Pittsburgh Pirate Manager John Russell answered an interesting question regarding advance scouts during PirateFest.  The Pirates don’t have one on the payroll. 

Wouldn’t the Pirates want every possible advantage when they step on the field?   Especially when more teams in MLB are increasing budget dollars in both man hours and advanced scouting systems?  Teams are using new metrics and technology to increase their likelihood of winning baseball games. 

The Yankees didn’t just buy the 2009 World Series.  They used their coaches and advance scouts to make the final cuts for their 25-man playoff roster.  The advance scouts and video filmed by the coaching staff during the season were a key to the Bronx Bombers playoff success and eventual World Series championship.   Read about the roster selection here

After Alexi Casilla’s game-winning hit, the Yankees’ coaches and advance scouts broke down the Twins’ roster and made the final choices. Girardi said that he got home at approximately 11:45 p.m. ET after a long day at the Stadium scouting Minnesota, against which New York was 7-0 in 2009.

The Pirates use a computerized system and JR speaks about it in the video below.  Some teams have made both advance scouts and a computerized system work together.  That makes sense. 

The Red Sox it says here have just promoted Mike Cather as their ML Advance Scout and named Steve Langone Advance Scout Coordinator.  Chris Bosio will be the Brewers Advance Scout in 2010.   The Tampa Bay Rays went ‘high tech’ in 2009 with their advance scouts it says so right here.  

The Rays Manager Joe Maddon said: “that while there’s always some benefit “to have a guy in the stands to feel the heartbeat” and notice things that aren’t on camera — such as signs, players’ reactions and how a pitch actually breaks — so much information can be gleaned that he is excited about the possibilities.  When an advance scout goes in there, he’s seeing it for three, four days,” he said.

“The data we’re going to accumulate goes over a longer period of time, which would indicate it’s more correct and not as much one man’s subjective opinion. We feel as though this may be the next level of advance scouting.”

The Rays tried it the new way in 2009.   We have no way of knowing if the new computer system or the old advance scout system is better.  Why bother debating it?  Just do both.  It’s not like the Pirates haven’t done it before.  On Feb 14, 2006,  Kent Tekulve was hired as the Pirates Advance Scout according to this article.  So why the change?   Neal Huntington is a bright man.  There must be a logical reason.

Listen close when JR says that Neal told him,’ if they start winning games late in the year, then the Pirates will get an advanced scout, maybe two… ’

JR says it in a way that it was rather obvious he must have had the conversation with Neal regarding the importance of advance scouts.

But isn’t the sentence backward?  Shouldn’t it be this….  The Pirates have hired an advanced scout to assist the Pirates talented young team, its’ manager and his staff have as much possible information to win ballgames.

 It seems from JR’s sentence that the issue is dead.  But as crazed Pirate fans looking for any possible angle to get another victory, we believe an advance scout hired by the Pirates would help the team win.

And so many of us are dying to see  a few more wins in 2010.

John Perrotto is one of the top dogs at BP.  He penned a little Pirate talk today and also used the word penuriousness in describing Bob Nutting.  Here are some of the lines from the ‘premium content’ article.   Oh, let me save you the google search:   penuriousness – a state of lacking money

The Pirates, though, insist things are different this time. They are adamant that this stab at rebuilding is going to take hold and restore credibility to the franchise. 

PECOTA isn’t  so bullish on the Pirates’ short-term future, as it projects them to finish 70-92 this year, which would be the worst record in the major leagues, but it would be an improvement over their 62-99 mark in 2009. The Pirates will also have the lowest payroll in the game at estimated $35 million, which is part the penuriousness of owner Bob Nutting, who believes in making a profit first and winning second, and the fact that the Pirates have a young roster devoid of many players with the necessary major-league service time to make much over the minimum $400,000 salary.

Andrew McCutchens’ quote was the highlight of the article for me. 

“People won’t know how good we are going to be until they watch us. I’m not a guy who makes predictions. I don’t know what our record is going to be. What I do know is that we’re going to have a much better team because Neal Huntington went out and got a lot of good players.”

Audi stole the show with their Super Bowl ad. It was the favorite of the RumBunter gang. Maybe it was Cheap Trick. What was yours?

Roberto is the man at Vin Scully is My Homeboy.  He was hanging out at Roscoe’s with the LA Dodgers Caravan.  Roscoe’s is a famous LA restaurant that is well known for their chicken and waffles.  Most of the stars hang out there (and my wife and I did too in 2008) 

But nobody told Barry Bonds the Dodgers Caravan had the joint for their caravan stop.   Heh, Barry maybe the Dodger Caravan bus would have given it away?  But Barry was hungry.  Some fans came out to get autographs, then somebody said it….Here is the link

If your a Snoop Dogg fan he came to Roscoe’s in 2008

Carlos Mamol is signed as the closer, but the Cubs still need bullpen help Cubbies Crib writes.  Could Blue Jays fastball heavy Jason Frasor be the answer?    Cubbies Crib thinks Tom Gorzelanny could be moved to get the deal done. 

Jon Heyman weighs in on the off-season for the Cubs in this post.  Did they swing and miss?  Heyman says yes.  (He also believes the Pirates did too.)

Blog Red Machine details the idea of a new catcher for the Reds.   A power hitting catcher, wasn’t Ryan Doumit one of those?  

Have the Brewers already lost Prince Fielder?  Reviewing the Brew lets you know.   God that would make me happy.

Red Bird Rants remembers Darryl Kile.  What a great article on so many levels.   Did you know Kile never made high school varsity until his junior year.  RIP Darryl

Crawfish Boxes isn’t too thrilled about finishing one win behind the Pirates in 2010.  ‘Extra base hits are heavy artillery’ is a great line…(wouldn’t it be nice if we could write that well?)