Pittsburgh Pirates Mid-Season Awards

PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 01: Andrew McCutchen
PITTSBURGH, PA - JULY 01: Andrew McCutchen /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 17: Ivan Nova
PITTSBURGH, PA – JUNE 17: Ivan Nova /

Ivan Nova

Had he not missed 5 starts due to having surgery to treat cancer this would have been Jameson Taillon because he has been better than Ivan Nova this season. However, Nova gets the nod due to the extra starts he has made.

Among pitchers with at least 70 innings pitched this season Ivan Nova ranks 4th in the National League in innings pitched (108), 9th in home run rate (0.92 HR/9), and 10th in ERA (3.08). Furthermore, his 1.08 BB/9 leads is the lowest in the National League.

Ivan Nova’s 3.82 FIP is 3rd among Pirate starting pitchers behind Jameson Taillon and Trevor Williams. He has generated a 48.3 percent groundball rate, and his 1.8 fWAR leads the team’s pitching staff.

In each of his first 15 starts this season Ivan Nova pitched at least 6 innings. Furthermore, he allowed 3 earned runs or less in each of these starts. He has been nothing short of consistent for the Pirates this season.

So far in 2017 Ivan Nova has been the horse that has anchored the Pirate pitching staff. Every 5th day Clint Hurdle hands the ball to Ivan Nova and knows that Nova is going to give the Pirates a great chance at earning a victory. That is something that is incredible valuable.

Honorable mention: Jameson Taillon, Felipe Rivero