6 Pittsburgh Pirates

Two young players with star potential emerged last season--that's a start, at least

Nothing felt right. Last spring, for the first time since he was a pencil-thin teen pitching on the rugged fields of Culiacan, Mexico, Oliver Perez felt lost on the mound. "I didn't know what I was doing," says the 23-year-old lefthander. "It was like I'd completely forgotten how to pitch." The Pirates had ordered Perez to overhaul the delivery he'd used all his life, an erratic and convoluted motion that the coaches thought would lead to arm trouble. "He was throwing at all kinds of arm angles, from all kinds of balance points, with a different follow-through on each pitch," says pitching coach Spin Williams. "We wanted to simplify everything for him."

After hitters battered Perez all spring--he allowed 16 runs and 22 hits in 161/3 innings while throwing with a more compact motion and consistent arm angles--he found his groove in his first regular-season start. "I felt good," Perez says. "I couldn't explain it, but everything felt smooth for the first time." Two weeks later the refurbished Perez struck out 10 Reds in a complete-game shutout, and Pittsburgh had an ace to build around. After their 12th straight losing season in 2004, however, the Pirates remain under construction.

"We lost 89 games last year, but there were a lot of good things that happened on this team," says shortstop Jack Wilson. "Maybe the biggest thing of all was how, overnight, Oliver became one of the best pitchers in the game." That's only a slight exaggeration. Perez finished 2004 ranked fourth in the National League in strikeouts (239), sixth in ERA (2.98) and third in opponent batting average (.207). Only seven pitchers in history have had a higher single-season strikeout rate than Perez's 10.97 K's per nine innings. "He's the closest thing to Randy Johnson you'll see," raved Braves third baseman Chipper Jones, after facing Perez last July. "He can throw it 97 mph, and he's got a developing changeup."

Pittsburgh is counting on Perez to anchor a starting rotation that was 12th in the league with a 4.68 ERA and enters the season loaded with uncertainties. Among them: Can Josh Fogg pick up where he left off (5--3, 3.32 ERA in 15 starts after the All-Star break)? Can Kip Wells, who was bothered last year by elbow pain, stay healthy? After a rocky season in Oakland, can Mark Redman, acquired from the A's for All-Star catcher Jason Kendall, regain the consistency he had with the Marlins during their '03 world championship run?

The Pirates have another up-and-comer in leftfielder Jason Bay, 26, an oenophile and opera lover from British Columbia who became the franchise's first Rookie of the Year, despite missing the first month and a half recovering from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Although he hit .282 with 26 homers and a .550 slugging percentage in a lineup that ranked 13th in the league in slugging (.401), homers (142) and runs (680), Bay says he wasn't at full strength at any point. Over the winter he trained hard at a Seattle community college with close friend and Indians outfield prospect Grady Sizemore. "Because of my shoulder, I never got a chance to get into good playing shape," he says. "It's great to be able to go into this year feeling 100 percent."

As a minor leaguer Bay displayed good plate discipline and had a robust on-base percentage, but last season he struck out 129 times in 411 at bats. "I think that's a sign of how much better he's going to get," says Pittsburgh manager Lloyd McClendon. "You know those strikeouts are going to come down, and when they do, watch out."

With players like Perez and Bay, McClendon believes the Pirates' first winning season since '92--when McClendon was a backup outfielder for the club--is right around the corner. "Last year we won three games less than we won the year before, but we had one of the youngest teams in baseball, and in August we were three games below .500 and playing well," he says. "We're seeing our youngsters grow up, get better and come together. For a small-market team like us, that's all you can hope for." --A.C.

In Fact

Pirates pitchers allowed the fewest home runs of any staff in the majors last season--149, down from 178 the year before.

Enemy Lines

an opposing team's scout sizes up the Pirates

"THIS IS not a good lineup. They will really miss Jason Kendall's offense and ability to get on base. Benito Santiago can't stay healthy, and he just turned 40.... Craig Wilson is a DH in first baseman's clothing. He's a good offensive player with power, but he should be in the AL.... This is not a good infield. If the ball isn't hit to Jack Wilson, they're in trouble.... Jose Castillo has a lot of potential. He was pushed to the big leagues too quickly last year, but in their situation, they have to play him.... Jose Mesa still throws hard at age 103, has a great work ethic and is in good shape. He's really the savior for this club.... A big question is whether righty Ryan Vogelsong will ever harness the talent he has. His stuff is solid, but he couldn't get anyone out last year.... The strength of this team is its lefthanded relievers--Mike Johnston, Mike Gonzalez and John Grabow. They all throw 90 to 92 mph, and they all have good breaking balls. I think they're dangling Grabow out there to try to get an outfielder. They will have to deal one of them to get some kind of run production."

The Lineup

projected roster with 2004 statistics

Batting Order

RF Lawton

SS J. Wilson

LF Bay

1B C. Wilson

3B Wigginton

CF T. Redman

C Santiago

2B Castillo

TIKE REDMAN

B-T L

PVR 189

BA .280

HR 8

RBI 51

SB 18

JASON BAY

B-T R

PVR 75

BA .282

HR 26

RBI 82

SB 4

MATT LAWTON [New acquisition]

B-T L-R

PVR 93

BA .278

HR 20

RBI 70

SB 23

JACK WILSON

B-T R

PVR 254

BA .308

HR 11

RBI 59

SB 8

JOSE CASTILLO

B-T R

PVR 267

BA .256

HR 8

RBI 39

SB 3

TY WIGGINTON

B-T R

PVR 170

BA .261

HR 17

RBI 66

SB 7

CRAIG WILSON

B-T R

PVR 104

BA .264

HR 29

RBI 82

SB 2

BENITO SANTIAGO [New acquisition]

B-T R

PVR 259

BA .274

HR 6

RBI 23

SB 1

BENCH

ROB MACKOWIAK

B-T L-R

PVR 208

BA .246

HR 17

RBI 75

SB 13

DARYLE WARD

B-T L

PVR 276

BA .249

HR 15

RBI 57

SB 0

HUMBERTO COTA

B-T R

PVR 343

BA .227

HR 5

RBI 8

SB 0

2004 RECORD

72--89

fifth in

NL Central

MANAGER

Lloyd McClendon

fifth season with Pittsburgh

ROTATION

[originallink:10808691:720496]

PITCHER	PVR	W	L	S	WHIP	ERA
RH Jose Mesa	82	5	2	43	1.41	3.25
LH Mike Gonzalez	109	3	1	1	0.88	1.25
RH Salomon Torres	151	7	7	0	1.18	2.64

New acquisition (R) Rookie B-T: Bats-throws IPS: Innings pitched per start WHIP: Walks plus hits per inning pitched

PVR: Player Value Ranking (explanation on page 69)

COLOR PHOTO

DAVID MAXWELL/EPA

HOT COMMODITY

Perez, 23, gives the Pirates what every team covets: a promising young lefthanded starter.

COLOR PHOTO

SEAN BRADY/WIREIMAGE.COM

Jack Wilson