Looks Are Deceiving
By Scott Robertson

The Pirates this month entered another baseball season, but this one promises to be nothing like any of the past 100-plus. There is plenty of excitement created by a new manager, a new ballpark and, apparently, a new atmosphere surrounding the team.

What is not new, in the minds of many, is the team itself. Many observers look at the 2001 version of the Pirates and don't see many differences from the band of Buccaneers that rode out the 2000 season.

How, they ask, can a team essentially the same as the one that finished so poorly last season be expected to do much better this time around?

That's a valid question, but it comes from a flawed premise. That premise is that the Pirates are essentially the same team. On the surface, perhaps they are. But beneath the surface, they are decidedly different from the bunch that opened the 2000 season, and therein lies reason to believe the team can improve.

A quick look at the opening day, 2000 lineup showed Jason Kendall catching, Kevin Young at first base, Mike Benjamin at second, Pat Meares at short and Aramis Ramirez at third base. The outfield, left to right, was Wil Cordero, Chad Hermansen and Brian Giles. Jason Schmidt got the opening day start against the Houston Astros.

Through the course of a 162-game season, many things change. Right off the bat, it's almost unfair to list Benjamin, who filled-in the first couple days because of Warren Morris' shin injury. So, for the sake of discussion, put Morris at second base.

How different will the Pirates be this year? There will be different players at all three outfield positions in 2001, considering Giles' move to left. Adrian Brown is slated for center and Derek Bell for right.

Ramirez may be the only infielder to open the season at the same spot. Meares still struggled with a two-year old hand injury this spring, and was no lock to open at short. Morris struggled at the plate throughout 2000 and came to spring training battling for his job.

Kendall will remain as the catcher, meaning only he, Ramirez and, possibly Morris will open the season as regulars at their old spots.

This brings us to the great Kevin Young/John Vander Wal debate. Vander Wal caught plenty of heat, and rightly so, for comments he made to the media after the Pirates acquired Bell. Perhaps he should have looked at the new unbalanced National League schedule and the number of right-handed pitchers the Pirates will face as a result before worrying about where he would get his at-bat.

The five other teams in the NL Central, Cincinnati, Houston, Milwaukee, St. Louis and the Chicago Cubs, boast between them a grand total of one left-handed starting pitcher, and that one, St. Louis' Rick Ankiel, is no guarantee thanks to his celebrated bouts of wildness. The Pirates play those teams 18 times each this season - that ought to give Mr. Vander Wal, a left-handed hitter, plenty of plate appearances.

It might not bode well for Young, who stands to see his playing time reduced, especially if he winds up in a platoon with Vander Wal.

All of which takes us to the pitching staff. Schmidt and Francisco Cordova missed much of last season with injuries, turning over plenty of starts to Dan Serafini, Bronson Arroyo and others. If they are healthy, and that is a big if, they provide more experience and stability than the Pirates had in those spots last season.

GM Cam Bonifay was criticized in some circles for not making a lot of player personnel moves in the offseason. One has to consider, though, that many moves were made at the end of 2000 - moves like turning center field over to Adrian Brown and bringing in Enrique Wilson and Jack Wilson to battle for infield spots. Adding Bell and Terry Mulholland brought in some veteran leadership which the Pirates, despite the best efforts of Kendall and Giles, have lacked.

The biggest change, though, was the hiring of Lloyd McClendon as manager. He brings a fire to the dugout that Gene Lamont and his coaches lacked the past few seasons.

It seems that Lamont and his older coaching staff was the perfect match for the Pirates when they were a young, hungry team. His style tempered their enthusiasm, in a manner of speaking.

Now, the Pirates are older. They needed a more aggressive approach. All indications are McClendon will provide it, and that won't be the only change evident by opening day.