Bob Nutting has heard and read about the Pirates' shortcomings in developing Latin American talent, and the franchise's principal owner is planning to see for himself why it is so.

Nutting, CEO Kevin McClatchy and general manager Dave Littlefield will fly tomorrow to the Dominican Republic -- Major League Baseball's hotbed for international talent -- for a three-day tour to examine the team's facilities, talent pool and scouting system, as well as those of other teams.

"Clearly, the Dominican is an important place for us to find talent, and I want to assess what we're doing and how we're doing it," Nutting said by phone yesterday from Seven Springs. "That goes from the people we have to what we have to develop the talent on hand."

The Pirates have no impact prospects in their minor-league system from Latin America and only a handful with a reasonable chance of reaching Pittsburgh, according to industry observers. The seven Latin Americans on the major-league roster -- Jose Bautista, Ronny Paulino, Jose Castillo, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte, Tony Armas and Humberto Cota -- were signed as amateur prospects before Littlefield's tenure began in 2001 or acquired through other means.

Nutting made clear his dissatisfaction with that output on all levels of the organization.

"I want to go down and see for myself, but there's no question there's room for us to continue to improve," he said. "Developing our own talent is what our team is going to rely on for the foreseeable future."

Nutting praised Rene Gayo, the Pirates' widely respected director of Latin American scouting who played a large role in building up the Cleveland Indians' system in the 1990s, and Euclides Rojas, the Pirates' Latin American field coordinator.

"Those are good people, and I'm committed to finding tools for people to be able to get the job done well."

Only players in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico are eligible for the amateur draft. All others can be signed to contracts once they turn 16 years old, with no restriction on the amount of their signing bonuses. A few have reached into six figures in recent years, but the Pirates have yet to sign a player that young for more than $85,000.

By all accounts, though, the Pirates' problem in the region is not money for signing bonuses. Since becoming principal owner, Nutting authorized an additional 50 percent to the Latin American budget -- a firm figure was not available -- as well as a $2.05 million investment this past offseason in Cuban pitchers Yoslan Herrera and Serguey Linares.

As Gayo put it: "We can do just fine with the money we have. It's on me to get the job done. I have enough."

Rather, the team's problem appears to be twofold:

One, Gayo was not hired until November 2003. In the five years before that, including nearly three under Littlefield, the position of Latin American scouting director was vacant.

Two, the Pirates' facilities in that part of the world have a reputation for being poor, particularly the one in the Dominican that management will visit. Facilities can play an integral role in attracting and nurturing talent.

Gayo's work will take time, as developing 16-year-olds is a long and inexact process. Some of it is beginning to bear fruit in the low minors, but the top internal product is shortstop Angel Gonzalez, who is off to a .267 start with Class A Hickory and does not yet project as a major-league starter.

Otherwise, signs are few: Of the three Latin American players in the minors who are protected on the 40-man roster, Javier Guzman is the only one produced internally, and his stock has fallen dramatically in the past two years.

Regarding the facilities: The Pirates were offered several chances by Torres to rent one of the two state-of-the-art complexes he funded and built in the Dominican in the past two years. After being rebuffed, Torres rented one to the Atlanta Braves, the other to the Texas Rangers.

Littlefield acknowledged the organizational shortcomings in Latin America when asked about it yesterday.

"You're never satisfied, whether it's draft or Latin America and, particularly, the Dominican," he said. "We're certainly making a lot more headway. Rene Gayo is doing a fine job. He's got a strong track record. ... But there's no doubt that we had some interrupted period that I don't think was as productive as the Pirates have had in the past."

Littlefield would not predict whether the Pirates might upgrade the Dominican facility, which they rent, or seek a new one.

"We want to look at the whole situation, our scouting process, the players we've signed, all just to get a picture of what's happening in the Dominican," Littlefield said. "It's an area that's turned out a lot of major-leaguers in the past, and it's an area that's very important to us."