CTOD Pittsburgh Pirates

19 losing seasons in a row, had the second fewest runs scored, (587) a team worst since 1985. That's not even the worst stat, they allowed a league leading 866 runs giving the Pirates an atrocious -279 run differential (no wonder you can't win games). So why would anyone want to be a Pirates fan? I'll tell you why...



The Pirates may have scored the second fewest runs in the show last season along with having the second fewest hits, but looking at the individual players, "all is not lost, no all is not lost at all". Andrew McCutchen is becoming one of the most dynamic young players in MLB and will continue to grow toward being a 5 tool stud. His numbers weren't as good as some expected last year, yet with the arrival of Alvarez and Tabata, plus the emergence of Walker, he'll be a major threat this year. McCutchen will hit third so we should see a spike in RBI's and although there's concern for a dip in stolen bases, both McCutchen and coach Hurdle have said his speed is a crucial part of the offense and have no reason to believe that he'll run less. Alvarez is the real deal and proved it last season hitting 16 HR with 64 RBI in just 347 plate appearances. Being Alvarez's first full season in the bigs, I expect some huge numbers from the 24 year old (I know!? only 24, crazy right?) His batting average will suffer until he learns some more plate discipline, but that's to be expected and I don't think people will mind too much as long as he continues to hit. After a great debut in 2010, I expect more from Jose Tabata as well in 2011. Tabata will be hitting lead-off and patrolling left field, giving the Pirates more speed and skill in the outfield. Tabata has a great combination of speed and skill offensively too and if he continues to develop this way, both him and McCutchen will make a pretty impressive duo for years to come.

The acquisition of Overbay will be a nice upgrade over Jeff Clement defensively, and although his spring batting average will come down to earth (.364), he seems to be seeing the ball really well this year. Neil Walker has emerged as the everyday second baseman and played really well last year. Now that Walker knows the position is his, he'll be playing with a new confidence, likely improving on his already decent numbers from last year.

Hitting should be better this year no question, however the major problem last year will likely be the same as this year... pitching. The Pirates rotation was a friggin' nightmare last year... there's just no other way to describe it. Opposing teams have nothing to be scared of when they stare out to the mound and likely lick their chops at a chance to step in and pound grapefruits. Paul Maholm will have to be better than his team leading 9 wins and 5.10 ERA last year. Maholm is by no stretch a true ace and although trade rumors swirl, he'll need to stay the course and improve. James McDonald was a refreshing sight for the Pirates last season. Acquired at the deadline he posted a 4-5 record with a respectable 3.52 ERA, striking out 61 batters in 64 innings. Hopefully that trend will continue and McDonald will push for double digit wins. I'm not sure what to say about Ohlendorf, the guy was 1-11 last year and is already 0-5 this spring with a 9+ ERA... yikes. The Pirates have a talented crop of young pitchers in the system Charlie Morton, Brad Lincoln, Bryan Morris, Stetson Allie and last years number 2 overall Jameson Taillon. Not all of these guys are ready to make the jump and inexperience will be against the ones that are. However knowing that you have talent like this coming down the pipe is something to look forward to and will certainly give the future Pirates a solid rotation... finally.

Prediction - 5th NL Central. Pittsburgh won't be as terrible as last year, and although I don't see them being legitimately competitive until 2013, they have a lot of good young players coming through the system. Baseball America has them ranked at only 22nd yet notes the quality and development of the teams youth has them on a definite rise to the top. Include another high pick in this year and next year's draft, the Pirates are using the system the Rays, Jays and now Royals are all seeing benefits from. Yes, it's good to be a Pirates fan and could be for years to come. The storm is nearly over, giving fans something to cheer for other than Crosby or Ben "I can't control my off-seasons" Rothlisberger.

Player to Watch - Pedro Alvarez. ESPN has this kid crushing 28 HR's while collecting 103 RBI's. In his final ten games last year he had 5 bombs with 16 RBI's, hopefully a sign of what's to come in 2011 for Alvarez and the Pirates.