State of the Pittsburgh Pirates I: Jekyll and Hyde

May 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (22) climbs the center field wall but can’t get to the grand slam home run ball hit by Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Chris Taylor (3) in the first inning of the game at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

As the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates regular season is roughly 1/5 completed, there have already been a lot of surprises.

Coming into the season, even with the loss of Jung-Ho Kang, fans still saw the Pirates offense as a strongpoint for the club. Just the opposite has transpired, however. A combination of Starling Marte’s bombshell PED suspension, as well as big guns Andrew McCutchen and Gregory Polanco firing blanks, has led to the Pittsburgh attack ranking among the worst in Major League Baseball.

On the contrary, the Pirates starting rotation was a big question mark as the club broke spring camp. So far, fans expecting the worst have been in for a surprise, as the pitching has been nothing short of superb.

A lot has happened over the past month and a half, and much more is still to come as the weather starts to heat up. In the meantime, this article will be a reflection of the 2017 Pittsburgh Pirates baseball season to this point. It will break down the best, and worst of Bucco baseball thus far. A lot can and probably will change over these next four and a half months. For now, here is where things are at with PBC.

Schedule