We continue our Pirates preview by looking at two of the most talented positions on the field.
Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte are one of the best outfield duo’s in the game. Their ability to cover ground helped lead the Pirates defense last year and with the addition of Gregory Polanco in mid-June, they will have one of the best outfields in the majors.
Starling Marte: Marte was posting a solid rookie season until a hand injury sidelined him for 25 games in late-August. He finished the year posting a .280/.441/.784 line with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 12 home runs and 35 RBI while scoring 83 runs in the leadoff spot. He ranked third in the league in steals with 41, but also led the league in caught stealing by getting thrown out 15 times.
On defense, Marte ranked 10th in the league in defensive WAR with 1.8, but led NL LF in errors with 6 which shows the speedy outfielder still has room for improvement. Some even say he could surpass Andrew McCutchen’s defensive output once he reaches his prime.
Marte will be the Pirates left fielder for years to come.
Andrew McCutchen: What will the reigning MVP do to wow the fans this year?
One year after missing out on MVP honors, McCutchen won the prestigious award by posting a .317/.508/.911 line with 38 doubles, 5 triples, 21 home runs and 84 RBI while stealing 27 bases. He brought the strikeout total down from 132 to 101. His performance against left handed pitchers was amazing as he posted a .388/.650/1.130 line with 11 doubles, 4 home runs and 20 RBI in 103 at bats. His offensive WAR ranked first for the second year in-a-row at 7.5.
On defense, he posted a .982 fielding percentage (6 errors) in 338 chances. His range allowed him to track some balls down that most, if not all other outfielders would not be able to get to. One major example being during last year’s crucial 5-game series with the Cardinals when he made a diving catch in right-center field to start off an inning-ending double play. The Pirates would then run with the momentum to victory.
The MVP will be in centerfield until 2018 at the least.
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(Photo Credit: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
