2004 Pittsburgh Pirates Preview
The Bottom Line:
There will be only one consolation for the Bucs in 2004; at least they’re not the Brewers. Much like the Brewers, the Pirates are starting their 10+ year rebuilding plan all over again. They dumped two of their three best players last year when they sent Brian Giles to the Padres and Aramis Ramirez to the Cubs. They’re doing there best to move Jason Kendall too, so don’t expect anything better than a fifth place finish for the 2004 Pirates. Like the Brewers, the Pirates will have a hard time competing in 2004. Unlike the Brewers, they do have some good prospects to build around, but fifth place is where they’ll be at the end of the year.
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Line Up:
They did sign a few guys to give them some pop and make
them a bit more respectable. Basically the moves just solidified their position
in fifth instead of sixth.
- Tike Redman, CF: This guy could be the leadoff
man of the future. He played 100 games at AAA Nashville and 56 in
Pittsburgh. In that time, he scored 96 runs (36 in the bigs), with 182 hits
(76), a .309 batting average (.330), 49 stolen bases (7), and a very good
strikeout to walk ratio: 50 K’s, 50 BB (14/18).
- Jason Kendall, C: Kendall played like a star
last year. He finally looked like he’d shaken off that compound ankle
fracture from 2000.
- Randall Simon, 1B: I’ve always wondered what
this guy could do if they would just let him stay put.
- Raul Mondesi, RF: He could be the MVP of the
Wasted Talent League. Maybe I should make a team of players that would meet
that qualification. I know Carl Everett would be on it too.
- Jason Bay, LF: With stops in AAA Portland, San
Diego, and Pittsburg last year, Bay hit 24 home runs and maintained a .400+
OBP for each team. He’s an early favorite for NL Rookie if the Year.
- Craig Wilson, 3B: I think he can play third
base. .262, 18, and 48 is more than I expected.
- Chris Stynes, 2B: Rookies Freddy Sanchez and
Bobby Hill could challenge for this spot, but Stynes is the veteran and has
generally been among the best bench players in baseball for the past few
years.
- Jack Wilson, SS: He’s a great defender, and he
hits a little better than the typical all defense/no offense type of
shortstops.
Pitching:
Perhaps the Pittsburgh organization is abusing young
pitchers. They’ve had a number of good arms come up in the past five years, but
none of them seem to last a whole year. Maybe Tommy John surgeries are cheaper
when purchased in bulk.
- Kip Wells, R: Pirates break out pitcher, 2003.
Wells threw 197 inning last year and had a very respectable 3.28 ERA – a
half a run (or more) better than Russ Ortiz, Kevin Millwood, Randy Wolf, and
Woody Williams.
- Kris Benson, R: Pirates break out pitcher,
2001. Benson was the ace at the start of 2002, but after injuries ended
that season, he never really bounced back in 2003. They’re hoping he can
this year.
- Josh Fogg, R: Pirates break out pitcher 2002.
Fogg had some minor injury problems and some major control problems last
year.
- Oliver Perez, L: Pirates break out pitcher,
2004? Perez, along with Jason Bay, was the prize in the deal that sent
Brian Giles to San Diego.
- Rick Reed, L: He wasn’t that sharp for the
Twins last year.
Closer Jose Mesa, R: He
always finds a way to rack up some saves, but it’s never pretty.
| Remarkably Similar |
|
AB |
R |
H |
HR |
RBI |
SB |
BB |
BA |
OPS |
|
| Jason Kendall (8) |
4072 |
620 |
1226 |
64 |
420 |
129 |
394 |
.304 |
.807 |
| Thurman Munson (7*) |
3750 |
496 |
1082 |
86 |
491 |
40 |
332 |
.289 |
.760 |
Fantasy Top 5:
- Jason Kendall
- Raul Mondesi
- Kip Wells
- Tike Redman
- Jason Bay
Posted by at April 1, 2004 08:37 AM