2015 Pittsburgh Pirates

[HafDawg2003]

Coming off a NLDS crown and a game 7 loss to division rival St. Louis, in a season where the Pirates won the Wild Card, the 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates are the poster child of the term "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Catcher - Edwin Oliveira, after hitting .315 with 9 HR and 62 RBI, was rewarded with a new contract extension, firmly cementing his status as this team's catcher. Youngster Russell Cockerham is still waiting in Triple A, possibly in a position to this year or next attempt to expel Oliveira from his starting role. Javi Herrera returns as a very stable, power hitting backup.

First Base - Todd Bearden broke into the majors last year, hitting .313 with 7 HR and 60 RBI in 105 games. He holds the key to the first base position, but the aformentioned Russell Cockerham has been taking reps at first base, attempting to find a place to best fit into this lineup. Expectations are high for Bearden to follow up with even better numbers, and at age 26, hes entering his prime.

Second Base - A platoon between Omar Quintanilla, Joe Thurston and Alejandro Machado will occupy the second base position. Machado gets the Opening Day nod, a late season acquisition from Texas last year, along with Thurston. Second base is considered a weak spot for this team.

Shortstop - Rookie sensastion Erubiel Valverde gets the call to be the everyday shortstop. Valverde, acquired in a deadline deal with Los Angeles for Tapper Kessinger, hit .297 with 39 HR and 108 RBI between Triple A Los Vegas and Triple A Nashville last year. The 24 year old figures to occupy the shortstop position for the forseeable future.

Third Base - Christopher Shrout comes back for an encore to his impressive rookie season. Shrout hit .318 with 13 HR and 63 RBI in 102 games last year, his first in the majors. The 24 year old completes a left side of the infield that figures to guide the Pirates for years to come.

Outfield - Deja Vu all over again. The exact outfield returns this year. Bill Goering had a monster year last year and earned his fourth all star selection, Steven Riddick continued his streak of 6 season in the majors, six consecutive all star appearances and Tony Alvarez put up surprising numbers in center last year. He was rewarded with a contract renewal, and agreed to take a discount to come back to the team who originally drafted him.

Rotation - There was a loss of Mark Prior, who was with the club August and September. To replace him, Pittsburgh signed the high strikeout, high velocity, high walk rate Adam Wainwright, a risk the Pirates wanted to take. Babe Ruth, III and Felipe Benitez, not to mention Gregory Moscato, wait in the minors for their time. Chin-Hui Tsao, Brian Rivera and Michael Williams return to the rotation.

Bullpen - The bullpen, shaky at the beginning of last year but brilliant late, returns practically intact. Youngster Bill Button will experience his first Opening Day this year, Jason Michaels Jr. is a perrineal all star, and the ageless one, Franklyn German, posted great numbers once again last year.

Overall - Expect the Pirates to contend once again for the division title, and the ultimate goal, obviously, being a World Series championship. Expect another thrilling battle within the division, especially from the powerhouse known as Witlon and his St. Louis Cardinals.

[Porter]

Cards vs Pirates should be a huge rivalry for a while.