Has Any Team Ever Had Two Guys Named Travis On Their Team At the Same Time?

The questions that confronted the Pirates when Spring Training began are still raging among Buccos fans.

Who will play first base?

Lacking a dominant do-it-all first sacker, the Pirates are planning on a lefty/righty platoon at first this year, and that's fine.  RH hitter Gaby Sanchez, who raked against LHP last year would be one half of the platoon, and Andrew Lambo, he of the 32 minor league home runs in 2013, would be given every chance to be the LH half of the platoon.  He definitely earned the opportunity, and it would be his job to lose.  Trouble is, he appears to be losing it.  He has gone 4-for-42 (.095) at the plate, while non-roster invitee Travis Ishikawa has been lighting it up.  He is hitting .350 (7-for-20) with 3 HR and 6 RBI.

We have gone on and on all Spring by saying that Spring Training stats don't mean anything, but sometimes, they have to mean something, and this appears to be one of those times, when two guys are fighting for the same job.

Let's face it, in the much traveled Ishikawa, the Pirates won't exactly be trotting Lou Gehrig out there to play first, but perhaps both Lambo and the Pirates would be best served if he started the season in Indianapolis and got untracked at the plate for a month or so.

Who is going to play right field?

Everyone's answer, including Neal Huntington's, to that is "Gregory Polanco, starting in late June or early July".  Well, it may work out that way, and I hope it does, but until then, it looks like it's going to be the familiar platoon of Jose Tabata and Travis Snider (hence, the question posed as the title of this post).  Snider is doing pretty well so far: .333, 1 HR, 7 RBI, .851 OPS. Tabata, not so much: .121, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .273 OPS.  That's not just bad, that's downright awful.  Then, there is Jaff, pronounced "Jeff", Decker who is at .250/0/2/.669.  Looks like Snider will get the bulk of the AB to start the season, and I for one am looking forward to what a healthy Travis Snider will do.  Neal keeps telling us it was injuries that hindered Snider's performance last year.  We'll see.

In the meantime, let's hope and pray that Polanco lights it up in Indy for 200 or so at bats and arrives in mid-season ready to tear up big league pitching.

Who will replace A. J. Burnett in the starting rotation?

Like it or not, folks, it's going to be Edinson Volquez, who has already assumed the mantle of Chief Whipping Boy among the horde of Pirates followers.  One thing to remember - he will be the fifth guy in the rotation. Let's face it, the fifth starter on probably 27 or 28 of the 30 MLB teams is usually not all that great.  If he can be anywhere from a game under to a game over .500 in W-L, and an ERA around 4.00, and pitch into the sixth and seventh innings of his starts, I'll take it.  That is what is expected from fifth starters.

And of course, waiting in the wings in Indy, is former #1 draft pick Jameson Taillon (see comments about Polanco above).

Anyway, we will start finding out how it's going to play out one week from tomorrow when the 2014 season opens.  Raise the Jolly Roger!