PITTSBURGH PIRATES

Starting Lineup
LF Nyjer Morgan: has done well after being called up in each of the last two seasons, batting .296 with 16 SB's in 267 AB's in 2007-08
2B Freddy Sanchez: just two years removed from winning the NL Batting Title, he hit .271 with a .298 OBP while battling through a shoulder injury early in the season
CF Nate McLouth: power disappeared in the 2nd half of 2008 (.426 slg pct compared to .542 in 1st half) but he still ended up with 26 HR's, 94 RBI's, 46 2B's, and 23 SB's
1B Adam LaRoche: hit 25 HR's and knocked in 85 runs despite missing time with an injury and playing in only 136 games
C Ryan Doumit: proved to be one of the better hitting catcher's in the NL after hitting .318 with 15 HR's in 431 AB's in '08; also threw out 27% of attempted base stealers
RF Brandon Moss: 25 year-old posted just a .288 OBP after being acquired in the Jason Bay trade; will have to beat out Pearce or Morgan to win a starting job UPDATE 3/7 - status uncertain after spraining the ligament in his right thumb UPDATE 3/8 - should be ready by opening day UPDATE 3/20 - returned to the lineup as a DH on Friday and will play RF on Saturday
3B Andy LaRoche: highly touted prospect in the Dodgers organization has yet to produce in the majors (.184 BA, 6 HR's in 316 AB's)
SS Jack Wilson: career .269 batter still a Pirate after rumored deals to Detroit and Los Angeles fell apart

Bench
C Jason Jaramillo: acquired from the Phillies this off season, this switch-hitter will battle it out with Robinzon Diaz to be the backup to Doumit UPDATE 3/28 - officially named the backup to Doumit
IF Luis Cruz: will be competing for a reserve infield role after hitting .224 in 67 AB's in his first ML stint in 2008 UPDATE 3/21 - versatility could give him edge for final bench spot UPDATE 4/1 - has made the team
IF Ramon Vazquez: with inconsistent production at 2B, SS, and 3B in 2008, the Pirates should rely heavily on the left-handed hitting infielder
IF/OF Eric Hinske: plays both corner infield and both corner outfield spots and should be a useful bat off the bench
OF Craig Monroe: signed to a minor league deal just three years after hitting 28 HR's with 92 RBI's for the Twins UPDATE 3/5 - looks to have a very strong chance of making the opening day roster

Starting Rotation
LHP Paul Maholm: despite winning just 9 games, he was the best pitcher in the rotation, posting a 3.71 ERA in 206.1 IP
RHP Ian Snell: many felt he was on the verge of a breakout season but instead disappointed with a 7-12 record and 5.42 ERA
LHP Zach Duke: continues to struggle since a 2005 rookie season in which he was 8-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 14 starts and a sophomore season that included 10 wins and 215.1 IP
RHP Ross Ohlendorf: started 5 games without much success (0-3, 6.35 ERA) after being acquired from the Yankees UPDATE 3/18 - appears to be the leading candidate for the #4 spot UPDATE 3/24 - has a firm grasp on a rotation spot after six scoreless innings in his latest start
RHP Jeff Karstens: pitched well in 6 of 9 starts, including a two-hit shutout at Arizona, after being acquired from the Yankees in the Xavier Nady trade UPDATE 4/1 - named the team's #5 starter

Bullpen
RHP Matt Capps: walked only 5 batters in 53.2 IP and saved 21 out of 26 games for the Bucs
LHP John Grabow: best season as a pro in 2008, winning 6 games and posting a 2.84 ERA in 74 relief appearances
RHP Tyler Yates: posted a 4.66 ERA on the season but finished strong, allowing 2 ER over his last 11 IP with 18 K's and only 2 BB's
RHP Craig Hansen: highly regarded reliever was completely awful after being acquired from the Red Sox, posting a 7.47 ERA with 20 BB's in 15.2IP UPDATE 4/2 - has made the team
LHP Sean Burnett: allowed a .171 BA to left-handed hitters and .328 BA against right-handers UPDATE 4/2 - has made the team
RHP Jesse Chavez: UPDATE 4/1 - still in the mix for the final bullpen spot UPDATE 4/2 - final spot down to Chavez vs Meek UPDATE 4/3 - will be on the opening day roster
LHP Donald Veal: rule V picks usually have a good shot to stick on non-competitive teams, which the Pirates usually are; the 24 year-old was a top prospect for the Cubs but he's had control trouble the last few seasons UPDATE 4/2 - has made the team

Disabled List
LHP Phil Dumatrait: UPDATE 3/13 - arm soreness likely has him headed to the DL to start the season UPDATE 3/30 - will start the season on the DL and will likely miss at least a month


Reassigned to Minor League Camp
RHP Daniel McCutchen: acquired in the Nady trade to the Yankees, the 26 year-old split his time with the two organizations and was 11-12 with a 3.57 ERA in 28 starts between AA and AAA
OF Andrew McCutchen: top outfield prospect could join the Bucs by mid-season but it could be much sooner if players like Morgan, Moss, and Pearce struggle at the plate UPDATE 3/30 - reassigned to the minors
IF Brian Bixler: hit just .157 in 108 AB's while getting extended playing time when Wilson was hurt but had a decent AAA season, batting .280 with 7 HR's and 22 SB's UPDATE 3/30 - reassigned to the minors
OF Jeff Salazar: solid defensive outfielder should be a good addition to the bench UPDATE 3/5 - appears to be the odd man out with the additions of Hinske and Monroe
RHP Chris Bootcheck: long-time Angel has a career ERA of 6.04 in 77 career ML games
RHP Jason Davis: unimpressive in first stint with the Bucs, posting a 5.29 ERA in 34 IP UPDATE 3/23 - making a late run at a bullpen spot
RHP Denny Bautista: former prospect still trying to figure things out, having posted a 6.34 ERA in 86 career games
IF Andy Phillips: career .250 hitter with 14 HR's in 557 AB's playing mostly for the Yankees before splitting time with the Mets and Reds in '08 UPDATE 3/13 - out indefinitely with back stiffness but still appears to have an edge over Luis Cruz for a bench job UPDATE 3/21 - still unable to play because of bulging discs, his chances of making the team are decreasing
1B/OF Garrett Jones: 27 year-old spent the past four seasons in AAA Rochester (MINN) except for a 77 AB cup of coffee in 2007 with the Twins UPDATE 3/8 - competing for a bench job and off to a 7-for-19 start

Optioned to AAA
LHP Tom Gorzelanny: was one of the worst starters on the staff in 2008 (6-9, 6.66 ERA) after being the team's best pitcher in '07 (14-10, 3.88 ERA) UPDATED 3/18 - optioned to AAA after a bad spring, which followed a terrible 2008 season
C Robinzon Diaz: career .304 hitter in the minors will compete with Jaramillo for the backup job behind the plate UPDATE 3/15 - off to a 6-for16 start this spring, he has just as good a chance as Jaramillo to win the backup catcher job UPDATE 3/28 - optioned to AAA
OF Steve Pearce: was not as productive in 2008 after a monster season in 2007, in which he hit .333 with 31 HR's and 113 RBI's between A, AA, and AAA UPDATE 3/4 - chances appear slim to make the roster UPDATE 3/28 - optioned to AAA
RHP Virgil Vasquez: UPDATE 3/18 - after being DFA'd twice this offseason, he is in a two-man race with Karstens for the #5 spot in the rotation UPDATE 4/1 - beaten out by Karstens for the final rotation spot
RHP Evan Meek: pitched in 9 games for the Bucs last April and wasn't very good (6.92 ERA, 12 BB's in 13 IP) UPDATE 3/11 - has thrown 7 scoreless IP with no walks and 5 K's this spring but bullpen candidates Bootcheck, Davis, Ohlendorf, and Veal have also pitched well UPDATE 3/13 - last bullpen spot could come down to Meek and Bootcheck UPDATE 4/2 - last spot is down to Meek and Jesse Chavez UPDATE 4/3 - optioned to AAA; Meek (3.48 ERA) hasn't been healthy enough to pitch since March 20th, which explains the move to keep Jesse Chavez (11.45 ERA) over him