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The Pittsburgh Pirates and the Curious Case of Pedro Ciriaco
By Tom Smith
Rewind the clock to April 22, 2011.
Pedro Ciriaco was getting called up to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Let’s just say someone would tell you that Ciriaco would spend more time in the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse this season than Pedro Alvarez. We have to guess that you would have screamed. Not just any scream, but a ‘THERE ARE 1000 COCKROACHES CRAWLING ON ME’ scream.
It’s a pretty bad thing to think about, right? Imagine how Hurdle feels about calling up Ciriaco on five different occassions this year. Hurdle knows the deal. He can’t possibly be happy about it, but it’s the hand he has been dealt this season.
"“This is as much time as I’ve ever spent on trying to figure out the roster with implications, complications and availability and making sure that we’re doing everything that we can to get the people up here that we need to have to win ballgames and compete…. there are only a handful of guys that I haven’t seen in the minor league system.” Clint Hurdle"
We can’t be certain that Ciriaco has actually earned more major league service time this year than Alvarez, but it certainly is close:
April 22-recalled from AAA
April 23-optioned to AAA
May 21-recalled from AAA
June 27-optioned to AAA
July 2-recalled from AAA
July 21-optioned to AAA
July 29-recalled from AAA
August 1-optioned to AAA
August 23-recalled from AAA
Pedro Ciriaco is a guy that while at AAA, has struckout 40 times and walked just four while putting up an eye-gouging .513 OPS.
How a guy who is listed as a pinch hitter, pinch runner and then a shortstop on his B-R page has spent this much time on the 2011 Pirates roster is downright nightmarish to comprehend. How the Pirates are still adding up scenarios in order to finish .500 is a testament to just how hard the team has played this season despite countless injuries.
It appears that Ciriaco, who recently became a U.S. Airways gold club member, will be chased out of the Bucs clubhouse today when Chase d’Arnaud and Alex Presley are recalled from rehab assignments.
Thank you Jesus. What a season.