Other players born on this date include:

Dennis Konuszewski(1971) relief pitcher who threw his only career game with the 1995 Pirates. He was a 7th round draft pick of the Pirates in 1992 and spent his entire minor league career in their farm system, throwing 207 games from 1992 until 1997. Dennis actually played just four games above AA ball ever, three AAA games in 1996 and his one major league game on August 4,1995. He came into the game to start the 7th inning against the Astros with the Pirates down 3-2. He walked the first batter he faced, gave up a single, the a sacrifice bunt, then two more singles and two runs before being pulled from the game leaving him with a career 54.00 ERA and the only one out he recorded was given to him on the sac bunt. Dennis didn’t have much success in AAA either, allowing 13 hits, 11 runs and five walks in only 3.1 innings. He was mentioned in a recent article here about one game wonders in Pirates history.

Whitted was a career .269 hitter

Steve Brye(1949) outfielder for the 1978 Pirates. He was originally a first round draft pick of the Twins in 1967 and had played eight seasons in the majors already when the Pirates signed him as a free agent on April 4,1978. He played his first seven seasons with Minnesota and then one year with the Brewers in 1977 when he hit .249 in 94 games and played errorless ball in 83 games in the outfield. For the Pirates in 1978 he played 66 games, mostly off the bench and he split his time between all three outfield positions. He hit .235 with 9 RBI’s in 130 plate appearances. He was released shortly after the season ended and would go on to play one more season in AAA for the Padres before retiring as a player. He was a career .258 hitter in 697 major league games.

Possum Whitted(1890) utility fielder for the 1919-21 Pirates. George was in his 8th season in the majors when the Pirates traded an outfielder named Casey Stengel of the Phillies for him on August 9,1919. Both players were 29 years old at the time and Stengel was also in his 8th major league season. Possum was hitting .249 in 78 games with Philadelphia prior to the trade and had never batted higher than .281 in a season but in the last 35 games of the year for the Pirates he had 51 hits and a .389 batting average. He took over the Pirates third base job in 1920 and hit .261 with 74 RBI’s in 134 games and he had as many triples(12) as doubles and homers combined. In 1921 he moved back to the outfield and hit .283 with 63 RBI’s in 104 games. Despite the strong stats, the Pirates sold him to Brooklyn prior to the 1922 season and they must’ve known his major league career was nearing the end because he lasted one pinch hit appearance before going back to the minors where he played until age 41 in 1931.

Lefty Davis(1875) outfielder for the 1901-02 Pirates. He began his minor league career in 1896 and wasn’t signed by a major league club until 1901 but in a three month span from late March of that year until the end of June he was a member of three different organizations. He signed with the Philadelphia Athletics early in 1901 as they prepared to play their first season in American League history(the league existed prior to 1901 but was not considered a major league). Before he ever played a game for the Athletics he jumped to the National League to play for the Brooklyn Superbas. After hitting .209 in 25 games he was released and quickly signed with the Pirates. He started in right field and hit .313 in 87 games with 87 runs scored and 22 stolen bases. The Pirates won their first NL title that season. Davis returned for 1902 and hit .280 with 52 runs scored and 19 stolen bases in 59 games as the Pirates not only won their second straight NL crown but they also posted their best record ever going 103-36. Prior to the start of 1903 Davis jumped the the New York Highlanders of the American League. He lasted just two more season in the majors and ended up playing another eight years in the minors while also managing for four seasons.

Finally, Doug Slaten, a relief pitcher who has pitched six seasons in the majors, four with Arizona and the last two with the Nationals, turns 32 today. He signed with the Pirates on January 11th after going 0-2 4.41 in 31 relief appearances last year. He has a career record of 7-8 3.60 in 137.2 innings over 206 appearances.

Tallet has a career 4.79 ERA in 460 major league innings, pitching for three teams. Last year he split time between St. Louis and Toronto, but had poor results with a 9.45 ERA in 13.1 innings. The 34 year old also pitched for Toronto from 2006-2010. From 2006-2008 he had good results, with a 3.38 ERA in 173 innings, along with a 7.2 K/9 and a 4.2 BB/9 ratio. He worked as a starter in 2009, with a 5.32 ERA in 160.2 innings. Tallet then moved back to the bullpen in 2010, with a 6.40 ERA in 77.1 innings, making five starts in the process.

Tallet signed a major league deal with St. Louis last year, which paid him $750 K. He missed time in 2011 with a rib injury late in the season, and a fractured hand early in the season. Because of the injuries and the poor performances the past few years, I’d be surprised if this was a major league deal. He should compete with Daniel Moskos and Doug Slaten for the second left handed spot in the bullpen.

Lannan is coming off a year with a 3.70 ERA in 184.2 innings. He’s probably due for some regression with an xFIP of 4.24. Lannan would probably be appealing to Pirates fans for three reasons:

1. He’s got decent career numbers, with a 4.00 ERA, and a good track record of being an innings eater.

2. He’s left handed.

3. He has a career 52.8% ground ball ratio.

Let’s compare Lannan over the last three years to two other left handed pitchers with good ground ball ratios:

Lannan: 4.03 ERA, 4.5 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.9 HR/9, 534.1 IP

Player A: 4.43 ERA, 5.3 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.7 HR/9, 542.1 IP

Player B: 4.79 ERA, 4.7 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 1.1 HR/9, 448.2 IP

Lannan has the best ERA of the three over the last three years, however he’s got the worst strikeout and walk ratios. Player A is Paul Maholm. Player B is Zach Duke.

Somehow Lannan has managed to put up strong numbers throughout his career, despite being very similar to these two former Pirates left handers. He doesn’t really have better stuff than Duke or Maholm, with an average fastball of 89.6 MPH in 2011. He’s not favored by his home park, with a career 3.80 ERA at home, compared to a 4.20 ERA on the road. Compare that to Maholm, who really benefitted from PNC Park, putting up a 3.80 ERA at home and a 5.03 ERA on the road.

Looking at the advanced stats, Lannan should be the worst pitcher of the three. Lannan’s xFIP over the last three years is worse than Maholm, and slightly worse than Duke. A big part of that is due to Lannan’s 2009 season, as his 2010 and 2011 campaigns weren’t horrible. But in his career he has a 4.45 xFIP, compared to a 4.22 for Maholm and a 4.34 for Duke.

Maholm has only out-performed his xFIP twice in his career. That came in the 2008 and 2011 seasons. Three times if you count his limited playing time in 2005. Duke out-performed his xFIP in his half-season in 2005, and again in 2009. Lannan has four full seasons in the majors, and has out-performed his xFIP three out of four times, and once more in 2007 when he pitched 34.2 innings.

The advanced metrics suggest Lannan should be the worst of the three, but Lannan is the only one who is out-performing the advanced metrics on a consistent basis. Lannan looks similar to Duke and Maholm, but the results have been much different. You can’t chalk it up to Duke and Maholm playing for a bad team, because Lannan played for a bad team. You can’t chalk it up to ballpark effects like Maholm, because Lannan has been good on the road.

Going back to the original topic, the Nationals are apparently trying to unload Lannan. PNC Park is built for left handers, and left handers with strong ground ball ratios are a perfect fit. Over the past three years only three left handed starters have put up a better ground ball ratio than Lannan: Ricky Romero, Jaime Garcia, and Brett Anderson. Those three also benefit from strong strikeout numbers, which is why Lannan can’t be fully compared to them. However, if you’re looking for a left hander with a high ground ball ratio, Lannan is a prime option.

So what is Lannan’s trade value?

Explanation: Lannan has an average of a 1.3 WAR over the last three years, including a 1.3 WAR in 2011. His salary for 2012 will be $5 M, and I estimated $6 M for his final year of arbitration in 2012. He might be more valuable in PNC Park, which could drive his WAR up. If his value stays the same, he probably wouldn’t be worth an offer of arbitration in 2013, unless he really benefits from PNC Park.

What He’s Worth: A $2.4 M trade value is the equivalent of a young Grade C pitching prospect. Or the Pirates could try to deal a reliever. I talked the other day about the crowded bullpen situation. They could swap someone like Daniel McCutchen for Lannan. Washington gets their salary relief, and the Pirates don’t really miss McCutchen. The Nationals, however, are looking for a center fielder. I wouldn’t give up Alex Presley unless prospects were coming with Lannan, but Gorkys Hernandez would be a good candidate. He hasn’t proven himself with the bat, but he’s arguably the best defensive outfielder in the Pirates’ system, which could have value in Washington’s spacious outfield.

Analysis: Lannan is a bit of an enigma. If you just look at the results, he hasn’t been much worse than Edwin Jackson the past few years. Jackson has a 3.96 ERA in that span, while Lannan has a 4.03 ERA, including a better ERA than Jackson in 2011. I prefer looking at how a pitcher got to that ERA, rather than just focusing on the ERA. Looking at the secondary numbers, I’d take Jackson any day. Lannan looks like a risk with his secondary numbers. He doesn’t strike out a lot of batters, he doesn’t have a great walk rate, and his xFIP suggests he should be closer to a 4.45 ERA. But that’s where Lannan becomes a mystery.

For whatever reason he constantly out-performs the expectations. Three out of the last four years he has put up an ERA of 3.91 or better, making 31 or more starts per year. The exception was in 2010, and he dealt with elbow inflammation that year, which might have played a part in his 4.65 ERA over 25 starts. The advanced numbers suggest that Lannan is worse than Duke and Maholm, but the actual results show that he’s been considerably better. If Lannan repeats his 2011 season in Pittsburgh, which should be easier considering PNC’s favorable layout for left handers, then he’d be a huge addition to the pitching staff. Considering that Washington doesn’t seem to be looking for much more than salary relief, and considering that the Pirates can afford to take on salary, it seems like a great match.

Coleman won 23 games in 1973 for the Tigers

Only two former Pirates players born on this date starting with a member of the last World Series team in franchise history, pitcher Joe Coleman, who was born in 1947. He was in his 15th year in the majors, yet just 32 years old, when the Pirates picked him up as a free agent on May 8,1979. He started that season with the Giants but was released after throwing five scoreless appearances out of the bullpen. Joe had a career record of  142-135 in 474 games(340 as a starter) prior to joining the Pirates but had not won in double figures since 1975. While with the Pirates he initially went to the minors for the first time since 1967, then was called up in late July and pitched ten games in relief, posting a 6.10 ERA.

That 1979 season would be the end of his major league career but he pitched three more seasons in the minors before retiring. He managed one season in the minors(1983) and has worked various baseball jobs in the majors and minors since. He was the third overall draft pick in the first ever major league amateur draft in 1965. Coleman is the son of Joe Coleman who pitched for ten seasons in the majors between 1942 and 1955. He is the father of current Cubs pitcher Casey Coleman, who has spent parts of the last two seasons in the majors, making them one of the few three generation families in major league history and the only one to include only pitchers.

The other player born on this date was Freddie Toliver(1961) who pitched for the 1993 Pirates. He pitched in the majors for four different teams between 1984 and 1989. That last season he pitched very poorly, posting an ERA over 7.00 with both the Twins and Padres. Toliver would then spend each of the next three seasons in the minors, being sent as low as High-A ball to work his way back to the majors.  The Pirates purchased his contract from an independent minor league team on July 23,1992 and sent him to AA where he worked out of the bullpen for the rest of the season. He began the 1993 season in the minors but in late May, he was called up to the Pirates for a five week stretch that saw him mostly work mop-up duties in long relief. He had a 3.74 ERA in 21.2 innings before being sent back down. He retired following that season but briefly made a comeback in 1998 pitching in Independent ball. He had a career record of 10-16 4.73 in 78 major league games, 37 of them as a starter.

The Pirates pick eighth overall in the first round. Baseball America’s eighth ranked player is Brian Johnson, a left handed pitcher and first baseman. Right after Johnson at number nine is a player that will probably be more appealing to Pirates fans: power hitting outfielder Victor Roache. Roache hit 30 home runs last year as a sophomore at Georgia Southern, despite the new college bats which sap power. He does have some issues with breaking balls, which were exposed in the Cape Cod league this past season. But the lack of power in the Pirates’ system will probably be enough to put Roache on the want list all year leading up to the draft.

It’s important to note that these rankings are extremely premature. Last year Baseball America had guys like Trevor Bauer and Dylan Bundy ranked as mid-first round picks in February. After strong seasons both ended up in the top five before the draft. In 2010 Manny Machado was rated 11th overall in the pre-season rankings, and finished the year ranked 3rd overall. On the flip side, Anthony Ranaudo started the year ranked 2nd overall and ended up 26th overall after a year filled with injuries and poor performance.

It’s possible that guys like Mark Appel or Devin Marrero will fall to the Pirates at number eight, although I think that heavily depends on those guys struggling throughout the year, which isn’t ideal for your first round pick. I think a bigger possibility would be that someone from the 10-30 ranks makes the jump to the top ten and becomes a new option for a team like the Pirates. Some of the guys I’d watch out for are prep shortstop Gavin Cecchini, Puerto Rican shortstop Carlos Correa, and prep third baseman Trey Williams.

Other fans joined in, and the Twitter hash tag #EJaxtoBucs was born. A search of the hash tag will show you all of the messages sent to Jackson. And it’s not just Pirates fans that are getting in on the action. Pirates players themselves are also joining in.

That started last night when Joel Hanrahan responded to a question on where Edwin Jackson will end up:

@EJ36 @toriihunter48 @RawlingsFstore would look awfully good in some black and gold!!!

Pirates starter James McDonald also joined in on the action this morning:

I hope @EJ36 is a bucco next year

Jackson responded to the campaign this morning:

Thanks to the #BucsNation for the support It is very much appreciated!

Will the campaign work? It’s very unlikely. Jackson is represented by Scott Boras, which means it’s going to take a lot more than a Twitter campaign to get him to Pittsburgh. But the campaign is eye opening, not only showing how many Pirates fans want Edwin Jackson, but also showing that some of the players want him as well. I think I’ve written a thing or two this off-season about why the Pirates should add Jackson. After this campaign they should at least make a call on Jackson, if they haven’t already.

Abstein had over 1500 minor league hits

Others former Pirates players born on this date include:

Ronny Cedeno(1983) shortstop for the Pirates from 2009 until 2011. He began his major league career in 2005 and was struggling through the 2009 season with the Mariners, hitting just .167 in 59 games, when the Pirates acquired him in a seven player deal at the trading deadline. Cedeno replaced Jack Wilson, who went to Seattle in the trade, as the everyday starting shortstop. In his two plus seasons in Pittsburgh, Ronny hit .254 with 15 homers and 91 RBI’s in 313 games. He was granted free agency in October 2011 and signed with the New York Mets in January.

Pat Clements(1962) lefty pitcher for the Pirates during the 1985-86 seasons. He had started his major league career in 1985 for the Angels going 5-0 3.34 in 41 relief appearances before the Pirates acquired him in a six player deal in early August. Clements would go 0-2 3.67 in 27 games for the Pirates to finish out the year. In 1986 he pitched 65 games, a total of 61 innings and had a record of 0-4 with a 2.80 ERA. Following the season he was dealt to the Yankees in a six player trade along with Cecilio Guante, who was covered here yesterday. The Pirates also gave up Rick Rhoden and received back Doug Drabek in that deal. Clements would pitch in the majors until 1992 and finish with a 17-11 3.77 ERA in 288 games. He briefly pitched in the minors with the Orioles in 1993 before retiring. In the entire history of the Pirates franchise, 250 players have pitched for the team without recording a win, Clements with his 92 appearances tops that list with 45 more games than the second highest total.

Manny Sarmiento(1956) pitcher for the Pirates during the 1982-83 seasons. He played parts of five seasons in the majors before the Pirates purchased his contract from the Red Sox after the 1981 season. His only full season in the majors prior to joining Pittsburgh was in 1978 when he went 9-7 4.38 in 63 games for the Cincinnati Reds. He had spent the entire 1981 season in the minors where he posted a 2.34 ERA in 96 innings over 47 relief appearances in AAA. For the Pirates he began the 1982 season in the minors but was recalled after a month. He was used out of the bullpen at first, then moved to the starting rotation in June and made a total of 17 starts that year. In his 35 appearances he went 9-4 3.39 in 164.1 innings with four complete games. He was moved to a bullpen role for 1983 and in 52 games he pitched 84.1 innings with a 3-5 2.99 record. During his first inning of work during spring training in 1984, he injured his elbow and missed the entire year after surgery shut him down. He returned for one season of AAA in 1985 before retiring.

John Tudor(1954) lefty pitcher for the Pirates in 1984. He had been in the majors with the Red Sox for five seasons before the Pirates acquired him in December of 1983 in exchange for Mike Easler. Tudor had won 13 games in each of his last two seasons with Boston. For the Pirates he went 12-11 3.27 in 32 starts, throwing a total of 212 innings. Almost a year to the day the Pirates traded for him, they dealt him to the Cardinals in a four player deal that got them George Hendricks, who would later be used in the deal to get Clements. Tudor would have a career year in 1985 leading St Louis to the World Series with 21 wins and 10 shutouts. He never won more than 13 games in any of his other 11 seasons in the majors and threw just six other shutouts in his entire career.

Fred Waters(1927) lefty pitcher for the Pirates during the 1955-56 seasons. He was originally signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949 as an amateur free agent, moving on to the Braves early in 1953 before the Pirates traded for him later that year. He was one of six players, plus cash, that the Pirates received in return for second baseman Danny O’Connell in a trade covered here. Waters had won 18 games his first season in the minors but never approached that win total in any of the six seasons since when the Pirates called him up in mid-September 1955. He pitched two games in relief, allowing two runs in five innings. He began the 1956 season back in the minors before being called up for a July 14th doubleheader in which he pitched in both games. He would go on to pitch 23 games, five as a starter and finish with a 2-2 2.82 record. He would return to the minors for five more seasons before retiring as a player. Waters would then go on to manage 21 years in the Twins farm system, spending the last 12 years at the helm of their rookie league club in Elizabethton, Tennessee.

Following the move, I raised a question on Twitter. If you assume that the Pirates will carry two left handed relievers — something that has been on Clint Hurdle’s wish list ever since he arrived in Pittsburgh — then which four right handers would you pick to fill out the bullpen?

The bullpen has become a bit crowded, which is a good problem to have. But there’s still a situation where the Pirates have more options than roster spots, which will lead to some tough decisions in Spring Training. Here are the available right handers that are either on the 40-man roster, or have an invite to Spring Training.

The closer role is excluded from this analysis, since Joel Hanrahan has his roster spot locked in.

Jason Grilli - He had a 2.48 ERA last year, and tied for the team high strikeout ratio with a 10.2 K/9 in 32.2 innings. He’s also the highest paid reliever on the roster not named Joel Hanrahan, making $1.1 M this year.

Evan Meek - This time last year we were debating between Meek and Hanrahan on who should be the closer for the 2011 season. While Hanrahan thrived in the closer’s role, Meek had a down year. He’s getting $875 K this year, and it would be hard to pass him up considering his upside.

Chris Resop - He pitched a lot in the 7th and 8th innings last year, and had up and down results. He struggled at times, but for the most part was reliable, and tied Grilli with a 10.2 K/9 ratio in 69.2 innings. Resop is making $850 K.

Daniel McCutchen - He led the bullpen in innings last year with 84.2 innings in 73 appearances. McCutchen doesn’t have the stuff that guys like Meek, Grilli, and Resop have. To me he seems like a Jesse Chavez type: a middle reliever who is best used in a trade.

Chris Leroux had a breakout season in 2011, and is out of options in 2012.

Chris Leroux - He had a breakout season last year, changing his arm slot in the minors, and ending up with a 2.88 ERA in the majors in 25 innings, along with an 8.6 K/9 and a 2.5 BB/9. He’s been working on his secondary stuff over the off-season.

Bryan Morris - Morris probably won’t be a factor for the bullpen on Opening Day since there are plenty of options and he hasn’t pitched in AAA yet.

Jared Hughes - He was called up in September after flashing a sinker in Indianapolis that got up to 96 MPH. In 11 innings he had a 4.09 ERA and a 10:4 K/BB ratio.

Duke Welker - Like Morris, he probably won’t be a factor due to a lack of AAA experience.

Juan Cruz - He arguably has the best track record of all of these pitchers, and he’s coming off a good year with Tampa Bay. In his last two seasons in the National League he struck out over 12 batters per nine innings.

Daniel Cabrera - He’s always dealt with control issues, and his major league results haven’t been impressive, which makes him a huge underdog in this discussion.

Michael Crotta - He made the Opening Day roster last year, but went down early in the season with an injury. He doesn’t stand out over the other middle relievers, which makes him an underdog as a non-roster invitee.

Ryota Igarashi - He hasn’t carried his Japanese league numbers over to the majors, struggling with his control the past two years. He’s also unlikely to be a factor.

Logan Kensing - He’s had poor results so far in the majors, which puts him in the same category as Cabrera and Igarashi.

Shairon Martis - Martis was in the majors at a young age, working as a starter but putting up poor results. A move to the bullpen could revive his career, but he’d probably have more value as starting depth out of AAA.

Tim Wood - Wood had a lot of success with Indianapolis last year, but didn’t fare well in his limited time in Pittsburgh, which has been a trend in his career. Odds are he stays in AAA to start the year.

Picking the Best Four

With four spots available, these are the guys I consider contenders: Jason Grilli, Evan Meek, Chris Resop, Daniel McCutchen, Chris Leroux, Jared Hughes, Juan Cruz.

You would need to cut three guys from this group. Grilli, Resop, and Leroux are all out of options, which clouds the picture even more. If you cut them, you risk losing them for good. You can option McCutchen and Hughes, and Cruz is on a minor league deal, although there’s no word yet on whether he has an out clause.

My choice would be Grilli, Meek, Resop, and Leroux. That allows you to keep the guys who are out of options, and I think you have to give a shot to Meek.

I don’t agree with the idea that you have to have two left handers. I’d rather have the best possible relievers, and ideally those relievers could get anyone out. If it were up to me, I’d go with Tony Watson as the lone left hander, then give Juan Cruz the other spot.

The Pirates won’t need a fifth starter until April 24th, so it’s possible they could open the season with an eight man bullpen, giving them one extra spot to work with. That would allow them to carry two left handers, plus Grilli, Meek, Resop, and Leroux, and still have room for Cruz.

As for McCutchen and Hughes, they both have options, and would be great depth in AAA. I think McCutchen looks better as trade depth. He just seems like the type of reliever you flip in exchange for a productive player with an overpriced salary from another team.

That would be my approach with the bullpen. What would you do?

A lot of the times people will grade drafts based on what kind of results they think a team should have. These results usually aren’t based on what other teams have actually done. On Monday I pointed out some of the actual results, noting that only 14 players from the last four drafts have reached the majors and have put up a career WAR of 2.0 or better. To get a better idea of the individual drafts and the expectations that should surround them, I figured I’d expand on the early results from the 2008 draft.

I mentioned on Monday that the 2008 draft has only seen eight players put up a career WAR of 2.0 or better so far in the majors. The following is a breakdown of the early results from the 2008 draft, with round-by-round results, and comparisons showing what the Pirates did in each round. Credit to Baseball-Reference for the WAR numbers.

Pedro Alvarez has a -1.4 WAR so far in his major league career.

Round One

Players in Majors: 22 (out of 46 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 12

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: Buster Posey

3.0-4.0: Ike Davis

2.0-3.0: Brett Lawrie

1.0-2.0: Gordon Beckham, Jemile Weeks, Eric Hosmer, Brian Matusz

The most successful player from the top of the 2008 draft so far has been Buster Posey, who has a career 4.4 WAR. Only four players taken in the top ten overall picks have a career WAR of 1.0 or better. Five if you count Aaron Crow, who was drafted 9th overall, but didn’t sign in 2008.

Pedro Alvarez has a -1.4 WAR to date.

Round Two

Players in Majors: 8 (out of 31 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 2

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

So far the second round of the 2008 draft hasn’t produced much. There have been a few pitchers, with two pitching in 33-35 games. Most of the pitchers have been relievers the bulk of their short career.

The Pirates didn’t sign their second round pick, Tanner Scheppers.

Round Three

Players in Majors: 10 (out of 35 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 4

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: Craig Kimbrel, Vance Worley

2.0-3.0: Danny Espinosa

1.0-2.0: N/A

The third round has some interesting talent. Craig Kimbrel looks like a dominant young closer. Vance Worley did well in the Phillies’ rotation last year. Danny Espinosa hasn’t show the best hitting, but his defense has been good at second. Some interesting prospects who have cracked the majors are Zach Stewart, Chris Carpenter, and Brent Morel.

The Pirates drafted Jordy Mercer in the third round. Seattle drafted Aaron Pribanic, who was later traded to the Pirates.

Round Four

Players in Majors: 5 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: Jason Kipnis

The fourth round hasn’t produced much yet at the major league level. Dee Gordon and Brandon Crawford were both drafted in this round, and both have reached the majors, but neither has made a big impact.

Chase d’Arnaud is one of the five players to reach the majors, although he hasn’t made an impact either, with a -0.8 WAR in his limited time in 2011.

Round Five

Players in Majors: 5 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 2

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: Daniel Hudson, Alex Avila

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: Anthony Bass

The fifth round has produced the two biggest steals of the draft so far. Daniel Hudson has a 6.5 WAR after one and a half strong years in the majors. Alex Avila established himself as a strong starting catcher in 2011, breaking out with a .295 average and an .895 OPS. Avla came up in 2009, and struggled in 2010 with a .228 average and a .656 OPS before his breakout season.

The Pirates drafted Justin Wilson in the fifth round. Seattle drafted Brett Lorin, who was later traded to the Pirates, and was recently taken by Arizona in the Rule 5 draft.

Round Six

Players in Majors: 5 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

There hasn’t been much of an impact in the majors from the sixth rounders. Josh Harrison was drafted by the Cubs, and has the highest WAR of the group, with an 0.8. He also has the most playing time, with 195 at-bats. The Pirates took Robbie Grossman in the sixth round.

Round Seven

Players in Majors: 2 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

Eric Thames just missed the significant playing time mark, with 362 at-bats. In that time he has a .262 average and a .769 OPS, for a 0.8 WAR.

The Pirates drafted Benji Gonzalez.

Round Eight

Players in Majors: 1 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

The eighth round has only seen one player reach the majors. Andy Dirks has 219 at-bats with a .251 average and a .703 OPS.

The Pirates took Jeremy Farrell.

Round Nine

Players in Majors: 1 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

Like the 8th round, the ninth round has been uneventful so far. The Pirates took Matt Hague.

Round Ten

Players in Majors: 3 (out of 30 drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 1

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

The only player with significant playing time has been Robbie Weinhardt, who pitched in 30 games with a 6.39 ERA. The best results have come from Tom Milone, who has a 3.81 ERA in five games for an 0.5 WAR.

Rounds 11-20

Players in Majors: 8

Significant Playing Time: 4

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: Tony Campana (13th), Louis Coleman (14th)

Most of the players who had significant playing time were relievers. The best player from rounds 11-20 so far has been reliever Louis Coleman.

Players the Pirates Signed: David Rubinstein (11th), Calvin Anderson (12th), Mike Colla (14th), Chris Aure (15th), Wes Freeman (16th), Jarek Cunningham (18th), Quinton Miller (20th)

Rounds 21-30

Players in Majors: 6

Significant Playing Time: 1

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

The best player from this group, and the only player with significant playing time, is left hander Josh Spence, who has 40 appearances in the majors with a 2.73 ERA.

Players the Pirates Signed: Brent Klinger (21st), Brian Leach (25th), Edwin Roman (27th), Kyle Saukko (28th)

Rounds 31-50

Players in Majors: 3

Significant Playing Time: 0

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: N/A

3.0-4.0: N/A

2.0-3.0: N/A

1.0-2.0: N/A

Not a surprise that there weren’t many results from this group. Most of the players who sign from this group are used for organizational depth, which was the case with the Pirates’ signings. The Pirates drafted Matt Curry in the 37th round this year, but he went to TCU.

Players the Pirates Signed: Mark Carver (33rd), Matthew Payne (34th), Tyler Cox (35th), Kyle Morgan (36th), Alan Knotts (38th), Albert Fagan (39th), Chris Simmons (41st), Cole White (42nd), Mike Williams (44th), Allen Ponder (45th), Owen Brolsma (48th), Zach Foster (49th), Craig Parry (50th)

Overall Results

Players in Majors: 79 (out of 1504 players drafted)

Significant Playing Time: 26

WAR Breakdown

4.0 or better: 3 players

3.0-4.0: 3 players

2.0-3.0: 2 players

1.0-2.0: 8 players

Looking at the results, it’s still pretty early for any expectations from the 2008 draft. Based on the position the Pirates drafted, they should have one of the 16 players with a 1.0 WAR or better. That points to the disappointing results from Pedro Alvarez thus far.

Only one other player from the draft has reached the majors, and that was d’Arnaud. Harrison reached the majors, but he wasn’t drafted by the Pirates. I don’t really go with the approach that if another team has a mid-round guy reaching the majors, the Pirates should have one. Looking at the results above, it’s almost a bonus for teams to have a guy in the majors from the middle rounds. I’d give bonus points to those teams, but wouldn’t give negative grades to all of the teams who don’t have a mid-round guy producing in the majors yet. The Pirates’ high draft position gets brought up, but that’s irrelevant after the first round or two. Once you get to the middle rounds, the odds are pretty much the same whether you’re picking 2nd or 30th.

As I said on Monday, the 2012 season will be a big one for the 2008 draft. The Pirates have four players from the college ranks that need to make the jump to the majors. Their high school guys will be in high-A or AA. Had they gone to college, those players would have been starting their first full season as pros in 2012. Most importantly, the Pirates need to see a rebound from Pedro Alvarez in 2012. It would be hard to get good overall results from this draft if Alvarez doesn’t come close to his potential.

Control has always been an issue for Cruz, but he’s got good stuff which leads to a strikeout an inning. His velocity has gone down the last few years, averaging 92.8 MPH in 2011, which was down from the 94-95 MPH range in 2007-2009.

Cruz looked like a strong set-up man in 2008 with the Diamondbacks, when he had a 2.61 ERA, along with a 12.37 K/9 and a 5.4 BB/9 ratio. He struggled with the Royals in 2009, and missed most of the 2010 season with a shoulder injury.

Out of all of the non-roster invitees the Pirates have added this off-season, Cruz looks like the best bet to make the majors, just based on his previous history out of the bullpen. He’s got the stuff to potentially be an option in the 8th inning.