TWB: The Pittsburgh Pirates

[canadiancreed]

after this sim? maybe not

[ifspuds]

I'm failing to come up with an angle for this installment that I haven't already covered, so I'll just ramble for a little bit.

Last season, we were predicted to have one of the best (if not the best) rotation in the National League. What happened? Cotton Simson went on decline, Ace Shipley ran out of gas and moved to the bullpen, and none of the guys that stepped in were anywhere near those two in quality.

This season, we were characterized as being all offense and not much pitching. What happened? Martin Gwaltney took his game to an even higher level, Cotton Simson's been unspectacular but solid, and Jack Schoonover is pitching pretty well. If Daniel Blisit could come anywhere near his 1954 numbers, we'd be in really good shape. And the offense is seriously scuffling. Herm Vardaman is hitting .230, Harold Perry .237 and the injured Ike Walker is hitting .234. Only Ben Giordano is doing much of anything. If we could get a couple of the usual suspects hitting again, this team would have a shot.

So while we're playing pretty well, it's a little frustrating to look at these guys that have been the rocks of my lineup for several seasons now all slumping through the first two months of the season. It could have been an even better month: we swept a 3-game series from the first place Cubs, only to follow it up with a 3-game sweep at the hands of our other archnemeses, the Reds.

-----

Overall Record: 27-23, 4 games back of Chicago, tied for 3rd place with... Brooklyn(?!?).

Top Hitter: Still Big Ben Giordano. Though his power's gone curiously away. He had 6 homers through the end of April, and has just 7 at the end of May. Still, he's hitting 340/381/505. Not too awful, and by far the best on the team.
Top Pitcher: Martin Gwaltney, the Longhorn Lefty. Gwaltney won his 3rd career Pitcher of the Month in May, going 6-0, 1.13 in the month. On the season, he's 10-2, 1.73 with a 0.88 WHIP in 104 IP, allowing just 66 hits and 26 walks, striking out 55. He never fails to amaze.
Injury News: The annual Ike Walker DL watch got off to an early start this season, as the occasionally brittle hot corner man went out May 2nd with either a torn abdominal muscle or an inflamed rib cage (the game can't seem to quite decide which) and will be out another 1-2 weeks. Daniel Blisit had a bad back in the middle of the month, but is back now.
Development News: Fantastic news on the development front, as catcher of the future Doug Provenzano took a major jump forward on May 6th, going from a 5/7/4/6/5, 9 arm talent to a 7/7/6/8/7, 9 arm talent, becoming the 13th ranked prospect in the process.

High Points: The Pittsburgh Pirates: All Gwaltney, All The Time. I'm really happy to see Provenzano jump forward. He's been one of my sleeper prospects since I drafted him in the 2nd round a few seasons ago. He's always hit well at every level, and it's nice to see him rewarded.

Low Points: The vaunted offensive core of Vardaman, Perry, Giordano and Walker is running on one wheel right now, and even that wheel is starting to wobble.

Prospect News: Beside the good news on Provenzano (who was promoted to AAA on June 1st), AA manager Specs Vrbohny pushed for Jumbo Houk to get the call up to AAA New Orleans. The 21-year old was just 3-7 in AA, but he had a fine 3.04 ERA in 92 innings, allowing opponents just a .237 average. He'll need some work on his control (46 walks), but the coaches think he can handle the callup. We'll see. My only two real prospects of note (Houk and Provenzano) are now at AAA. This is a good thing, since we're trying to stay competitive.

[canadiancreed]

too bad that was the only series that we won all SIM. Didnt think i'd miss Goza/Grissom as much as we did

[ifspuds]

Rift in the Clubhouse Damages Pirates Hopes
by Langford Thomason
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Maybe firing Jerry Hertzog wasn't the brilliant move everyone thought it was.

Sources within the Pirates clubhouse are confirming rumors of a rift between Herm Vardaman and Harold Perry, formerly close friends now on opposite sides of a battle over the direction of the team, and it has affected not only these two former All-Stars but the entire lineup from top to bottom, keeping the Pirates from challenging for the pennant.

Vardaman is well-known to have benefitted from Hall of Fame second baseman Hertzog's tutelage, turning him into an All-Pro and potential Hall of Fame talent. Perry, on the other hand, was vocal about the disappointments of 1952 and 1953, suggesting that Hertzog's substitution patterns may have had something to do with those devastating losses. With Hertzog unceremoniously pushed out the door so the Pirates could distract the ticket-buying public with Bud Breckenridge's pretty face, word around the clubhouse is that Vardaman is blaming his former friend -- and new Pirates captain, thanks to new manager Breckenridge -- for the inability of the team to move up in the standings. Neither player is performing up to their previous standards, with Perry barely hitting his own weight, and Vardaman only recently remembering which end of the bat to hold, making it all too obvious that there are issues beyond what goes on during play on the diamond. Scouts are now saying that Vardaman has lost a bit of bat speed, and is forcing the action at the plate, relying on what once was a highly discerning eye at the dish but now lets eminently hittable pitches go past. Perry has taken all too comfortably to his captain's role, and appears to have lost his drive to succeed, thinking himself perfectly safe to go through the motions.

When will the Pirates' so-called braintrust wake up and read the signs so obvious to everyone else? This team has outlived its time and should be broken up, rather than clinging to some rapidly-fading hope of success? General manager Charles Bradley sits in his office on his hands while phones ring around the league with teams getting better and the Pirates simply sit mired in mediocrity.

-----

Overall Record: 40-37, 6 games back of Chicago, 5th place.

Top Hitter: Since Ben Giordano's still riding on the coattails of his blistering April, I'm going to give the nod to another player this month. Center fielder Albert Huschke is hitting a nice .302/.362/.401 after getting a development boost earlier this season. This is a career season for Huschke, who's won two Gold Gloves in center for me. Shame no one else is hitting.
Top Pitcher: Martin Gwaltney was hurt all month, so the award goes to Jack Schoonover. Schoonover was seen as the lesser of the two pitchers that came over from the Giants in the offseason, but "The Carpenter" has been outpitching Daniel Blisit all season. He tossed a 4-hit shutout against his old mates from the Polo Grounds, and is now 7-9, 3.18 with a 1.27 WHIP, the second-best starter on the team this year.
Injury News: As mentioned above, ace Martin Gwaltney was out nearly the entire month with arm troubles. He's had nagging injuries in the past, but was healthy all last season. Hopefully this isn't another sign of trouble. He's ready to come off the DL to start July. We need him if we're going to make any run.
Development News: Herm Vardaman lost some talent in contact and plate discipline, from a 9/5/3/10/8 talent to a 8/5/3/10/8 talent (rated 8/6/4/10/9). He hasn't had a very good season, though he's brought his average up to .260 and the on-base percentage over .400 finally.

High Points: Not much to say. We're firmly in the top tier of NL teams, but we're at the bottom of that top tier, if that makes any sense. We were only 2 games out on June 16th.

Low Points: What's wrong with Perry? He's hitting just .224, though he's hitting for reasonable power (11 homers is halfway to his career high of 22). The whole team's been mired in a season-long slump.

Prospect News: Houk and Provenzano are making their marks at AAA. Jumbo Houk got a raise in stuff (4/2/6 ratings, 6/7/8 talents) and is 3-2, 2.79. His BB:K ratio is just 20:11 though, so I don't see him coming to the majors this season. Doug Provenzano, on the other hand, continues to make a case for a callup, hitting .314/.431/.461 with 3 homers and an 18:5 BB:K ratio. If he keeps this up for another 100 at-bats, I don't see much point in keeping him in the minors. He's rated 4/7/3/4/4 against 7/7/6/8/7 talents currently. Ideally, I'd like to see the contact or eye ratings go up before I bring him to the bigs.

[canadiancreed]

yes listen to Langford Thomason, you shoudl look into trading some folks.

[ifspuds]

I knew you'd say that.

[canadiancreed]

of course I would, there's about......i'd say three players that woudl look good in a Reds uniform

Is that happening? hell no. Your fans would burn Forbes to the ground

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

When will the Pirates' so-called braintrust wake up and read the signs so obvious to everyone else? This team has outlived its time and should be broken up, rather than clinging to some rapidly-fading hope of success? General manager Charles Bradley sits in his office on his hands while phones ring around the league with teams getting better and the Pirates simply sit mired in mediocrity.

The whole time I was reading this, that's exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if Herm or Perry will be dealt to "send a message."

[canadiancreed]

Originally Posted by Matt from TN

The whole time I was reading this, that's exactly what I was thinking. I wonder if Herm or Perry will be dealt to "send a message."

especialyl to a hated rival.....

[ifspuds]

Well, I severely dropped the ball on finishing the story of the season, but for anyone out there who doesn't habitually park on the Time Warp forums and still actually reads this thread (do such people exist? I've always wondered), the big news of the 1955 season was the trade of ace Martin Gwaltney to Kansas City. We still finished 3rd, but a very distant third behind Chicago, and despite getting a lot of talented players, there's still a big hole in the rotation. I had a whole story thought up about how the front office approached him about a potential trade, and he was really unhappy about leaving the Pirates, but it did put him in Kansas City, which was a lot closer to home (he's from San Antonio, Texas) and so maybe it was okay... but I didn't get around to writing it, so there's the Cliff's Notes version.

Now that I'm more or less done trading to start the 1956 season, I thought it'd be amusing to take a look at what I ended up getting for Gwaltney:

SP Martin Gwaltney (5 stars, 29 years old, 9/8/9 ratings over 10/9/10 talents)

for

OF Matt Praks (4.5 stars, 28 years old, 8/7/7/2/4 ratings over 7/7/7/3/5 talents, 10/7/10 range in LF/CF/RF)
SP Harvey Gaunt (2.5 stars, 26 years old, 8/7/5 ratings over 9/7/6 talents)
IF Henri Gallais (5 star prospect, 24 years old, 4/5/5/6/7 ratings over 6/6/7/10/8 talents, 6/2/4 range at 1B/2B/3B)
SP Shannon Richardson (2 star prospect, 23 years old, 3/6/3 ratings over 8/5/2 talents)

And Gallais was just traded to Baltimore, along with 3-star MR prospect Les Kramer for:

IF Doug Williams (4 star prospect, 22 years old, 4/6/4/3/5 ratings over 7/6/7/5/5 talents, 10/8/7 range at 2B/3B/SS)
SP Ben Alford (3.5 star prospect, 19 years old, 3/5/4 ratings over 6/10/6 talents).

So it works out to Gwaltney and Kramer for Praks, Gaunt, Richardson, Williams and Alford. It's really hard to trade a Hall of Fame-caliber ace, but I think I made out okay. Now if I can figure out how to fix my bullpen on the cheap...

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

So it works out to Gwaltney and Kramer for Praks, Gaunt, Richardson, Williams and Alford. It's really hard to trade a Hall of Fame-caliber ace, but I think I made out okay. Now if I can figure out how to fix my bullpen on the cheap...

Extremely impressive.


And I always look forward to this thread, but perhaps I qualify as a habitual TWB forum parker.

[ifspuds]

The 1956 Pirates: Transition

The new season begins with a number of question marks. Most people agree that with Matt Praks (who hit .373 last season) in the fold for a full season, the Pirates should be able to score a few runs, especially if Herm Vardaman and Harold Perry return to the form that made them perennial All-Stars and rookie Doug Provenzano can provide an improvement over the black hole of 1955's catching duo of Bud Moore and Rich Schuldt. Provenzano had an outstanding spring, capitalizing on the terrific progress he made at AAA last year and should be a candidate for Rookie of the Year. The Pirates are also hoping that former bonus baby Doug "The Count" Williams will benefit from a bit of time at AAA after being forced to stay in the majors the last two seasons in Baltimore due to bonus player rules. Still, he's nearly ready to start in the majors, and could see a callup by the All-Star break if he makes strides in the minors. His best position is second base, where he's a perennial Gold Glove caliber defender, but with Herm Vardaman firmly entrenched there, he'll make the move to shortstop, where he still flashes some very fine leather and could earn some defensive hardware there as well.

However, pitching coach Jonathan Stobart has his work cut out for him. The Pirates may have a full season of Matt Praks, but they won't have any Martin Gwaltney this year, and that's going to continue to leave a gaping hole in what was called the best rotation in the game just a few seasons ago. Harvey Gaunt, who came over in the Gwaltney trade, is young and talented, but he has yet to live up to that potential. Daniel Blisit is just a season removed from going 20-9, 2.69 in the Polo Grounds, but he faltered to 16-13, 4.68 for the Pirates last season. Jack Schoonover is coming off his best season since 1952 (16-17, 3.82), but at age 34, was that just the blip in his impending decline? Pittsburgh's AAA rotation of Jumbo Houk (22, 3 stars, 4/3/8 over 6/7/8, 3.10 ERA at AAA in 1955), 1st-round pick Hal Muldrow (23, 3 stars, 4/6/3 over 6/8/5, first season) and newly acquired Ben "Reverend" Alford (19, 3.5 stars, 3/5/4 over 6/10/6, 4.96 ERA at AAA in 1955) is solid, but it could be 1957 or 1958 before any of these players are able to make a contribution in the majors. I won't get into the cover-your-eyes-and-make-a-pick options at the 4th starter spot. It's just too painful.

1956 is expected to be a season of transition in Pittsburgh, but they could surprise a few teams if Gaunt or one of the youngsters can make a big leap forward. Still, it's likely they'll finish 3rd or 4th once again, as many pundits have suggested.

[canadiancreed]

if it makes you feel better, you're beating me?

[ifspuds]

Let me explain small sample size to you...

There ain't much difference between 6-4 and 4-7 after two weeks of the season.

[canadiancreed]

just trying to help :P

[ifspuds]

Pirates Sneak Up On National League
by Langford Thomason

Worry not, Pirates fans: that stunned silence that overtook you this morning as you studied the National League standings this morning is quite normal. It would not surprise this humble scribe if the same reaction had played out at breakfast tables all across the nation. The Pittsburgh Pirates are in first place, to the surprise of nearly everyone who has followed this grand game for more than a handful of days.

Picked to place no better than fourth by writers and other experts at the outset of the season, the beleaguered Buccaneers have stuck with the front runners for the entire season and moved into first place in May, standing a game in front of their bitter rivals, the Chicago Cubs as of this writing on May 16th. The question on the minds of many, however, is simple: How? How are they doing it? The illusionist's trick of smoke and mirrors is just that, a feeble trick that preys on the minds of the gullible. But a close look at the 25-man roster of this overachieving team would seem to indicate that their success would make the most talented prestidigitator green with envy.

The offense is performing as expected, with a fine batting mark of .278, good for 3rd of 16 teams and their ability to draw the free pass has contributed to a bushel of runs scored that places them atop the National League in that category. Rookie backstop Doug Provenzano is providing offense and defense, with a .301 average and nearly 42% of runners thrown out attempting to steal. Herm Vardaman and Harold Perry appear to have put their differences from last season aside and are both having bounceback seasons. The only weak spots in the lineup are at center field, where Albert Huschke appears to have left his bats in the clubhouse, and shortstop, where the job sharing arrangement between Hal Breault Jr. and Cutter Brekke appears to be benefitting neither player. With prized prospect Doug Williams tearing up AAA pitching, it might not be long before we see The Count plying his trade with the big club.

No, Pirates fans, the offense is certainly doing its part, and that is not an illusion. Be careful, however, when you take a look at the ragtag mob of hurlers your general manager, Charles Bradley, has assembled to try and keep your beloved Bucs in the race.

While Harvey Gaunt will not make anyone forget the magnificence of the Longhorn Lefty, Martin Gwaltney, a 7-0 record with a 2.87 record is nothing to scoff at. It's an excellent mark. For a #2 starter. But on this team, Gaunt is by default the ace of the staff. And the #2 role is filled by Daniel Blisit, who may be 4-1 but with a 4.75 ERA, he depends far too much on the gracious largesse of that top-ranked offense. Jack Schoonover, in the #3 spot, appears to have forgotten about his capable work in 1955, going 2-5 with an atrocious 6.21 ERA. And that, fans, is your #3 starter. Matt Heal and Porter Helms have divided time at the #4 spot, and neither is worth of mention, lest you lose the remains of your morning meal.

There appears little hope for help from the AAA ranks, as the passel of pitchers at that level is hardly ready for major-league work. If this team hopes to maintain its lofty perch, the front office must act quickly and decisively to shore up the gaping hole in the ship's hull: the embarrassingly shallow rotation. Harvey Gaunt can only carry this collection of ragarms so far before his back gives out.

-----

May 16th, 1956
Overall Record: 24-13, 1st place, 1 game ahead of the Chicago Cubs

Top Hitter: Welcome back, Harold Perry! After a dismal 1955, Perry's out to prove himself again. His 274/386/452 April wasn't bad, but he's turned it up a notch in May, hitting 417/472/771 through the first two weeks for a season line of 326/416/568 with 7 homers.

Top Pitcher: As Lang Thomason mentioned, Harvey Gaunt's been very dependable. 7-0, 2.87 is a pretty good mark, but it's really not ace-worthy in this league. Still, Harvey hasn't given up more than 4 runs in any start this season, and he struck out 13 in 9 and two-thirds in an April 20th start and he's allowed just 49 hits in 75 innings pitched. If he could cut down on his walks, he might be that ace we need.

Injury News: Nothing major at the big league level, but bad news at AAA where top pitching prospect Ben Alford will have to shut it down for the season with bone chips in his shoulder.

Development News: Ben Alford lost 2 off his contact talent, down to a 6/8/6 talent. Closer Russell Toledo gained some control and movement talent, but nothing major.

High Points: Can't complain about being in first, that's for sure. The offense has been fun to watch, and I'm glad Gaunt is doing well.

Low Points: Whoof, the rest of the rotation is scary. If Schoonover was doing anything like 1955, I'd feel a lot better about our chances to stay in first.

Prospect News: Doug Williams is absolutely tearing up AAA, hitting .308/.408/.559 with 8 homers. We really do need a shortstop, but I'm resisting the urge to bring him back to the majors (he had to spend 2 seasons on Baltimore's big league roster as a bonus player) until he brings his contact rating up from a 4. He's rated 4/6/4/3/5 over 7/6/7/5/5 talents, so a little lift in contact or power would be really nice before he has to face big league pitching again.

[canadiancreed]

this news fills me with a mixed feeling of joy and annoyance

Joy that Chicago is getting soem competition, annoyance that it isnt us

Joy that my ancestor has a chance to get in the big show, annoyed that it isnt Teddie

Joy that underachievers can pull it off, annoyed that my all-star team isnt.

I'm starting to wonder if youd' liek to trade my whole team for yours (jsut kidding, but I wish my guys woudl have a look at your team and wonder "why cant we dont that?"

[ifspuds]

Well, it is only May 16th. I'm not printing World Series tickets yet.

[Matt from TN]

Originally Posted by ifspuds

prestidigitator

Someone broke out the thesaurus today. I'm impressed.

You guys are working hard at keeping my NL allegience in Pittsburgh. Too bad about the Reverend though. At least he's just my uncle (same as Wick in STL, who's taken a few hits) so I'm not too upset on a personal level.

Go Bucs.

[ifspuds]

Pirates Roll Along, Start July in First
by Jack McKinley
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Has anyone ever been so happy to see the Hangman? After the entire league looked at the Pirates' pitching staff in the preseason, winced and turned away, Harvey "Hangman" Gaunt has led the surprising corps of hurlers and, accordingly, his team into first place at the outset of July. Gaunt, who must be considered thus far one of the top candidates for the newly minted "Murphy Award" for top pitcher in the National League, is a sparkling 13-3 with a 2.97 ERA despite finishing June on a cold streak. The 27-year old Gaunt, who came to Pittsburgh in the shocking trade that sent Martin Gwaltney to the Kansas City Athletics, was considered a future star, but few expected that talent to shine this brightly this quickly. With Daniel Blisit making a turnaround from a dismal 1955 and the bullpen posting numbers unseen in a Pittsburgh relief corps in some years, a great deal of credit is due pitching coach Jonathan Stobart.

"The first thing Coach Stob told me when I got to the team was that I could make everyone forget Gwaltney," said Gaunt. "For him to have that much confidence in me right away made a huge difference for me. When I got the word I'd been traded to Pittsburgh, my first thought was that I'd be pitching alongside Lefty. When I found out I'd been traded for him, there was a lot of pressure. Coach has been great at taking that off my shoulders and helping me remember to pitch my own game."

Stobart deflected the credit for the staff's surprising showing. "Everyone underestimated these guys, including themselves. All I did was to break up the pity party. Anybody could do that," said the Pirates coach. Stobart is known around the organization and beyond for his colorful speech and no-nonsense attitude, so while anyone could have done the same, it is doubtful anyone could have done so quite as effectively. Manager Bud Breckenridge agreed. "Look, all I know about pitching is how to hit it. If Stob wasn't riding those guys like a jockey with his pants on fire, we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are. Every guy on this team would walk barefoot over a bed of nails for Stob, and I'd be right there at the front."

The true test of the staff will be how it handles the pressure of a pennant race. With the Pirates tied for first with their bitter rivals from Chicago, the Brooklyn squad just a half-game behind and the underachieving Reds starting to make noise in the middle of the pack, we could once more -- yes, again, Pirates fans -- have a nailbiting pennant race to face one of the American League's juggernauts in the World Series.

-----

July 1, 1956
Overall Record: 48-29, 1st place, percentage points ahead of the Chicago Cubs

Top Hitter: Who do I pick? Herm Vardaman has already tied his career high for homers (12), and is hitting .323 with a .950 OPS. Ben Giordano has been on fire, hitting .434 in June to raise his line to .353/.417/.536 with 12 homers. Harold Perry continues to put up career-high numbers, hitting .331 with 14 homers and a .987 OPS. Honorable mention goes to rookie catcher Doug Provenzano (.307/.396/.436, 5 HR), LF Matt Praks (.290/.353/.479, 12 HR).

Top Pitcher: Harvey Gaunt is still the leader of the pitching staff. He had 3 poor starts the last sim, but he's still 13-3, 2.97 despite giving up 7, 5 and 3 runs in his last 3 starts.

Injury News: Nothing to report.

Development News: 38-year old Ace Shipley, who pitched so well for us in the 1953 pennant chase, is looking at the end of the line. He lost stuff and movement last sim, and is rated 3/5/3 now. He could be sent out if we trade for another pitcher.

High Points: Blisit pitching better is a major factor in our being able to stay in first place. We picked up setup man Dean Schiffman from the A's for a couple of minor league flyers, and he's pitched very well outside of a 3-run, no-out outing against Philly.

Low Points: Our 4th starter spot, currently occupied by Porter Helms, needs serious work. We've had trade talks with a number of teams, but nothing has solidified just yet.

Prospect News: Last season's first round pick, Jumbo Houk, has been developing very rapidly at AAA, now rated 5/4/8 over 6/7/8 talents. A lot of other teams have been asking about him in trade talks, but he's unlikely to move. It's very possible he could be the 4th starter by the end of the season, or at least pitching in long relief. Doug "The Count" Williams is still blistering AAA pitching: .295/.410/.520. Despite being rated 4/4/3 (con/pow/eye), it's getting harder and harder to justify keeping him on the farm.