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First Pitch: Why Advanced Stats Are Better Than Traditional Stats
If you’ve read this site for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed that we use the WAR stat. A lot. The trade values series is based off WAR (although… Read more
First Pitch: Would You Rather Have Polanco/Hanson or Chase Headley?
Jim Bowden had an article at ESPN talking about how the San Diego Padres should trade Chase Headley right now. In the article he listed the Pittsburgh Pirates as one… Read more
First Pitch: The Starting Pitching Depth
With yesterday’s news that the Pirates were adding Jonathan Sanchez, and today’s news that they’re still on track to sign Francisco Liriano, the starting pitching scene is getting crowded. Here… Read more
First Pitch: Francisco Liriano vs Jonathan Sanchez
When the news came out that the Pittsburgh Pirates were close to an agreement with left-handed pitcher Jonathan Sanchez, my initial reaction was that he was very similar to Francisco… Read more
First Pitch: Looking at the Grades From Huntington’s Drafts
Every year I always purchase a copy of the Baseball America Prospect Handbook. I only cover the Pirates’ farm system, and while that does give me a chance to see… Read more
First Pitch: Will the Pirates Make Any More Moves?
Today the Pittsburgh Pirates agreed to deals with Neil Walker and James McDonald, avoiding arbitration with each player. Outside of the pending Francisco Liriano deal, that should wrap up the… Read more
First Pitch: MLB Has Two Major Problems, Only Cares About One
There are two big problems for Major League Baseball that have come up over the last few days. The big story in all the national outlets is the most recent… Read more
First Pitch: Looking at the Bigger Picture
Earlier today, Grant Brisbee of SB Nation wrote about “the perfectly whelming offseason of the Pirates“. As the title indicates, the article talks about how the Pirates haven’t done much… Read more
First Pitch: How Can the Pirates Catch the Cardinals?
Earlier today, John Sickels released his farm system rankings and had the Pittsburgh Pirates fifth overall. He also had the St. Louis Cardinals first overall. The Cardinals seem to be… Read more
First Pitch: The FanGraphs Reports, and Luis Urena as a Sleeper
Over the last month, Kiley McDaniel has been posting some great reports over at FanGraphs. I’ve been retweeting them on Twitter, but keep forgetting to link to them in the… Read more
