It seems like a certainty that the Pittsburgh Pirates will try to upgrade their starting shortstop position in 2011. We’ve heard that the team is interested in J.J. Hardy and Jason Bartlett. Ken Rosenthal reports that the Pirates tried to trade for Hardy on Thursday, prior to the non-tender deadline. Rosenthal mentions that the Pirates continue to pursue Bartlett and Hardy.
Dejan Kovacevic mentioned Cedeno is his morning links, comparing Cedeno to the other backup shortstops over the past few seasons, with the note that Cedeno can actually play shortstop. It seems that no one is projecting Cedeno to open the 2011 season as the starting shortstop.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
My biggest question with those moves is who hits leadoff? I’m concerned about Marte leading off because he tends to strike out alot and doesn’t walk much either. That’s the last thing we need in a leadoff hitter. I like Willingham, doesn’t seem to be much talk about acquiring him though… more about Quentin and now Upton.
Marte can do it. Keep in mind how low the bar has been set with Presley and Tabata leading off this year. Neither one has an OBP above .300. Marte is the kind of player who can hit .300 BAA with a .340 OBP. Not the ideal .350 OBP you want, but he’ll give a decent amount of XB power that neither Tabata nor Presley have.