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Top 10 Pittsburgh Pirates of the first half
Jul 11, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen 22) hits a game winning two run home run to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourteenth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5 in fourteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Pittsburgh Pirates have stormed into the all-star break, winners of eight of their last nine games, having taken three of four from the St. Louis Cardinals in dramatic, exciting fashion. The team now sits only 2.5 games back of the Cardinals in the NL Central and owns the third best record in all of baseball at 53-35. There have been numerous keys to the Pirates’ success so far this season. They own the second-best ERA in all of baseball at 2.86, and have gotten plenty of timely, clutch hitting as of late to win close games. While the offense hasn’t lived up to expectations just yet, it still sits in the middle of the pack in the National League and has the opportunity to get much better in the second half.
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None of this success would be possible without the great play of some standout players on the team. With the All-Star break upon us, it’s time to break down our top 10 Pirate players of the first half of the season. This is a completely subjective list and there were numerous candidates for these 10 spots. But, like any great list, names had to be left off.
Notable omissions: Josh Harrison, Jung Ho Kang, and Vance Worley.
Let’s start with number 10.
Next: The Hometown Kid
Jul 10, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates second baseman Neil Walker (18) celebrates in the dugout after scoring a run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#10 – Neil Walker
The competition for the number 10 spot in this countdown was fierce. I was confident that the other nine belonged on this list, but there were numerous other competitors for the final spot. Josh Harrison recovered well from a poor start to the season to become the leadoff man that the Pirates needed, batting .279 with nine steals and a 0.7 WAR. However, his struggles defensively at third and his recent injury played a part in keeping him off this list. Jung Ho Kang also was considered, as he’s taken over for Harrison at third well and has been the best bat off the bench for the Pirates this season. He has a 1.6 WAR so far this year and could become a top 10 player for the Pirates by season’s end. Vance Worley has also pitched well out of the bullpen, but he hasn’t accumulated enough action in close-game situations to put himself on this list.
Neil Walker used a recent surge heading into the all-star break to steal this spot. He was also struggling for a while this year and had injury issues early on, but used a big series against the Detroit Tigers to move himself closer to the offensive force that he was last year. He’s now batting .278/.341/.414 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs entering the break, and has been worth 1.7 wins above replacement despite missing some game action this year. He’s not abysmal against lefties in 2015, batting .240 with three doubles and three RBIs in 50 at-bats against them. He’s also compiled a .321 average in the last seven days and a .370 average in July. His 10 RBIs in July already surpasses his RBI total in any other month this year. He’ll need to play average baseball against lefties and continue to stay hot if the Pirates’ offense is to improve moving forward.
Next: An unappreciated arm
Jul 1, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Jared Hughes (48) pitches in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
#9 – Jared Hughes
Jared Hughes is flying under the radar this year, and has for most of the season, despite coming off a 2014 campaign in which he had a 1.96 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP. He’s on pace this year to come close, if not surpass his innings total from last season and is becoming the seventh inning arm that the Pirates have been looking for to compliment Tony Watson and Mark Melancon at the back-end of the bullpen.
So far in 2014, Hughes has compiled a 2.29 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, and has already matched his wins above replacement total from last season at 0.9. He’s on pace to have the best season of his career in terms of WAR. What’s fueling his success? Part of it is because he’s throwing the fewest pitches per plate appearance (3.36) and the fewest pitches per inning (13.6) of his career. His K/BB ratio of 3.38/1 is almost a full point higher than in any previous season of his career. He’s getting outs faster and not walking batters, which is an easy recipe for success.
There’s no reason to think that Hughes won’t at least keep his ERA under 3.00 for the rest of the season. After all, he has a career 2.83 ERA over the course of five seasons with the Pirates, and a solid career WHIP of 1.21. His success has been paramount to the success of the bullpen in 2015.
Next: The Setup Man
Jun 30, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Tony Watson (44) pitches in the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
#8 – Tony Watson
Often times this year, Hughes has handed the ball off to one of the best setup men in the entire league in Tony Watson. The lefty showed last year that he’s a legitimate force in the eighth inning after making the All-Star game and having the best season of his career. Watson’s never been a negative win player, and is having a comparable year to last season with a 2.09 ERA and a minuscule WHIP of 0.93. Neither is the best number of his career, however, which shows just how effective of a relief pitcher he’s been over the course of his career.
What’s been the key to Watson’s continued success this year? For one, he’s thrown 43 strikeouts to just nine walks, which has led to an opponent’s on-base percentage of .251, the best mark of his career. To many, OBP is more important than batting average. The number that stands out the msot about Watson in 2015 has to be the OPS batters’ have against him, a career-low mark of .527. His numbers would be a lot better if he didn’t have a few bad outings, similar to Melancon.
While he didn’t make the All-Star game this year, he’s still been a more-than effective relief pitcher, and has been better than his 2014 self in multiple areas. His career ERA of 2.55 and WHIP of 1.03 suggest that his performance won’t regress much, if at all, over the course of the rest of this season.
Next: The Dominican slugger
Jul 11, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates left fielder Starling Marte (6) doubles against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#7 – Starling Marte
When analysts and fans were looking for breakout candidates this year, one name that probably jumped out the most was Starling Marte. Yes, he’s already been a success in the majors so far, but he had yet to put together one full season of dominant outfield play. Needless to say, he’s done that so far this year.
He’s batting .279 this season, but what stands out in 2015 are his power numbers. He’s already hit 13 home runs, which matches his career-high set in 2014. He also has 49 RBIs, which puts him on pace to far surpass his career-high total of 56 RBIs from last season. His on-base percentage could improve from the .328 mark it’s currently at, but that’s not as important as it has been for him in the past, considering the amount of time he’s spent batting lower in the lineup.
He has a WAR of 2.2 so far, which is good for any outfielder. But what puts him above guys like Watson and Hughes is the fact that he’s been one of the few offensive forces in an overall average lineup for the Pirates this year. He’s added power in the middle of the order, one thing that the Pirates needed more than anything else coming into the year. This has allowed guys like Harrison and Gregory Polanco to jump to the top of the lineup at times and use their speed better. Marte had a big second half of the season in 2014, so look for him to surge forward offensively after the All-Star break.
Next: Papa Francisco
Jul 2, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Francisco Liriano (47) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
#6 – Francisco Liriano
The first piece of the dominant trifecta at the top of the Pirates’ starting rotation, and the Opening Day starter in 2015, is Francisco Liriano. His performance hasn’t been given enough credit this year, as he’s often been overshadowed by Gerrit Cole and A.J. Burnett, despite pitching at a pace to have his best season in Pittsburgh yet. He could be an ace on many staffs, but is sitting as the third-best starting pitcher on the Pirates’ dominant staff.
Liriano has pitched to a 2.98 ERA so far this season and holds a low WHIP of 1.03. He had an outside shot at the All-Star game for a while, but fell off recently due to a few rough starts. But he’s excelled in many areas so far in 2015. He’s thrown 125 strikeouts to 39 walks, and should threaten the 200 strikeout mark. He’s been worth 2.4 wins above replacement this season, and he could challenge the 3.0 mark he set in Pittsbugh in 2013. What stands out about Liriano is the fact that he’s held opponent’s to a career-low .192 batting average against, as well as career-lows in opponent’s slugging percentage at .291 and opponent’s OPS at .556. In many ways, he’s having one of the best seasons of his career and is more than living up the the contract he signed with Pittsburgh this past offseason.
Based on how he’s pitching during his career in Pittsburgh, there’s no reason to think that he shouldn’t at least hold his ERA around 3.00 throughout the rest of the season. He does sometimes have rough starts, depending on how many walks he gives up, but when he’s on, he can be the best pitcher on a staff that holds the second-best ERA in all of baseball.
Next: Marky Mark
Jul 10, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Mark Melancon (35) reacts after defeating the St. Louis Cardinals at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#5 – Mark Melancon
Boy has Mark Melancon demolished all early-season criticisms of his performance with his pitching during the last couple months. The 30-year-old has been one of the best closers and relief pitchers in baseball during his time in Pittsburgh, and has done so without being flashy or by being a flamethrower. He enters the All-Star break not having given up a run in 28 straight appearances. In fact, he’s only given up runs in three outings this year, and his ERA is inflated from two rough outings in which he gave up six runs in total. But Melancon is on pace to have his best season yet in Pittsburgh.
His ERA of 1.47 is challenging the career-low mark of 1.39 he set in 2013, and his WHIP of 0.95 is challenging the career-low mark of 0.87 he set in 2014. He’s also on pace to blow past the career-high mark in saves he set in 2014 when he had 33; he has 29 already this season, good for the most in all of baseball. He did get an All-Star nod, and deservedly so, but for much of the season questions about his velocity and his delivery led many to not give him the respect he has earned in Pittsburgh.
Melancon makes up a three-man force at the back-end of the bullpen with Hughes and Watson, which rivals any back-end of a bullpen in all of baseball. There’s no reason to think he won’t at least keep his ERA under 2.00 and a WHIP under 1.00 for the rest of the season.
Next: The other Francisco
Jul 2, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Francisco cervelli (29) celebrates after he hit a home run in the fourth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
#4 – Francisco Cervelli
If you asked Pirates’ fans who the biggest surprise has been so far this season, Francisco Cervelli would most likely top the list. When the Pirates’ traded for him this past offseason, he had tremendous shoes to fill with the departure of Russell Martin to Toronto. But with a salary under $1 million, he’s been worth every single penny.
He’s already having the best season of his career, having gone from being a backup to a starter in Pittsburgh. He’s been great offensively in 2015, with a .294/.366/.400 line to go along with 30 RBIs. He’s also been a clutch performer this season, as evidenced by his game-tying RBI against the Cardinals this past Sunday night.
What also stands out about Cervelli is his pitch framing ability. He leads all of baseball in defensive runs saves at 14.0, and has been an above average blocker and defender behind the plate as well. He’s also caught the majority of games for the second-best pitching staff in baseball, which has to count for something. Considering the value catchers provide in so many other areas besides offense, and considering how much money Russell Martin is making compared to him, Cervelli has been one of the most important pieces to the success of the Pirates in 2015.
Next: Batman
Jul 6, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher A.J. Burnett (34) reacts in the dugout after being removed from the game against the San Diego Padres during the eighth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#3 – A.J. Burnett
If anyone were to rival the biggest surprise award that Cervelli could take home this season, it would have to be A.J. Burnett. The 38-year-old veteran has been arguably the best pitcher for the Pirates this season, at least in terms of ERA (2.11), and is having a final season for the ages with a team he loves to pitch for. He made his first All-Star team this season, and is on pace to have the best season of his career in terms of ERA and WAR (he’s at a 3.5 WAR now and his career-high mark is 4.2). He doesn’t have as many strikeouts as Liriano or Cole, nor does he have the lowest WHIP on the staff, but the results speak for themselves. and his consistency has been key to his success this year.
Burnett didn’t allow more than two runs in a start until May 28th, and had an ERA under 2.00 until his most recent start. He’s probably due for some regression, but he could still have the best season of his career in his final year. It was tough to rank Burnett as the second-best starting pticher to date, but he’s had a few rough outings and has allowed more outs on groundouts than on strikeouts. However, this is not to take away from Burnett’s brilliance in 2015, and here’s hoping he continues to thrive in his final year in the bigs.
Next: The Flamethrower
Jul 10, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Gerrit Cole (45) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#2 – Gerrit Cole
It might be safe to say that Gerrit Cole has finally ascended to become the ace that everybody envisioned him being when he was taken with the first overall selection in the 2011 draft. What stands out to many people this season are his major league-leading 13 wins. While many traditional-minded fans still value wins, they aren’t truly that important when evaluating a pitcher. However, his 13 wins are still symbolic of the dominance he’s shown for much of the season.
There’s a reason Cole was most likely considered to start the All-Star team for the National League. His fiery demeanor, along with the velocity on his pitches, make him an exciting pitcher to watch on the national stage. He still made the All-Star team, and has easily had the best season of his short major league career to date. He holds an ERA of 2.30 and a WHIP of 1.12, both career bests, and his WAR of 2.7 more than doubles what he put up last season. He also has thrown 116 strikeouts to just 28 walks, and has often pitched deep into games. In fact, he’s only pitched less than five innings once this season.
It was difficult to not rank Cole as the best player to date for the Pirates this season. Maybe I still feel that position players impact the game more on a daily basis, but that’s not to take away from how Cole’s performed in 2015. It was also difficult, however, to rank Cole above Burnett. Cole’s consistency spoke volumes to me, and he;s been slightly more consistent than Burnett this year. He would be a very tough pitcher for any offense to face come playoff time.
Next: Yeah, it's Cutch
Jul 11, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) rounds the bases on a game winning two run home run to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourteenth inning at PNC Park. The Pirates won 6-5 in fourteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
#1 – Andrew McCutchen
When push comes to shove, you would be out-thinking yourself if you felt that Andrew McCutchen hasn’t been the best player for the Pittsburgh Pirates so far in 2015. He may not put up the same gaudy offensive numbers that he di in 2013 or 2014, but he is one of the most consistently great and healthy players in the majors year after year. He leads the Pirates in batting average (.295), RBIs (56), on-base percentage (.392), hits (92), and WAR (3.2). He’s more than a worthy starter for National League in the outfield, and has been an exemplary player off the field for the Pirates, as he’s always been.
He’s been a clutch player for the Pirates this year as well, as shown by his two-run game-winning home run against the Cardinals on Saturday night. He’s also on pace to challenge his career-high mark of 99 RBIs and the .400 OBP mark that he’s eclipsed twice before. It may be tough for him to compete for the NL MVP this season with the likes of Bryce Harper and Paul Goldschmidt setting the world on fire, but if it weren’t for a horrid month of April, he’s likely be in that conversation.
There’s no reason not to like what Cutch has done so far this season. He’s impacted the game in every facet on a daily basis, and has battled through early-season questions and injury concerns with flying colors. He could easily eclipse the .300 average mark again this year, as well as the 100 RBI mark, and could help carry this offense despite concerns around him in the batting order.
Here’s to Cutch leading the charge for the Pittsburgh Pirates after the All-Star break.
Next: Pittsburgh Pirates prospect Josh Bell homers as U.S. defeats World 10-1