Pittsburgh Pirates Wake Up Call: NLWC a sobering reminder

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

Last night’s National League Wild Card game between the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks was a fantastic, offense-filled affair. It was a great game, but it might have also served as a sobering reminder for Pittsburgh Pirates fans.

As I sat here and watched the D-Backs and Rockies trade timely hits and home runs, I was reminded just how far away Pittsburgh may in fact be from the level of baseball displayed by these two lineups.

Here at PBD, we are fond of saying that the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates team had more talent than they displayed for much of the year, whether that be due to circumstances beyond their control or not.

But after watching the Diamondbacks and Rockies lineups, how could one possibly think that?

The Diamondbacks came into the game with perennial MVP candidate Paul Goldschmidt in tow, he of the 143 wRC+. He serves as a fantastic centerpiece for any offense, but when you surround him with the likes of J.D. Martinez, Jake Lamb and A.J. Pollock, well, that’s awfully impressive.

Let’s not sell the Colorado Rockies short either, who may have not one but two MVP candidates in their midst.

It's a shame that Blackmon and Arenado are going to split MVP votes, they both are very deserving.

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) October 5, 2017

2017 National League batting title winner Charlie Blackmon and the somehow still underrated Nolan Arenado combined for 12.1 fWAR this year. D.J. LeMahieu is a steady presence towards the top of the order, and though the hype may have died around him, Trevor Story has settled in to serving as a consistent power threat. Mark Reynolds was quiet last night, but turned in a very productive season during this, the tail end of his career

These two teams have a staggering amount of talent, and watching the clubs go back and forth in a slugfest last night was a grim reminder that the Pittsburgh Pirates may be further away from contention than we thought.

Especially now that these two clubs may be sticking around as contenders in their own right.

Baseball Talk on the Web

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• Toronto declined a mutual option on Jose Bautista, making him a free agent.

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