Top 5 Pittsburgh Pirates of the 2016 Season


1. Starling Marte
Starling Marte was the Pittsburgh Pirates best player in 2016. He had the highest WAR (4.0) on the team, won his second consecutive Gold Glove Award, and made his first career All-Star Game.
In 2016 Marte was able to post the best on-base percentage (.362), slugging percentage (.456), and OPS (.818) of his career. Marte’s home run numbers dropped a bit in 201616, hitting only 9 home runs after belting 19 in 2015. This may have been because his HR/FB ratio dropped from 18. percent in 2015 to 8.4 percent last season.
Moving forward I expect that number to be closer to his 2015 numbers. So, we should see Starling Marte hit double digit home runs again next season. And, as always, Marte continued to be one of the best, if not the best, defensive outfielders in the Majors last season. He led the league again with 17 outfield assists and posted a 7.5 UZR when playing left field. He will more than likely be the center fielder in 2017 and that great defense should definitely carry over to the position.