Cliff’s Notes on the Pirates
By John Mehno

Here's the Cliff's Notes version of what's wrong with the 2008 Pittsburgh Pirates:

They have a supporting cast, but no stars. The Pirates don't have a bad everyday lineup. There are soft spots, sure, but that's true with a lot of teams. Bunch Freddy Sanchez, Jason Bay, Adam LaRoche and Xavier Nady together and it looks like a batting order that could do some business. That would happen provided there's a bona fide No. 4 hitter the aforementioned players could augment. But there isn't, and the Pirates require too much from players who would be more useful and comfortable supporting a stronger hitter.

Put a legitimate power bat in the middle of that lineup (Aramis Ramirez, maybe) and it makes everyone better. The Pirates could then actually stack six or seven hitters who would worry an opposing pitcher. Bay would be an exceptional No. 5 hitter. Or LaRoche could fill that spot effectively. The Pirates don't have the luxury of casting them in the spot that suits them best. When Bay was acquired, one scout likened him to Jeff Conine. There's nothing wrong with that - Conine was a good, solid major league performer for a lot of years. There's a big difference between Jeff Conine and Albert Pujols, though.

If you assume Bay's sub-par 2007 was an aberration and not the start of a trend, he can again put up good numbers. Those stats would be especially effective if they were generated from a lower slot in the order. When the Pirates have been successful, they've had an MVP-caliber bat in the middle of their lineup. They've sometimes had two players performing at that level. Roberto Clemente filled the role in the '60s, later to be supported by Willie Stargell. Stargell took over the spot, and Dave Parker came along for some phenomenal years in the '70s. Barry Bonds was there in the early '90s. Those are all players who performed at a Hall of Fame level in their best years.

Much of the same can be said about the Pirates' starting rotation, which is in search of a legitimate No. 1. The Pirates have an enviable group of young pitchers, perhaps the best in the National League Central. It would be formidable with a genuine No. 1 to start each trip through the rotation. Doug Drabek filled that role during the three-year run of divisional titles from 1990-92. That let the Pirates get by with lesser pitchers through the rest of the rotation. Neal Heaton, Randy Tomlin and Bob Walk were among those who filled out those starting staffs.

Problem identified, but what is the solution? Where can the Pirates get a legitimate cleanup hitter or a No. 1 starter? It's obviously not going to happen through free agency, so the answer is they have to grow their own. It gets back to the ultimate solution for everything that afflicts the Pirates: Assemble a state-of-the-art player development system that sends talent to the major leagues on a regular basis. Players who come up through the system are under the team's control for six years (seven if the team is as clever as it was with Bonds). That's enough time to develop a solid core that can contend. Sign a chosen few of those players, trade others for prospects while their value is high.

The Pirates have to be smarter than a lot of other organizations. That's another 15-year streak that needs to be broken.

(John Mehno's latest book, "The Best Pittsburgh Sports Arguments" is available now at stores and through online retailers. He can be reached at: johnmehno (at) lycos.com)