BRADENTON, Fla. -- Twenty years from now in Pittsburgh, the trivia question will surely be asked, probably over a mug of Iron City Beer: Who pitched the first game ever in PNC Park? The answer is Todd Ritchie. But it should be Kris Benson.

A year ago, Benson was penciled in as the Opening Day starter for the christening of the Pirates' new crib. The No. 1 overall pick out of Clemson in 1996, Benson was the prized cornerstone of the Pirates' pitching staff, a young right-hander with a vicious slider and an arsenal well beyond his years. But as soon as he was crowned The Future, Benson damaged an elbow ligament in spring training and missed the entire 2001 season. And just like that, instead of being an answer, Benson became a question mark.

	Kris Benson Starting pitcher Pittsburgh Pirates Profile
	2000 SEASON STATISTICS IP H R BB SO ERA 217.2 206 104 86 184 3.84

But the Benson question is about to be answered, as the 27-year-old is nearing the end of an exhaustive 12-month rehab regimen. And while he isn't slated to rejoin the Pirates' rotation until late May, all signs point to a full recovery, which is both encouraging -- and crucial -- news for the Pirates.

"I'm right on target and feeling great," said Benson, who began working out at the Pirates' Bradenton complex five days before the Feb. 15 pitcher/catcher reporting deadline. "It's just a matter of getting the final kinks out."

In his first two seasons with the Pirates, Benson was 21-26 with a 3.95 ERA (not bad considering the Bucs were a combined 147-176 in those years). In 1999, his 4.07 ERA and 139 strikeouts led all NL rookies. Last year, Pittsburgh was lost without the 6'4", 198-pounder anchoring the No. 1 spot in the rotation -- Benson watched as the Pirates used a total of 11 starting pitchers and posted an obese 5.29 ERA. Actually, Benson wasn't watching the Pirates' disastrous 62-100 campaign. He was too busy constantly rehabbing in the basement facilities at PNC Park. Thanks to his diligence, the Pirates are now mere months away from getting their ace back. So now that the aching twinge is gone from Benson's right elbow, is he going to be the pitcher he used to be?

No way. Benson will be better -- at least mechanically. Because he won't be repeating the flaws that contributed to his original breakdown.

"Before he had the surgery, he was afraid to extend his arm on pitches," explains Pirates pitching coach Spin Williams. "If you watch him now, you can tell his arm feels much better because he's getting full extension."

Those who have caught the surgically-improved Benson in spring action give him high marks. His four pitches (fastball, slider, curveball and changeup) are locating so well that during a mound session earlier in the week, backup catchers Keith Osik and J.R. House said they hardly shifted their gloves at all.

Through luck of the draw, there's one guy who has yet to catch Benson after three days of team workouts -- starter Jason Kendall. But when he does, Kendall will be able to gauge Benson's progress instantly. "If he's putting the ball where he wants to whenever he wants to, he's back," says Kendall, who knows a thing or two about rehab after suffering a gruesome ankle injury in '99. "When he's doing that, he's got 20-win, Cy Young stuff."

	“	I'm anxious to get back, but I want to be there for this team in the long run, too. If that means waiting until May, then that's what I'll do. ”
		— Kris Benson

If history is any indicator, Benson is following in some promising footsteps. Both St. Louis' Matt Morris and the Chicago Cubs' Kerry Wood had similar elbow injuries early in their careers that forced them to both miss the 1999 season. Now recovered, both are among the brightest young arms in the game.

But for anyone counting on Benson for the 207 innings he averaged over his first two seasons, know this: Morris (22-8, 3.16 ERA in 2001) and Wood (12-6, 3.36) took a year to get acclimated after rehab; their 2000 campaigns were forgettable showings. Which means that as encouraging as Benson looks, the Pirates are going to bring him along slowly, possibly only giving him 50 innings or so in 2002.

The complete healing time for Benson's injury is likely two years -- something the hard-driving hurler often needs to be reminded of. "He's such a competitor that he forgets he's still recovering," said Pirates trainer Kent Biggerstaff, who had to jog out to the mound during a recent Benson session and remind the kid he wasn't throwing Game 7 of the World Series. "He's right on schedule, but any setback at this point would be disappointing."

Disappointing for Benson and for the Pirates, who are counting on him to slide into the ace spot about one-quarter of the way through the season (barring a lights-out start by current No. 1 Kip Wells). For now Benson will play it safe and spend his second consecutive Opening Day on the injured list, but returning at full strength will be worth the wait.

"I'm anxious to get back," said Benson, "but I want to be there for this team in the long run, too. If that means waiting until May, then that's what I'll do."

And in May, if Benson picks up where he left off, Pittsburgh fans will remember him long after they've forgotten Todd Ritchie.

Andy Latack is a senior researcher for ESPN The Magazine.