As a baseball fan, I’m ready for the Buccos to be relevant again. They haven’t had a winning season in about 2 decades and 
chances are, they won’t have one in 2012 either. However, things are looking up a little at PNC. The Pirates just signed their best player, Andrew McCutchen, to a contract extension. This is big news because every other time the Pirates have had a semi-decent player in the last 10 years, they’ve traded them away immediately. Perhaps we’ve entered a new era of baseball in the Steel City.
Projected Lineup:
- Alex Presely (Lf)
- Jose Tabata (Rf)
- Andrew McCutchen (Cf)
- Casey McGehee (3b)
- Neil Walker (2b)
- Garrett Jones (1b)
- Rod Barajas (c)
- Clint Barmes (ss)
Projected Rotation:
- AJ Burnett
- Eric Bedard
- Charlie Morton
- Kevin Correia
- John McDonald
- Jeff Karstens
Strengths:
The Pirates actually have a pretty solid lineup top to bottom and a pretty solid starting rotation. Presely, Tabata, and McCutchen at the top of the order bring speed and bit of pop and Mcgehee, Walker, and Jones in the middle can certainly drive in a few runs. Other than Clint Barmes, who is only an upgrade at short because he is replacing Ronny Cedeno, the worst player in baseball, this starting 8 is solid and rather imposing. There really are no free outs. Especially if Mcgehee starts over Pedro Alvarez as I’m projecting.
On the defensive side of the ball, the outfield is outstanding. With the speed and range all these guys have this could very well be in the running for the best defensive outfield in the NL.
Pitching wise, the Pirates finally have enough guys to fill out a decent rotation. Now, this isn’t the Phillies we’re talking about here and none of these guys are going to pitch this team to the World Series, but they have a good group of starters to choose from.
Weaknesses:
This team just isn’t as good as the other ones in its division. Yes, they are solid pretty much the whole way through with their starters but outside McCutchen, the ceiling for these guys is pretty low. For instance, realistically, what can you expect out of Garrett Jones? Maybe a .265 average with 20 homers and 85 RBI, and that’s best case. How about Eric Bedard? Maybe a 4.25 ERA at best? AJ Burnett is complete crap shoot, no one has any idea what he’ll do this season.
The thing about this team is that they are really not bad but they’re really not very good either. The Pirates are kind of a conservative Cincinnati Reds. They have a higher floor and are potentially less volatile than Cincy, but their ceiling is a lot lower too.
Storylines:
What’s with Pedro Alvarez? At one point he was one of the most highly touted prospects in baseball but thus far he has done nothing. This season will be his last shot to prove he is not a complete and absolute bust.
Can the Pirates repeat the magic? Last season, the Pirates were in first place deep into the summer before utterly falling apart at the end. Can they replicate that again this year? Can they sustain it better?
Keep an eye on AJ Burnett. Its possible an escape from New York and the AL East could rejuvenate his career, which, by the way, is in need of much rejuvenation.
Prediction:
76-86, 5th place, NL Central. I just don’t see it from the Pirates this year. Much like the Cubs, this team is headed in the right direction but they are just not there yet.
Bold Predictions:
- Casey Mcgehee hits .288 with 29 homers and 109 RBIs
- Andrew McCutchen wins the batting title
- Jeff Karstens has a sub 3.3 ERA
- The Pirates go 19-0 against the Astros this year
-Max Frankel
