2018 will be transition year for Pirates

PITTSBURGH — 2018 will be a year of transition for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the new season will mark a new era for one of the oldest franchises in Major League Baseball.

The team's best player of the last decade, Andrew McCutchen, is gone to San Francisco, and Gerrit Cole, the No. 1 pitcher for the Pirates, was traded in the offseason to the Astros.

That said, manager Clint Hurdle remains optimistic, and his team is prepared to prove the critics wrong. Ahead of Thursday's opener in Detroit, the Pirates insist they're "ready to go."

While McCutchen and Cole are gone, the Pirates feel they have a solid nucleus of position players, starting with McCutchen's replacement in center field, Starling Marte.

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Marte hopes to return to form after the nightmare of 2017, a season marred by an 80-game suspension after Marte's positive test for performance-enhancing drugs. He had a good spring, batting .340.

One of the new Pirates, Corey Dickerson, an All-Star a season ago in Tampa, will play left field and bat fifth on opening day.

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Gregory Polanco, after batting .324 in spring training, will play right field and bat third.

Josh Bell, a star as a rookie in 2017 with 26 home runs and 90 RBI, returns to play first base and bat cleanup.

Josh Harrison will play second base and bat second on Thursday behind designated hitter Adam Frazier.

On the left side of the infield, Jordy Mercer returns at shortstop.

Colin Moran, who came to the Pirates in the Cole trade, will be in the opening day starting lineup at third base.

Francisco Cervelli took advantage of working with a new trainer in the offseason. Cervelli is hoping to avoid injuries that have plagued him the last couple seasons as he returns as the Pirates catcher.

Right-handed pitcher Ivan Nova gets the opening day nod.

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The Pirates projected rotation includes five right-handers: Nova, Jameson Taillon, Chad Kuhl, Trevor Williams and Joe Musgrove, who also came to the Pirates in the Cole trade.

The Pirates will also utilize the experience of David Freese, and ride the arm of closer Felipe Rivero, who signed a four-year contract in the offseason.

The Bucs open the season with games in Detroit Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

The team returns to Pittsburgh for Monday's home opener against the Minnesota Twins.

Cox Media Group