Pittsburgh Pirates: Three Bold Predictions for 2020

With spring training 2.0 ready to roll, let’s take a look at three bold predictions for the Pittsburgh Pirates in what is sure to be a wild, albeit shortened, MLB season

While nothing is a guarantee due to the spread of the coronavirus, Major League Baseball is (fingers crossed) ready to kick off spring training 2.0 this week. On Friday, the Pittsburgh Pirates will begin holding team workouts at PNC Park for 40 of the 59 players in their 60-man player pool. Remember, due to the suspension of Edgar Santana, the team still has an opening in their player pool.

As of now the Pittsburgh Pirates are scheduled to start their 2020 season on either July 23 or 24. With those dates closing in, it is time to start attempting to make predictions for the 2020 season. Well, at least the best predictions that someone can attempt to make for what is sure to be a strange 60-game season.

With the start of a 60-game season three weeks away for the Pirates, today we will take a stab at making three bold predictions for the team in 2020. So sit back, get ready to call out these takes when the season is over, give it a read, and get ready for the 2020 season to begin!

Joe Musgrove will lead Pirate starting pitchers in ERA… again

If you watched the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019, then you know their pitching staff struggled. Jameson Taillon, who made just seven starts before having to undergo a second Tommy John Surgey, aside, righty Joe Musgrove led Pirate starting pitchers in ERA in 2019.

The problem is Musgrove’s ERA was 4.44. This, however, does not properly represent the season Musgrove had. Musgrove posted a 3.82 FIP, which was the second-lowest of his career, while his 31 starts, 170.1 innings pitched and 21.9% strikeout rate were all career highs.

Big Joe also finished the season strong. In his final seven starts, he posted a 3.57 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 4.2% walk rate, and a 25.4% strikeout rate to go with a 0.67 HR/9 in 40.1 innings of work. This helped push Musgrove to finishing the season with a career best 3.3 fWAR.

In 2020, Musgrove will once again lead the Pittsburgh Pirates in ERA. However, it will be better than his 4.44 ERA. It will be well below that, in fact, checking in at no worse than 3.50.

Musgrove’s Deserved Run Average, which determines how many runs a pitcher deserved to allow, was just 3.59 in 2019. He also leaned on his slider, which is his best pitch, more in his final seven starts. Doing that for a full season will help to improve Musgrove’s results in 2020 as he leads all Pirate starting pitchers in ERA for a second consecutive season.

The coronavirus will impact the Pittsburgh Pirates less than any other MLB team

Sadly, it is likely inevitable that every MLB team will be impacted by the coroanvirus this season. That said, the impact on the Pittsburgh Pirates may not be as severe as other teams.

At some point this season the Pittsburgh Pirates clubhouse will be hit with the coronavrius. More than likely that is a question of if not when. That said, from the get go back in the spring the Pirates seemed better prepared than most teams to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. As of last week, the Pirates still had zero positive coronavirus tests among their players and coaching staff.

During the original spring training back in February and March, right around the time the coronavirus pandemic was starting to take off, multiple national baseball writers commented on how well the Pirates were handling the virus. From daily deep cleaning of the LECOM Park and the team’s clubhouse in Bradenton, the Pirates were on top of this from the start.

In fact, back in March, Jon Heyman of the MLB Network even had this to say about the Pirates and their handling of the coronavirus:

The fact the Pirates were handling the coronavirus issues so well back in the spring, leads me to believe they have only gotten better at it. Due to this, the Pirates will be less impacted by the coronavirus than any other MLB team.

So, what are your opinions on these predictions? Agree? Disagree? Have ones of your own? Sound off in the comments below, and join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter (@rumbunter)!