Pittsburgh Pirates are Projected to have the Worst Record by FanGraphs

The Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten off to one of their worst starts in recent years.  A major analytical site does not believe they can come back from the slow start.

Everyone knew that Pittsburgh Pirates would have a tough year.  The Organization was left in a pretty bad place as the new regime took over.  Still, many thought with a young roster and new energy in the clubhouse, the team could take advantage of the shortened season.

Instead, the Pittsburgh Pirates have gotten off to one of the worst starts in Major League Baseball with a 2-7 record.  The only teams with two or fewer wins are the Marlins, Cardinals, and Phillies, who have not been playing games due to COVID outbreaks.  To say the least, things have not gotten off to the start many had hoped.

There are still plenty of games left as the team is only nine games into their 60 game schedule.  However, it is really hard to envision this current roster making any real push.  The talent gap is just too big between them and the other teams.  Overall, the Pittsburgh Pirates are just really showing that they are in the midst of a rebuild.

Even FanGraphs does not believe that the Pittsburgh Pirates can make up any sort of positive ground.  The website has a live standings tab that also formulates how the team projects over the course of the season.   Currently, the Pittsburgh Pirates are projected to have the worst record in Major League Baseball by the end of the 2020 season.

According to FanGraphs, they expect the Pittsburgh Pirates to have 24 wins by the end of the season.  This is about what they are also projecting the Seattle Mariners.  However, the projections suggests that Mariners are more likely to finish the season with more wins than the Pirates.  Essentially they are projecting the Bucs to not only have the worst record in the National League, but likely the entire league.

This might not exactly happen because there are so many more variables in play this year.  For instance, a team like the Miami Marlins, who have missed a lot of games already this year, and who knows how many games they will end up playing.  Furthermore, their roster has been altered big time due to COVID.  It is hard to say how their season will shake out with these variables in play.

Even with that, the Bucs are going to be in contention for the worst record.  This is not necessarily a bad thing if it lands them the top pick in the 2021 Draft.  While Pittsburgh Pirates fans want the team to play winning baseball, this team is not ready too.  They need more talent and the best way for them to get that talent will be through the draft.  If they are going to be bad, might as make it worth the time and set up Ben Cherington the chance to add to the system.