Pittsburgh Pirates: Possible Sleeper Team?

The Pirates have been a non-contender for as long as I can remember, with a very unexciting roster of players. Today, they finally have a strong group of young veterans, both in their line-up & rotation. Guys like Freddy Sanchez (last season's NL Batting Champ), Jason Bay (hit 30+ HR in each of his last two seasons), Adam LaRoche (had 32 HR for the Braves last season) and Xavier Nady bolster their offense, while starting pitchers Ian Snell, Zach Duke, Paul Maholm & Tom Gorzelanny have combined so far this season for a not-so-bad 2.93 ERA over 43 IP (through 4/10). Look for their RC cards to heat up on the marketplace. Already Ian Snell's RCs are starting to attract attention, after his 2.08 ERA & 14 K's in his first 13 IP this season.

I doubt they'll be winning the world series this year, but they could be fighting for a top 3 spot in the NL Central.