Adam, from Pittsburgh: When can I expect the Pirates to stop their losing ways and actually contend in the N.L. Central?

I know it might be tough to imagine, but the short answer to that question is sooner than you think. Right now the Pirates are currently third in the N.L. Central with a 13-15 record. While it hasn’t been pretty so far, the Pirates are showing that they can compete this year in the National League. While the playoffs and even a .500 record might still elude them this season, they shouldn’t be that far off from attaining that level of competitiveness. ‘Wait till next year’ might be the answer to your question, but for the first time in a long time it should be fun to be a Pirates fan.

Pittsburgh has risen to third place in the Central, despite the fact that a number of their key veterans have struggled thus far this season. Pitchers Zach Duke and Paul Maholm have been ineffective. And middle infield acquisitions Bobby Crosby and Akinori Iwamura have been major disappointments so far. If any of these players can get out of their slumps the Pirates will have a veteran presence to go along with their young talent.

The one thing the Pirates do have going them is their young talent, which seems to be getting better as this year goes on. Andrew McCutchen is a true 5-tool talent and one of the best young players in the game. He is only going to continue to get better and should be the cornerstone of the Pirates future success. Ryan Doumit is one of the best offensive catchers in the N.L. and has returned to form after an injury plagued season a year ago. Garrett Jones might not be the youngest player in the Pirates core, but he is showing that last year’s numbers weren’t a complete fluke. Jones also offers versatility, able to play both corner outfield spots in addition to first base. Joining McCutchen, Doumit, and Jones this year, the Pirates have gotten a surprise performance from third baseman Andy LaRoche. LaRoche was one of the key pieces in the Jason Bay trade a few years back, but until now had been a major disappointment. Now though, LaRoche is finally performing and could be a key part of the Pirates future. The Pirates have some additional former top propsects who right now are struggling but could still pan out. 1B Steven Pearce, OF Lastings Milledge, 1B Jeff Clement, and P Charlie Morton all have shown a lot of promise at one time, but have yet to reach their full potential.

In addition to their young major league talent, the Pirates have begun to stock up their farm system with talented young players. While most of their talent is in the lower minors and still 2-4 years away, the Pirates do have some interesting young players in their upper minors. Corner infielder Pedro Alvarez and OF Jose Tabata are close to becoming frontline stars, and should be up in the majors within the next month or so. Pitchers Brad Lincoln and Daniel Moskos should be joining the major league pitching staff soon as well. By the end of this season the Pirates could have a lineup with McCutchen, Alvarez, Tabata, Doumit, LaRoche and Jones. That is a pretty solid lineup, that should be very capable of competing next season.

The Pirates one weakness going forward is their lack of pitching depth. They have had a number of talented young pitchers come in over the years, but none have really reached their potential with the Pirates. Even Brad Lincoln, their top pitching prospect, projects as a mid-rotation starter. And while they have some other intriguing arms, most are at least 2 years away, and few have frontline starting upside. The Pirates will have to continue building up their pitching talent through the draft or trades to get to the point where they can compete, but have a decent start.

The Pirates aren’t a perfect team going forward, but they do have a lot of promise. While it may be cliche, waiting for next season may answer all your problems.