94-68 in 2013, 2nd in NL Central, #1 Wild Card
Raise the Jolly Roger!
Last Season was many things for the Pirates. September 2013 was the best month to be a Pirates fan since 1992. On the 9th they captured win number 82, signifying their first winning season since ’92. Then a couple weeks later on the 23rd they clinched a spot in the postseason. 94 wins was 3 behind division leader St. Louis and 4 ahead of the #2 Wild Card winner, Cincinnati. The tough NL Central was a three team race from game 1, but the question was whether or not both wildcards would come from the division. In deed it did, and the Bucs went five games in the NLDS before falling short to St. Louis.
Their strength in pitching was a pleasant surprise. Lead by AJ Burnett and the former greatness of Francisco Liriano showing through, the Pirate staff had 0, that’s zero, pitchers with ERA’s over 4.00 (that threw at least 30 innings). 
The staff was third in ERA and strikeouts and second in hits allowed in the National League. Ample offense was headlined by none other than MVP, Andrew McCutchen, the only starter to hit over .300. Ninth in runs and eighth in OPS, the lineup showed power but not overall and even run production. An example of how the pitching staff was their crutch that helped get them off the losing wagon.
Off Season moves began with Marlon Byrd and AJ Burnett leaving. Backup catcher John Buck and Justin Morneau also have headed onto greener pastures. Edinson Volquez was picked up through free agency and is back in the NL Central after his stint out west. One year deals with Gaby Sanchez and Neil Walker should prove as important cornerstone pieces they needed to hold on to. It was a pretty quiet off season on the whole for the Pirates. The only other move worth noting was picking up catcher Chris Stewart from the Yankees to replace John Buck leaving. He’s not expected to provide anything incredible but rather a solid defensive replacement.
‘Cutch splintering his Marucci
Outlook: As mentioned, the team relied on McCutchen and their pitching staff for most of the year. Count Burnett and Byrd leaving as considerable losses but replacements are in place. Starters Charlie Morton and Gerrit Cole will be able to provide even more if they stay healthy in 2014. Add that with Volquez and the rotation looks set.
#POSTSEASON?
Third in homers last year and that looks to stay the same. Pedro Alvarez knocked 36 out and is primed to top 40 this year. Four other players hit 15 or more homers, including the flexible Garrett Jones. The Pirates are littered with young talent on the field and even more are trying to get there.
Prediction: The biggest strength and weakness of the Bucs will continue to be their ability to prevent runs than their ability to create runs. Personally I’d rather build a team like that than the other way around. I also want to say the Pirates are one offensive piece away from being “there.” Starling Marte, McCutchen, Jordy Mercer and Jose Tabata were the only members to have a BABIP over .297 (the league average) which means the team as a whole should be on the upswing. If they do indeed increase run production as stats suggest, I can see the Pirates as a wild card for the second year in a row. The Reds are primed to be worse this year so chalk the Pirates and the Cardinals to be must-watch baseball all year long.
North Bound Sports Report 