Results tagged ‘ ronny cedeno ’
Hurdle addresses lineup, cedeno and the closers role
Manager Clint Hurdle addressed the media on Wednesday for a 30-minute gathering. Here are some of the things he addressed:
- Hurdle was asked on the projected lineup for next season but he did not give his thoughts on it. He did, however, say he has made up a few lineups for fun. Hurdle did mention Paul Maholm, James McDonald and Ross Ohlendorf as key pieces to the starting rotation.
- Hurdle, who has spent seven seasons in the majors as a hitting coach, will work often with Gregg Ritchie directly.
“I have some ideas,” Hurdle said. “There will be days when I’ll be in the cage. It’s just something I love to do. I’m not going to get in the way, but I also think I can help make a difference along those lines.”
- Hurdle said that both Joel Hanrahan and Evan Meek are still being considered for the closers role. He prefers to choose one before opening day, rather than have them share duties throughout the season.
- Hurdle has been doing extensive homework on shortstop Ronny Cedeno and has gotten mixed reviews.
“Some of the comments that have been shared with me that he has made, he understands, that he needs to be more consistent,” Hurdle said. “He’s got to get better on the field. There are a whole bunch of us that are waiting for the day we don’t have to talk about what to do, we can just play the game and start doing it. I think he would fall in that category.”
Huntington discusses day two of winter meetings
General Manager Neal Huntington discusses day two of the winter meetings with Pittsburgh media.
- On what the Pirates are looking for in a starter: “At this point, we’d like to find some stability in the rotation. We need a guy who we feel comfortable with, who is going to take the ball every fifth day. You never know with pitchers. But we’ve looked at track records. And maybe there is a guy out there that’s got some upside that is coming back from injury in the last couple of years that may be a fit or maybe we have two stabilizers. We need to eat some innings. We need to lighten the load on our bullpen. We need to get deeper into the games as a rotation. We need to give ourselves some options.”
- On how Huntington wants to build his bullpen: “A little bit of everything. We’re exploring the free agent market. We’re exploring the trade market. We’re looking at the 4-A free agent market. We’ve got a lot of internal options as well. If we add more starters than we need, we’ve got some additional bullpen options. Maybe then that pushes a guy who has had some success as a starter, maybe it pushes him back in the bullpen again and we deepen our bullpen. Maybe it pushes some of our internal options to come into camp in a little bit better shape. Too many options is never a bad thing, and that’s where we’re trying to go. We’re trying to add depth. We’re trying to give ourselves choices to make. We love power with strikeouts, but short of that, sometimes a variety of looks and a variety of stuff can help give a manager options.”
- On whether he expects to have an upgrade at shortstop after the winter meetings: “Maybe not out of the Winter Meetings. We have laid some groundwork on some things that we can improve upon defensively.”
- Ronny Cedeno’s future with the ball club: “Ronny is still the guy, but at some point you have to stop talking about potential and you have to talk about performance. We’re getting to that point with Ronny. The consistency was there for a good portion of the year. He struggled at the end, no question.”
- On the status of Jeff Clement, Steve Pearce and Kevin Hart: “Everybody is on schedule. Nobody has had any significant setback. Everyone is on schedule for where we thought they would be. As we sit here today, yes, [all will be ready for Spring Training].”
- On possible internal bullpen options: “I think a lot of people are beating up our bullpen because of the unknown. There is some power there. There is also some risk. It makes us feel like we don’t have to go seek an upgrade. But if there is one there that makes sense for us, we’ll certainly look.”
- On Kevin Hart and his best fit in the Bucs bullpen: “Given Kevin coming off the injury, it looks that way. It would be awfully hard to stretch him back out and expect him to eat 200 innings. We want to see where he is physically. We want to see where he is as his rehab continues to progress. Sitting here today, it’s a lot harder to envision him as a 200-inning starter next year. Maybe somewhere back down the road, but his quickest path back may be as a reliever. He’s also out of options, and that’s going to be the other challenge.”
Pirates reach deadline by signing two, cutting four
The Pirates had until 11:59 on Thursday to decide whether to tender/non tender a contract for 2011 to Ross Ohlendorf, Joel Hanrahan, Jeff Karstens, Ronny Cedeno and Lastings Milledge.
Pittsburgh originally had nine players that were facing arbitration this offseason. Wil Ledezma was signed to a one-year deal, while Zach Duke (who has signed a one-year deal plus a mutual option for 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks), Andy LaRoche and Delwyn Young were designated for assignment and removed from the roster.
Jeff Karstens agreed to a one-year $1.1 million contract for 2011 (He made $457,000 last year). Karstens went 3-10 with a 4.92 ERA during 19 starts with the Pirates (26 appearances) through 122.1 innings. It is uncertain whether Karstens will remain a starter for 2011 or if he will be used out of the bullpen as long relief.
Ronny Cedeno agreed to a one-year deal which includes and club option for 2012. He batted .256 with eight home runs and 38 RBI with the Pirates in 2010. “We have identified upgrading our infield defense as a top priority and are working aggressively to accomplish that upgrade,’ Frank Coonelly said on Thursday afternoon. The Pirates are rumored to be interested in J.J Hardy and Jason Bartlett and will continue to explore options. Cedeno could be used in a trade or as a utility infielder if the right guy is found. “He has the ability to play the position,” Huntington said. “He shows flashes of the defense. He shows flashes of the offense. At some point in time, the consistency is either going to come or it’s not going to come. There are stretches of time where we feel like it’s just about there, and then we have some games that are less than ideal.”
Ross Ohlendorf was tendered a contract. He had a few stints on the disabled list and was considered a “very unlucky pitcher” in 2010 (referring to his 1-11 record and 4.07 ERA).
Joel Hanrahan was tendered a contract. He finished the 2010 season with a 3.62 ERA and six saves. Hanrahan also struck out 100 batters (a career high) in 69.2 innings.
Lastings Milledge was non-tendered by the Bucs, making him a free-agent. Milledge batted .277 with four home runs and 34 RBI (.320 AVG against lefties) His below average offense along with his lack of power were both concerns of the Pirates.
General Manager Neal Huntington: “We spent a lot of time analyzing Lastings Milledge as compared with the potential alternatives for the expected role and determined it was worth further exploration of the alternatives. We remain open to continuing dialogue with Lastings.”
Argenis Diaz, Donnie Veal and Brian Burres were also non-tendered by the Bucs, becoming free-agents.
Huntington on Donnie Veal: “Everything is on schedule with Donnie’s rehabilitation. We made a tough business decision, but we are optimistic we will be able to re-sign Donnie.”
Bucs have until Midnight on Thursday to tender contracts
The Pirates have until midnight on Thursday whether to tender the contracts of: Karstens, Cedeno, Hanrhan, Ohlendorf and Milledge.
The five Buccos are all arbitration-eligible.
Karstens went 3-10 with a 4.92 ERA. He made $401,500.
Ronny Cedeno batted .256 with eight home runs and 38 RBI. He made $1.125 million.
Joel Hanrahan went 4-1 with a 3.62 ERA. He had 100 strike outs in 69.2 innings with six saves. He made $453,000.
Ross Ohlendorf went 1-11 with a 4.07 ERA. He made $439,000.
Lastings Milledge batted .277 with four home runs and 34 RBI. He made $452,000.
Ledezma’s one-year deal, Ohlendorf a super-two
The Pirates made a series of roster moves on Wednesday and one of them was a one-year deal with Wil Ledezma. USA Today is reporting that the deal is for $700,000 (in the majors) and $300,000 (in the minors). Ledezma is out of options and is currently on the 40-man roster.
Ross Ohlendorf is arbitration eligible and has qualified for super-two status. Ohlendorf qualifies a year early and will receive a bigger salary then other players with three years of service time.
To be eligible for super-two status the player must rank in the top 17 percent of players who have two to three years of service time and at least 86 days service time, the previous year. Instead of the usual three years of arbitration, Ohlendorf will be eligible for four years.
The six years of service time are still required and they do not become free agents earlier than other players. Click here for a list of the past “super-two” players.
Ohlendorf made $439,000 for the 2010 season but given the amount of time missed due to injuries, he may not receive as much as other super-two players. Ohlendorf was 1-11 with a 4.07 ERA.
The Pirates have nine arbitration eligible players this season. They include: Zach Duke, Ronny Cedeno, Andy LaRoche, Jeff Karstens, Joel Hanrahan, Wil Ledezma (signed a one-year deal, avoiding arbitration), Ross Ohlendorf (super-two), Lastings Milledge and Delwyn Young.
Pirates arbitration eligible’s
It’s no surprise that the Pirates have a lot of work to do during the off-season. But first, I wanted to discuss the bucco’s who are arbitration eligible.
Ronny Cedeno, Wil Ledezma, Ross Ohlendorf, Joel Hanrahan, Lastings Milledge, Andy LaRoche, Delwyn Young and Jeff Kartstens are all arbitration eligible.
Cedeno –who was never consistent all season and had plenty of hot streaks and slumps– batted .256 with eight home runs and 38 RBI. He made $1.125 M for the 2010 season.
Ledezma made 27 appearances’ with the Pirates this season and was 0-3 with a 6.83 ERA. In 19.2 innings pitched he struck out 22. Ledezma made $400,000 in 2010.
Ohlendorf –who finished his season the disabled list– was 1-11 with a 4.07 ERA. Ross was referred to as the “unluckiest pitcher” due to receiving many losses and no-decisions after making quality starts. Ohlendorf made $439,000 in 2010.
Hanrahan was nasty for the Pirates during the 2010 season. He was 4-1 with a 3.62 ERA and had six saves. Hanrahan spent most of the season as the set-up man in the 8th inning and split closing duties with Evan Meek when Octavio Dotel was traded. Joel finished the season with a career high 100 strike outs. He made $453,000.
Milledge’s season ended early due to a strained oblique. The outfielder batted .277 with four home runs and 34 RBI. Milledge –who was a much better hitter with RISP– has yet to prove he has enough power to handle a corner outfield position. He made $452,000 in 2010.
LaRoche lost his starting job when the Pirates promoted Pedro Alvarez to the majors. The third baseman turned utility man paying second base and first base on occasion. He was also used a pinch-hitter, in 41 at-bats he had only three RBI and batted .146. LaRoche made $451,000 for the 2010 season.
Delwyn Young in 191 at-bats batted .236 with seven home runs and 36 RBI. He was used primarily as a pinch-hitter but did start in right field and second base on occasion. Young made $444,500.
Karstens was 3-10 with a 4.92 ERA during the 2010 season. He made only one start in September because of arm fatigue. Karstens made $401,500.
Pirates’ players to play winter ball
For some Pirates’ players their regular season may be over, but that doesn’t stop them from continuing to play the game they love. That’s right, winter leagues are about to start.
Arizona Fall League starts on Tuesday, October 12th and several Pirates’ players are playing this season.
Tony Sanchez, Jordy Mercer, Josh Harrison and Andrew Lambo will all be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox.
Sanchez only played in 59 games this season with High-A Bradenton due to a broken jaw which ended his season early. He was off to a great start though, batting .314 with four home runs, 35 RBI.
Mercer spent the 2010 season with Double-A Altoona. He finished the season batting .282 with three home runs and 65 RBI.
Harrison batted .298 with four home runs and 74 RBI this season with Double-A Altoona. The infielder also stole 19 bases.
Lambo was acquired from the Dodgers in the Octavio Dotel trade. He played 26 games for the Altoona Curve batting .275 with two home runs and 10 RBI.
Caribbean Baseball starts on October 12, 2010. Brian Bass, Wil Ledezma, Hector Gimenez and Ronny Cedeno will be playing for the Tigres de Aragua.
Bass had a 12.27 ERA in four games with the Pirates this season. In 7.1 innings he allowed 10 runs on nine hits with 10 walks and struck out five.
Ledezma was 0-3 with a 6.86 ERA in 27 games with the Pirates. Wil allowed 15 runs in 19.2 innings this season with 22 strike outs.
Gimenez finished the 2010 season batting .305 with the Altoona Curve. He hit 16 home runs and drove in 72 RBI.
Cedeno was the starting shortstop for the Pirates in 2010. He hit eight home runs with 38 RBI’s and batted .256.
Cedeno wants to finish strong
Ronny Cedeno is having a rough final stretch of the season. After being labeled as one of the locks for the 2011 season, recently, Cedeno has made the organization unsure about his future.
Cedeno has had five errors in the last seven games and 17 in 134 games this year. His 17 errors is second highest in his career –23 in 2006 with the Cubs–
“He gets frustrated. I think that’s it,” Russell said. “He takes a lot of pride in what he does, and when he doesn’t do it, it gets to him. He’s an emotional player. A lot of times that’s a very good thing because it drives him. It can drive the rest of the team when he’s aggressive and emotional in the right way. But sometimes you have to take a step back and relax a little bit.”
“It’s been tough for me because I’ve been struggling a lot right now,” Cedeno said. “I think I’m trying to do everything too quick and I’m making too many physical errors. I’ve got to quit with that and just finish strong.
“Next year, I have to get better with that. Sometimes I bring too much emotion to the game and try to do everything quick. I’ve got to calm down a little bit and make the routine plays. That’s what they bring me here for.”
Q & A with Ronny Cedeno
Ronny Cedeno in in his first full season with the Pittsburgh Pirates and looks to be the everyday shortstop for 2011. The 27-year-old Venezuelan native talked about his 2010 season.
How would you evaluate your 2010 season offensively and defensively?
“I think defensively I’ve been doing okay, but I would like to get better,” Cedeno said. “Defensively I feel good. I’ve been able to concentrate every ground ball, take care of it and make the play. Don’t try to do too much. Just go out there, have fun and do the best you can.
Since Cedeno has been the starting shortstop this season, there has been three starting second baseman –Delwyn Young, Aki Iwamura and Neil Walker. Has it been difficult for Ronny to adjust?
“No. I think it is fun to play different second baseman. The most important thing is to communicate with each other. Every one of them is little bit different so you nee to communicate to do your job.”
Cedeno plays next to a few members of the Pirates “young core” –Pedro Alvarez ad Neil Walker. What are his thoughts on the second and third basemen?
“Those two guys have a lot of talent. They can both be really good players. Neil has had a chance to play a lot of second base this year and he’s becoming consistent over there. And Pedro, he has unbelievable pop. He has to learn a little it more because he’s so young, but when he gets more experience I think he’s going to be a great third baseman for the Pirates.”
When Cedeno was traded from Seattle last season, he said he was happy to be back in the National League.
“Yeah. I still feel that way. The American League is very tough. They don’t throw you as many pitches close to the plate, It’s a lot of off-speed stuff. In the National League, they throw you more fastballs. You just have to make them throw it in the strike one. If you do that you’re going to get fastballs to hit.”
Pirates: First Pitch
Cutch battles bug, at-bat to score on Cedeno’s walk-off hit
Andrew McCutchen was a late scratch on Friday’s game against the Dbacks due to a stomach bug. Nothing a little nap and food can’t fix right?
“I told JR I was ready,” McCutchen recalled.
Cutch was brought into the bottom of the ninth inning of a tied ball game to pinch-hit for John Bowker. He fell quickly 0-2 against Vasquez but worked the count and drew a six pitch walk.
“I said ‘Just bear down and battle,’” McCutchen said. “I was able to do that.”
Ryan Doumit came up to the plate next. Vasquez’s command was off, and Doumit drew a walk.
Ronny Cedeno was the next Pirate to step to the plate. With runners on first and second, Cedeno hit the ball into short center delivering in the walk-off run.
“I’m trying to put the ball in play because I know ‘Cutch can run,” Cedeno said. “I knew they were going to throw me inside. I was very excited because we didn’t play real good in the road trip. I think we’re fighting, and we’ve been competing the last seven days.”
It was a well deserved win that the team deserved after battling on the road, losing four of the six games by just one run.
“You guys all knew we were going to come and play hard [Friday],” said Hanrahan, who logged 1 1/3 scoreless innings. “The way those guys worked those ABs was great.”
Brian Burres pitched seven innings allowing three runs –two earned– on seven hits. He didn’t walk a single batter, he has only issued one free pass in his last 20 innings pitched.
“It’s really a lot of just focusing on one pitch at a time when you’re out there,” Burres said. “Don’t try to get ahead of yourself. Usually when you do that, the pitch goes where you want it to.”
Kristy Robinson
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