MLB Season Preview: Pittsburgh Pirates

At long last, the pieces are starting to come together for the long-suffering Pittsburgh franchise.

The best thing to happen to Pittsburgh
since Ben Roetheisthlistehberger.

Offense: It starts and ends with Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates' newly-extended, five-tool outfielder. He seems destined for an MVP someday. Both Jose Tabata and Neil Walker are talented young players who should be on the next winning Pirates team, but neither has one particularly eye-popping skill. The same is true of left fielder Alex Presley, who may provide nothing but batting average in his first full season. We know who Garret Jones, Clint Barmes, and Rod Barajas are, and they're not particuarly exciting. Much of the lineup's yet-to-be-fulfilled potential rests in former #2-overall pick Pedro Alvarez. The 25-year-old third baseman struggled through a nightmarish 2011 and hasn't consistently shown the massive raw power he was drafted for.

The Yankees paid Pittsburgh millions of
dollars to make this man go far, far way.

Pitching: While the offense is slowly becoming respectable, the pitching lags far behind. You know this to be true when the big offseason additions were A.J. Burnett and Erik Bedard...oh, and those two could end up being Pittsburgh's most valuable pitchers. Burnett could bounce back from two awful seasons once he gets healthy, and Bedard will pitch well until he suffers that inevitable injury. Charlie Morton and James McDonald have some potential but Jeff Karstens and Kevin Correia really have no business being in a major league rotation. Unfortunately, the Pirates' trio of elite young arms--Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, and Luis Heredia--are still a few years away from making a big league impact. In the pen, Joel Hanrahan had one of baseball's quietest dominant seasons in 2011, racking up 40 saves and a 1.83 ERA.

Breakout Candidates: In 52 games last season, Alex Presley hit .298, slugged .465, and flashed some speed with nine steals and six triples. He's off to a good start this year as the 2-hole hitter in the Pirates' lineup. The Pirates would also like to see Pedro Alvarez reign in the strikeouts and rediscover his power after his disastrous 2011.

Eric Hosmer, Buster Posey, Brett Lawrie:
players drafted after Alvarez in '08.

3 Key Questions: Will McCutchen take "The Leap" to superstardom? Is Alvarez a bust? And can this pitching-starved franchise finally finish .500?

Best Case Scenario: Bedard says healthy, Burnett enjoys a renaissance season, McCutchen makes an MVP run, Morton and McDonald become serviceable starters, Alvarez hits 35 home runs, and the Pirates finish above .500 for the first time in two decades.

Worst Case Scenario: Bedard can't get through April without hitting the DL, Burnett remains a head case, Alvarez stinks up the joint again, and the Pirates have the worst ERA in baseball en route to a last-place finish.

Predicted Finish: Last season, the Pirates were in contention well into July. The additions of Burnett and Bedard, continued growth from Tabata, Walker, and Presley, and another massive season from McCutchen could actually be enough to push Pittsburgh over .500. Finishing above fifth would be a surprise, though.