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Pittsburgh Pirates Election Day: Who are the Top Players So Far?
Editorial: In Pennsylvania, it is Primary Election Day across the state. As the public goes to vote for the upcoming November elections, who are the Pittsburgh Pirates that look like they could end up being the team’s award winners at the end of the season?
The Pittsburgh Pirates have started off the season with a losing record. They have had a lot of players underperform in the early going. Not to mention, they have had even bigger issues in terms of Starling Marte and Jung Ho Kang. Put it all together and the team is currently sitting in last place in the National League Central. The biggest issue has been the team leaving runners in scoring position. What has really led to this issue is that fact that two of their best hitters are currently suspended or not in the country. The other issue is Gregory Polanco and Andrew McCutchen have not performed at their expected level of production.
With that being said, the Pittsburgh Pirates have also had some bright spots on the team. Things have not been as bad as it seems with the team being in last place. They have received relatively good starting pitching in terms of what the expectations were at the beginning of the season. The bullpen has had some good performances, and some of the younger players have shown reasons to be optimistic about them going forward. So, on this primary election day, who looks like the early nominees to be the Pittsburgh Pirates award winners by seasons end?
Rookie of the Year
The easy choice here is Josh Bell. However, the fan base has been enamored with Jose Osuna since he left Spring Training as the team’s most productive hitter. Also, even though Bell is considered a rookie, he did have at-bats last year. Osuna is more of a true rookie, and has already had some big at-bats in the early going. His biggest was against the Diamondbacks just a few days ago when he hit a go ahead two run home run in the tenth inning to take the lead.
In the early going, Osuna’s batting average is nothing to marvel at. The first baseman and outfielder is hitting just .217. His on-base percentage is not much better, just .288. However, while he is lacking in those two categories he is getting a lot of extra-base hits. His slugging percentage is .433 so far. Furthermore, he has three doubles, two triples and two home runs for a total of seven extra base hits. He actually has more extra base hits than singles. As time goes on, Osuna may get more playing time. With John Jaso severely struggling offensively and proving that he cannot handle the outfield, Osuna may end up getting to stay on the roster over Jaso. If that is the case, Osuna has proven that he can get some big hits when needed, and may help provide some of the power off the bench that the team had last season.
Starter and Reliever of the Year
The starter who is making a strong push for the fall award is Ivan Nova. Gerrit Cole has been solid, and Jameson Taillon had a fantastic start to the year, but Nova has been Mr. Reliable. Nova has not missed a beat his successful final two months last season. He continues to pound the strike zone, get quick outs, and pitch effectively deep into games. This is all the while holding opposing teams off the board, but also receiving little run support. On the year Nova has a 3-3 record with an ERA of 2.48, which ranks third in the league. In addition to strong numbers, Nova also had a complete game shutout against the Miami Marlins. If Nova continues his strong start, he will not only be a candidate for Pittsburgh Pirates starter of the year, but also in the CY Young conversation.
Felipe Rivero has been hands down the best reliever on the Pittsburgh Pirates and in the league. Rivero was brought over last summer from the Washington Nationals in exchange for Mark Melancon. Since then, Rivero has proven to be absolutely dominant for the Bucs. Meanwhile, Melancon has moved on to San Francisco for a huge contract, and the Nationals bullpen has fallen to pieces. All Rivero has done this season is pitch to a 0.87 ERA. He has not done it quietly either. Rivero is consistently throwing in the high 90s, has a hard slider, and an incredible changeup. In just 20.2 innings he has accumulated a 0.7 WAR. Rivero looks like he is on the verge of being one of the most dangerous lefties in baseball.
Hitter of the Year
On a team that has seen plenty of offensive woes, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had one bright spot. With slow starts from Polanco and McCutchen, and Kang and Marte being out of the lineup altogether, the Pittsburgh Pirates have had to find offense from somewhere else. Josh Bell has been the Pittsburgh Pirates best all-around hitter. Keep in mind that Josh Bell started off the year in a slump, to the point that some wanted him sent to Triple-A.
Now, Bell is hitting .243, which still is not great, but he also has an onb-base percentage of .336 and is slugging .478. Add those numbers all up and he has an OPS of .814, which is impressive considering a somewhat mediocre batting average. Just another reason why batting average does not always tell the story of how productive a hitter is or is not. Bell is tied for second on the team in walks. Also, he leads the team in home runs with seven, including a big two-run shot against the Diamondbacks on Sunday. Put that with his improved defense, and he is trending in a very productive direction. In general, Josh Bell has climbed out of his early season slump and is showing why he was so touted coming up through the system.
All though the Pittsburgh Pirates have been struggling, Jose Osuna, Ivan Nova, Felipe Rivero, and Josh Bell have all given fans plenty to cheer about this season. The team itself has not been an utter disaster, mainly because of these four players. Hopefully, Bell and Osuna can continue to develop and improve their overall numbers as they continue. Obviously the Pittsburgh Pirates want to see Rivero and Nova continue to be dominant, but it is a little unrealistic to expect that from them. Still, there is no reason to believe that they will not be the team’s best two pitchers by the end of the season.
If the Pittsburgh Pirates want to get back into the thick of things they need their core players to outperform the four above. Yes, that means Andrew McCutchen and/or Gregory Polanco playing like the teams best players. This is expected of them and if they can get back to form to go along with a solid Josh Bell, the middle of the lineup could be fun to watch. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole has been very good, but if he can get to his 2015 level it will be HUGE.