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Joe Musgrove
With Taillon and Archer out for the season, Joe Musgrove enters the 2020 campaign as the leader of the starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates. To be honest, even if Archer was healthy Musgrove would likely still slot ahead of him.
While nothing has been set in stone yet by manager Derek Shelton, Musgrove appears to be the odds on favorite to take the ball for the Bucs on Opening Day in St. Louis. Big Joe is coming off a 2019 season in which he set new career highs in starts (31), appearances (32), innings pitched (170.1), strikeout ate (21.9%), and fWAR (3.3).
While Musgrove’s 4.44 ERA was nothing special, his 3.82 FIP and 3.59 DRA indicate he was better than his ERA. He also finished the season strong, posting a 3.74 ERA, 2.69 FIP, 0.59 HR/9, 5.3% walk rate, and a 25.7% strikeout rate. A big reason for this strong finish was an increase in the usage of his slider.
Early in the offseason we discussed why 2020 could be the year of Joe Musgrove. If the Pirates are going to have any shot at surprising people and being contenders this season, Musgrove must take the step forward that he is capable of taking. Throwing his slider more would help Musgrove go a long way toward taking this step.