Ed Creech, the Pirates' scouting director since late 2001, is expected to be removed from that post after this season.

Two team sources said that, although general manager Neal Huntington has just begun his new job, the evaluations of Creech's work from upper management -- including ownership -- are negative enough that he is a virtual lock to be replaced.

That will come as little surprise, given his record.

Creech's six drafts have produced two players who experienced above-average success with the Pirates -- starter Tom Gorzelanny (second round, 2003), and closer Matt Capps (seventh round, 2002). Otherwise, the drafts have lacked impact-type players, have been shallow and have included glaring errors. Foremost was drafting starter Brad Lincoln in the first round last year when other teams saw clear signs that injury was likely. Lincoln had elbow surgery after pitching for just a month professionally.

The scouting network as a whole also is widely seen as flawed, particularly the negligible presence in hotbeds such as California and Georgia. Huntington has declined comment on the future of any specific employees.

"I'm going to examine every aspect of the team's operations and do the best thing for the organization," he said.

Huntington made no exception for Latin American scouting director Rene Gayo, even though the two worked together in Cleveland and Gayo and his scouts were responsible for some of the Indians' top players, including shortstop Jhonny Peralta, a .271 hitter with a slick glove; starter Fausto Carmona, who is 18-8; and reliever Rafael Perez, who has a 1.69 ERA in 49 appearances.

"Like all evaluators, Rene has found some good players," Huntington said. "But I'm not prepared to commit to anyone at this time."

Pirates vs. Brewers

Here is another way of looking at the Pirates' drafting miseries, focusing solely on the first round ... The total contribution of all of the Pirates' first-round picks to the 2007 major-league team is the 228²/₃ innings of pitchers Paul Maholm, Bryan Bullington and John Van Benschoten. They are a combined 10-24 with a 5.94 ERA.

In dramatic contrast, the 2007 Milwaukee Brewers have gotten 141¹/₃ innings pitched, a 12-5 record and a 3.82 ERA from Ben Sheets, plus a combined .279 average, 120 home runs, 104 doubles, 311 RBIs and 323 runs from Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Rickie Weeks and Geoff Jenkins.

Buried treasure

Second baseman Freddy Sanchez's right shoulder surgery went as planned yesterday, an arthroscopic cleanup of the cuff.

Owner Bob Nutting tomorrow will present a check for $62,500 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania for the purpose of backing the local RBI -- Reviving Baseball in the Inner Cities -- program. Local teams are based in the Hill District, Northview Heights, East Liberty, Shadyside, Beltzhoover, Braddock, Carnegie, Duquesne, McKeesport and Wilkinsburg.

Center fielder Nyjer Morgan, who once skated in the Western Hockey League alongside future NHL players, visited the Penguins' training camp yesterday and got an autographed photo from Sidney Crosby and a stick from right winger Georges Laracque. "Awesome," Morgan said after propping up the stick in his stall.