Pittsburgh Pirates

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.

So far, I've taken quite a beating on my predictions for the American League.  Choosing the Rays to finish last in the AL East stirred up a little bit of debate.  But, hey, it's all part of the game.  Everyone makes their bold predictions, and that's mine for the upcoming season.

Will I be correct?

Probably not, but it never hurts to make a bold prediction. 

I Hate Mondays is columnist Dave Golokhov's pessimistic, sarcastic compiled thoughts on sports. For a more regular dose tag-in at Twitter with @davegolokhov

Valentine's Day is the universal day for showing some love. It's a record day for chocolate and flower traffic among couples, and it's probably a record day of traffic on PlentyOfFish and RedTube for those batting singles.

A day following the announcement of Chuck Tanner’s death, we have read what a wonderful man he was.

This praise is most deserved. He was always positive, always helpful. From nursing his wife back to health after a stroke to seemingly befriending everyone he met, Chuck Tanner was a truly wonderful person.

Our 2011 fantasy baseball projections will be released one-by-one until the top 100 players have been revealed. These rankings consider past achievements, current performance and expected future results based on standard 5×5 H2H settings.

Andrew McCutchen followed up his promising 2009 rookie campaign with 16 HRs, 33 steals and a .286 batting average last year for the Pirates.

This winter is going to be long and hard for Pennsylvania sports fans, as the Pittsburgh Steelers ended a promising season with a Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Pirates begin what will likely be a record setting 19th straight losing season.
 

Yes, the word optimism and the Pittsburgh Pirates does not ordinarily fit into the same sentence, but their are a few reasons for the city of Pittsburgh to look for the light at the end of an 18-year-long tunnel.

The Pirates are coming off a 105 loss season, but with the additions of some veteran players and the continued development of the young players in the current lineup, the Pirates could be better this season. 

With the Pirates likely done improving the team via free agency, there still could be a trade or two that could better the club, not only in the short-term but more importantly the long-term.

The Pirates front office has made it known to clubs that it would be open to dealing both catcher Ryan Doumit and starting pitcher Paul Maholm.

There is little doubt when someone says that Andrew McCutchen is among the best outfielders in baseball, is there? The question is, at 24 years old, exactly how do we compare him to the rest of the field? Do we rank him based on what he has shown in the past or what we think the future holds (and realize that he could fulfill his potential as soon as 2011)?

The Pittsburgh Pirates had little reason to smile last season, holding the worst record in Major League Baseball by a full four games. At 57 wins with 105 losses, the Pirates won just 17 games on the road en route to their 18th consecutive losing season. That's right, 18 years in a row they have had a losing season, which also happens to be the longest streak in professional sports today.