I haven’t been the only one that has been hard on the Pittsburgh Pirates in recent years given how long they have gone without putting together a winning season, but also because of how little impact talent they have developed over the last five to 10 years.

Much of that lack of talent had to do with their approach to scouting and player development, often passing on more talented players in the draft due to financial implications. I have always contended that it is one thing to pass on such a player because of such factors, but in doing so you have to make sure to select the right player in those situations.

In addition, the Pirates haven’t had much luck when it comes to injuries, losing many to most of their top pitching prospects to significant arm-related injuries, causing them to miss playing and development time, or even seeing their once bright potential careers quickly fade away.

Last winter the Pirates had a change in management, starting with new team President Frank Coonelly and General Manager Neal Huntingon, both of whom made it clear that they were going to place a greater emphasis on player development, recognizing that the only way they could turn the Pirates organization around was to follow the lead of teams such as the Twins, Brewers and Rays by starting at the bottom and working up. Such an approach as shown by those teams will take years for the effects to be noticed at the big-league level, but it quite frankly is the only way for an organization like the Pirates to get back on track.

As this year’s draft approached, I had still heard from several scouts and other people familiar with some of the top draft-eligible prospects that the Pirates were prepared to select a player other than Pedro Alvarez given his own bonus aspirations. The Pirates did indeed take Alvarez when it was all said and done, signing him just before the August 15th signing deadline, for money they previously had been unwilling to spend, a first big step in the right direction for the organization.

Their generous spending did not stop with Alvarez. While they were unable to sign their second-round pick, Tanner Scheppers, who fell in the draft due to injury concerns, they were able to sign a trio of former Aflac All-Americans for money higher than the recommended slot values: Sixth round pick Robbie Grossman, 16th-rounder Wes Freeman and 19th-rounder Quinton Miller. Overall the team signed 32 of their 50 draft picks, and it’s hard to fault them for not signing Scheppers given the amount of money they devoted to their entire draft effort.

The talent acquisition for the Pirates didn’t stop with the draft. Before the trading deadline they dealt three of their more productive big-league players, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte, for two separate prospect packages.

Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte were dealt first to the Yankees in exchange for four minor league players. Outfielder Jose Tabata is one of the more exciting prospects in all of baseball despite being slowed the past couple of years by a broken hamate bone. Tabata may very well be the eventual replacement for Nady, as the two share similar profiles as offensive-minded corner outfielders.

The other three prospects obtained were a trio of right-handers, Ross Ohlendorf, Dan McCutchen and Jeff Karstens. Karstens was immediately plugged into the Pirates starting rotation, and has fared well so far, with the other two being sent to AAA.

The second prospect haul the Pirates received came in a three-way trade that involved Jason Bay and Manny Ramirez, and the overall upside of that collective deal is considerably greater than what they received for Nady and Marte.

Third baseman Andy LaRoche had nothing left to prove at the AAA level in the Dodgers organization, but with the Dodgers in a “win-now” mode, they seemed hesitant handing him the everyday job at the big-league level. The Pirates, playing for the future and not for this season, can afford to deal with the growing pains of allowing young players to take the field, and they could have filled a need at third base for years to come, with a pair of LaRoche brothers now manning the infield corners.

Outfielder Brandon Moss was in a similar situation with the Red Sox. Like LaRoche, it remains to be seen what his overall ceiling is, but he’ll definitely be given every opportunity to prove he’s an everyday big-leaguer.

Two former first-round right-handed pitchers were also acquired in this deal, Bryan Morris from the Dodgers and Craig Hansen from the Red Sox. Morris has a ways to go before he starts thinking about becoming a big-leaguer, but he has an electric arm and plenty of upside.

No player on the field looked the part of a big-leaguer as much as Donovan Tate did. With a perfectly proportioned, muscular frame, Tate has a tool package that will have him being discussed as a potential top three to five overall pick for next year’s draft.

Hansen also has an electric arm, but has been unable to make a successful transition to the big-leagues, as he was initially drafted by the Red Sox with the idea that he would become their closer of the future. Jonathan Papelbon’s development in that same role made Hansen somewhat expendable, and again, the Pirates can be more patient with his development hoping that a change of scenery will help him get back on track.

Some have criticized the deals the Pirates made, giving up three solid, big-leaguers without receiving a legitimate, impact prospect in return. However, they did acquire eight solid players, and quite often rolling the dice on unproven commodities has as much to do with throwing as many as you can into your system to see which ones stick.

And when you couple the prospects acquired in trade with the players the team drafted and signed this summer, you have a pretty impressive overall haul of talent. That talent is going to take a few years to make its mark to get the Pirates back on track, and they still have a long ways to go, but it’s a pretty good start.

USA Medal

Congratulations are in order for the bronze-winning Team USA Olympic team. They were able to sneak into the medal round with an extra-inning win over Japan, lost to national powerhouse favorite Cuba in the semifinals, and then beat Japan again to secure the bronze.

Korea was one of the biggest surprises of any Olympic team in any event. They put together an incredible streak that carried them all of the way to the gold medal game against Cuba, a team no one gave Korea much of a chance to knock off. But they did just that to claim gold, once again supporting the idea that the game of baseball is alive and well not only here in the United States, but across the globe.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.