PITTSBURGH -- While the Pirates' catching corps and outfield have undergone changes with the departure of Jason Kendall and additions of Benito Santiago and Matt Lawton, there should be nothing but familiar faces manning the corner infield positions for the Bucs in 2005.

Sluggers Craig Wilson and Daryle Ward will once again see most of the action at first base.

After spending his first three seasons coming off the bench, Wilson saw his first regular action in 2004 while splitting time between first base and the outfield. He responded by batting .264 and leading the Pirates with 29 home runs and 97 runs scored. He also knocked in 82 runs to share the team lead with NL Rookie of the Year Jason Bay.

Although he is arguably the team's most productive power hitter, the notoriously streaky Wilson often has trouble making contact at the plate. His 169 strikeouts in 561 at-bats established a dubious franchise record. And following a torrid start, Wilson hit just .220 after June 1.

"Craig will be better next year," said Pirates manager Lloyd McClendon. "All of this was a learning process for him. We think he will be better because of it."

• Catchers: New look for '05 • Corner infielders: W's at the corners • Middle infielders: Castillo improving • Outfielders: Pirates building depth • Starting rotation: Perez leads staff • Bullpen: Pen is club's strongpoint • Bench: Ward leads talented group

"Daryle's always had tremendous upside but for various reasons -- such as injuries and conditioning -- he hasn't produced as well as he can," Pirates general manager Dave Littlefield said. "He has the talent, and we're optimistic he can give us the kind of production we need to have from that role."

For his part, Ward believes that the injury and conditioning problems are behind him.

"I've never worked harder in the offseason than I have this time," Ward said. "I'm going to come into camp in the best shape I've ever been in."

Fellow first sacker Brad Eldred, the Pirates' 2004 Minor League Player of the Year, will also be given a look during Spring Training. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound slugger is coming off an outstanding season in which he batted .301 with 38 home runs and 137 RBIs in 130 combined minor league games at Class A and Double-A. However, the odds are long against Eldred making the Opening Day roster. He'll likely begin the season at Triple-A Indianapolis where he can take advantage of valuable playing time while facing experienced pitchers.

On the other side of the diamond, Ty Wigginton is expected to see the majority of the action at third base. Wigginton, who was acquired from the New York Mets at the trading deadline last season as part of the Kris Benson deal, batted .261 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs in 494 combined at-bats with New York and Pittsburgh. However, perhaps because he was trying to do too much to impress his new teammates, Wigginton hit just .220 in his 58 games with Pittsburgh.

Supersub Rob Mackowiak, who hit .246 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs last season while spending time at third base, first base and all three outfield positions, will be Wigginton's primary backup at third base. Middle infielder Bobby Hill will also see occasional action at the hot corner.

Jose Bautista, a player the Pirates reacquired in the Benson trade after losing him in the previous Rule 5 Draft, showed promise in his brief stint with Pittsburgh. He'll probably begin the season at Triple-A so that he can see regular playing time again after spending much of the 2004 season on the bench.

Among all of the Pirates' corner infielders, Mackowiak is the only player who could be considered above-average defensively. Mackowiak has an outstanding arm and decent reaction time at third base. Wilson, Ward and Wigginton lack foot speed around the bag, and Wigginton's arm can be erratic at times.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.