Pittsburgh Pirates’ awards at the midway point

Jun 28, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) tosses a ball before the Pirates host the Atlanta Braves at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cy Young – Gerrit Cole

Runner-Up – A.J. Burnett

This was a tough decision to make. A.J. Burnett has been more than a pleasant surprise for the Pirates this year. He leads the starting staff in ERA at 1.99 and WAR at 3.7. He’s also given up a staff-low three home runs on the year. He’s the veteran leader for both the staff and the team, and is a mentor to younger guys like Cole and Locke. However, the Pirates’ Cy Young had to be given to Gerrit Cole.

While Cole’s WAR is a full point lower than Burnett’s according to ESPN, his stats are equally as impressive as Burnett’s. He leads all of baseball in wins and while wins are becoming an outdated stat, they’re still symbolic of great pitching. Outside of wins, he has an impressive 2.28 ERA and has less walks, more strikeouts, has allowed less hits, has a lower WHIP, a higher K/9 ratio, and averages more pitches per nine innings than Burnett. Cole is flashier than Burnett with his strikeouts, but he’s equally as, if not more effective than him in these other areas.

What also stood out about Cole was the fact that he has allowed more than three runs just once in any start this year and has lasted less than six innings just three times. He’s been the model of consistency (as Burnett has been for much of the season) and has clearly taken the next step towards becoming the ace of this Pirates’ staff.

For all of the hooplah about whether Burnett would make the all-star game or not, both he and Cole have been equally fantastic this year, and their stats are more similar than many people would think. This award was given to Cole in a very close decision.

Next: Cy Yuck

Jun 12, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Jeff Locke (49) looks on from the dugout against the Philadelphia Phillies during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Cy Yuck – Jeff Locke

Runner-Up – Antonio Bastardo

Jeff Locke is the pitching equivalent of Pedro Alvarez in terms of the frustration they give Pirates’ fan. We know the talent is there, but neither can live up to their potential. Of course, Pedro often provides more value than Locke, but they are similar nonetheless.

Don’t let recency bias fool you. Yes, Locke pitched one of best games for any Pirates’ starter this year in his last start. And yes, he often gives you what you’d expect from a fifth starter. But the Pirate pitchers have been fantastic as a whole for much of the year, which leaves Locke as the odd man out, unfortunately.

For much of the season, Locke has been the worst starter. He’s given up at least three earned runs in eight starts this year, and hasn’t been able to last at least six innings in seven starts. Often times when he’s left out for the sixth or seventh innings, he still has given up multiple runs in the game. His WHIP currently sits at 1.41, and he’s given up a staff-leading seven home runs. He’s a serviceable fifth starter for many teams, but his frustrating inconsistency and the fact that the Pirates’ are in the unfortunate position of being in the same division as the Cardinals and their remarkable pitching staff means that the team may look to improve by adding another starter before the trade deadline.

Antonio Bastardo would also be a worthy choice for this award. He’s been better as of late, but he hasn’t been what the Pirates’ had hoped he’d be when they acquired him from the Phillies in the offseason. His 4.01 ERA and 1.34 WHIP speak for themselves.

Next: Least Valuable Player

May 9, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates pinch hitter

(12) breaks his bat on a sacrifice fly RBI against the St. Louis Cardinals during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Least Valuable Player – Corey Hart

Runner-Up – Gregory Polanco

This was also a difficult award to decide. Andrew Lambo was the quarter-pole LVP, but he’s been on the disabled list since a horrible start to the year. So, this award came down to two players: Gregory Polanco and Corey Hart.

Polanco has been a disappointment this year to say the least. He hasn’t improved since last season in the slightest, and the only value he’s given the team so far has been in his stolen base numbers and his strong arm in right field. Those two alone don’t make up a major league starting outfielder, let alone a right fielder on a playoff-contending team. He’s been mired in a slump recently, but will be forced into more game action with the recent injury to Josh Harrison.

But this award had to go to Corey Hart. Yes, he’s no longer on the major league roster, but his poor play affected the team adversely enough for him to steal this award from Polanco. Hart was looked to at the beginning of the year to be the right-handed bat opposite Alvarez at first and had a history of huge power numbers during his time with the Brewers. But bad knees and aging have clearly done him in, as he added only two home runs this year and was a below replacement level player. Not only was he batting a measly .222 before he was placed on the DL but his on-base percentage was below .250.

What stood out the most about Hart was his strikeout to walk ratio, which sat at 19 to one. Yes, that’s really what it was. A player who strikes out a ton and doesn’t walk has to add value somewhere else to justify his place on the team. Hart was supposed to add power to help negate this, but he didn’t. Needless to say, now the Pirates are forced to look for a right-handed bat externally to field at first base.

Next: Most Valuable Player

Jun 26, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder

(22) reacts after scoring the game winning run against the Atlanta Braves during the tenth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 3-2 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Most Valuable Player – Andrew McCutchen

Runner-Up – Francisco Cervelli

The face of the franchise, Mr. Andrew McCutchen, is a most-worthy winner of the Pirates’ first half MVP award. If you believe in pitchers receiving the award, you could make a case for Cole or Burnett, but neither has been dominant enough to compare to McCutchen’s overall performance, and neither has the play of any other position player. He’ll be a starting outfielder at the all-star game, and for good reason.

McCutchen could have been a candidate for the least valuable player at the quarter-pole mark after his woeful April. But he’s been one of the best players in all of baseball since that point and has been the most consistent offensive performer for the team this year. He’s currently a point away from batting .300 and is on pace for the most RBIs of his career. He leads the Pirate offense in RBIS, OBP, slugging percentage, OPS, and offensive WAR, and has made his early season struggles and injury concerns evaporate into thin air.

The runner-up for this award was Francisco Cervelli. While he didn’t make the all-star team, he probably deserved to, as he leads the league in defensive runs saved (according to StatCorner) and led the team in batting average for much of the season. The catcher position is so vital to every team, and his work with the second-best pitching staff in baseball, his strong offensive numbers, and his work defensively behind the dish make him a worthy second-place finisher.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are in a good place after 81 games. While the team currently sits 5.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central, the two teams have a pivotal four-game series between them this upcoming weekend. It’ll be exciting to see where Gerrit Cole and Andrew McCutchen finish among the league voting for NL Cy Young and the NL MVP at the end of the year, respectively, and it will be just as intriguing to see if the Pirates try to upgrade over Jeff Locke or add a right-handed bat at first base. In any case, it’s going to be one hell of a second half of the season.

Next: Pittsburgh Pirates 2015 mid-season review