MVN: Most Valuable Network

In the third episode of Pirate Revolution's podcast, hosts Cory Humes and Nicolas Lewis wrap up the blog's week-long focus on the team's catching depth by answering questions posed by Alan Smodic in his positional overview.

Will Ryan Doumit be around when this team is a winner? The CHONE projections for 2009 expect Doumit to take only 384 at-bats this season. Is his upside as a power-hitting catcher worth the risk of missed time due to injury, or should he be shopped to a contender who can capitalize on his skills in the short term? He might fit well with John Henry's Red Sox.

Is it too early to tell what kind of future Robinzon Diaz and Jason Jaramillo will have with the team? Their prospect status is dim, but they are young and cost-controlled for several seasons.

On the farm, only Steve Lerud and Andrew Walker seem likely to reach the major leagues some day. Was Lerud really deserving of a 40-man roster spot? The guys discuss Wilbur Miller's prospect profile and wonder what the future will hold for this pair.

Finally, the long-term free agent market is explored. Perhaps the catcher on the next division-winning Pirates team will have been signed as Pudge Rodriguez was by the 2004 Detroit Tigers.