PITTSBURGH PIRATES

2005 finish: 67-95, 6^th place in NL Central

Manager: Jim Tracy (1^st season)

Incoming: 1B Sean Casey, 3B Joe Randa, RF Jeromy Burnitz, LHP Damaso Marte, RHP Roberto Hernandez, RHP Giovanni Carrera, RHP Scott Strickland, RHP Terry Adams, RHP Brandon Duckworth, LHP C.J. Nitkowski

Long gone: LHP Dave Williams, RHP Jose Mesa, IF/OF Rob Mackowiak, RHP Josh Fogg, IF Bobby Hill, OF Tike Redman, 1B Daryle Ward, RHP Rick White, RHP Brian Meadows

Rotation: LHP Oliver Perez, LHP Zack Duke, LHP Paul Maholm, RHP Ryan Vogelsong, RHP Victor Santos or RHP Brandon Duckworth, RHP Kip Wells (DL)

Relievers: Closer: LHP Mike Gonzalez; Setup men: RHP Salomon Torres, LHP Damaso Marte, RHP Roberto Hernandez, LHP John Grabow, RHP Giovanni Carrera, RHP Terry Adams, RHP Scott Strickland

Regulars: CF Chris Duffy, SS Jack Wilson, 1B Sean Casey, LF Jason Bay, RF Jeromy Burnitz, 3B Joe Randa, 2B Jose Castillo, C Ryan Doumit

Role players: C Humberto Cota, 1B/OF Craig Wilson, IF Freddy Sanchez, IF/OF Jose Hernandez, OF Jody Gerut, OF Jose Bautista, IF Mike Edwards

The pressure is on: Mike Gonzalez hasn’t closed, but his numbers – 101 innings, 74 hits, 129 strikeouts, 2.45 ERA in two-plus seasons – indicate he could be outstanding in the role.

Breakout candidate: Jose Castillo was on his way to a breakout season in 2005 before being derailed by a knee injury. This should be the year.

Rundown: The payroll has been boosted 25 percent to just under $50 million, and that allowed GM Dave Littlefield to trade for Sean Casey and sign Jeromy Burnitz and Joe Randa – three veteran professional hitters who should help an offense that finished 14^th in the league in runs. Look at it this way – the Pirates are bringing Craig Wilson -- their cleanup hitter of two years ago -- off the bench, and that has to be a good sign. There also is reason to expect improvement in a young rotation with much upside, although the group’s collective inexperience should keep the Pirates from a real breakthrough season. And the unfortunate discovery of blood clotting will cost Kip Wells at least half the season, as he underwent surgery to correct the condition. Zach Duke, 22, was the NL rookie pitcher of the month in both July and August, and finished 8-2 with a 1.82 ERA in 14 starts. He should get 30-plus starts this season. Expect a much better year from Oliver Perez, 24, who showed up at camp last spring out of shape, and then broke his toe kicking a laundry cart on June 26, and made only 20 starts. He’ll pitch Opening Day. Paul Maholm, 23, went 3-1 with a 2.18 ERA in six starts. But with Wells out, Dave Williams and Mark Redman traded, and Josh Fogg not re-signed, there is opportunity for Ryan Vogelsong, Victor Santos and Brandon Duckworth at the back end of the rotation. Another possibility could be a deal for a starter, possibly involving Wilson. Sean Burnett will start the season at Triple-A after missing last season due to surgery. The bullpen shouldn’t miss Jose Mesa, as lefty Mike Gonzalez gets a well-deserved opportunity to close, and if for some reason he fails, there are other options. Damaso Marte closed briefly with the White Sox before falling into Ozzie Guillen’s doghouse, and John Grabow gives Tracy a third left-hander in the pen. The right-handed side is key because the Pirates are expected to have at least three left-handers in their rotation. Salomon Torres and Roberto Hernandez are the late-inning pair, and former Dodger Giovanni Carrera is another veteran option. Shortstop Jack Wilson couldn’t follow up on his breakout 2004 season, but he had a good reason – an emergency appendectomy late in the off-season. He did hit .292 in the second half, so look for him to rebound offensively, as he came to camp much stronger. He also forms arguably the most-acrobatic double-play combination in the game with Jose Castillo, who was hitting .268 with 11 homers and 53 RBI in 101 games before being sidelined by a knee injury. Behind the plate, they would like to see Ryan Doumit – the better bat – grab the majority of the duty, but Humberto Cota is the better defender at this point. This is a team that will be better from within due to the continued development of its young nucleus, and from the outside, as Casey, Randa, Burnitz and especially new manager Jim Tracy will have a positive impact.

Predicted finish: 5^th place, 76-86

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