Pittsburgh Pirates fans had tiny to cheer about in 2005. The only actual bright spot for the club was the continued improvement of outfielder Jason Bay (.206 32 101) who played in all 162 games in 2005 for the team. Beyond Bay there was small offense to speak of for the entire season. Only 1st basemen Daryle Ward (.280 12 63) and newcomer Brad Eldred (.221 12 27) did considerably whilst sophomore 2nd baseman Jose Castillo (.268 11 53) offered the rest of offense for the Bucs 2005 lineup.

Pittsburghs starting pitching in 2006 was nearly non-existent. Dave Williams (ten-11 4.41) led the staff with 10 wins, while Kip Wells ( 8-18 five.09), newcomers Mark Redman (5-15 4.90) joined Oliver Perez (7-5 five.85), rookie Zach Duke (8- 1 1.81 in 14 game begins) and Josh Fogg (6-11 five.05) to total the rest of the Pirate rotation. Closer Jose Mesa (two-8 four.76 37 saves) managed to seem in 55 games in order to help keep issues intriguing. The Pirates completed the season with a last place 67-95 record.

Off Season Moves:

General Manager Dave Littlefield addressed the Pirates offensive wants by signing free agent slugger Jeromy Burnitz (.258 24 87) as nicely as 1st baseman Sean Casey (.312 8 58) who came in a trade with the Reds for lefty starter Dave Williams. Third baseman Joe Randa (.275 17 68) was also signed via free agency from San Diego.

The Pirates also picked up cost-free agent reliever Roberto Hernandez (2.58 ERA in 67 appearances for the Mets in ’05) in order to fill out the rest of their 2006 bullpen.

2006 Evaluation:

Anticipate Jason Bay to have yet another huge year for the Pirates. The addition of Casey Randa and Burnitz for a little marketplace team is impressive. All three players really should be able to add to their 2005 numbers in this lineup. Randa in particular will be fascinating to watch. Anticipate Jose Castillo and Wards numbers to also go up with the far better protection they will obtain by the additions.

Hernandez enjoyed a comeback season with the Mets proving to be a reputable arm in their bullpen. The Mets didnt want to take the chance that he would repeat his 2005 performance so they allowed him to leave by way of totally free agency. The Pirates are hopeful that the Mets loss is their acquire. Hernandez maintained very good velocity throughout the season and kept the Mets in race for the 2005 NL East.

Of course Littlefield has enhanced his power from his corner infield spots, and considering that Randa and Casey are respectable at getting on base the Pirate offense ought to be far better in 2006. The Pirates will rely on Duke to pitch in much more games in 2006 and hope he is a player they can build the rotation about. Still the starting pitching is shaky. The Pirates will be searching to get to at least a.500 record in 2006, somewhere they haven’t been given that the 1992 season. They remain a young team with a lot of pluses.

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