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)