Fantasy Take: The Pittsburgh Pirates 2006

by Jonathan Leshanski
February 14, 2006

Fantasy Take: The Pittsburgh Pirates 2006

The Pirates are no longer a fantasy wasteland at least not when it comes to offensive players.   The starting pitching is still weak but could see some better win totals due to a revamped bullpen.

The Best of the Bunch

Jason Bay (OF) - Bay’s a true 5 category contributor but he is constantly underrated by pundits because he plays for the Pirates.   Look beyond his uniform and note the .306-32-101-110 and 21 steals and realize that he’s only 25 years old.  The best is yet to come.

The Second Tier

The Pirates have no real second tier players.

The Third Tier

Joe Randa (3B) - Randa had one of the best seasons of his career last year, setting a personal best in home runs (17) while managing a .276 average.   While that may not blow anyone away, it isn’t bad for a third baseman in the National League.

Jeromy Burnitz (OF) - The 36 year old Burnitz just keeps chugging along - 20 plus home runs, 90 or so RBIs to go with a .260 average is what you get with consistency - more power, more runs, or a better average are always a nice surprise.  His age is the only negative from a guy who’s been consistent for most of his 13 year career.

Sean Casey (1B) - Casey isn’t the kind of guy that will set a fantasy team on fire, but he’s not the kind of player that will hurt you either.   He hits for average, drives in some RBIs and scores some runs.   In 2004 he had a banner year for home runs (24), but he managed only 9 last year.   Treat the home runs as a bonus and think .300-10-75 over a full season.

Freddy Sanchez (SS) - Sanchez hits for average and has a decent OBP.  He’s one of the contenders for the leadoff job despite his lack of speed.  If the Pirates don’t keep Chris Duffy as the everyday centerfielder Sanchez has the chance to improve on his runs scored.  If Duffy sticks, then Sanchez isn’t a good option despite the fact he’s almost certain to improve.

Question Marks:

Craig Wilson (1B/OF) - Is Wilson a bench player? A first baseman?  An outfielder?  A catcher?  All of the above?  Your guess is as good as any at this point for Wilson who managed to play in just 59 games last season.   He has 30 home run power and a good on base percentage so it would seem to be crazy for the Pirates to let him rot on the bench.  He may well be a different type of super sub than the speedy guys who usually fill that role, but as long as he gets at bats he’ll produce in home runs, RBIs and runs scored.   A real bonus is that he might qualify as a catcher again sometime this season.

Damaso Marte (RP) - Is he the closer?  Or perhaps the setup man?   With the acquisition of both Marte and Roberto Hernandez the roles are very unclear.   Marte is younger and probably more durable, which could be in his favor, but it’s very possible this could end up a bullpen by committee.

Roberto Hernandez (RP) - The 41 year old threw like a much younger pitcher last year and had an outstanding season for the New York Mets (8-6. 2.58 ERA, 4 saves, 61 Ks in 69 innings last year.   On paper those look like closer type numbers but Hernandez’s best days are probably behind him.  He’ll get some saves but Damaso Marte has to be considered the favorite for the closer’s job right now.

Oliver Perez (SP) - Perez was a disaster last season and probably will be considered a sleeper pick for this season.   Last year’s struggles were probably due to lack of arm strength as for the first time in his career he skipped pitching in winter ball.   He has made up for it over this off-season and it should be interesting to see if that dominant stuff returns.

Jody Gerut (OF) - Gerut didn’t play much last season and he didn’t produce a lot when he did play.   However his 22 home run season in 2003 and his 11 home run season in 2004 have not been forgotten.  He’s almost assuredly a fourth outfielder and a pinch hitter but if a major injury occurs he might get a chance to redeem himself and earn another shot as an everyday player.