Pirates Hope Pitchers Can Help Offense in 2015

On the list of ways that a team would consider helping their offense, the pitching staff is probably the last consideration. Things like either hardening or softening the baselines, or even trying to give them a slight angle either fair or foul, are probably higher on the list. After all, for the most part, having the pitcher bat is merely a formality before the out is recorded.

Yet, the Pittsburgh Pirates may be looking for more help on offense from that unlikely spot in the lineup. No, they are not looking to sign Micah Owings or Carlos Zambrano for what they can provide in the batter’s box, but there will be a focus on having the Pirates pitchers being more than an automatic out when they step into the batter’s box. It is certainly on the mind of manager Clint Hurdle.

"“There are teams that have a very big competitive advantage over us, and in the National League you play a lot of games where your pitchers hit,” Hurdle said. “When you win 88 games and you lose [the division] by two … there isn’t any doubt that our pitcher swinging the bat could win us two more games.”"

Hurdle may well be correct. As the article pointed out, there were several games where pitchers performed well in the batter’s box against the Pirates. That performance at the plate, which may well have cause the Pirates to be in the Wild Card game, is something that the Pirates are hoping to cash in upon.

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The problem is, the Pirates projected starting rotation is not filled with those who can swing the bat with any type of ability. Gerrit Cole is the only possible member of the rotation with a positive career OPS+, and he comes in with a less than resounding 26 and a batting line of .188/.217/.225. At least Cole hit a home run last year, so he has that going for him.

Obviously, there is a lot of work to be done before the Pittsburgh Pirates pitching staff can be considered some sort of a threat at the plate. Perhaps turning each week into a contest, and doing the same with batting practice, would work. Back when the Braves were in their heyday, Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and John Smoltz all took pride in their performance at the plate, and would compete against one another to see who would be the best with the bat at the end of the year. Perhaps, if the Pirates truly want to see improvement at that spot in the lineup, that could be one path to take.

Chances are, the Pirates pitching staff will have far more of an impact on games based on their performance on the mound instead of in the batter’s box. But if having a pitcher with a slight bit of competence at the plate can steal a victory, then that may be all the Pirates and Clint Hurdle ask for.