BRADENTON, Fla. — None of the Pittsburgh Pirates' top three prospects will be with the team when the season starts. But it isn't a stretch to believe outfielders Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata and third baseman Pedro Alvarez will be in the 2010 opening day lineup.

"I think they're all close," Pirates farm director Kyle Stark said.

The closest is McCutchen, 22, a first-round draft pick in 2005 who spent his first full-season at Triple-A Indianapolis in 2008. He batted .283 with nine home runs and 50 RBI and made a good impression on the front office brass.

The Pirates' outfield is currently set with the speedy Nyjer Morgan in left, Gold Glove winner Nate McLouth in center and prospect Brandon Moss in right. But Morgan's low on-base percentage (.345 last season) is a nagging concern and Moss is out indefinitely with a bruised thumb.

And as good as McLouth was last season, McCutchen is considered the superior defensive player.

"He's a good athlete, obviously," manager John Russell said. "When he starts understanding what he's doing, he's going to be an even better outfielder."

Although he played center field in the minors, McCutchen has been used mostly in left this spring and has made several acrobatic catches.

When the Pirates make their first significant camp cuts next week, McCutchen probably will be included. But team president Frank Coonelly already has said Pirates fans can expect to see McCutchen in Pittsburgh before the year is over.

Tabata, 20, was acquired last July in a trade with the New York Yankees. Once considered the Yankees' top outfield prospect, Tabata's career stalled early last year in Double-A.

The trade gave Tabata a jump start. He batted .348 with three homers and 13 RBI in 22 games for the Pirates' Double-A team in Altoona, where he will begin this season.

"It's a matter of him showing everyone that what happened in August was real, which we definitely believe is the case," Stark said. "He's close."

Alvarez, 22, was the Pirates' first-round pick last year. Because of a contract dispute, he did not play in the minors, but he did participate in the Instructional League after finally reaching terms with the Pirates.

A first-team All-American at Vanderbilt, Alvarez has the kind of left-handed power stroke the Pirates need in PNC Park, with its cozy right-field line.

"Pedro has been as advertised," Stark said. "He's impressed with the bat and we've been encouraged by his defense at third base."

Alvarez will begin the year at upper-level Class A, with the expectation of advancing to Double-A by season's end. If starting third baseman Andy LaRoche struggles as badly as he did last season, when he hit .152 in 49 games with Pittsburgh, Alvarez could skip Triple-A.

"I don't like to slap the fast-track tag on guys, but his track record certainly lines up with other guys who have moved quickly through the system," Stark said. "He definitely has not looked overmatched in big league camp."