PITTSBURGH Sean Casey introduced as a Pirate

He is a lifetime .305 hitter who three times has hit at least 20 home runs and twice drove in 99 runs.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- As a youngster growing up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Upper St. Clair, Sean Casey's father would take him to Pittsburgh Pirates games at Three Rivers Stadium.
"He had the day-game season ticket package," Casey recalled. "We would sit on the third base side. I remember telling him, 'I'm going be here one day, Dad. I'm going to play for the Pirates one day."'
The first baseman did play at Three Rivers -- but while on the Cincinnati Reds from 1998-2000. Now he will get a chance to play at the new Pirates' home, PNC Park, as a member of the team he grew up rooting for. After being acquired in a trade from Cincinnati earlier in the week, Casey was formally introduced as a Pirate for the first time during a Friday morning news conference at PNC Park.
Boyhood dream
"As a little kid, the Pirates were the only team that mattered," Casey said. "To come to Pittsburgh is a boyhood dream of mine."
Pittsburgh general manager Dave Littlefield traded left-handed starter Dave Williams for Casey. Littlefield had made upgrading first base -- along with third base, right field and right-handed relief -- a top offseason priority for the Pirates, who have not had a winning season since 1992.
Blessed with an abundance of starting pitching, Littlefield was able to deal Williams, who led the team in victories last season with 10, for the 31-year-old Casey, who hit .312 with nine home runs and 58 RBIs last season. He is a lifetime .305 hitter who three times has hit at least 20 home runs and twice drove in 99 runs.
Strengths
"He's been a very productive hitter throughout his career, and we're looking forward to adding him to our lineup," Littlefield said. "But besides statistics, Sean's a guy with strong character and tremendous leadership. He will be a veteran presence we feel will fit in very well with our new manager and in our clubhouse."
Casey said he already had talked with Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson -- the longest-tenured player on the team -- and new manager Jim Tracy, whom the club hired this fall.
Tracy told Casey he would be placed in the middle of the lineup along with outfielder Jason Bay, who hit .302 with 32 home runs and 101 RBIs last season.
The players who make up the core of the Pirates -- Wilson, Bay, second baseman Jose Castillo, catcher Ryan Doumit, outfielder Chris Duffy and starting pitchers Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Oliver Perez -- are under the age of 28, a fact that excites Casey.
"We're going in the right direction," Casey said. "We've got a good team here that can bring back winning baseball to the city of Pittsburgh."
Closer to parents
The Casey family, which already included two young sons, added a daughter, Carli, on Nov. 28. Casey, who is in the last year of his contract that will pay him $8.5 million this season, joked he would save money by having his parents baby-sit their grandchildren.
"It's been a whirlwind couple weeks for me," Casey said. "Any time you spend eight years of your life like I did in Cincinnati, you will miss the relationships you build. But I look at it as the Pirates wanted me. I'm excited about not just the baseball part, but the family part as well."