BRADENTON, Fla. - The Pittsburgh Pirates think a calmer Ty Wigginton can be a more productive third baseman this year.

Wigginton entered spring training feeling much better about his surroundings than he did last summer, when the Pirates acquired him from the New York Mets at the trading deadline.

"This year, knowing the guys and getting to go through a full spring training with them will make it more of a 'home' feeling," Wigginton said. "I'm looking forward to a fresh start."

The 27-year-old third baseman struggled in his two months with the Pirates last year. He batted .220 in 58 games, hitting only five home runs in 182 at-bats. In his first four months with the Mets, he batted .285 with 12 homers and 42 RBI in 312 at-bats.

Wigginton became expendable with the emergence of Mets rookie prospect David Wright and was traded to the Pirates for right-hander Kris Benson.

"I think I was myself when I first came in, then I hit a bunch of balls hard and didn't get any luck," Wigginton said. "That's when I started pressing. At least for me, it was natural to be something I wasn't as a player. I try to go above and beyond what I'm capable of doing, and that threw everything else off."

Manager Lloyd McClendon wasn't surprised that Wigginton tried too hard to impress his new team after the trade.

"He didn't know what to expect, whether his manager liked him or his organization liked him. Those are tough things to deal with when you're a young player," McClendon said. "He's a lot more relaxed this spring. You can tell it, you can see it with the way he interacts with his teammates and goes about his business on the field."

The Pirates have been searching for a dependable third baseman since July 2003, when they traded Aramis Ramirez to the Chicago Cubs in a cost-cutting move. Jose Hernandez wasn't re-signed after that season, and his replacement, free-agent Chris Stynes, was released last summer after batting .216 with one homer in 74 games.

Rob Mackowiak returns after making 51 starts at third base last year, but McClendon has made it clear the job is Wigginton's to lose. He plans to bat Wigginton as high as fifth in the lineup.

"I really look for him to improve across the board, to what extent I'm not sure," McClendon said. "The fact is, he was a second-year player last year. For a second-year player, his numbers weren't bad. We think we have something there."

Despite his two poor months with the Pirates, Wigginton improved his batting average from .255 to .261 and his home runs from 11 to 17 last season. But he said he's taking nothing for granted this spring.

"There's competition for everybody when you come into camp, and you have to perform and win the job," he said. "Ask guys like (Matt) Lawton and (Benito) Santiago and I'm sure they feel the same way. If you don't, why are you playing?"