It’s a good thing the city of Pittsburgh has the Steelers because the Pirates have been a disappointment since 1992. That’s right, the Pirates have not finished over .500 since they lost to the Braves in the National League Championship Series against the Braves. Last season, the Pirates finished in last place for the fourth consecutive season with a record of 57-105. The only bright spot for the Pirates last season was that they showcased their young talent. Players like Neil Walker, Pedro Alvarez, and Jose Tabata, will become household names in the near future.
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Pedro Alvarez at-bat vs. Orioles in Sarasota |
Second baseman Neil Walker finished fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. He finished the season hitting .296 with 12 home runs, and 66 RBI in 110 games. The first round draft pick for the Pirates in 2008 Pedro Alvarez displayed incredible power in 2010. The third baseman hit .256 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI in just 95 games. The Pirates also called up 21-year old outfielder Jose Tabata. Tabata hit .299 with four home runs, 35 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 102 games. All three of these young Pirates will contribute to a lineup that already has former first round draft pick Andrew McCutchen and productive journeyman Garrett Jones. McCutchen played in his first full season in 2010 and hit .286 with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, and 33 steals. He also recorded eight outfield assists. Like McCutchen, Jones was given the ability to play every day for the entire season in 2010. The left-handed power hitter hit .247, clubbed 21 home runs, and knocked in 83 runs in 158 games.
During the offseason, the Pirates signed free agents Lyle Overbay and Matt Diaz. Overbay spent the last five seasons as the Blue Jays’ everyday first baseman. Last season, he hit for a .243 batting average with 20 home runs, and 67 RBI. Overbay can also field the ball very well. The veteran first baseman posted a fielding percentage of .996 and committed just six errors in 153 games. Diaz was brought in as the Pirates fourth outfielder and a key bat off the bench. Like Overbay, Diaz spent the last five seasons with the Atlanta Braves. In only 84 games with the Braves last season, Diaz hit .250 with 7 home runs and 31 RBI. Both of these veterans know what it takes to win in the big leagues and should instill a winning attitude in Pittsburgh.
Overbay and Diaz are not the only ones who will be instilling a winning attitude in 2011. The Pirates organization also hired Clint Hurdle to manage this season. Hurdle spent last season as the hitting coach for the American League Champion Texas Rangers and was the manager of the Rockies from 2002-2009. During the 2007 season, Hurdle led the Rockies the World Series against the Red Sox. Hurdle definitely knows what it takes to be a successful manager and should be able to instill confidence in his young players that they can win in the big leagues.
I believe that the pitcher has to have the most confidence on the field. Therefore, if the Pirates are going to be successful this year or next year, they have to pitch a lot better. The Pirates ranked dead last in the National League in ERA at 5.00 in 1438.1, Batting Average Against at .282, and Strikeouts with 1026. The team also ranked 15th in the National League in Quality Starts with 71. These statistics are really not indicative of what the Pirates rotation and bullpen are capable of. The projected rotation for 2011 is as follows: Kevin Correia, Paul Maholm, James McDonald, Ross Ohlendorf, and Charlie Morton and Scott Olsen battling for the final spot.
Correia spent last season with the San Diego Padres and did not perform very well. Correia went 10-10 with an ERA of 5.40 in 28 starts. Despite these poor numbers, Correia is capable of leading this young rotation in the right direction. Paul Maholm has yet to put it all together for an entire season. Last season, the lefty finished with a 9-15 record and an ERA of 5.10 in 185.1 innings. Maholm has shown that he can be successful in the Major Leagues. In his “career year” in 2008, Maholm went 9-9 with an ERA of 3.71 in 31 starts. He also pitched 206.1 innings, held batters to a .263 average, and struck out a career-high 139 batters. McDonald was acquired from the Dodgers last season for Octavio Dotel. In his final six starts of the season last year, McDonald did not allow more than three runs in any of those starts. He finished the month of September with a 2-2 record and an ERA of 2.31 in 35 innings. In those 35 innings, McDonald held opposing hitters to a .246 average while striking out 30 batters. The young right-hander just needed an opportunity to start every fifth day in the Major Leagues. Ross Ohlendorf’s 2010 record of 1-11 does not do him any justice. Ohlendorf not only had his season cut short due to injury, but he suffered from the lack of run support during his starts. In his 21 starts last year, Ohlendorf received a run support of 2.9. In addition to that, the right-hander allowed four runs or more in only five of his 21 starts. In his last five starts of the season, Ohlendorf finished 0-3 but had an ERA of 3.16 in 25.2 innings. The final spot of the rotation will be between Charle Morton and Scott Olsen. Morton had a horrendous 2010 season going 2-12 with an ERA of 7.57 in 17 starts for the Pirates. During Spring Training, however, he is making a case by posting a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings and holding batters to a .196 batting average. Scott Olsen spent the last two seasons in Washington and only appeared in 28 games because of injury. Last season, Olsen went 4-8 with and ERA of 5.56 in 81 innings. The former Marlin had his best Major League season in 2008 as a member of the Marlins. He finished 8-11 with an ERA of 4.20 in 201.2 innings. This spring, Olsen is not pitching himself out of any considerations for a rotation spot. In just 2.1 innings, Olsen has allowed four runs on five hits and two home runs.
The Pirates bullpen has some nice pieces. The Pirates signed lefty Joe Beimel to a minor league contract during the offseason with the intentions of using him as a left-handed option late in games. Beimel spent last year with the Rockies. In 71 games for Colorado, Beimel went 1-2 with an ERA of 3.40 in 45 innings. The Pirates also signed Jose Veras to a minor league contract. Veras spent last season with the Florida Marlins where he appeared in 48 games and finished 3-3 with an ERA of 3.75. Out of 26 inherited runners last season, Veras allowed only one of the runners to score. Veras figures to be a nice sixth or seventh inning reliever. Both of these acquisitions will help bridge the gap between the starting pitcher and both the setup man Evan Meek and the closer Joel Hanrahan.
Evan Meek was selected to represent the Pirates at the All-Star game. The Pirates’ reliever was well deserving of the selection. In 48.2 innings prior to the All-Star break, Meek went 4-3 with an ERA of 1.11, recorded one save, and a WHIP of 0.945. Hanrahan was acquired from the Nationals in 2009 and got off to a great start finishing 0-1 with an ERA of 1.72 in 31.1 innings. Last season, however, Hanrahan did not replicate his success. In 69.2 innings last season, Hanrahan finished 4-1 with an ERA of 3.62 and recorded six saves in 10 tries. This season, Hanrahan has already been named the closer by manager Clint Hurdle. Hanrahan has shown at time that he is capable of closing out games, so we’ll see what the Pirates will get out him this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have something to look forward to this season. They have a young and exciting team that can do some damage given the proper attitude. With the acquisition of manager Clint Hurdle and veterans like Overbay and Diaz, the Pirates should be ready to compete this year. When it is all said and done this season, I believe the Pirates will be on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. Having said that, I don’t expect the losing trend to last much longer in Pittsburgh.
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