Wednesday, July 1, 2009

I Feel for Jack Wilson


Check out this interesting article from ESPN.com. It discusses some of the Pirates, in particular Jack Wilson, being disillusioned by the Nyjer Morgan's trade to D.C. I know this isn't Talking Pittsburgh Baseball, but since we are playing them and they are in the Cubs division I think it is worth taking a look at.

It is not often you see a player, especially on in a leadership role like Wilson, come out and question management. It is refreshing not see the bread and butter, cliched answers and see the true emotions of a player. My favorite quote from the article was this:

"They're businessmen. They're trying to achieve winning baseball in Pittsburgh. The biggest question is: When is that going to be? When do things start turning around?" Wilson said, according to the report. "It's just hard for guys who have been here and seen these exact same trades happen and seen it absolutely do nothing. I've been here nine years. I've seen two or three of these trades every year and still haven't had a winning season."

I do like what the Pirates have been doing in recent seasons. They certainly have the plan to build from within and improve the overall talent level in the organization, and you have to commend them for going through with it. They aren't overspending on mid-level free agents (Joe Randa comes to mind), and it is hard to argue that though they have lost some "star" players, their overall talent and depth top to bottom has increased.

However, I just feel for a guy like Wilson. Even though he is nowhere near as good, his situation reminds me a lot of Todd Helton. Remember how emotional Helton was when the Rockies won the NL pennant? It was so nice to see a guy who has given so much to a perenial loser get to experience something like that. Too bad Ernie or Ron didn't get that.

Photo courtesy rotorob.com

2 comments:

  1. These trades have puzzled me. I understand the need to build from within, but it seems like every time a guy on the Pirates puts together a good season he gets shipped off. It stinks for fans, too. You get behind a guy, he gets sent away. I think a team like the Pirates may just need to strike gold with a couple draft picks to get truly competitive.

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  2. http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/07/pirates-open-to-more-deals.html

    Thought that was worth posting on here.

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