Well after the first week of spring training, the position players start reporting for spring training. And now that the position players are in Bradenton, the main focus of spring training is focused most of team chemistry. I will also go over anymore position battles that are arising.

Manager John Russell wants to use spring training as a bonding experience after the Pirates made seven trades last June and July. The Pirates have a fairly settled team considering they lost 99 games last season. Jeff Clement will try to make the conversion from catcher to first baseman, and if that fails, then RF Garrett Jones would shift to first and Ryan Church likely would move in as the starting right fielder.

Player Notes

--INF Ramon Vazquez underwent arthroscopic microfracture surgery on his right knee in mid-November, he revealed when he reported to spring training. The procedure was not as invasive as many of the microfracture surgeries NBA players have undergone in recent years, and Vazquez is expected to be ready for opening day.

--3B Neil Walker is going to work out at various positions this spring, including catcher. Walker was a catcher when the Pirates selected him in the first round of the 2004 draft but was switched to third base in 2007 while playing at Class AA. He has spent the past two seasons as the starting third baseman at Class AAA Indianapolis, but 3B Pedro Alvarez, the Pirates' top prospect, is likely to begin the season at that level this year, and 3B Andy LaRoche is the starter in the major leagues.

--RHP Craig Hansen will throw off a mound March 10 for the first time since being sidelined by a rare nerve condition in his upper back last April. The Pirates' training staff has no timetable for when Hansen might be able to see game action.

--RHP Jose Ascanio will be examined by orthopedist James Andrews on Feb. 25 in Pensacola, Fla. Andrews operated on Ascanio's shoulder last October. Ascanio won't be able to pitch in games until at least early June.

--RHP Tyler Yates, who had a second Tommy John ligament replacement surgery on his elbow last year during the All-Star break, has progressed to playing long toss. He likely will be ready to pitch in games sometime in July.

Injury Report

Right-handed reliever Joel Hanrahan was found have a pronator-flexor strain in his pitching elbow. He may not be able to throw for a month and seems likely to begin the season on the disabled list.

"I felt good coming into minicamp and I probably tried to crank it up a little too much there," Hanrahan said. "I tried to psyche myself out and say the pain I felt wasn't really anything. I took a week off after minicamp. I didn't feel great but I felt like I could throw. But I know that I'm not doing myself or the team any good by trying to throw now. I've got to let it get better." While Hanrahan is out, Evan Meek will take over 7th inning duties.

The battle between Daniel McCutchen and Kevin Hart continue on, and it will take a good amount of spring training games before we know who will have that fifth spot. So, look for my third report next Friday, March 5th.

~Josh Redcay (joshrcay)

With 17 losing seasons and counting, the Pirates will definetly need guys to step up this season. Guys that are young and have yet to do something special. There is one guy in particular that will need to have a step-it-up year hitting 2nd in the batting lineup. That man is second baseman Akinori Iwamura.

Iwamura made his MLB debut in 2007 as a 28 year old rookie for the Tampa Bay Rays. He started out his career by playing in 123 games for the Rays. He hit 7 HRs with 34 RBIs and 82 runs scored. He had a decent .285 avg. with 140 hits, 21 doubles, and 10 triples. The very next year he played as an all-time starter for the Rays with 152 games played. Despite playing more games, he had one less HR with 6. His batting average also dropped at .274 and 48 RBIs with 91 runs scored. He also had 172 hits with 30 doubles and 9 triples. His plate discipline got worse over these two years, but everything else improved, due to playing more games.

Last year, Iwamura only played 69 games after a torn anterior ligament which ended his 2009 season. Iwamura only hit one homer and had 22 RBIs with 28 runs scored because of the injury. Although he did have a .290 avg. which was an improvement. He had 67 hits, 16 of which were doubles and 2 triples. So, after his 2009 season, Iwamura improved his plate discipline, but no one knows whether or no Iwamura will improve anymore. That's the real question here...can he step it up?

Well looking into the 2010 season, Iwamura is very optimistic. Talking about his injury through an interpreter, Iwamura said "It feels very good, but it's still not 100 percent, but I proved last year I can still play at a high level. I think I can play just like I did in the World Series. It will be fine next season, completely healthy." At age 30 though, is Iwamura really healthy and ready to go? We will find that out in spring training.

Iwamura is a decent on-base type that is fairly consistent. He doesn't hit many homers nor steal many bases, though. He is the guy that I think needs to be the most improved player for the Pirates to break this losing streak. He needs to hit at least .295 and hit about 10 homers to be called an improvement. If he can live up to those small expectations and stay healthy, he will be a nice little help to guys like Garret Jones, Andrew McCutchen, and Ryan Doumit in their quest to break the 17.

~Josh Redcay {joshrcay} (Ephrata, PA)

Welcome to the 2010 pre-season for the MLB, it's going to be quite a year. And this means that the Pirates pitchers and catchers reported to Bradenton, FL for the start of spring training. This will be one of my many reports on spring training throughout the rest of February and March. Some new additions going into spring this year include second baseman Akinora Iwamura , outfielder Ryan Church, and closer Octavio Dotel. We'll have to wait and see how these guys perform, but now let's get onto the first report from spring training. On the first day, Neil Walker geared up as catcher for the Pirates pitchers. No, there are no position changes...Walker just said he was "exploring his options" and just "knocking some rust off". Ryan Doumit still obviously has the starting job. One big position battle that may have already been settled is Kevin Hart over Daniel McCutchen for the starting fifth spot. Well just today it all points to Kevin Hart for the starting job. Manager John Russell said that Hart would be one of the starters and McCtuchen among the bullpen, although Russell was hesitant to actually confirm Hart has the job. Russell, talking about Hart said, "He's going to do everything he can to make sure he makes a good impression and shows he's ready for it. We've got some other very good candidates, but he's working awfully hard. Time will tell, but he's in a good position right now." Hart only went 1-8 last year with a 6.92 ERA last year after being traded to the Pirates. "We're working on some new mechanics and a new windup, so it's really just muscle memory," Hart said. "This offseason, I was in front of the mirror every night, working on getting to the same points. You have to train your muscles to repeat the motions." Hart has been working on slowing down his delivery to give his balls more of a sink. Hart looked very sharp yesterday. "He's throwing the ball really, really well," Russell said, arching eyebrows in emphasis. "So we're very excited." There is also news that the Pirates want to get Jeff Clement into the lineup, so either Lastings Millidge or Ryan Church may have to sit on the bench to let Jones play outfield and let Clement play 1B. Clement hit .274 with 21 homers and 90 RBIs in Triple A last year. We'll have to wait and see what happens over the course of the spring. NOTES: Outfielder Ryan Church checked into camp on Friday. Only seven position players - including Andrew McCutchen, Lastings Milledge, Delwyn Young and Ronny Cedeno - have not yet been spotted at Pirate City. The first full-squad workout is Tuesday. ... Reliever Jean Machi was given medical clearance Friday and threw a bullpen session. He was held out of Thursday's workout and had extra physical tests. Look for my second report coming next week sometime. ~Josh Redcay (joshrcay)

Every manager wants a bench that provides depth and power from both sides of the plate but not many managers have this luxury. Well it appears as if this year John Russell of the Pittsburgh Pirates might have this luxury. The Pirates have a very good balance on their bench with two switch hitters, a lefty batter, and two right handed batters. This will give the Pirates plenty of options this year in pinch hitting situations and depth to help them overcome injuries.

Bobby Crosby: As a right handed batter, he provides the power off the bench for the Pirates against left handed relievers, he backs up three positions, first base, shortstop and third base.

Jeff Clement/Ryan Church: Both of these batters provide the Pirates with power from the left side of the plate and a spring training competition will decide which one of these guys starts and which one sits on the bench. Ryan Church backs up all three outfield spots and Jeff Clement backs up first base and catcher.

Delwyn Young: A switch hitter with some power from the left side but very little power from the right side, he has been among the league leaders in pinch hits over the past few years. He backs up both corner outfield spots and second base.

John Raynor: The Pirates rule 5 draft pick from this year who will be used as the teams primary pinch runner, he provides some power as a right handed batter and should be useful as a pinch hitter. He is a reserve outfielder who can play all three outfield positions, he could also be used in late game situations as a defensive replacement if necessary.

Jason Jaramillo: A switch hitting catcher who provides a solid bat off the bench, while he is not a very big home run threat, he is always a threat to come up with a huge extra base hit. He only backs up the catcher position and he does a fine job of it when called upon.

Ultimately, the Pirates quest for the NL Central division crown will be helped significantly if these guys can provide them with clutch hits in late game situations. A strong bench makes a managers job much easier and it is something that the Pirates have lacked over the past few years.

~Josh (Pittsburghbaseball)

When the Pittsburgh Pirates traded Nyjer Morgan last year, many of the fans and players were unhappy with this move. Nyjer was a fan favorite as well as a good influence and friend to all in the Pirates clubhouse. The Pirates management gave the usual explanation for the trade by saying, this move was what is best for the team. In return for Nyjer Morgan, the Pirates received Lastings Milledge an outfielder from the Washington Nationals. Lastings Milledge was 24 at the time, 5 years younger than the player he was traded for. However, when Milledge made his debut with the Pirates, he was playing for his third major league team in just 4 years in the big leagues.

Lastings Milledge played his first year of pro baseball in 2003 after getting drafted by the Mets in the first round of the 2003 draft. He quickly became the Mets top prospect and he was compared to former Mets great Darryl Strawberry. Lastings Milledge Milledge made his major league debut on the same day Darryl Strawberry had many years before, May 30, 2006. A game tying home run early in his career quickly made Milledge a fan favorite, and the fans gave him the nickname "Blastings Thrilledge". However maturity issues were a problem for young Milledge during his time with the Mets and he was eventually traded to Washington for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider.

This offseason, Milledge has been working hard and he showed up to the Pirates minicamp this year in the best shape of his life. he batted .291 with 4 homeruns for the pirates after rehabbing in the minors from a wrist injury, the Pirates believe Mr. Milledge has proven to be a mature baseball player who is ready to produce in the big leagues. Milledge comes into this season looking to prove all the skeptics wrong and show that he can put together a good season in left field. Look for "Blastings Thrilledge" to make an impact for the Pirates in their pursuit of the NL Central division title in 2010.

~Josh (Pittsburghbaseball)

Injuries, injuries, and more injuries is the real story for this guy. If Doumit can stay healthy...watch for him, as he is one of the three standout guys for the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ryan Doumit made his MLB debut for the Pirates in 2005 as a catcher. His first year he only played 75 games and put up 6 HRs with a pretty medicore .255 batting avgerage, but it was his rookie season. In 2006 he played in 61 games and another 6 HRs and an ugly .208 average. In 2007 he began to look like he might be improving with 83 games played and 9 HRs with a .274 average. Well, he was going in the right direction....

In 2008, Ryan Doumit finally had his breakout year where he played 116 games...his first season having played over 100 games. He hit 15 HRs, had a nice .318 average, and hit 68 RBIs in a not-so-stellar lineup. He also scored 71 runs and had 137 hits with 34 doubles and no triples. This breakout year set fairly high expectations for his 2009 year.

Well, he started off fairly well, untill in mid-April when he broke his wrist. A broken wrist can mess with the swing and effectiveness of the swing for a player. Well, this hurt him mightily. Everything went south from there for Doumit. He only played 71 games because of the injury, he hit 10 HRs, and had a lackluster .250 average. He got 38 RBIs and 31 runs scored with 70 hits, 16 of which were doubles. But not so fast my friend, Doumit hit .346 in September of 2009, showing he might have been making a little bit of a turnaround.

In the first two monts of 2010, I think Doumit will have struggles...maybe only hitting about .260 in April and May. This happens quite often with injuries the year before. But, if he stays healthy, he could easily hit about .310-.320 and hit 20+ homers. This would put him in the top 8 catchers in the league. Although Doumit may not have huge power numbers, he does hit for average and has fairly low strikeout totals, showing nice plate discipline.

Ryan Doumit is one of the three guys to watch for the Pirates in 2010. Those other two are Andrew McCutchen and Garret Jones. But one thing is for certain, Doumit MUST stay healthy for the Pirates to get out of this horrible streak of losing seasons.

~Josh Redcay (joshrcay)