Pittsburgh Pirates 2016 vs. 2017 Part 2: Pitching

Comparing the Pirates’ 2017 pitching staff to 2016

Last week, I compared the Pittsburgh Pirates projected Opening Day 2017 lineup to that of last season. Today, I will dig deeper into my comparison of the ballclub by going over Pittsburgh’s projected 2017 pitching rotation to that of a year ago.

Last season, the Pirates pitching was equivalent to a six-month roller coaster ride. Many are still concerned about the starting rotation, as evidenced by the lust for Chicago White Sox stud Jose Quintana.

However, the price for Quintana may be too high, and due to a lack of quality free agents available, Pittsburgh has been forced to stay in-house, particularly in the starting rotation. Angry natives do not like that, and for that, I apologize. Despite the lack of roster moves, I still feel that the Pirate’s rotation could be among the best in the NL. Let’s get into that, by breaking down the personnel.

Number One

2016: Gerrit Cole

2017: Gerrit Cole

After the 2016 season drew to a close, it was evident to all sensible Pirates fans that Gerrit Cole, who won 19 games the previous year, had not lived up to expectations. As Cole’s baseball reference page proves, the UCLA product wasn’t quite the “ace” that we were hoping he would be in 2016. However, since the offseason began, I have believed that it would be difficult for Cole to be as disappointing as he was last year. The man is too talented, too competitive, and hopefully, will be too healthy, which I don’t think he was last year, to take another step back. Cole’s performance thus far this spring so far is backing up that theory.

It’s hard to put that much into spring numbers, but hopefully, this is a strong indication of what 2017 Gerrit Cole will be. Given his past success and his motivation to win, who’s to say that it is not?

2017 Cole > 2016 Cole

Number Two

2016: Francisco Liriano

2017: Jameson Taillon

Many things caused the Pirates to experience a 20-win drop off in 2016. Near the top of the list was the struggles of Francisco Liriano. After three years of stellar pitching, the lefty took a step back in his final season with the Bucs, and consequently, was shipped off to Toronto in exchange for the immortal Drew Hutchinson.

This time around, a man who did not head back north with the Pirates at the beginning of last season will look to become a perfect complement to Cole. That man is Jameson Taillon.
After years of anticipation, Taillon finally made his debut last June and had a successful rookie campaign. This season, JT will look to avoid a sophomore slump and only improve from his encouraging first year.

It’s rare that a Number Two starter is as awful as Liriano was for the four months that he was with the Bucs in 2016, and barring major injury, I don’t see how Taillon is not considerably better than that in 2017.

Taillon > Liriano 

Number Three

2016: Juan Nicasio

2017: Ivan Nova

Juan Nicasio being in the Pirates starting rotation last season was a failed experiment. While I still see Nicasio as an asset out of the Bucco bullpen, he was awful during his stint as a starter in 2016. Ivan Nova will be an upgrade.

The biggest accomplishment of the Pirates offseason took place on December 22, when, against most predictions, they managed to resign Nova for two years, and $26 million.

Although he arrived in Pittsburgh at the trade deadline last year to little fanfare, Nova became arguably the ace of the Pirates staff down the stretch, and hopefully, finally being away from that launching pad in the Bronx for a full campaign will help him excel even further.

Nova > Nicasio 

Number Five

2016: Jeff Locke

2017: Somebody….

This battle is now between Trevor Williams and the celebrated Tyler Glasnow, neither of which is a sure thing, although Glasnow’s ceiling reaches the heavens. Prior to yesterday, it appeared that Drew Hutchison was all but guaranteed to be the fifth starter. However, the Pirates optioned him to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Fans want Tyler Glasnow to be the fifth starter. However, Trevor Williams has had the better spring of the two. Furthermore, the Pirates may want Glasnow to work at Triple-A more to try and refine his control.

In any case, the Pirates situation at the number five spot has this fan feeling the most uneasy, and it will be interesting to see if the Pirates can turn this into an asset, especially if Glasnow makes it.

In any case.

A water buffalo > Locke 

The Bullpen

Last season, the Pirates bullpen struggled mightly at the outset. They eventually figured things out and become a strongpoint for the club for a bit. However, late in the season, they fell back again. This year, the Pirates ‘pen has potential to again be an asset, as A.J. Schugal, Tony Watson, Antiono Bastardo, Juan Nicasio and Felipe Rivero all have potential to be effective. However, hardly any of these guys have proven to be consistent.

Five of these pitchers are locks to make the Pirate bullpen. These five pitchers are Tony Watson, Daniel Hudson, Felipe Rivero, Juan Nicasio, and Antonio Bastardo. These leaves three pitchers battling for two spots. Those three pitchers are A.J. Schugel, Tyler Webb, and Wade LeBlanc.

Tony Watson is an established late-inning guy, but how will he be as a closer? Felipe Rivero can be electric, but can he be consistent? Same goes for Juan Nicasio. Antonio Bastardo is coming off a down year last season, so will the vet be able to bounce back?

The Pirate bullpen has the potential to be one of the best in the National League. However, it also has its fair share of question marks.

Overall

This is a big year for the Pirates in all facets, and the performance of the pitching rotation as well as the ‘pen will be huge in determining how successful this team is. The rotation should be improved, and I think the bullpen will be solid. But there are a lot of question marks, particulary with the bullpen, and that is why optimisim is tamed. The good news is, in less than a week, the journey will begin, and all we can do is watch it shape up.