While the Pitsburgh Pirates remain a distant afterthought in the world of real baseball, fantasy baseball leaguers may find themselves a number of hidden gems buried under all that doom and gloom of the Steel City. I’ve been watching the MLB Network’s 30 Teams in 30 Days series and got a chance to catch the episode focusing on the perennial cellar dwellars last night, and while I won’t fluff the team like the network’s team of baseball insiders, I still found plenty to get excited about with impending fantasy baseball drafts. We’re not talking guys that will lead you to a championship by themselves, but to use as a supporting cast, the Pirates have loads to talk about.
Obviously there are better players to highlight, but I’m just going to take you through their projected starting lineup (in the projected batting order) and cover it that way. Afterwards, we’ll talk about the pitchers and the team’s bullpen situation. So without further ado….here are your 2010 Pitsburgh Pirates!
CF Andrew McCutchen – Atleast we can kick it off with, what looks to be, the team’s best all around player and fastest rising star. Those of you that took a shot on the rookie last season were treated to a fantastic debut as he, in 433 AB, hit .286 with 12 HR, 56 RBI and 22 stolen bases. Those of you who are drafting him this year, coul dbe in store for so much more. McCutchen is definitely a player on the rise with a great mix of power and speed. While we might only see a small increase in his power totals this year, you should be getting a batting average of about the same, but with a big increase in SBs. I see him topping out around 40 this year. He’s got solid plate discipline, can draw some walks, and should be a great table setter for the Pirates and whomever can afford him once his contract is up, for years to come.
2B Akinori Iwamura – Due to a tear in the ACL and the emergence of Ben Zobrist in Tampa Bay, Iwamura became expendable and was dealt to the Pirates during the offseason. While the move should prove positive for Iwamura, he’s still only a marginal fantasy option. He’s decent in NL only leagues, but not much of a mixed league star. But he is a protyical #2 hitter and that where he will excel. You won’t get a lot of pop out of him, but you’ll still get a decent batting average, runs scored, and possibly even a dozen stolen bases. Like I said, nothing eye-popping, but definitely serviceable.
C Ryan Doumit — Power behind the plate; that’s Doumit’s specialty. Well, that and trips to the DL. The Pirates backstop had a breakout 2008 hitting .318 with 15 HR and 69 RBI in 431 AB and finally won the job all to himself in the spring of 2009. But just as history showed, Doumit ended up on the DL in April with a broken wrist and missed the next 3 months of the season. His return was less than desirable as you would expect from someone recovering from such an injury, but then Septemeber rolled around and so did his bat — to the tune of a .346 average and a pair of home runs. When healthy, Doumit is a great option behind the plate, but the injury risk should be a concern of yours as you prepare to draft. If Doumit is on your radar, be sure to have a viable backup option ready to go.
RF Garrett Jones — While I, personally, think he overperformed last season, folks are still pretty high on the Pirates newfound slugger. After finally getting a call-up (mostly because of the team’s trades of Adam LaRoche and Nate McLouth rather than his minor league totals), Jones was the epitome of a fantasy dream — a waiver pickup who hits .293 wth 21 HR and 10 SB in just 314 at bats. But people have to remember that Jones is no spring chicken, in baseball terms. He’ll turn 29 in late June and the odds of him improving on his overall numbers at this point in his career seem highly unlikely. Still, he’s got a full time job now, has good plate discipline (he should after 10 years in the minors), draws walks and can hit for some decent power. Last year’s numbers might indicate huge power over a full season of at bats, but I’d temper those expectations a bit. Figure HRs in the 25 to 30 range with a .260ish average.
1B Jeff Clement — Now this could be a very interesting pick up this season, especially if Clement still can be drafted as a catcher in your league. Once a heralded prospect and catcher of the future for the Mariners, Clement was dealt to the Pirates after failing to break through in Seattle. It’s difficult to predict what he could do this year with a full season of at bats since his short stints in the majors were less than desirable, but I could see somethin gin the neighborhood of 15 HR for the season with an average in the low .260s. It’s not great, but for a low round catcher pick, you could do a lot worse. Just be careful as the Bucs still have Steve Pearce lingering around, so if Clement doesn’t perform early on, we coul dend up with a platoon situation here.
LF Lastings Milledge — Seems like, with the exception of McCutchen, the Pirates have become sort of an Island of Misfit Toys as Milledge joins the long list of castoffs to join the party. After wearing out his welcome in both New York and Washington, the former top prospect hopes to finally reach that 20-20 potential with a full season of at bats here in Pittsburgh. Will it happen? Tough to say. But after hearing the interview with him on the MLB Network, it sounds like the 25 year old finally has his head on straight. It’s probably a very humbling experience being cast aside by a team as woeful as the Nationals were and then being banished to the lowly Pirates. He hit .291 with 4 HR in 220 at bats for the Pirates , and while those don’t sound like dazzling numbers, it’s atleast a start. Consider him a viable low round option in NL only leagues with good sleeper potential and a decent waiver claim in mixed leagues if he starts the season strong.
3B Andy LaRoche — It’s sink or swim for the little LaRoche this year as he needs to show some improvement on last year’s totals to keep his job. LaRoche hit a woeful .258 last year with 12 HR and 64 RBI and, believe it or not, those were career numbers for him. He’s always had the potential as his minor league numbers dictate a strong batting average and good power, but it just hasn’t translated in the majors. However, things seemed to click for him at the tail end of last year as he hit .321 with 5 HR in September. It is those types of numbers that he’s going to need to produce in order to stave off Pedro Alvarez, the hot youngster who’s just itching to take away the job. I think with a strong start , LaRoche can hold off Alvarez, and produce a decent year of 15 HR with a mid .260s average.
SS Ronny Cedeno — OK, so here’s a rough spot for the team. Cedeno is another one of those guys who had some potential coming up, but just couldn’t do anything more than hold down a utility job. He failed to reach his so-called potential with the Cubs, disappointed in Seattle and then came over to Pittsburgh last year in a pretty quiet way. He’s a soli dglove man up the middle, but doesn’t offer much in the way of offensive production. There was a small flash of power last year as he did hit 10 HR for the season, but he really does nothing to sustain it. He coul dbe worth a late round pick in NL only leagues but he’s got no value for mixed. Look out for Bobby Crosby though. The former AL Rookie of the Year could surprise people and steal away the job if Cedeno comes out of the gate cold.
Back-ups for the Pirates include Pearce, Crosby, Brandon Moss, Ryan Church, and Delwyn Young. None have much in the way of value right now, but monitor them during the season. I think Church, and Crosby have the best chance of doing something positive for your fantasy team if given an opportunity to play.
And what about the pitchers? Well, the starters that I would possibly consider would be Paul Maholm, Zach Duke, and Ross Ohlendorf. None of them have put up outstanding numbers, but each could be a decent option in the back end of your rotation if the matchups are favorable. You’ve heard me talk about FIP before in my Undervalued Players article and I even gave Maholm an honorable mention. He’s one of those guys whose FIP was significantly lower than his ERA which could indicate substantial improvement this season. Duke is a guy to play the matchups with as he’s got great strikeout potential but has been known to implode on the mound at times. Ohlendorf is another intriguing option if he can build off of his 2009 totals. You won’t see much in the way of wins, I’m sure, but if he can put up another 180 inning year with similar numbers, he could be a solid late round flier in both mixed and NL only leagues.
The bullpen, on the other hand, is a mess. I’d steer clear from it come draft day as Octavio Dotel and Joel Hanrahan are competing for the closer’s job and Dotel, the favorite, is already hurting. Donnie Veal and Evan Meek could see some save opps at some point too, but none of these guys should be considered a good pick in any draft.
So like I said, some good pieces for a supporting cast. The only clear cut impact player right now is McCutchen, but you might find some success in Jones, Clement, Doumit and Milledge. Keeper league owners will also want to keep a close watch on Alvarez who, in my opinion, could be the starting third baseman by mid June.
Good luck in your drafts and auctions and I’ll see you all in the money this year!
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