For the Pirates to contend in 2017, they’ll need a bounce-back season from Andrew McCutchen, now the starting right fielder, and improved production from the rotation.
As we approach the 2017 season, we’re previewing what’s ahead for each of the 30 MLB teams. The Pittsburgh Pirates are next:
[sidebar]
Player to watch
After posting strong numbers in triple-A to start 2016, Josh Bell became an everyday major-leaguer in late August. Bell played 23 games at first base and another 16 in right field, so versatility is part of his resume. He figures to be the Pirates’ main first baseman this season.
At the dish, Bell posted an impressive .368 on-base percentage, while batting .273 in 152 plate appearances. The 24-year-old had off-season knee surgery in February, but has participated in spring training and will be ready to go on opening day. The Pirates have to be excited about his potential to impact the top of the order.
What a successful 2017 would look like
Last season marked the first time in four seasons that Pittsburgh failed to qualify for the playoffs and it’s hard to believe fans will be satisfied without a return trip.
After finishing fourth in Cy Young voting in 2015, Gerrit Cole had a miserable time last season, going 7-10 around three trips to the disabled list. The pitching staff will be in trouble if Cole can’t regain his mojo.
Starling Marte has taken over from Andrew McCutchen as the key position player and centre fielder, and the Pirates are counting on the embattled Jung-ho Kang—who hit 21 homers as a 29-year-old in his second MLB season last year—to continue to provide a little pop in a lineup that lacks a true masher.
[relatedlinks]
Pittsburgh underwent a long, painful rebuild to become a quality team and there must be some fear the club has missed its window. In 2013, the Pirates lost a winner-take-all Game 5 in the National League Division Series when Adam Wainwright pitched a complete game for the St. Louis Cardinals while surrendering a single run. In 2014, San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner threw a complete-game shutout in Pittsburgh during the NL wild card game and in 2015, Jake Arrieta of the Chicago Cubs tossed his team to a wild card win in the Steel City with, you guessed it, nine innings of shutout ball.
A division title is likely off limits thanks to the Cubs, but to avoid an October legacy of being silenced by aces, Pittsburgh needs at least a wild card win in 2017.
Biggest remaining question
The entire baseball world expected McCutchen to be traded in the off-season, but GM Neal Huntington never pulled the trigger. Now, one has to wonder what McCutchen’s state of mind is as he nears free agency at the end of the 2018 season. Can the 30-year-old get close to the form that saw him finish no worse than fifth in NL MVP voting from 2012 to 2015?
And should Pittsburgh hit the skids early on, will McCutchen be put back on the trade market before August? Moving McCutchen would not only alter things on the field, but also carry enormous symbolic weight since he’s been the unquestioned face of Pittsburgh’s rise from the ashes.
