By Chris Ruddick, Sports Network
The Sports Network
A lot of people were calling for manager Jim Tracy's ousting early last season, but he remained and actually got his young team to play above .500 in the second half, as they finished 37-35.
Another thing the Pirates have going for them is that the National League Central is wide open. It is anyone's race to win. So if some things fall the right way who says the Pirates can't be this year's version of the Detroit Tigers?
They are still probably a year or two away from competing on a day-in/day-out basis, but the days of the Pirates being the doormat in the Central are likely a thing of the past.
Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Pittsburgh Pirates, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:
2006 FINISH (67-95) - Fifth Place (NL Central)
KEY OFFSEASON ADDITIONS: Adam LaRoche 1B; Yoslan Herrera SP
KEY OFFSEASON SUBTRACTIONS: Mike Gonzalez RP; Jeromy Burnitz OF; Joe Randa 3B
PROJECTED LINEUP: Chris Duffy (CF); Jack Wilson (SS); Freddy Sanchez (2B); Adam LaRoche (1B); Jason Bay (LF); Xavier Nady (RF); Ronny Paulino (C); Jose Castillo/Jose Bautista (3B)
PROJECTED ROTATION: Zach Duke (LHP); Paul Maholm (LHP); Ian Snell (RHP); Tom Gorzelanny (LHP); Shawn Chacon (RHP)
PROJECTED CLOSER: Solomon Torres (RHP)
MANAGER: Jim Tracy
INFIELD
General Manager Dave Littlefield's top priority this offseason was to find a left-handed bat to put in the middle of the Pirates' lineup. He accomplished that with the acquisition of first baseman LaRoche.
LaRoche hit .285 and set career records in every offensive category for the Braves. He also finished second in home runs (32) and fourth in RBI (90). Defensively he was incredible, as he committed just five total errors in 1,117 chances.
Sanchez, the reigning NL batting champion, will either be the team's second baseman or third baseman this year. Incumbent second baseman Jose Castillo struggled mightily last year, as he committed a career-high 18 errors and batted .253 - the lowest average of his career.
Sanchez, meanwhile, was sensational, hitting a league-high 53 doubles with 85 RBI. His .344 average led the league of course and he also hit .386 with runners in scoring position.
So with Sanchez at second, it looks as if Castillo and Jose Bautista will battle for the third base spot. More likely it will be a platoon situation to start the season until someone takes hold of the spot.
Jack Wilson, who openly criticized Castillo's work ethic this offseason, will be at short. Wilson, the longest tenured active Pirates player, surprisingly struggled a bit in the field last season, as he committed a career-high 18 errors.
Ronny Paulino will again be behind the plate. Pittsburgh knew how good the 25- year-old backstop was defensively, but the production they got from him at the plate was a pleasant surprise. Paulino finished the year hitting .311 with six homers and 55 RBI.
OUTFIELD
Bay is one of the best young outfielders in the game. Bay smacked a career- high 35 homers a year ago and also knocked in a 109 RBI - also a career best. A two-time All-Star, Bay has missed just three games in the last two years. Having LaRoche in the lineup will only make him better.
Center fielder Chris Duffy nearly quit baseball a year ago when the Pirates sent him to the minors. Duffy, though, eventually reported and fought his way back to the big league club and actually gave the team some stability from the leadoff spot in the second half. Duffy hit .282 after the break and stole 23 bases.
Xavier Nady was acquired from the New York Mets at the trade deadline last season and between the two teams he set career highs with a .280 batting average, 17 home runs and 63 RBI. Had LaRoche not been acquired he probably would have started the year at first, but luckily he will be in right field, probably his best defensive position.
STARTING ROTATION
The Pirates season this year will hinge on its starting staff, plain and simple. It is definitely an inexperienced group, but a talented one at that.
Zach Duke was sensational as a rookie in 2005, but struggled at times last year. The 23-year-old lefty was a workhorse, as he made 34 starts and pitched a team-high 215 1/3 innings, but won only 10 of his 25 decisions and finished the season with a 4.47 ERA and an opponent's batting average of .302.
In Duke's defense 14 of his 34 starts were decided by one run.
While Duke struggled, rookie Ian Snell seized the title of staff ace, as he came up one win short of becoming the first Pirates starter in seven years to win 15 games.
Paul Maholm, like Duke, was impressive in 2005, but failed to duplicate that success last season. The southpaw dropped eight of his first 11 decisions and rebounded to finished 8-10 with a 4.76 ERA.
Tom Gorzelanny, the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year last season, will head north with the team and be the fourth starter. The 24-year- old lefty went 2-1 with a 2.63 ERA over an impressive five-start stretch before being sidelined by a sore left elbow. Most people feel he is the most talented of the young group and could have a Justin Verlander-like season this year.
Veteran Shawn Chacon rounds out the starting staff. Chacon came over from the New York Yankees at the trade deadline last season and went 2-3 with a 5.48 ERA in five nine starts with Pittsburgh.
BULLPEN
The Pirates' bullpen definitely took a hit when Mike Gonzalez was dealt to Atlanta, but this year's group should still be one of the team's strengths.
With Gonzalez gone, the closer's role now falls to rubber armed Salomon Torres, who matched former closer Kent Tekulve's franchise record last year by appearing in 94 games. Torres, who also made four World Baseball Classic appearances with the Dominican Republic, seemed to get better as the season progressed, as his 1.22 ERA after the All-Star break was second best among all relievers.
More importantly, though, he proved he could handle the pressure of closing games, as he filled in for Gonzalez late in the season and saved 10 straight at one point while leading the league with 12 saves in September.
Setting up Torres will be right-hander Matt Capps, as well as lefties John Grabow and Damaso Marte. Capps, who will be Torres' primary setup man, led all rookies last season with 85 appearances and was 9-1 with a 3.79 ERA. Grabow, the Bucs' top left-handed setup man, appeared in a career-high 72 games last year and stranded an NL-best 82.5 percent of the runners he inherited. He will be Tracy's main option to get left-handers out. Grabow, though, has been dealing with a sore elbow and is expected to start the year on the DL.
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03-29-2007, 01:15 PM
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