Promotions not just about performance

By Andy Bitter

Published: July 13, 2008

The season’s all-star break came and went 2½ weeks ago, and when all was said and done, the only Hillcat to receive a permanent bump to the next level was catcher Steve Lerud.

That left Pirates fans who pay close attention to the minor league levels with a few questions.

Third baseman Jim Negrych led the Carolina League in hitting by a large margin and wasn’t moved. Outfielder Jamie Romak has exceeded every expectation from a power standpoint at the plate, yet he remains in Lynchburg.

And while first baseman/outfielder Miles Durham and shortstop Jose De Los Santos joined the Hillcats from Low-A Hickory after the break, it was former first-round pitcher Brad Lincoln who most Pirates fans were hoping to see called up.

When deciding who to promote, Pittsburgh’s minor league brass have tried to keep everything in perspective, according to director of player development Kyle Stark.

“We’re not going to make the decisions based on performance,” he said in a phone interview this week.

Obviously, he means not solely on performance. While it is still taken into account, it’s not the overriding factor.

Stark cited as an example Negrych, who leads the Carolina League with a .358 average through 88 games.

“Just because a guy is hitting .360 doesn’t mean a guy is ready to go,” Stark said. “It basically means he just had a very good first half of the season. And we’re thrilled with that, but it’s easy for us to get so caught up in the now and react to a short period of time. And the reality is, a half season is a short period of time in terms of a guy’s career.”

His second example was Lincoln, who had a 2.97 ERA in his first seven starts with the Crawdads after coming back from Tommy John surgery, prompting many to call for a quick promotion to High A. But Lincoln has allowed 19 earned runs in his last three starts, all losses.

“And (that) is why we don’t get caught up in performance,” Stark said. “The reality is, he’s actually struck out a fair number of guys, he hasn’t walked anybody and most of the hits he’s given up have been ground ball hits. And some of those might be plays that get made at the upper levels. So I’m very pleased with where Brad’s at and I think he is as well.”

Here’s what Stark had to say about several Pirates minor leaguers:

w Lerud hit .256 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in 67 games with the Hillcats in the first half, but his promotion was largely due to his consistency and maturity.

“The professionalism was much more consistent and he was a much more reliable person,” Stark said. “Those things have to be established at the A-ball level. Ideally it’s done at the rookie level, but he made strides.”

Stark also cited his defense. Lerud’s caught stealing efficiency dropped from 40 percent last year to 28 percent this year, though that was more a function of the Hillcats’ inability to hold anyone on base. What impressed Pirates management most was the advancement of Lerud’s game calling.

“He would show flashes of things,” Stark said, “but the reality is he’s much more consistent here through the first half of the season.”

w The Pirates would still like to see a couple things before making any movement on Negrych. Staying healthy is one of them. Negrych tore ligaments in his thumb two years ago and played in just 42 games. Last year, he had an oblique strain that limited him to 82 games.

“Playing a full season healthy is a significant step for guys in their development,” Stark said.

A second concern is Negrych’s defense, which has been a work in progress. He’s made 19 errors in his first season at third base and has spent some time recently at his former spot, second base, where he has looked more comfortable.

“I think the more versatile he is, the better off he’s going to be,” Stark said. “I think improvements and some of the tools and skills that allow him to be adequate at second base should help him at third base as well.”

w Strictly from a numbers standpoint, Romak, who has 17 home runs, 49 RBIs and a .296 average this season, should probably not be in Lynchburg.

In 146 games at the High-A level, Romak has 32 home runs and 94 RBIs.

The problem is where to put him. The outfield at Double-A Altoona is crowded as it is, with James Boone (.240, 7 HR, 22 RBIs), Brad Corley (.283, 8 HR, 34 RBI), Jonel Pacheco (.280, 10 HR, 42 RBI) and former big leaguer Chris Duffy all sharing time.

“We’ve got to be creative, whether it be moving a guy there and/or just being creative with Romak,” Stark said.

Stark said Romak took some reps at first base while rehabbing from offseason surgery in the spring and will start to see some time there to give them some flexibility. Infield isn’t a completely foreign concept for Romak, who was drafted as a third baseman by the Braves in 2003.

w Stark said Lincoln will likely be in Lynchburg some time this year. “When? We’ll see,” he said. “But I think that’s a safe assumption.”

The Pirates have been extremely pleased with Lincoln’s recovery from major arm surgery. In 55 1/3 innings at Hickory, the right-hander has 39 strikeouts and, amazingly, just four walks.

Surprising?

“Yes, because of the generalities that are associated with Tommy John surgery, but at the same time no, when you start talking about the specifics of Brad’s situation,” Stark said.

“It’s a compact delivery. The delivery is actually better than before he got hurt, so it’s repeatable. He’s able to throw strikes. And his mentality is exactly what we’re trying to teach in the system in terms of he’s in control, he’s the one who dictates the at bat and is attacking hitters.”

Stark said the only limits put on Lincoln are the same the Pirates put on all pitchers at the lower levels of the system.

“He’s going to pitch off the fastball and not fall in love with the breaking ball,” Stark said. “So those general philosophies fit perfect in line with what he’s trying to do from a health standpoint.”

w Stark also said contract talks with this year’s first-round pick, Vanderbilt third baseman Pedro Alvarez, are going well.

The Pirates have until Aug. 15 to sign the hitting prodigy, and, from all counts, they might need all of that allotted time. Still, Stark hopes to have Alvarez be a part of an affiliated club this season.

“It will depend on what Pedro is doing, both from a physical standpoint and from a fundamental standpoint,” he said. “But there’s definitely a point where we say, ‘Hey, we’ve got 10 days to get this guys ready to go and it just doesn’t make sense to get him out there for X number of at bats.’

“But I think all of us are pushing for him to get some kind of time this year and we can then have a productive fall with him.”

NOTE: There will be no Hillcats notebook next Sunday. It will resume on July 27.