Pittsburgh Pirates 2009 Season Preview

Pittsburgh Pirates 2009 Preview

After losing Xavier Nady, Jason Bay and Doug Mienkiewicz, the Pirates failed to add any depth to their club in the 2008 off-season. With depth being such a negative factor for the club in 2008, it’s hard to expect a different result come the 2009 season.

The Pirates did manage to add Eric Hinske, Craig Monroe, Brandon Moss, Craig Hansen and Jeff Karstens, but you’re kidding yourself if you think that’s enough for Pittsburgh to turn it around in 2009.

The starting lineup is essentially the same as what Pittsburgh featured in 2008, with a solid young 2-3-4 of Sanchez, McLouth and Doumit. This lineup is young, and should continue to grow, but don’t expect much more from an offense that finished 19th in the majors last year in runs scored (735), 21st in home runs (153) and 27th in OBP (.320).

The pitching staff is also very similar to the one that struggled through 2008, with a starting five of Maholm, Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny and Ross Ohlendorf.

These five starters combined for only 27 wins in 2008, compare that to Cleveland Indians pitcher Cliff Lee, who won 22 games himself in the 2008 regular season. The bullpen, aside from Capps and Grabow, will again be a tremendous weak spot for this team in 2009.

With a young and mediocre offense backed by a poor overall pitching staff, look for the Pirates to once again lose close to 100 games, and finish in last place in the NL Central.

Pittsburgh Pirates Surprise Player of 2009:

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Pittsburgh Pirates Projected 2009 Record:

Sixth place in the NL Central with a record of 65-97.