To anyone covering the Eastern League and witnessed the Altoona Curve winning the EL title, the firing of Curve Manager Matt Walbeck was a puzzler.
Walbeck, a soft-spoken, but firm man, guided the team to a decisive victory over the Trenton Thunder in the ELCS.
The Pirates shocked anyone who knew Walbeck when they terminated him. The reasons were also confusing, but the team made clear they felt Walbeck wasn't communicating their philosophy. Insert any number of jokes here, but the truth is the team has a lot of promise in their farm system.
The Pirates starting rotation struggled in 2010. While they were falling apart, a few of the Bucs young arms were showing their potential in Altoona.
Curve pitchers sure got their innings in: Rudy Owens (150), Justin Wilson (141), and Anthony Wilson(111) were just three of the pitchers who contributed to Altoona's league leading 1,268 innings pitched. Their 3.51 team ERA was second in the Eastern League.
It's worth noting that Pittsburgh kept pitching coach Tom Filer on staff. Filer spent time in the Philadelphia Phillies farm system as a coach, before spending his first season in 2010 with the Curve.
It'd be easy to dismiss the Pirates decision to fire Walbeck as another example of their failure. But they clearly valued what Filer had done with Altoona pitchers.
The Pirates are also in the midst of a lot of decisions and changes, particularly their managerial search. They're also expected to be aggressive (as much as they can be) in the free agency market. Starting pitching will likely be the focus.
For every club that doesn't have the financial resources to compete with bigger market teams, building from within is that much more important. The young talent showcased on the mound for Altoona should give the Pirates some hope.
Filer's influence, combined with a manager who can give those pitchers some discipline, could make a huge impact - directly or via trade- on the Pirates future plans.