Nutting wants Pirates’ organization to focus on scouts’ instincts
When Bob Nutting came out of his bunker in Wheeling and met with his hand-picked assemblage of media last week, one of the more interesting things the Pirates owner said is that he wanted his organization to start relying more on scouts’ instincts and less on statistics when making player transactions.
That was definitely a rebuke of general manager Neal Huntington’s way of doing things. Huntington is a big believer in sabermetrics, which is the advanced study of baseball statistics.
In fact, Huntington has a number for everything. Ask him any question pertaining to baseball and he can answer with a stat.
However, a personnel move in the Pirates’ scouting department flew completely in the face of what Nutting said he wanted to see. Mike Leuzinger, the Pirates’ top domestic amateur scout, left the organization because he was frustrated there were no opportunities for a advancement in the organization.
Leuzinger scouted North Texas and Oklahoma for the Pirates he signed six of the organization’s top 30 prospects, as ranked by Baseball America,
It was the relationship Leuzinger developed with Josh Bell’s family that enabled the Pirates to sign the outfield prospect last year after selecting him in the second round of the amateur draft. Bell had written all 30 teams asking them not to draft him because he was committed to playing at the University of Texas and getting a college degree.
Luezinger, though, believed Bell would at least consider signing a professional contract and convinced the Pirates to draft him. They took him with the first pick of the second round and landed the switch-hitting power hitter with a $5-million signing bonus.
Here’s another Leuzinger story from his days scouting the same territory for the Dodgers:
There was a high school senior in Midwest City, Okla., in 2003 who was a Division I-caliber basketball player but an extremely raw baseball player. Most scouts assumed he would play college basketball but Leuzinger was sure he could lure the kid to professional baseball.
That kid’s name was Matt Kemp and the Dodgers chose him in the sixth round that year. Last year, he was runnerup in the National League Most Valuable Player voting.
So the Pirates say one week that they want to rely more scouting then let someone like Leuzinger walk away the next week.
Typical Buccos.
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Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen didn’t deserve to be NL MVP following late-season fades by both he and his team.
In fact, the Baseball Writers Association of America got it right with San Francisco catcher Buster Posey winning the award, Milwaukee left fielder Ryan Braun finishing second and McCutchen winding up third.
However, one vote that is impossible to understand is Fox Sports com’s Tracy Ringolsby putting McCutchen at No. 7 on his ballot. Ringolsby is a respected Hall of Fame baseball writer but there is no possibly anyone could think there were six more players in the NL more valuable this year than McCutchen.
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If the Pirates had a sense of humor — and they don’t with the colorless Nutting in charge — they would highlight Piratefest next month by having assistant GM Kyle Stark lead the way in an attempt to set the world record for most people doing the hokey pokey.
They could call it the Hoka Hey-Poka Hey.