BRADENTON, Fla. -- When second baseman Jose Castillo reports to spring training, he could check in 15-20 pounds lighter than he was last season, according to some in the Pirates' fold.

His precise weight will not be known until after position players report Tuesday, but management is confident it will come in a much sleeker and stronger package. His official listing for 2006 was 219 pounds on a 6-foot-1 frame, but the general consensus is that he likely weighed more.

"He's definitely in better shape now, which is a very positive thing," general manager Dave Littlefield said yesterday. "It's a sign that he committed himself to working hard and taking very seriously some of the advice we gave, like we give to every player at the end of a season."

Asked if Castillo's conditioning instructions had more to do with losing weight than adding strength, Littlefield answered: "Technically, it's about decent body fat and keeping strength consistent. Definitely, getting rid of fat is the major emphasis, which we can say about a lot of players."

Littlefield also sounded satisfied with Castillo's baseball performance over the winter, in which he played 49 games in his native Venezuela, then a week in the Caribbean World Series. He batted .308 for his Caracas club in Venezuela and, most important to management, showed improved pitch selection in walking 26 times against 21 strikeouts.

"He had a good offseason with the bat," Littlefield said. "The level certainly isn't the big leagues, but our scouting people said he worked to shorten up his swing with two strikes and worked the count a little better. Those are all positives."

Three delays pending?

The Pirates were to have 43 pitchers and catchers report yesterday, but at least three players -- pitchers Tony Armas Jr., Romulo Sanchez and Serguey Linares -- were having trouble getting work visas and could miss some time.

Armas and Sanchez were in Venezuela, Linares in the Dominican Republic.

Game tickets

The Pirates will begin selling individual game tickets at 10 a.m. March 3. They can be bought at PNC Park's main box office, by phone or online.

For the first four hours that tickets are on sale, the team will have a special event outside and inside the ballpark, including free coffee and hot chocolate, tours of the clubhouse and batting cages, and a meet-and-greet session with Littlefield.

Buried treasure

The 2 1/2-hour first workout of spring training begins at noon today at Pirate City.

No injuries were reported.

Manager Jim Tracy, on the eve of camp: "I'm anxious to get started. The fact that it's my second year with this group, and I feel so much more familiar with them, I have a general sense that all of us are kind of anxious to get going."