 293
Saves - Cody Allen (CLE) - 51

PIRATE LEADERS
Batting Average - Yulieski Gurriel - .292
OPS - Yulieski Gurriel - .877
HR - Yulieski Gurriel - 23
RBI - Yulieski Gurriel - 70
SB - Starling Marte - 4
ERA - Gerrit Cole - 2.83
Wins - Gerrit Cole - 14
Strikeouts - Francisco Liriano - 227
Saves - Mark Melancon - 20

PITTSBURGH PIRATES BATTING STATS
Batting Average: .249 - 11th
On-Base Percentage: .309 - 13th
Slugging Percentage: .385 - 10th
On-Base + Slugging: .694 - 10th
Runs Scored: 649 - tied for 13th
Hits: 1389 - 9th
Extra-Base Hits: 487 - 6th
Home Runs: 120 - 12th
Bases On Balls: 462 - 10th
Strikeouts: 1364 - 11th
Stolen Bases: 9 - 15th

PITTSBURGH PIRATES PITCHING STATS
ERA: 4.62 - 14th
Starters' ERA: 4.52 - 11th
Bullpen ERA: 4.86 - 15th
Runs allowed: 799 - 14th
Hits allowed: 1604 - 15th
Opponents Average: .284 - 15th
BABIP: .334 - 15th
HR allowed: 149 - 9th
Bases on Balls: 445 - 5th
Strikeouts: 1188 - 15th
Defensive Efficiency: .652 - 15th