2007 Pittsburgh Pirates Predictions & Season Preview


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

The 2006 season was a tale of two seasons for Jim Tracy’s Pirates. They were dealt a serious blow when starting pitcher Kip Wells developed a blood clot. Sean Casey was out of the lineup for six weeks with a back injury and was eventually traded to the Tigers. A 13-game losing streak in June sent the team into a tailspin. At the All-Star Break, the Pirates were 30 games below .500, the worst record in baseball. But the second half was a totally different story.

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The young Pirates went 37-35 to give Pittsburgh its first winning record in the second half since 1992. Freddy Sanchez got two hits in the final game of the season to give him the National League Batting Title, becoming the first Pirate to win the crown since Bill Madlock won it in 1982. Sanchez and Jason Bay are proven offensive stars, as both made the NL All-Star team, but they still need help from the rest of the line-up. The Young pitching staff showed signs of life in the second half. Ian Snell overcame a 2-3 start to win 14 games, the first 14-game winner in Pittsburgh since 1999.

Snell and three lefties, Zach Duke, Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm, could be the next set of “Young Guns” in the National League. When you throw in the Pirates solid bullpen, the outlook for the pitching staff is bright. Snell finished the season with a 4.74 ERA with 169 Ks. Third-year starter Duke had 10 wins and a 4.47 ERA and combined with Snell to give the Pirates a solid 1-2 punch. Shawn Chacon will try and help this staff in 2007 after picking up 7 wins in just 20 games started last season. Solomon Torres had a 3.28 ERA with 12 saves last season and will take over the closer role from Mike Gonzalez. Matt Capps had an impressive 9-1 record in 85 appearances, which was second in the National League.

Ronny Paulino will look to improve on his .310 batting average as a rookie catcher, even though 82 percent of his hits were singles and that will be tough to repeat. He still did a great job behind the plate but likes to pull the ball when he hits the batter’s box. He’s got a lot of learning to do, but for his rookie season, the Pirates have to be pleased. Sanchez quietly won the batting title with a .344 mark and 85 RBIs. He doesn’t have corner power, but made up for it with 53 doubles and a .386 RISP. Jose Castillo should man the second base position, but he has much improvement to be had on the offensive side of the ball, grounding into 22 double plays last season. Ryan Doumit was hampered by a sore left hamstring at various points last season, so he will definitely be a question mark at first base. Jack Wilson is a solid shortstop with 64 extra-base hits in 652 AB in 2004. He had a .273 batting average last season though with only 8 homers and 35 RBIs. The infield needs some work, but if they can get it together consistently then they will get off to a much better start this season.

The outfield features All-Star Jason Bay who had a strong season despite being hampered for much of the year with a sore knee, which was surgically repaired in the offseason. Bay hit .286 with 35 home runs and 109 RBIs while scoring more than 100 runs for the 2nd straight season. Duffy will open spring training in centerfield and as the leadoff hitter. Duffy, entering his 3rd season, only hit .255, but he stole 26 bases in only 84 games including 23 of his last 24 attempts after coming back up on August 1st. Xavier Nady will open in right field. He hit .280 and was acquired from the Mets in a July 31 trade. Nady had a career-high nine-game hitting streak in August. This team is too young to make the postseason already, but give the Pirates a couple years and this young talent could get them a postseason appearance.

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