After a disappointing 2013 campaign capped off by the Pirates’ 20th straight losing season, the Pittsburgh ball club has reloaded and is looking to make a push towards not only a winning record, but the playoffs as well.
The 2012 campaign looked bright from the beginning of the season all the way up until early August. The Pirates were in first place, Andrew McCutchen was the clear cut MVP leader, and the other division teams were struggling to pull wins. Everything was going the club’s way until a homestand which featured many average to below average NL West Opponents.
The team only won 4 of 11 games during that stretch and it was the beginning of a the biggest collapse in franchise history. After starting August at 60-44, the Pirates finished with a 79-83 record while going 19-39 in their last 58 games.
This year, the team will try and prevent such a devastating collapse by using a deep pitching staff and an offense loaded with young talent.
The pitching staff is led by the former All-Star A.J. Burnett. Burnett made his resurgence last year as a Pirate after struggling to succeed in the big spotlight of New York. Last year, Burnett led the Pirates in wins, innings pitched, and strikeouts.
A.J. is accompanied by the left-handed Dominican Wandy Rodriguez and the young right-hander James McDonald.
One of the main reasons the team collapsed last year was because of the poor pitching down the stretch. To prevent tired arms over the long 162 game season, the Pirates have loaded their pitching staff with many arms to help the team down the stretch.
Two veterans that have been added are Jonathan Sanchez and Jenmar Gomez, and prospects coming up to help the staff are lefty Jeff Locke, righty Kyle McPherson, and the former number one overall pick Gerrit Cole.
A couple of players on the Pirates’ offense had break-out seasons last year. Center-fielder Andrew McCutchen proved his superstar status hitting .327 with 31 home runs along with Pedro Alvarez earning his first 30 home-run campaign.
The Pirates will look for most of their production from these break out stars while relying on different, young players to get on base in order to score runs.
Neil Walker is healthy and ready to prove he can be the Pirates second baseman of the future.
Left-fielder Starling Marte had one of the most talked about debuts of the season last year when he took the first pitch he saw out of the park. In 2013, Marte will look to compliment Andrew McCutchen as one of the speediest outfield duos in the MLB.
Over the offseason, the Pirates filled a big hole behind the plate by adding veteran Gold Glover Russell Martin. Martin has proved he can produce defensively by winning a Gold Glove, but he can also produce in the batter’s box. He compliments the pitching staff in his pitch calling skills as well. He is the key addition to this team’s roster this year and could be the turning point of this team.
Pittsburgh is a city starving for a winning baseball team some time soon. Some fans have remained optimistic and some have jumped off the Pirate bandwagon for good. While optimism and enthusiasm from the fans are great, it does not produce wins.
A talented roster and team chemistry produce wins and the Pirates have lacked a talented roster and the playoff feel in the clubhouse for a long time.
This is the best roster that the Pirates have put out on to the field in a long time and if the team can produce the way they are supposed to, the Pirates may have their first winning season in 20 years.
