There’s no way Tuesday’s wild card game could have been so memorable without small ball. Managers Ned Yost and Bob Melvin offered it up in bulk with seven stolen bases and five sacrifice bunts. Whether you agree with the approach or not, it made for an unforgettable game.
Maybe Wednesday’s NL wild card game will feature just as much small ball, but that’s not how the Pittsburgh Pirates and San Francisco Giants got here. Even though their lineups don’t get much credit, both teams rank among the best offences in baseball.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch the NL Wild Card Game on Sportsnet Ontario, Pacific, East and West starting at 8 p.m. EST. Listen on Sportsnet 590 The FAN
The Pirates ranked 10th in MLB with 682 runs and the Giants ranked 12th with 665 runs. Not bad, and those numbers tell an incomplete story. Both teams play in parks that suppress offence, and National League pitchers hit, which means these lineups are even better than they appear at first glance.
Comparing position players only, the Pirates lead all MLB teams in weighted runs created plus, a stat that balances positive offensive contributions such as doubles and walks against outs. Pittsburgh’s 116 mark ties them atop MLB with the Dodgers, and the Giants rank fifth in MLB with a 107 wRC+. These lineups can mash.
Reigning MVP Andrew McCutchen leads the Pirates with a .314/.410/.542 batting line for an NL-best .952 OPS, but he’s not Pittsburgh’s only elite bat. They’re especially deep when it comes to right-handed hitters thanks to Russell Martin, Josh Harrison and Starling Marte, who each have an OPS over .800 and double-digit home run totals.
San Francisco’s lineup is similarly deep with a former MVP leading the way and a strong, underrated supporting cast. Buster Posey batted a robust .311/.364/.490 with 22 home runs and Hunter Pence and Pablo Sandoval give the Giants two more star level hitters.
Unlike some NL teams, the Pirates and Giants don’t have huge dropoffs after the top five or six bats. That will be especially true on Wednesday, since Madison Bumgarner is starting for San Francisco. The left-hander batted .258 with a .755 OPS and four home runs this year, and while his career OPS of .463 suggests he’s not quite this good, he’s still one of the best hitting pitchers in the game.
It won’t surprise anyone if Bruce Bochy and Clint Hurdle call for more small ball Wednesday, and if they do it’ll likely make for another entertaining game. But these lineups have shown all year that they’re capable of much more than piecing together rallies one base at a time.
Both teams relied heavily on the draft to obtain key players including McCutchen and Posey. Pirates GM Neal Huntington has also turned to trades and international free agency to lead the Pirates to the post-season for the second time in two years. His counterpart in San Francisco, Brian Sabean, added key contributors such as Tim Hudson and Yusmeiro Petit in free agency:
Anatomy of a playoff team: San Francisco Giants
Free Agency: Gregor Blanco, Guillermo Quiroz, Travis Ishikawa, Joaquin Arias, Michael Morse, Tim Hudson, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Vogelsong, Santiago Casilla, Jeremy Affeldt, Jean Machi
Amateur Free Agency: Pablo Sandoval
Trade: Hunter Pence, Angel Pagan, Jake Peavy, Javier Lopez
Draft: Joe Panik, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, Brandon Crawford, Chris Dominguez, Andrew Susac, Madison Bumgarner, Chris Heston, Tim Lincecum, Sergio Romo
Waivers: Hunter Strickland
Anatomy of a playoff team: Pittsburgh Pirates
Free Agency: Russell Martin, Clint Barmes, Francisco Liriano, Edinson Volquez
Amateur Free Agency: Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco
Trade: Josh Harrison, Travis Snider, Ike Davis, Chris Stewart, Gaby Sanchez, Jose Tabata, Jeff Locke, Mark Melancon, Jeanmar Gomez
Draft: Andrew McCutchen, Neil Walker, Jordy Mercer, Tony Sanchez, Chase d’Arnaud, Pedro Alvarez, Gerrit Cole, Tony Watson, Jared Hughes, Justin Wilson
Waivers: Brent Morel, John Axford, Bobby LaFromboise
