Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 vs. 2017 Part 1: The offense

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Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Analysis: Pedestrian. In my 19 years as a Pittsburgh Pirates fan, never has this word applied to my team. But 2017 seems a little different.

For the first 14 years of my life, every spring was filled with complaints. Those complaints were justified, as Pittsburgh was in the process of a historically awful 20-year losing streak. Therefore, every year as the snow melted, there was a mix of depression/anger from a majority of the fan-base. After Clint Hurdle had taken over as manager in 2011, things started to turn around. From 2013-15, springtime took on a different feel. Sure, there were still detractors who love to complain about anything and everything, but for the most part, the city was happy with where this franchise was going. The Pittsburgh Pirates were back to being a buzz around town.

Then 2016 happened, and for the first time that I can remember, Pirate baseball was boring. Not good enough to rave about, and not weak enough to laugh at. Just bland. 78 wins. Almost exactly average, which is something that is new for fans of my generation. The interesting thing is that, as flat as things seem for PBC at the beginning stages of 2017, they really shouldn’t be.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are, at worst, a good baseball team. To this writer, they border on very good. To prove my point, I will compare this Pirates team to the one that was on the field at the beginning of last season, starting with the infield.

Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /

The Infield

Projected Starters:

C: Francisco Cervelli

1B: Josh Bell

2B: Josh Harrison

3B: Jung Ho-Kang /David Freese

SS: Jordy Mercer

Starting at the catcher position, the Pirates should be in good shape. Although Francisco Cervelli’s approval rating among the yinzer faithful may not be as high as it was back in 2015, #29 can still get the job done. The cheerful little man gets on base at a better rate than perhaps any other Bucco, and although his ability to throw out base runners is not anywhere near the level of his predecessor Russel Martin, Cervelli makes up for a lot of that with his ability to frame pitches (which still is not as good as Martin’s, but pretty solid). Cervelli’s 2016 was marred by injury and lack of power, and as long as he can stay reasonably healthy, I expect Fransisco to have an improved 2017, which would involved hitting more than one home run.

Over at the keystone sack, the situation in 2017 is astronomically better than that of a year ago. Last season, the Pirates started spring with a first base battle between Mike Morse and John Jaso. This year, first base looks to be Josh Bell’s oyster. Bell is possibly the best hitting prospect the Pirates have had since a guy named Barry Lamar Bonds came along, and that, of course, is a reason to get psyched. It is true that Bell has not yet proven himself to be a competent defender at first, so that is a concern. Hopefully, the work that he has put in starting this past winter and into spring will translate into significant improvement defensively. Barring injury, Bell’s offense alone should make him a major upgrade over Jaso, who, by the way, is still with the club and could be a clutch bat off the bench.

The situation at second base is somewhat tricky. It is a case of what Clint Hurdle should do vs. what he is going to do. What Hurdle should do is platoon the right-handed Josh Harrison with the left-handed Adam Frazier. Although Harrison is a franchise mainstay, he is also in decline, at least offensively, especially against right-handed pitching. Frazier, on the other hand, is a fresh face who impressed in a small sample size as a rookie last season, and in my opinion, he deserves some more reps. Although a platoon would make sense, Hurdle seems to love Jay-Hay, and will likely stick with the veteran for that reason.
At shortstop, Jordy Mercer is back, and as long as #10 keeps playing solid defense and gets his OBP back up to where it was through the first half of 2016, he should be in good shape.

At third base, a lot is riding on whatever happens with Jung-Ho Kang and that fiasco. Yes, Kang is technically “free” from his DUI mishap, at least as far as professional baseball is concerned. However, the off-the-field issues have kept Kang from participating in spring camp, and that may cause him to not be ready to start come Opening Day. For however long Kang is out, David Freese is in, and Freese will provide rock solid defense and a clutch bat to fill Kang’s void. Although Kang is clearly the Pirates best option at 3rd base as far as upside goes, it will be intriguing to see how Kang’s mishaps will affect him on the field.

Now that I have broken down the projected Bucco infield, here is my prediction for each indivudial position compared to where it was at this point in 2016.

Catcher: Improved

First Base: Much improved

Second Base: Stagnant

Third Base: ?????

Shortstop: Stagnant/Slightly improved

The Outfield

Projected Starters

Left Field: Gregory Polanco

Right Field: Andrew McCutchen

Center Field: Starling Marte

The personnel is the same, but the positions have changed. We know Starling Marte will be an outstanding defensive center fielder. Let’s be honest, he is one of the best defensive outfielders on planet earth. But what about Gregory Polanco moving from right to left, and Andrew McCutchen from center to right? Polanco is an interesting case, as he had his struggles in right field when that was his home.

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On the surface, it seems concerning that a player who is still learning one position would now have to conquer a different area of the field. However, Polanco’s speed should play well into the dimensions of PNC Park, as Andrew McCutchen would not be able to handle the pesky “North Side Notch.” Speaking of McCutchen, his ineptitude in center field, particularly last season, is the main cause for all of this turnover. While I think that big #22 is better off in right than he would be in left or center, his weak throwing arm might be an issue in the position that has the most use for a cannon. A lot of questions dog the Pirates outfield defensively. But offensively, they could be kings.

With the stick, Starling Marte will do what Starling Marte does; hit for a high average, play great defense, and swing at everything he sees. I believe that, although he may never reach his 2012-14 status, Andrew McCutchen will be improved. To me, his letter for the Players’ Tribune was convincing, and I expect Cutch to be back with a vengeance. Polanco is the one that I am most excited to watch in 2017. This man has put on some serious muscle over the off-season. Polanco has shown that he can be a star, and all he needs is to find consistency. Hopefully, that happens in 2017, and you know what, I think it will.

The Pirates prized outfield is what will ultimately make or break this offense. Given the pedigree, and the talent of these three men, I’d bet on “make.”

Next: Cutch's WBC

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Pirates offense is pretty solid. In my view, the biggest issues that plagued the Pirates on offense in 2016 were consistency, and injuries. I expect the Bucco bats to be a strong point of this team in 2017. With that being said, I am anxious to see if I am right.

That’s it for Part one. Part two will detail the Pirates projected starting pitching rotation, as well as their bullpen.

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