Rosters: April 5, August 1, October 3

In about 27 hours from me writing this very sentence, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Pirate City in Bradenton, Florida to begin a highly anticipated Spring Training 2010. For the first time in the 5 years I've been a season ticket holder, there seems to be a wealth of competition for several different positions, not just the rotation, third base, or the bullpen.

It's around this time of the year that bloggers and message board readers love to write their predictions for Opening Day rosters. So, why not jump on the bandwagon and list my predictions for Opening Day, the day following the trade deadline, and the last day of the regular season.

Opening Day - April 5, 2010 @ PNC Park vs. Dodgers

Starting Nine Batting Order:

1. Andrew McCutchen - CF

2. Akinori Iwamura - 2B

3. Andy LaRoche - 3B

4. Garrett Jones - RF

5. Ryan Doumit - C

6. Jeff Clement - 1B

7. Lastings Milledge - LF

8. Ronny Cedeno - SS

9. Ross Ohlendorf - P

Rest of the Rotation:

10. Paul Maholm

11. Zach Duke

12. Charlie Morton

13. Daniel McCutchen

Bullpen:

14. Kevin Hart

15. Brenden Donnelly

16. Evan Meek

17. Joel Hanrahan

18. Chris Jakubauskas

19. Javier Lopez

20. Octavio Dotel - Closer

Bench:

21. Ryan Church

22. Bobby Crosby

23. Delwyn Young

24. John Raynor

25. Brandon Jones

I expect little selling to be done by the Pirates this year. There will be little change in the roster between April and August, however, several injuries will pop up and here is what I expect the roster to look like after some trades and injury moves.

Day After the Trade Deadline - August 1, 2010 @ Busch Stadium vs. Cardnials

Starting Nine Batting Order:

1. Lastings Milledge - LF

2. Akinori Iwamura - 2B

3. Andrew McCutchen - CF

4. Pedro Alvarez - 1B

5. Andy LaRoche - 3B

6. Ryan Church - RF

7. Neil Walker - C

8. Bobby Crosby - SS

9. Daniel McCutchen - P

Rest of the Rotation:

10. Donnie Veal

11. Ross Ohlendorf

12. Paul Maholm

13. Charlie Morton

Bullpen:

14. Kevin Hart

15. Brenden Donnelly

16. Evan Meek

17. Joel Hanrahan

18. D.J. Carrasco

19. Javier Lopez

20. Octavio Dotel - Closer

Bench:

21. Garrett Jones

22. Ronny Cedeno

23. Jeff Clement

24. John Raynor

25. Brandon Jones

Ryan Doumit is out, again, with an injury. As is Zach Duke. Delwyn Young gets traded for some cash. Jaka is traded as well for a minor league lefty bullpen arm. Clement struggles through May and June, resulting in Alvarez learning to play first base in Indy. Neil Walker is converted back to a catcher in AAA and does some emergency duties while Doumit is out. Most of the starters are sitting as this is a Sunday afternoon game.

The regular season will come to an end on October 3 in Florida, again a Sunday. This time though, most of the starters will be playing this game. Of course, the roster is expanded at this point. I expect about 38 players to be in the locker room.

Last Game of the Regular Season - October 3, 2010 @ Land Shark Stadium vs. Marlins

Starting Nine Batting Order:

1. Akinori Iwamura - 2B

2. Andy LaRoche - 3B

3. Andrew McCutchen - CF

4. Garrett Jones - 1B

5. Ryan Church - RF

6. Ryan Doumit - C

7. Lastings Milledge - LF

8. Ronny Cedeno - SS

9. Paul Maholm - P

Rest of the Rotation:

10. Charlie Morton

11. Daniel McCutchen

12. Brad Lincoln

13. Ross Ohlendorf

14. Donnie Veal

Bullpen:

15. Kevin Hart

16. D.J. Carrasco

17. Evan Meek

18. Joel Hanrahan

19. Brenden Donnelly

20. Jeff Karstens

21. Javier Lopez

22. Jose Ascanio

23. Steven Jackson

24. Tyler Yates

25. Virgil Vasquez

26. Craig Hansen

27. Octavio Dotel - Closer

Bench:

28. Pedro Alvarez

29. Jose Tabata

30. Erik Kratz

31. John Raynor

32. Neil Walker

33. Brandon Moss

34. Steve Pearce

35. Jeff Clement

36. Bobby Crosby

37. Brandon Jones

38. Gorkys Hernandez

Let's see how this will pan out...

Let's Go Bucs!