Forming the best possible second half lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates' lineup has been disappointing this year. As a unit, they're batting a meager .230/.298/.369 with a .294 wOBA and 87 wRC+. They rank in the bottom ten in baseball in all three triple-slash numbers, wOBA, wRC+, and runs scored at 382, at the time this writing. While they've been slightly better recently, managing to get their wOBA above .300 (.305) and wRC+ above 90 (95) since June 15th, it's still been an inconsistent group.

But the Pirates' lineup also has some potential and could run into some better luck in the future. They have the fourth most out-of-zone called strikes. They also have the second-largest difference between their wOBA (.294) and xwOBA (.312), have an above average 89.1 MPH exit velocity and sport an 8.6% barrel rate. So, as we head into the second half of the year, what is the best possible lineup the Pirates can put out there?

This is only looking at players currently on the Pirates' 40-man roster. The Pirates can and should (and probably will) make a move for a longer-term bat, but as of right now, we are just going to look at what the Pirates' best lineup will be for the second half of the year based on their current options.

Catcher: Joey Bart

Joey Bart has single-handedly saved the Pirates' catching situation this year. When Jason Delay went down with an injury early in the year, the Pirates acquired the former second overall pick from the San Francisco Giants. Not only has he provided the Bucs with a solid glove behind the dish, but he has some pop with the bat as well, something this lineup has very much needed this year.

Bart is batting .232/.319/.451 through 94 plate appearances. He has hit five home runs and has a .219 isolated slugging percentage with the Pirates. Bart has an above-average 89.4 MPH exit velocity and a 9.3% barrel rate. Bart has been prone to striking out throughout his career, and this year is no different. He has a 28.6% K%, but he's combatted that by walking 11% of the time. 

Bart's defense has been about average. He only has -1 defensive run saved and -0.4 framing runs, but he has a quick reaction time with an above-average 1.93-second pop time. His throws also average 85.1 MPH, which makes him the 15th hardest-throwing catcher in baseball this year. The one downside is that Bart has allowed two passed balls on the year.

Bart has taken over regular catching duties, and why wouldn't he? He's been a great pickup for the Pirates and has helped a position that has needed it. Even if he just becomes a three-true-outcomes sort of hitter, that's perfectly fine if he delivers solid glove work behind the plate.