The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates showed the city that baseball was back in the Steel City where it belonged. The question is however, can the 2014 Pirates continue to keep the ball rolling?
They have the pieces to contend like last season, but it’s what they did in the offseason to determine if they will be able to hold on to that playoff spot.
Pitching still has some question marks to it after 10-game winner and clubhouse leader, A.J. Burnett departed for the Phillies. The addition of Edinson Volquez to the starting rotation has fans scratching their heads as he was nowhere close to the numbers the team wanted him to be at out of spring training. However, Charlie Morton and Wandy Rodriguez are back to full health and Gerrit Cole looks to continue the dominance he had in the second half of last season.
Opening Day starter, Francisco Liriano won’t have the numbers that won him NL Comeback Player of the Year, but his numbers should still keep him in the #3 starter range which is not bad at all, especially if a healthy Jameson Taillon is ready come mid-June.
The bullpen is as solid and healthy as it was at the All-Star break and includes the addition of Stolmy Pimentel. That has caused a logjam at the bottom of the pen as he, Jeanmar Gomez and Vin Mazzaro are battling for the final two spots in the Shark Tank. The odd man out is likely to be traded as neither of the three have options left and will be picked up by another team if he’s DFA’d.
The Pirates did lose other key members of last season’s playoff run due to free agency with First base being a major concern as we go into Monday’s season opener. After Garrett Jones signed with the Miami Marlins, Gaby Sanchez was left without a platoon mate going into the spring session. Andrew Lambo would go into the new year as the leading candidate for the platoon job if he were able to put up average numbers. That didn’t happen though, as he couldn’t break a .100 batting average. Luckily for the Pirates, Travis Ishikawa , a minor league contract signee from the Yankees, played a solid spring and took the job. It’s not the ideal scenario, but it is a defensive upgrade compared to last year.
Right field was another concern going into spring as Marlon Byrd, who was the everyday starter after the trade deadline, signed with the Phillies in the offseason. Travis Snider looks to be the Opening Day starter and along with Jose Tabata, will man the fort until Gregory Polanco is called up any time between mid-June and early July. Snider is fully healthy and could keep Polanco in AAA a bit longer than some expect which could be a perfect scenario.
The rest of the outfield is set and will be for years to come as NL MVP, Andrew McCutchen and his left field partner, Starling Marte are now locked up through 2017. Pedro Alvarez will be looking to lock up a long-term contract as last seasons NL home run king will look to build on an encouraging 2013 campaign.
The middle-infield has some offensive questions as Jordy Mercer and Neil Walker look to get the bats going this year, but their defense should be a lock. Clint Barmes is also available for a late-inning defensive replacement to help Mercer, who is still learning to perfect the position.
Finally, the Pirates defensive MVP, Russell Martin returns to control the pitching game which was extremely effective last season. His batting in clutch situations will also help the team out as he recorded four walk-off hits last year.
The Pirates should get to the 86 win mark, but could do better or worse if any problems (injury, regression, etc.) occur. Playoffs are a 50/50 shot with the strength of other teams in the NL, but that’s why they play the games.
(Photo Credit: Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
