Pittsburgh Pirates:

A Chance to Compete in the Central

By: Michael A. Chase Jr.

5/18/2019

          The NL Central standings so far in 2019 see the Chicago Cubs off to a division leading 26-16 start, the Milwaukee Brewers finding their winning form at 27-20, and the Cardinals and Reds hovering around .500. This leaves the Pittsburgh Pirates in the middle of this hyper-competitive division. The Pirates currently sit in 3rd place in the NL Central division, with a 22-20 record and 4 games back of first place. After starting the season 12-6 they have gone 10-14 since, due to injuries and an erratic offense. Though Pittsburgh despite cooling off from their hot start still portray positives that can contribute to winning. This article will analyze the factors which must contribute to further success for the Pirates. Doing this while identifying a few difference makers who can elevate the Pirates into playoff contention.

             What can contribute to sustained success for the Pittsburgh Pirates can be broken down into three main factors. These being a strong pitching production, health across the roster, and improved offensive production. Each of these factors have already affected the Pirates so far this year and will continue to be the difference between another tough season, or playoff berth.

First to start with the performance of the Pittsburgh pitching staff, this group has been the main positive of their the 2019 season thus far. The Pirates own a staff ERA of 4.33 which ranks them 8th in the National League and 16th in all the majors. Not overly impressive numbers, but strong performances by individuals across the staff provide hope for these numbers to improve. Their starting staff has been a huge surprise, outperforming many preseason prognostications. With young starters Joe Musgrove and Trevor Williams pitching to 3.59 and 3.33 ERA’s respectively they have led a heavily improved starting rotation. Offseason addition Jordan Lyles has been a revelation pitching to a starters best 1.97 ERA. Add in the fact Jameson Taillon (4.10 ERA) and Chris Archer (5.58 ERA) were supposed to be the aces of the staff, and both are injured and off to tough starts. This speaks to the fact their starting pitching can get even better. In their bullpen, they have gotten production from a multitude of sources. With a bevy of different arms providing the Pirates with quality results. Their pen is led by all-star closer Felipe Vazquez who is well on his way to another strong season. As the 27-year-old has gone 12/12 in save opportunities, posting a strong 1.31 ERA with 32 strikeouts in just 20.2 innings. Reclamation project Francisco Liriano has gotten off to a strong start out of the bullpen as well. Posting a 0.89 ERA, with 25 strikeouts in 20.1 innings as a solid lefty reliever to get key outs in the 6th and 7th inning. Reliever Kyle Crick (2.57 ERA)  has given manager Clint Hurdle a reliable lefty set-up man to utilize late in games. Plus, with the steady improvement of relievers Richard Rodriguez and Keone Kela, the Pirates bullpen has provided production but still can get better. Going from 14th to the 8th best team ERA in baseball is a significant jump in improvement. The Pirates will need to continue to pitch well to give themselves a chance in an NL Central full of tough pitching staffs. They will need to keep the team in games when the offense may not be at full effectiveness. While continuing to produce by committee until they get some of their key arms like Archer, Taillon, and reliever Nick Burdi back from injury. They may not have the top-level ace that teams like the Cubs, Reds, or Cardinals have. Or a monster bullpen like the Brewers, but they have enough solid contributors to supplement this lack of star power. Overall the Pirates have many quality options that form a solid group that has been one of the surprises of the MLB thus far.

For the Pirates Offense things have not been as productive as Pittsburgh would have hoped for. Though the Pirates have managed despite a slow start offensively, which shows well to there resiliency as a group. Even with injuries to key hitters and slow starts by others Pittsburgh has managed to weather these struggles and remain above .500. Giving the club room to get healthy and make adjustments in terms of run production. Pittsburgh currently ranks third to last in runs scored in the majors this season at 156. Compare this to the average number of total runs scored by National league teams so far this season which is 201. Showing they have scored 45 runs less than the average NL team so far through 40 games. Add in the fact they have hit the third fewest home runs in the majors this season, and offense has been a challenge for the Pirates. They’re some bright spots in their lineup that provide hope for the offense to improve. These include first basemen Josh Bell who is having way to a breakout season so far. He is currently hitting .323 with a club leading 12 Homeruns and 39 RBI’s. If Bell can continue to grow into a reliable middle of the order bat, then he can take some of the load off of stars Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the lineup. Outfielders Melky Cabrera and Bryan Reynolds have been huge performers as well to supplement an ailing offense. The 34-year-old Cabrera has been a strong offensive weapon for Pittsburgh since signing this offseason. He is hitting .344 with 3 homers and 13 RBI’s in 125 at-bat’s this season. He has shown versatility to hit all over the lineup, and be a valuable bench option. This gives Clint Hurdle a reliable veteran hitter who will always provide a professional at-bat. For the rookie Bryan Reynolds he has been impressive since his call-up on April 20th. As in 68 at-bat’s he has hit .309, with 2 home run, 6 doubles, and 7 RBI’s. This 24-year-old has been a major contributor since coming up and will make it hard for the Pirates to send him back to Triple-A when they players off the injury list. Hopefully he can continue to provide the offensive boost he has brought, and solidify a spot on this Pirates roster. With players like Bell, Reynolds, and Cabrera providing surprising production. While key players like Marte and Polanco returning from injury, along with likely the increase in production from players like Colin Moran and Adam Frazier the Pirates offense could improve in the near future. It will just take patience and continued adjustments across the lineup from a multitude of hitters.

The final factor that will play a role in the Pirates chances at a successful season is health. The Pirates have already dealt with a host of injuries to key players at many positions. From losing their two best outfielders and hitters and in Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco. To having their top two starters in Chris Archer and Jameson Taillon on the IL. Losing relievers Nick Burdi and Edgar Santana to arm injuries. To even losing key role players like catcher Jacob Stallings, shortstop Erik Gonzalez, and Outfielders Corey Dickerson and Lonnie Chisenhall. Having this many key players on your Injured List can really hurt a team, but credit Pittsburgh for fighting through all injuries to remain competitive. They do need most of these players to comeback to be the solid club they have a chance to be. They need players like Dickerson and Chisenhall back to add to the offense. They also need pitchers like Burdi and Taillon back to strengthen a still effective, but ailing staff. If they can get these players back, we will likely see more of the club that got off to the 12-6 start. All clubs go through injuries, though it is tough when you lose this many major contributors. The Pirates have so far survived the injury storm, and hope to come out on the other side a much healthier squad.

For the Pirates these factors will need to continue to play a positive role for them to remain competitive. The health of this club will obviously be top of the list for this team to be successful. Pitching must get healthy and remain a strength of this ballclub, while hopefully returning hitters will supplement more offense in Pittsburgh’s lineup. They just must continue to play the grind it out type of baseball that has gotten them to 2 games above .500. Then hopefully when the injury bug clears up they can be in the mix in the NL Central. It will be tough, but this ballclub’s resiliency and fight could keep them in the hunt for a playoff return.