Despite being told he will get plenty of at-bats -- and he has this spring -- Craig Wilson wonders where they will come from when the games start counting, since Casey and Burnitz rarely take days off.
"I guess you could say it's not something you see around the league very often," Wilson said of being sent to the bench despite being productive when he plays. "It is a little unusual."
The Pirates decided to bench Wilson, who averages a homer every 19.67 at-bats, despite coming off a 95-loss season in which they ranked 22nd in the majors with 139 homers. Burnitz could help there -- he has averaged 30 homers the last three seasons -- but Casey is more of a contact hitter and had nine homers last season for Cincinnati.
Wilson knows the Pirates aren't paying him to be an occasional starter and pinch-hitter, so he waits to see where -- and, possibly, for whom -- he will play.
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