In a division with the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs, few people are talking about the Pittsburgh Pirates despite coming off a 98-win season — the franchise’s highest win total since 1991.
Neal Huntington and Clint Hurdle have assembled one of the youngest, most talented rosters in baseball but despite three straight postseason appearances, the team hasn’t been able to advance beyond the National League Divisional Series.
The Pirates and Cubs had the misfortune of playing in the undisputed most difficult division in baseball last season. Pittsburgh would’ve won any division not named the NL Central by at least three games. 2016 isn’t expected to be any easier and too many people are already writing the Pirates off.
Andrew McCutchen is still manning center field and the talent to his sides are beginning to show us why experts are anointing the Pirates’ outfield as the best in baseball. Starling Marte is 27 years old and over the past two seasons, he’s hit .289 and 32 home runs. Gregory Polanco will be playing right field and after a shaky first half last year, really came on as a major contributor down the stretch. From his rookie to sophomore campaign, Polanco saw his average climb from .235 to .256 and became an everyday player.
The infield will look a little different this season after the team parted ways with second baseman Neil Walker and first baseman Pedro Alvarez.
Walker was a hometown kid and fan favorite. He was traded to the New York Mets in December for starting pitcher Jon Niese. The move was controversial but the need for pitching depth prompted the trade. Newly-acquired infielder and 2011 World Series MVP David Freese will help fill the hole in the middle of the infield until Jung-Ho Kang returns from the disabled list, where he’ll likely be on opening day.
Alvarez’ departure was bittersweet. The Pirates opted not to re-sign ‘El Toro’ because of his struggles at both corners of the infield. They will miss his power, though as he provides instant offense. He hit 131 home runs in his career with the Pirates and despite his often low batting average, was always a bat that you wanted in the lineup. Alvarez signed a 1-year deal with the Baltimore Orioles in the offseason. Hurdle will likely replace him with a platoon consisting of John Jaso and Michael Morse. Offensive numbers will go down, but fans will no longer have to hold their breath every time a ground ball is hit to the right side.
When healthy, the infield should be relatively stable. Kang, Freese, Josh Harrison and Jordy Mercer should be able to provide plenty of offense to make up for much of what they’ll lose from the first base position. Francisco Cervelli should be able to provide offensive and defensive stability behind the plate if he can replicate his 2015 season in which he was constantly on base.
Pittsburgh’s mound depth is an area of concern. Hurdle announced his rotation earlier in the week and the back end may cost the team a few wins. Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and the aforementioned Niese will headline the rotation. It’ll be rounded out by Jeff Locke, who’s been unreliable as well as newly-acquired Juan Nicasio who beat out Ryan Vogelsong for the final spot. Nicasio has a career ERA of 4.88 but if anyone can make him look good, it’s decorated pitching coach Ray Searage.
The Pirates’ bullpen is always strong and simply put, there’s no reason to think it’ll be any weaker than last season.
It’ll be a difficult road for the Pirates but all things considered, 90 wins is certainly attainable. Anything less will likely disqualify the team from postseason contention, but we shouldn’t see a drastic drop off from last season.
Preseason prediction: Pittsburgh will place third in the NL Central. They’ll finish 91-71 and will play a road game against the Cubs for the opportunity to advance to their second NLDS in four seasons. McCutchen will have another MVP-caliber season and Gerrit Cole will live up to his title as the staff’s ace, placing in the top three in Cy Young voting.
A little too optimistic? Maybe. But it would be foolish to count out a team that has been to the dance four years in a row. It’s the most difficult playoff of the four major sports to qualify for. The Pirates, Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers are the only clubs who have been there every year during that span.
