eternal sunshine of the baseball mind

There's something genuinely beautiful about baseball.

Of course there are the obvious reasons: its history, its summer seasonality, its mental strategy, pennants, hot dogs, autographs, the stitched seams on your fingertips, the the smell of broken tanned leather and fresh cut grass.

And baseball fanaticism transcends all other sports. For 200 grueling days of the year, loyal baseball fans patiently await pitches, discuss strategies, pour over box scores, monitor minor leagues and live and die by percentage points.

For 17 long years the Pittsburgh Pirates have tormented fans. Optimism abounds in April, May is borderline fun, reality sets in around June and by July we're watching the family we grew to love say goodbye. August brews hatred and September embarrassment.

But the true beauty of baseball is that, by next April, every loyal fan of every team has washed away any feelings of pessimism and is again primed with potential.

There are few reasons to be excited about the 2010 Pirates. The team is too young to compete. After repeated management do-overs, the organization is still stuck in the early stages of rebuilding. "Inconsistent" only scratches the surface in describing the starting rotation. Fans know--as many times we are promised otherwise--come July any talent on the field will be dismantled and sent packing.

Still my excitement can't be denied. Certainly the goals have been lowered; playoffs are far out of the picture, a .500 season seems nearly unattainable. But the talented youth in Pittsburgh lends itself to a promising future. As I look down the batting order, I see young potential at nearly every spot. A string of singles can turn into a few extra base hits into a few wins into a little streak and all of a sudden the city of Pittsburgh is all abuzz.

Minor league movement in 2010 will make a major splash in Pittsburgh. By the end of the year we expect to see three incredibly talented prospects join the big league ranks, and how fast they hit the ground running could have a catalytic effect on the success of the team.

Pedro Alvarez, 3B, whom MLB.com ranked as baseball's eighth-best prospect heading into the season, is the premier piece in the prospect puzzle. Alvarez was drafted as the No. 2 pick overall in 2008. He agreed to a $6-million minor league contract minutes before the deadline. In June 2009, he was assigned to AA, where he performed extremely well, leading the Pirates organization in home runs and RBIs with 27 and 95 respectively. He batted .288 with an .917 OPS.

Jose Tabata, OF, was acquired in 2008 in a multi-player deal with the Yankees for Xavier Nady and Damaso Marte. Prior, he had led the Yankees farm system in batting average for three consecutive years, highlighted by a .314 average in 2005 while playing for the Gulf Coast Yankees. Sport Analysts compare him to the next Manny Ramirez at the plate.

Brad Lincoln, RHP, could be brought up sooner rather than later if the Pirates' rotation shows the holes expected. Scouts regarded Lincoln as one of the best players eligible for the 2006 draft and the Pirates chose him with the fourth overall selection. He almost immediately encountered injury problems; an oblique strain limited him to 24 innings in 2006 and he had Tommy John surgery on his right arm in April 2007. He ended last season in AAA, going 6-2 with a 4.70 ERA, walking 10 and striking out 42.