Clint Hurdle

Having a great manager doesn't guarantee postseason success.

Games are still won on the field, but managers are tasked with putting players in the best position to succeed.

Bruce Bochy didn't have a ton of success before joining the San Francisco Giants in 2007. Before arriving in San Francisco, Bochy managed the San Diego Padres for 12 seasons. 

A year after winning 94 games and reaching the postseason for the first time since 1992, the Pittsburgh Pirates rewarded the architect of the team, general manager Neal Huntington, and manager Clint Hurdle with three-year contract extensions.

From the Pirates' official website:

After guiding the Pittsburgh Pirates to the postseason for the first time since 1992, Clint Hurdle was named National League Manager of the Year on Tuesday night by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. Of the 30 ballots completed, Hurdle was awarded first-place votes by 25 of the baseball scribes covering the sport around the country.

Pitch counts, innings limit...they're all terms we've heard over the last year.

From Stephen Strasburg to various rookies in the big leagues for the first time, managers and general managers alike have taken an interest in saving the arms of their young players.

Despite the recent dry spell that has seen the team lose eight straight, the Pittsburgh Pirates' 2011 season will be defined by the total cultural turnaround that saw the team stay in contention for the NL Central Division lead through June and July.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are only 18 games into the season and you already hear faint rumbles in the media world regarding the early struggles of Pedro Alvarez. Alvarez, to his credit, is taking the slump in stride. He has repeatedly said he isn't concerned, nor should he be.  

The Pirates will be making their 2011 PNC Park debut today at 1:30 pm against the Colorado Rockies.

This is arguably the first opener that has had a buzz since the stadium opened in 2001. The Pirates are bringing a 4-2 record home to Pittsburgh.

This team is still a work in progress.

The baseball season isn't even a week old yet. They have only played six games out of 162. The weather in Pittsburgh hasn't even broke 60 degrees yet. We know that.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates acquired Charlie Morton from the Atlanta Braves as part of the controversial Nate McLouth trade in 2009, it was a very unpopular trade to say the least.

Not only did the Pirates trade away a fan favorite and arguably their best player, they received more minor league prospects in return—that concept has been occurring way too often in Pittsburgh.  

Maybe just maybe, that trade wasn't so lopsided after all.

Today is the first installment of a position-by-position look at the Pittsburgh Pirates camp battles in spring training.

We begin behind the plate, which was a sore spot both offensively and defensively during the 2010 campaign. Teams stole bases on the Pirates pitchers and catchers at an alarming rate a season ago. It was so alarming that it prompted Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington into making some midseason changes.

Neil Walker. Jose Tabata. Pedro Alvarez.

Three names Pittsburgh Pirates fans have probably been familiar with for the years leading up to their major league debuts in 2010. 

Whether it has been through trade or by evaluating talent and drafting the appropriate player, the Pirates have amassed some talent once again in their farm system. 

While some prospects are multiple years away from making an impact at the major-league level; others are primed to make their names known to the fans at PNC Park and around the city of Pittsburgh.