Pair of youngsters leave for Classic

03/05/2006
BRADENTON, Fla. -- Yurendell DeCaster and Ronny Paulino, both of whom likely will start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis, were among seven Pirates players who left camp last week to participate in the World Baseball Classic.
DeCaster, a versatile infielder/outfielder with developing power, will be one of the marquee players on a very inexperienced Netherlands team. Paulino, who is coming off an outstanding 2005 season split between Indianapolis and Double-A Altoona, will play a lesser role with the loaded Dominican Republic team.
Both players will be affected by not remaining in the big-league camp for the full six weeks. DeCaster is in competition for the final Pirates bench spot, and Paulino, as the third catcher on the depth chart, needs to become more familiar with the pitching staff.
However, Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield and manager Jim Tracy believe the experience DeCaster and Paulino will receive by playing on an international stage will be invaluable for their career development.
On the move: With Kip Wells expected to miss at least the first two months of the season due to a blood clot, southpaw Sean Burnett is a legitimate candidate for a big-league rotation spot. If Burnett can show he has fully recovered from the shoulder and elbow surgeries that sidelined him for the entire 2005 campaign, he'll begin the season in Pittsburgh. Otherwise, Burnett will be given a chance to shake off the rust at Triple-A.
On the pine: Right-hander John Van Benschoten, who spent the 2005 season on the disabled list while recovering from surgeries to both shoulders, has begun throwing long toss. He likely will throw off the mound this week for the first time since mini-camp.
Names in the game: Former Bucs stars Manny Sanguillen and Kent Tekulve joined the team last week as special Spring Training instructors. Sanguillen will provide guidance to the team's catchers, while Tekulve will help the relief pitchers.
They're No. 1: Bryan Bullington, the 2002 No. 1 overall pick in the First-Year Player Draft who is recovering from shoulder surgery, began throwing from a distance of 30 feet last week. He'll progress to distances of 45, 60 and 90 feet before throwing his first bullpen session. Bullington is expected to be ready for game action in late June or early July.
Class of '05: Andrew McCutchen, the Pirates' 2005 first-round pick, has been one of the early talks of camp. McCutchen, 19, received a lot of playing time early on in the exhibition schedule, and he's held his own. McCutchen has impressed Tracy with a mature approach at the plate that is uncommon for a player who is so young.
What they're saying: "To go out there and get a hit up the middle, an RBI, it felt real good. It let me know that I can handle this." -- McCutchen, on getting a hit against Pirates veteran Giovanni Carrara during an intrasquad game

Source: http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/