I’ve been a Pirate fan since…Abner Doubleday was in short pants. I grew up listening to Bob Prince, who was a great “homer” and could make the games seem exciting even when the home team stunk – which was most of the time in that era. The highlight of those years was of course Mazeroski’s homer and beating the Yankees in the ’60 series. That whole season was a dream, with the Pirates seemingly coming from behind to win almost every night. But that’s what happens when you have four or five mediocre players having “career years” at the same time.
The key word for the current Pirate team is POTENTIAL. They have a few proven players in the lineup, but a small army players who have given us glimpses of GREAT potential that hasn’t fully matured yet. If that ever happens…
The pitching staff is solid but potentially great. Starting pitchers Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, and Frank Liriano have all shown glimpses of brilliance, as has returning starter AJBurnett. Burnett played hurt last year in Philly, and this will be his last year, but nobody would go into shock if he won 15 games this summer; he simply knows how to pitch. There are also 2 or 3 secondary starters (e.g., Jeff Locke) who have had hot streaks in the past that make one salivate. The bullpen is OK and anchored by closer Mark Melancon, who looks positively AFRAID when he takes the mound, but his results are passable. The other guys, as a group, have been very good at holding a lead. In fact, the Pirates greatest success over the past 2 years has been when they scored early and held the other team scoreless for the last 6 or 7 innings. This is a demonstration of how strong the bullpen has been (and unfortunately a demonstration of how poorly all of the Pirates have hit in late innings in close games).
The infield is loaded with talent and again I have to use that word, POTENTIAL. Josh Harrison was all-star solid last year at third, Jordy Mercer was good at short, Neil Walker was excellent at second and is always improving. Plus, we got this Korean guy, Jung Ho Kang, who team management is delirious about but is completely unproven in U.S. baseball (had 40 homers last year in Korea). Pedro Alvarez is a puzzle, and the first base job is his to lose. He stunk at the plate last year but was bothered by a couple minor physical problems. He probably will never hit Lefties worth a damn, but has the power to put up 35-40 homers easily. If he doesn’t work out? Hell, anyone can play first base.
The outfield is also loaded with actual and potential stars. Anchored in center by Andrew McCutcheon, we also have a solid left fielder in Starling Marte, and a budding 5-tool superstar in Gregory Polanco in right, as well as three or four other passable alternatives. And don’t discount Corey Hart whom we picked up as a free agent; he has had some good years before.
Catching is a huge question mark. Russell Martin was one of the best defensive catchers in the game for the past couple years, and was contributing significantly with his bat as well last year (his “free agent” year push, I suppose). It is hard to calculate how much he will be missed, because the players all believe he made the pitchers better with his pitch calling and controlling the game (and the umpires, if the rumor is correct). The heir apparent has been Tony Sanchez coming up from AAA, but he just hasn’t worked out as well as everyone expected. We have four guys on the 40-man who can catch the ball, but we don’t know much more than that about any of them.
Clint Hurdle has always been a genius for getting everyone enough playing time to keep them more-or-less happy, but this year will be his biggest challenge yet in that regard. Although we have no classic #4 hitter (unless Pedro starts producing as promised), the roster includes a dozen or more players who probably believe that they deserve to start, but they will have to be happy with 3-400 AB’s.
Overall, I like our chances.
