27-year old righty reliever Evan Meek and 28-year old righty reliever Joel Hanrahan have really pitched well out of the bullpen for the Pirates this year. Meek has pitched in 69 games (0 starts) for the Pirates so far this year and he is 5-4 with 4 saves, a 2.16 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. He has only given up 52 hits while whiffing 70 batters in 79 innings so far this year. Joel Hanrahan has pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Pirates so far this year and he is 4-1 with 6 saves, a 3.72 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He has whiffed 96 batters while only allowing 57 hits in 67 2/3 innings as he has been simply dominant on most nights. Meek and Hanrahan will likely battle it out next spring to see who will close for the Pirates unless they sign a veteran to close like they did last winter (Octavio Dotel).

25-year old righty starting pitcher James McDonald has been solid for the Pirates since coming over from the Dodgers in the Octavio Dotel deal. McDonald has started 9 games for the Pirates so far and he is 4-4 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. He has already whiffed 50 batters in 54 innings for the Pirates as he has been the best starting pitcher since coming over from the Dodgers. I think McDonald projects as a middle of the rotation starter on a good team but he might have to be more for the Pirates whose starting rotation stinks right now.

The Pirates have decided to shut down 25-year old starting LF Lastings Milledge due to a strained left oblique muscle. Milledge played in 113 games for the Pirates this year and he was 105 of 379 (.277 avg, .712 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 4 homers, 34 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. The Pirates hope that Milledge comes to spring training willing to add power to his swing because they can’t really carry a corner outfielder with no power.

23-year old righty swinging starting CF Andrew McCutchen has been a bright spot in a dim season for the Pittsburgh Pirates. McCutchen has played in 137 games for the Pirates this year and he is 142 of 513 (.277 avg, .789 OPS) with 77 runs scored, 14 homers, 50 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. He has now played in 245 games in his two years with the Pirates and he is 266 of 946 (.281 avg, .811 OPS) with 151 runs scored, 26 homers, 104 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. McCutchen is a player the Pirates can build the team around as he has 30/30 potential down the road.

The Pirates have claimed 26-year old righty reliever Chris LeRoux off waivers from the Marlins. LeRoux pitched in 17 games (0 starts) for the Marlins this year and he was 0-0 with a 7.00 ERA and a 1.94 WHIP. He has now pitched in 22 games (0 starts) in his two years in the majors and he is 0-0 with a 8.03 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. This was another move the Pirates made just to take a chance on a young pitcher hoping that a change of scenery will help him.