AUTHOR: Josh TITLE: The Pittsburgh Pirates Offensive Lineup DATE: 11:54:00 AM ----- BODY:

1. Andrew McCutchen, CF: He has more power and speed than your average leadoff man and he is the Pirates biggest basestealing threat. He will attempt to bunt for some base hits but his extra base hit power will have him swinging the bat most of the time. 2. Akinori Iwamura, 2B: He is the prototype 2 hole batter as he has decent speed and he can hit the ball to the opposite field and is very good at moving runners. His speed and instincts allow him to be somewhat of a basestealing threat but he doesnt steal many bases. 3. Garret Jones, 1B: He is a middle of the order power guy who consistently makes hard contact, his great line drive power makes him a threat to drive in a lot of runs. After he walks or gets a single, he is somewhat of a basestealing threat as he stole 9 bases on 11 attempts in 82 games last season. 4. Ryan Doumit, C: He is injury prone but when he is at 100% he can be a bigtime run producer. He has a career high of 15 homeruns but dont let this fool you, if he could stay healthy he will be a power threat who bats for a high average. He is not a base stealing threat but he has surprising speed for a catcher as he will score from first base on most doubles hit by his teammates. 5. Ryan Church, RF: He is in a contract year at age 31 and looking to set new career highs in homeruns and RBIs. He is not a huge power threat but his ability to bat for a high average with extra base hit power will be crucial in protecting the guys in front of him in the lineup. He is not a basestealing threat but he will sneak a stolen base every so often. 6. Lastings Milledge, LF: He has good speed and gap power which allows him to drive in his fair share of runs. He is coming into camp in great shape looking to set a new career high in homeruns this season. He is a threat to steal second anytime he reaches first base safely. 7. Andy LaRoche, 3B: He has decent extra base hit power but he will not hit many homeruns. Since he plays the same position as the Pirates top prospect Pedro Alvarez, he will probably be replaced at midseason. He is not a base stealing threat and he does not have very good speed when running the basepaths. 8. Ronny Cedeno, SS: He has good speed and has surprising power for a guy his size. He lacks plate discipline however and his ability as a leadoff man will never show itself until his plate discipline improves. He is a base stealing threat but he does not steal very often. His job in the Pirates lineup will be to get on base to clear the pitchers spot in the order and to act as an extra leadoff man to flip the order around faster.

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: TColumbus DATE:2/11/2010 12:37:00 PM I agree reaching firstbase safely is a prerequisite to stealing second, Cedenos' power shouldn't surprise anyone he's crushed 23 homeruns in 1200 at bats. ----- --------