Can The Jolly Roger Set Sail for October Once Again?

Can The Jolly Roger Set Sail for October Once Again?

 

 

Last season, the Pittsburgh Pirates snapped their playoff drought of over 20 years. They would love to build off that success and keep the momentum going but it’s going to be a tough voyage. They face stiff divisional competition from the Cardinals, and also wild card competition from the Diamondbacks, Braves, and Nationals. Can they strike gold once again with the pitching staff and bullpen? Can they overcome having to play Gaby Sanchez at first base? Will the young kids come up to the big show and shine like they did last season? There are many questions facing this team’s journey to find the treasure chest. 

MVP Winner Andrew McCutchen returns as the backbone of this lineup and the engine that makes it run. Pedro Alvarez took a step forward to stardom by having a career year, but he does need to cut back on the strikeouts. Starling Marte is a perfect table setter and Neil Walker will continue to improve and be an important piece for his hometown team. Russell Martin is having a terrific spring but he is in the lineup more for his ability to pitch frame and work with a staff than he is for his offense. Having to play Gaby Sanchez at first base is going to be a problem for this team. First base is obviously a premiere position and giving Sanchez as many at bats as he will have could give Pittsburgh one of the worst first basemen from a production standpoint in all of baseball. Top outfield prospect Gregory Polanco will get the call up at some point in 2014 and I see him being an immediate contributor.

The Pirates struck gold when it came to the pitching staff and especially the bullpen in 2013. Gerrit Cole came up and showed he can be the ace to carry this staff for years to come. Jeff Locke has a tremendous first half but tired out and slipped in the second half. Now that he knows what to expect and can better prepare himself for the long haul I see a return to first half form. Francisco Liriano had a phenomenal year and expecting him to do that again is asking too much. Expect a big time regression year from him. Brandon Cumpton made some spot starts last season and showed he could be a good back end of the rotation starter. The biggest question the Pirates face this season is when they will pull the trigger and bring up Jameson Taillon. It seems like we as fans have been waiting forever to see this guy on an MLB mound, and that time should come before the All-Star break.

If the Pirates can tread water for most of the first half and can pull off a trade for a more productive first baseman they could enjoy a second straight trip to the postseason. If these guys all hit a regression stage at the same time and have trouble getting out of the gate it will be a long summer in Steel City.

We will be back tomorrow with a look at the Angels and whether or not they can get back to contention. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @changingspeeds for all our coverage of the national pastime.