Pittsburgh Pirates 2011 Season

• THE4RINGZ

  

  Opening Day is a month away. What are your hopes, or expectations for this years club?
  
  Can they break out of the basement and end up at least in the middle of the pack, or will this be another year of sub sub-par baseball?
• Heretic

  

  Hopes: young guys get things together, team wins 75 or so while building for future prosperity. Bob Nutting dies (by any means necessary!) and the team winds up in the hands of a high-spending billionaire whose first goal is to buy a winner.
  
  Expectations: team simply doesn't have enough pieces offensively, back-end of bullpen (Hanrahan, Meek, Resop) is good but poor starting pitchers aren't consistently capable of putting them in a position to nail down games until their talented younger guys are ready to ensure guys like Maholm and Corrella no longer have a role with the organization. That could start happening as early as the latter part of this year, but 2012 is more likely. They're essentially like the Indians, but one year farther away. Cleveland won at AA two years ago and AAA last year. Pittsburgh won at A+ two years ago and AA last year. It's just a matter of the guys who are winning minor league titles being able to contribute at the major league level while A. McCutchen, Alvarez, etc. are still locked up (before 2015).
• rock_knutne

  I have zero expectations!
  
  Again........until the Nutting's sell the franchise, they will continue to stink. Enjoy the bobbleheads, free concerts and fireworks because that's the only thing worth going to PNC Park for.:mad:
• End of Line

  

  I just want a winning season, it won't happen though.....
• killer_ewok

  

  It won't be pretty. Never is.
• Non

  

  They'll stink because of the starting pitching but it's a little more interesting now with the young position players they have and an improving farm system.
• Gardens35

  Indian's fan here, but make the trip from Y'Town to Pittsburgh a couple time a year to cheer on the Bucs. Now I'll post what 'most everyone else does....................What a beautiful place to catch a game!!!
• Heretic

  

  Gardens35;700981 wrote:Indian's fan here, but make the trip from Y'Town to Pittsburgh a couple time a year to cheer on the Bucs. Now I'll post what 'most everyone else does....................What a beautiful place to catch a game!!!

  
  Every time I hear about how it's a great place to catch a game, it reminds me of an Onion story from a few years back about PNC Park going on strike until a better team is provided to play there. Even if it hurts a little on the inside, I still laugh.
• GoPens

  

  Heck, I'd be happy with 90-95 losses. At least it's an improvement, however small. I don't hold out much hope until they get some starting pitching.