With one timely swing of the bat this past Tuesday night, the very slight momentum that was beginning to pick up behind the #StarttheFORT movement was halted.  A walk-off homerun is always a fun way to cap off a mid-week home game against a team that was getting way too big for its britches, this time resulting in a 5-4 Pirates victory over the Washington Nationals Traveling Road Show.  Strasburg, Harper, and the other 23 nameless faces donning the banner of the team from our Nations Capitol left Pittsburgh battered and bruised – requiring another stellar outing by their 23-year old ace to avoid a sweep at PNC Park.  The highlight of the series was of course the walk-off homer provided by catcher Rod Barajas, who managed to get the heat off his back with one good smash off of Nationals closer Henry Rodriguez.  Good for the Bucs, but not so great for the short-term playing time of our 5-foot 10 favorite backup backstop.

Another week spent counting sunflower seeds and organizing the locker for “The Fort”, who managed just two starts and a handful of at-bats in Week Five.  The Pirates spent a good bit of cabbage to bring Captain Rod into the fold, so at this point it seems that the club is committed to his .162 batting average anchoring down the bottom third of the batting order.  To be fair, we have heard good things about how Barajas handles the pitching staff, so there seems to be some justification to why they keep trudging him out there five nights a week.  That leaves very little time for our 5-foot 10 hero to see the field, unless he somehow manages to learn the shortstop position in the next few weeks.

It’s tough for a player to get into a rhythm when they are only getting 8-10 plate appearances per week, and unless they are a naturally gifted hitter (Don Slaught comes to mind), raking any type of production out of so few opportunities is virtually impossible.  One of the reasons why we love McKenry so much is that he is as close to an “everyman” as there exists at the major league level.  We could picture him as easily selling us a lawnmower at Home Depot as catching for the Pirates.  He has to work twice as hard to maintain his talent as a player who gets five at-bats a day and knows their name will be there when the lineup card is posted.  The type of pressure that forces on a player is unimaginable, and sometimes we see careers cut short just because a guy happens to be in the wrong situation and never gets a chance to really show what he can accomplish.  Make no mistake, every player suiting up for a major league baseball team was the MVP of every team they ever played on before hitting the professional level – carving out a career as a back-up is a tough proposition for any of them after a lifetime of seeing their name in lights.  Hopefully, “The Fort” gets an opportunity to shine in the black and gold.

Our FortTracker stat line for Week Five (May 7-May 13):

May 10     Nationals 4, Pirates 2         PNC Park

Starting against phenom SP Stephen Strasburg, McKenry managed to stroke a double off the Nats ace.  Finishing with a 1 for 3 line, McKenry also nailed Danny Espinosa attempting to steal in the 2nd inning.

May 11    Astros 1, Pirates 0                 PNC Park

“The Fort” came in as a defensive replacement for the ninth inning after Barajas was pinch-run for in the eighth.  No plate appearances, no defensive numbers.

May 12     Pirates 5, Astros 2                PNC Park

McKenry started and went 0-3 with a walk.

May 13     Pirates 3, Astros 2                       PNC Park

In this 12-inning affair, Manager Clint Hurdle was forced to use Barajas at 1B for an inning.  McKenry came in as a defensive replacement and went 0-1 in his lone at-bat.  He did manage to move the runner to third with a ground out, setting the stage for the top of the lineup to get a crack at winning the game.

FortTracker Totals for Week Five (May 7 -May 13)

8 at-bats, 1 Hit, 1 BB, 1 K

1/1 in throwing out potential baserunners

Rod Barajas stats for Week Five (May 7 – May 13)

14 at-bats, 4 hits, 1 HR, 1 double, 2 K’s, 0 BB

0/2 on throwing out baserunners

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FortTracker Summary for Week Five

Bad week for the Fort Revolution.  Barajas not only hit better this week, he also had the walk-off homer.  He still can’t seem to throw out base stealers, but it looks for now like Captain Rod is going to be in the Bucs lineup and “The Fort” will be on the pine.

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

You can follow RumBunter on Twitter @rumbunter

And of course, you can get your Pirates fix all year round right here at www.rumbunter.com, the BEST Pittsburgh Pirates blog on the whole World Wide Web

When we last left our hero, “The Fort” was still having trouble getting playing time behind struggling veteran backstop Rod Barajas.  One week later and Barajas is still struggling to hit his weight (although at this point, hitting .250 would be a Godsend for the veteran).

#StarttheFORT continues to be the Twitter-Battle Cry for fans of McKenry whop want to see the young catcher get his shot at the Pirates starting job.

The Start the Fort Facebook page is gaining likes by the day an we infect the Pittsburgh baseball scene with the support for our hero.

On to the forth week of the FortTracker!

The Fortracker:  Week Four (April 30 – May 6)

It was a bad week for The Fort, as he only got three appearances for the Bucs.

May 2    Cardinals 12, Pirates 3    PNC Park

The game started out horrifically for the Pirates and starter AJ Burnett, who were down 4-0 before the end of the first.  By the third inning, it was 12-1 and for all intents and purposes, the game was over.  Barajas started the game but was taken out after one at-bat.  The Fort played the remainder of the game and logged 3 At-bats, all outs, including 1 K.  The Fort did not have any defensive plays in this game.

May 3   Pirates 6, Cardinals 3      PNC Park

McKenry started and went 0-4 with 2 K’s in his worst offensive performance of the season.  He failed to throw out two basestealers.

May 6  Reds 5, Pirates 0    PNC Park

Once again, the spot start did no favors for McKenry.  An 0-4 performance with 3 Ks dropped his batting average to .194 on the season.  He gave up a stolen base to Drew Stubbs.

FortTracker Totals for Week Four (April 30 – May 6)

11 AB, 0 hits, 6 Ks

Defensive:  Was 0/3 throwing out runners stealing second base.

Rod Barajas stats for Week of April 30 – May 6

14 AB, 2 hits, 1 double, 2 Ks

Defensive:  1/5 in throwing out basestealers, 1 PB, 1 Error

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FortTracker Summary for Week Four

The limited action seems to be catching up to “The Fort”, who needs to start seeing some solid playing time to get into a groove.  So long as he is used sparingly, it is going to be very hard for him to statistically beat out Barajas.  Barajas is having a horrendous season, and defensively he has been even worse.  The Fort needs at-bats, Clint!!

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

You can follow RumBunter on Twitter @rumbunter

And of course, you can get your Pirates fix all year round right here at www.rumbunter.com, the BEST Pittsburgh Pirates blog on the whole World Wide Web

Welcome to the first installment of the RumBunter FortTracker!

If you are an avid reader of the best Pittsburgh Pirates blog here at RumBunter, you may recall my article on catcher Michael McKenry back on March 21.  If you didn’t get a chance to read the original article, you can access it right here.

The FortTracker will be a weekly update on the career progress of “The Fort”, currently the Pirates #2 catcher behind veteran backstop Rod Barajas.

So, why the mini-obsession with the Bucs backup catcher?  Allow me to explain.

Baseball is a sport that binds its fans to their players in a way unparallelled anywhere else in professional sports.  We follow our teams on a daily basis for more than 3/4 of the calender year – from Spring Training through the 162-game regular season to (hopefully) the playoffs and World Series.  Over the course of such a long season, every fan will develop a fondness for certain players.  Be it because of their production, their style of play, their position, their number, or any of a million other specific reasons, baseball players tug at our heart strings in a way that harkens us back to the simpler days of our childhood.  We all have memories of our fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or any father-figure telling us tales of the players they followed growing up.  Names such as DiMaggio, Mantle, Musial, Clemente, Stargell…..depending on where you grew up certain names are synonymous with the cities in which they played.  As we began to understand the game in the same way as the men who told us these stories, our love and passion for certain players would enhance our connection to the game.  For me – as I detailed in my “Growing up Buccos” series -  it was Tony Pena and Andy Van Slyke, the two players who loomed large in my formative days as a baseball fan.  Certain players just stir up the emotions of being a young fan in love with the game of baseball.

Every so often, a player will come around who reminds us of why we obsessed over baseball during our youth.  For me, that player is Michael McKenry.  When the Pirates acquired “The Fort” from Boston last June, even the most dedicated Buccos fans were scrambling online to Google the newest Pittsburgh player.  In a season in which the team would use EIGHT different players behind the dish, it was McKenry who would provide the most memorable moments.  With superb defense and a knack for clutch hits, the unassuming 5’10″ 215 lb catcher became a fan favorite in a city that appreciates a blue-collar approach in its players.  His first major-league homerun on July 8th capped an emotional comeback against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park that assured the Pirates a winning record at the All-Star Break for the first time since 1992.  Within a few weeks of his arrival in Pittsburgh, the Pirates announce team and fans sporting freshly minted t-shirts at the ballpark had given life to a nickname for the 26-year old rookie – “The Fort”.  It was a play on his surname combined with the name of a historic American monument – Fort McHenry.  The name stuck in large part because of the way McKenry was able to block balls behind the plate.  His ability to keep the ball in front of him would be a major asset to a young pitching staff just beginning to find its rhythm.  A Pittsburgh cult hero had been born.

At 5’10″ and 215 lbs., McKenry by far isn’t the biggest player on the team.  He is not the most athletic, or the most gifted.  He is simply a ballplayer.  A gritty, hard-working, ballplayer who Pittsburgh fans can identify with as one of their own.  As the Pirates began to make preparations for 2012, they signed veteran catcher Rod Barajas to be the starter, relegating “The Fort” to back-up duties.  I believe that this was a mistake and that McKenry deserves a chance to be the Pirates starting catcher.  McKenry is a throwback, a grinder, and one hell of a ballplayer who will not reach 500 major-league at-bats until sometime this summer.  Every game that he plays seems to enhance his ability as a player, and I believe that if given the starting slot, McKenry could win a Gold Glove and would surprise many fans with his full-season hitting statistics.  Hopefully, he will get that opportunity at some point during this season.  The Pirates have started off very slowly offensively, with Barajas struggling to get his batting average over .200.

The era of “The Fort” will begin in 2012……until then we will closely monitor his career here at the FortTracker.  I have no doubt that if all fans out there watch “The Fort” play and follow the FortTracker weekly, they will become fans of this young, talented catcher.

Pirates C Michael "The Fort" McKenry

The FortTracker:  Week One (April 5th – April 13th)

April 7   Pirates 2, Phillies 1  – PNC Park

McKenry saw his first action of the new season, pinch-running for Rob Barajas in the bottom of the 10th inning after Barajas led off with a double.  After taking third on a sacrifice bunt by SS Clint Barmes, McKenry dahsed home to score the winning run on a walk-off infield single by OF Alex Presley.

April 8  Pirates 5, Phillies 4 – PNC Park

“The Fort” would receive his first start of the season, catching for starter James McDonald in a Pirates series-winning victory.  At the plate, he was 1/4 with a single and a K.

April 12  Dodgers 3, Pirates 2 – Dodger Stadium

McKenry started and had a productive day at the plate, hitting his first homerun of 2012 – a towering shot to dead-centerfield. His daily line was 1/2 with a homerun and a walk.  He scored his second run of the season on the homerun.

FortTracker Totals for Week of April 5-April 12

6 AB  2 Runs  2 Hits  1 Homerun  .333/.429/.833

Rod Barajas Totals for Week of April 5- April 12

17 AB 0 Runs  1 Hit  4 K’s  .059/.059/.118

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FortTracker Summary for Week One

“The Fort” saw limited action during the Opening Week, but overall was more productive than starter Rod Barajas despite only 6 total at-bats to Barajas’ 17 total at-bats.

McKenry did not have any SB/CS numbers for Week One.

As the season progresses and the Pirates get away from the early season off days, “The Fort” should see a substantial increase in playing time to allow Barajas (36 years old) time off from behind the plate.

Pittsburgh Pirates Week Two schedule:

04/13	@SF	4:35 pm	M. Cain
04/14	@SF	9:05 pm	B. Zito
04/15	@SF	4:05 pm	R. Vogelsong
04/16	@ARI	9:40 pm	J. Saunders
04/17	@ARI	9:40 pm	I. Kennedy
04/18	@ARI	3:40 pm
04/20	STL	7:05 pm

Check back every Friday for the next installment of the FortTracker, as we enjoy the progress of future Pirates starting catcher, Michael McKenry.

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

You can follow RumBunter on Twitter @rumbunter

And of course, you can get your Pirates fix all year round right here at www.rumbunter.com, the BEST Pittsburgh Pirates blog on the whole World Wide Web.