At the midpoint of the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates haven’t quite lived up to their preseason expectations.
As hard as it is to imagine, the Pittsburgh Pirates just played their 81st game of the season. While the team’s record has been a disappointment, there have been some good surprises to go along with the bad. Here are a few that have stuck out as the team prepares for the second half and, hopefully, take advantage of the easy schedule and jump back into the playoff discussion.
Record: 40-41
Games back in the NL Central: 11.5 GB of CHC
Games back of the fifth seed in the NL: 3.5 GB of NYM
The Good
Marte, Polanco continue to blossom
Even though the former MVP that patrols center field is having a down year, the two outfielders that flank him on either side are having breakout seasons. Starling Marte is slashing .327/.374/.486, good for an OPS of .860 and ranks second in the National League with 23 stolen bases. While his home run total is down (just six at this point of the season), his other numbers show the incredible value he brings to the organization.
His younger teammate Gregory Polanco is also putting together a very solid year. Polanco’s slash line of .292/.370/.502 puts him near the top of those categories, like Marte. His OPS of .872 leads the team, when compared to the other qualified hitters. He also leads the team in walks (37) and has hit double digit home runs for the first time in his blossoming career.
Not bad production from two players who are making a combined salary of just over $3.5 million in 2016. Regardless of whether or not they head to San Diego next week, the fans in Pittsburgh know these guys are capable of All-Star performances every time they step on the field.
Kang returns, doesn’t miss a beat
As we are all aware, Jung ho Kang suffered a horrible injury late last season. It was a huge blow to a team that was gearing up for what could have been a long playoff run. The rehab time for the injury extended into this season, so Kang did not make his season debut until May 6th in St. Louis. In his first game back, he launched two home runs and has not looked back.
In just 147 at-bats this season, Kang has launched 11 home runs, just four shy of his total from last year. The difference here is that Kang needed 421 at-bats to get to 15 in 2015, so he should easily surpass that total. The fanbase had concerns with where the power in the lineup would come from with the departures of Neil Walker and Pedro Alvarez, and Kang is certainly becoming a great middle of the lineup option for Clint Hurdle.
Taillon, Kuhl promoted to bolster a struggling rotation
In general during the first half of the season, the rotation performed well below expectations. Other than Gerrit Cole, who is working his way back from a tricep injury, the starting five have been hit hard when they are on the mound. Luckily for the Pirates, they were able to bring some reinforcements up from Triple-A.
The biggest name to get called up this season has been Jameson Taillon, a player that the fanbase has anxiously waited to arrive since he was drafted in 2010. So far this season, he has been a breath of fresh air for the Pirates. After his most recent performance against the Seattle Mariners where he went six innings and only allowed one run to go along with no walks and six strikeouts, Taillon’s numbers this season are very good. Heading into his next start, he’ll take a 2-1 record with a 3.86 ERA and a good K/BB ratio of 21/5.
Another right hander that could prove to boost the rotation going forward is Chad Kuhl, who made his debut on June 26. While Kuhl doesn’t have quite the same fanfare as Taillon or Tyler Glasnow, he could be a good rotation option the rest of the year. In his debut against the Dodgers, he lasted five innings and gave up three runs on four hits and four walks to go along with five strikeouts. He was a little wild throughout the game, so the elevated pitch count definitely factored in to him being removed in the fifth.
Kuhl was much better in his second start when he completed six innings and allowed just two runs against the Oakland A’s. More importantly, he did not allow a walk, which was an issue during his first start. Hopefully, he can build off of this start his next time out and claim a rotation spot going forward.
Now that everyone is feeling good, here are the unpleasant surprises from the first half of the season.
The Bad
McCutchen’s down year continues
The perennial MVP contender has seen his early season struggles extend well into the season. McCutchen is slashing .239/.313/.411, well below his career average of .294/.383/.490. His career OPS is .873 and is down to .724 this year, just above the league average. Regardless of the reason, or reasons, behind the decline, the once unthinkable discussion of trading the face of the franchise has amped-up.
In fact, McCutchen’s numbers across the board have gone down. He has attempted to steal seven bases and has only been successful twice. He has already struck out 84 times this season, so he’s well on his way to surpass his previous career high of 133, which he did last season. McCutchen is a very smart hitter and could turn his season around in the second half, but the fact that he has struggled so much this season is still very concerning.
Southpaws struggle in the rotation
While Cole and the two most recent right handed pitchers to join the rotation have done well, the lefties that have occupied spots in the rotation have not. Francisco Liriano (4-8, 5.33), Jonathon Niese (6-6, 5.07) and Jeff Locke (8-5, 5.13) have all performed well below expectations. Liriano is having a season reminiscent of what he did prior to coming to Pittsburgh, and Niese has had issues all season with giving up home runs, as Jason Rollison recently documented.
How they perform in the second half of the season could have a big impact on the shape of the rotation by the end of September. Some may even find themselves wearing a different uniform.
The team has been riddled with injuries
One thing that a baseball team cannot control are injuries, and the Pirates have had their share of them so far in 2016. The biggest blow was when Gerrit Cole had to leave his start on June 10th, when it was revealed that he had injured his tricep. The team is hoping that he’ll be back at some point in July.
The Pirates also lost Francisco Cervelli to a broken hamate bone in his hand, and like Cole should rejoin the team at some point this month. To complicate the catching situation further, prospect Elias Diaz was injured in late spring and was not available to fill in for Cervelli. Ryan Vogelsong was hit in the face while batting on May 23rd and fortunately for him the injury was not as serious as it initially appeared.
While these are the more serious injuries that the team has suffered so far this season, players such as Marte, Polanco and Chris Stewart have all been banged up at one point this season. Obviously, injuries are no excuse, and all baseball teams are faced with them. Losing a top of the rotation pitcher and a starting catcher for over a month can derail any team.
What can be done?
With the trade deadline approaching in four weeks, the Pirates find themselves in a situation they have avoided the last few years. They will need to decide if they believe a serious run at one of the Wild Card spots can be made. If they decide against it, the team will need to seriously consider moving some players that will not be in the plans going forward. David Freeze, Neftali Feliz, and Sean Rodriguez could all be attractive pieces that a contending team could add to their roster. Mark Melancon is probably the most valuable trade chip the team has if they decide to move some players, but there are still a few weeks to be played before a decision has to be made.
One reason that the team may decide to stay the course is that the schedule gets much easier for them in the second half. The Pirates still have a lot of games to play against some clubs that have been struggling, including Milwaukee (16 games), Cincinnati (11), Philadelphia (7), and Atlanta (3). Winning a large percentage of those games could easily get them back into the playoff discussion, so we’ll check in again after game 120 to see where the Pirates stand.
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