Clearing the Hurdle, A Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise - loaf31's Dynasty

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Clearing the Hurdle, A Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise

Posted on April 4, 2011 at 12:39 PM.

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Clearing the Hurdle, A Pittsburgh Pirates Franchise

Lets take a look back at the 2010-2011 Offseason for the Pittsburgh Pirates:

Added: Lyle Overbay, Kevin Correia, Matt Diaz, Andy Marte, Scott Olson, Jose Veras, Corey Wimberly, Josh Rodriguez (Rule V), Aaron Thompson, Garrett Olson.

Re-signed: Brian Burres.

Lost/Unsigned: Zach Duke, Lastings Milledge, Chan Ho Park, Delwyn Young, Andy LaRoche, Joe Martinez, Wil Ledezma, Dana Eveland, Brian Bass, Erik Kratz, Argenis Diaz, Brendan Donnelly, Steven Jackson, Brandon Moss.

The Spin: It was business as usual for the Pirates this winter. Overbay, Correia and Diaz qualified as "big" signings, and they also added a handful of former stars/prospects who flamed out in other organizations. There is nothing to suggest that the Pirates are ready to climb out of the cellar in the Central, but their lineup is beginning to feature a lot of young, in-house talent.

Remaining Questions: Right field is the biggest question among the everyday players, as Diaz, Garrett Jones, and Ryan Doumit are all options. There is likely to be a platoon there, and the Pirates may continue to offer Doumit in trade talks. Joel Hanrahan has beaten Evan Meek for the right to assume the Closer's role.

Perhaps the most significant gain was the hiring of former Colorado Rockies Manager and Texas Rangers Hitting Coach, Clint Hurdle.

New Bucco Manager Clint Hurdle with Bucco GM Neal Huntington

Hurdle is very excited going into the 2011 campaign. "I believe that we can and WILL win, I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't feel that way." Hurdle has experience working with young players, and the Pirates have their fair share of young stars on the team. "I am looking forward to having a lineup that consists of future susperstars Jose Tabata (LF), Andrew McCutchen (CF), Pedro Alvarez (3B), and Neil Walker (2B). To have those 4 guys plus James MacDonald in the rotation, I am confident that we can make some nosie this year."

Hurdle continued, "The fans of the Pirates deserve a winner, 18 years is way too long. To have the most beautiful ballpark in all of baseball, we plan to give the fans a show, hopefully all the way through October."