Many Pittsburgh Pirates contributed to the team’s third consecutive playoff appearance, so it is no wonder why the list for placement when it comes to the most valuable player for 2015 is long.
PSN’s list will be a three-part series as honorable mention through 6 in this first part, 5-2 in the second part and the best will get their own separate entry. Unfortunately, Ray Searage was not up for consideration, or else this would not have been a contest.
Honorable mention Jared Hughes– Hughes just misses the cut on this list in what may have been the best season of his career. It is clear that manager Clint Hurdle trusts him and for good reason. When there is a runner on base in innings 5-7, Hughes is the man called upon to sprint in from that bullpen. His role at times was changed as it was two-inning man at the start of the season, seventh inning man until the trade deadline and then either sixth or seventh inning man after the Joakim Soria acquisition. Despite this, Hughes never complained and just went out and did his job. Hughes appeared in a career-high 76 games, and his 1.3 WAR was a personal best.
#10 Josh Harrison– Our 2014 athlete of the year ends up 10th on the Pirates list this year. He had the potential to place better, however an injury halted his momentum. April was a rough month for Harrison as he had some struggles at the plate and his height was a disadvantage when handling high groundballs. Harrison figured both out and his flexibility to play several positions made him an asset on the roster. Even if Harrison had stayed healthy all season, he was bound to show regression, which he did. Still, Harrison’s .287 batting average was the second best of his career and despite the Aramis Ramirez acquisition at third base, he had the best glove and displayed the most consistency at the position.
#9 Tony Watson– Perhaps the man with the most steady heartbeat finishes ninth. The left-handed eighth inning setup man rarely if ever faltered. He set a Pirates record with 41 holds and had a 0.96 WHIP. His WAR of 2.5 matched last year’s total. If you talked to him, he would talk about doing whatever he could to do the job each time he got the ball. One time this was a two-inning save against the Chicago Cubs, a team which ultimately made it to the NLCS. Watson is the ultimate teammate and quietly does his job. He probably was the most under-appreciated member of this team.
#8 Mark Melancon– Really Watson and Melancon are interchangeable, so you really could call this 8A and 8B. In fact Watson could very well be the closer at the start of next season, but for now Melancon gets a slight nod. Melancon set a Pirates best with 51 saves in a single-season. His turnaround surprised many, as he struggled in April with a 5.23 ERA and a well-documented drop in velocity. All of this was quickly forgotten as from April 23-Aug. 2, Melancon allowed one earned run. Melancon away from baseball is a thrill seeker and on the mound is is clear that he has the mindset to be a closer. When talking to reporters however, he normally is soft-spoken and mild-mannered, rarely if ever one to lose his cool. This spot is well earned and also shows how difficult it was to rank players.
#7 Gregory Polanco– All three outfielders rank in the top-10 this year, however it is Polanco who places lowest among the three. Based solely on batting average, Polanco got off to a strong start in April, however in reality it took until the end of May for Polanco to really find consistency on both sides of the ball. Polanco has had trouble with his routes defensively and navigating PNC Park’s right field wall, which can cause bizarre bounces. Following the road series against San Diego, Polanco proved his worth to his teammates and fans who were calling for his demotion to Triple-A Indianapolis. Polanco led his team for at least a month offensively and by the All-Star Break, he was the player opposing pitchers least wanted to face when the game was on the line. By mid-August, players did not want to run on him because his arm accuracy had been much improved. This ranking shows how much work Polanco put into this season and how once the pressure both personally and internally decreased, his performance became greater.
#6 Francisco Liriano– Something has to be said about a man who can help his team win basically every time he toes the mound. That pretty much describes Francisco Liriano’s second half of the season. In fact, from his start June 26 until season’s end, he lost just once, and the Pirates went 15-1 in those games. Liriano himself won eight of his 12 games during this stretch. Anytime you can put your team in a place where it can win games, that is the ultimate contribution you can give a team and for over three months, that was Liriano every single start. It is very hard to do, but it was needed in a time where both the Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals were winning just about every game each played. With both teams doing very well, it was up to the Pirates to match them day in and day out. With Liriano’s efforts, the Pirates knew they could mark a win at least once every five games and that kind of comfort is huge.
