[ifspuds]

Opening Day approaches, but does anyone in Pittsburgh notice? The hometown team is predicted to finish 6th in the National League by experts, but cynical fans are quick to point out that it's not so much that the Pirates improving as the Reds and Dodgers declining. Optimists, those few that remain in Pittsburgh, point out that the core of the lineup is young and improved significantly from 1948 to 1949, and gave the Pirates one of their best offensive showings since the glory days of 1908-1912. With Ben Giordano, Herm Vardaman, Ike Walker, "Monster" Monchak and Harold Perry all under 27, there could be better days still to come.

But, as has been the case with the Pirates for nearly their entire history, everything hinges on how well the pitching staff does. The enigmatic Ron Fleischmann showed better control in spring training, but whether that translates to a return to his 1947 (16-15, 3.86) form or not remains to be seen. John Caffee would appear to be improved from a difficult rookie season and the team hopes the 26-year old can take the next step. Rounding out the rotation are two pitchers picked up from the Dodgers in an offseason trade: 31-year old Buck McGlathery (4-8, 4.14 in 1949) and 26-year old Carl Maloney (8-9, 4.28 in 1949). Maloney has good command of the pitches he has... he just doesn't have many pitches. Pitching coaches have been working with him on that. McGlathery is capable, if nothing special. He's considered a place holder until James Hering (7-3, 2.81 at AA in 1949) and Adam Abramowitz (6-7, 2.45 at A, 3-3, 3.06 at AA in 1949) are ready.

The future is looking up, though. The Pirates have one of the better minor-league systems in the league, and if one of their pitchers can take his game to the next level, there might be at least a winning season in a few years.