Joel C. writes: I patiently waited until August, but what are your thoughts now on your winter dialogue with Mickey White on the state of the Pirates farm system? The system winning percentage is an incredible (for the Pirates anyway) .576. And all this has been accomplished without arguably the two best players that White drafted, Bobby Bradley and J.R. House, both of whom have been injured (as you know). Finally, as for the John VanBenschoten decision, he was just named the top pitching prospect in the Sally League.

As impressive as this all is, I recognize that there are still some major problems with the Pirates system, however. Some of the stunning winning percentages have been achieved by having players repeat levels. I'm thinking of players such as Jose Castillo and Josh Bonifay at Lynchburg and Jeremy Harts and Chris Young at Hickory. Bradenton is 29-11, but a good portion of the team consists of White draftees who are repeating at the lowest level. The new regime believes in no in-season promotions which, while perhaps a needed change from the Bonifay era of overly aggressive promotions, might be too conservative in the case of Young and Tony Alvarez, among others.

Anyway, I think White was right. He argued that the Bucs would field competitive teams at all levels this year and they have done just that. He also defended the VanBenschoten decision, which is looking good so far. If the Pirates finally get good within the next two or three years, I hope White gets some of the credit.

You can find the original article about my conversation with Mickey White by clicking here.

Yes, the Pirates farm system is having a good season, though as you point out, a lot of guys are repeating levels. Here's the breakdown, through games of August 6th.

Team	Record	Pct.
Triple-A Nashville	57-59	.491
Double-A Altoona	62-53	.539
Class A Lynchburg	70-44	.614
Class A Hickory	69-46	.600
Short-A Williamsport	28-20	.583
Rookie GLC Pirates	31-11	.738

Having a good W-L record on the farm is, unfortunately, not the same as having a strong farm system, in the sense of having a lot of prospects.

That said, the Pirates are in better shape than they were in three or four years ago, and White and his staff do deserve credit for this. As you point out, Bradley and House have been injury casualties, but the emergence of prospects like LHP Sean Burnett (11-2, 1.54 at Lynchburg), RHP Chris Young, and shortstop Jose Castillo has helped. The conservative promotion philosophy also helps add some needed stability to the system, though I agree with you that they may take it a bit too far in some cases. There are signs that the Pirates renewed emphasis in Latin America, begun under White and continued by the new administration, is bearing fruit. Several Pirate prospects are also showing improved strike zone judgment this year. All the guys you mentioned are playing well.

As for VanBenschoten, he's had a good ERA all season, but for much of the first half, his K/BB ratio was weak. This has changed lately, however, as he's making the necessary mental adjustments to pitching. He is now 10-4, 2.79 at Hickory, with a solid 123/53 K/BB mark in 129 innings, with only 103 hits allowed. He's impressing scouts with his velocity and improved command lately, and his numbers are starting to come in line with his scouting reports. Best of all, being mostly a hitter in college has kept his arm fresh. Yes, we need to see him at higher levels, but I have no qualms about admitting that I was wrong about him. Using him as a pitcher instead of a hitter looks to have been the right decision.

All in all, Pirate fans have reason to be pleased. Things are looking up, but it will be at least a year and probably more before strong results are evident at the major-league level. Mickey White should be proud, even if he isn't around in Pittsburgh now to enjoy the fruits of his labor.

Mark H. asks: Alberto Garza's stats at Double-A Akron look amazing, specifically his hits allowed and K/IP. Obviously, he has some control issues with all those walks. But how good is his stuff? Does he have an MLB future?

I've been intrigued by Garza for several years. He throws 90-94 mph, has a strong curve, and has always posted terrific K/IP ratios, including 123/77 last year in the Carolina League. But injuries and severe control problems (81 walks in 78 innings in 2000, for example) kept him confined to A-ball until this year.

Finally getting a shot in Double-A, Garza has a 1.69 ERA working out of the Akron bullpen. He has collected 40 strikeouts in 26.2 innings, an excellent ratio, and has allowed only nine hits. There are two problems: he's walked 20, and he's been out since June with an elbow injury. Any future he has or doesn't have still depends on his control and his health, and neither are predictable at this point. His stuff is good enough, about this there is no doubt.

Jason B. writes: I was just wondering what happened to Adam Morrissey who is a prospect with the Oakland A's? He came into this year as a very intriguing prospect at second base. Do you think he still has a chance to turn it around since he is still young or does he have a fatal flaw?

Morrissey looked like a serious sleeper to me earlier this year. An Australian, he was signed by the Cubs in 1999. He hit .309 with 14 homers and 80 walks at Class A Lansing last year, at age 20, then was traded to Oakland for Mark Bellhorn last winter. This looked like a steal to me, as Morrissey combined youth, patience, power, and the ability to play middle infield.

Oakland began him in Double-A this year, and he was overwhelmed by the jump, hitting just .225 through 76 games, without much power, and a sharp decline in his walk rate. I didn't see him before his demotion, but I'm told he simply looked lost against Double-A pitching. The jump from the Midwest League was too much for him. Sent back to the California League last month, he's hitting .300 in 31 games for Modesto, with a .450 slugging percentage. His walk rate has gone back up, although it still isn't as good as it was last year.

I remain intrigued with him, but am disappointed in his inability to adjust to Double-A. He was one of the younger players in the Texas League, and still has time to get things back on track. It seems unlikely that Oakland will give up on him quickly, so expect to see him back in Double-A next year.

Matt C. asks: This season I have been very excited with the development of the Mets catching prospect Justin Huber. One article I read about him compared him to current Mets catcher Mike Piazza. The article only compared them as hitters, but I was wondering if they are also similar on defense?

Huber is another Aussie, signed as a free agent in '00. Just 20, he's quickly developed into one of the best hitting prospects in the game. Huber hit .314/.415/.528 in the Appy League last year, and has followed that up with strong play this season. He began at Capital City, where he hit .294/.409/.478 in 84 games. Promoted to St. Lucie late last month, he's hitting .308 in his first 18 games.

Huber does not have as much raw power as Piazza, but will hit for average and get on base at a strong clip. His power is to the alleys mostly right now, though he's strong enough to be good for 20+ homers with maturity. His strike zone judgment is sound, and he doesn't show any particular weaknesses as a hitter. Defensively, Huber is better than Piazza. He's very mobile, and has a strong and accurate arm. His leadership skills seem sound, and no one has questioned his work ethic.

The Mets turned down trade requests for Huber in July, and he's the best hitting prospect in the system. He is the crown jewel of the system, pairing nicely with hot shortstop prospect Jose Reyes.

Australia is starting to produce more and more baseball players, with guys like Huber and Morrissey just the tip of the iceberg. Although only a handful of teams are mining Australian talent right now, I think that will change. There is a lot of athletic talent on the big island, and the sport is growing in popularity Down Under. It's also easier for Australian players to adjust to North America than it is for guys from other faraway lands, since the culture and language are similar. Expect to see greater numbers of Australian players enter pro baseball, especially when the worldwide draft becomes a reality.

John Sickels is the author of the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He is currently writing a biography of Bob Feller. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at johnsickels.com.