The Curve might resemble
a Triple-A jayvee team more than a Double-A club this season
It's been a great run over the past three years as Altoona has
welcomed an abundance of talented young players
So many of them - Zach Duke, Paul Maholm, Brad Eldred, Nate McLouth,
etc. - have come and gone so quickly that it's created a talent
gap for the Pirates in Double-A
The only way to fill that gap was to sign a large group of free
agents who know what it takes to succeed in Double-A
Such as
------1B baseman Brett Roneberg
Yeah, that Brett Roneberg, the Aussie who came to bat to Men at
Work's "Land Down Under" for the Curve in 2003 but who
missed all of 2005 with a shoulder injury
------Utility man Simon Pond
A 29-year-old who hit 19 homers with 75 RBIs for Bowie last season
------3B Travis Chapman
An Eastern League postseason All-Star for Reading back in 2002
who's been injured most of the past two seasons
------LHP Rob Henkel
The Detroit Tigers' No. 4 prospect just two years ago who went
6-7 with a 5.70 ERA for Erie in 2005
There's talent among the large group of veterans, but it's a group
of wild cards
Since you never know what to expect from minor league free agents,
their contributions will be the Curve's biggest unknown
Of the 29 players on the preliminary roster, the average age is
25.5 years old, and 14 players are at least 26
The bottom line, though is, a Double-A team stacked with older
players can win
Will the Curve win with their veteran group?
That will be the key question entering the season
"I'm very pleased with the level of minor league free agents
that we've brought in" Pirates farm director Brian Graham
said
The Bucs open minor league spring training this week in Bradenton,
Fla
Some of the veterans now slated for Altoona could wind up at Triple-A
Indianapolis with a solid showing, Graham said
As usual, the Curve's roster won't begin taking shape until the
end of the month, after the trickle-down effect from big league
camp
Graham excels at finding the right mix of minor league free agents,
and he's always looked out for the Curve
He had a greater challenge this year, though, needing so many
stopgap-type players
Altoona General Manager Todd Parnell has said Graham likes to
think of himself as the on-field GM of the Curve, and Graham's
talent evaluation process will be put to the test this season
"He knows that winning is something that our fans want"
Parnell said
And something the fans here have gotten used to as the Curve have
reached the playoffs three straight years, the longest run in
the Eastern League
"I certainly put my stamp of approval on a team when it goes
on the field" Graham said
"It makes no sense to not put a good team on the field when
you're trying to develop prospects"
There will be a few recognizable prospects with the Curve, just
not the big names like years past
Seven of the Pirates' top 10 prospects already have come and left
Altoona, leaving right-handed reliever Matt Capps (No. 10) as
the highest-rated farmhand slated to wear a Curve uniform
Instead of studs like the departed Eldred and Jose Bautista, the
Curve offense will be built around mid-level prospects like Craig
Stansberry (second base), Adam Boeve (right field) and Javier
Guzman (shortstop)
"We've gotten so many players so quickly to the Triple-A
and big league level" Graham said
"Your next wave of really nice players are the Stansberrys,
Boeves and Guzmans"
Those are good players who should have good seasons, but it's
unrealistic to expect Eldred-or McLouth-type production from any
of them
Stansberry walloped an impressive 18 homers for Altoona last year,
while Boeve hit .288 in 47 games
The Curve cannot afford
slumps from those two in particular, but they won't be asked to
carry the offense
Instead, the older players like Roneberg, Pond, Chapman, third
baseman Brant Ust and returning catcher Carlos Maldonado will
have to hold their own at the plate
Infielders Brandon Chaves and Taber Lee and outfielders Vic Buttler,
Chaz Lytle and Bobby Kingsbury will be fighting for spots on the
Curve roster this spring
"It's going to be a nice group that's going to compete every
day" Graham said
Catcher Neil Walker, the Pirates' most prized prospect, is scheduled
to begin the season at Single-A Lynchburg
If he performs well and stays healthy, he should be moved to Altoona
by mid-summer
The strength of the club will be the bullpen, anchored by Capps,
righty Josh Sharpless and perhaps lefty Brady Borner, the Curve's
pitcher of the year last season
That trio, along with right-handed newcomer Chris Hernandez, would
be expected to slam the door in the late innings
Lefty James Johnson is in line to return to the Curve for a second
year, while righties Jonathan Albaladejo and Marcus Davila could
get bumped up from Single-A Lynchburg
Leading the charge in the starting rotation will be Matt Peterson,
a highly regarded right-hander who endured a tough season in 2005
Peterson led the Curve with 11 wins but also had a 5.51 ERA, then
got hammered for a 10.71 ERA in the Arizona Fall League
Lefty Shane Youman spent most of 2005 in the Curve bullpen, then
dazzled to a 4-0 record in five August starts to help the club
reach the playoffs
He's battling for a Triple-A job this spring, and if he doesn't
make it, he could be one of Altoona's top starters
Along with Henkel, veteran right-handers Chris Rojas and Jason
Roach and lefty Derrick Van Dusen will battle for starting jobs
or could end up in the bullpen
The same goes for righty Landon Jacobsen, who could be back with
the Curve for a fourth straight year
Lefty Josh Shortslef may be the lone Double-A newcomer in the
rotation after winning 10 games for Lynchburg last season
"If this group of names shows up on opening day it would
be a good club" Graham said of the preliminary roster
There will be a wide variety of older and younger talent on the
roster, the same type of team Curve manager Tim Leiper had last
season at Lynchburg
The initial roster of candidates includes 16 players managed by
Leiper a year ago
"I'm looking forward to the season because I know the kind
of guys we have" Leiper said
"They know me, I know them and you can go into a season with
a lot of the walls already broken down"