Pirates Optimisim Thread!

[Jake]

Yeah, I can hear. There goes Jake with is delusional spring fantasies. And, in the past, that's what they were. Last year, I didn't even do one of these, I don't think. The years before that were all written from the heart and not the head, with a lot of if's (the proper response to which should have been along the lines of If the Queen had Balls, She'd Be The King.)

 

But, this year is different. There are intangibles this year. Lots of them. There's an excitement I've never felt as a Pirates fan.

 

The big difference this year is depth. In the past, if someone didn't meet their expectations, that was it. This time around, at many positions, there's another guy pushing him. There are young guys in the minors waiting to take any place not claimed.

 

In the past I'd write about different players potential. There was a chance those players would reach that potential, although it was usually slim at best. This year, again, there's a lot of potential out there. Oh, there are still a lot of holes to fill, to be sure. But, a lot of the potential is reachable.

 

So, this will probably be another losing season. I think these guys can win at 77 games this year, which is a 15 game jump over last year. I'm also betting that if you're in second place in September, you won't want to come to PNC park.

 

So, instead of listing who's going to do what, a bunch of what if scenarios, I offer two words:

 

Just watch.

[Sammy Sofa]

WIN IT FOR JAKE, YOU SCUMBAGS.

[Schwarber Fan]

Who do you think the Pirates will trade Garrett Jones to?

[Guest]

I can't wait to see Alvarez in the bigs.

[Guancous]

Andrew McCutcheon is an excellent player. I bet the Pirates are better than the Astros this year.

[wvcbxl]

Preach it, Jake. :good:

 

I'm sure you can count on the support of this board whenever the Pirates play the Cardinals or the Brewers. :wink:

[Outshined_One]

I loved the Pirates 2009 draft strategy. I'm envious.

[Clem Fandango]

I'm always excited to see good young players come up to the bigs, regardless of what team they're playing for. Alvarez is going to be awesome to watch, and personally I'm a pretty big fan of Tim Alderson. Can't believe the Giants traded him for Freddy Sanchez.

[jersey cubs fan]

I loved the Pirates 2009 draft strategy. I'm envious.

 

I'm envious of Pittsburgh fans for the success of the Steelers and Penguins, but I'm not at all envious of anything Pirate related.

[Mike Aller]

It should be pretty awesome to see this thread take a "tiger woods car crash" type turn.

 

That said, the Indians should be pretty awful as well. A friendly little wager?

[Jake]

... personally I'm a pretty big fan of Tim Alderson. Can't believe the Giants traded him for Freddy Sanchez.

 

Neither can I.

[UMFan83]

The Pirates dominated Manatee CC 6-1 today. It truly appears to be the Pirates year.

[Clem Fandango]

The Pirates dominated Manatee CC 6-1 today. It truly appears to be the Pirates year.

 

As someone who grew up in Bradenton and had several high school friends move onto Manatee Community College, that made me laugh pretty hard. Well played, sir.

[Jake]

The Pirates dominated Hated Manatee CC 6-1 today. It truly appears to be the Pirates year.

 

Fixed.

[erik316wttn]

I'm positive the Pirates will play at least 160 games this year.

[Guest]

I'm positive the Pirates will play at least 160 games this year.

If the Cubs don't win the division, I hope the Pirates do.

[Garwilly]

I'm positive the Pirates will play at least 160 games this year.

If the Cubs don't win the division, I hope the Pirates do.

 

I would vote the same way.

[NewUserName]

so besides jake and mike's predictions of their favorite teams being surprise teams. Does anyone else have a team that they think may actually surprise this year? I know the Reds and the Orioles have gotten some pub.

[Cubswin11]

so besides jake and mike's predictions of their favorite teams being surprise teams. Does anyone else have a team that they think may actually surprise this year? I know the Reds and the Orioles have gotten some pub.

If everything goes right with the Nationals rotation (Strasburg is legit, Marquis has a good year for his standards, Wang rebounds, and Lannan/Zimmerman take the next step) I could see them getting into the 72-75 win territory, their offense is more than good enough. Also I don't see the Mariners being all that good this year, their offense is pretty bad and their rotation is questionable at best after Lee/Felix.

[Derwood]

Mariners

[Clem Fandango]

Maaaaarlins

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

so besides jake and mike's predictions of their favorite teams being surprise teams. Does anyone else have a team that they think may actually surprise this year? I know the Reds and the Orioles have gotten some pub.

 

Nolan Ryan said he expects the Rangers to win 92 games this year.