PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/
Friday, June 27, 2008
New York Yankees pitcher Joba Chamberlain in a baseball game at Pittsburgh Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Why don't the Pirates ever get a guy like that?
If that question crossed your mind while Joba Chamberlain was tearing through the home team's lineup Wednesday in a relentless blaze of mid-to-high 90's fastballs and wicked sliders, you weren't alone.
Rest assured, it's not because the Pirates have lacked opportunity to take such a pitcher.
Chamberlain was the 41st player drafted in 2006. The Pirates have drafted eight pitchers significantly higher than that in the past 11 years. Chamberlain has better stuff than any of them.
How does that happen?
It's true the Yankees' 10-0 victory Wednesday marked Chamberlain's first win as a starter, but one win is pretty heady stuff when you compare it to what the top five bonus babies in Pirates' history - all starting pitchers - have done.
Here's a look, if you can bear it:
1. Bryan Bullington: $4 million (2002)
2. Brad Lincoln: $2.75 million (2006)
3. Daniel Moskos: $2.475 million (2007)
4. John Van Benschoten: $2.4 million (2001)
5. Bobby Bradley: $2.225 million (1999)
Total payout: $13.85 million.
Total wins: One.
Van Benschoten won a game in 2004. He takes a 1-12 lifetime record into Saturday's start against Tampa Bay.
Bet you can't wait.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm throws against the New York Yankees in the first inning of a baseball game at Pittsburgh, Thursday, June 26, 2008.
(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
There is no greater indictment of the disastrous Dave Littlefield era than the alarming lack of high-quality arms in the system. It's a crisis, and it's why, when Ian Snell and Phil Dumatrait went down with injuries, the Pirates had to turn to Van Benschoten and somebody named Jimmy Barthmaier, scheduled to pitch tonight against Tampa Bay ace Scott Kazmir (another guy the Pirates passed up).
Bet you can't wait.
Actually, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Barthmaier is an interesting case, because he was regarded as one of the Houston Astros' top prospects going into last season. He's the kind of no-cost risk that new GM Neal Huntington should take.
Littlefield wasn't often right, but he was dead-on eight months into his tenure when he said, "It's easy to say you want to build with pitching, but the fact of the matter is there are 22 or 24 other GMs saying the same thing (editor's note: there are 29 other GMs saying the same thing). Pitching, particularly starting pitching, is hardest to get because there's not enough out there."
Don't the Pirates know it. Their starters had the worst collective ERA (5.40) in Major League Baseball going into Thursday's game. Their farm system has fewer arms than a sunfish.
You have to go all the way down to Class A to find the most realistic candidate for a future top-of-the-rotation starter. That would be Lincoln, who is working his way back from a season-killing injury.
Other than Lincoln and Moskos, also at Class A, the suspects far outnumber the prospects.
It's going to take smart drafting, good trades and some luck for the Pirates to build a presentable staff with depth below. They better hope still-young starters Snell, 26, and Tom Gorzelanny, 25, rediscover their form of 2007.
On a positive note, Huntington seems intent on collecting power arms. I liked the drafting of fireballer Tanner Scheppers in the second round, despite a stress fracture in his shoulder and possible signability issues. It seemed a worthwhile risk to swing for the fences with that pick.
Hey, the Pirates might as well take some good cuts. Their opponents are getting plenty.
Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com.
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