26-year old righty swinging Andy LaRoche played in 150 games for the Pirates last season and he was 135 for 524 (.258 avg, .731 OPS) with 64 runs scored, 12 homers, 64 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. LaRoche came on strong at the end of last season offensively and the Pirates hope that it is a sign of things to come. LaRoche made 14 errors in 146 games at 3B for the Pirates last season and he showed outstanding range.

33-year old lefty swinging Ramon Vazquez will likely make the team and back up LaRoche in 2010. He played in 14 games at 3B last season and he only made 1 error while showing good range.

24-year old switch hitting Neil Walker has been one of the better prospects in the Pirates’ system for some time now, but it’s time for him to put up or shut up. Walker played in 17 games for the Pirates last season and he was 7 for 36 (.194 avg, .497 OPS) with 5 runs scored and 1 stolen base. He also played in 103 games in Rookie+AAA ball last season and he was 99 for 386 (.256 avg, .773 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 15 homers, 70 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Walker made 1 error in 9 games at 3B last season for the Pirates and he showed above average range.

23-year old lefty swinging Pablo Alvarez is the Pirates’ top prospect and he’s coming quick. Alvarez played in 126 games in A+AA ball last season and he was 134 for 465 (.288 avg, .914 OPS) with 80 runs scored, 27 homers and RBIs. Look for the Pirates to call up Alvarez when rosters expand on September 1st if not before.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: C

30-year old righty swinging Bobby Crosby might have a slight edge at the start of spring training but he will have to earn the job in February and March. Crosby played in 97 games with the A’s last season and he was 53 for 238 (.223 avg, .652 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 6 homers, 29 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Crosby didn’t make any errors in 6 games at SS for the A’s last season but he showed poor range. Crosby does have the reputation of being a solid defensive SS so he should do fine in the field.

27-year old righty swinging Ronny Cedeno will battle Crosby for the starting gig at SS this spring. He played in 46 games for the Pirates last season and he was 40 for 155 (.258 avg, .701 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 5 homers, 21 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Overall, Cedeno played in 105 games for the Pirates and Mariners in which he was 71 for 341 (.208 avg, .593 OPS) with 32 runs scored, 10 homers, 38 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Cedeno played in 82 games at SS last season and he made 9 errors while showing above average range.

33-year old lefty swinging Ramon Vazquez will likely just be a backup in 2010 for the Pirates. He played in 101 games for the Pirates last season and he was 47 for 204 (.230 avg, .614 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 1 homer and 16 RBIs. Vazquez only made 1 error in 28 games at SS last season while he showed slightly below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: D

28-year old righty reliever Joel Hanrahan will likely miss the start of the 2010 season as he has a strained right elbow. Hanrahan pitched in 33 games (0 starts) for the Pirates last season after coming over from the Nationals in a trade last season and he was 0-1 with a 1.72 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Hanrahan only gave up 23 hits in 31 1/3 for the Pirates and he whiffed 37 batters showing that he has great stuff. The Pirates have loaded up in the bullpen this winter so look for the veterans to cushion the blow of the team not having Hanrahan when the season starts.

31-year old lefty swinging Akinori Iwamura was brought over in a trade with the Rays over the winter and he will take over as the new starting 2B for the Pirates in 2010. He played in 69 games for the Rays last season and he was 67 for 231 (.290 avg, .745 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 1 homer, 22 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. Iwamura is a solid top of the order hitter who gets on base a lot. He played in 67 games at 2B for the Rays last season and he made 6 errors while showing poor range. Iwamura is a converted 3B but he is a lot better than he showed defensively last year for the Rays. He hustles all of the time and that will rub off on some of the younger players as Iwamura is a winner.

27-year old righty swinging Ronny Cedeno will battle for the starting job at SS with Bobby Crosby this spring. He also can play some 2B if the Pirates need him to. He played in 13 games at 2B last season and he made 1 error while showing slightly below average range.

33-year old lefty swinging Ramon Vazquez is back for another year for the Pirates as a backup infielder. He played in 22 error-free games for the Pirates at 2B last season while showing slightly below average range. He, like Cedeno, is a natural shortstop.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: C+