Pirates’ camp full ahead of deadline

February 23, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — The Pittsburgh Pirates, eager to snap a string of 17 consecutive losing seasons, were among the first teams to assemble their entire squad for a spring training workout.

All 66 players invited to the big league camp had checked in by 9 a.m. Monday, well ahead of the midnight deadline for position players. Practically everyone participated in the morning workouts, a day before the first official full-squad drills.

The sprawling Pirate City complex, which has been remodeled and expanded over the past few years, already has seen lots of activity on all five of its fields. More than a dozen position players have been in camp since early last week.

“That’s kind of unheard of,” manager John Russell said. “It’s been a good turnout. Having the facility down here really makes a difference.

“A lot of the cold weather up north this winter probably helped push some guys down here earlier. I think they’re looking forward to [Tuesday]. Coming down that early, they really wanted to get out on the field with the rest of us.”

Escaping the snow up north was one reason for some players to make an early arrival. Others wanted to make a break with the Pirates’ 62-99 record last year and a last-place finish in the NL Central.

“I know the organization and the whole city of Pittsburgh is over it,” reliever Brendan Donnelly said. “I really believe I have a legitimate chance to be part of something special here this year.”

Among the players who arrived Monday were two of the team’s cornerstones, outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Lastings Milledge. McCutchen and Milledge, both Florida residents, spent lots of time at Pirate City this winter, attending two mini-camps at the facility.

“I’ve been ready [for spring training],” McCutchen said. “I was tired of working out. It seemed like a long offseason to me. I’m really excited about what we have and what we’re preparing for. I’m ready to get it started.”