Pittsburgh Pirates NLDS Roster Doesn’t Include Tony Sanchez

The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced their roster for the National League Divisional Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The catchers are Russell Martin and John Buck. Why Tony Sanchez has been left off sucks.  Where will Buck be next year?  Whatever Martin is unlikely to come off the field.

The pitching staff will be A.J. Burnett, Francisco Liriano, Gerrit Cole, Charlie Morton, Jeanmar Gomez, Jason Grilli, Vin Mazzaro, Mark Melancon, Bryan Morris, and the left handers Tony Watson and Justin Wilson

The infielders will be Pedro Alvarez, Clint Barmes, Josh Harrison, Garrett Jones, Jordy Mercer, Justin Morneau, Gaby Sanchez, Neil Walker

The outfielders will be Marlon Byrd, Andrew McCutchen, Starling Marte, and Jose Tabata

Travis Snider has been left off the roster as well as Sanchez.  It isn’t surprising, but it does raise some eyebrows.  The veteran presence of John Buck must mean a lot in the clubhouse.  Snider was effective as a pinch hitter late in the year, but it’s hard to make a case for him.

Kyle Farnsworth also is not on the roster for the series with the Cardinals.

When comparing rosters, the Bucs have a distinct advantage in defense.  Especially in the outfield.  If it comes down to pitching and defense, the Bucs have this covered.  We tweeted this earlier, remember that JMac and Jonathan Sanchez made April starts against the Cards.  The Bucs have thrown Brandon Cumpton and also Kris Johnson, who pitched that dreadful game last month.

Let’s Go Bucs