Matt Freed, Post-Gazette Pirates Tike Redman is tagged out at home by Colorado's J.D. Closser in the fourth inning Sunday. Click photo for larger image.

A significant body of opinion existed at the start of the baseball season that stated the offensive performance of Julian Jawonn Redman was a vital key to the success of the Pirates.

If Redman could hit -- as he had in the final two months of last season -- the Pirates not only would have the prototypical leadoff batter they've lacked since Omar Moreno in the 1970s, but also the defensive center fielder for whom they've been searching since Andy Van Slyke was Gold Glove worthy in the early 1990s.

With the season nearing the three-quarter mark, it's starting to become clear that after a hugely disappointing start, Tike Redman can indeed hit major-league pitching. But that does not mean he is either the leadoff hitter or the center fielder for whom the Pirates have longed.

Redman was 1 for 3 yesterday in the Pirates' 3-0 win against the Colorado Rockies, pushing his average for the season to a respectable .276 and his average for the past two months to an outlandish .324.

Based on those numbers, all should be right in Redman's world. But they're not.

His days of batting first, his favorite position in the lineup, are all but over. He still has more time to prove himself in center field, but it's looking more and more like he's not the Van Slyke-like presence many believed him to be.

Redman flopped in the No. 1 spot in the first two months of the season. He batted .241, which wasn't as bad as his .253 on-base percentage. It was a far cry from the .330 batting average and .374 on-base percentage he grabbed attention with last season. He was dragging down what little offense the Pirates had.

Manager Lloyd McClendon had no choice but to insert Jason Kendall at the top of the lineup. Kendall has been superior in that role, carrying a nearly .400 on-base percentage, which makes him one of the best leadoff hitters in the National League.

Without a lot of options, McClendon kept Redman in the lineup but dropped him to seventh before eventually keeping him at the sixth spot. Away from leading off, where the pressure to get on base isn't so great, Redman found himself. He's batting .325 (37-114) in the No. 6 spot in the lineup.

As for center field, he'll likely remain in that position the remainder of the season, but might have to prove himself again in spring training.

McClendon will not lavish praise on Redman's defense, which has been erratic. Instead, he says things like "He's making progress," and, "His routes are cleaner."

And, at last, the ultimate damning with faint praise, "Tike's doing a decent job."

Chris Duffy, currently batting over .300 at Altoona, might be the best defensive center fielder in the organization, but if he makes it to the majors it won't be until 2006.

An alternative to Redman, temporarily or permanently, might be left fielder Jason Bay.

McClendon described Bay as having "great instincts." He also acknowledged that center field might be Bay's best position.

All that is in the future, though. For the moment, McClendon doesn't want to change anything because the Pirates are in the midst of playing their best baseball in years. Since falling 16 games under .500 on June 25, they are 28-17, a .622 pace. If they play their remaining 47 games at that pace, they'd win 29 of them and finish the season -- hallelujah! -- with 84 wins.

The team that some suggested -- including this writer -- might lose 100 games is not only looking at .500 baseball but also a third-place finish. Of the also-rans in the National League Central -- which also includes Houston, Cincinnati and Milwaukee -- the Pirates are playing the best baseball. If they can continue that, they could finish third.

Redman has been a major figure in this revival. It's not a coincidence that he found himself at the plate just as the team was coming out of a deep slump that threatened to make the predictions of 100 losses look good. He's delivering some crucial RBIs and has shown some pop with the bat. But that doesn't mean his future is hitting sixth.

McClendon sees Redman possibly hitting out of the No. 2 spot some day.

"The way he pulls the ball and the way Jason is on first base so much to keep that hole open, I could see it," McClendon said. "I don't envision it this year, but it's something we'll explore next year."

"I like batting first, but sixth is OK, too," said Redman. "I'll bat where ever they want me to bat."

It has been a strange season for Redman. He failed at one of his primary roles and is struggling with another. But he's emerging as another building block for future success.