Pittsburgh Pirates Wake-Up Call – Indians a Model for Pirates

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

As I write this the Game 5 of the World Series has just begun, but I, probably like many other Pirates fans, may be witnessing the second small market team in a row win the World Series. The Royals did spend a good amount more than the Pirates in 2015 when they won it all ($132 million to the Pirates’ $105 million), but Cleveland spent money much more comparable to the Pirates this season ($114 million to the Pirates’ $105 million). While a lower payroll is certainly a disadvantage, it’s not an impossible hurdle to overcome. It’s just about allocating money to the right players. The Indians have certainly done that.

And as I watch Trevor Bauer pitch, I think about his career versus that of Gerrit Cole. Obviously the two pitch in different leagues, so ERA isn’t the greatest tool for comparison, but the difference in this area for them is noticeable. Bauer has a 4.42 career ERA, while Cole’s sits at 3.23. That’s more than a full point difference. But if we look at WAR (per ESPN), Cole has a WAR of 7.3 over the past three seasons, while Bauer has a WAR of 6.0. That puts the two a little closer together performance-wise. But I’d argue that Cole would have an even higher WAR had he not been injured in 2014 and this past season. Bauer’s pitched 57 more innings these past three seasons than Cole has.

I guess I’m just trying to say that, despite Bauer pitching in the World Series, I’d still take Cole over him.

I also see this Cleveland lineup and it isn’t anything other-worldly. Offensively, the Pirates have a better lineup than the Indians. But while the Pirates have the edge in this area, the Indians have a much better bullpen and much better base-running. The Pirates have the potential to become a team similar to the Indians as early as next year. The upside of their talent isn’t that far off from Cleveland.

Baseball Talk Around the Web

• We’ve seen Andrew Miller dominate this post-season. Could Tyler Glasnow, should he not work out as a starter, become a “super-reliever” similar to Miller? Jim Bowden of ESPN thinks so.
• Did you miss any of the Pirates’ coaching changes from this past weekend? If you did, catch up on the news here.

Lastly, here’s some food for thought:

If the #Indians beat the #Cubs in 5 games, does it prove that the playoffs are a "crapshoot"?

— Jason Rollison (@jrollisonpgh) October 30, 2016

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