Spring training wrap-up | Pittsburgh Pirates brimming with confidence
BRADENTON -- Veteran Corey Hart said the just-completed Pittsburgh Pirates camp is the most organized he has ever been a part of, and that's just one reason for Pirates fans to be optimistic heading into the 2015 season.
That and back-to-back playoff appearances with additional depth added to a core group gives Pittsburgh the realistic goal of competing for the National League pennant this season.
"We have a chance to do something really special," shortstop Jordy Mercer said. "And we all believe in it."
ESPN's Buster Olney agrees. He picked the Pirates to win the World Series.
Pittsburgh hasn't won a world title since 1979, and it wasn't long ago that a prediction sending the Bucs to the Fall Classic would have drawn laughter and ridicule.
But in 2015, things are different.
Andrew McCutchen, the NL's Most Valuable Player in 2013, leads a potent lineup that can sting opposing pitchers practically anywhere.
"You have to have that kind of player on your team," said Hart, who spent the first nine years of his career with the Milwaukee Brewers before playing for the Seattle Mariners last season. "The guys around him are great. J-Hay (Josh Harrison), Pedro (Alvarez), (Neil) Walker, (Jordy) Mercer, Starling (Marte) -- our core is really good."
Left-hander Francisco Liriano, who signed the largest free-agent deal in club history last winter, is back to lead the rotation. Gerrit Cole, A.J. Burnett, Jeff Locke and Charlie Morton will follow. Closer Mark Melancon is the anchor of a bullpen that ranked ninth in ERA last season.
The Pirates' clubhouse this spring featured a light atmosphere mixed with serious focus.
With most of the 25-man roster fairly set heading into the spring games, only a couple spots were up for grabs and the final cuts weren't made when the club departed Bradenton following Thursday's finale in Florida against the Yankees in Tampa.
The club played two exhibition games in Philadelphia against the Phillies in a final prep for the 2015 regular season, which begins Monday in Cincinnati for the Pirates.
"I've been part of teams that were good and ended up being good, but it was always a slow start," Hart said. "I've never seen a team that's ready to go I've never seen the fundamentals and the little things worked on so hard as we did this year. I'm excited to see how it pays off."
The Reds will be the Pirates' first test of the new season, but last year's early playoff exit -- Pittsburgh was defeated in the NL Wild Card game by buzzsaw lefty Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants -- generated a mantra for the Pirates: "And Then Some."
It's a slogan designed to fire up the players to do what they've been doing the past two seasons, earning playoff berths, and then some more to capture the franchise's first division championship since 1992.
With the Reds, Cardinals, Brewers and Cubs competing for the NL Central crown, a stout division awaits the Pirates.
"It's definitely one of the most competitive divisions in all of baseball," Hart said. "Everybody's gotten better now."
However, Pittsburgh possesses an improved bench and depth in the starting rotation, key factors that could turn spring optimism into a reality when October rolls around.
Manager Clint Hurdle spoke to MLB Network's Harold Reynolds for the network's 30 Clubs in 30 Days spring special back in March and discussed how the bench became the priority this offseason after the club addressed starting pitching and bullpen in years past.
"The focus on adding to the bench this winter with the addition of (Sean) Rodriguez, the addition of (Jung-Ho) Kang, the addition of Corey Hart, the other catcher," said Hurdle to Reynolds. "All of it will play to our advantage."
Added Hart: "Things happen throughout the year that are unforeseen. You have to have guys that you trust and can stand up for that. .. We have guys that can step in and do some good things. But we're happy to fill in if possible, but we're happy to cheerlead too because the guys ahead of us are great."
This story was originally published April 4, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Spring training wrap-up | Pittsburgh Pirates brimming with confidence."