So, just how good are the Pirates? From 20 straight losing seasons, to back-to-back appearances in the playoffs, the Pirates have gone from basement dwellers to actually contenders.
It’s one thing for Pittsburgh fans to say it (you know their teams are ALWAYS going to be great, right?). It’s also another thing for the local media to say it. But when the worldwide leader in sports says it, you know the Pirates are making noise.
On Friday morning, Buster Olney of ESPN released his playoff predictions.
In the American League, he has the Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees making the playoffs, while picking the Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Miami Marlins to make it for the National League.
Sure, the Marlins might stand out as the surprise, though one could argue it’s the Yankees that really do, but the real surprise is who he has winning the World Series.
Playoff predictions: AL Orioles, Indians, Mariners; DET, NYY. NL Nationals, Pirates, Dodgers; Cardinals, Marlins. PIT to win WS over SEA.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 20, 2015
Yeah, so that really happened.
Will Olney be right? Time will tell. But one thing is for sure, the Pirates aren’t going to surprise anyone this year.
