BUTLER TWP — The 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates will be sporting a new look — hopefully, a winning one.

The annual Pirates Winter Caravan, which stopped Monday for a sold-out luncheon at the Butler County Community College Convocation Center, spewed optimism for the coming season.

The luncheon was sponsored by the Butler Eagle and Butler Rotary Club.

"This is the most excited I've been about Pirates baseball in a number of years," broadcaster said Lanny Frattare, who has been broadcasting Pirates games for 30 years.

The Pirates are coming off their 13th consecutive losing season. Since the end of the 2005 campaign, the Pirates have hired a new manager in Jim Tracy, an entirely new coaching staff, signed free agent third baseman Joe Randa (17 HR, 68 RBI), right fielder Jeromy Burnitz (24 HR, 87 RBI) and right-handed relief pitcher Roberto Hernandez (8-6, 2.58 ERA). They also traded for first baseman Sean Casey (.312) and left-handed relief pitcher Damaso Marte (3-4, 3.77 ERA).

General manager David Littlefield said he likes Tracy's track record and his fit with the Pirates organization.

"He's won wherever he's been," Littlefield said. "He's also been a bench coach for six years, so he's learned along the way.

"Jim Tracy works well with younger players, and we've got plenty of those. Strategically, he's well-versed."

Among the young talent expected to play on a regular basis are catchers Ryan Doumit and Humberto Cota, second baseman Jose Castillo, utility infielder Freddy Sanchez, center fielder Chris Duffy and starting pitchers Oliver Perez, Zach Duke and Paul Maholm.Littlefield described this team as the deepest he's had in his five-year tenure with the Bucs."Because of the tremendous fan support we've had over the past few years, we've been able to expand our budget and go out and add talent," he said."I feel good going in (to the season). We have a much-improved offense, though our pitching is a little young where the starters are concerned. We're going to lean on the talent while building the experience."Attendance last year was 1.8 million, the sixth highest in the franchise's 100-plus year history.Veteran shortstop Jack Wilson said the team's improved offense should improve its victory total."We've been built on pitching and defense, and that's still there," Wilson said. "Now our lineup should be much more productive."The addition of Randa at third base turned Sanchez back into a utility man, despite closing last season with a 17-game hitting streak. Sanchez batted .382 during that stretch."I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when they signed a third baseman," Sanchez said. "I was looking forward to being an everyday player, but I'll still get my at-bats."I wasn't a regular player last year and still had more than 400 at-bats. My goals haven't changed. I just want to make the team and help us win."The Pirates are hosting the All-Star Game for the fifth time in their history July 11 at PNC Park.Recent All-Star Games have generated enormous economic impact for the host city. The projected economic impact for Detroit, which hosted the 2005 game, is $50 million to $55 million.The economic impact on Pittsburgh when it hosted the 1994 game was $44.3 million.Butler Community Day at PNC Park is May 26, which is a Friday night game against Houston.The Pirates' first Grapefruit League broadcast is March 2 against Washington. The Bucs open the regular season April 3 at Milwaukee and their home opener is April 10 vs. Los Angeles.