AUTHOR: joshrcay TITLE: The Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Rotation DATE: 8:07:00 AM ----- BODY:

The Pirates pitching has deterioated through the past years, but there is still some young talent left in some of these guys. Some could very well have a break out year and it would be great if two or three guys break out at the same time. So here is the rotation: 1. Ross Ohlendorf Ohlendorf made his MLB debut in 2007 with the Yankees and he was only age 24. That year he only pitched 6 innings, but he struck out 9 and had a 2.80 ERA. Not bad for a rookie. In 2008 he pitched 25 games for the Yankees and then got traded to the Pirates and pitched 5 games. He had a rough year, with a 6.46 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 62 innings. His WHIP was 1.86 and he ended up with a 1-4 record that year. He definetly cleaned up his act last year with a 3.92 ERA and 109 strikeouts in 172 innings. He also lowered his WHIP to 1.23 and got a record of 11-10. I see a huge breakout year coming up for Ohlendorf. Watch him as he will definetly be the Pirates ace and best pitcher for the year. 2. Paul Maholm Maholm made his MLB and Pirates debut in 2003 at age 23. In that first year Maholm pitched 42 innings with an ERA of 2.18. Another notable year for him was in 2008 were he had an ERA of 3.71 and 139 strikeouts in 206 innings. He also had a 1.28 WHIP and a 9-9 record. Last year, he started out as if he were one of the elites with a 3-0 record untill a knee injury took him out. He then went 8-9 with a more dissapointing 4.44 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 194 innings. He had a 1.44 WHIP and looked ok on the mound, but nothing special. I think he is another one of the pitchers on the Pirates who will improve off of last year. He's going to be 28 this year, and could be his breakout year like Ohlendorf. 3. Zach Duke Duke is just like Maholm, he put up great numbers in his rookie season, but then kind of went downhill a little. His MLB debut was in 2005 at age 22 with the Pirates. In his first year, he had a 1.81 ERA with 58 strikeouts in 84 innings. He also had a 1.20 WHIP and an 8-2 record. But then two years later he ended up with a 5.53 ERA. Last year he improved though, with a 4.07 ERA with 106 strikeouts and 213 innings pitched. He also had a 1.32 WHIP and an 11-16 record. He's only 27 going into this season, so he looks to improve as well. These top three guys are guys that I think will improve greatly. 4. Charlie Morton Morton came onto the scene in 2008 with the Braves and had a bad 6.15 ERA. But then last year he improved nicely to a 4.55 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 97 innings. He also had a 1.46 WHIP and a 5-9 record. As much as he improved from 2008 to 2009, I think he could improve that much more. He's only 25 going into the 2010 season, and even though I'm not fully convinced yet, I think he could come through for the Bucs. 5. Daniel McCutchen McCutchen mainly played in the minors. In the minors he had a 3.47 ERA and had 393 strikeouts in 485 innings. He also had a 40-22 record and a 1.12 WHIP. He pitched in 3 games for the Pirates last year with a 1-2 record with a 4.21 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He's only 27, but I just don't know how much more potential he has left in him. Those minor league numbers are impressive, but the MLB is much different than double and triple A ball. We'll see how he does in his first full season. ~Josh Redcay (joshrcay)

----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: erich job DATE:2/11/2010 07:45:00 PM The Pirates have a lot of potential. I wouldn't be surprised if they finished in third place. They know how to use "small ball" to manufacture runs.Ohlendorf,and Duke have finally developed. Maholm is one of the best lefties when he's healthy. I'm not sure about McCutchen,and Morton. They could be decent. ----- COMMENT: AUTHOR: joshrcay DATE:2/12/2010 09:03:00 AM Yea, I'm hoping they can progress forward this year ----- --------