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The Pittsburgh Pirates 2012 Caravan came to the Millcreek Mall Wednesday evening, with members of the organization believing the success for the first 100 games in the 2011 season can carry on longer in 2012.

Outfielder Jose Tabata, starting pitcher Jeff Karstens, first base coach Luis Silverio and announcer Greg Brown greeted fans, and were enthused about the possibilities of improving on a 72-89 record, Pittsburgh’s 19th straight losing season, a record for not only major league baseball but all four of the top professional leagues.

The Pirates were 53-47 after 100 games and 54-49 until going on a 10-game losing streak as everything spiraled downward for the rest of the season.

The organization has added veteran catcher Rod Barajas, veteran shortstop Clint Barmes, starting pitcher Erik Bedard, slugging third baseman Casey McGehee and former Pirates All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth.

The organization has added veteran catcher Rod Barajas, veteran shortstop Clint Barmes, starting pitcher Erik Bedard, slugging third baseman Casey McGehee and former Pirates All-Star outfielder Nate McLouth.

Baseball America is one of the most popular websites for finding information and rankings on Major League Baseball prospects. They often release rankings of the top overall prospects as well as each team’s top 10 prospects. Recently Baseball America updated all their lists and these are the top 10 prospects in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization according to them.

10. Jeff Locke, Left-handed Pitcher

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Nate McLouth the front office got a lot of heat from fans but in that trade the Pirates got Jeff Locke, who is now their 10^th best prospect, along with one of their current starters (Charlie Morton) and a prospect that Baseball America ranks as their best defensive outfielder (Gorkys Hernandez).

9. Stetson Allie, Right-handed Pitcher

Stetson Allie gave up 19 runs in just 26.0 innings pitched in his first season in the minors. Hopefully the 2010 2^nd round draft pick will get it together eventually but he has dropped to ninth on Baseball America’s list after being third last season.

8. Robbie Grossman, Outfielder

Robbie Grossman batted .294 with 13 home runs, 56 RBI and 24 stolen bases at Bradenton this past season. Grossman, drafted in the sixth round in 2008, is one of the few players on this list that was not drafted in the first three rounds of the draft. Baseball America ranks Grossman as the Pittsburgh propsect with the best strike-zone discipline.

7. Tony Sanchez, Catcher

Tony Sanchez was the 1^st round pick in the 2009 draft. Hopefully Sanchez will pan out because I believe the Pirates had about 87 different players field the catcher position last season. Last time Baseball America did a Top 100 overall prospects list Sanchez was the second Pirate on the list and was ranked #46.

6. Kyle McPherson, Right-handed Pitcher

Last season Kyle McPherson started in A+ where he went 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA with 60 strikeouts and just 6 walks. McPherson then moved up to AA where he went 8-5 with a 3.02 ERA, struck out 82 and walked only 21. Baseball America ranks this 14th-rounder as the Pirates’ pitcher with the best changeup and the best control.

5. Luis Heredia, Right-handed Pitcher

Luis Heredia was not drafted by the Pirates but was signed as a free agent out of Mexico for $2.6 million. Heredia went 1-2 with a 4.75 ERA in 12 games in the Gulf Coast League but he is still only 17-years old.

4. Starling Marte, Outfielder

Starling Marte was certainly the Pirates prospect with the best numbers last season. At AA Marte batted .332, hit 12 home runs with 50 RBI, scored 91 runs and stole 24 bases. Marte represented the Pirates in the Future’s Game and Baseball America ranks him as the Pirates’ best hitter for average.

3. Josh Bell, Outfielder

The Pirates made a risky pick when they drafted Josh Bell in the second round of the 2011 draft. Some teams wanted Bell in the 1^st round but passed on him, convinced he was going decline playing in the Minors to play at the University of Texas. The Pirates drafted him anyway and gave him a bonus too good to pass up, stealing a young first-round level draft pick in the second round.

2. Jameson Taillon, Right-handed Pitcher

Jameson Taillon was the 2^nd overall pick in the first round of the 2010 draft. On Baseball America’s last Top 100 prospect list they ranked Taillon as 11^th overall ahead of some high profile prospects such as Matt Moore, Michael Pineda, Freddie Freeman, Zach Britton and Kyle Drabek. Taillon pitched 92.2 innings in 2011 and allowed 41 earned runs (3.98 ERA), 97 strikeouts and 22 walks. Not bad numbers so far for a 19-year old.

1. Gerrit Cole, Right-handed Pitcher

Gerrit Cole was chosen first overall in the 2011 draft. On August 15^th Cole signed with the Pirates with a signing bonus of $8 million. Baseball America ranks Cole as the Pirates pitcher with the best fastball and the best slider.

Sources:

Pittsburgh Pirates Rankings at Baseball America

The last several generations of Lee Andrew Henderson’s family were Pittsburgh born and even though he was born in Alabama he has been a long time fan of the Pirates, Steelers and Panthers. Lee Andrew Henderson can be found on Twitter at @LeeAHenderson

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The Pittsburgh Pirates’ Winter Caravan is coming to Erie today.

The caravan is scheduled to include Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata, pitcher Jeff Karstens, first base coach Luis Silverio and broadcaster Greg Brown. All are scheduled to be at the Millcreek Mall from 6:30 to 8 p.m. to meet fans and sign autographs.

Tabata, 23, broke into the majors with the Pirates in 2010. This past season the 5-foot 11-inch, 220-pound left fielder batted .266 with 53 runs scored, four home runs and 21 RBIs in 334 at-bats. He also hit 18 doubles, walked 40 times, stole 16 bases and struck out 61 times.

Karstens, 29, started 26 games and appeared in 30 this past season, going 9-9 with a 3.38 earned-run average and 96 strikeouts in 1621/3 innings. He also was the Pirates’ nominee for Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Award, recognizing the player who best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.

The 6-foot 3-inch, 185-pound right-hander is 21-26 with a 4.52 ERA in six seasons with the Pirates and New York Yankees.

Silverio joined the Pirates as first base coach for this past season after spending 35 years with the Kansas City Royals organization.

Brown is entering his 19th season with the Pirates as a radio and TV play-by-play announcer.

NAPLES —
As the clock ticked closer to midnight on Monday, Chris Resop began to get nervous.

The Barron Collier High graduate was waiting to see whether the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team he went 5-4 with a 4.39 ERA in 76 appearances with during the 2011 MLB season, had tendered him a contract for 2012.

The Pirates and every other MLB team had until 11:59 p.m. Monday to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players like Resop and six of his teammates.

At 11:55 p.m., Resop finally got the message he had been waiting for when his agent texted him and informed him that the team had tendered him a contract.

“My agent read it on Twitter and let me know,” Resop said with a laugh. “All (seven) of the guys (who were arbitration eligible) found out that way. I don’t have a Twitter so I didn’t know.

“It’s a relief. My family and I are happy to be going back to Pittsburgh.”

The tender means the right-handed relief pitcher will avoid free agency and, unless he is traded, will be back in his role in the Pirates’ bullpen.

Resop’s wait may have been caused by the Pirates’ brass working on a trade that sent relief pitcher Jose Veras to the Milwaukee Brewers for third baseman Casey McGehee.

“They may have been trying to get that trade wrapped up before making any (arbitration) decisions, who knows?” Resop said. “It’s nice to be going back to a familiar city.”

Players and their agents have the next few weeks to discuss potential salary figures with teams. Any player who was been tendered a contract and is still unsigned on Jan. 18 will exchange desired salary figures with his team. Arbitration hearings will then be scheduled during the first three weeks of February for any player that still has not come to an agreement.

Resop is hoping to avoid arbitration at all costs. The hearings could fall after Pirates pitchers and catchers are due to report for spring training in Bradenton.

“I don’t think it’s going to take that long,” Resop said of getting a contract finalized. “Nobody wants to go to arbitration. It’s something you just don’t want to worry about.”

Resop and his family will be doing some fundraising work with the Pediatric Cancer Foundation prior to the 2012 baseball season.

Resop’s wife, Kara, will be competing in the Naples Daily News Half Marathon on Jan. 15 at Cambier Park.

The Resops are looking for people to sponsor Kara’s run by making donations, big or small, to the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Donations can be made through the Diamond Dust LLC, care of Chris Resop at P.O. Box 275, Naples, FL, 34106. Receipts are available upon request for tax purposes.

“Any donation is great because 100 percent of it goes to pediatric cancer research,” Chris Resop said. “There are so many different circumstances out there with children’s cancer that just aren’t fair. Kara has run the half marathon a couple times but this is a little more meaningful to us.”