Dejan Kovacevic's Pirates chat transcript

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Joe_L: Dejan: Sean Burnett was drafted as a starting pitcher. Have you seen any indication that the Pirates have any thoughts of trying to turn him back into a starter?

Dejan Kovacevic: Happy rainy day to everyone, first off. No, there is no plan for Burnett to start. If anything, the Pirates would like to see him expand beyond simply retiring left-handed hitters, which he still needs to prove.

Andy_Van_Slyke: What will it take for Tom Gorzelanny to make it back to the majors? Has he shown any improvement in his velocity and/or control?

Dejan Kovacevic: His velocity was reported to be better Saturday, which is a good sign, but the key thing with him is efficiency. His ball-strike ratio, as well as his overall pitch counts, still are not good. And this is against Class AAA hitters. As I wrote this morning, Virgil Vasquez is ranked above him right now by management.

Oshkoshbuccofan: I thought yesterday seemed liked a good opportunity to get Donnie Veal work. What criteria does the coaching staff use to determine when it is a good time to work a rule 5 guy?

Dejan Kovacevic: Apparently, 8-0 or 9-0. ... Actually, Veal is getting in his work on the side, but you are correct that he almost never pitches in games.

Andy_Van_Slyke: What will the Pirates do with Adam LaRoche? Will he be traded in July, go to free agency after the season or could the Pirates actually sign him to a long term contract?

Dejan Kovacevic: There has been no movement toward an extension, so I still would anticipate a trade.

charmsdaddy: Why do they keep Karstans in the pitching rotation? We all know a loss is coming that day when he pitches.

Dejan Kovacevic: Their options are Vasquez and Gorzelanny, neither of whom is doing all that well in the minors.

Andy_Van_Slyke: What will the Pirates do with Phil Dumatrait when he is healthy and has to return to the 25 man roster?

Dejan Kovacevic: Given the very erratic nature of his rehabilitation, it would be surprising to see him thrust into a starting role instantly. Long relief, I would guess.

IA_Pirate: Good Monday DK. It has been said that some of the great hitters actually get better the closer they get to the majors. Much of this is because the ability of the pitchers to throw around the strike zone on a much more consistent basis. That being said, is it possible for a great prospect like Pedro Alvarez to have his growth being stunted by staying in class A? I get the feeling that if he were promoted to AA his numbers would be better and so would his confidence. Could being in the low minors hurt Alvarez in any way?

Dejan Kovacevic: Funny, but I had this very discussion with Neal Huntington just yesterday. Yes, it is very much possible that, as Alvarez sees better pitches, and more pitchers who are not afraid of him, he will have more options to hit. We saw that with Andrew McCutchen, some might recall, in his excellent transition from Class A to AA.

Charleston_Charlies: What a horrible turn of events for the PBC, with Doumit out, Moss not doing anything, Nate out for a about 6 games. This team has returned to its offensive woes of late last year. The hope is for our pitchers to throw lights out every night, this is not an easy way to win games. Are the Pirates looking for any offensive help?

Dejan Kovacevic: If they were looking that hard, they might give Craig Monroe a chance, right?

Edmund: Dejan, I've noticed in the early going this year that the minor league starting pitchers in our system have across the board been limited to 4 or 5 inning per start, perhaps six. Is this simply happenstance, are specific pitchers (Lincoln, Gorzelanny) being held to low pitch counts, or is there an organizational strategy of maintaining low pitch counts in the early season?

Dejan Kovacevic: The answer is tight pitch counts. For a Pirates minor leaguer to go deep into a game, especially in the low minors, where the counts are tighter, they have to be borderline brilliant. At the same time, the pitching has been generally lousy.

pipesqueek: Why does the MLB not allow trading of draft picks? Is this not something that can be allowed that would improve competition, without instituting a salary cap?

Dejan Kovacevic: The idea is to prevent low-spending teams from bartering away their entire future. Not sure all the low-spending teams agree with the concept.

Bucs_Fan__in_Ga: With Karstens having so many inconsistent starts and neither Virgil Vasquez or Gorzelanny tearing it up at Triple AAA, has Neal Huntington given further thought at talking with Paul Byrd or Odalis Perez? If the 5th starter were more consistent, I think the Bucs could show some upward movement! Beat'em Bucs

Dejan Kovacevic: The Pirates maintain they are in the constant process of seeking pitching for all levels of the organization. There are no specific names floating now, though.

Fats_Henry: I know it would only be a short term patch, but have you heard anything about bringing up Garrett Jones and giving him a shot in the OF? He may be old for a prospect, but he's still only 28, and has plenty of pop. Could be another Matt Stairs type.

Dejan Kovacevic: They already have an outfielder on their bench here in Pittsburgh, Craig Monroe, who looks like he could help the offense. But he does not play. No reason to think Jones would get a promotion in that setting.

PirateApologist: Is there anybody in the system that can replace Jack Wilson? Wouldn't it make more sense to keep him?

Dejan Kovacevic: The answer to the first question is no, not for a very long time if at all. The answer to the second must be made by the Pirates, and they at least sound open to the idea.

Charleston_Charlies: How do you think a lack of run support will affect the starting pitchers?

Dejan Kovacevic: So far, they have handled it fine, but that is the sort of thing that can wear on the best of staffs.

PirateFan_in_GA: Karstens seems to have the same problem as Gorzo and Snell last year, he tries to nibble until he is forced to grove a slow fastball down the middle. I don't get to watch, but listen to the games on the radio. Is his stuff non-fastball stuff not good enough to challenge hitters in the strike zone?

Dejan Kovacevic: Karstens is definitely not nibbling. To nibble, one needs to willfully avoid throwing strikes. Karstens is not doing much of anything willfully. He simply lacks command.

Greg_in_Chicago: Given the continual struggles of Danny Moskos, what is management's current view of his value? Do you think new management shakes their head in disbelief at the decisions of the previous regime?

Dejan Kovacevic: The Pirates' stance on Moskos is that they will try to make the best of the talent he has, whatever that happens to be. As for previous decisions, there would be zero point in current management holding against Moskos the poor decision that got him here. Better to evaluate and develop him on his own merits.

Pickman: Will Evan Meek remain in the pen once Hansen returns? Also do you expect Phil Dumatrait to take Karstens' spot in his return?

Dejan Kovacevic: There is no question Meek will stay if he keeps pitching as he has. ... I would not count on Dumatrait for quite a while. His rehab has been excruciating.

PirateFan_in_GA: DK, Brandon Moss seems to get out a lot on either the first or second pitch. Many hitters use deep pitch counts to time a pitcher or set-up success in later ABs. Adam LaRoche is one player that seems to do this with effectiveness. With Moss's struggles this year, has there been any discussion from management that he is not being selective enough at the plate?

Dejan Kovacevic: Moss is pressing, plain and simple. That is what the Pirates see, and it is what everyone sees. He is trying to hit, in Neal Huntington's words yesterday, "a five-run homer every time up." That leads to poor discipline, poor results. In Moss' case, that is exarcebated by the terrible numbers with men on base.

Someguy: Hey it was great yesterday that Brad Lincoln had a nice game. Before yesterday, it was looking like he was having some trouble in AA. What kind of pitches does he have and I read when he was drafted he was hitting the 90's, is he still doing that?

Dejan Kovacevic: Lincoln throws four pitches, and he tops 90, but not by a ton. He has a hammer curve, and that is the source of most of his Ks. You are correct that he had a nice outing, with five scoreless innings and eight Ks for Altoona. Such showings are a great rarity in this system.

pfchicken: We all know that better facilities help in recruiting, but are the new DR facilities going to help the Bucs get an edge in signing the top kids or are the kids of the DR aware of the futility enough so that they will have to pay out higher bonuses to get the top talent like it's been suggested they have to do here?

Dejan Kovacevic: They will help, but not as much as ponying up for big bonuses. The nature of the tryouts there, based on my visit, is such that the Pirates collect talent at remote fields across the island, then sign players on the spot. Thus, they never actually see the academy until well after being signed. And trust me, where this academy is, no one could stumble across it accidentally. It is way out there.

Paul_Alexander_s_Man_Tan: When can the attendance (lowest in the major leagues), start to actually cause problems in the organization? Or is management making too much money through revenue sharing to ever worry about the 4,000 people who show up for games?

Dejan Kovacevic: Depends on where they budget, as with any business. The Pirates have budgeted, to my knowledge, to pretty much match last year's attendance, and they are slightly ahead of that pace at this point.

Pickman: Is McCutchen only going to come up if Morgan falters? (meaning can't he come up play center, slide Nate to right, and send Moss to AAA if he has options) Or does this cause an issue with two top of the order players ...

Dejan Kovacevic: The Pirates' stance is that McCutchen will come up when he is ready. He has struggled quite a bit the past two weeks, lending some credibility to management's view that he needed more seasoning when sent down. But his overall average is at a not-bad .262, though with very little power.

craigmarilynmonroe: Any chance Delwyn Young cracks the starting lineup?

Dejan Kovacevic: Apparently not. Nor for Monroe, either, it seems.

Daquido_Bazzini: Though the Pirate FO will say otherwise, isn't it beginning to be quite clear that the Nady & Bay trades were tilted towards the other teams talent wise? I don't see any long term talent coming out of either of those trades.

Dejan Kovacevic: What is a "Pirates FO?" To answer your question, anyone analyzing the Nady trade right now would have to give a huge edge to the Pirates, if only because Nady and Marte have done little for the Yankees and now both are on the DL, while Ross Ohlendorf has been very good. The Yankees would take this one back in a heartbeat. The Bay trade, quite obviously, does not look nearly as good.

Omar: Who has a better shot: Pirates' beating the Brewers or "Mine That Bird" winning the Triple Crown?

Dejan Kovacevic: I will take the horse, if it has that same rider sticking to the rail. An amazing performance.

Polka: Will you be keeping an eye on the Penguins score tonight?

Dejan Kovacevic: Once in a while. The job does not really lend itself to that on deadline, but I maintain an interest, for sure.

Omar: Was it Littlefield or Huntington that declined trading Wilson for Jurrjens?

Dejan Kovacevic: That would be Dave Littlefield.

ajt123: Seems like these Brewers the past couple of years are to us what the METS were back in the 1980's. Do you think we will need to solve them before we could ever compete for the division?

Dejan Kovacevic: Not really. Those Pirates teams of the late 1980s were more talented than this group, and the Mets were one of the few big hurdles they had to climb. This group has many hurdles.

Zach: Can you confirm the rumor that the Bucs are looking to sign Graham Koonce?

Dejan Kovacevic: That will be quite enough.

PirateApologist: How much longer until Yates doesn't hear his name called in the eighth inning of close games anymore?

Dejan Kovacevic: Well, with John Grabow struggling a bit lately, it seems likely Yates still will be called upon. But I would keep an eye on Meek and Jesse Chavez, each of whom now has pitched in close games and done well. It will not take much to gain John Russell's confidence in this environment.

billbuccofan: Is Jeff Karstens a bonafide MLB pitcher? One more poor start and he's out. Your thoughts.

Dejan Kovacevic: Funny thing is, Karstens' numbers look worse than they are when compared to the rest of the Pirates' rotation more than they do the rest of baseball. Ask anyone around the sport, and they would be happy to give him a chance.

Polka: Which side of the debate are you on: start Craig Monroe because he's so far proven to be able to drive in runs for a team in a slump, or continue starting Brandon Moss because the team needs to see what he can do?

Dejan Kovacevic: I do not advocate. Not part of the beat job. I can tell you if a player has done well or poorly and stuff like that which can approach opinion, but not to the point of saying so-and-so should be traded, released, playing, whatever.

maz01: Since Sean Burnett was drafted as a starting pitcher, and since the options for a number 5 starter are slim at this point, Why won't the Pirates consider converting him back to a starter?

Dejan Kovacevic: Because he still has not proven he can retire right-handed hitters consistently. That would be quite a shortcoming for a starter.

I_3Dejan: DK, have you noticed Nyjer Morgan shading dramatically toward left center field at home? Any word from the coaching staff on that?

Dejan Kovacevic: Depends on the hitter, actually. Morgan can use his crazy speed to get to the line in a hurry, as we saw with that great catch in St. Louis last month, and he is a bit more comfortable doing that than sprinting back toward the Notch (which all outfielders hate).

mtw: Why the outcry for Monroe? One big game this year, 32 years old, career OBP in the .320 range.

Dejan Kovacevic: I do not detect any outcry. In my case, I was just underscoring the point that the Pirates apparently are going to stick with the outfielders they use regularly.

Al0: I've see about 4 Pirate games this year, and I never see John Russell come out to argue a call. Can you tell me how many times he has come out to do so this year?

Dejan Kovacevic: I have seen many more than that, and his emergence from the dugout is a rarity. I do not have an exact count, but it would not fill up one hand. Not his style.

SeanE: Funny how things play out. The so called "experts" all said the Bucs got taken advantage of on the Nady trade but got a good return on the Bay deal.

Dejan Kovacevic: Expert or not, evaluating a trade immediately as it happens usually is folly. That is doubly true when the trade involves prospects.

Pop_Schnei: Neil Walker seems to present little value to the ball club as a future 1B or 3B given his current hitting abilities. Any thoughts on moving him back to catcher where hitting .240 (hopefully) with power in more in line?

Dejan Kovacevic: I still get so much mail about Walker and worries about his being blocked at this position or that. For the record, Walker is batting .197 right now. No one is blocking him. Not at any level. Not at any position.

mtw: With Wilson, Sanchez (if he doesn't get enough PA to pickup his contract option for next year), and LaRoche potential FAs, I was wondering when the last time the Bucs had a player hit the FA market and then resign him?

Dejan Kovacevic: Easy one: Denny Bautista. (Ha!)

RockTheCashbox: The last handful of games certainly doesn't lend itself to this question, but if the Pirates were convinced that they had a chance to make the playoffs, to what point would they sacrifice what they are building to seize the opportunity?

Dejan Kovacevic: Not to the point that they would give up the few elite prospects they have. I know that much.

SeanE: Was at a few games recently and noticed that the Radar gun now measures speed at release and at home plate. Which is the number that the "old gun" would have shown?

Dejan Kovacevic: Something in between. It was far less scientific.

Pop_Schnei: Only 22,500 in the stands on Sat night, a fireworks night, do you expect that size crowd to be about the high range for the year?

Dejan Kovacevic: It was April, so no.

PirateFan_in_GA: Was does seem to be the problem with Grabow? Are teams just sitting on his change-up or is it a control issue?

Dejan Kovacevic: Right now, it is fastball command more than the change. He needs to keep righties off the change by zipping a ball or two by them, and that is not happening at the moment.

Daquido_Bazzini: FO - Front Office

Dejan Kovacevic: Oh. Never heard that one.

PirateFan_in_GA: I can't believe Vasquez is the next in-line for the 5th spot. Is it that simple fact that they feel he can throw strikes? I know McCutchen missed a start, but what does management feel Vasquez has that he does not?

Dejan Kovacevic: The Vasquez thing has been a mystery to me from the outset. I watched him pitch and, while I never play expert on pitching, I saw none of the things they said they liked.

Al0: Does John Russell & Neil Huntington have as little a sense of humor as it appears? They never seem to crack a smile, which helps to permeate the terrible feel of the current Pirate organization.

Dejan Kovacevic: Jeez, no, that is way off. Both have quite a good sense of humor, each in their own way. I could see, though, how that can be a challenge to come across in public settings. ... One more ...

maz01: I understand that Pedro Alvarez isn't very good defensively so when he reaches the majors will it be as third baseman or will it be as a first baseman?

Dejan Kovacevic: You see eight errors in the minors, and that is not great, obviously. But I would offer two cautions there: One, errors in the minors, especially the low minors, are deceiving because of the quality of fields. Two, this was his first month of professional baseball. ... Q&A is here Thursday. Brewers are here tonight.