2009 Pittsburgh Pirates Predictions

Written by Jason Lowry

Pirates Baseball The Pittsburgh Pirates are not just having a bad couple years, they are having one of the worst losing streaks a franchise has ever gone through. With the Pirates’ 67-95 record last year, they tied the Phillies of the 30′s and 40s, with their 16th straight losing season. Not a lot was done this offseason to change that around, but these guys are young, they have avoided going after mediocre free agents, and instead are hoping that their farm system full of prospects can change their luck around. Let’s take a closer look at the 2009 Pittsburgh Pirates, and see just where the improvements might come from.

Offense:

The Pirates have a bunch of good young bats, and it starts with all-star center fielder Nate McLouth, who not only is the best offensive player on this team, he is a great defender as well. If McLouth can improve on his 26 home runs and 94 RBI, this offense might surprise some teams. Second baseman Freddy Sanchez had a rough outing last season after winning the battling title in 2007, as he hitting just .271, but if he returns to form, the runs for the Pirates will almost certainly increase. First baseman Adam LaRoche and catcher Ryan Doumit are the two other guys with some solid pop in their bats, and if Doumit can improve on his .318 avg and 15 HR, he can really establish himself as one of the top hitters at the catcher position. It looks like there will be a battle in left field for the starting spot between Steve Pearce and Nyjer Morgan. The heart and soul of this team is short stop Jack Wilson, and they not only need him to stay healthy after playing just 87 games last year, but they need his bat to improve as well. Its easy to see that the potential is there, but the real question is whether or not all of these players can have their breakout years at once.

Pitching:

Much of the same can be said for the Pirates pitching staff, as they have plenty of potential, but few proven players. The ace of the staff is Paul Maholm, and though he showed signs of beting just that, he won just 9 games last year. Behind Maholm is Ian Snell, and while he won just 7 games in 2008, he too has the stuff that produce double digit wins every year. Zach Duke was once one of the prime pitching prospects of this organization, but he has gone 8-22 since winning 10 games in 2006. Filling up the final two spots will most likely be the young and promising lefty Tom Gorzelanny and right-handers Jeff Karstens or Ross Ohlendorf. The bullpen is looking good as well, and it looks like they have one heck of a closer in Matt Capps, who converted 21 of 26 saves last season. The main setup duties will likely be in the hands of John Grabow, Tyler Yates, and Sean Burnett. The future looks bright for the Pirates, but they could really pester teams in the NL Central if their youngsters keep improving.

Prediction: 6th in NL Central

Look for improvements from the NL Central bottom feeders, and while this team is not likely to finish above .500 for yet another season, if they keep developing young talent they could be a force a few years down the road.

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2010
2008

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