2010 Forecast, Holidays Edition, Part 3

So far in this series we've covered starting pitchers, catchers, and first basemen. That means that tonight it's time to cover the middle infield. For the last couple years, there were very few question marks at these positions, as Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson had the 4 and 6 locked down as one of the best double play combinations in the National League. However, they were both traded last July and now the Pirates have a whole mess of options to fill the voids. Let's get to it, here's how I think the 2010 Opening Day roster will look in terms of middle infield, accompanied with the peaks and expectations.

Second Basemen:

• Akinori Iwamura:
  2009: 69 G, .290 AVG, 1 HR, 22 RBI, 9 SB
  Iwamura was an offseason addition for the Pirates, coming over in a trade that sent Jesse Chavez to Tampa Bay (Jesse has since been traded to Atlanta). Iwamura is a solid player. He plays great defense, hits for solid average, and can steal some bases when you need him to. There is nothing super about him, but he is one of those guys you can count on to play well when you need him to. He missed a lot of last year due to injury, but those numbers he put up in his time on the field were very impressive. If he can keep those paces up, he could become one of the Pirates' best players (which probably isn't saying too much).
  2010 peak: 155 G, .295 AVG, 7 HR, 60 RBI
  2010 expectation: 145 G, .280 AVG, 3 HR, 45 RBI


• Delwyn Young:
  124 G, .266 AVG, 7 HR, 43 RBI
  Delwyn Young was one of the few pleasant surprises on the 2009 Pirates. They got him in a trade with the Dodgers, and he came over and played some solid baseball with the Pirates. His defense was below average everywhere he played, which is really why the signing of Iwamura happened, but he was really solid with the bat. His average was over .300 for a good part of the season, but he struggled mightily down the stretch and his numbers fell fast. He showed some pop, and showed that he can get hits in big situations, which led the Pirates to giving him a chance to show his worth at being the every day second baseman at the end of the year. The test failed, and Delwyn's struggles at the plate, and especially in the field, left him to be looked at as only a bench player. He will back up Iwamura this year, and will most likely be the Pirates primary pinch hitter in 2010. He bats switch, so matchups don't really matter with him. He is a solid player to have on the roster and I'm expecting good things from him this year.
  2010 peak: 100 G, .285 AVG, 12 HR, 45 RBI
  2010 expectation: 60 G, .275 AVG, 4 HR, 30 RBI

The other guy the Pirates have that can play second base is Ramon Vazquez. Vazquez signed with the Pirates last offseason and did not do too much to impress anybody last year. He hit .230 with only 16 RBI in his 204 at bats. He is a good guy to have on the roster for utility purposes, he can play a number of positions, however I'm not sure if he will be on the roster next season. He is currently on the active roster, and he isn't a guy who is going to play at all in the minor leagues, so if the Pirates don't cut him this offseason or in spring training, he will be a bench player for the Pirates. I would be sort of surprised to see him in a Pirates uniform next year, but there's probably something obvious that I don't know here.


Anyways that took a lot longer than I expected and I gotta wrap it up. I'll be back tomorrow night with short stops and third basemen (or maybe just shortstops).