Hello,
This is the fourth of my hopefully 5 previews of the MLB teams I cheer for. Previously I've written about the Red Sox, the Cubs, the Braves. Then probably coming in the next couple of weeks will be my preview for the Dodgers, a team I have limited expectations for. Although my expectations for the Dodgers are a lot higher than they are for the Pirates.
On this chilly Spring day in Salt Lake City, on Selection Sunday, here's my 2013 Pirates preview.
Let's review the Pirates a bit. The last season the Pirates finished above. 500 was in 1992, when Barry Bonds still played for them! They've had 20 consecutive losing seasons, yes 20! To give you some perspective of how long that's been, 1993 is 20 years ago. That's the same year that Bill Clinton became President. Also that was the first time that the World Trade Center was bombed. Six people were killed and over 1000 people were injured, which was a precursor for what happened 8 years later.
By Pirates standards the last two seasons started out well and then Pittsburgh cooled down about mid-season. Although last season their winning run lasted longer than the previous season. So two questions for the Pirates this season. Will they finally be able to break .500 this season and will they continue to improve?
From Jayson Stark's article at ESPN.com:
"But let's remind you where the Pirates were two-thirds of the way through last season:
• They were 16 games over .500 -- for the first time in 20 years.
• They had a better record than the team that would go on to win the World Series -- the Giants.
• They had a better record than the Cardinals, Orioles, Rays, Angels and the other team that played in the World Series -- the Tigers.
And then … hoo boy. For the second season in a row, the Buccos stumbled into a cliff dive they never saw coming.
Of the last 52 games they played, they lost 36. ... they became, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, the first team in history to finish with a losing record after being at least 16 games over .500 after 108 games. "
That mid-season fade followed the same pattern that happened the year before. Fading so dramatically is only something the Pirates or Cubs could do.
Some other thoughts for this Pirates team. I know that Russell Martin had 21 home runs and brings some veteran leadership. But when this is your biggest free agent pickup, what does that say about you as an organization? And $17 million for two years? for Martin? Really? Of course I also mocked the Pirates for signing A.J. Burnett the previous season and that turned out to be a great deal. Burnett went 16-10 with a 3.51 ERA last season.
I do realize that the Pirates have a limited budget and they have to build mainly through the draft and free agency leftovers. I'm glad they extended Andrew McCutchen to a long term deal. The Pirates are waiting on contributions from Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon and Starling Marte. Also what kind of impact, if any, will Brandon Inge have, he of the free agency leftovers.
The Pirates start their season on April 1st, as do most MLB teams. They start off with a 3 game home stand vs. the Cubs. Next they embark on a 6 game road swing, playing 3 games against the Dodgers and 3 games against the Diamondbacks. (The series against the Dodgers will be an interesting contrast for the Pirates. The Dodgers seem to have unlimited money, but not necessarily make unlimited wise moves. But when LA messes up, they can spend a lot of money to hopefully cover up their mistakes. Compare that to the Pirates who have to make due on a very tight budget and nearly all their decisions have to work for them to be successful. That's a very delicate high wire act and one of the reasons for them having 20 consecutive years finishing below .500.)
Then on Friday, April 12th the Pirates return to PNC Park for a 10 game home stand. They welcome the Reds for 3 games, St. Louis for 3 games and Atlanta for 4 games.
My predictions and hopes for the 2013 Pirates include hoping for them to be a better team than they were last year as they continue to build for the future. In 2013 they might not have a better record than last season's 79-83 record, but that doesn't mean they won't be a better team. As ESPN's David Schonefield so aptly points out the Pirates will miss beating up on the Astros.
I don't think that Pittsburgh will battle for the NL Central this season, but I hope that won't be their focus. I hope their focus is that they get better and that they actually do.
themusicaddict
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