Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Underrated Spring Training Storylines

In our daily Wake-Up Call, we get you ready for the day with a complete look at all things Pittsburgh Pirates.

When thinking about storylines to watch out for throughout the Pittsburgh Pirates time in Pirate City in Bradenton FL., two main things come to mind. I’m sure Pirates fans are looking forward to seeing how Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco adjust to their new outfield positions, and how the battle for the fifth starting rotation spot pans out between the Pirates barrage of young starting pitchers.

However, there are a few other storylines that deserve some recognition this spring.

I won’t go too in depth here, but I wanted to outline two storylines that will garner my attention throughout the road to Opening Day.

The first is the spring training developments of relievers Juan Nicasio, Felipe Rivero and Daniel Hudson.

While Nicasio spent last spring impressing Pirates fans and earning himself a starting rotation spot, he’ll have an entire spring to focus on being a key aspect of the Bucs bullpen without distractions of whether or not he will be a starter.

When it comes to Felipe Rivero and Daniel Hudson, I’m looking forward to seeing how they do in their first spring training with the Pirates. Rivero was solid for the Bucs after being acquired from the Washington Nationals last season, posting a 3.29 ERA in 28 appearances for the Pirates while striking out 39 batters in 27.1 innings pitched. Though some  prefer Rivero in a closing role, he’ll likely be best suited in a setup role for Tony Watson in 2017.

Hudson was one of the Bucs main acquisitions this spring and will add to an impressive bullpen that I expect to improve over last year. Keeping an eye on how these three, all with key bullpen roles, progress throughout spring will be something I’d want to watch out for.

Another underrated storyline involves Gerrit Cole. Now, a lot of people may be following everything he does, but I feel as if this topic may get overshadowed by the Pirates trio of outfielders and the young hurlers on the Bucs pitching staff battling for the all important fifth starter spot.

Cole is coming off of his worst year as a big leaguer, a year that was plagued by injuries. Cole will have a huge impact in 2017, not just on the mound as the Pirates ace, but by being a veteran mentor to young pitchers such as Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow and Chad Kuhl.

Cole has said that he feels healthy heading into spring, which is good news for the Pirates organization and fans of the club. However, it will be interesting to see how he professes through the next month and a half and if he can return to Cy Young candidate form in 2017.

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• Matt Snyder of CBSSports.com takes a look at his over and under MLB picks for 2017.
• Bleacher Report’s Zach Rymer makes 2017 MLB Awards predictions prior to spring training.
• Joe Rodgers looks at five spring training storylines to watch for.

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