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Forming the best possible second half lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates

What does the best possible lineup for the Pittsburgh Pirates look like as we head into the second half of the year?
ByNoah Wright|
Jul 3, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (left) celebrates with designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) after Cruz hit a game winning walk off single to win the game against the St. Louis Cardinals in ten innings at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-4 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 3, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz (left) celebrates with designated hitter Andrew McCutchen (22) after Cruz hit a game winning walk off single to win the game against the St. Louis Cardinals in ten innings at PNC Park. The Pirates won 5-4 in ten innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports | Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
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First Base: Rowdy Tellez/Connor Joe

What else is there to say about the Rowdy resurgence? Heading into June, Tellez looked lost at the plate, and that might be an understatement. He was batting .177/.239/.223 with a .213 wOBA and 33 wRC+ through the first two months of the season. While he had an above-average 22.5% K%, he had a subpar 7% walk rate and a sub-.050 isolated slugging percentage at .046.

But since then, Tellez is batting .351/.396/.638 through 98 plate appearances. He has hit seven home runs with six doubles, leading to an isolated slugging percentage just south of .300 at .287. Although he still has an unimpressive 6.9% walk rate, he's cut his K% down below 20% at just 17.8%. Overall, he has a 188 wRC+.

Tellez has been a top-10 hitter in baseball since the start of his resurgence. He ranks eighth in OPS and wRC+ and fifth in wOBA among the hitters with at least 90 plate appearances since the start of June. Most of his damage has come against right-handed pitching. In Tellez's defense, he just recently hit a homer off a lefty, but they'll likely leave most of the playing time at 1B against lefty starters to Connor Joe.

While Tellez has taken off since the start of June, Joe has done the opposite and has cooled off significantly, but he still has a respectable .241/.321/.391 triple-slash, .314 wOBA, and 101 wRC+ through 293 plate appearances. It seems, when Joe was asked to take on a much larger role, it affected his overall play. With Tellez's return to form, he'll likely see more time as a part-timer in the second half of this season.

Joe is still hitting well against left-handed pitching. When facing southpaws, he is batting .273/.354/.455 with a .349 wOBA and 125 wRC+. He has both a strong 15.9% K% and a 9.7% walk rate. He has also hit for some pop, with a trio of dingers and a .182 ISO in 113 plate appearances vs LHP.

Between Joe and Tellez, first base looks to be in good hands as the Pirates head into the second half of the year. At one point, first base looked like a massive hole in the lineup. But now that Tellez has hit his stride, and Joe can provide some relief against LHP, the Pirates have a good thing going at first base now, which is nice to see given how much they have struggled to find good production at the position over the years.

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