2016 Pittsburgh Pirates Awards: Marty’s Rookie of the Year

Jun 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (39) and pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) talk in the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Chad Kuhl (39) and pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) talk in the dugout against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here at Rum Bunter Nick, Dave, and myself will be giving our Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 awards in the coming weeks. Here is my Pirates’ Rookie of the Year.

The 2016 season was a disappointing one for the Pittsburgh Pirates. However, there were some bright spots. And in the next few weeks we will be focusing on those bright spots.

As we continue to hand out our 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates’ awards here at Rum Bunter, our Pirate Rookies of the Year are up next. Today we will take a look at my Pirates’ Rookie of the Year. And this was not an easy choice.

The 2016 Pittsburgh Pirates got contributions from a lot of rookies. Josh Bell, Chad Kuhl, Adam Frazier, and Alen Hanson were all among the rookies to give the Pirates big contributions in 2016. However, in my opinion, one rookies stood above the rest.

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This rookie was starting pitcher Jameson Taillon. The former number two overall draft pick saw injuries delay his Major League debut by a year or two. However, he finally debuted in 2016 and he did not disappoint.

Jameson Taillon made his Major League debut on June 8th against the New York Mets. Taillon would go on to make a total of 18 starts for the Pirates in 2016. He would pitch at least six innings in 13 of his 18 starts, and he went at least eight innings in three of these starts.

In his 18 starts Jameson Taillon pitched 104 innings. In these 104 innings he averaged 7.36 K/9, an incredible 1.47 BB/9, 1.13 HR/9, and he owned a WHIP of 1.12 and a 52.4 percent ground ball rate. As a result of all of this Taillon had a 3.38 ERA, 3.71 FIP, 3.43 xFIP, and a 1.7 WAR as a rookie in 2016.

Jameson Taillon held opposing hitters to just a .249 batting average against him. Furthermore, he also held opposing hitters to a wOBA of .300. Opposing batters had just a 20.2 percent line drive rate and a 33.2 percent hard contact rate against Taillon’s pitches.

Taillon also flashed a curve ball that has the potential to become one of the absolute best pitches in all of baseball. Opposing batters hit just .177, slugged just .260, and were held to a .212 wOBA and a wRC+ of 39 against his curve ball. Finally, 76.6 percent of Taillon’s curve balls that were put into play ended in either a swing-and-miss or a ground ball.

Next: Arbitration Breakdown: Juan Nicasio

As I said above, choosing the Pittsburgh Pirates’ 2016 Rookie of the Year was not easy. Ultimately, I went with Jameson Taillon. Do you agree? Disagree? Leave a comment below!

Honorable mention: 1B/OF Josh Bell, SP Chad Kuhl