DUNEDIN, Fla. — He sees it in a pitching staff that has four starters who are 24 or younger. In a farm system that has started sending players to the majors on a regular basis. In a bullpen that looks to be one of the deepest in the majors and a bench that has proven hitters with power.

Coming off 13 consecutive losing seasons and a 95-loss season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have plenty of room for improvement. General manager Dave Littlefield said he has seen that improvement throughout spring training and expects the fans to start seeing it when the Pirates open their first season under new manager Jim Tracy a week from Monday.

Littlefield wouldn't speculate Sunday how many games the Pirates will win — they haven't won more than 79 games since 1992 — nor would he say what he considers an acceptable victory total to be. But he said he is convinced the Pirates are on the verge of becoming better, and in a hurry.

"I think there's some very strong signs that we're going to be better, and the way the (farm) system is structured it's going to be better for a while," Littlefield said. "Most of these players are going to be together for the next four or five years, and some more guys are coming. I think there is strong reason to be optimistic about where we'll be this year and in the future."

The offseason additions of first baseman Sean Casey, right fielder Jeromy Burnitz and third baseman Joe Randa to a team that broke in a half-dozen promising rookies in 2005 have convinced Littlefield that the Pirates are closer to winning than they have been for years.

So does the continuing progress of outfielder Jason Bay, who followed up an NL rookie of the year award in 2004 with an even better season in 2005 (.306, 32 homers, 44 doubles, 6 triples, 101 RBIs).

"When you have more extra-base hits than Albert Pujols, that's a pretty good yardstick," Littlefield said.

Littlefield also draws encouragement from the strong springs by prospects who aren't expected to start the season in the majors, including third baseman Jose Bautista (.353, 4 homers), outfielder Ray Sadler (.364) and first baseman Brad Eldred (3 homers).

Nate McLouth, an outfielder who came up late last season, is hitting .341 this spring and is pushing center fielder Chris Duffy, who had a .341 average in 39 games last season.

But it is their young pitching that most excites the Pirates. They might have more promising left-handers than any team in the majors, including Zach Duke (8-2, 1.81 ERA in 14 games), Paul Maholm (3-1, 2.18 ERA in six games) and closer Mike Gonzalez, who has a 95-mph fastball. Two young lefties, Tom Gorzelanny and Sean Burnett also don't look far away; Burnett won five consecutive games shortly after his 2004 call-up but has since had reconstructive elbow surgery.

"I've been very pleased and, while each one is an individual case, there are some real strong signs that guys are making progress," Littlefield said.