We won't compete in 2010...but in 2011, Pujols watch out!

by 2010 will be the year on Apr 1, 2010 4:33 PM EDT

4 days until the beginning of the season. The team is pretty much set unless there are some last minute trades
or waiver claims. Personally I believe this team has a playoff team based on POTENTIAL ALONE. Don't rush to
conclusions, I think 75 wins is realistic this year. 2011 and 2012 could be the beginning of a great
"5 year run" but for that to happen we need:

4 days until the beginning of the season. The team is pretty much set unless there are some last minute trades or waiver claims. Personally I believe this team has a playoff team based on POTENTIAL ALONE. Don't rush to conclusions, I think 75 wins is realistic this year. 2011 and 2012 could be the beginning of a great "5 year run" but for that to happen we need:

- Tim Alderson, Rudy Owens, Justin Wilson, Jeff Locke, Zack von Rosenberg, Zack Dodson, Colton Cain, Brooks Pounders, Victor Black, Brett Lorin, Aaron Pribanic, Quinton Miller. We need atleast 3 or 4 of these pitchers to pan out. This way we can ship away Duke, Maholm and the sort yet stay competitive and relatively cheap
- Pedro Alvarez must be the bona-fide superstar everyone says he will be
- We can't draft any bums or busts (Danny Moskos, Chad Hermansen, Bryan Bullington and John van Benschoten (who should've played OF),
- NH can't make stupid signings for the sake of signing someone (i.e.- Jeromy Burnitz, Joe Randa, etc.)
- Fans have to show up. This is most important. If the fans don't show up in flocks in the next three years, Nutting won't have the surplus he would feel comfortable to spend on making this team more competitive now

Alright mateys, What be your 5 things that must happen for those swashbuckling Buccaroos to become a World Series competitor in 2011 and 2012?

Poll

Who do you think has the best chance at a major league career of these up and coming players?

Ramon Cabrera

4 votes

Jarek Cunningham

15 votes

Starling Marte

86 votes

Neil Walker

6 votes

Jordy Mercer

8 votes

119 votes | Poll has closed

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editor (Charlie) or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.

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Comments

I guess that fans are supposed to show up and ignore what’s on the field. Are 2 million fans supposed to show up to watch a team that MIGHT be capable of winning a pennant…in the International League (AAA). I see ONE player on the 25 man roster that I would honestly pay to see play…Cutch, and he still has his flaws.

Five things that have to happen for the Pirates to win the division in 2011 or 2012.

1) Pedro to be the next Alex Rodriguez performance wise.
2) A real shortstop fall out of the sky into the Pirates laps.
3) The Pirates need to find 2 Strasburgs or Lincecums.
4) Pirates management to stop from settling for other teams “former top prospects”. There’s a reason the word “former” is applied.
5) Hell (or the NL Central) to freeze over.

You gave a list of 12 pitchers that we need 3 or 4 to be successful. I question whether any of those past Alderson and possibly Owens will even be pitching regularly in the majors yet by the end of 2012…let alone be successful.

I have yet to see a team compete or win based on potential. When potential morphs into actual results…then we have something to crow about. Management has had chances to acquire players that can help the team now…and in the future. The results from the ones that have been acquired have been meager up to this point.

by Thunder on Apr 1, 2010 5:01 PM EDT reply actions

Regardless

Of whether or not I agree or disagree with some of the stuff you said here is kind of irrelevant because my totally serious question is:

Do you get any satisfaction out of being a Pirates fan? It just seems like you loathe everything about the team/its direction/its potential in the future/etc. What is the bright spot for you as a fan?

by Slizeezyc on Apr 1, 2010 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Unfortunately...

most of the satisfaction is in the past. Right now, the only bright spot I see is Cutch, at least, until Pedro gets here, if he performs to what he’s touted to be. Pittsburgh sports has been in my blood since day 1…not something I can just change. Just like I can’t change being a Steeler or Penguin fan, even in the bad years. I’ve always been willing to endure some bad years to get to the good ones.

There is potential and hope for the team as a whole…way in the future, say 4 or 5 years from now. I’m not convinced that the talent evaluation skills of the current FO is as high as what some on here appear to think it is. I don’t view things with rose colored glasses. I view them as the way they are…not the way I want them to be. When the FO acquisitions actually SHOW that they are what they are touted to be, even on an individual level, they will get my full support.

Should Pirates fans want or deserve anything but the best?? I think not. Am I wrong for that?? Are YOU happy with bad baseball??

by Thunder on Apr 1, 2010 7:54 PM EDT up reply actions

Thunder,

keep on’ keepin’ on, amigo!

Free your ass and your mind will follow.

by cocktailsfor2 on Apr 1, 2010 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Fair enough

Was just curious.

by Slizeezyc on Apr 1, 2010 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions

i just wanna know

I just wanna know what the flaws you see in cutch are?

by Bobby Hill on Apr 1, 2010 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

His throwing…for one thing. He’s had a bad habit of airmailing throws…in fact…did it again today. He’s still learning the parks on defense as well. One thing he commented on last year was going from single deck to multi-deck stadia made a big difference in picking up the flight of fly balls. Offensively…not many complaints.

by Thunder on Apr 1, 2010 9:54 PM EDT up reply actions

3) The Pirates need to find 2 Strasburgs or Lincecums.

This might be hard, seeing as there are very, VERY few Strasburgs or Lincecums. I’d settle for one, if we can manage that.

Hey, an out is an out - unless you're Mario, in which case it's probably two outs. -UtesFan89

Hard work always beats talent if talent doesn't work hard.

by wg1of5 on Apr 2, 2010 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

We need two, but, like you, I’d settle for one.

by Thunder on Apr 2, 2010 10:14 PM EDT up reply actions

"When potential morphs into actual results…then we have something to crow about."

Isn’t that just considered jumping on the bandwagon at that point?

by jlk9697 on Apr 1, 2010 5:04 PM EDT reply actions

If you are already a Pirate fan, there’s no bandwagon to jump on. If you were, say, a Mets fan, and the Pirates started winning, and you became a Pirate fan, then you are jumping on the bandwagon.

When did potential ever win a championship?

by Thunder on Apr 1, 2010 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions

5 Things

1 – Pedro! All hail Pedro! He must perform by the time 2012 roles around or else the franchise will fold. Period. He has way to much hype to choke.

2 – Pitching wins championship! Pirates need to find an ace over the next two/three years.

3 – Cutch is Clutch! – he is no doubt the face of this franchise, he has to show up every night and compete

4 – Show me the money! – Over the next few years i want to see the guys here for the long run actually locked up for the long run.

5 – Fan Support! – I totally agree that fan support is key. If these young guys see the fans out there cheering for them they will want to show that they are winners.

by C Shint on Apr 1, 2010 5:42 PM EDT reply actions

Thank you C Shint, I see that I am not the only person in Pittsburgh brainwashed by the Buccos management’s “so-called plan”
cocktailsfor2, I will keep on keepin on, I think we all should keep on believing in our Pirates. I will state now that when the Pirates win in 2011 and 2012 I will be able to tell all the frontrunners and bandwagon-hoppers that “Call me crazy, but I believe in Neal Huntington’s plan for the Pirates”

by 2010 will be the year on Apr 1, 2010 11:11 PM EDT reply actions

My 5

Since I don’t think this team can really compete until 2012, this team needs:
1 – to find a lot more offense and Pedro can’t do it alone, thus Tabata must be for real and more power must be found along with hitters who can get on base
2 – While pitching is very important, defense is what wins championships
(sorry C Shint) and which also make pitchers better
3 – more depth in the minors (better than it was obviously, but not much depth at all levels)
4 – a new winning manager with experience with a continual string of young players
5 – a better track record in negotiating by management (not only with the DR but with players that play for the Bucs and against)

Here’s hoping for a great 2010 season with potential being realized and of course, with a little luck to help.

by long4willie on Apr 2, 2010 12:50 AM EDT reply actions

Alderson

I wouldn’t get too overly excited about Alderson until we see what he can do this year. Even though he was a former top prospect we did get him in exchange for Freddy Sanchez, not trying to knock Freddy of course. Also I guess his fastball this spring has been a breezy 86-88 this spring from the report I heard

by Sage18 on Apr 2, 2010 10:26 AM EDT reply actions