1)Pedro Alvarez-If ever that was a player that needs to improve on this Pirates team, it is El Toro. Now before, the Pedro apologists start saying "But Mrs. Black-N-Gold, Pedro has been driving in runs", let's not forget the main reason he was the #2 overall pick in the first place. We all know Pedro wasn't drafted for his glove. He proved that last season (more on that later). Pedro is supposed to be a home run hitter, not just a threat. What he's turned into is a platoon, singles hitter. He rarely hits lefties or long balls. And this whole "Daydro" thing is kind of funny until you think about how sad it really is. The guy can only hit homers in the daytime? Ok, "only" is an exaggeration but it certainly seems that way. And he doesn't make up for his lack of productivity with his glove, oh no. After throwing away the 3rd base job last season, Pedro was moved across the diamond to 1st in an effort to get him back to hitting home runs. No such luck. Petey was one of the few productive Pirates during their NLCS clash with the St Louie Cardinals a few years back. He also tied for the league lead in home runs a few years ago. It's time to stop leaving in the past, Petey. Let's see what ya got!
2)Jordy Mercer-Big things were expected of Jordy this season. Fans were eagerly anticipating the Mercer from the 2nd half of 2014, not the 1st. Sorry about that, Jordy fans. Mercer got off to a horrendous start and lost his shortstop job to Jung Ho Kang for a spell. But Manager Clint Hurdle had faith. Jordy looked to reward his coach with a brief renaissance but has fallen back to earth as of late. Besides that, Jordy was being held as the better defensive shortstop over Kang. True, he does flash the leather, on occasion. However, he made 2 critical errors during the recent St Louie series on double play balls. Have Mercer, Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes Jordy stays above the Mendoza Line as we see a return to last season's 2nd half form.
3)Front Office-Yes, the Front Office doesn't play on the field but what they do comes into play. For the past few years, GM Neal Huntington has played it relatively safe. He'd wait until to pick up table scraps that other teams didn't want. Sometimes it worked (Marlon Byrd). Most times it didn't (Derek Lee, Ryan Ludwick, Justin Morneau). NH prefers to hold onto his precious minor leaguers and owner Bob Nutting's cash. This year, it's time to put up or shut up. The Pirates said this is one of their best benches in years. Apart from backup catcher Chis Stewart and Korean import, Kang, the bench is woeful. The likes of Gorkys Hernandez, Steve Lombardozzi and Corey Hart do not strike fear in the hearts of opposing pitchers. How about a big righthanded bat that can play 1B or OF? There's always room for a good arm in the bullpen, too. It's time for the Bucs to spend the bucks (or the picks) and get some quality help to help this team make a serious run.
Tomorrow, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will look a little more closely at potential trade targets and tells you what she thinks. Until then, Let's Go Bucs!!!!!
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