BRIAN BIXLER

10/22/82; '04 2nd; Eastern Michigan Univ.
R/R; 6-1, 188

Level
BA
OBP
SA
AB
2B
3B
HR
BB
K
SB
CS
2002 NCAA
.320
.389
.584
231
12
5
13
20
38
17
6
2003 NCAA
.322
.430
.491
230
8
2
9
38
38
16
5
2004 NCAA
.453
.519
.659
243
18
3
8
35
43
31
7
2004 A-
.276
.321
.342
228
7
4
0
15
51
14
5
2005 A
.281
.343
.388
502
23
2
9
38
134
21
10
2006 AA
.301
.363
.407
226
13
1
3
16
57
6
2
2006 A+
.303
.402
.434
267
16
2
5
35
58
18
7
2007 AAA
.274
.368
.396
475
23
10
5
54
131
28
4
2008 NL
.157
.229
.194
108
2
1
0
6
36
1
0
2008 AAA
.280
.346
.402
321
8
5
7
27
107
23
7
2009 NL
.227
.261
.341
44
5
0
0
2
26
1
0
2009 AAA
.275
.343
.439
403
23
8
9
35
128
13
3

The Pirates originally drafted Bixler primarily because of his speed, which was a warning sign with an organization in which the scouting approach emphasized speed over the ability to hit the ball.  Although he was second in the nation in batting average in 2004, there were reservations about his hitting after he hit .120 in the wood-bat Cape Cod League in 2003.  Those reservations had some justification.  In his NY-P League debut he eventually got his average up to respectability, but he showed little power and very poor plate discipline.  Those tendencies continued at Hickory, as he struggled for much of the season.  He eventually got his average up and showed some power late in the season, but he continued to fan far too often and didn't walk much, and his overall #s were not those of a legitimate prospect.

In 2006, however, Bixler improved significantly at Lynchburg, mostly due to improved patience.  He drew about the same number of walks in half a season there as he'd drawn in all of 2005.  He improved his average a little, but not his power.  On the down side, he continued to fan a lot for a player with minimal power.  Promoted to Altoona at mid-season, Bixler again hit over .300 thanks to a .353 average in August.  His walk total dropped off, however, and he continued to fan a lot.  He doesn't look to me like he gets a lot of his body into his swing; it seems mostly to be hands and wrists.  Maybe as a result, when I've seen him he's sometimes been overpowered by fastballs up, even from pitchers with mediocre velocity.

In 2007, Bixler drew a lot of attention among Pirate fans by getting off to a fast start.  He batted .329 in April and .303 in May.  Unfortunately, his average fell in every month:  in June, July and August it was .283, .242 and .227.  His strikeout total increased each month, except from June to July when it stayed the same.  Overall, he fanned in nearly one of every three and a half ABs, which is too often even for a power hitter.  The Pirates tried to explain his poor finish by saying he was tired, but the fact that he declined every single month makes it more likely the pitchers simply figured him out.  He had a very large platoon split:  311/414/563 vs. LHPs and 261/353/341 vs. RHPs.

Bixler was regarded at the time of the draft as at least capable defensively, but he was shaky with the glove his first few years, committing 16 errors in 59 games at Williamsport, another 33 at Hickory, and 13 at each stop in 2006.  He had only 16 in 2007, but the Pirates expressed concerns early in the year, when he was hitting well, about whether he was ready defensively.  His arm has never looked either strong or accurate to me.  Despite his much-heralded speed, he wasn't more than a decent base stealer until 2007, when he improved markedly.  He was not called up in September, which was undoubtedly a product of his poor finish because he was clearly going to be added to the 40-man roster in the off-season, which in fact is what happened.

The Pirates sent Bixler back to AAA for 2008, but he was recalled when Jack Wilson went on the DL.  Bixler ended up sharing the shortstop position with Luis Rivas and Chris Gomez, which turned into a disaster as all three performed badly.  Bixler was overmatched at the plate, incessantly chasing sliders far outside, sometimes fanning on three straight pitches in the same location.  Initially, he was just as bad defensively, struggling with errors and misplays, but he eventually settled down and started to play much better in the field.  When Wilson returned, Bixler went to AAA.  He played mostly SS there, but started ten games at second as the Pirates appeared to shift their view of him from possible starting shortstop to prospective utility player.  Oddly, he hit for a lot of power at first, slugging .504 from the time of his return until the end of June.  That, however, didn't last and Bixler returned to his previous pattern of hitting decent numbers of singles and striking out like Ryan Howard.  The Pirates recalled Bixler in September and, with Wilson out for the month, he initially shared shortstop with Luis Cruz.  His continued inability to adapt to major league pitching—he went 3-for-27 for the month, with 13 strikeouts—eventually resulted in Cruz winning the job full-time.  It's very difficult to think that a player who has minimal power and still fans in a third of his AAA at-bats can hit major league pitching.

In 2009, Bixler had a good spring, leading the Pirates to say he was the team's most improved player.  He was sent to AAA just the same, with Cruz making the team.  The Pirates explained the move by stating that Bixler's spring had led them to revise their thinking, so that they now regard him as a potential major league regular and not merely a utility player, so they wanted him playing regularly.  He got called up in late April when Wilson got hurt and struggled to a biblical degree.  He managed the amazing feat of striking out 18 times in just 25 at-bats.  The Pirates sent him down in mid-May and he proceeded to struggle through the next two months in AAA, hitting .150 in May and .234 in June, and seemingly driving a nail into his prospect status.  In July, however, he suddenly started hitting.  From the beginning of July through the end of the AAA season, he hit .320 with all nine of his HRs and a .541 slugging average.  He played mainly short and second, but also began playing games in center after the Pirates acquired Argenis Diaz.  Before his late-season outburst, Bixler seemed unlikely to get a September callup, but the Pirates brought him up when the AAA season belatedly ended a week into the month.  Between September and a brief August callup he fanned eight more times in 19 at-bats, for 26 Ks in just 44 ABs on the season.  He also had several costly defensive miscues.  When Ronny Cedeno went out with an injury, the playing time at short went mainly to Cruz and later even to a supposedly hobbled Ramon Vazquez.  If the Pirates weren't willing to give Bixler much playing time under those circumstances, then it's pretty obvious they don't see him as a potential major leaguer, with good reason.  Bixler will be 27 in late October and has been badly out of his depth in his opportunities in the majors.  With Brian Friday coming up from AA, Argenis Diaz already in AAA, and Chase D'Arnaud and Jordy Mercer probably moving up to AA, Bixler is on the verge of getting squeezed out.  He'd almost certainly clear waivers if the Pirates removed him from the 40-man roster, but it's hard to see what role he'd play even then.

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