Infielders Preview: Pirates banking on Clement to be a power hitting presence in their lineup

Photo: David Hague - Inside Pittsburgh Sports

The Pirates will likely have a new right side of the infield on opening day and their left side could a transitory pair that will be holding places until two of the organization's better prospects arrive in the major leagues.

The Pirates are banking on Jeff Clement to not only become their starting first baseman but a power-hitting left-hander in the middle of their lineup. He was the key player of the five acquired from Seattle last July in the trade that sent Jack Wilson and Ian Snell to the Mariners.

Clement hit 70 home runs in three seasons as an All-American catcher at the University of Southern California and was the third overall selection in the 2005 amateur draft. He has also hit well in the minor leagues but flopped at the major-league level.

Perhaps Clement will turn into the player the Pirates hope but he is not a kid at 26 and there are plenty of scouts who are highly skeptical.

Second baseman Akinori Iwamura was the Pirates' major off-season acquisition as they received him from Tampa Bay for reliever Jesse Chavez.

It was an odd trade for the Pirates to ship a promising young reliever for middling 31-year-old second baseman and showed that general manager Neal Huntington might be developing some frightening Bonifayan or Littlefieldian tendencies after spending most of last summer trading middling veterans for youngsters.

Iwamura is a decent fielder and hitter but the Pirates could have found a similar player at less than his $5-million salary.