BBTF's Newsblog Discussion :: MLB: Q&A with Neal Huntington

Baseball Primer Newsblog
— The Best News Links from the Baseball Newsstand

Thursday, May 08, 2008

MLB: Q&A with Neal Huntington

Huntington…curing the genetic disorder of the Pirates.

I am a big fan of Matt Morris as a person, but am glad that you released him. What was your thinking of releasing him versus moving him to the bullpen?

The release of Morris was not an easy decision, Robert, despite his early-season struggles. Matt is a consummate professional and his clubhouse presence will be missed.

As we weighed our options with Morris, it became evident that there was little to be gained in moving him to the bullpen. The best answer was to release him and create an opportunity for some of our younger pitchers that we hope will be a part of the picture for years to come.

What is your position regarding the value of advance scouting in person vs. the current video system?

Having first-hand experience with both types of advance scouting, I can comfortably state that advance scouting via video has certain advantages over advance scouting live in person, and vice versa.

Essentially, it comes down to the Major League coaching staff and the information they require to best help our players prepare to compete on a nightly basis. As we prepared for the 2008 season, we discussed the positives and negatives of each program and chose to utilize the video advance process for this season. We are fortunate to have such a quality person in Adam Lewkowicz doing the video advance for us this season.

Repoz Posted: May 08, 2008 at 07:06 PM | 3 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: pirates

Reader Comments and Retorts

Go to end of page

Statements posted here are those of our readers and do not represent the BaseballThinkFactory. Names are provided by the poster and are not verified. We ask that posters follow our submission policy. Please report any inappropriate comments.

1. s.zielinski Posted: May 08, 2008 at 08:33 PM (#2774021)

More ominous still:

Giving our history of drafting pitchers, do you feel any pressure to take a position player in the First-Year Player Draft this year?
-- Tom B., Evans City, Pa.

Tom, I assure you that our focus is on taking the best available player. The bottom line is that we need to acquire as many talented players as possible via as many avenues as possible. While we cannot turn a blind eye to history, we also cannot close off a significant portion of the talent pool because of less-than-desirable prior results. We believe that our revised scouting system and points of emphasis will enhance our probability for success regardless of position.

The Pirates have effectively had only a few first round picks (Maholm, Walker, McCutchen) over the last decade because they selected a lot of pitchers and every one they selected but one [Maholm, the jury being out on Moskos] had his career wrecked by injury. Much of the carnage cannot be attributed to bad coaching or scouting. Pitchers suffer injuries.

2. WTM Posted: May 15, 2008 at 01:14 PM (#2781653)

I assure you that our focus is on taking the best available player.

Of course, that's exactly what Dave Littlefield said before selecting a reliever with the fourth pick.

3. ECBucs Posted: May 15, 2008 at 01:40 PM (#2781671)

Pirate management is consistent. Winning is everything, Playing 500 baseball is not worth anything.

At this stage I do feel better about current GM, but this season and draft will provide a lot of information to see if he can turn the corner as far as bringing in some good talent.

As a native of Evans City, I'm glad NH decided to answer Tom B's question.

You must be Registered and Logged In to post comments.

<< Back to main

Thursday, May 08, 2008

MLB: Q&A with Neal Huntington

Reader Comments and Retorts

Support BBTF

Bookmarks

Hot Topics