Lee and Ludwick likely won’t help much
Whether trade deadline acquisitions Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick wind up helping the Pirates remains to be seen. If recent history is a guide, though, they likely won’t.
Neal Huntington’s biggest weakness in nearly four years as the Pirates’ general manager has been acquiring hitters at the major-league level.
First baseman Lyle Overbay was the latest flop after being signed to a one-year, $5 million contract in the offseason. He was designated for assignment when Lee was added to the roster after hitting .227 with eight home runs and 37 RBIs in 103 games.Overbay is one of the many, including:
Ramon Vazquez, who hit .230 with one home run and 16 RBIs in 101 games in 2009 then was released in spring training last season as the Pirates ate the final $2 million on his two-year, $3.875 million contract.
Aki Iwamura, who was out of shape when he reported to spring training last year then hit .182 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 54 games as the starting second baseman. He was eventually optioned to Class AAA Indianapolis then released.
Ryan Church, who hit .182 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 69 games last season as a part-time outfielder before being traded to Arizona.
Bobby Crosby, who was yet another infield disaster, hitting .224 with one homer and 11 RBIs in 61 games in 2010 before also being dealt to the Diamondbacks.
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This week’s Name To Remember is low Class A West Virginia left-hander Colton Cain, who spurned a scholarship from the University of Texas to sign for a $1.125 million bonus as the ninth-round draft pick in 2009 following his graduation from high school in Waxahachie, Texas.
Cain, 20, is 6-7 with a 3.31 ERA in 21 games, 19 starts, in his first full professional season after he sat out the first half of 2010 while recovering from back surgery. He has 78 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings while allowing 30 walks and 81 hits.
Cain’s best pitch is a sinking fastball that reaches 95 mph. His curveball and changeup are still developing.
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A man with 509 career home runs in the major leagues has been hanging out at PNC Park in recent days. He is Gary Sheffield, who became close friends with Pirates reliever Jason Grilli when they were teammates with Detroit.
Sheffield has not played in the major leagues since 2009 with New York Mets. However, he is still in great shape at 42 and hasn’t closed the door on a comeback.
As unproductive as the Pirates’ offense has been all season, they should sign Sheffield on the spot.
John Perrotto is the national writer for BaseballProspectus.com.