Results tagged ‘ Frank Coonelly ’
PIrates Spring Training 2012: Will Veteran’s Be a Factor This Year?
Rod Barajas could be the big veteran that the Pirates need this season.
It seems that every year, the Pirates bring in veteran talent to the team. These veterans have very rarely panned out into anything substantial, but have their moments. (Except for Jeromy Burnitz. That was a wash in every respect.) This season, this trend may finally change.
When looking at the Pirates’ veteran acquisitions, they pass the eye test or offer some kind of hope for a breakout year. Furthermore, these players have been signed to rather large contracts (by Pirates standards) and thus maybe Frank Coonelly and Neal Huntington see something that other owners overlooked.
The most obvious area where the impact may be felt is in the pitching staff. Erik Bedard’s troubles have been well documented and I would not be surprised if he ends up on the disabled list. However, Bedard has the potential to be the number two starter for the Pirates if he performs like he has when healthy. Those years may be a bit high up on the baseball card, but all of the time injured and rehabbing may just be enough to kick it into high gear.
The bigger impact will more likely come from the newest Pirate, A.J. Burnett. From the begininning, I have said that this move is a win-win for the Bucs, with a solid chance to perhaps bring in more talent to the Pirates via July trade. However, if Charlie Morton’s rehab does not go as well as anticipated or Jeff Karstens and/or Kevin Correia find themselves in September form rather than June form, Burnett could become glue for the rotation (if he isn’t already).
Pirates News: President Coonelly Charged with DUI
Frank Coonelly has some explaining to do.
Well this does not help the perception of Pirates ownership. Pirates President Frank Coonelly was charged with 4 different DUI related counts after an incident in Ross. Allegedly, his BAC was at least .16 and was caught driving on the wrong side of the road. The legal limit is .08 in case anyone was wondering.
“My actions that evening were irresponsible and wrong. I take full and sole responsibility for them. There is no excuse for ever driving under the influence of alcohol. My wife and I have preached to our children about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol, not only for themselves but for the innocent drivers, passengers and pedestrians on the road. I am embarrassed that I failed to follow this advice myself on this occasion and extremely grateful no one was injured or adversely affected by this serious lapse of judgment.”
Pirates Draft: Draft Pool Controversy Simplified
Over at SB Nation, talk has been running non stop about the recent confusion over the Pirates Draft Pool. The draft pool is an allot pool of money for teams to use in singing bonuses for players based off Free Agency compensation as well as the draft position for each team (ie first overall picking team gets $7.2 million added to their pool).
For the Pirates, drafting at eighth overall means that that Pirates’ biggest chunk of money comes in the form of $2.9 million that is awarded to this pick. What really caught Pirates fans off guard when news broke that the Pirates were allotted $6.5 million was that Frank Coonelly’s take on the process via this interview. Coonelly said that he beleived that Pittsburgh’s pool would have been about $10 million. Granted at this point, Derek Lee has not yet signed, but there is no way he would fetch a $4.3 million addition to the pool.
