Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Pirates third baseman Joe Randa gets a face full of dirt while diving for ball against the Tigers in spring training. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Pirates Notebook: Pirates' big hitters batter Yankees Stats Geek: Lineup toy gives Pirates a changeup

BRADENTON, Fla. -- Joe Randa is proof that perhaps Thomas Wolfe was incorrect. A person can, too, go home again.

In fact, Randa has done it twice.

Randa, originally drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 1991, had two major-league stints with the Royals around the first of his two stays with the Pirates.

That first Pirates visit lasted just one season, but that was a pretty neat year for him and his overachieving teammates.

In 1997, the Pirates chased Houston for a division championship until there were only four days left in the season. True, those Pirates finished 78-83, but their second-place finish was the highest they have placed in the 13 seasons of futility since 1992.

"No doubt we overachieved," Randa said. "The whole rotation was young."

Remember those names? Francisco Cordova. Steve Cooke. Esteban Loaiza. Jon Lieber. Jason Schmidt.

"And we really didn't have a closer," Randa said.

Rookie Rich Loiselle, however, wound up with 29 saves.

That team had a $9 million payroll. Expectations were about as low.

"I think we all felt like we didn't know what was going to happen," Randa said. "We felt we'd just go out there and play and let the results take care of themselves. The results were good, but it could have gone the other direction just as easy. I mean, how many walkoff home runs did we have? And [other] miracle stuff. You can't bank on those things happening."

Randa, who hit .302 with seven home runs and 60 RBIs for those Pirates, said there are many differences between that Pirates team and his new Pirates team.

"It's a different clubhouse and different management, so it's a different feeling," he said. "But we had a young team then and we have a young team now with a couple of veterans mixed in. Still, there are a lot of unproven things that are out there."

This season's starting rotation being one.

Randa's presence, however, should help this lineup have a more seasoned appearance.

"I think there are a lot of very talented players here," he said. "This team is way ahead of that [1997] team [because of] the type of players we have and the prospects. Some of those prospects got some [major league] time last year, got their feet wet a little bit."

And did not seem overmatched.

"Exactly," Randa said. "You look at the guys who did get their feet wet and look at how they performed and then you look at how they go out there this [spring]. There is upside. Every guy I've seen in this clubhouse [is] not like starry-eyed, you know what I mean? They feel like they belong here, which is half the battle."

Having young players such as Zach Duke, Chris Duffy, Jose Castillo, Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm around gives Randa a decent feeling about this team.

"I think this team the last couple years has done a good job of really stacking their minor-league system," he said, "and you can see it in spring training. These kids are competing at a high level.

"We have expectations in this clubhouse of winning, and everyone's accountable. The media thing is the same [as in 1997]. You know -- 'This team is probably going to finish last.' But this year we feel like we can compete in this division. I think we have the talent to compete with anybody.

"We have to stay healthy. The veterans on this team are a big factor because there are a lot of young guys. There's going to be a lot of coaching and being a good teammate in the clubhouse and on the road to make this thing work."

If it does, Randa will be a happy man.

His second stint with the Royals included five losing seasons in which Kansas City finished a total of 157 games under .500. There was one season above .500 (83-79 in 2003).

"A lot of those years we didn't play well," Randa said. "But when you have a young team you don't have depth. If you have injuries, you're kind of [done for]. It was a grind. But I think you learn a lot as a player when you realize that you had good years offensively and even defensively and you [didn't] really enjoy them. You realize that [personal success] is not really important. It was frustrating. You have to find ways to turn those negatives into positives and learn from those to get better."

Randa batted better than .280 in five of those six seasons -- topping .300 twice. He's a .285 lifetime hitter who needs 12 hits to reach 1,500 for his career.

"Joe's great, man," said Sean Casey, Randa's teammate in Cincinnati for the first half of last season. "One of the big reasons I feel so comfortable coming over here is because Joe's over here, too. I got a chance to really know him last year.

"He's a professional, man. Joe Randa's the kind of guy you [learn to] appreciate [by] playing with him every day. He's not flashy. He's not spectacular. But he does everything well. He plays an unbelievable third base. He plays Gold Glove-caliber third base, I'm telling you. He can flat-out hit. He's a baseball player, man. If you want to win, he's the kind of guy you have on your team."

In that final regard, it almost worked back in 1997.

In 2006? We'll start learning April 3.