2012 Season
The Pirates got off to a furious start in 2012, continuing their improvement from the worst record in baseball in 2010. However, with a 67-54 record on August 19th, the Pirates proceeded to implode over the last month and a half, finishing 79-83, and securing a MLB record twentieth consecutive losing season. Andrew McCutchen was a real bright spot for the Pirates, as he hit .327 with a .400 OBP and 31 homers. He was hitting .362 before the all-star break, but like the rest of the team cooled off after that. A.J Burnett had a fine season atop the rotation with 16 wins and Pedro Alvarez finally broke out with 30 homers. However, James McDonald collapsed after a monster second half and McCutchen was for the most part forced to carry the offense on his back as the Pirates were unable to take advantage of their hot start.
Off-Season Moves
IN: Russell Martin, Francisco Liriano, Mark Melancon, Jerry Sands, Jeanmar Gomez, Brandon Inge
OUT: Joel Hanrahan, Kevin Correia, Rod Barajas
Overview: No massive moves for the Pirates, which should come as no surprise for a team with little payroll in a small market. Closer Joel Hanrahan was traded to Boston, but for little return with Melancon, Sands and Ivan DeJesus coming back the other way. Russell Martin is a nice addition, as he has proven he has pop and good defense although the batting average will be a drain. Francisco Liriano is a bit of a lottery ticket, as his lack of consistency and control has rendered his excellent stuff useless. The Pirates will be hoping he can finally get into a groove in his age 29 season, but I see little reason why he won't struggle with the long ball again. Overall, very much a status quo off-season for the Bucs. Overall grade: 3/10.
| Expected Opening Day Line-up | ||
|---|---|---|
| Position | Player | Projected stat line (OBP/SLG/WAR) |
| LF | Starling Marte | .336/.479/2.6 |
| 2B | Neil Walker | .337/.435/2.6 |
| CF | Andrew McCutchen | .372/.483/5.3 |
| 1B | Garrett Jones | .315/.454/0.8 |
| 3B | Pedro Alvarez | .336/.481/2.4 |
| C | Russell Martin | .340/.394/2.2 |
| RF | Travis Snider | .345/.468/0.7 |
| SS | Clint Barmes | .286/.353/1.5 |
| Expected rotation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Starter | Player | Projected stat line (IP/ERA/WAR) |
| 1 | A.J. Burnett | 209/4.05/2.4 |
| 2 | Wandy Rodriguez | 206/3.80/3.4 |
| 3 | James McDonald | 172/3.87/1.7 |
| 4 | Jeff Karstens | 105/3.86/1.4 |
| 5 | Francisco Liriano | 154/4.21/2.8 |
Position Players
The clear leader of this line-up is Andrew McCutchen, who finished third in NL MVP voting as he put up a 7 win season. He'll likely regress a little after his superb season, but the fortune of the Pirates rests strongly on the fortune of McCutchen. Starling Marte was called up to the big leagues at the back-end of last season and he struggled to get on base although there were flashes of a handy power-speed. He'll have to adapt his style if he wants to succeed in the lead-off role, but he seems to have the tools to do so. Neil Walker isn't the kind of player who draws crowds, but he has solid contact rates, a good eye and a small amount of power and speed. He is the kind of player who goes unnoticed but is an integral part of a winning team.
Garrett Jones hit 27 homers last season, to go with a .274 average and though he strikes out a fair bit he has proven he can be an everyday player for the Pirates. Pedro Alvarez broke out, and he too has a lot of power and walks enough to off-set the ugly average. Both players are liability in the field though, and will have to endure frustrating cold streaks. Travis Snider is yet to fulfil the huge potential he was given as a prospect. He should finally get consistent playing time this season, but will need to prove he can hit for average and with more power than he has shown. Clint Barmes finishes the line-up off and is not a potent bat at all, but will try and get on base and play good shortstop as a stop-gap.
Pitching
A.J. Burnett had a fine first season in Pittsburgh, although the win total will be hard to repeat. He should be a good bet for 200 strong innings with some strikeouts and a fine ERA as he will be the veteran presence on this team. Wandy Rodriguez has been the image of consistency in the last few years, keeping his ERA in the mid-3's and WHIP around 1.25. He doesn't strike out a lot of hitters but will be a key innings-eater in Pittsburgh. Behind him is James McDonald who possessed a 2.37 ERA prior to the all-star break, but collapsed after that with a 7.52 ERA. If he can rediscover his first-half form, or something close to that he'll be a valuable pitcher for the Bucs, but if the second half was his true form, he'll have a long season. Karstens can chew some innings for Pittsburgh but doesn't have great stuff and will rely on his defense to get the outs.
In the bullpen, Jason Grilli will make the jump to closer after a fine season in the set-up role. At age 36 this may be his last chance in the role, but he has proven he has the stuff to be successful at the back-end of games. Melancon was acquired from the Red Sox in the Hanrahan deal, and will probably be the set-up man for the start of the season. The left-handed Tony Watson had a strong year out of the 'pen for the Bucs, and Jared Hughes was an underrated workhorse, throwing 75 innings with a 2.85 ERA. Overall this is a unit with decent depth, but probably lacking an ace. I think it's going to be an underrated pitching staff though, and they can certainly keep the Bucs in enough games to give their bats a chance. Overall grade: 6/10.
Prospects
The main man in Pittsburgh is big right-hander Gerrit Cole. His four-seam fastball has insane velocity (up as high as 102) but not much movement, but he has worked on a sinking two-seamer around 94-96 that allows him to avoid hard contact. Behind that is his change-up, a plus-plus pitch that is his main strikeout weapon and he is working on a slider to keep right-handed hitters off balance. He'll likely start the year in AAA refining his fastball control and working on attacking hitters but a mid-season call-up is likely and he is a special talent. This system has good depth, although not signing Mark Appel last year may prove costly, as he, Cole and Taillon could have been a devastating 1-2-3. Overall grade: 8/10.
Overview
This is a team that hasn't improved a lot from last season and will likely be fighting with the Cubs until some of the prospects come through. McCutchen makes this team exciting to watch, but I think the NL Central is too strong and the Pittsburgh line-up too hit and miss to truly launch a challenge this season.
Prediction: 73-89.
Gif to Watch
Check out this remarkable play from Travis Snider, widely considered a poor defensive outfielder...
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