Pittsburgh Pirates
2015 Win/Loss Record:
98-64, 2nd in National League Central, 1st Wild Card
Last Postseason
Appearance: 2015
Last World Series
Championship: 1979
Key Arrivals: John
Jaso (1B/OF), Jon Niese (P), Ryan Vogelsong (P)
Key Departures: JA
Happ (P), Aramis Ramirez (3B), Neil Walker (2B)
Manager: Clint
Hurdle, 6th Year, W/L 431-379
(965-1004 overall in 13 seasons with Colorado and
Pittsburgh)
Overall Review: For the third
consecutive season, the Pittsburgh Pirates finished the regular season in the
first wild card spot. For the second consecutive year, they lost the Wild Card
game at home. This year will be different as the Pirates will finally overtake
the St. Louis Cardinals and win the division. It won’t be easy as the Cardinals
and Cubs will have a say in who finishes atop the division.
But while the Cardinals have the
pedigree and the Cubs are the sentimental choice of baseball fans, the Pirates
have the most talent of the three and that should be enough. The Pirates strengthened
their pitching by acquiring Jon Niese in a trade with the Mets and signing
former Giant Ryan Vogelsong as a free agent. The offense? Well let’s get to it.
Offense: This is certainly one exciting
line-up. Right-fielder Gregory Polanco leads it off and if he could ever
improve on this .256 batting average, watch out. His 27 stolen bases could
skyrocket if he gets on base more. The other two outfielders will bat three and
four in the lineup with centre-fielder Andrew McCutchen—the Pirates’ best
player—hitting third. In 2015, McCutchen hit .292, bashed 23 homers and added
96 RBIs. Left-fielder Starling Marte will hit clean-up. Last year, he batted
.287, hit 19 home runs and had 81 RBIs.
Korean sensation Jung Ho Kang
burst onto the MLB scene last year, playing in 126 games and had well above
average numbers. His average was .287 and he managed to hit 15 home runs and 58
RBIs. A full season could see those numbers jump to 20 and 75. Kang split time
defensively between shortstop and second base, but is pencilled in to be the
full-time third baseman in 2016.
Pitching: The rotation might be even
more exciting than the offense. It starts with the ace of the staff, Gerrit
Cole. In his third year in the Bigs, Cole was an All-Star, finished fourth in
Cy Young voting and won 19 games. His ERA was 2.60 and his strikeout total
reached 202. At only 25, Cole could be the next Clayton Kershaw, but let’s hope
he’s better than Kershaw in the postseason. Francisco Liriano will fill the
second slot in the rotation. In 2015, Liriano had a 12-7 record, with a 3.38
ERA and led the team with 205 strike outs. Newcomers Jon Niese (9-10, 4.13, 113
with the Mets) and Ryan Vogelsong (9-11, 4.67, 108 with the Giants) will look
to improve their numbers and they should win more games with the Pirates
offense piling up the runs.
In the bullpen, Mark Melancon
returns for his fourth season as the Pirates closer. In 2015, Melancon led the
Big Leagues with 51 saves. He also won three games out of the pen, had a 2.23
ERA and struck out 62 batters. Lefthander Tony Watson is a closer in waiting,
with his mid-90s fastball. Last year, Watson had a 4-1 record in relief, with a
1.91 ERA and 62 strikeouts. He also managed to save one game.
 |
| Pittsburgh left-fielder Starling Marte |
Prediction: Things are looking good for
the Steel City. Baseball’s most beautiful ball park finally has a team worthy
of playing in it. After a playoff drought of 21 years, the Pirates are a
consistent participant in October now. However, a division title would be nice
after three years as a wild card. With the improved roster and the
Cardinals being weakened by free agency, the Pirates will win their first
division title since 1992, when they were members of the NL East.
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