On slumping vets

Juan Encarnacion, Preston Wilson, and Juan Pierre, '05-'06 free-agent acquisitions, have all been terrible. Cliff Floyd, Jeff Kent, and Bernie Williams have been terrible as well.

Encarnacion (650 OPS) has been hitting sixth. Wilson (711 OPS) has been hitting fifth (and hitting better lately). Pierre (571 OPS) has been hitting third. Floyd (574 OPS) has recently hit second and eighth. Kent (690 OPS) hit fifth. Williams (633 OPS) hit sixth.

We're all focussed on Burnitz (584 OPS).

Google news retrieves some stories touching on some of these struggles. Juan Encarnacion has been described in the St. Louis press as a mild disappointment. Not many complaints are readily available about Preston Wilson, perhaps because the Astros are high above .500. Juan Pierre has drawn some criticism. Here's how Floyd's slumpiness has been covered. Williams has been throwing tantrums, but coverage of his ejection does not dwell on his year-to-date ineptitude at the plate.

Two things buy a veteran time with the fan base: (1) a winning tradition, and (2) a history with the club. The Pirates have no recent winning tradition, and none of the veteran stopgaps have a meaningful recent history with the club. (Joe Randa is no more "a Pirate" than Jose Hernandez.) Will all the fan resentment help Burnitz break out of his slump? I can't say, but I doubt it. And if it's true that vicious jeering hurts a player's performance, then the acquisition of veteran stopgaps is even more of a bad bargain for the Pirates. Veteran players are more likely to get it here than elsewhere.