By Jim Lane
For AltoonaCurve.com

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MARCH 30 - ONE WEEK LEFT IN FLORIDA

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Lynchburg Hillcats won the 2009 Carolina League (high Class A) championship and many of the players instrumental in the team’s success will be on the Altoona roster when the Curve open the 2010 season.

As spring training heads into the final week, minor league rosters are filling up and farm director Kyle Stark offered this prospectus on the Curve:

1B Matt Hague, 2B Josh Harrison, SS Chase d’Arnaud, 3B Jordy Mercer, LF Miles Durham, CF Gorkys Hernandez, RF TBA, C Hector Gimenez. Jose L. de los Santos will be a utility infielder and Kris Watts will be the backup catcher.

Hague batted .293 in 122 games at Lynchburg with 30 doubles, 8 homers and 50 RBIs. Harrison, who came to the Pirates when John Grabow and Tom Gorzelanny went to the Cubs, batted .337 in 79 games with Peoria of the Midwest League, then hit .270 in 34 games at Lynchburg. D’Arnaud split 2009 between West Virginia (62 G,.291) and Lynchburg (54 G, .295). Mercer batted .255 with 36 doubles, 10 homers and 83 RBIs in 131 games at Lynchburg. DeLosSantos batted .247 in 114 games at Lynchburg.

Durham divided 2009 between Lynchburg (65 G, .295) and Altoona (65 G, .275). Hernandez came to the Bucs in the Nate McLouth trade with the Braves. He batted .316 in 52 games with the Braves’ Mississippi (AA) team and .262 in 86 games with the Curve. Gimenez batted .286 in 41 starts with the Curve and .268 in 48 games at Indianapolis (AAA) while Watts batted .291 in 103 games as Lynchburg’s receiver. Watts appeared in 17 games with the Curve in 2008.

The pitching staff includes Tim Alderson, Mike Crotta, Mike Dubee, Derek Hankins, Jared Hughes, Dustin Molleken and Rudy Owens. Alderson came to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez and posted a 3-1 record in 7 starts with the Curve in ‘09. Crotta was a workhorse in Altoona a year ago, compiling a 7-8 record and 4.61 ERA in 23 starts. Hankins has spent most of the last two seasons with the Curve (5-15), Hughes was in Altoona parts of 2008 and ’09 (3-8), Molleken was 3-1 in 18 appearances at Lynchburg and 1-1 in 18 games at Altoona while Dubee was 2-0 at Lynchburg and 3-0 at Altoona. Owens was the Pirates’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year (10-1, 1.70 ERA, West Virginia; 1-1, 3.86 ERA, Lynchburg).

Jimmy Negrych and Daniel Moskos, key Curve performers a year ago, could return, depending on what happens the final days of camp, Stark said.

“Negrych is trying to increase his versatility -- second, third, first, corner outfield spots,” Stark said, “and his challenge now is getting as many at-bats as he can. Where that may be, we’ll have to see. He’s competing to make the Triple-A club.”

Stark said Moskos, who was 11-10 with the Curve a year ago, also is battling for a job at Indy.

“As we get guys pushed back, he may start the season at Double-A, especially since we’re looking at transitioning him back to the bullpen,” Stark said.

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Bob Lozinak, the Curve’s managing member, was in town a couple days this week, along with general manager Rob Egan and senior advisor Sal Baglieri. Egan and Baglieri hosted Pirate president Frank Coonelly and Curve manager Matt Walbeck, coaches Ryan Long and Tom Filer and trainer Bryan Housand for dinner at Carraba’s Italian Grill on Wednesday evening.

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Curve people obviously are excited about Washington’s No. 1 prospect Stephen Strasburg pitching in the 2010 season-opening series at Altoona. Strasburg, a hard-throwing right-hander, who reportedly has hit 100 mph on the radar gun, received a $20 million signing bonus and is considered the game’s top pitching prospect. He’s expected to draw national media coverage when he and the Harrisburg Senators visit Blair County Ballpark April 8-10.

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Chris Shelton, a catcher-first baseman with the Curve in 2003, is trying to land a roster spot with the Houston Astros this spring. Shelton smacked a pair of doubles and drove in four runs in the Astros’ 11-1 win over the Bucs earlier this week. Shelton, who has big-league time with the Tigers, is getting a good look because Houston all-star Lance Berkman is injured.

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Jeff Keppinger, who played for the Curve in 2004 before being traded to the Mets, is battling for a utility infielder’s role with the Astros. Keppinger’s got major league experience with the Reds, too.

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Ray Chang, who spent parts of the 2008 and 2009 seasons with the Curve, is still in the Red Sox camp, although not expected to stick with the big club.


MARCH 29 - JIM NEGRYCH FEATURE

BRADENTON, Fla. – The night of July 27, 2009 is one Curve second baseman Jimmy Negrych won’t soon forget.

Late in a game versus the Binghamton Mets at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona, Negrych ranged far to his right and dived to prevent a ground ball from going into center field. However, he collided with shortstop Brian Friday whose knee struck him in the stomach.

Negrych stayed in the game and batted in the bottom of the ninth inning. But, following the game, the Altoona second baseman was taken to a hospital where a hematoma in his abdomen was discovered requiring emergency surgery.

“I left Altoona and was taken by helicopter to Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh,” Negrych recalled during a break in spring training. “I caught an infection in the hospital and went back in the hospital when I returned home (to Buffalo).”

Because of the bleeding in his lower right abdomen, Negrych had a blood vessel removed.

Needless to say, his baseball season was over. Not his career, though. He’s put the injury behind him and could return to Altoona this spring as the Curve’s utility player.

 “You just take it (injury) in stride and hope it makes you stronger mentally,” he said. “You just go out and try to be the best you can be every day.”

Which has been pretty good at since the Pirates made him their sixth round pick in the 2006 draft after an All-American career at the University of Pittsburgh.

Negrych, compactly built at 5-9, 170, has put up good offensive numbers during his pro career.  In 2006, he batted .267 in 42 games at short-season Williamsport. He hit .282 in 86 games at Low Class-A Hickory in 2007 and has boosted his average over .300 the past couple of years.

Negrych’s breakout season was 2008 when he batted .370 in 104 games at High-A Lynchburg before being promoted to Class- AA Altoona where he hit .310 in 25 games with the Curve. Those combined numbers earned him the Pirates’ Minor League Player-of-the-Year honors.

Negrych began 2009 in Altoona and started well, batting .373 in April. However, when he went out with the season-ending injury in July, his average finished at .272.

“I started off hot last year, then went cold for awhile,” he said. “I recovered from that and was hot in July when I got hurt.”

Negrych said it was “a 1-in-100 injury.”

“We (players) take pretty good care of ourselves physically, but it was pretty traumatic,” he admitted. “I don’t think about it much. The collision could happen a thousand more times and I’d never get hurt like that again.

“He just hit me in the wrong spot at the wrong time.”

Until he was able to begin rehabbing in October, Negrych had lost 45 pounds. But, he’s regained the lost weight and says he’s feeling as good as ever.

Kyle Stark, Pittsburgh’s director of player development, noted: “(Negrych) has recovered from the injury and looks good. I don’t see a problem with his health.”

Negrych is still battling for a spot on the Indianapolis (Class AAA)  roster as spring training winds down, but Stark noted Negrych is working at all of the infield positions and in the corner outfield, too, to improve his versatility and become a more valuable commodity to the organization.

Negrych, of course, hopes to continue advancing up the pro ladder, but says beginning 2010 in Altoona would be okay with him.

“(Pirates) have a plan for everybody,” he said, “and, as long as I’m getting at-bats on an everyday basis, I should be all right.”


MARCH 22 - GORKYS HERNANDEZ FEATURE

BRADENTON, Fla. – Most people in the Pittsburgh organization think Gorkys Hernandez has a bright future in the major leagues.

Not yet, however.

Although he’s appeared in several Grapefruit League games with the big-league Bucs this spring, Hernandez is ticketed to open the 2010 season in Altoona.

Hernandez can play center field. There’s no doubt about that. Pirates bench coach Gary Varsho and Bucs’ director of player development Kyle Stark rave about Hernandez’s ability in the outfield.

He must improve his offensive skills, though, before the Bucs advance him to the next level.

“He can flat-out play center field,” Stark said. “His physical tools are obvious and he’s got to continue translating those on the field, especially on the offensive side.

“He has some things from a swing standpoint that we need to continue to work on. But his upside is significant.”

The 22-year-old Venezuelan-born Hernandez was ranked as Atlanta’s fourth-best prospect by Baseball America before the Braves traded him to Pittsburgh last June in the Nate McLouth deal. He played in 86 games for the Curve, batting .262 with three homers and 31 RBIs. Prior to joining the Curve, Hernandez batted .316 in 52 games with Atlanta’s Class AA team in Mississippi.

“The trade to Altoona was difficult,” Hernandez said. “When I was traded, I couldn’t believe it. It was a new team, new organization, new guys.

“(With the Braves) I knew the manager, coaches … when I was traded, I knew nothing.”

Hernandez is enjoying his first big-league camp with the Pirates, even though he had only two hits in 10 at-bats In eight games.

“It’s good,” he said. “I’m working a lot with the hitting coaches and in the (batting) cage, too. I’m on the 40-man roster, so I’ve been getting a lot of work.

“But, I know, if I want to stay, I’ve got to work hard every day.”

That means improving his offensive skills.

“It’s his first year in camp and he’s getting his feet wet,” Varsho said. “He handles himself very well defensively and is easy to work with.

“In the outfield, he has a lot of good things: Plus arm, plus range. He just needs to make sure he focuses on every play,” Varsho said.

“The impressions on him are high. From what I’ve seen, he has a chance to be a really nice big-league player.”


MARCH 19 - ROSTERS STARTING TO TAKE SHAPE

BRADENTON, Fla. – The Pirates have begun trimming their big-league roster as spring training 2010 passes the midpoint. Major League teams must be at the mandatory 25-man limit when they break camp and head north to start the season in April.

Every cut means a trickle-down effect to the minor leagues and that means the Altoona Curve roster is receiving some additions.

Right-handed pitchers Ronald Uviedo and Ramon Aguero, both members of the Bucs’ 40-man roster, recently were added to the Altoona roster of manager Matt Walbeck and pitching coach Tom Filer.

Uviedo, 6-1, 160, started 2009 with the Gulf Coast League Pirates (rookie league) and went 0-1 in three starts before being promoted to Lynchburg (High Class-A) where he went 5-5 (3.36 ERA) in 23 games (18 starts).

Aguero, 6-4, 195, pitched at West Virginia (Low-A), Lynchburg and Altoona in 2009, and posted a combined record of 2-4 in 39 games (3 starts).  He was 0-2 at Altoona, but recorded four saves in eight games and struck out 13 batters in 12 2/3 innings.

Highly-touted prospect Gorkys Hernandez will return to Altoona as the Curve’s center fielder. Hernandez came to the Pittsburgh organization last summer when the Pirates traded outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves. The speedy, 22-year-old Hernandez batted .262 in 86 games with the Curve last season. A defensive whiz, Hernandez will work on his offensive skills under the watchful eye of Curve batting coach Ryan Long.
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FRIDAY TO INDY:  Brian Friday, the Curve shortstop a year ago who will be the everyday shortstop for Indianapolis (Class AAA), also was sent to minor league camp recently. Friday played in four Grapefruit League games and socked a homer in five at-bats. Although he’s been playing some at second base, Friday is considered the Bucs’ shortstop of the future.
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BOOSTERS HERE: Altoona Curve Booster Club president John Prosperi and treasurer John Austin, a former Booster Club president, were seen taking in some of the action at McKechnie Field recently.
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SEE YOU SOON: Catcher Tony Sanchez, the Pirates’ top pick in the 2009 draft, has opened some eyes here. The former Boston College star batted .316 in 41 games at West Virginia after signing last summer. He’s expected to begin 2010 at Bradenton (High-A) and could be in Altoona before the season is over.

MARCH 15 - DANIEL MOSKOS FEATURE

BRADENTON, Fla. – Daniel Moskos isn’t sure if he’ll be a starter or reliever, and the Pirates apparently aren’t sure, either, so there’s a chance the Bucs’ No. 1 pick in the 2007 draft could be back in an Altoona Curve uniform this season.

“I go into spring training every year not knowing what I’m going to be doing,” Moskos was saying recently at McKechnie Field. “But, I’ll do whatever they tell me to do.”

Right now, it looks like Moskos, who posted an 11-10 record in 25 starts at Altoona last season, will be in the bullpen.

“We’re trying to maximize his value,” Kyle Stark, the Pirates director of player personnel, said, “and part of that is evaluating whether he fits in as an inning-eating starter or if his stuff plays out of the bullpen, meaning he’d come in and pitch later.”

Moskos, a 23-year-old southpaw from Greenville, SC, has appeared in only one Grapefruit League game this spring and was touched up for three runs in just one inning by the Phillies.

Nonetheless, Moskos is not discouraged.

“It’s going well,” he said of camp. “It’s good to be around this environment and get to be around people who have been in the big leagues.

“I’m just trying to soak up information by asking questions. I’m getting good information just by being around them.”

While pitching at Clemson University, Moskos compiled a 3.25 ERA in 81 appearances, but only 10 were starts. He finished with 16 saves – fourth best in school history.

Moskos made 11 relief appearances – no starts -- for the short-season State College Spikes in 2007. He was promoted to high Class A Lynchburg in 2008 where he compiled a 7-7 record and 5.95 ERA, appearing in 20 games as a starter and nine as a reliever.

His 11-10 record and 3.74 ERA in 2009 at Altoona ranked sixth among Pirate farmhands in ERA and tied for third in wins. He also ranked third in wins in the Eastern League.

“I learned a lot (at Altoona),” Moskos said. “It was a big step up in competition, and I got my feet wet.

“I struggled at first, but I learned how to pitch at that level and proved to myself I could compete at that level and move up to the next level.” 

Moskos credits a lot of his improvement a year ago to pitching coach Dean Treanor, who will be working at Indianapolis this season.

“I love working with Dean,” Moskios said. “He’s awesome. He’s hands on.

“He’s always willing to work and is trying to make you better. That’s a great quality to have in a pitching coach.”

If Moskos is in the bullpen, he’ll take it in stride, he said.

“You’ve got to be a little more in the moment when you’re coming out of the bullpen, and it’s all about longevity as a starter,” he said. “The mindset will change once I find out what I’m going to be doing, and we’ll cross that road when I come to it.”

He’ll also accept his assignment, whether it’s Indianapolis or Altoona.

“It’s not where I’m at in April,” he said. “It’s where I am in July that will be important.”

 

MARCH 11 - 2010 CURVE

BRADENTON, Fla. – A few familiar faces will be donning Altoona Curve uniforms when the club opens the 2010 Eastern League season against Southern Division opponent Harrisburg at Blair County Ballpark on Thursday, April 8.

Kyle Stark, the Pirates’ director of player development, is putting the minor league rosters together and said right-handed pitcher Tim Alderson, who came to the Pittsburgh organization in the Freddy Sanchez trade to the Giants last July, should be one of the pitching stalwarts for the Curve.

The 22-year-old Alderson (6-6, 225) was the Giants’ No. 1 pick in the 2007 season. In 2008, he compiled a 13-4 record with the Giants’ San Jose team in the Class A California League. He began 2009 in San Jose and was 1-1 in five starts before being promoted to Class AA Connecticut where he went 6-1 in 13 starts before coming to the Curve.  He started seven games with Altoona and went 3-1 with a 4.66 ERA in 38 2/3 innings.

Stark said pitchers Michael Dubee and Dustin Molleken also will return to Altoona. Both pitched at Class A Lynchburg before being promoted to Altoona for the second half of the 2009 season. With the Curve, Dubee was 3-0 with a 2.91 ERA In 26 appearances. Molleken (1-1, 4.62) pitched in 18 games for the Curve.

First baseman-outfielder Miles Durham and second baseman Jimmy Negyrch also will be back at BCB. Durham divided 2009 between Lynchburg and Altoona, playing 65 games at each stop. At Altoona, he batted .275 with five homers and 34 RBIs. The Pirates’ 2008 minor league player of the year, Negrych played in 93 games with Altoona last season, batting .272, before suffering a season-ending injury in a collision with shortstop Brian Friday on July 27. Stark said Negrych has recovered from the injury and should be ready to go.

Catcher Kris Watts, who played in 17 games with the Curve in 2008 then spent all of 2009 at Lynchburg (.291 BA in 103 games), will be the Altoona backstop.

Several good infield prospects, including Chase d’Arnaud and Jordy Mercer, will be with the Curve. D’Arnaud batted close to .300 with State College, West Virginia and Lynchburg, is rated the Pirates’ fifth best prospect by Baseball America and was tabbed as the organization’s “best athlete” entering this season. Mercer ranked second among Pirate farmhands with 83 RBIs last season at Lynchburg.

Also ticketed for Altoona, according to Stark, are infielders Jose L. De Los Santos, Matt Hague and Joshua Harrison. 

Depending on what shakes out the remainder of spring training, Stark said former Curve pitchers Daniel Moskos (LHP) Kyle Bloom (LHP), Mike Crotta (RHP), Derek Hankins (RHP) and Moises Robles (RHP) could be back in Altoona. Other pitching possibilities for manager Matt Walbeck and his staff are Harrison Bishop, Jeff Locke, Rudy Owens, Matt McSwain, R.J. Rodriguez and Justin Wilson.

Stark said there’s also the possibility outfielder Jeff Corsaletti (.230, 89 games) could return to Altoona where he’ll join Anthony Norman, a former Arizona League MVP.
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Former Curve MVP Chris Duffy is a non-roster free agent with the Phillies. So is Ryan Vogelsong, who pitched for both the Curve and Pirates.  Neither, however, played against the Pirates earlier this week.
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After going 0-for-6 early on, Pedro Alvarez has been hitting well. Through seven games, the Curve’s 2009 MVP was 6-for-19 with two triples, a double and four RBIs. Jose Tabata was 4-for-15 in five games.  SS Brian Friday was 1-for-4 in four games with the big-league club, C-1B Hector Gimenez was 4-for-6 in four games, Gorkys Hernandez was 1-for-7 in five games.
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2009 Curve pitchers and their stats so far: Brad Lincoln (0-0, 3.00, 2G, 3 IP), Jean Machi (0-0, 0.00, 3G, 3 IP), Daniel Moskos (0-0, 9.00, 1G, 1IP), Jeff Sues (0-1, 5.40, 2G, 1.2IP), Donnie Veal (1-0, 0.00, 2G, 3IP).
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Curve manager Matt Walbeck coached first base during a 6-0 loss to the Yankees earlier this week. The Pirates played split squad that day and regular first base coach Carlos Garcia was with the team on the road.

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MARCH 8 - NEIL WALKER FEATURE

BRADENTON, FL – Neil Walker’s career hasn’t played out the way he or the Pirates hoped when they made him their first-round selection (11th pick overall) in the 2004 draft, but the Pittsburgh native remains optimistic he’ll wear a major league uniform someday.

Whether it’s a Pirate uniform is still a question.

 Originally drafted as a catcher, the former Pine Richland High School star was switched to third base a couple of years ago and made the transition well. But, with Andy LaRoche, the holdover at third, and Pedro Alvarez, the apparent long-range hope, Walker probably isn’t in the Pirates’ plans for the hot corner.

As 2010 spring training unfolds, Walker is working at a couple of new positions – second base and the outfield. He, however, has not given up hope that he can make the trip north in April on the Bucs’ 25-man roster, and he’s not opposed to serving a utility role.

“We’ve talked about it a little bit,” Walker was saying recently before a Grapefruit League game at McKechnie Field. “I’m kind of in an in-between state right now. They’re not quite sure what they’re going to do with me yet. I’ve done some stuff at second and in the outfield, and I’ve also thrown the [catching] gear on a little.

“First, and foremost, it’s going to be third base, but if it comes to a point where they ask me to do something else, I’d totally be for it. That’s not here yet, but there’s been some talk about it.”

Carlos Garcia, the former Pirate second baseman who now serves the club as first base coach and infield instructor, has been impressed with Walker’s work ethic.

“So far, it’s been good,” Garcia said. “Neil understands he has to be able to play different positions, and that’s what he’s doing. Second base is new to him, and he’s willing to give it a try.

“It’s going to be a project,” Garcia said, “but he wanted to do it, and we’re happy he’s made himself available.”

Walker is receiving outfield instructions from Gary Varsho, the Pirates’ bench coach and a former big-league outfielder. Bullpen coach Luis Dorante is reacquainting Walker with catching duties.

“With Neil, starting from scratch, he’s a good athlete, and he can do a lot of things,” Varsho said. “Hopefully, with his versatility, we can get him out there.

“But, let’s not forget, he’s a wonderful third baseman,” Varsho said. “I don’t want to take anything away from what he does, but the priority is to get him around the infield. Eventually, over time, for him to stay on a big-league club, he’ll need that versatility.

“He’s been working. How much playing time he’ll get (this spring) is probably minimal, but he’s doing well,” Varsho said. “But he needs a lot of reps before we throw him to the wolves.”

Walker realizes what he’s facing while trying to add a couple of positions to his resume.

“Really, it’s just getting my feet wet, and just learning it as opposed to making a total transformation,” Walker said. “But, I feel comfortable doing it, especially the infield because I’ve played third. The outfield will be more of an adjustment.”

Although he appeared in 17 games with the Pirates in the final weeks of the 2009 season, Walker spent most of last season in Class AAA Indianapolis, leading the Indians in double, homers and RBIs. He batted .264 in 95 games to merit his September call-up by the Bucs.

Walker played in 117 games in Altoona in 2007 and batted .288 with 13 homers and 66 RBIs. He was named to the Eastern League’s mid-season all-star team.

“That’s the last time where I really felt comfortable,” he said of his Altoona experience.
He’s still confident in his ability, though.

“My expectations are to make this team out of spring training in any way shape or form,” he said. That’s my only goal. Whether it’s a utility guy or somewhere else, that’s fine by me.

“There’s work to be done, but I believe in myself. I’m 24 years old, and I don’t think I’m far off.”
 
FRIDAY NOTEBOOK, MARCH 5

BRADENTON, Fla. – Former Curve stars Steve Pearce and Neil Walker probably will be on the outside looking in when the Pirates head north for the 2010 Major League season.

At this point, the Bucs are favoring Jeff Clement for the first base job. Clement, acquired in the deal that sent Jack Wilson to Seattle last year, batted .274 with 21 homers and 90 RBIs in 119 games at Triple-A last year.

If Clement, who is being converted from catcher, doesn’t work out, word is the Pirates will bring Garrett Jones in from right field to play first – his natural position.

That means Pearce, the organization’s minor league player-of-the-year in 2007 after putting up incredible numbers at Altoona and other stops, will have trouble making the Pirates’ 25-man roster this season.

Walker is facing a similar uphill battle. Drafted as a catcher, Walker became an Eastern League all-star third baseman with the Curve in 2007. However, Andy LaRoche is certain to be the Bucs’ third baseman at the start of 2010, and Pedro Alvarez is waiting in the wings. That doesn’t bode well for Walker, although don’t be surprised if the Bucs try to make him a utility guy.

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Pearce homered in the Pirates’ 6-1 win over the State College of Florida on Tuesday while Alvarez rapped out three hits in four at-bats. The former No. 1 pick went 0-for-1 in a 6-3 loss to the Yankees and was 0-for-4 as the designated hitter against the Braves.

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Jose Tabata had one of the Pirates’ three hits in the loss to the Yankees this week. Brian Friday got a couple of innings at shortstop against the Braves and former Curve closer Jean Machi pitched a scoreless inning against the Yanks with Hector Gimenez catching. Brad Lincoln pitched a scoreless frame against the Braves.

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Bucs’ minor leaguers are in camp now and Kyle Stark, director of player development, said he’ll begin filling rosters soon. Several familiar faces are here, but these ex-Curve favorites aren’t listed on the minor league roster: Jason Delaney, Miguel Perez, Angel Gonzalez, Yoslan Herrera, Jonel Pacheco  and Steve Lerud.

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MATT WALBECK FEATURE

BRADENTON, FL – Baseball is in his blood, says Altoona Curve manager Matt Walbeck.

“This is my 23rd spring training, and I’m only 40 years old,” Walbeck said recently at Pirate City. “[Baseball] is part of my DNA.”

Walbeck, who will begin his second season as Altoona manager when the Curve host the Harrisburg Senators on Thursday, April 8, at 6:30 p.m. at Blair County Ballpark, has been here since Feb. 15 helping the Pirates prepare for the 2010 spring training.

“Actually, we were in Florida in January for some meetings,” he said. “A lot of work and effort was put in to getting everyone on the same page.

“Everyone, from the major leagues to the minor leagues, wants the same goal,” he said. “We won’t settle for mediocrity.”

The Pirates have been mediocre at best for almost two decades now. They’ve had 17 consecutive losing seasons – a professional sports record.

The Curve struggled in 2009, posting a disappointing 62-80 mark in Walbeck’s first season as manager. He vows it will be better this year.

“That record will make me a better manager,” he said of 2009. “Adversity is good, especially after the success I’ve had.”

Walbeck played parts of 10 seasons in the majors, catching 682 games for the Cubs, Twins, Tigers, Angels and Phillies. When his playing days were over, he was hired by the Tigers and managed four seasons in the Detroit farm system, compiling a record of 312-244 and winning a pair of low Class A titles with West Michigan. He skippered the Tigers’ Class AA Erie team in 2007 and won the Eastern League’s Southern Division crown.

Wally spent the 2008 season as third base coach of the American League’s Texas Rangers, but was not rehired and that led to his hiring by the Pirates and the Altoona managerial job.

“It was nice to get that [major league] experience,” he said. “I’m fully vested in the pension plan now, so a lot of good came out of 2008.”

Walbeck is happy now to be part of the Pirates organization.

“It’s been a great learning experience for me to come to the Pirates,” he said. “A new system, new people, living in Altoona and working at BCB is great. I’m glad I went through it.”

Under the leadership of board chairman Bob Nutting, general manager Neal Huntington and director of player development Kyle Stark, the Pirates are making changes within the organization.

“We’re growing as a group, we’re coming together,” Walbeck said.

During spring training, Walbeck does whatever is needed.

“I throwing batting practice or hit fungoes,” he said. “The plan is to get the most out of every player.”

Most of the minor league players won’t be here for a couple more weeks, so Walbeck said his focus is on the big league camp until then.

“We haven’t even talked about the players who will be in Altoona,” he said. “A lot of shuffling will go on before the rosters are put together so we aren’t thinking too much about that now.”

He does know that Ryan Long will be the Curve’s hitting coach again and Tom Filer will serve as pitching coach, succeeding Dean Treanor, who has been promoted to Class AAA Indianapolis.  Bryan Housand joins the Altoona staff as athletic trainer, succeeding Thomas Prybl, who also is moving up to Indianapolis.

Walbeck, who hopes to be a major league manager at some point, said he “tries to find positives in everything, and I have more room to grow personally and professionally.”

One thing that won’t change for Walbeck is his love for the game.

“It’s so great to be part of the national past time,” he said. “I still get chills when I come to the ballpark every day.”