IBC

Fans and management are excited in Pittsburgh this year and season ticket holders are eager to run into PNC park. After the latest trade, a no-hitter or perfect game is perfectly feasible all 162 games of the year in the Burgh.

The Pirates will be sending out a rotation of

Tim Lincecum
CC Sabathia
Dan Haren
John Lackey
Chris Carpenter



which is not too shabby. We feel like we'll be in every single game this year, based off of pitching alone. What was formerly a weakness has now been turned into a strength as well. The bullpen will be glad to get 6-7 outs, or whatever it is that's necessary to protect the lead given up the fab five. It will be a committee type of pen, but the early favorites for saves figures to be either Dotel or newly acquired Jon Broxton. This is how the Pirates pen currently shapes up:

RH Jon Broxton
RH Octavio Dotel
RH Joel Zumaya
LH Mitch Stetter
RH Manny Acosta
RH Josh Kinney
LH Eric Stults
RH Ryan Franklin

For depth purposes in the staff as well, knowing that Carpenter may be an injury liability this year, Pittsburgh has Braden Looper, who again posted the 43rd best WHIP in baseball last year, Jarrod Washburn, Eric Stults and Jeff Suppan all capable of stepping in and giving quality innings. So a 6-9 rotation of Looper, Washburn, Stults and Suppan isn't too shabby.

So the only thing left to do is score runs in Pittsburgh. We'll do our best, with no lineup particularly in mind, we're looking these players on offense contributing:

C- John Buck, Chris Gimenez
1B- Derrek Lee, Lyle Overbay
2B- Jeff Baker, Chone Figgins
SS- Yuniesky Betancourt, Chone Figgins
3B- Luke Hughes, Brian Buscher, Chone Figgins
LF- Manny Ramirez
CF- Dexter Fowler, Ryan Spilborghs
RF- Jermaine Dye

Bench- Fowler/Spil, Overbay, Dmitri Young, Luis Castillo, Roger Bernadina

With a core hitting group of Lee, Dye, Ramirez, Fowler...we think we'll score enough runs. The #2 waiver claim will hopefully produce us a catcher. Right now, the weak point looks to be SS. 3B we believe will be okay, with Hughes destroying lefties in the minors last year and Buscher hitting righties to a .799 OPS, which isn't the best, but solid enough. Spilborghs provides a safety net for Fowler in case he doesn't project well enough to start, but I figure he will be able to contribute. Either way, we have a good bit of depth at nearly every position. SP, Pen, Offense. Let's start the season.

Pirates, led by Fatbeard, go all in for 2009.

A lot has changed since the February incarnation of the Pirates. A rough April and the Pirates were aiming for 2010 with the Cardinals and Reds looking like they weren't going to miss a step. Ramirez and Dye were shipped off, and CC never made it to opening day. In their place came Heyward, Kozma, Parnell, Marrero, Longoria and Phil Hughes. Only Kozma and Longoria remain from that trade ransom. Longoria provides instant stability to the offense despite his IBC struggles as well as good defense. Hughes netted LaPorta who was key to the recent trade that has pushed the Pirates, currently 39-24, to play all in for 2009. We now boast a rotation of Lincecum, Haren, Liriano, Lackey and Cruz - with Wolf ready to step in for Cruz in 2010 and Reckling making a bid to be in contention next year as well.

The bullpen has many familiar faces still, sadly Zumaya is gone though. We still have Broxton, Franklin, Stetter, Dotel and Kinney. We've also added Ohman, Corey, and Villone. The emergence of Ryan Franklin this year allowed the Pirates to move Zumaya.

The offense is now solid from top to bottom, exception of catcher, where Buck is producing well enough. Overbay, Uggla, Rollins and Longoria man the infield with Byrd, Fowler and Baldelli in the OF. Nady should return soon and give us some flexibility with what to do with the offense.

Additionally, the bench is as strong as ever with Nady/Byrd, Griffey, Tracy, Bailey and Izturis being relegated to it.