MLB Preview: Can the Pittsburgh Pirates Show Signs of Life in 2011?
For being one of the most storied franchises in baseball history, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had a rough time as of late. Each of the past 18 seasons, due to desire to cut payroll and "rebuild," the team has not had a winning record.
Even with the 2011 season fast approaching and a good core of young talent, fans are not optimistic. No matter how well these players do, won't team management just trade them away?
Call me crazy, but I think that the young guns on the Pirates are out to make a statement. They have a new manager with a new approach, and the youth has the potential to make its presence known in the tough National League Central Division.
Let's take a look at the team's starters and determine this: will the Pittsburgh Pirates rage the high seas of the MLB again?
Catcher: Chris Snyder
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Chris Snyder is an interesting type of player. He has never hit more than .277 average-wise, but at the same time, shows decent power.
In 2011, he'll almost certainly share time at the position with the oft-injured Ryan Doumit. Yet, with the latter's injury history, expect Snyder to become the primary backstop before long.
He works well with young pitchers and is a great locker room presence, so look for Snyder to have a typical season. Low average with signs of power and a veritable force behind the plate.
First Base: Lyle Overbay
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For the past five seasons, Lyle Overbay was a force for the Toronto Blue Jays both on the field and at the plate. He has decent power and can do well for average on a good day.
Now Overbay is playing for the Pirates and has PNC Park as his home stadium. Expect him to hit 20-25 home runs and bat at or around .265.
Most importantly, Overbay gives the team a seasoned veteran in the locker room. He can serve as a mentor to the young players and give them the support that they need in a city and organization that offers little to none.
Second Base: Neil Walker
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For someone who's only 25 years old, Neil Walker has an incredibly bright future. In 110 games in 2010, the young infielder batted .296 with 12 home runs and 66 RBI. Even more impressive, he had 126 hits. Can you imagine what those numbers would look like over 140-plus games?
Walker has the ability to fill the void left by Freddy Sanchez (now with the San Francisco Giants), who won a batting title playing for the Pirates in 2006. He is also a switch-hitter, making him even more dangerous. The only hole in his game is his defense, as he made seven errors at second base last season. Still, that can be worked on.
In his first full season, expect Walker to improve on last season. He is a talented young player and if team management is smart, they'll make sure they hang onto him.
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Shortstop: Ronny Cedeno
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Ronny Cedeno is a below-average shortstop in every way possible. His offense is inconsistent and his defense his horrendous. He committed 18 errors at the position last season, and that just isn't going to cut it in 2011.
Maybe first-year manager Clint Hurdle will be able to get through to Cedeno, who is still young at 28. If not, the Pirates will need to find a new shortstop and fast.
Third Base: Pedro Alvarez
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Pedro Alvarez was the second overall pick in the 2008 draft. After tearing it up in the minor leagues for one and a half seasons, he was called up to Pittsburgh. In his time at the major league level, he showed just how special he is.
In 95 games, Alvarez batted a modest .256, but also had 16 home runs and 64 RBI. In his first full season, look for him to improve his batting average and show great power in the hitter-friendly PNC Park. He is a lefty-hitting infielder with good power.
As soon as his defense improves, Alvarez will be a top third baseman in either league. He's still young at 24, so hopefully team management will be patient with him.
Left Field: Jose Tabata
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At 22 years old, Tabata has the potential to be a top outfielder. He'll never hit for much power, but his contact hitting and speed will do nothing but help him.
He made his debut in 2010 and in 102 games, batted .299 with four home runs and 35 RBI, as well as 19 stolen bases. The top young player in Pittsburgh might be someone else on this list, but Tabata still deserves his due respect.
He shows tremendous patience at the plate for someone his age, and could be a great leadoff man for this young Pirates squad. Look for his first full season to be just as productive and for the steals to increase.
Center Field: Andrew McCutchen
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If there is one definite bright spot on the Pittsburgh Pirates, it's this young outfielder. The past two seasons, McCutchen has simply done it all. He hits for a decent average, shows 15-20 home run power and amazing speed on the basepaths and in the outfield.
I'm thinking that 2011 will be McCutchen's breakout season. If he stays healthy, I'd expect him to hit above .300 and steal close to forty bases. His power will remain about average, but if there's one man who is a productivity lock in Pittsburgh's lineup, it's McCutchen.
Right Field: Garret Jones
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After a strong 2009 that saw him hit .293 with 21 home runs in 82 games, Garrett Jones came back down to earth in 2010. In his first full season, he hit 21 home runs with 86 RBI, but only had a .247 batting average.
I'm going to say that Jones's 2010 was a fluke because of then manager John Russell's defeatist attitude and the general malaise around the locker room, but there is reason for caution anyway. He will hopefully hit more than 21 home runs with the type of power he has, and also hit for higher average.
He has the potential to be a deadly presence in the middle of Pittsburgh's lineup, so fingers crossed he will be back full force in 2011.
Starting Rotation
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Honestly, at this point, the Pirates' rotation is a hot mess. The ace of the staff is lefty veteran Paul Maholm (pictured at left), and he just isn't the type of pitcher who can come out and give a great start. In 2010, Maholm went 9-15 and his ERA was a horrendous 5.02. That being said, let's take a look at the rest of the staff:
Ross Ohlendorf: 1-11, 4.07 ERA
Kevin Correia: 10-10, 5.40 ERA with San Diego Padres
James McDonald: 4-6, 4.02 ERA with Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers
Charlie Morton: 2-12, 7.57 ERA
This pitching staff is in need of one thing and one thing only: a leader. Given, Ohlendorf pitched most of last season with a back injury and Correia was dealing with the loss of his brother, but this squad needs a lot of work. McDonald should be a bright spot and with young hotshot Jameson Taillon expected to make an impact in a couple of years, there could be light at the end of the tunnel.
Still, pitching coach Ray Searage has a lot of work ahead of him.
Bullpen
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Oddly enough, the Pittsburgh Pirates have some good young arms in their bullpen despite the messy rotation. Setup man Evan Meek (pictured at left) was a force out of the 'pen in 2010 as he pitched his way to a 2.14 ERA and a spot on the National League All-Star Team.
That being said, it's puzzling as to why the team would go with the less-electrifying Joel Hanrahan over the fire-balling Meek. Experience surely plays a role, but if the game is on the line and a win is needed, I'd rather have Meek on the mound. This battle is still up in the air, but should be interesting once a winner comes out on top.
Combined with Scott Olsen and Daniel McCutchen bouncing back, the Pirates bullpen won't be the best, but will certainly show that it has a bright future.
Manager: Clint Hurdle
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For the past three seasons, the Pittsburgh Pirates were managed by veteran minor league manager John Russell. In those seasons, the team won 186 games and lost 299. Of those 299 losses, 105 came in 2010.
The fact is, Russell was not the right man for the job at any point. He was given a team with which he could do almost nothing, and didn't really address the underachieving players in the lineup. Long story short, he had a very "oh well" attitude when it came to bad losses. This attitude got him fired after last season.
He was replaced with Clint Hurdle, who led the Colorado Rockies on a Cinderella run to the World Series in 2007. The team was swept in four games by the Boston Red Sox, but their story was still inspiring.
Hurdle works well with young players and he has a good veteran presence in the lineup with Overbay. If there's anyone who can help this squad reach its full potential, it's him. Pirates fans should look forward to this season with Hurdle at the helm.
Final Thoughts
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Will the Pittsburgh Pirates make a playoff run in 2011? Probably not. There are too many good teams in the NL Central, and the Pirates are just too young a team without enough pitching to contend.
Yet, I have a feeling that this season will provide an injection of hope into the veins of this young squad. They will have their ups and downs, but will not let bad losses keep them down. They won't make the playoffs this year, but as was said before, there will be light at the end of the tunnel in 2011.
Prediction: 78 wins, fourth in the NL Central
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