Results tagged ‘ ross ohlendorf ’
MLB.com Fantasy projections (part two)
In Part two, here is the list of the Pirates starting rotation and bullpen projected stats for the new season according to MLB.com Fantasy.
Starters:
- Paul Maholm (LHP) Ranked: 440
2011 projections: 9-13, 190 IP, 211 H, 74 BB, 112 K, 4.45 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
*Notes: Opponents batted .263 off the lefty in 2008, .290 in ’09 and .303 in ’10. He’s also fallen well below the league average in strand rate since ’09, finishing last amongst all qualified starters last season. At 28, he appears in the wrong direction.
- Kevin Correia (RHP) Ranked: 410
2011 projections: 8-12, 181 IP, 164 H, 84 BB, 131 K, 4.38 ERA, 1.37 WHIP
*Notes: Correia posted 12 wins and a 3.91 ERA in his first year as a full time starter back in ’09…The right hander will no longer have the luxury of pitching home turns in PETCO Park, so don’t expect a full return to form.
- James McDonald (RHP) Ranked: 208
2011 projections: 10-11, 171 IP, 165 H, 72 BB, 153 K, 3.53 ERA, 1.39 WHIP
*Notes: After arriving in the Steel City, McDonald showed why he was considered one of LA’s top prospects, ratting off a fantastic September, highlighted by a 2.31 ERA and a 30/13 K/BB ratio over 35 frames…He throws hard and has proven that he can miss bats consistently. The Bucs will look to McDonald to be the ace of a developing young staff.
- Ross Ohlendorf (RHP) Ranked: 441
2011 projections: 7-13, 155 IP, 169 H, 43 BB, 103 K, 4.01 ERA, 1.37 WHIP
*Notes: The right-hander made 21 starts for the Bucs last season and came away with just one win and a GB/FB rate that has plummeted from 1.31 in 08′ to just 0.68 last year.
Split Duties: Starter/Bullpen/Minors
- Scott Olsen (LHP) Ranked: 607
2011 projections: 3-7, 111 IP, 125 H, 42 BB, 76 K, 4.70 ERA, 1.50 WHIP
*Notes: At 27-years-old, the right-hander is unlikely to ever become the dominant force that many envisioned him as several years ago. A few more strikeouts, however, could make him a serviceable mid-rotation hurler.
- Charlie Morton (RHP) Ranked: 626
2011 projections: 5-6, 90 IP, 106 H, 34 BB, 62 K, 4.30 ERA, 1.56 WHIP
*Notes: Morton’s soaring 2009 K/BB ratio had some tabbing the 27-year-old right-hander as a possible breakout candidate last season, but the strides he made at Triple-A never translated to the major leave level. Morton’s chances of starting the season in Pittsburgh rotation were dealt a serious blow by the team’s acquisition of Scott Olsen and Kevin Correia this offseason.
- Brad Lincoln (RHP) Ranked: 760
2011 projections: 2-5, 60 IP, 66 H, 14 BB, 36 K, 5.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP
*Notes: The fourth overall selection of the 2006 first-year player draft has had to play catchup after recovering from Tommy John Surgery that coast him all of ’07. His velocity has fully returned after the procedure, but high strikeout totals haven’t followed…He’ll need to have a standout spring to avoid starting the year back with Triple-A Indianapolis.
- Jeff Karstens (RHP) Ranked: 617
2011 projections: 3-4, 94 IP, 106 H, 23 BB, 63 K, 4.60 ERA, 1.37 WHIP
*Notes: Karstens gave the Bucs innings as both a starter and reliever last year with slightly better results than in 2009. His 2.0 BB/9 ratio an improvement, but the advanced control was offset by a .300 average against and a 1.5 HR/9 mark.
Bullpen:
- Joel Harahan (RHP) Ranked: 215
2011 projections: 2-4, 26 SV, 66.2 IP, 60 H, 25 BB, 82 K, 3.92 ERA, 1.28 WHIP
*Notes: A spring training competition with Evan Meek for the Pirates closing gig awaits, but Hanrahan’s far superior strikeout rate should give him the early edge.
- Evan Meek (RHP) Ranked: 259
2011 projections: 4-3, 7 SV, 74.1 IP, 62 H, 28 BB, 63 K, 3.27 ERA, 1.21 WHIP
*Notes: The emerging righty pitched to a 1.11 ERA and 1.05 WHIP before the All-Star break and finished the year with stellar all-around umbers, collecting a handful of saves in the process. Should serve as a key late-inning contributor even if he doesn’t assume the stopper role.
- Chris Resop (RHP) Ranked: 747
2011 projections: 1-2, 53.1 IP, 49 H, 27 BB, 44 K, 4.22 ERA, 1.43 WHIP
*Notes: In 22 appearances for Pittsburgh, Resop registered a nifty 1.89 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. The right-hander figures to fill a larger bullpen role for the club in ’11.
***Neither Joe Beimel or Jose Veras, both who I project to be a part of the Pirates bullpen, were ranked in the MLB.com Fantasy projections.
Ohlendorf, Pirates arbitration hearing Tuesday
According to Jon Heyman, Sports Illustrated senior writer and MLB Network Insider, the Pirates and Ross Ohlendorf’s arbitration case is scheduled for Tuesday.
He tweeted, “ross ohlendorfs arb case is today. i feel for guy. Pirates crummy offense caused 1-11 mark w/ 4.07 ERA. still, that is only 1 win.”
Tuesday marks the first time the Pirates have gone to an arbitration case with a player since 2004 (Jack Wilson).
Several weeks ago the Pirates offered Ohlendorf $1.4 million, Ohlendorf was seeking $2.025 million.
Teams have won five of the eight hearings held last year.
Update:
The Pirates website is reporting:
The panel, which consists of Steven Wolf, Fredric Horowitz and Robert Herzog, is expected to announce its decision on the matter Wednesday, according to The Associated Press.
Karstens wants to help Bucs succeed
The fifth spot in the rotation is still up for grabs heading into spring training. Paul Maholm, Ross Ohlendorf, Kevin Correia and James McDonald round out the top four (not necessarily in that order). Charlie Morton, Scott Olsen, Brad Lincoln are among the top to battle for that spot. Left out in the mix, is Jeff Karstens who in 19 starts (26 appearances) went 3-10 with a 4.92 ERA.
What is Karstens ideal role for Pittsburgh?
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to start,” Karstens said. “Because [that way] I’d know when I am pitching. But, what it honestly comes down to is whatever they want me to do to help the team succeed. That’s all I want to do.”
Ohlendorf, Pirates close to settling arbitration?
How close are the Pirates and Ross Ohlendorf to settling the arbitration case? Pirates beat reporter Jenifer Langosch answered that question during her weekly inbox.
Neither side is speaking specifically on the matter, though I can tell you that the preference for both sides is to avoid a hearing. The Pirates have not gone to an arbitration hearing with a player since 2004, but they are running out of time to avoid another one — hearings begin on Tuesday.
The two sides are $625,000 apart, as Ohlendorf has asked for $2.025 million and the Pirates submitted a $1.4 million offer. That’s not a significant gap, but that doesn’t necessarily mean an agreement will be reached easily. Where Ohlendorf’s salary is set this winter will affect the increases he sees in his subsequent arbitration-eligible years. Such knowledge is not lost on either side, and it makes each party hesitant to budge too much.
Hurdle humbled by the reception from fans
Pirates Manager Clint Hurdle was the main attraction over Piratefest weekend.
“I want you to be proud of the Pirates,” Hurdle told one gathering of fans. “I believe in the city of Pittsburgh. I’m humbled by the reception that I’ve gotten.”
The Q&A sessions during Pirates Management were packed full of fans wanting to ask and listen to what the new skipper had to say.
But the fans weren’t the only ones excited about Hurdle being a part of the future. Several players have spoken out on the impact he brings to the team.
“I think he’s going to be great,” starter Ross Ohlendorf said. “Obviously, everyone talks about his energy, and he has a lot of energy. But he brings a really good attitude and is really positive. He’s doing a great job in getting everyone to believe that we’re going to have a really good team.”
“When he speaks, you listen,” said Garrett Jones, one of Hurdle’s two primary right fielders going into 2011. “He’s the type of guy who, when he walks into a room, he brings energy with him. When he’s talking, you’re listening. He’s the type of coach we need and that guy that is going to kick us in the butt when we need it throughout the season.”
“He just seems like one of the guys,” noted pitcher Charlie Morton. “Obviously, he is the head guy. But you can go up and talk with him. He’s excited, which I think is really, really big for us. I’ve got nothing but good things to say.”
Piratefest weekend breaks numbers
On Sunday, the three day indoor baseball carnival –known as priatefest– came to a close. Whether it was the excitement for the young Bucs, the bright future, or the love the city of Pittsburgh has for black and yellow, fans flocked the David L. Lawerence convention center this weekend. 16,839 were in attendance –the highest since 2003.
“That was probably my and [general manager] Neal [Huntington's] greatest recruiting tool to get Clint [Hurdle] to come to Pittsburgh — the fans,” Frank Coonelly said at PirateFest this weekend. “This is not just a great sports town. It’s a great Pirates town.”
“These fans are still passionate about what we do,” Neal Huntington said. “As we start to win, they’re going to come out and fill this place, and it’s going to be an electric place to be.”
Ross Ohlendorf, Garrett Jones, Evan Meek, Neil Walker, James McDonald, Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia, Charlie Morton, Brad Lincoln and Paul Maholm were the players that attended this years Piratefest.
Here are some highlights from the Q&A sessions:
- On what career they would peruse if they weren’t a ballplayer: Charlie Morton- Something in music. Andrew McCutchen- I’d be Morton’s producer (Morton is actually a pretty good singer/guitar player. He played at last year’s pirate fest. Click here for videos from it.)
- On Morton’s rebound season in 2011: “I’m excited and I’m ready to move on from last year.”
- When the players were asked who their favorite football team was, Jose Tabata said: “My name is Jose Tabata and I’m from Venezuela and I like black and yellow.”
*Reports during mini camp were that Jose Tabata had bulked up this offseason in hopes to add more power to his bat. They weren’t kidding. I took a close up of Tabata so you could see just how much muscle he packed on.
Here are some highlights from the Management Q&A sessions:
- General Manager Neal Huntington mentioned pitchers Rudy Owens and Daniel Moskos as two prospects that have a good chance to make major league appearances in 2011.
- Clint Hurdle has known left-hander Joel Beimel for 17 years. “He has a heart for the area. He wants to be a part of the group that turns this thing around.”
- On if the Pirates will break the 18-year losing streak in 2011: “I can’t see why not. Why can’t we?” -Clint Hurdle
- On the way Pittsburgh has really embraced Clint Hurdle as the new Manager: “I’m humbled by the reception I’ve gotten. I’m proud to be a Pittsburgh Pirate.”
- On a comparison of the Pirates to the San Diego Padres team from 2010: “They had a winning mentality, we didn’t.” -President Frank Coonelly
- In order to help the Pirates play better on the road, Hurdle said he was going to have the players write down their home vs. road routines in order to adjust the mind set.
Manager Clint Hurdle and Bench Coach Jeff Banister taught a youth baseball clinic on Sunday.
Some highlights during the young camp:
- “I don’t have a world series ring either (referring to when a fan asked if Bench coach Jeff Banister had a World Series ring) I’ve been to the world series three times. Four times a charm. I’ve heard that somewhere.” -Manager Clint Hurdle
- A fan asked Manager Clint Hurdle about Pedro Alvarez’s recent weight game due to Holidays, offseason and recent honeymoon, “I’d be 40 pounds over weight…Pedro’s going to be fine.”
Here are several more pictures from Piratefest:
These are the new 2011 batting pratice jersey’s for the Pirates.
Pirates Double-A Altoona Curve had a station set up for the weekend. Here is the 2010 Eastern League Championship flag.
*On a side note. I was overwhelmed by how many great fans came up to me that said they are a reader of my blog. I can’t thank you guys enough for all the support. I hope to continue covering the Pirates and bringing you all the buzz all season (and offseason) long.
Ohlendorf feels “really prepared” for spring training
The 2010 season was a rough year for Ross Ohlendorf. He finished 1-11 with a 4.07 ERA and pitched only 108.1 innings (down from 176.2 innings in 2009). Ohlendorf also battled the disabled list twice –first with a back injury, then later in the season with a right shoulder strain. He also missed a start due to being hit by a line drive in the head.
“To Ross’ credit, he just kept grinding,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “Ross did a nice job of managing damage during the year and not panicking. The velocity will get better as he gets healthy. As he gets stronger, the slider will continue to develop and get better. The changeup really came on this year. Despite his won-loss record, Ross actually threw very well for us.”
“I wish that it had gone better, particularly the injuries,” Ohlendorf said. “But I felt like I had a two-month stretch where I was really pitching well. I was happy with how that went, and I felt like I had made some good adjustments to get there.”
Five months later, Ohlendorf says, “My arm feels really good.”
Ohlendorf started throwing in late November, a week earlier than usual. He also has been keeping track of his pitch counts of every session. This Friday will mark his fifth mound session supervised by pitching coach Ray Searage.
Sticking to a stricter schedule than in the past, Ohlendorf believes his off-season tweaks will have him better prepared for spring training.
“I’ve done some things differently and it feels really good,” Ohlendorf said. “I was not happy with where my arm was at the beginning of Spring Training last year. I felt like I needed to make an adjustment.”
“I feel really prepared,” Ohlendorf said. “I’m really looking forward to continuing that for the next couple weeks until Spring Training.”
Bucco news and notes:1/26
- Ross Ohlendorf spoke to Upper St. Clair middle school on Wednesday for day three of Pirates caravan. He, along with Andrew McCutchen and Evan Meek, discussed the importance of education the dangers of bullying.
“I like it a lot,” Ohlendorf said of participating in caravan. “Everybody is really big Pirates fans and it’s fun to interact with the people that support us and are looking forward to watching us turn things around. It’s also a lot of fun to come talk with the kids. When I was younger, I remember we had athletes come visit and it was always really cool.”
- Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm landed safely in Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He tweeted, “Just landed in the burgh it looks cold but looking forward to seeing some die hard fans over next few days.”
- The Pirates farm system was ranked No. 19 in the Baseball America Prospect Handbook (Royals were No. 1).
- ESPN’s Keith Law ranked the Pirates farm system 21st out of 30 in Major League Baseball.
- Pirates Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was interviewed on MLB Network Radio on Wednesday (Unfortunately, I was unable to listen or tape the interview). Jim Bowden did say this after the chat, “A.McCutcheon [sic] told us he loves the city of PG. He is open to being with Pirates for years to come.; had no comment if offered long term deal.”
Pirates Caravan kicks off
Pirates Caravan kicked off on Monday (be sure to check out the schedule here, to see when the Pirates will be stopping near you).
There are three groups this year.
Group one: Andrew McCutchen, Evan Meek, Ross Ohlendorf, third base coach Nick Leyva and broadcasters Bob Walk and John Wehner.
Group two: pitching coach Ray Searage, James McDonald, Jeff Karstens, Neil Walker and broadcaster Tim Neverett.
Group three: bench coach Jeff Banister, Garrett Jones, Joel Hanrahan, Jose Tabata and broadcaster Greg Brown.
Here are several pictures from day one of the Caravan:
James McDonald and Jeff Karstens chat with a fan who has been collecting autographs since 1944 (Via @BucsInsider).
Joel Hanrahan and Garrett Jones sign autographs from fans (Via @BucsInsider).
Neil Walker talking baseball in Morgantown, West Virgina (Via @BusInsider).
Evan Meek signs autographs on day one of the winter caravan (Via @RobBiertempfel).
Piratefest schedules released
The Pirates released the autograph signing schedule and the live event schedules for Piratefest. The three day indoor caravan takes place at the David L. Laurence Convention Center Friday, January 28th(Season ticket holders only), Saturday January 29 (10-8) and Sunday January 30 (12-5).
You can purchase tickets here.
Autograph Signings:
Saturday, January 29
10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Jose Tabata, Brad Lincoln, Charlie Morton
11:30 am – 1:00 p.m. James McDonald, Kevin Correia, Al Oliver
1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Garrett Jones, Ross Ohlendorf, Bob Friend
2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Mike Easler, Bob Walk, Bill Madlock, Sean Casey
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Andrew McCutchen, Jeff Karstens, Paul Maholm
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Neil Walker, Evan Meek, Jim Rooker, Doug Drabek
Sunday, January 30
12:00 Noon – 1:30 p.m. Andrew McCutchen, Brad Lincoln, Kevin Correia
1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Evan Meek, Ross Ohlendorf, Al Oliver
3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Jose Tabata, Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton
Live Event Schedules:
Saturday, January 29
Minute To Win It: (12:00 Noon – 1:00 p.m.) Evan Meek, Joe Klimchak
Softball Clinic: (12:00 Noon – 1:00 p.m.) TBA
Youth Baseball Clinic: (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Clint Hurdle, Jeff Banister, Kevin Correia, Bob Walk
Deal or No Deal: (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Jeff Karstens, Charlie Morton, Greg Brown
We Are Family Feud: (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Neil Walker, Jose Tabata, Joe Klimchak
Pierogie Eating Contest: (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Paul Maholm, Greg Brown
2011 Pirates Q&A: (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) 2011 Pirates, Greg Brown
Reading with the Parrot: (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Pirate Parrot, Cannonball Crew
Ask Pirates Management: (4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.) Clint Hurdle, Neal Huntington, Frank Coonelly, Greg Brown
Minute to Win It: (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) James McDonald, Joe Klimchak
Pierogie Eating Contest: (5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.) Ross Ohlendorf, John Wehner
Deal or No Deal: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) James McDonald, Greg Brown
Guitar Hero: (6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.) Andrew McCutchen, Joe Klimchak
Sunday, January 30
Youth Baseball Clinic: (12:00 Noon – 1:00 p.m.) Clint Hurdle, Jeff Banister, Joe Klimchak
Deal or No Deal: (12:00 Noon – 1:00 p.m.) Evan Meek, Tim Neverett
Minute To Win It: (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Paul Maholm, Tim Neverett
Guitar Hero: (1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.) Jeff Karstens, Joe Klimchak
We Are Family Feud: (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Paul Maholm, Charlie Morton, Joe Klimchak
Pierogie Eating Contest: (2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.) Brad Lincoln, Tim Neverett
Deal or No Deal: (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Ross Ohlendorf, Tim Neverett
Reading with the Parrot: (3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) Pirate Parrot, Cannonball Crew
Kristy Robinson
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