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	Newly acquired Adam LaRoche gives the Pirates another power bat. John Iacono/SI
	Projected Lineup (2006 stats) Pos. Player Avg. HR RBI SB CF Chris Duffy .255 2 18 26 SS Jack Wilson .273 8 35 4 3B Freddy Sanchez .344 6 85 3 1B Adam LaRoche .285 32 90 0 LF Jason Bay .286 35 109 11 RF Xavier Nady .280 17 63 3 C Ronny Paulino .310 6 55 0 2B Jose Castillo .253 14 65 6
	Projected Rotation (2006 stats) Starters W-L WHIP ERA K Ian Snell 14-11 1.46 4.74 169 Zach Duke 10-5 1.50 4.47 117 Paul Maholm 8-10 1.61 4.76 117 Tom Gorzelanny 2-5 1.31 3.79 40 Tony Armas Jr. 9-12 1.50 5.03 97
	Projected Closer Player W-L WHIP ERA Saves K Salomon Torres 3-6 1.46 3.28 12 72
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With a relatively stable lineup and young pitching staff teeming with potential, there's a slim chance that the Pirates will begin showing signs of emerging from a malaise that has seen them post a losing record every year since Barry Bonds bolted for San Francisco in after the 1992 season. Fielding a team that features two young veteran power hitters, the 2006 NL batting champ and three of the most promising lefthanded starters in the game, Pittsburgh is going in the right direction and can no longer be considered a fantasy wasteland.

Irreplaceable

The one constant through all of the bad times in Pittsburgh during the last 2½ seasons has been Jason Bay, one of the premiere outfielders in baseball, fantasy or otherwise. In each of his first two full seasons, Bay has topped 30 home runs, 100 RBIs and 100 runs scored while slugging over .500. He's a career .292 hitter and has 32 steals (in 35 attempts). After being a bit injury prone while trying to break into the majors, he has missed just three games since the start of 2005. Pencil him in for another All-Star season as your No. 1 or 2 outfielder.

The Next Big Thing

The aforementioned trio of emerging lefty arms belong to Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and, potentially the best of the bunch, Tom Gorzelanny. In 11 starts on the big league level in 2006, Gorzelanny had an ERA of 3.79 but won just two out of his seven decisions. Toward the end of 2006 he was shut down due to a sore left elbow and has been generally wild this spring, contributing to an ERA approaching 15 in the early going. However, Gorzelanny attributes his slow start not to any pain but to the general nature of spring training; he's confident that when games start to count, he'll answer the bell. Should all go well, he'll give you plenty of strikeouts, double-digit wins and a good WHIP because of a low opponents' batting average offsetting a higher-than-optimal walk total (one per every two innings last season).

Danger!

Jose Castillo had a good 2006, hitting 14 home runs and driving in 65 runs, which were eerily similar numbers to those put up by perennial fantasy top-five second baseman Jeff Kent (14, 68). But Castillo was also tied with Chase Utley for the league lead in errors at second base, and since he doesn't remotely resemble Utley with the bat, manager Jim Tracy will have Castillo on a short leash. The Bucs have two very capable replacements in Jose Bautista and Freddy Sanchez, who could slide over from third base if necessary, potentially opening up a spot at the hot corner for top prospect Neil Walker.

Do You Feel Lucky?

When the Pirates traded closer Mike Gonzalez to the Braves for first baseman Adam LaRoche, it appeared that Brad Eldred's opportunity to play in Pittsburgh had passed. The towering first baseman missed nearly all of last season after breaking his hand but opened spring training with a vengeance, mashing the ball like he has something to prove. To give the 6-foot-5, 275-pound behemoth a better chance to get at-bats throughout the year, he's being tried in the outfield, so far with good results. Given 350 to 400 at-bats, the powerful Eldred could clock 25 home runs.

Steals Come From ...

Except for Bay and speedy leadoff hitter Chris Duffy (39 steals in 110 games split between Pittsburgh and Indianapolis last year, 26 in the majors), none of the Pirates regulars is much of a threat to run. Fifth outfielder candidate Nate McLouth stole more than 100 bases from 2003 to 2005 in the minors, and another top prospect, outfielder Andrew McCutcheon, has good speed and should be picked up should he overtake Duffy later this year.

If Something Should Happen To Salomon Torres

Once Mike Gonzalez was shipped to the Braves, the veteran Torres, who saved 12 games last year, was anointed as his replacement. Should he falter, last season's rookie sensation, Matt Capps, is in line to take over. Capps, a failed starter in the minors, came from total obscurity to earn a job last spring. He set a Pirates rookie record by making 85 appearances and was second in the majors last year with nine vulture wins. He had a save last year but was also in position to be the team's stopper if the situation had arisen. He's a great value pick.

You Need Them Too

Adam LaRoche, Ronny Paulino, Freddy Sanchez, Ian Snell

Better left as someone else's problem

Tony Armas Jr., Shawn Chacon, Ryan Doumit, Jack Wilson