I am probably the biggest Pirate fan out there. Anybody who knows me knows what this team means to me. I have been going to games regularly since before I could walk. I went to my first game when I was a little over a month old(which was I believe a 7-6 victory over the Florida Marlins). I sat through all of the losing, cried over it, wondered why I decided to become a fan, hoped that things would change, so you can imagine what it meant to me when my team finally broke through in 2013. What do I expect from this team is 2014? Well, you'll find out soon enough in this article.
Starting Pitching
Solid. Franscio Liriano, Wandy Rodriguez, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton and probably either Jeff Locke or Edinson Volquez to start the season(Jameson Tallion will probably be inserted in around June) make up a deep and strong rotation that will perform well on most nights.
Liriano was without question the anchor of the staff in 2013, winning 16 games and posting an era of 3.02. Any time the team needed him, he was there to dominate, especially when it came to the St. Louis Cardinals. A lot of people expect Frankie to regress, but I wouldn't be so sure. People almost unanimously said the same thing about AJ Burnett coming into last season, and he statistically outperformed what he did in 2012. Given the fact the Burnett is 7 years older then Liriano is, and considering how good of a pitching coach Ray Serage is, it is very possible that Liriano does the same.
Rodriguez missed the last 4 months of 2013, after injuring his forearm in June. Wandy is getting older, but I think he will still be solid and that the Pirates should be glad to have him back.
Cole is a flamethrower, and throughout the last 2 months of last season, he was really showing why Neil Huntington drafted him 1st overall in 2011. I do not think Cole will suffer the dreaded sophomore slump, and that he will continue to blossom in 2014.
Charlie Morton was the unsung hero of the Pirates rotation last season. Like Liarino, he was very reliable and possess a quit confidence, and if it were not for Michael Wacha, he would have been known as the man who pitched the Pirates to there first postseason series victory since 1979.
Locke and Volquez are question marks. If Locke pitches the way he did April-July last year for a full season, that would just be fantastic for this club, but if he pitches the way he did the last 2 months of last year which is when he completely hit a wall, then it could spell doom, at least for a few months. I think Locke will be somewhere in the middle, probably a ERA in the low 4's, and may even be out of the rotation when Tallion is ready.
Volquez was picked up as a free agent from San Diego this December, and Huntington is hoping that he will be Franscio Liarino 2.0. Although the 2 are similar, considering that both of them were awful before they came to Pittsburgh, and that they both have solid stuff, I don't think it will happen. Volquez is too erratic, as he led the majors in runs allowed last season, and does not have as much potential to turn it around as Frank did. He will probably be closer to Jonathan Sanchez/James McDonald, and will be relegated to the bullpen fast.
Overall, this is one of the better rotations in all of baseball, and could be one of the best if things go well. Tallion throws HARD, and could be a big boost to the Bucs if he follows Cole's path. The loss of AJ Burnett is disappointing, but he can be replaced.
Grade: A
Hitting
We all know the obvious: Andrew McCutchen. #22 was the unquestioned leader of the Pirates, and established himself as one of the best in the game. As most of you know, he was the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player, and that tells you all you need to know about this man who has not gotten a haircut since Timberlake was in NYSNC.
3rd Baseman Pedro Alveraz made more progress in 2013. The Big Bull blasted 36 homeruns last season, tying for the NL lead in that category with Paul Goldschmidt of the Diamondbacks. He keeps getting better, and I think he will continue to improve this season, probably going over the 40 homerun total for the first time in his career.
Neil Walker(Pine Richland class of 2004, eat your heart out WPIAL Insider), is a solid all around player and a gamer. The Real Deal had several clutch hits in September of 2013, and although he went into hibernation 2 months early in the post season, he is still a big part of this team. Left Fielder Starling Marte is this teams sparkplug.
The Leadoff Man is fast, has 20 homerun potential and plays great defense.
Catcher Russel Martin is really nothing special with the bat, but is a huge part of this team with his handling of a pitching staff and ability to throw out anything with 2 feet.
I like Right Fielder Jose Tabata more then most people do, but I am not sure what he will be able to do now that he will most likely be playing almost everyday, at least until Gregory Polanco arrives, with the departure of Marlon Byrd this offseason. He could be an asset. We will see. I don't even want to talk about 1st base right now. It will be interesting, lets just say that. Jordy Mecer will be Walker's Double Play partner. This will be his first full season, and I expect a respectable batting average. He will be backed up by Clint Barmas, who people dislike. I really don't get why, as he is statically a top 5 defensive shortstop in the game.
Overall, while this offense is not terrible, it is not great either. We will see what happens.
Grade: C
Bullpen
''The Shark Tank'' will defiantly not perform like it did last season. Closer Jason Grilli and Setup man Mark Melancon will not be able to replicate what they did in 2013. However, they are both still assets, and fans should still fell pretty comfortable with a late game lead. I am not as sure about Jenmar Gomez and Vin Mazzaro. Both were great assets for the Pirates last season, but I am not so sure what they will do this year. Justin Wilson and Tony Watson both throw solid stuff, and I expect them to continue to be reliable out of the pen, although I don't think Wilson will perform as well as he did in 2013. Jared Hughes also could be an asset if he gets back on track. We will see.
Overall, this is still a bullpen that most teams would love the have.
Grade: B
Farm System
LOADED. Gregory Polanco, Jameson Tallion, Tyler Glasnow, Allen Hanson, Nick Kingham, Austin Medows and Reese McGwire. Do some research on these guys. They have POTENTIONAL, and you will be seeing most of them at PNC Park quite soon, Tallion and Polanco most likely in 2013. The future is bright.
Overall: I expect the Pirates to regress in 2014. Not like REGRESS, but to take a small step back. They will probably win around 86-90 games, and maybe miss the playoffs. I am ok with that, because this team will be elite in 2015. I am almost sure of it.
Prediction: 88-74, 2nd in NL Central
That's all. Thanks for reading.
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