Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson, with general manager Dave Littlefield watching, is all smiles after coming to terms with the Pirates on a two-year deal. Click photo for larger image.

For a good chunk of the Pirates' news conference yesterday at PNC Park, it might have been difficult to discern which of the two men seated behind microphones was the All-Star shortstop and which was the general manager.

Jack Wilson, there to formally announce his two-year, $8 million contract, impressed the assembled media by casually rattling off a litany of transactions and statistics -- even a few from the obscure realms of winter ball -- to make his case for the Pirates' chance of improving in 2005.

"If I was a Pittsburgh fan right now, I'd be really excited right now because the young players that we have are really good," he said. "Obviously, we have Jason Bay winning rookie of the year. We had another guy on the Topps rookie team ..."

Wilson looked over to general manager Dave Littlefield for help in remembering Mike Gonzalez's selection, then continued.

"We also had Freddy Sanchez going to the Arizona Fall League and hitting .350 again. We had Jose Castillo going to his winter ball in Venezuela, I think, and hitting .360 and doing well. These young players are showing so much promise. You have no reason not to be excited."

A reporter asked how he might have known those winter-league numbers.

"Oh, I'm on MLB.com, ESPN's site ... I keep track of everything pretty closely. This is a very important thing to me. This is my career. I, obviously, want to win. And I want to be a Pirate. I'm on that thing every day, checking out what we're doing. It's been an exciting offseason."

For all the boyish enthusiasm that clearly still dominates Wilson's personality, he turned 27 last week and appears to have matured.

Where he once might have focused on individual improvement, he spoke yesterday about setting aside his remarkable 2004 and concentrating on helping the Pirates end their 12-year losing streak.

Where he once might have been relished his role as the impish kid in the clubhouse, he embraced questions about becoming a leader.

Of his performance, Wilson insisted that a second consecutive 200-hit season did not mean as much to him as displaying better patience -- he walked once every 25 at-bats -- and delivering more in the clutch. His average soared from .256 two seasons ago to .308 last season, but his RBIs fell from 62 to 59.

"Obviously, it would be nice to hit .300 again. I plan to. But it's more about going out there and doing what your team needs you to do."

Of his increased presence on the team, especially with Jason Kendall gone, Wilson cited his experience in tutoring young infielders Sanchez, Castillo and Bobby Hill last season as motivation to do more.

"It's something that's more determined by your teammates, really, who your team leader is. ... Being the shortstop helps a little bit because you're kind of the anchor of the infield. It's a role I would like to pursue."

Wilson stopped shy of predicting that the Pirates will end their 12-year losing streak -- "I never do records" -- but added that he feels it is a possibility.

"I think we're going to be very competitive. You look at the rest of the teams in our division, and it seems everybody else went down a notch while we're one of the few that went up a notch."

He again turned to the Pirates' depth chart to make his case.

"If you go into spring training and have your rotation locked up except one spot, the bullpen locked up, and pretty much every position locked up, that's a really good sign. You look at the successful teams, and they don't go there looking at who's going to win the second-base job, like we had last year. Or who's going to be our center fielder. So, all those questions are pretty much answered ... "

Realizing that the Pirates are wholly undecided about center, he caught himself.

"... except for center fielder."

NOTES -- Wilson expressed optimism that he will be ready for the Feb. 22 start of spring training, despite a Dec. 21 appendectomy that has weakened him. Doctors have advised him to avoid heavy exercise while his healing is monitored. "I've got to tie myself down and listen and make sure I don't try to come back too fast and risk a relapse," Wilson said. "I know it's not hugely important to go into spring training game-ready, but that's how I want to go in." ... Littlefield said that he is leaning toward a right-handed hitter as the offensive player he seeks to acquire through free agency or a trade. The market, he said, has more right-handed hitters who fit the Pirates' criteria, and the team wants better balance. Two of its six players projected for the outfield and first base, Jason Bay and Craig Wilson, are right-handed. Littlefield expects to have enough money for the offensive player and a starting pitcher. ... Wilson's agent, Page Odle, said his client can receive a maximum $200,000 for awards bonuses in each of his contract's two years.