THE BULLPEN

     "Pitchers and catchers report". That is 4 of Mrs. Black-N-Gold's favorite words in the English language. It's no secret, Mrs. Black-N-Gold has been anxiously awaiting the opening of spring training for our Pittsburgh Pirates. The arrival of pitchers and catchers (along with position players that want to escape the cold weather and get a jump on the season) is just the tip of the iceberg (considering the cold temps in the 'Burgh, the pun is intended). The Bucs may have most of the roster already penciled in but many questions about this team remain. Today, Mrs. Black-N-Gold will look at 5 questions surrounding the Buccos. Hopefully, as spring progresses and we get closer to Opening Day, those questions will be answered.

1)Who's on first? Thanks to Abbott and Costello, this was an easy 1st question. Unfortunately, it's also been a question that has plagued the Pittsburgh Baseball Club for years. Instead of drafting and developing a legitimate first basemen, the Pirates prefer to give virtually anyone who hasn't panned out elsewhere on the diamond a chance to play first (see Alvarez, Pedro). This year's model is OF/C John Jaso, he of the 5 MLB innings at 1B. At least it seems Jaso is embracing the move, unlike the aforementioned El Toro. Jaso is a left-handed bat that doesn't hit for power but is an OBP-machine. He's expected to split time with OF/1B Michael Morse. Neither player will be confused with any Gold Glove winners, that's for sure. Supposedly, Jaso and Morse will keep the spot warm until another converted OF, Josh Bell, is ready to make the move to the majors.

2)Can the Outfield of Dreams carry this team? Now that Alvarez and 2B Neil Walker are gone and 3B Jung Ho Kang is recovering from a serious knee injury, the Pirates need CF Andrew McCutchen & Co. to provide the majority of this team's offense. Fans have to hope that Cutch doesn't start to decline in his age 29 season. That means, he'll need to get out of the gates fast and injury-free. Hopefully that nagging knee that slowed him early last season is behind him. We also need LF Starling Marte to take another step towards stardom. He started off 2015 red-hot but faded in the 2nd half. Expect more stellar defense from the Gold Glove winner. RF Gregory Polanco needs to, finally, show everyone what is so darned special about him. El Coffee started to pick it up in the 2nd half of the season. He's another one that needs to take that next step forward.

3)Can the pitching staff hold until reinforcements arrive? The Pirates have as solid a 1-2 punch as any rotation with RH Gerrit Cole and LH Francisco Liriano. Luckily, neither spent a day on the DL last season. Both recorded at least 200 strikeouts, too. The Bucs will need the Cole Train and Frankie to, at least, repeat last year's performances if they hope to make a 4th straight postseason appearance. The 3-5 pitchers are a huge question mark with LH Jon Niese, RH Ryan Vogelsong and LH Jeff Locke. All 3 have the reclamation look about them. Niese is trying to get his career back on track in Pittsburgh after an exile in the Mets bullpen the last 2 months of the season. Vogelsong is attempting to show that their is still life left in his 39-year-old arm, especially enduring injuries in his last 2 season in San Fran. And Locke is hoping that pitching coach Ray Searage can help save his faltering career. Mrs. Black-N-Gold hopes that rotation can at least hold it together until mid to late June when, perhaps, RH Tyler Glasnow and/or RH Jameson Tallion may be ready for a trip to Pittsburgh.

4)Will the Pirates find the D? The Pirates once prided themselves as a sturdy, defensive team. That mantle has fallen off the past few seasons. By jettisoning Walker and Alvarez, the Bucs may have improved the right side of the infield with 2B Josh Harrison and the Jaso/Morse/Bell experiment at first. Once Kang is back in the lineup, he and SS Jordy Mercer will make the left side formidable. The Outfield of Dreams should be able to cover vast expanses of green at PNC. And Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart are rock solid behind the plate. Maybe the Pirates can make up for any lack of offense in the lineup by playing a stout defense.

5)Can this team return to the postseason for a 4th straight year? Make this a 2-part question, the 2nd part being "can they get past the Wild Card, too?" One thing is for certain, the Pirates sure didn't win the award for Best Offseason. But championships are not won in the winter. Good thing. We'll have to wait and see if they Bucs make it to the BUCN playoffs this year and just how far they'll go.

     If Mrs. Black-N-Gold had to make her bold prediction today (she doesn't), she'd have this team pegged at 73-78 wins. Not good enough, Buccos. We'll see how things shake out in spring training. Maybe one of the youngsters will push to make the Opening Day roster. Perhaps another arm or two will make themselves available. As Mrs. Black-N-Gold likes to say "Hope springs eternal". Let's Go Bucs!!!!!