Ryan Ludwick is now headed to Pittsburgh, and if his initial comments about the deal involving him between the Pirates and Padres is any indication, he's looking forward to a new start back in the NL Central. MLB.com's Jennifer Langosch has the story.
"I'm going to another team that has a chance to make the playoffs," Ludwick said. "I'm going back to the NL Central, a division I'm familiar with and a ballpark where I've done pretty well."
Ludwick has, in fact, had success at PNC Park. For his career, he's hitting .267 with five home runs, 18 RBIs, and an .833 OPS in 27 games at the 10-year old stadium. He's also had success against the first place Brewers, the Pirates' primary competition for the National League Central crown. In 50 games against Milwaukee, Ludwick is hitting .285 with eight home runs, 40 RBIs and an .860 OPS.
General manager Neal Huntington is counting on numbers like those to make this deal work for his team, as Ludwick's .238/11 home run/64 RBI/.674 OPS line leaves some to be desired in the hearts of many fans. He had this to say to Langosch.
"As we look at the numbers behind the numbers, there is every indication in the world that Ryan has a great chance to be very solid for us for these two months," Pittsburgh general manager Neal Huntington said. "Sometimes the surface numbers can be a little misleading. In our minds, in Ryan Ludwick's case, they are very misleading."
Expect more from Ludwick tomorrow when he should make his arrival in Pittsburgh.