| Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Report | Minor Leaguer 40 Man and Non-Roster Invitees | Return to Spring Report |

Pittsburgh Pirates Spring Training 2006 Report

The Pirates continue to tinker with the mix to find the balance between their acquisitions and farm talent.

The Bucs are blessed with a batch of talented, hungry young pitchers. They've given a few exposure to the big leagues, which hasn't yielded immediate dividends, but will pay off in the long run when these guys return for more sustained shots at a major league career on a club with one of the lightest green caps in baseball.

Arms

Zach Duke is the new Buc brand name. The lefty went 12-3 in Indianapolis last year, with a 2.92 on 108 innings of work striking out 66 and only allowing 35 earned runs for the Indians.

Bryan Bullington was a staple pitcher for the Indians last season. He got a brief taste of Pittsburgh last year. He'll probably return to Indy this Spring but could go higher.

The Bucs gave several pitchers with good records a shot at the bigs. Tom Gorzelanny and Mike Johnson look to start in the minors again this Spring, while Paul Maholm has a shot at the big league club.

Brandon Duckworth comes in from the Astros organization, where he played largely for AAA Round Rock. If he can find his feet after three years with the Phils and Astros, he may find a home in Pittsburgh. Jonah Bayliss comes in from the Royals organization, having spent most of his time last season with Wichita where he had a 2.84 ERA with 63 strikeouts and only 18 earned runs. He may find the opportunity that he's looking for if he can kick it up in his farm assignment.

Matt Capps played well enough with the Hickory Crawdads last season to get an invitation to Spring. He looked good, but he'll probably start no higher than Altoona.

Plate

Catcher Ronny Paulino moved from Altoona to Indianapolis in 2005, which is where he probably will remain parked, with another taste of the major leagues some time this season.

Base Path

Of the developing infielders, we like J.J. Furmaniak (MLN FAB50 2005 No. 13), who turned it on in the end of 2005 but failed to land a NRI spot. He's a motivator and leads by example, something of which the Pirates clubhouse could use more. Brad Eldred who batted .333 in Altoona, .282 in Indy, and .221 in Pittsburgh last season on about an equal number of games. Craig Stansberry and Javier Guzman both burned it up in Lynchburg, but cooled in Altoona. That's where they'll probably pick it up in 2006.

Deep Grass

We expect Chris Duffy to go major league after posting a burning .308 stint in Indy followed by a .341 run for the Bucs. Nate McClouth will probably join him. Rajai Davis should move up to Indy.