Neal Huntington to blame for the Starting Pitching?

Perfromance is Huntington’s fault?

The point here is that Pittsburgh Pirates general manager Neal Huntington should not be 100 percent blamed for this team’s struggles.  Should he have brought J.A. Happ back instead of relying on external candidates?  Yes, and that answer is backed up by what happened this year.  However, you cannot blame him for players not performing.  You cannot blame the front office for looking at the numbers and projections, that is how they build their teams.  One thing that is out of their control is the human element. When pitchers have had certain success and their numbers project to continue that success, then you have to blame the player or coaching staff.

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Huntington to blame?

Neal Huntington has done a solid job as the Pittsburgh Pirates general manager.  Many blame him things that he cannot control.  He is given his resources each season and does what he can with them.  He tries to find buy low candidates who fit the Pittsburgh Pirates mold.  We cheer him when these pitchers do, and now the fans are booing him because they did not.

The fact remains that Neal Huntington has put the Pittsburgh Pirates in a position that they were not in for a long time.  They have been in playoffs the last three years and in contention the last five seasons.  Let’s not write him off after one season of disappointment. Furthermore, this is not an apologist article, it is just simply stating that he brought this franchise back into winning baseball.  Neal Huntington deserves more than to be fired over still a competitive season.

Finally, as always comment below!

Also, all stats are courtesy of Baseball Reference