Author: mattbandi

As Neal Huntington tore down the Pirates’ major league roster over the past few years, I set my sights on 2011 as the year the team would “turn it around.” By 2012, I hoped we would be competing for the playoffs. Whether this team has a chance to accomplish any of that is debatable. In this upcoming series of articles, I will determine how close the Pirates are to achieving their goal.

As I was driving to work on Friday morning, I began to suspect that Bryan Morris' spot in the Altoona rotation was due up that night. When I arrived at my office, I fired up the computer and quickly checked whether I was correct. I was, and I discovered that he would be facing Twins’ pitching prospect Kyle Gibson. With a Friday night free of any obligations, I decided that pitching matchup was about as good as any I would find. So on my way home from work, I took a brief two-hour detour to Altoona.

According to a report from the Washington Times-Herald, the Pirates have signed 2010 39th round draft pick Kevin Decker, a right-handed pitcher.

Ryan Doumit is starting at first base tonight for the first time since May 14, 2007.

Welcome to the PLC live blog of the major league debut for Brad Lincoln and Jose Tabata. I am using the Cover It Live software, but I will only be providing occasional updates. If you are looking for a full-blown chat, Raise the Jolly Roger is the place to go. I will kick things off around 6:45 PM.

As long-suffering Pirates fans, we are desperate for some sort of hope. With an awful major league team, that hope generally resides in the minor leagues. Brad Lincoln and Jose Tabata, the first of three prospects labeled by some as “The Big Three” before the season, are making their major league debuts tonight. With Pedro Alvarez knocking on the door, it is easy for us as fans to get caught up in the excitement of these potential tides of change. But it is important to keep our expectations reasonable.

Dejan Kovacevic reports that Dana Eveland will move to the bullpen with the addition of Brad Lincoln. Jeff Karstens will remain in the rotation.

The Pirates added an elite talent on Monday night in the first round of the 2010 MLB draft. Shortly after noon on Tuesday, they made waves by aggressively selecting another impact pitcher in the second round. The Bucs then added 28 more players as Tuesday afternoon furiously unfolded. So how is the team looking after the first two days of the draft?

The Pirates designated reliever Jack Taschner for assignment tonight, and optioned Jeff Clement to Triple-A Indianapolis. Taschner will be replaced by Brad Lincoln, but the second roster move will not be announced until Wednesday. There are unconfirmed rumblings that Jose Tabata will be the one promoted to Pittsburgh.

Wow. Neal Huntington is going balls to the wall with this year's draft. Allie is another high school pitcher who throws in the high 90's. He is reportedly looking for a bonus in the $3 million range. In order to sign both Jameson Taillon and Allie, the Pirates will likely have to spend something like $9 million.

I have no idea. The fun starts today, as the Pirates begin rattling off picks and the fans furiously attack Google in search of any and all information. I am traveling this morning, so I figured I would schedule an auto-post for a few hours before things kick off at noon. I should be home sometime this afternoon, and updates will follow.

Now that the Pirates have made Jameson Taillon the second overall pick in the MLB draft, it is time to look forward to round two. Several interesting players will be available when the Bucs make their selection a little after noon. Here are a few options, all of which would be fine by me.