Peter Diana, Post-Gazette New Pirates skipper Jim Tracy looks over the pitchers during soft toss on the opening of spring training with workouts Feb. 17 at Pirate City. Click photo for larger image. Related articles Take the Tracy test Spring Training: Pitching uncertainties pointing to trade Pirates Notebook: Perez rips Red Sox in tuneup for opener City rigging complex video network in time for All-Star Game

FORT MYERS, Fla.-- When presenting challenges to his players, Pirates manager Jim Tracy stresses thinking big.

The day before the first full workouts of spring training, he gathered all 62 of them in a Pirate City cafeteria and made clear he expects to win immediately despite the team's 13-year losing streak.

"I asked them to raise their hand if any of them who had signed their name on a contract had signed up to be mediocre," Tracy recalled. "I didn't put my hand up. The expectation level should be much higher than it's been in the past."

When working a dugout, though, Tracy's thinking goes small.

As in small ball.

That is the formula -- one that stresses manufacturing offense above power -- that he used in five years at the Los Angeles Dodgers' helm, and the one employed by the World Series participants last season, the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

"What does that tell you?" Tracy said. "That's winning baseball."

Monday in Milwaukee, Tracy will work the Pirates' dugout for the first time. Here is some of what to expect from his game strategies:

BASEBALL 2006

Yesterday: Jason Bay realizes he could be bigger in another city, but he doesn't believe he would be better Tomorrow: Columnists Ron Cook, Gene Collier and Bob Smizik offer their views on the Pirates. Plus, Paul Meyer's team-by-team capsules and preseason power rankings, and the results of the post-gazette.com baseball survey. Saturday: Paul Meyer's review of the Pirates' minor-league system. Plus, the Post-Gazette's annual ranking of the organization's top 10 prospects. Sunday: For years, the Pirates have been accused of having no plan. Is that the case? Why is it taking so long to win? Dejan Kovacevic examines the team's baseball operations from Panama to PNC Park. Plus, a position-by-position outlook, and the three reasons why the Pirates will -- or will not -- have a winning season. Monday: Oliver Perez will take the mound in Milwaukee for the opener, but which version of the Perez will the Pirates get? Plus, the team's game and broadcast schedules, along with our picks for the top events in Pittsburgh and across the majors.

Everyday lineup

Tracy used to experience "a good feeling every day" he entered his office in Los Angeles and wrote the name of Adrian Beltre into the cleanup spot of his lineup card.

Does that mean he will develop horses with the Pirates? That Jason Bay again could start 162 games?

Last year, Tracy used 129 different lineups with the Dodgers, fourth most in the National League. Perhaps more telling, he used only 94 the previous year, 12th most, when his team won the West Division and had a much stronger roster.

Expect a feeling-out process with the Pirates.

"Yeah, I'm going to ride guys, but there comes a time for me to jump in that saddle," Tracy said. "I don't see much point in seeing how many games in a row you can play a guy between April and the All-Star break. You want those horses to finish the race."

Use of bench

Infielder Jose Hernandez, the only member of the roster who played under Tracy, recalls how he and others on the Los Angeles bench in 2004 "always felt a part of the team." That year, 11 Dodgers topped 200 at-bats. Last year, it was 13.

Tracy promised his bench players with the Pirates -- Hernandez, Craig Wilson, Freddy Sanchez and Jody Gerut -- in a meeting Tuesday morning they will be treated the same way.

He cited two reasons:

"One is that a good bench in the National League wins. Two, as I told them, is that, if you expect a player to give you a competitive major-league at-bat when you put him out there in the eighth or ninth inning, shame on me if I've let you sit and rot for 10 or 12 days."

He added that he does not save pinch-hitters for late innings, opting to use them to their strengths. For example, Wilson might be called upon in the sixth if the team needs a three-run home run.

Substitutions

Tracy moves his players in and out of the game like chess pieces, mostly because of his belief in left-right matchups.

The numbers bear that out: He pinch-hit 303 times last year, second in the league. He pinch-ran 31 times, tied for sixth. He executed 37 double-switches, ranking eighth.

The Bill James Handbook also shows that Tracy's hitters had the upper hand on pitchers -- meaning left vs. right or right vs. left -- 64 percent of the time. Only Atlanta's Bobby Cox had more at 70 percent.

"That's a big area for me," Tracy said. "You have to use every advantage at your disposal."

Starters' longevity

Tracy has a personal rule against allowing a starter to reach 130 pitches "unless something really special is going on." But he did allow six starters to top 120 pitches last season, fourth most in the league, and he has impressed upon his current rotation the need to find a way to stay in games.

"I want our pitchers to have a positive mind-set. You want to still be standing out there in the eighth inning? Go right ahead. But, when I start to talk to my pitching coach about fatigue? If that word even enters our conversation, I won't allow that pitcher to dictate the outcome of the game."

The Bill James book has a formula to determine quick hooks. Tracy's total was 44, sixth most.

"I'd rather be one hitter too soon than one hitter too late."

Adding to Tracy's challenge this season will be a young rotation, three of whom -- Zach Duke, Paul Maholm and Ian Snell -- never have topped 200 innings, even in the minors.

Busy bullpen

Tracy's relievers made 459 appearances last season, fourth most, a clear indicator of his penchant for matching up late in games. Another was that he asked general manager Dave Littlefield to add to the Pirates' core of late-inning specialists to allow him to continue this trend.

This will mean plenty of fractions next to relievers' names in the linescore.

"Our guy is going to work until the situation says we'll use somebody else better suited for the circumstance," Tracy said.

The closer, Mike Gonzalez, rarely will be used before the ninth inning.

Bunts

One fairly new school of thought in baseball disdains the bunt, declares it a wasted out that rarely pays off. Tracy is not a disciple.

"The bunt is used, in my opinion, to put your team in a favorable position to win," Tracy said. "Refresh my memory: Did the White Sox and Astros just play in the World Series? Anyone can call it what they want to call it. I call it winning baseball."

Tracy hardly overuses the technique, though. The Dodgers put down 76 sacrifice bunts last year, fewest in the league.

Running the bases

Tracy's background is no less conservative in stolen bases. Los Angeles made 143 attempts in 2004, when it had Dave Roberts whizzing to 33 steals, and ranked third in the league. But that dipped to 93 last season, second fewest.

That provides clear evidence Tracy runs only when confident.

"There are some situations where it makes sense to run," he said. "There are other situations where it makes no sense. I don't like to take the bat out of the hands of certain people at home plate, then see them get a big hit. That's ridiculous, in my opinion."

Predicting this area is difficult. It will be easy for Tracy to send Bay, who stole 21 of 22 last season. But Tracy also wants to see leadoff man Chris Duffy, who has little history of steals, develop that trait.

In terms of general baserunning, Tracy applauds runners who go from first to third on singles and the like. At the same time, caution comes first.

"Pay attention. Know the score. Who's pitching? How many more chances are you going to have for another hit? Is it late in the game? If things add up, I have no problem with it."

General demeanor

Those who know Tracy from his time in Los Angeles say he remains almost relentlessly positive, focusing more on the good than on the mistakes or the umpires.

This spring, he has been plenty demonstrative in the dugout, mostly in going out of his way to congratulate a player on one of those small plays he enjoys.

"I'm driving points home," he said. "I want them to know I just saw what they did. And I want to remind them that what they just did is very conducive to winning."