For the Pittsburgh Pirates, 2013 was a dream season in a lot of ways. The team reached the postseason for the first time since Barry Bonds roamed the outfield in Three Rivers Stadium, and while the Bucs didn’t advance to the NLCS, a trip to the Divisional Series was just fine with most fans.
2013 Review
Pittsburgh had a banner season last year, winning 94 games. That earned them a trip to the Wild Card game where they defeated the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2. With the victory, the Bucs advanced to the National League Divisional Series against the St. Louis Cardinals where they lost, three games to two.
Projected 2014 Starters
1B – Gaby Sanchez
2B – Neil Walker
SS – Jordy Mercer
3B – Pedro Alvarez
LF – Starling Marte
CF – Andrew McCutchen
RF – Jose Tabata
C – Russell Martin
P – Fransico Liriano (Projected Opening Day starter)
Biggest Questions
1. Fifth starter: The Pirates lost a big part of their rotation in starter A.J. Burnett, who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the offseason. As some insurance, Pittsburgh previously signed Edinson Volquez. As a 1-1 ‘swap’, though, this appears to be a lopsided switch. Burnett was a modest 10-11 last year, but was often a hard luck starter as his 3.30 ERA proves. He was subject to a lack of run support and one of the Pirates’ best pitchers despite his record. Volquez, on the other hand, was 9-12 with a horrid 5.71 ERA. Even more problematic is that he hasn’t been a dominant pitcher in quite a while. Volquez has been mostly average in recent memory and hasn’t had an ERA below 4.00 since 2008.
2. First base: Thus far, Pittsburgh has gone the entire offseason without addressing their biggest need, which was first base. The Bucs have reportedly toyed with the notion of acquiring Kendrys Morales, but so far, appear set to go with a platoon of Gaby Sanchez and Andrew Lambo. Others such as Matt Hague and Chris McGuiness may get a look, but Sanchez and Lambo are the favorites. Lambo has shown some promise in the minors (32 home runs in 2013), but has struggled in his only major league action last year, hitting .233 with one home run in 18 games. Sanchez’ seven home runs and .254 average weren’t that impressive, either, but the two may be forced to carry the load in 2014.
3. Shortstop: If first base was the biggest position of need, shortstop was a close second. Pittsburgh brought back veteran Clint Barmes, largely for his defense since his .211 batting average was a big issue last season. Barmes figures to play behind Jordy Mercer for the most part. At 27, Mercer is an older prospect who showed some promise in 2013, batting .285 with eight home runs in limited playing time. He could be the answer, but for a team trying to compete for another playoff spot, an upgrade here wouldn’t have hurt.
Ones to Watch
Gregory Polanco – Polanco is arguably the Pirates’ top outfield prospect and could eventually play alongside Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte. He hasn’t shown a ton of power in the minor leagues, but at only 22, projects by some as a power-hitting outfielder. He skyrocketed through the system in 2013, starting in A+ and reaching AAA by the end of the season. Polanco likely won’t start out in the majors this year, but could be there before the season is over.
Jameson Taillon – Taillon isn’t only one of the Pirates’ best pitching prospects, but one of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball. Armed with impressive ‘stuff’, he hasn’t been completely dominant in the minor leagues with a sub .500 record and a 3.72 career ERA. Taillon, though, reached AAA last year and could be a midseason call up – particularly if the Bucs are in need of a fifth starter.
Outlook
Pittsburgh lost Burnett, but really not much else. The late acquisition of Marlon Byrd was a significant addition, but the Pirates at least have some other options in the outfield and they also didn’t have him for most of the season. With considerable young talent such as Marte, Pedro Alvarez, and pitcher Gerrit Cole a year older, the Pirates could get more production out of them. When you add in McCutchen, the 2013 National League Most Valuable Player, it’s hard to imagine this team won’t contend for another playoff spot this year.
