A Pirate fanboy venting...

When the season starts and your main goal is to finish above .500, you've got problems. And the Pirates have a lot of fucking problems.

 

Definitely the way to approach it. I've stopped investing in this team. I've damn near given up on them at times, thinking about putting all my eggs in the Royals' basket. That's how little I hope I've placed in the Bucs these days.

 

I don't think Bruce Cowdrey can re-ignite the franchise, either.

Oh, Pittsburgh Pirates.

 

Here's the scary thing: It could get worse.

Aside from Andrew McCutchen, a toolsy AAA outfielder, the farm system is barren. It's probably one of the three worst in baseball. This team will be competitive only if the rotation stays healthy and pitches WAY over their heads.

 

And the worst part about the above statement, is IF the pitching pitches over its head, and IF the Bucs somehow get the hitting they need, and IF . . and IF . . . We all know it's a one-year thing. There's very little hope for a prolonged contender.

 

I know some people think it's a crap shoot, but when the Angels can draft Kendrick, Glaus and Erstad and the Twins can draft Mauer, Morneau, Jones, Hunter, Varitek, you just cannoty buy dumb luck falling against the Bucs.

The Pirates have not drafted one decent hitter in 14 years. Not one.

 

And it's tough finding a story line that will get local fans interested in the 2008 Pirates. Last year, at least, there was a new slugger to speculate about, Adam LaRoche. This season there are no new faces above the level of minor league prospects, and some of the old faces are gone (particularly in the bullpen) because the team didn't want to pay what the players were worth. So the team is the same as last year's losing edition, only less.

 

The Twins didn't draft Varitek. The Mariners did.

But I see your point.

 

Twins drafted him, and he did not sign.

The Pirates can't even get that close to a decent player.

 

Oh, out of high school? I just knew the Mariners took him in the first round out of college.

 

Hey, baseballreference.com is one of the greatest websites on the net.

 

The Pirates have signed Jose Macias.

I only post that to say this - I can't believe Dusty didn't get him first.