The Pirates finished 3rd at 77-85 last year, actually better than was imagined at the beginning. They would have finished 2nd ahead of the Mets, but the team was evaluating its young talent at the end of last season. Quite a few of those young guns were retained for this season.
Players saying bye bye:
Danny Kinney: .342 avg and dismal catching was not good enough for the ML and demoted
Andruw Strickland: .295 avg and fantastic 1B play was not to the Pirates liking and now sacking groceries at Krogers
Josh Fleming Never lived up to his potential, trying to get a job at ESPN
Diego Belliard : Great defense didn't help his lack of offense, now in football camp
Vicente Trajano: Never settling into a position or hitting, now playing Little League coach
Otis Morton: too many Bean Balls and bruised knees, up on domestic violence charges (hitting wife with ball while playing catch with son).
Dick Scanlan: Just couldn't get his act together in Pittsburgh, maybe in Texas he will shine
Rigo Pineiro: His end of season indifference cost him his job. Now doing bull riding commercials.
New Players saying hello:
Thomas Baxter, C : Better than Kinney defensively and has a lot to learn
Rodrigo Gonzales, 1B : Will make fans say "Andruw who?"
Hideki Huang, 3B/util : Pirates finally have a 3B
Harry Brock, LF : No more juggling at that position either
Tomas Saez, P : Found wondering around in the waiver wire, Pirate fans are hopeful
Kory Governale, P : Rule V pickup and had a great spring
Carmine Pagnozzi, P: Rule V pickup and another that had a great spring
Lawrence Dawkins, P : Rule V waiver wire pick up, taking Josh Grove spot who didn't have a bad spring but was very inconsistent.
If the Pirates are to make a run this year, Team Captain Hunter Tomlinson and the coaching staff will have to do everything in their power to make these youngsters pull together as a team. Hunter has already spoke out that he expects more from these guys than previous teams and more or less guaranteed a winning season. The biggest problem may be the pitching staff as there is no true #1 starter, but 5 guys that can get the job done. A new approach in the bull pen sees more long relievers going shorter distances instead of a bunch of setup men trying to hold the lead for the closer. This pen is on a very short leash as several players in the minors are chomping at the bit to have their chance.
Meet the team
The Fielders
C - Hawk Bates and Thomas Baxter
These two are mirror images of one another, both are above average in dish defense and hit for average. Hopefully their SB defense picks up as the steal wave may be over.
1B - Rodrigo Gonzales
Chicks dig the the long ball and Rodrigo can deliver.
2B - Cory Neal
This is probably Cory's last season for the Pirates as his contract will go into arbitration and he is not worthy of the rich contract he has at the moment.
SS - Hunter Tomlinson and Team Captain
Hunter, being the oldest player on the team at 32, is undeniably the Team Captain. His consistency at SS and at the plate has been as steady as anyone the last 3 seasons.
3B - Hideki Huang
Being the youngest player has its rewards, the older guys keep teasing him about his name. Hideki and Hunter have been working hard this spring to solidify the left side.
LF - Max Crede
Max is one of those players that doesn't stack up but can't get rid of. Plays no position great, is not the best player at the plate. So why does he stick around? He loves the organization! They gave him a chance and he continues to thrive. Led the team in home runs the last 3 seasons and strike outs also. His biggest asset to the team is his knack to get runners home providing over 100 RBIs each of the last 3 seasons.
CF - Giovanni Jackson
After what Gio called a disappointing rookie season last year, he set goals to accomplish this year. His first goal was to limit the number of beauties in his entourage. Secondly to improve his game to the respectable levels he is capable of.
RF - Albert Tapies
Albert will again this year be roaming right field most of the time.
Backups : Julian Giles, Ben Riggs, Harry Brock
Starting Pitching
Elston Bush
Elston improved by leaps and bounds last season and management is hoping this emerging star can keep going.
Ray Luke
Ray continues to grow and management has put a lot of money on the line in the hopes he will.
Tomas Saez
Pirate management sees potential, then again so has other teams that were disappointed. Only time will tell if this was a good waiver wire pick up.
Grant Simon
Grant showed in the last half of the season that he can get the job done as a starter.
Randy Halladay
Pirates were surprised by the trade made by the Brewers last year that they didn't know what to do with their new found sensation. In talks with Randy, the coaching staff found out that he wanted to be a starter and didn't see that happening in Milwaukee.
Long Relief
Terry Rollins
Coaches are worried about Terry and the effort he gave this spring. A move could be made quickly if things don't look any better.
Wilson House
The elder statesman in the pen, Wilson surprises most of the time, but is inconsistent the rest of the time.
Carmine Pagnozzi
A Rule V pickup from Florida, showed this spring that he capable reliever and possible starter if the need arises.
Fernando Solano
Fernando had a good season last year in relief roles, Pirates expect more of the same after having an outstanding spring.
Armando Tavarez
Armando has all the tools to be a ML star, but his slow development has bothered management for quite sometime. It may have been caused in season 4 when he was unjustly thrown into the ML way too soon and that was before current management took over.
Setup
Lawrence Dawkins
Rule V waiver wire pick up, this spot was originally was held by another Rule V draftee, but Lawrence's qualifications were much better. Picking up an innings worth of Spring Training work didn't help his cause, but management wants to give the kid a chance to prove himself.
Kory Governale
Pirate management was over joyed when this Rule V pick up was still on the board at #10 from Minnesota. Originally slotted for the closer spot, coaches seem to have a better idea and setup is in his present state.
Closer
J.J. Adams
JJ was aquired in a late trade with LA last year (or was that thru waivers late?). Although his spring stats don't look good on paper, he was put in some bad situations and did the best he could. Coaches are high on him, but current lack of positions delegates him to the closers role.
Minor league players management and coaches have their eyes on
Jae Dong, CF
Hub Strange, P
J.C. Wilkins, P
Kenneth Buckley, P
Steven Haynes , P
Karim Quevedo, SS
Don Webster, 1B/DH
Team Song: Rolling on the River
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