The Pittsburgh Pirates finished with 76-86 records each of the last two years. However, they went home for the winter with two disparate feelings.
In 2023, the Pirates won 18 of their last 30 games, putting a dent in the playoffs hopes of the Chicago Cubs and Cincinnati Reds in the season’s final month.
In 2024, the Pirates lost 34 of their final 55 games, a 10-game losing streak from Aug. 4-14 effectively knocking them out of a pennant race as they missed the postseason for a ninth straight year.
Now comes a critical season for general manager Ben Cherington and manager Derek Shelton. Both are on the hot seat as they enter their sixth year with the Pirates. During their tenure, the Pirates have a record of just 294-414.
Part of the poor record stems from the Pirates being in rebuilding mode for most of that time. However, there is a sense that the grace period could be over for Cherington and Shelton if the Pirates have a losing season, which would be their 29th in the last 33 years.
Paul Skenes Is Pittsburgh Pirates’ Building Block
Cherington and Shelton aren’t fretting about their job security. They expect the Pirates to contend in the National League Central, a division that does not have a dominant team.
What excites the Pirates the most is their starting pitching, which is led by Paul Skenes.
He was the National League Rookie of the Year last season and finished third in the NL Cy Young Award voting behind the Atlanta Braves’ Chris Sale and the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler.
Skenes is just 22 and says he is “just getting started.” He is adding a two-seam sinker and a cutter this spring to an already strong repertoire of pitches.
“There are a couple things that I’ve been focusing on, basically just throwing more strikes, attacking the zone, getting hitters out faster and then just keep learning,” Skenes said. “Learning outing by outing. We’ve learned some stuff from last year that we’ll transfer over kind of as an overarching thing into the next season. Just continue to just learn the game, learn from outing to outing and just go from there.”
Pittsburgh Pirates Could Have Strong Rotation
The Pirates are also high on another second-year starter, 23-year-old Jared Jones. He and Skenes will be joined in the rotation by Mitch Keller and left-handers Bailey Falter and Andrew Heaney, who was signed to a one-year $5.25-million contract as a free agent a week after spring training opened.
Bubba Chandler, who is rated the seventh-best prospect in the game, figures to start the season at Triple-A Indianapolis.
“Excited about the quality of pitching we had but also very clear that for us to win we need that pitching to take another step further, a step ahead and we know a little bit about the work that that group has done this offseason so now we get the chance to see it a little bit more in person and see it come out on the field,” Cherington said.
The Pirates were 15th in starting pitcher’s ERA last season but 27th among the 30 MLB teams in relievers’ ERA.
The Pirates signed left-handers Caleb Ferguson and Tim Mayza as free agents in the offseason to help reinforce the bullpen. However, they need closer David Bednar to bounce back after he struggled mightily last season following back-to-back selections to the All-Star Game.
The offense is also a question mark after the Pirates were 24th in the majors in runs scored last season and 25th in home runs. There was a sense going into the offseason that the Pirates might make a significant upgrade to their lineup, especially after Skenes’ outstanding rookie year.
Can Newcomers Spark Pittsburgh Pirates’ Offense?
Instead, the Pirates got first baseman Spencer Horwitz from the Toronto Blue Jays in a three-way trade that also involved the Cleveland Guardians and signed two journeymen hitters in left fielder Tommy Pham and utility player Adam Frazier.
Horwitz is likely to begin the season on the injured list after having wrist surgery two weeks before the beginning of spring training. Though both appear to be in the twilight of their careers, the Pirates are convinced Pham and Frazier can help an offense in which just four regulars – catcher Joey Bart, center fielder Oneil Cruz, right fielder Bryan Reynolds and designated hitter Andrew McCutchen — finished with an OPS+ over 100.
The Pirates are hoping the 37-year-old Pham can spark the offense from the leadoff spot in the batting order.
“He provides a couple different things. He provides ability to give a really good at-bat, and he provides the ability that he’s a winner,” Shelton said. “Talk to anybody that’s been around him, this guy wants to win. All he talks about is winning. He lives it. He appreciates and talks to his teammates about it, and I think that’s something that’s really important.
“It’s something that we’ve talked about in years past trying to add to our club. It didn’t happen,” the Pittsburgh Pirates manager continued. “The fact that it lined up this year, I think that it’s going to be impactful for us on the field, but in our clubhouse.”
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