View The MLB Cappers Leaderboard For 2009 \u00a0– Picks Packages for 2010 On Sale Now! \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/p>\n Manatee College. <\/p>\n That\u2019s the name of the school that beat the Pittsburgh Pirates in an exhibition game last spring. It just had to be Manatee, didn\u2019t it? Couldn\u2019t have been \u201cMountain Lion College\u201d or \u201cEagle College\u201d? <\/p>\n The humiliating defeat set the tone for 2009 and the Pirates, baseball\u2019s laughing stock, never recovered. The question for bettors and fans alike in 2010 is: should we even bother? Well, the forecast remains bleak, but the Pirates have collected enough young talent to give us reason to watch. <\/p>\n There\u2019s no question that Andrew McCutchen was a bright spot last season. He contended for Rookie of the Year honors by hitting .286 with 12 homers and 22 steals over 433 at-bats. He\u2019ll be a fixture atop Pittsburgh\u2019s order all season and should develop 20-homer power. <\/p>\n Another reason for optimism: Garrett Jones. Considered somewhat of an afterthought before his midseason callup at age 28, he slugged 21 homers in half a season. Given his 6\u20194\u201d, 245-pound frame, that number doesn\u2019t look like a fluke. <\/p>\n Arguably, though, the good news ends there. The rest of the lineup looks like nothing but headaches. Sure, Lastings Milledge, Andy LaRoche and Jeff Clement all entered the majors as elite prospects, but they haven\u2019t blossomed and they\u2019re running out of excuses. Akinori Iwamura and catcher Ryan Doumit can help any lineup but they\u2019re both good bets to spend half the season in the infirmary. <\/p>\n Here\u2019s the scary part. Pittsburgh\u2019s offense is its \u201cstrength.\u201d The pitching staff looks hopeless. Zach Duke and Paul Maholm have teased us in the past but neither guy misses enough bats to become anything more than an innings eater. The Pirates are holding out hope for breakouts from Charlie Morton and Ross Ohlendorf but it\u2019s not like they\u2019re blue-chip 20-year-olds. They\u2019re 26 and 27, respectively. The bullpen at least looks the part of major-league material. Octavio Dotel can still throw gas and mow down hitters; if he can stay healthy, he can handle closing duties. Brendan Donnelly rediscovered his arm last year and should be fine in setup duty. <\/p>\n There isn\u2019t a whole lot else to say about Pittsburgh. It plays in baseball\u2019s most crowded division and there\u2019s just no way it can leapfrog four or five teams and earn a postseason berth. Bettors should just sweep them under the rug, as they do every year. <\/p>\nMLB Team Preview \u2013 Pittsburgh Pirates<\/h3>\n
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