11/8/14

Pirates' Trade Deadline Acquisitions

In my previous entry, I discussed the trades that the Pirates have made in recent years. Now, I would like to highlight my top three favorite acquisitions. My first favorite is Derrek Lee. I was always a fan of Derrek Lee. He was a solid first baseman, a great hitter, and a true team leader. In his career, Lee was a two-time All Star, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and a one-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He also won the World Series with the Marlins in 2003. Lee's tenure with the Pirates was short, but it was quite memorable. Lee appeared in 28 games with the Pirates in the 2011 season. In those 28 games, Lee hit .337 with seven home runs and 18 runs batted in. Lee played in his first game as a Pirate on August 1 against the Chicago Cubs, one of Lee's former teams. In his debut, Lee hit two home runs. Another highlight was in the September 3 game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Lee, who had just returned after a stint on the disabled list after he was hit by a pitch from Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, hit an RBI single in his first at bat of the game. The biggest moment was when he came to the plate against Marmol with the bases loaded and two outs. With the Pirates down 5-3, Lee drilled Marmol's 1-1 pitched over the left field wall to give the Pirates the 7-5 lead and ultimately the 7-5 win. My second favorite acquisition is pitcher Wandy Rodriguez. Rodriguez initially struggled when he was first acquired by the Pirates, but was able to turn it around. He pitched pretty well in the 2013 season as well, but his season was cut short due to injury. Injury plagued Rodriguez's 2014 season which ultimately lead to his release from the Pirates. In 31 games pitched for the Pirates, Rodriguez compiled a record of (11-10). My third favorite addition is Andrew Lambo. Even though Lambo has not had much Major League experience, he proved that he can make solid contact with the ball. During the September 28, 2013 game against the Cincinnati Reds, Lambo hit his first Major League home run on a 1-0 pitch from Reds' reliever Logan Ondrusek. These are my favorite recent Trade Deadline acquistions. Who are your three favorite acquisitions?