Justin Wilson traded to the Yankees

On Novmeber 12th the Pittsburgh Pirates announced that they have yet again acquired another Yankees catcher. This time, it is Francisco Cervelli. They got him for a deal with the Yankees straight up for lefty relif pitcher Justin Wilson.

Former Yankees catcher and now Pirates catcher, Francisco Cervelli
photo courtsey of:  pittsburghsportingnews.com

Before Cervelli, it was Russell Martin (now with Toronto) and Chris Stewart who have both performed very well for the Pirates, so hopefully Cervelli can continue that trend.

Wilson will definitley be missed, as would any lefty pitcher that can run it up to 97-98 mph, but he did struggle last year posting a 4.20 era with 30 walks in 60 innings. Cervelli hasn't been able to put together a full seasons worth of games because of injuries and suspensions, so it will be interesting to see what he can do to help the Pirates this upcoming season.

Position Report Card: Closing Pitcher

This post will be short, sweet, and too the point. Any Pittsburgh Pirate fan should like Mark Melancon. Not only is he dominant on the mound, but he is a great person off the field. On the field, Melacon attacks the strike zone with he 90-93 mph cutter. He took over for Jason Grilli as the Pirates closer when Grilli was traded to the Angels. He struggled at first, which is to be expected with a player taking on a new role, but he then found his own and competed as one of the top closers in the National Lague the rest of the way.

Pirates closer Mark Melanco
photo courtsey: piratesprospects.com

Melancon finsihed the season with a great 1.90 era in 71 innings pitched. He converted 33 of his 37 save attempts, good for an 89.2%. Known for his control, Melanco only had 11 walks giving him an incredible .87 WHIP. WHIP is the statistic that basically tells you how many baserunners the pitcher allows per inning. Anything under one is great.

***Overall Grade B+