ICYMI – The Best of Pirates Breakdown – May 22, 2016

If you need something to keep your mind off the work week ahead on this rainy Sunday, catch up on Pittsburgh Pirates news with some of the highlights from this week at Pirates Breakdown.

Thank you to you, our readers, whether this is your first time checking out the site or you’ve been with us from the start.  We can’t thank you enough for all of the support and interaction you bring on a daily basis, and we hope we return some of that in some way by providing quality coverage of the Pittsburgh Pirates in return.  In case you missed anything, here’s a rundown of some of the highlights from Pirates Breakdown this week.

The Cervelli Corner:

Okay, normally, we wouldn’t have a section devoted solely to a single player with the entirety of the Pirates’ organization to write about, but with news breaking of the three year extension signed by Francisco Cervelli on Tuesday, we had plenty to talk about related to the catcher position.

• Justin Kosanko explored comparative contracts to little avail. See how Cervelli’s contract measures up to those of his counterparts here.
• Ethan Obstarczyk broke down how the decision to let Russell Martin after 2014 was justified by the Cervelli extension. Find the comparison here.
• Justin Frazee gave an in-depth look at the organization’s depth at the catcher position and what the Cervelli extension means for top prospects Elias Diaz and Reese McGuire. You can find it here.

The Other Stuff:

• Jacob Oberdorf analyzed how Josh Harrison is benefiting from batting further down in the lineup. You can find the full analysis here.
• Jose Negron wrote about how Jon Niese pitching late into a game may not be indicative of his true performance. You can read about it here.
• Jason Rollison found his own surprising trends in the form of Jung Ho Kang’s return to the Pirates’ lineup. You can find out about his discoveries here.
• Justin Frazee found his own discovery in the pitching breakout of Austin Coley at Bradenton. You can find out about the 2014 draft pick here.
• Tyler Thomas poured over pages of statistical records to find the Indianapolis Indians pitching staff is on pace for a record season. You can view which records they may break here.
• Aaron Benedict broke out the red pen to grade the Pirates’ performance through the second set of 20 games. You can view the report card here.
• Ethan Obstarczyk listed his surprises, both good and bad, from the first quarter of the season. You can find out what caught him off guard here.
• Joy Frank-Collins provided her weekly recap of all of the Pirates’ social media activity from the past week. You can find out what they players have been up to here.
• Jarrod Prugar analyzed how Jared Hughes has been quietly regressing back to his norm after a poor start. You can view the trends here.
• Sean Riley explored another surprise not getting much news, as Starling Marte has emerged as the National League leader in stolen bases. You can look at what may be in store for him the rest of the season here.

That’s a wrap for this week.  Be sure to come back frequently for more in-depth analysis and editorials and look for ICYMI next Sunday for anything you might miss this coming week.

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