Pirates - The Good and the Ugly

The Pittsburgh Pirates season is in its infancy, yet the club has already faced a roller coaster of ups and downs. We’ve seen stretches of great pitching and absolutely no hitting, mediocre pitching and quality hitting, and poor pitching and poor hitting – and we’re only 9 games into the season. However, this is typical for a baseball season and every team goes through the same trials and tribulations. The Pirates seem to be suffering more than any team this year, but here’s a look at The Good and The Ugly so far this season:

The Good

Starling Marte – Marte is a cut above every player on the roster right now. Marte has 2 hits in each of the last 5 games and is batting .333 on the season. Marte is leading the Pirates in batting average, hits, runs, triples, OBP, OPS, and SLG. Some folks questioned whether Marte would live up to his “5-Tool” potential and he seems to be answering the call after 9 games.

Pitching - With the exception of yesterday's game, the Pirates pitching has been rock solid. The 3.74 team ERA ranks 6th in the National League and 2nd behind the Cardinals (3.59) in the NL Central. The starting pitching has been reliable for the most part and the bull pen has been lights out.

AJ Burnett – Although AJ is 0-2 after 2 starts, he boasts a 3.27 ERA and 19 strikeouts in only 11 innings. Burnett has allowed 4 runs in 2 starts but hasn’t received the run support necessary to win.

Wandy Rodriguez – Wandy is arguably the most consistent pitcher on the Pirates roster. He has been the picture of consistency for many years and we’ve come to expect a quality start every time he takes the hill. Although he left his last start early with a strained hamstring, he isn't expected to be placed on the disabled list. Wandy is sporting an ERA of 1.00 after 9 innings of work. Solid.

Standings - The Pirates have been both completely awful and really good this season. It’s hard to tell which Pirates team will show up on any given day. Even with the significant ups and downs, the Pirates are only 2 games out of first place with a 3-6 record behind the Reds and Cardinals - with an upcoming series with the Reds.

Bullpen - Assembling a quality bullpen continues to be a strength of the current Pirates front office. With a combined 12 innings of work, Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, and Justin Wilson are yet to give up a run. They’ve combined for 13 strikeouts and only 1 walk.

Jared Hughes - It doesn't matter what Hughes' stats look like. What does matter is his attitude and approach to the game. Every time he's called to action, he comes in like he's ready to kill somebody. I love his demeanor and think the Pirates could use a little more of it. I'm not a fan of the Bryce Harper attitude, but that type of player is one that elevates people around them. #EmbraceTheCrazy

The Ugly

Offense – The Pirates are dead last in Major League Baseball in batting average (.153). The team average is .45 points lower than the next to last place Cubs. The Pirates are also last in baseball in hits, home runs, OBP, SLG, OPS, and total bases.

Mental Mistakes – Poor base running, fielding gaffes, and coaching have been issues through 9 games. The Pirates need to clean up the mental aspect of their game if they have any chance of beating the top teams in baseball.

Pedro Alvarez – With 30 AB’s on the season, Pedro has 2 hits, 1 walk, 1 RBI, and 14 K’s. His .067 batting average and lack of run production is a significant reason the Pirates are 3-6. When Alvarez has had the opportunity to drive in runs, he’s failed miserably. He needs to improve drastically and consistently for the Pirates to be legitimate contenders.

Russell Martin – We were hopeful that Russell Martin would be a significant upgrade over the putrid hitting Rod Barajas. Although Martin typically doesn’t hit for a good batting average (.211 last season), he has some pop in his bat to make up for it. His 40+ home runs over the last 2 seasons and his tremendous defense behind the plate made him an attractive option for the Pirates. However, after 23 AB’s, Martin has only 1 hit, 0 HR, and a .043 batting average.

Andrew McCutchen – I was reluctant to lump Cutch into this group, but in reality, he isn’t producing like he needs to for the Pirates to be a threat. In 30 AB’s, Cutch has 7 hits, 1 HR, 6 RBI, and 4 SB with a .233 batting average. McCutchen’s stats look impressive compared to his teammates, but he’s not producing in the manner he should be as the team’s only superstar player.

Jonathan Sanchez – Sanchez had a decent first start, but today’s effort was a quick reminder why he has had difficulty sticking with any major league team over the last couple of years. In my opinion, the Pirates have better, younger options within the organization that should be given an opportunity in the rotation (McPherson, Irwin, Johnson, and maybe Oliver should be given an opportunity)

Recap

I could continue to pick the team apart. With the exception of Marte, I could have lumped the entire team in to the “Ugly” category. Clint Barmes, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker, Gaby Sanchez, and Russell Martin are all batting under .103. It’s tough to win baseball games when the entire team is slumping.

At the end of the day, every team experiences ups and downs and hot and cold streaks. The Pirates are definitely going through a cold streak, but we’ve seen this same group of guys play during hot streaks as well. When they are good, they are really good. When they are bad, they are really bad. The club needs to find a happy medium where they can compete in close games and find a way to win. They need to win more than 50% of their games to break the longest losing streak in professional sports and it would be nice to begin that journey in the upcoming series against the Reds.