In March, Ciriaco was one of the more impressive players in training camp, not to mention probably the fastest guy on the roster. Only days before the start of the regular season, it appeared that he had earned a spot on the major league roster. But infielder Josh Rodriguez began to come around, and the front office felt compelled to take a longer look at him, what with him being a Rule 5 draft pick and all.

I still recall the day at Pirate City when we heard the news. Manager Clint Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington spoke enthusiastically about Ciriaco in a Super Utility role, a potential valuable movable piece who might be able to play as many as six positions eventually.

Then the season started, and Ciraco took a Super U-turn. At Indianapolis, he played shortstop almost exclusively, and he couldn't have played much worse. His confidence was shattered, I was told. There also was talk of poor work habits. He shuttled between Triple A and the major leagues, where he served as a pinch-hitter and pinch-runner mostly.

So what about that Super U idea?

“We anticipate that he'll play some outfield in winter ball, so the Super U has not been unplugged,” Hurdle said when I inquired about it this afternoon. “The interesting thing about Pedro when you break down his skill set is that it is very difficult to go out and find that player. That's why I try to continue to make sure that I take different looks at him and don't miss something.”

Ciriaco will make his third major league start tonight, a career .360 hitter few people have heard of let alone seen.

Very strange, indeed.

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The St. Louis Cardinals batting order: Rafael Furcal, shortstop; Jon Jay, center field; Albert Pujols, first base; Matt Holliday, left field; Lance Berkman, first base; Skip Schumaker, second base; Yadier Molina, catcher; Daniel Descalso, third base; Kyle Lohse, pitcher.

The Pirates batting order: Ciriaco, shortstop; Neil Walker, second base; Andrew McCutchen, center field; Derrek Lee, first base; Ryan Doumit, catcher; Garrett Jones, right field; Ryan Ludwick, left field; Josh Harrison, third base; Jeff Karstens, pitcher.