Perrotto: A Move Emblematic of Franchise Downfall (+)
It has been fashionable over the last three years to criticize Neal Huntington for everything that has gone with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
However, that shortchanges what Huntington accomplished during his 12-year run as the Pirates’ general manager.
The Pirates reached the postseason from 2013-15 while Huntington ran the baseball operations. The franchise hadn’t been in the playoffs since 1992 and hasn’t been back since then.
The Pirates reaching the postseason again anytime soon seems more like a farfetched concept than reality. They have gone 142-242 – an even 100 games under .500 – with Ben Cherington as GM and Derek Shelton as manager.
However, part of the blame for the Pirates’ current predicament does indeed fall on Huntington’s shoulders. The trade of infielder Kevin Newman to the Cincinnati Reds for reliever Dauri Moreta late Friday serves as evidence.
The Pirates selected Newman in the first round of the 2015 amateur draft from the University of Arizona.
Newman had been selected as the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year that season. While some scouts questioned whether Newman would hit enough to be a regular in the major leagues, the Pirates were convinced he could.
Newman wound up with a slash line of .260/.307/.357 in five seasons and 431 games with the Pirates. He hit 20 home runs, stole 31 bases and his 79 OPS+ meant his offense was 21% below major league average.
Newman also had a minus-9 mark in defensive runs saved. His slick fielding from college never consistently translated to the major league level.
There were times when Newman showed flashes of being an above average player.
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His .308 batting average as a rookie in 2019 was eighth in the National League. He was one of three finalists in 2021 to be the NL Gold Glove shortstop.
Yet, Newman leaves the Pirates with a career bWAR of 3.1. All the Pirates got back for him was a reliever with a 5.14 ERA in 39 career games at the major league level.
The failure of Newman to make much of an impact in Pittsburgh is emblematic of the downfall of Huntington and the Pirates. And a lot of that has to do with a long stretch of poor first-round picks.
Huntington got three solid or better big league players in the first round in three of his first four drafts, selecting Pedro Alvarez (2008), Jameson Taillon (2009) and Gerrit Cole (2011). The Pirates went on the cheap in 2010 when they took Tony Sanchez and got what they paid for.
However, things started to go sour in 2012 when the Pirates chose Mark Appel but did not sign the Stanford right-hander. It probably didn’t make a difference as Appel didn’t even make his big league debut this season with the Philadelphia Phillies at 30.
Huntington’s last seven first-rounders were Austin Meadows, Cole Tucker, Newman, Will Craig, Shane Baz, Travis Swaggerty and Quinn Priester.
Meadows and Baz were packaged with Tyler Glasnow in the ill-fated trade with the Tampa Bay Rays for Chris Archer. Tucker, Craig and Swaggerty did not make an impact in the major leagues. Priester is considered a top prospect and should begin next season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
Priester is the only one of those seven who could become a key contributor. However, as with all prospects, one never knows for sure how the 22-year-old’s career will turn out.
The Pirates can only hope it will be better than Newman’s.
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