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Pittsburgh Pirates
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| Projected Lineup |
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| CF |
Adrian Brown |
| C |
Jason Kendall |
| LF |
Brian Giles |
| 3B |
Aramis Ramirez |
| 1B |
Kevin Young |
| RF |
Armando Rios |
| 2B |
Pokey Reese |
| SS |
Jack Wilson |
| Projected Rotation |
|---|
| RHP |
Kip Wells |
| LHP |
Jimmy Anderson |
| LHP |
Dave Williams |
| RHP |
Sean Lowe |
| RHP |
Tony McKnight |
| CL |
Mike Williams |
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By John Donovan, CNNSI.com
Let's not mince words here. Let's not sugarcoat it. The Pittsburgh Pirates in 2001 were nothing short of abysmal. A-bysmal.
Terrible at the plate, the Pirates hit .247, making them the worst hitting team in baseball. Just awful on the mound, with a 5.05 ERA (better only than Colorado in the NL), the Bucs lost 100 games, matching Tampa Bay for the worst record in baseball.
In the field? Their .978 fielding percentage was better only than San Diego among NL teams.
If it weren't for that sweet new stadium of theirs, sitting all pretty near the confluence of the Ohio, Monongahela and Allegheny, the Pirates' 2001 season would have been a total bust. Because of PNC Park, though, the Pirates were able to talk some 2.4 million fans into sitting in front of what they called baseball.
The worst thing about all this is that 2002 doesn't figure to be all that much better. Sure, the Pirates have a steady second baseman, now that Pokey Reese has stopped bouncing around the league (from Cincinnati to Colorado to Boston to the Iron City). Sure, there's always Brian Giles and Aramis Ramirez, who would be two darn good players on anyone's team. (In Pittsburgh, they're practically gods.)
But Jason Kendall had his worst year in the majors, hitting .266 while splitting time between catcher and the outfield and nursing a sore thumb that eventually needed surgery. Big-money outfielder Derek Bell, saddled by leg problems, played in only 46 games. First baseman Kevin Young had his worst year in Pittsburgh, hitting .232. Young shortstop Jack Wilson hit only .223.
Let's not start in on the pitching. (Oh, all right.) Dave Williams, Jimmy Anderson and Tony McKnight were 14-30 last year, and the ERA among the 12 guys who started a game was a staggering 5.29. That's why Williams, Anderson and McKnight will give way to the team's new ace, former White Sox righty Kip Wells (10-11, 4.79 ERA). Kris Benson could come back and be effective, but don't bet on it. He's coming off Tommy John surgery and missed all of 2001.
The Pirates made some offseason moves but nothing that seems liable to make this even close to a .500 team.
Up for grabs: Craig Wilson had a fine part-season last year and showed a flair for the dramatic by tying a major-league record with seven pinch-hit home runs. That's one big reason a lot of folks in Pittsburgh would like to see him start in right field. But Armando Rios, who came over from the San Francisco Giants, will want in there, too, as will Bell in the last year of his contract.
Spring chicken: This is not a highly rated minor-league system, according to Baseball America. The one name that keeps popping up is J.R. House, a catcher the Pirates don't really need right now. House hit .258 with 11 homers and 56 RBIs in 112 games at Class AA Altoona last season.
| Arrivals |
|---|
| Pos. |
Player |
From |
Via |
| RHP |
Brian Boehringer |
Giants |
Free Agency |
| RHP |
Josh Fogg |
White Sox |
Trade |
| RHP |
Sean Lowe |
White Sox |
Trade |
| RHP |
Pat Rapp |
Angels |
Free Agency |
| INF |
Pokey Reese |
Red Sox |
Free Agency |
| LHP |
Ron Villone |
Astros |
Free Agency |
| RHP |
Kip Wells |
White Sox |
Trade |
| RHP |
Mike Williams |
Astros |
Free Agency |
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| Departures |
|---|
| Pos. |
Player |
To |
Via |
| C |
Lee Evans |
White Sox |
Trade |
| RHP |
Omar Olivares |
Indians |
Free Agency |
| OF |
Gary Matthews Jr. |
Mets |
Trade |
| RHP |
Todd Ritchie |
White Sox |
Trade |
| RHP |
Jose Silva |
Reds |
Trade |
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| Pittsburgh Pirates Training Schedule |
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Home games at McKechnie Field, Bradenton, Fla.
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| Date |
Opponent |
Time |
Site |
| Feb. 27 |
Manatee CC |
12:15 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| Feb. 28 |
Detroit |
1:05 p.m. |
Lakeland |
| March 1 |
Detroit |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 2 |
Philadelphia |
1:05 p.m. |
at Clearwater |
| March 3 |
Kansas City |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 4 |
Cleveland (ss) |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 4 |
Cincinnati (ss) |
7:05 p.m. |
at Sarasota |
| March 5 |
Toronto |
1:05 p.m. |
at Dunedin |
| March 6 |
Boston |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 7 |
Cincinnati |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 8 |
N.Y. Yankees |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 9 |
Philadelphia |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 10 |
Tampa Bay |
1:05 p.m. |
at St. Petersburg |
| March 11 |
Minnesota |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 12 |
Texas |
1:05 p.m. |
at Port Charlotte |
| March 13 |
Philadelphia |
1:05 p.m. |
at Clearwater |
| March 14 |
Kansas City |
1:05 p.m. |
at Baseball City |
| March 15 |
Tampa Bay |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 16 |
Cincinnati |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 17 |
Cleveland |
1:05 p.m. |
at Winter Haven |
| March 18 |
Texas |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 20 |
N.Y. Yankees |
7:15 p.m. |
at Tampa |
| March 21 |
Philadelphia |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 22 |
Cincinnati |
1:05 p.m. |
at Sarasota |
| March 23 |
Texas |
1:05 p.m. |
at Port Charlotte |
| March 24 |
Texas |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 25 |
Minnesota |
1:05 p.m. |
at Lee County |
| March 26 |
N.Y. Yankees |
7:15 p.m. |
at Tampa |
| March 27 |
Toronto |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 28 |
Minnesota |
1:05 p.m. |
at Lee County |
| March 29 |
Toronto |
1:05 p.m. |
Bradenton |
| March 30 |
Toronto |
1:05 p.m. |
at Dunedin |
ss - split squad All times local.
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