What the future holds....

  While this being one of the most frustrating and ugly Pirates team to watch in a very long time, I figured I go over a couple of reasons why these Pirates are going to turn it around here very soon.   First of all, we have a premier power hitter in Pedro Alvarez on his way (Aramis Ramirez anyone).  The kid will be in Pittsburgh by mid-July (much like McCutchen) and most of that is due to the fact that Huntington will want to give Andy LaRoche time to adapt to second base.   Andy LaRoche will play ALOT of second base this spring and should get a fair shot at that position.  Make no mistake that when Alvarez is ready 3B is his so Andy is really going to have to work at being a middle infielder if he wants to say in the everyday lineup.  Delwyn Young is not the answer the Pirates are looking for at second and his bat could be a real pinch hitting asset to to the team.  LaRoche also has the bat to be an effective number 3 hitter and be nice compliment to Garrett Jones, who should bat cleanup for the majority of the year.  Jones will be the starting first baseman on Opening Day. Steve Pearce's chance of being the everyday 1B are up and he is more suited for a bench role.  I firmly believe Jones will be the 1B/Cleanup hitter come April. McCutchen and Milledge represent the future 1-2 punch that Bucs will use to spring board into the playoffs.  They both have the power and speed to be the first 20-20 guys since the last time someone named Barry Bonds patrolled the Three Rivers outfield in black and gold.  McCutchen has all-star potential that he showed in his first shot in the majors and Milledge really looks like a player on a mission to disspell the rumors that hes a bust.  Milledge's tear at the end of the season should excite the fan base because it was the first glimpse into that five tool talent that he was said to have had way back when the Mets used a first round pick to draft him.  McCutchen has been as good as avertised and will only continue to get better.

  So what about Neil Walker?  Well his September callup proved very unsuccessful as Walker looked uncomfortable at the plate.  I think that Walker will make the bench and will be a Brandon Moss type player.  Do not expect him to be a high impact player or have a breakout year.  He will be Alvarez and LaRoche's backup at 3rd and he will occasionally catch.

  I fully expect the Pirates to be in contention for a power hitting corner outfielder this off season.  Now I'm not saying a Matt Holiday is on our radar but a veteran power hitter like Rick Ankiel is likely.  First of all, Ankiel is coming off an off season and his value in the market will be relatively low.  And when you market value is low so is your price tag.  Second, I think that Brandon Moss's chance at grabbing hold of that corner outfield spot has come and gone.  You can't hit .230 with 5 hrs and expect to be a everyday major leaguer.  Moss will be on the Major League roster to more than likely it will be bench duties. I say Rick Ankiel for two reasons.  His defense is a huge upgrade over Brandon Moss's and hes a veteran guy whose been on a winning team.  Now thoughts of Eric Hinske might come to mind but Ankiel is a much better fit for the Bucs than Hinske was.  The most obvious reason is that Ankiel won't be a bench player like Hinske was and Ankiel will be asked to be one of the leaders of the clubhouse.  Lets face it, Ankiel has overcome an amazing amount of adversary in his career and could be a perfect fit to help lead this young team. 

  The pitching staff was one of the few bright spots in the roster this season.  Ross Ohlendorf and Jeff Karstens have made Brian Cashman look foolish for trading them away and the Pirates are happy to have them.  First of all, Ohlendorf is quickly becoming the best pitcher on the staff.  He eats up innings and is great at getting himself out of jams.  He mixes his pitches./speeds very well and it should by his winning record, which was the only one on the staff this year.  Zach Duke and Paul Maholm are the backbones of the rotation and Duke was even an All-Star this year, a first for a Pirates pitcher in god knows how long.  The 4th rotaiton spot is likely to go to Charlie Morton.  Morton has electric stuff and really this his first real chance at the major league level.  He will improve on his 5.00+ era this season and have the kind of break out year Ohlendorf had this year.  The fift spot is up for grabs.  Hart looks more suited for a bullpen spot after being abismal since coming over from the Cubs. His 1-8 record was mostly of his own doing and we could really use his power arm in the bullpen.  Daniel McCutchen is an intriguing choice and likely will get that fifth spot for two reasons.  First of all, he's 26.  The older he gets the lower his value gets and the more risk the Pirates have a losing him in a waiver situation.  Second of all, I think he is a much better starting pitcher than Kevin Hart.  In his brief stint in the majors, he showed that he can pitch to major league hitters and be effective.  I think the pitcher on the outside looking in is Eric Hacker.  Hacker was not overly impressive in AAA this year and likley will be a band-aid for the Pirates if one of the starting five land on the DL.  You can count on Virgil Vasquez and Phil Dumatrait to be in the "outside looking in" category also.  Dumatrait has a chnace to be the left handed reliever the Bucs need but he will have to show that he has much better stuff than he did when returned from surgery this year.  The bullpen is set with one glaring sore spot that management must fix and that is the left handed reliever role.  Although I think Dumatrait is in the mix for this I believe it is highly unlikely.  Look for the Bucs to go to free agency and get a veteran lefty to add to the arsenal.  Expect a Tyler Yates type player to fill this role.  Hanrahan was an absolute surprise when we got for basically nothing from Washington middle of the summer.  Some of you are going to be up in arms about that last sentence but face it Morgan was a slapstick hitter with speed (Milledge is 10 times better than him) and Hanrahan is just as good if not better than Burnett.  He will fill the setup role due to the fact that Yates will be on the DL until June at the earliest.  Matt Capps had an absolutely terrible year but I expect him to bounce back and have a return to form so don't worry Pirates fans.  The Mad Capper will be the go to guy in the ninth again next year.

  Now our prospects we have in the minors right now are the best class we've had in quite a while below you'll find my list for top 10 prospects where they will start the year, finish the year, and the ETA til their Major League Debut.

#1 Pedro Alvarez  3B Start: Indianapolis  End: Pittsburgh  ETA: Mid-July 2010

Alvarez is at the power hitter that we need in Pittsburgh when he gets here he'll be that 30 - 100 guy we've been missing and will be the starting 3B. Its not a question of if but when.

#2  Brad Lincoln SP Start: Indianapolis End:Pittsburgh ETA: September 2010

Lincoln was not dominating in AAA last year.  He blew through AA batters but seemed to struggle when he got to Indianapolis.  His experience in the baseball world cup will help him and expect him to be a September callup much like Daniel McCutchen was this year.

#3 Jose Tabata CF/RF/LF Start: Indianapolis End: Pittsburgh ETA April 2010 to September 2010

Tabata is the RF of the future for the Bucs.  You'll notice the ETA is over the entire season.  He will be in Pittsburgh when/if two things happen.  The Pirates don't get a RF in free agency to be the everyday RF OR he has an absolutely awesome Fall League season and Huntington deems it unnecessary to go after someone in free agency.  Those two scenarios are very unlikely so expect Tabata to be a September Call-Up.

#4  Tony Sanchez C Start: Lynchburg Finish: Indianapolis ETA: September 2011

Sanchez is our catcher of the future.  Doumit's antic at the end of the year have really put a bad taste in the mouths of many of the hierarchy and it is unlikely we will see Doumit in Pittsburgh past his 30 birthday.  Especially since we have Sanchez in the minors.  He can hit, hes a very good fielder, he has power, and he is on the fast track to the majors.  Look for him to get a September callup in 2011 and after that the job will be his.

#5 Gorkys Hernandez OF Start Altoona End: Pittsburgh ETA September 2011

Hernandez came over in the McLouth trade and got off to a very slow start at AA Atloona.  However, he improved drastically in the latter parts of the season.  Projected as a leadoff hitter with A+ speed, if he can show management that he can reach his potential expect him in Indianapolis by September.

#6 Rudy Owens SP/RP Start:Altoona End:Altoona ETA September 2012

Winner of the Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year this year and had a breakout season.  Owens has potential but do not expect above Altoona this year.

#7 Tim Alderson SP Start:Altoona End:Indianapolis ETA Mid Season September 2011

Acquired from the Giants for Freddy Sanchez, Alderson really impressed at Altoona after the trade.  if he can continue his form through 2010, expect him in Indy by August or September. Also, if one of the starting 5 in Pittsburgh goes on the DL, he could be promoted to take over the vacant rotation role in Indy.  If those scenarios dont happen, he will be a September callup in 2011.

#8 Jay Clement C/1B Start:Pittsburgh End:Pittsburgh ETA Opening Day 2010

Ok so Clement is not really a prospect but he is in new to the team and didn't have a single at bat for the Bucs last year.  He has power and can hit for average.  If he has a good spring expect him to be in the mix for the starting first baseman's job or the backup catcher's job.

#9 Chase D'Arnaud SS Start Lynchburg End Altoona ETA: September 2011

D'Arnaud is our shortstop of the future.  He has great range, can hit, and has potential to be a troy tulowitzki type player.  However, he is a couple years out and don't expect to see him in the 'Burgh until the earliest September 2011.

#10 Brian Friday IF Start Altoona End: Indianapolis ETA September 2010

Friday like D'Arnaud is a candidate for the shortstop of the future.  He too can hit a little but does not have the power or the plate disicipline that D'Arnaud has shown.  He is very good in the field and playing fall baseball will help him develop.  He could be another candidate for a September callup in 2010.

You'll notice that Robbie Grossman and Starling Marte are not on this list.  They are too far away in the development phase and I wanted to list those that will be apart of the rebuilding and finally getting to winnign phase of Huntington's plan.  I believe the players above are essential pieces to that plan whether it be through trading to get veterans at the deadline or getting to the majors and contributing.  It will be exciting to see where these prospects go and how they will help this ball club.

My projection is that next year the Pirates get to 75 wins.  That would be an improvement over the 63 victories from 2009 and can be seen as a lofty goal.  I really think 75 is possible with the pitching staff and signing of a power hitter and a left handed veteran reliever .  We may not make the playoffs but if that happens we will know that the 2009 season was not a complete disaster and the moves made were necessary.