Pirates send crew to Winter Leagues

11/18/2005
For several Pittsburgh Pirates prospects, the winter months are anything but an "off" season.
Hoping to solidify their chances to make the big league club next spring, several young Bucs have headed south to participate in the annual Winter Leagues in Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
First baseman Brad Eldred and center fielder Chris Duffy, both of whom could be in Pittsburgh's Opening Day lineup in 2006, will be honing their crafts in Mexico with Mazatlan.
Eldred recently completed a stint in the Arizona Fall League, where he batted .289 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs and fanned 22 times in 108 at-bats. The Pirates suggested to Eldred that he play in Mexico because he'd likely see more breaking-ball pitchers there than in the Dominican or Venezuelan leagues.
"The hope is he'll go to Mexico and he'll see some breaking balls down there because it's predominantly a breaking-ball league," said Pirates assistant general manager Doug Strange. "That will be good for him from an experience standpoint."
Duffy, who spent the final weeks of the 2005 season sidelined by hamstring and dehydration problems, is expected to report to Mazatlan during the first week of December.
Center field prospect Rajai Davis, a speedster whose promising season at Double-A Altoona ended prematurely when he broke his right hand in late August, has been given a clean bill of health. He will begin playing in Mexico with Guasave in early December.
Four Pirates prospects were expected to play ball this winter in the Dominican Republic, but two of them have already returned home.
Catcher Ryan Doumit spent two weeks with Escogido, where he went 7-for-26 with three RBIs before deciding to shut it down for the rest of the year due to fatigue. Outfielder Nate McLouth was 3-for-16 in five games with Aguilas before being sidelined by dehydration.
"It got to the point where [McLouth] was seen by a doctor and had to have an IV," said Strange. "Once you get that, it's tough to recover.
"And in Doumit's case, he played a full year and probably just felt like he was worn out and didn't want to risk not being in top shape when Spring Training comes around."
Catcher Ronny Paulino and third baseman Jose Bautista remain in the Dominican.
Paulino, who split the 2005 season between Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis, is batting .297 with four doubles and six RBIs in 64 at-bats with Azucareros. Bautista, who was named the organization's Minor League Player of the Year in 2005 after receiving limited playing time the previous season as a Rule 5 selection, is batting .189 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in 53 at-bats with Licey.
"Bautista had a great year in Double-A. It's just a matter of him getting more at-bats and understanding how the pitchers are trying to get him out and what he is trying to do at the plate," said Strange. "It's just a maturing process you go through as a hitter. It's good for him."
Outfielder Michael Restovich, right-hander Ian Snell and infield prospect Yurendell DeCaster will participate in the Venezuelan winter league.
Restovich is attempting to make up for lost time after spending most of the 2005 season on the Pittsburgh bench. In 24 games with Magallanes, Restovich is hitting .356 with nine doubles, a triple, five home runs, 23 RBIs and a .655 slugging percentage.
"To his credit, [Restovich] went to Venezuela basically to play, get back in a groove and find his swing," said Strange. "He's playing very well down there, hitting home runs and driving in runs. He's taken the approach that he is going to go down there and prove that he can play, which is what you want."
Snell, who declined an assignment to the Arizona Fall League in October, reported earlier this week to Caribes, where he is expected to work as a starter.
"[Snell] just needs more repetitions to fine-tune his command and breaking ball. He needs to be able to throw different pitches in different counts and have an ability to stay down in the zone," said Strange.
Strange said that the team harbors no resentment toward Snell for the right-hander's decision not to participate in the AFL.
"All you can do as an organization is communicate with the players and let them know what it is you want them to do and why you want them to do it," said Strange. "They have the final say. All you can do is suggest what you think would be beneficial to them.
"The point is [Snell] is getting repetitions, and he's going down there to pitch, which is what we're looking for."
DeCaster, who spent the 2005 season with Indianapolis, has had an outstanding early showing with Caribes. In 93 at-bats, he's hitting .333 with 10 home runs and 19 RBIs.
"He's an intriguing player," said Strange. "He is versatile and can play different spots. He's had to grow up as a player and play under more control. He did a good job of that last year."

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/