Alex Presley is one of the bigger question marks on this Pirates roster. He is largely unproven, although he has hit at every level and has been phenomenal the last two years. Hits are coming in bunches this spring for Presley, and things are looking up. He's another guy without much power, but he is going to hit for a very nice batting average and steal some bases if his current success continues. Tabata isn't your prototypical leadoff guy, and you want McCutchen batting third with the power he has, so the Pirates have a nice guy in Presley to put at the top of that lineup. Again, I'm not going to be shocked if pitchers figure him out this year and he doesn't do very well (which wouldn't be the worst thing in the world since Starling Marte should be ready for the show at some point in 2012), but I'm certainly expecting him to help the team a lot at the major league level this year.
There isn't much to be said about Andrew McCutchen that hasn't already been said. He is one of the best players in the game already and he still has room to grow. Fresh off a big-time contract extension, Cutch is looking to bust out this year. The sky is the limit here, and I fully expect the kid to have something like a .320/.400/.500 year, but I'm not going to predict that it'll happen this year. It very well could, the third full season is often the huge one for players like McCutchen, and it would give the Pirates a huge bust if he did something like that. In fact, with the pitching staff seemingly just a year or so away from being seriously competitive, the Pirates might need a monstrous season from Cutch to compete for this division.
Jose Tabata got a contract extension last year that locked him up for six years, which in a way puts some pressure on him. He isn't really a proven guy, but the deal was too good to pass up for the Bucs. Tabata has shown some really good signs at the plate, but has been very streaky. At his best, he's one of the better average hitters in the league, at his worst, it gets pretty ugly. He's a solid outfielders, and that isn't going to change soon. He's still very young and has a ton of upside. The power could develop, although I'm not betting on it. You see my prediction up there, which is kind of conservative. There is certainly a chance that he'll be way better than that, but I just don't think this is the year he puts it all together. Not quite yet. Sooner or later Tabata should be a guy that hits .285/.360/.400 perennially, so let's hope that comes sooner.
It was kind of strange to see the Pirates bring McLouth back for $1.5 million after his dismal few season with the Braves. The Pirates needed a bench outfielder, and Xavier Paul wasn't the guy they were looking for, so they went out and signed Nate the Great, who signed quickly and with a smile on his face. Lots of people think the change of scenery will be good for McLouth and he could return to his 2007-2008 form, but I'm not buying it. That said, he is hitting the ball extremely well this spring. Nate is a good bench guy that can run and play good defense, but I don't think the bat is going to be all that much better than it has been recently. Obviously it will be hard for him to replicate how awful he was last year, so we're all expecting him to improve, but will the improvement be worth $1.5 million for a bench guy? I'm doubting it. However, he looks great in that banner up there, so I'm glad to have him on the team.
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Catcher
First Base
Second Base
Shortstop
Third Base