The Pittsburgh Pirates!!!! Thats right for the first time since giving you the Royalsl in 07 the Rays in 08 the Rangers in 09 and the Astros in '10 Im giving you two teams. I already did a write up on the Jays over 77 and now im giving you the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dont laugh because here is why
The lineup- Not sure of the batting order so ill put em where I think they would look good.
J. Tabata.- This guy may be a rising star. A probable 10-40 guy and may get there this year. I think he may be a great table setter for s decent lineup
N. Walker- This kid is pretty decent. An older Pirate who can hit .300 with maybe 15 homers and 75 RBI.
A. McCutchen- Now this guy is a star. May get to 25 home runs this year with 90 or so RBI. He has the moxie to hit .300 also. Typical Pirate that will be traded when the time comes. I envision this guy being an all star this year along with.....
P. Alvarez- Young first round pick will easily eclipse 25 home runs and could get a shot at 100 rbi. A rising star for third baseman. By next year's spring training he will be mentioned in the same breath as David Wright and others.
L. Overbay- A professional hitter wont get many home runs but he could lead the team in walks and doubles. Should drive in 70 runs with a decent .270 BA Great glove at first will save many errors in the field.
G. Jones- Not much in way of average but can or will hit you 20 home runs and drive in 80 or so.
R. Cedeno- Could do worse than this. Has below average pop evidenced by his 8 homers last year.Will bat around .260 and play an adequate
SS.
Doumit/Snyder. decent option at catcher. Wont hit much but you could do alot worse than these two at C. Between the two of them you may get 25 home Runs but also a .240 BA.
Pitcher.
Starting Staff.
J. McDonald.- L.A. let this guy go. Torre for some reason never really gave him a shot. He is a young lefty with some speed on his pitches. He has K per inning ability. Not the prototypical ace but should get the job done as the Pirates numero uno.
R. Ollendorff- Despite a 4.07 E.R.A. his record last year was horrendous. I know of an 18 game winner who had a worse ERA than Ross. He wont blow any hitter away but the guy is super smart and knows how to pitch. I think he can get to 10 wins if he stays healthy this year. But he may also lose 10 too.
P. Maholm- Just not a very good pitcher. Had a 5+ ERA last year but he should be better than that this year. Doesnt K many batters but can keep the team in the game long enough for an improved offense to win it.
K. Correia- This is a bad option as the number 4 but then again so is the number 2. For the Pirates, they need to get better here. If Kevin is going to pitch well he may keep the team in the game and pitch 7 Innings. But lets hope he gets ample run support.
S. Olsen. He had his worst stat year last year. Lets hope he gets better. Thats all there is to say about the four and five starters.
The Pen
C. Morton
C. Resop
J. Karstens
E Meek
J. Hanrahan.
Not a terrible bullpen. Hanrahan can be dominant. His K rate is thru the roof. They envision E Meek as a closer is the near future. The pen could be worse but its in the lower half of the league.
Well despite a terrible pitching staff I do think the offense will lead this team to 74-75 wins. For Pirate fans that would be an treat. Call me crazy but im undefeated since 2007 and im putting my money where my mouth is as I will throw 500 on the Pirates and 500 on the Jays. I do it every year without my wife knowing. Until I win then she gets her grubby little hands on it. But with my husband stash now gone lets hope I cash on these two winners.
Bash away!