Pittsburgh Pirates
Time To Improve, Time To Win
By John E. Sacco

During the Christmas season, Kevin McClatchy climbed the snowcapped and 195,500 foot tall Mount Kilimanjaro.

The vastness and greatness of Kilimanjaro could not compare to the uphill battle McClatchy has faced in trying to turn around the Pirates' sagging fortunes.

"Kilimanjaro looks like an ant hill compared with this job," McClatchy said.

And so it is with the Pirates.

After 10 consecutive losing seasons, the time has come for them to win.

The last time anyone felt really good about the Pirates was October 13, 1992 when they ripped Atlanta, 13-4, and evened the National League Championship Series at three games apiece.

Everyone knows what followed the next night. No one could have imagined what would occur over the next 10 seasons.

While they suffered a franchise record 10th losing season in 2002, the Pirates did improve their win total by 10 games, one of only six teams to do so.

The pitching staff recorded the best improvement in baseball in earned run average from 2001, going from 5.05 to 4.23, and the defense turned the most double plays in the majors (177).

Offensively however, they remained among the worst in baseball.

But General Manager Dave Littlefield worked hard throughout the offseason to add some strength to the anemic attack.

Veteran outfielders Reggie Sanders and Matt Stairs were signed as free agents and first baseman Randall Simon was acquired from Detroit.

Manager Lloyd McClendon informed the players early in spring training that 2003 is not a rebuilding year. He expects to win.

Littlefield, while quick to say the Pirates aren't of championship caliber, expects improvement. But, he warns, even a. 500 record won't placate him.

"Everyone who follows baseball knows a .500 team isn't a real good team," he said.

McClatchy understands how important it is for the Pirates to turn the corner in 2003. He knows an opportunity is there to regain some fan base and raise hope for the future.

"Everybody worked very hard in the offseason to make sure we improved ourselves, to try to get past that feeling of losing so many years in a row," McClatchy said. "I wasn't here for all the losing seasons and we didn't inherit the best organization when we took over. But that doesn't escape the fact we have lost a number of seasons in a row. That's all the fans look at, and it's all they should look at.

"I'd like to get beyond that and get to a winning season and then continue to see this improve year in and year out.

"After you've lost so many years in a row, talking really doesn't do much. You just have to prove it on the field. I know that's what the fans want, the organization wants and the players want."

Catcher

Jason Kendall has been in decline the past few years. But it seems he has a renewed energy this season and expects the Pirates to play better than at any time in his career.

The Pirates could use a healthy Kendall to return his old offensive ways of hitting above .300 and getting on base at a clip above .400. The team also needs him to be better defensively. That's an area of decline that has flown under the radar because of his falling offensive production.

Kendall hasn't been good throwing out baserunners and is not good at catching the ball on relays or throws from the outfield on plays at the plate.

He has enough athleticism to turn things around and if he is rejuvenated and gets some luck, he could be a big boost.

Humberto Cota moves in as the reserve catcher, but he won't get a lot of playing time because Kendall lines up and plays just about every day.

Cota has potential. He is only a couple years removed from being the organization's minor-league Player of the Year. He slipped offensively last season and that, along with a hand injury, is a reason for concern by the Pirates.

Cota did come on after a slow start at Class AAA Nashville and appears to have overcome the injury that made him a question mark early in spring training.

First Base

Newcomer Simon is being counted on to help ignite the Pirates' slumbering offense. He hit well for Detroit in 2002 but fell into disfavor because of what the Tigers and most of baseball perceives as weak defense.

The Pirates are convinced Simon is as good as his career .300 batting average suggests. They believe he can tweak his swing enough to launch the ball more frequently and take advantage of PNC Park's short right field porch.

Simon is a free swinger. He doesn't strikeout much and walks less. He's not going to be cheated at the plate.

The left-handed hitter will receive every opportunity to get the lion's share of playing time at the position, but he will likely end up in a platoon with veteran Kevin Young and even Craig Wilson, depending on how the Pirates' outfield situation evolves.

Young has been in decline and will now only likely start against left-handed pitching and serve as Simon's defensive caddie.

It's improbable that the Pirates would eat the final year of Young's contract, but if another outfielder is added, Wilson could just as easily become Simon's sole platoon partner.

Second Base

Pokey Reese should continue to give the Pirates tremendous defense and he had his moments offensively in 2002—there just weren't enough of them.

Reese went through a conditioning program during the off-season aimed at limiting the injuries that nagged him last season and throughout his career.

The Pirates are a much better team with Reese on the field; he brings a certain energy to the team.

Reese never got the chance to show his base-stealing prowess last season. Depending on how the order shakes out, he might get more opportunities to run in 2003.

Make no mistake, Reese is a valuable Pirate and is playing in what could be his walk year. The Pirates hold an option on him for 2004.

Shortstop

Fans love to watch Jack Wilson play because he is a 100 percent'er. He has made his mistakes over the past two seasons, both on the field and off, but he's a slick fielder who continues to shows signs—albeit in spurts—of a decent offensive player. He and Reese are electric together defensively and the two pulled off a number of spectacular plays in 2002.

Wilson has been the target of some of his teammates the past couple of years simply because he reached the majors with so little time in the minors. He has lost concentration at times and acted a bit immature, but he is a committed player and someone a team can win with.

Wilson is a future Gold Glove winner but needs to be more productive offensively to be considered one of the better shortstops in the game.

Third Base

A return to 2001 form offensively by Aramis Ramirez is a must if the Pirates are to reach the elusive .500 mark or beyond this season.

Ramirez could be one of the best run producers in the game. He is good in clutch situations and he has the muscle and talent to put up legitimate home run numbers.

Ramirez should only benefit from the multitude of professional hitters the Pirates have added to the lineup.

He is potentially the Pirates' most explosive player offensively. It's time he begins to live up to that potential.

Outfield

An area of weakness in recent seasons, the Pirates have upgraded considerably with the addition of Sanders and Stairs.

Giles has been a stellar performer for the Pirates and is clearly one of the league's best players. His offensive numbers are well documented but Giles is also an above average fielder.

Sanders brings professionalism and a potent bat to the Pirates' lineup. He is a baseball nomad but, by all accounts, is a solid player and a good clubhouse influence.

Craig Wilson and Stairs certainly are in the mix in right field but it remained unclear who would play where as the Pirates were said to be in pursuit of another outfielder as the spring training schedule was about to begin.

Bench

With Rob Mackowiak serving as a super utilityman and the likes of Stairs or Wilson, Simon or Young sitting on the bench, the Pirates have upgraded this part of the team greatly. Abraham Nunez takes over the Mike Benjamin role.

Pitching

The encouraging recovery of Kris Benson in 2002 (coming off Tommy John surgery), and performances by Kip Wells and Josh Fogg, raised the bar for the Pirates' starting pitching staff.

Benson is being counted on to be the ace and one of the best starters in the game.

Free agent Jeff Suppan was signed from Kansas City and will fill the No. 4 hole on the five-man staff.

The last spot will go to any number of Littlefield free agent signees, including Julian Tavares, Dennys Reyes, Rolando Arrojo, Jeff D'Amico, Saloman Torres and Brian Meadows.

The bullpen is fairly well set with closer Mike Williams coming off a career year and with lefty Scott Sauerbeck and righty Brian Boehringer as chief set up men. Lefty Joe Beimel and righty Matt Herges will serve as middlemen. Mike Lincoln appeared to have an excellent chance at landing one of the 12 spots on the staff but an injury was clouding his status early in spring training. The final spot was expected to be a battle between Al Reyes, Duaner Sanchez, Mike Gonzalez and any of the losing competitors for the No. 5 spot in the rotation.

Manager/Coaches

McClendon, for obvious reasons, wants a strong start. That's why he pushed so many of the players during the offseason and through spring training.

He's been asked to grow as a manager by Littlefield and swallowed hard in getting rid of a number of close friends from last year's staff.

McClendon is proud and prepared. While he may or may not be on a short leash, a number of his players will be. He's looking for results.

The new staff should be an upgrade. Bench coach Pete Mackanin and third base coach John Russell are highly regarded. New hitting coach Gerald Perry was well thought of in Seattle and first base coach Rusty Kuntz the same in Florida.

Spin Williams, carried over from last years staff, is a solid pitching coach, who has a chance to really make a big showing this season.

John E. Sacco has covered the Pirates and major league baseball for PSR since October 1998. He covered the Pirates from 1986 to 1992 and is a former member of the Baseball Writers of America Association, Pittsburgh Chapter.