CHICAGO -- Melky Cabrera has been a solid free agent signing through the first two weeks of the season, better than anyone could have expected.
The veteran switch-hitting outfielder is hitting .375/.394/.438 in 11 games, which is pretty good for a 34-year-old who was signed to a minor-league contract the day before spring training began and has a salary of just $1.15 million.
Cabrera has been especially important with Lonnie Chisenhall sidelined by a broken right hand, which he sustained three days before the season opened. Cabrera’s playing time will diminish when Gregory Polanco comes off the injured list late in the month, but he will still be a valuable bench bat.
With both Polanco, Chisenhall and Corey Dickerson all out of action with injuries, Cabrera has had to play much more than anyone in the organization expected. And he's been a much-needed run producer.
“We’re not surprised, and if you’ve watched him for 14 years, you’ve seen it play out,” Clint Hurdle said. “We were of the mindset that there was still life in the body and there were still skills that were going to play.”
Cabrera isn't going to hit .393 all season, but he does own a career .286 average and batted .280 in Cleveland last season. He might not be a guy the Pirates want to run into the outfield every day -- he hasn't had more than 250 at-bats the past two seasons -- but the team has to be thankful he was available.
Cabrera doesn't have much range anymore but he did make a nice diving, tumbling catch in the right-field corner last night to rob Kris Bryant of a double leading off the fourth inning in the Pirates' 2-0 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Though he had the wind knocked out of him, Cabrera stayed in the game.
MORE PIRATES
• Forbes estimated the Pirates’ value at $1.275 billion Wednesday. While I don’t pretend to know the first thing about high finance, some people in baseball who do have told me Forbes’ number is likely pretty close. The magazine had the Pirates’ worth at $274 million in 2007, the year Bob Nutting took over as the controlling owner from Kevin McClatchy. Thus, the Pirates’ value has more than quintupled in 12 years. It might be instructive to think about that the next time angry fans ask why Nutting doesn’t sell the team. Why would he? -- Perrotto
• Chris Archer respectfully declined to talk about his appeal of the five-game suspension from Major League Baseball for throwing a pitch behind the Reds’ Derek Dietrich on Sunday. Archer’s concern is MLB might use any comments he makes to the media against him in the appeal hearing. While staying mum doesn’t help me in my job, it’s a sound strategy by Archer to not want to possibly incriminate himself. There are indications the matter will be resolved sooner rather than later, but probably not before Archer's next scheduled start Saturday against the Nationals at Washington. -- Perrotto
• Jameson Taillon escaped injury Monday when he was struck on the head by a line drive by the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo. However, it shook Hurdle, who was twice hit in the helmet by pitches during his playing career, from hard throwers Dwight Gooden and Dickie Noles. “I don’t like it. I don’t like any part of it. It’s hard," Hurdle said. "The last person I’m concerned about is me or my feelings. My concern is (on the field) and my concern is for the people attached to the man.” -- Perrotto
PENGUINS
• When Justin Schultz's slap shot beat Robin Lehner with 1:29 remaining in the third period to tie Game 1 of the Penguins' first-round series against the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum, there was not a "Get in the fast lane, Grandma!" or "Look out, Loretta!" to be heard. Mike Lange, the voice of the Penguins for the past 44 years, was back in Pittsburgh recovering from an adverse reaction to medication for pneumonia. According to a source, it was originally hoped the 71-year-old would have been well enough to call last Saturday's regular-season finale against the Rangers, but more rest was required. It wasn't until late Tuesday afternoon that the organization reluctantly released a 163-word statement announcing Lange would be a no-go for the start of the series. In hockey parlance, Lange is day-to-day -- as we all are -- with an upper-body injury and is expected to return. The question is what will be the plan next season in the radio booth? Josh Getzoff, who filled in Wednesday night and has been handling most of the road games in recent seasons, would seem likely to take on an expanded role, including more home games. There is no official order of succession but Getzoff would seem the obvious choice. -- Chris Bradford
• Unlike Mike Babcock and many NHL coaches, Mike Sullivan is not big on individual matchups. Of course, it doesn't hurt he can send Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin over the boards at any moment. But, apparently, he is big on gamesmanship. How else to explain what happened with the Penguins' defense pairs in Game 1? Never mind Sullivan's reasoning to scratch Jack Johnson. Sullivan is a two-time Stanley Cup-winning coach and knows his team far better than I. But it is odd he paired Johnson with Kris Letang in Monday's practice, only to do a 180 a day later. Tuesday, he had Olli Maatta with Letang and Johnson with Schultz. The latter two had been paired together since mid-February. It was assumed whoever skated with Letang was doing so merely as a placeholder for Brian Dumoulin. If Maatta came out, it would have allowed all three pairings, all left- and right-handers, to remain intact while allowing for stability. Fueling further speculation, the third pair of Erik Gudbranson and Marcus Pettersson -- along with Maatta and Teddy Blueger -- remained on the ice long after Tuesday's practice ended to work with Sergei Gonchar. That was a reasonable indication the odd man out would have been one of those three defensemen. Alas, everyone read it wrong. The NHL allows the media to report everything witnessed in practice in real time, even in the playoffs when practices are closed to the public, but sometimes even a hockey coach can throw a curveball. -- Bradford
• At 6-foot-5 and 217 pounds, Gudbranson is an intimidating figure and can handle himself when it comes to fighting. He even was seen giving Pettersson some pointers after Monday's practice. Gudbranson does not like to talk about individual bouts, but he is hardly reluctant to drop his gloves when need be. He told me he does not go looking for fights, but he does enjoy sticking up for teammates. It has more to do with his makeup than just his size. He's been fighting since he was a teenager and has 27 bouts to his NHL resume. Growing up, he says he far more enjoyed flattening an opponent with an open-ice hit than scoring a goal. -- Bradford
• What's the key to lasting 21 seasons in the NHL? Love of the game and good health, obviously. For Matt Cullen it's also "faith and family." He told me both have played a huge role in keeping the 42-year-old father of three in the game as long as he has. Also, a good diet. Cullen said he was one of the early converts to dieting and organic foods. When he came into the league in 1997, it was not uncommon to see players after games stuffing beer cans in their overcoats for the bus ride to the airport. Those days are long over. -- Bradford
STEELERS
• The Steelers, through Thursday, had brought in 26 of their allotted 30 pre-draft visitors, not counting the three local visitors they have brought in as well, who do not count against their total. At this point, they have brought in six running backs, three tight ends, three receivers, one guard, three outside linebackers, four inside linebackers, six cornerbacks and three safeties. That should give you a pretty good idea of the positions they are looking to draft, even if it's not one of the guys they brought in. Of the potential first-round guys they have brought in, only the corners would be considered in that group. Byron Murphy, Deandre Baker and Rock Ya Sin -- who is rising on draft boards -- are among the corners they have flown to Pittsburgh. -- Dale Lolley at Rooney Complex
• The question often arises how many of the guys the Steelers bring in actually wind up on their roster. Last year, it was just one who was drafted, safety Marcus Allen. But three others, linebacker Matthew Thomas, receiver Qadree Henderson and defensive lineman Greg Gilmore, were visitors who were signed as undrafted rookies. The team also brought in quarterback Brogan Roback, who was signed to a futures contract after the season. In 2017, the Steelers selected two of their pre-draft visitors, quarterback Josh Dobbs and linebacker Keion Adams. There were three in 2016. But you'd have to go all the way back to 2014 to find a pre-draft visit that included the Steelers' eventual first-round pick. Ryan Shazier visited that year. -- Lolley
• The Steelers have signed six former AAF players in the past two weeks, more than anyone else in the league. But don't get too excited about those guys. The Steelers are currently at 71 players on their roster. They're allowed to have 90. The AAF players the Steelers signed were guys who normally would have been signed to futures contracts at the end of the season but couldn't be signed because they were under contract with the other league. We're talking about guys who are, for the most part, camp fodder. -- Lolley
