A Time for Hope?

[alex]

Pedro Alvarez, 3B
* Drafted: 2008, 1st (2)
ROOOKIE
Statistically speaking: The title of savior has fallen on many Pirates since the team's last winning season in 1992, but few have had the potential Pedro Alvarez does.Of Alverez's 60 extra-base hits in 2009, 45 came against right-handed pitching, including 24 of his 27 home runs. But while he did scuffle a little bit against lefties when he was with Lynchburg in the Class A Advanced Carolina League (.218/.297/.337 in 101 ABs), he made some nice adjustments in Double-A, when he hit lefties at a .324/.360/.451 clip over 71 Abs. He hit .333/.419/.590 at Double-A in 60 games. Since then, he's spent the offseason conditioning and is expected to make his major league debut sometime this summer.

Scouting report: Alvarez has a terrific combination of raw power and plate discipline. He can hit the ball out to all fields in any park, and is willing to work the count and take a walk. While he's got a plus arm and decent enough hands to stay at third, some question if he'll have the range to stick there. He is a middle-of-the-order run producer who could bring some home run titles to Pittsburgh.

KEY Offseason Moves:
2 2B Akinori Iwamura: UPDATE 11/3 - acquired from Tampa Bay for RHP Jesse Chavez
IF Bobby Crosby: UPDATE 12/9 - signed to one-year, $1M deal with incentives
CL RHP Octavio Dotel: UPDATE 1/20 - agreed to 1-yr deal with an option for 2011

After a record 17 consecutive losing seasons, the Pirates seem primed for an 18th in 2010. There's a good chance that the lineup they field on Opening Day will carry over only two starting position players (Ryan Doumit and Andy LaRoche) from the one that opened 2009. The massive roster turnover means that the Pirates will likely take the field with the lowest payroll in the sport.

AGES:
Adrew McCutchen (age 23) is coming off of an excellent rookie year while Pedro Alvarez (also 23) and Jose Tabata (who's 21 until someone can prove otherwise) are good prospects who may make their major league debuts in 2010. Older players

The Pittsburgh pitching staff is a potential strong suit, just two years removed from allowing a National League-worst 884 runs. Combined with a veteran infusion to the bullpen, the Pirates may have their best pitching staff since Kris Benson and Jason Schmidt were young prospects.

Sophomore Slumps ...
If a 99-loss season can have a bright spot or two, rookies Garrett Jones and Andrew McCutchen provided just that for the Pirates in 2009. They came from opposite ends of the spectrum, with Jones a long-forgotten prospect deemed by many a Quad-A player and McCutchen a hailed prospect that Pirate fans had been waiting on since 2005, but both produced. Jones hit 21 homers in 82 games with the Bucs while McCutchen dazzled with speed and power, hitting 12 homers, nine triples, and stealing 22 bases to go with his .286/.365/.471 line in 108 games.

The title of savior has fallen on many Pirates since the team's last winning season in 1992, but few have had the potential Pedro Alvarez does. He hit .333/.419/.590 at Double-A in 60 games. Since then, he's spent the offseason conditioning and is expected to make his major league debut sometime this summer.

Is It Over? ...
Since the start of the 2008 season, the Pirates have traded Xavier Nady, Damaso Marte, Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, Nyjer Morgan, Sean Burnett, Jack Wilson, Ian Snell, Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche, Tom Gorzelanny, John Grabow, and Jesse Chavez. Those moves were made in the name of the future. The question now is whether or not the bloodletting is over. With the solid professional debut of Tony Sanchez, a catcher drafted in the first round of the 2009 draft, and Ryan Doumit's injury-prone ways, it's possible another trade or two is on the horizon before July 31.

2010 Outlook

If the Pirates win 70 games in 2010, it will be the team's most since 2004. If they win 75, it will be only the second time they've crossed that threshold since moving in to PNC Park in 2001. Even those modest goals might be a tall task for a club that only won 24 times in 73 tries after the All-Star Break in 2009, but even if they fall short, 2010 can be a positive year if players like McCutchen, Alvarez, Milledge, LaRoche, and Tabata progress and they draft strongly again in June.

[alex]

not done yet. when is the deadline?