PITTSBURGH— It's all about opportunity.

Pirates center fielder Nate McLouth knows about that first-hand.

McLouth, 27, attributes his break-out 2008 season of 26 home runs, 94 RBI, 113 runs scored, 36 doubles and 23 stolen bases to merely getting a chance to play.

"Really, that's all it was,"McLouth said. "(Manager)John Russell told me one day in spring training that I was the everyday center fielder.

"So I just relaxed and went to work."

Before last year, McLouth never hit higher than .258 and he doubled his home run total of 13 from 2007.

Other Pirates have taken advantage of similar opportunities. Freddy Sanchez won a batting title in 2006 when he settled in as the club's starting second baseman. Ryan Doumit hit .318 with 15 home runs last year after becoming the team's starting catcher.

McLouth sees similar success stories in the Pirates' future.

"You look at a guy like Brandon Moss, who's looking for a position to showcase his talents,"he said. "Then there's Andy LaRoche at third base. I know his thumb was bothering him a lot more than he was letting on last year.

"He's going to be our third baseman. This year, he can just relax and play."

Besides his prowess at the plate last year, McLouth wound up winning a Gold Glove after leading all National League center fielders with a .997 fielding percentage.

He went 165 games without committing a fielding error before making an errant throw in the Pirates' 157th game last season.

"I take a lot of pride in that Gold Glove because defense was another part of my game that had been criticized in the past,"McLouth said.

He has set simple goals for the upcoming season.

"I just want to get better,"McLouth said. "I've been working harder this offseason on conditioning because I got tired down the stretch last year.

"Baseball is a streaky game and everybody's going to have hot and cold stretches. But I fatigued for a while in late summer before having a strong September."

Hitting over .300 for much of the season, McLouth wound up at .276.

The midseason trades of productive outfielders Xavier Nady and Jason Bay affected McLouth somewhat, "but not all that much," he said.

"I was pitched to a little differently after that, but not enough to make a difference,"he said. "It was on me. I wore down more than anything and I'm guarding against that happening again."

Pirates pitchers and catchers report to Bradenton, Fla., for spring training Feb. 13. All position players report Feb. 16.

While Nady and Bay were dealt for younger players, McLouth bristles at the notion the Pirates can use youth as an excuse for what would be a professional team sport record 17th consecutive losing season.

"That's all it is: an excuse for losing,"he said. "We've had guys who have been up here for a while now, myself included.

"There are plenty of talented pitchers here and there's pop in the lineup with Doumit, Adam LaRoche and others. Maybe expectations won't be much outside of the organization, but inside ... we expect a lot out of ourselves."

McLouth batted in the leadoff spot in 82 games, the No. 2 position in 15 games and in the No. 3 hole in 53 games in 2008.

Where will his spot in the lineup be in 2009?

"Good question," he said. "I guess it depends on how our roster and starting outfield develops with guys like Nyjer Morgan and Craig Monroe.

"There's a difference in approach, batting first or third, but the ultimate goal is the same: Hit the ball, get around the bases, score some runs."

The Pirates' Grapefruit League opener is Feb. 25 against the Phillies in Bradenton. The regular season opener is April 6 in St. Louis.