Countdown to Opening Day: #30 Pittsburgh Pirates

By Andrew Marcus
Sportswriter for Montgomery Media

Follow me on Twitter @amarcus515

To help pass the time between now and the start of the 2011 Major League Baseball season I am going to be examining a different team every day. Starting with the Pirates, working toward the Phillies. I will give you my projected starters, breakout and bust players, biggest spring training question and top prospect.

PROJECTED LINEUP
LF Jose Tabata
2B Neil Walker
CF Andrew McCutchen
RF Garrett Jones
3B Pedro Alvarez
1B Lyle Overbay
c Chris Snyder
SS Ronny Cedeno
p Paul Maholm

PROJECTED ROTATION
Paul Maholm
Kevin Correia
James McDonald
Ross Ohlendorf
Scott Olsen

PROJECTED BULLPEN
Closer - Joel Hanrahan
Set-up - Evan Meek


Top Prospect - Jameson Taillon (RHP)

Breakout
James McDonald - The Pirates have several arms on their pitching staff that were highly touted in the minors, but none of them have panned out to this point. After a strong final month for McDonald in 2010 he is my pick to become the unquestioned ace in Pittsburgh by the end of the season. The former Dodger farmhand may not win 15 games because of the team he has around him, but his ERA should be respectable and his strikeouts above 150 for the season.

Bust
Joel Hanrahan - Hanrahan is one of those guys will all the stuff and none of the makeup needed to be a closer in the bigs. I'd be surprise if he holds off Evan Meek or another arm in the Bucco bullpen for the entire season. Hanrahan was not good enough to close in Washington, why is he going to better in Pittsburgh?

Biggest Spring Training Question
Stuck in the cellar with no way out  - After 18 straight years of sub-500 seasons the Pirates have nowhere to go but up. With all the top draft picks they have accrued over the past seasons finally arriving in the big leagues there is a slight crack of light shining through are dark and gloomy PNC Park. New manager Clint Hurdle and the Bucs will deal with daily bombardment that Pirates have dealt with for nearly two decades. Not will this team make the playoffs, but will this tea win more than 82 games?

LAST YEAR'S RECORD: 57-105 

Can McCutch be clutch in the Bucs in resurrection?

PROJECTED FINISH: 6th in the National League Central

***THANKS FOR READING MY TEAM BY TEAM OUTLOOKS TO HELP PASS THE TIME


Check back tomorrow for the Seattle Mariners