Pirates at the break
Pirates at the break
Catcher - Kendall has continued to produce despite having to play virtually every game. His salary is still an issue, but he has filled the need for a lead off hitter, and his defense has been sparkling at times.
A little more power production would be nice. Grade: B+
Starting Pitchers - Perez has been a big surprise. Burnett has looked good in his few starts. He will experience some downs in the second half of the season, but that is to be expected from a rookie. Benson is finally showing the form that made him a #1 overall pick. The question is will he be around for that to continue and who will replace him in the rotation if he is traded? Wells and Fogg have been way to inconsistent. The staff's performances during the recent winning streak have been tremendous but it may have inflated this groups first half performance level.
Grade: C+
Relief Pitching - This has been a strong point in the first half of the season. Mesa has exceded everyone expectations. The set up men have been more than adequate.
Grade: A
Infield - What can you say about Jack Wilson? An All-Star first half performance has established him as a premier SS. The three headed monsters at 3B and 2B have had their moments. Who will forget Mackowiak's doubleheader HR's against the Cubs? Castillo and Hill struggle at times, but they are showing improvement. The injury to Ward was a big blow to this group. Not so much losing Ward, but having to play simple Simon almost everyday. He is contributing very little if any thing to the program at this point in the season. The Pirates need a major upgrade at first base.
Wilson and Simon cancel each other out so the performance of this group is determined by the other guys.
Grade: B-
Outfield - C. Wilson started out just pounding the ball. He has come back to the pack as of late, but is still hitting in clutch situations. Bay when healthy has shown loads of potential in LF. He needs to get healthy and get more at bats. Redman in CF is like the stock market. Up one day and down the next. The Pirates are giving him every opportunity to prove he can be the everyday CF, but he doesn't seem to want the job. This groups lack of production in June was one of the primary reasons for losing 21 of 25 games. This group, even though they have shown moments of being specatular, is way to inconsistent.
Grade: C-
Manager - It is hard to blame the manager when he doesn't have the players to be successful. How would Lloyd do with the Yankees or Cardinals personel? It would be interesting to see. He seems to have a love affair with Nunez and Simon. Why they continue to get so many AB's is questionable. At times his strategy is completely dictated by his players inabilities. Those points aside the coach is the first to take the heat when a team loses. The Pirates have shown improvement under Mac but are still losing.
Grade: C
A little more power production would be nice. Grade: B+
Starting Pitchers - Perez has been a big surprise. Burnett has looked good in his few starts. He will experience some downs in the second half of the season, but that is to be expected from a rookie. Benson is finally showing the form that made him a #1 overall pick. The question is will he be around for that to continue and who will replace him in the rotation if he is traded? Wells and Fogg have been way to inconsistent. The staff's performances during the recent winning streak have been tremendous but it may have inflated this groups first half performance level.
Grade: C+
Relief Pitching - This has been a strong point in the first half of the season. Mesa has exceded everyone expectations. The set up men have been more than adequate.
Grade: A
Infield - What can you say about Jack Wilson? An All-Star first half performance has established him as a premier SS. The three headed monsters at 3B and 2B have had their moments. Who will forget Mackowiak's doubleheader HR's against the Cubs? Castillo and Hill struggle at times, but they are showing improvement. The injury to Ward was a big blow to this group. Not so much losing Ward, but having to play simple Simon almost everyday. He is contributing very little if any thing to the program at this point in the season. The Pirates need a major upgrade at first base.
Wilson and Simon cancel each other out so the performance of this group is determined by the other guys.
Grade: B-
Outfield - C. Wilson started out just pounding the ball. He has come back to the pack as of late, but is still hitting in clutch situations. Bay when healthy has shown loads of potential in LF. He needs to get healthy and get more at bats. Redman in CF is like the stock market. Up one day and down the next. The Pirates are giving him every opportunity to prove he can be the everyday CF, but he doesn't seem to want the job. This groups lack of production in June was one of the primary reasons for losing 21 of 25 games. This group, even though they have shown moments of being specatular, is way to inconsistent.
Grade: C-
Manager - It is hard to blame the manager when he doesn't have the players to be successful. How would Lloyd do with the Yankees or Cardinals personel? It would be interesting to see. He seems to have a love affair with Nunez and Simon. Why they continue to get so many AB's is questionable. At times his strategy is completely dictated by his players inabilities. Those points aside the coach is the first to take the heat when a team loses. The Pirates have shown improvement under Mac but are still losing.
Grade: C
The easiest thing to do in sports is hustle.