2011 Pittsburgh Pirates: The Case for Ryan Doumit

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs. In the case of the Pittsburgh Pirates at this year's trade deadline, a good deal of eggs were broken.

The Pirates undertook a fire sale of historic proportions, trading most position players on the team. Of the eight starters on Opening Day 2009, only two remain in Pittsburgh—third baseman Andy LaRoche and catcher Ryan Doumit.

If not for an injury that sidelined Doumit for all but 15 games in the first half, he likely would have been traded as well. Relative to position, Doumit was the best offensive player on the team, and would have brought a large bounty to a team looking for a good offensive catcher.

However, even as a supporter of the "blow it up and start over" philosophy employed by the Pittsburgh front office, Doumit's injury was a blessing in disguise.

With a newly strong minor league system, the Pirates are shaping up to be competitors as soon as 2011, when the cream from these trades will rise to the top. The Pirates loaded themselves with talent in AA or above that's poised to fast-track it to the Majors.

Let's take a moment to look at what the 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates might look like based on what's in the minor league system.

Obviously, there's a caveat here. All of these prospects may not pan out, and further trades may bring better players than the ones I'm projecting right now. But the idea remains the same.

The 2011 Pittsburgh Pirates lineup may look something like this:

1. Andrew McCutchen - CF
2. Lastings Millege - LF

This part of the team is in place on the Major League roster, and looks very productive. They're both young, cost-controlled players that the team plans to build around. I don't think further explanation for my rationale is needed.

3. Jose Tabata - RF

Tabata is currently on the cusp of 21 years old, and was called up to AAA after thoroughly dominating AA. He's shown the ability to do everything except hit for power—the last tool to develop.

ETA: The power will play the biggest part in determining when he gets the call. If he starts hitting tons of doubles and a decent amount of home runs in AAA, it could be as early as mid-season next year. If not, a midseason 2011 call.

4. Pedro Alvarez - 3B

Most scouts say that Alvarez will eventually move to first base. I agree, but I don't think it's unreasonable to expect him to start his Major League career at third. More on that later.

Alvarez is the big power bat in this lineup. Since he was drafted, he's shown no problem piling up homers in the minors, and his contact rate and walks are improving. He's playing like the phenomenal hitter he was expected to be, and he's going to be a fixture in Pittsburgh for a long time.

ETA: He should start next year in AAA and get a call-up mid season. The opposite of Tabata, the thing the Pirates will be looking for is a lowering of his unacceptably high K-rate. That trend is already starting to happen, but they'll want to see it continue in AAA first to be sure.

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