Posted by Rich DeLeo
on 12/16/2003, 10:53 am
Board Administrator
So much for that idea. The Pirates when they hired Dave Littlefield as their General Manager, he figured the only way to turn the Pirates' fortunes around was to stockpile the minors with great prospects. This is and was a good idea, as several other major league teams thought yesterday during the Rule 5 draft. 5 Pirate farmhands were taken in the first 6 picks of this draft. That says that the Pirates do have the talent necessary to make a team into a contender. Problem is, they didn't protect any of these guys on the 40 man roster. Now the only way to get them back is if their new teams decide not to keep them on the major league roster, and the Bucs can buy them back for $25,000. Littlefield has done a fantastic job of getting talent, but has not done enough to protect these guys from other teams. I even read today that the Pirates had 37 men protected, meaning there were 3 spots open on the 40 man roster. Is this true? If so, then why in the hell wouldn't they protect a guy like Jeff Bennett or Chris Shelton, a guy the Bucs were very high on? I don't understand the ins and out of making moves, but logic dictates that you protect your best 40 players, and the Bucs didn't do that. If any or all of the players taken yesterday produce at the major league level, then it will be another case of Littlefield getting before the cameras and microphones and trying to defuse another bomb that will cause another implosion of the 2004 Pirates. Many baseball experts already have tabbed the Bucs for a 12th consecutive losing season, and the first pitch of spring training hasen't been thrown yet! And with losses like yesterday, it is quite possible that 2004 will look like the past 11 seasons. And with Jason Kendall probably in another uniform for 2004, the Bucs will lose their last marquee name, and will fade into obscurity. Although losing Kendall will probably help the Bucs, because it will save them some serious cash. Those in charge keep telling us fans that the younger players are coming and are the future. Well after taking a look at the Rule 5 draft yesterday, they are right. The young players are the future. Too bad they will be the future for teams other than the Pirates. Better get the white paint ready for PNC Park. If something doesn't change drastically for the Pirates soon, it will turn into the white elephant many had predicted, and taxpayers will have footed the bill for a vacant $280 million ballpark that will collect dust!!
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