Over at Bucs Dugout, I offer my take on the Pirates' possible 25-man roster coming out of Spring Training. There aren't a lot of position battles, but there are uncertainties surrounding the bench and bullpen. And Pedro Alvarez -- Alvarez has two home runs so far this spring, but he's also 3-for-16 with five strikeouts. If he doesn't look good in the remainder of the Spring Training season, the Pirates could send him down, which would put them in the awkward position of starting Casey McGehee at third. Such a move would also have a domino effect on the rest of the roster, in that it would open another spot for a McGehee-like bench player, like Nick Evans. It could also create more playing time for a backup infielder like Yamaico Navarro.
Anyway, my guess is that Alvarez will make it, but the even more important question is whether he can become the star he was supposed to be when he was drafted.
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