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Pittsburgh Pirates: Starting Pitching Steps Up & More Takeaways From Series Victory Over the Mets
By Marty Leap
Quietly, Connor Joe keeps chugging along
When the Pirates traded for Connor Joe in the offseason it was a move that was largely overlooked. Well, 64 games into the season Joe is a massive reason why the Pirates are in first place in the National League Central.
Joe got off to a red hot start in April and cooled some in May. In recent weeks he has started to heat up again at the plate. Overall, he owns a .251/.343/.464 slash line to go with a 120 wRC+ and OPS+ this season.
His strong play of recent weeks continued against the Mets. Joe started the final two games of the series and had a hit in each game. He also made mutliple strong defensive plays in right field in the series. On the season, he owns a +1 Defensive Runs Saved in right field.
Where would this team be without Joe? Who knows! But they most certainly would not be sitting alone in first place in their division on June 12th.
Next. Rising Pitching Prospects. 3 Pirate Pitching Prospects Trending Toward Top 100 Status. dark