The Pittsburgh Pirates begin another season of baseball and with this one, the expectations are high.
For three seasons now, the Pirates have shown themselves as being legitimate contenders in the National League, but it is being perceived that this season will be a step back.
Instead of doing a traditional preview format, it would perhaps be easier to answer questions to determine if this season could be another good one for the Pirates.
Are the rotation and bench good enough to win a division title?
This question was asked by Danny Lewis on the PSN Facebook page and it certainly is a good one.
Starting with the rotation, Gerrit Cole will not start on Opening Day and it appears that the target goal for him will be to pitch on the road against the Cincinnati Reds. Given that Cole struggles against the Reds, I would wait one more turn in the rotation either against the Detroit Tigers or at home against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Reds goal though mixes with days off, so for now the Pirates could go with a four-man rotation until that Cincinnati series.
Francisco Liriano has shown the ability to be healthy and I like for him to have another consistent season. Jonathon Niese I feel will surprise a lot of people. He will benefit more than anyone from the shifted infield and though his first two starts may be an adjustment, he will have things figured out by the beginning of June at the latest.
For me this is Jeff Locke’s last chance. The Pirates love being loyal and they did invest in a new delivery so you have to see if it pans out. If it does not, the Pirates would be wise to cut their losses.
From the minute Juan Nicasio joined the Pirates, it was my favorite signing. It is nice to see the team rewarded Nicasio for what he was able to do this spring. He does likely have an innings limit and if all goes according to plan with Tyler Glasnow, Nicasio could easily shift to a bullpen role and find success.
I am a fan of the Pirates bench. First off, there is no Corey Hart on it. That is important and I do not have to waste any time explaining that one. Chris Stewart is healthy for Opening Day for the first time since he joined the team and fans saw Tony Sanchez regress last season. Stewart is a smart hitter and a good defender who wants to prove that what he did in September with his lapses will not happen again.
I think not having to be a first base defensive replacement will be great for Sean Rodriguez. There will be much less pressure and there is not much of a chance that glove will be needed this year.
Michael Morse will provide a good bad and start out the season in a platoon. His bat was great in Spring Training and could play off the bench once Jung Ho Kang returns from left knee surgery. Matt Joyce will be a needed left-handed bench bad that could contribute in the outfield when needed.
Cole Figueroa got the final bench spot, a fact first reported by Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and later confirmed by Figueroa himself. Figueroa adds a left-handed bat off the bench and is well-liked by the team. The evidence shined through early when he took ground balls in Spring Training almost immediately with the starters. He is flexible and the Pirates showed faith by taking Figueroa, a non 40-man roster player over the more established Pedro Florimon and Jason Rogers.
Though I am sure many fans are skeptics, I do feel the bench is much improved and the rotation is good enough to make a run.
Will the Pirates miss Neil Walker?
This was another Facebook question asked by Sly T. Silva.
Honestly I do not think they will. Walker is 30 now and the prime of his career is over. Slowly but surely his defense was in decline and his bat really only consistently showed up in July.
Walker was great for the clubhouse and took a lot of the media responsibilities off other players which cannot be ignored but it was time to move on.
I expect big things from Josh Harrison this season. He only has to worry about playing second base and not whether he is a utility man needing to play multiple positions. This will not serve as much of a distraction for Harrison and that is very important.
Fans have not seen much from Harrison defensively at second base so that is not fair to judge but I liked what he had to offer at the third base position and think he can carry that over.
In fact Harrison is my breakout player. It may be unfair since he already broke out but I feel he took some steps back last season and lost time due to injury. Expectations will be lower for him as will the pressure. This will allow Harrison to become more at ease and let the game come to him.
What can you watch for?
For one thing, April will not be near the pitfall it was last season.
If the Pirates want one thing back it would likely be that whole month of April which cost the team any chance of winning the National League Central. Everyone can complain about the one-game wild card but really, the Pirates did that to themselves and lost to Jake Arrieta and the Cubs because of it.
Andrew McCutchen is much healthier to start the season and his legs are 100 percent which is perhaps the biggest key. The “0-for-freaking-4” speech happened in early May because his legs could not provide the usual power he is accustomed too.
Also look for the Pirates outfield to play shallower on defense this year. This is the fastest outfield in the major leagues with McCutchen flanked by Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco on both sides. Too many singles were being given up and because the outfield was playing too deep, there was always the temptation for a runner to stretch what normally was a single into an extra base hit. Those add up and I think the Pirates know that now.
If this is going to be a successful season, the Pirates need to find a way to finish .500 or better in June.
The June schedule includes three games against the Los Angeles Angels, six games versus the New York Mets, a three game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, three road games against the Chicago Cubs and four games each against the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers.
That is brutal and the Pirates will need to show they belong among Major League Baseball’s elite teams all June.
So how many wins this season?
This could be a very successful season once again and nationally not much is expected from the Pirates. This team is aware of that and will be highly motivated.
The Chicago Cubs on paper are the class of this division and the Pirates in addition to the Cardinals will compete for second fiddle.
This year, the Pirates will go 89-73 which will again mean it hosts a wild card game. The opponent will be the Los Angeles Dodgers. The NL Central once again is a three team race and each team will regress.
I see the Pirates making it to the NLDS but not being able to make it over that hump.
This team will surprise a lot of people and turn several heads because what it may lack in power will be replaced by smart playing in all facets of the game.
Sunday though is when the real test begins. It is Opening Day and baseball will once again be back.
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