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Pittsburgh Pirates: Yes, It is Okay To Enjoy This Team
The Pittsburgh Pirates are having the best start to a season in a long time. The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates had a respectable record was during the 2018 season. That team went on a winning streak heading into the Trade Deadline the positioned themselves to make a playoff push. Things did not work out, Chris Archer and what not.
However, there was a brief moment during that season where that Bucco Fever was alive in fans. No one was fully buying in, as the team had been trending in the wrong direction during the previous years. But, it was exciting to have good Baseball, fans were excited. Things did not work out for the 2018 Pirates, but would you as a fan take that in 2023?
The 2018 season led to the rapid decline of the Pittsburgh Pirates Organization. A decline that the team is still trying to work its way out of. However, things are looking up for the 2023 Pittsburgh Pirates, and this is not just the optomist in me.
What do we expect from the 2023 team long term? The win-total for the Bucs entering the season was anywhere between 65.5 and 67.5 wins. This team is currently 8 games over .500 and on pace for over 100 wins. So should skeptical fans buy into this team at this point?
Now obviously this is an unrealistic expectation, after all "Vegas" rarely misses. But, this team might actually be somewhere in the middle, which would surpass all expectations regardless. The 2018 team went 82-79 on the year. They surpassed expectations but many try to forget that season for a lot of reasons.
That is not how this season will go. This Pittsburgh Pirates team is different. They have talent, motivations to get better, and desire to win. This team has been resilient already losing key players to longterm injuries such as Oneil Cruz, JT Brubaker, and Ji Man Choi.
It is okay to buy into this Pittsburgh Pirates team.
That 6 straight feeling 🤩 pic.twitter.com/UtckQGIKW5
— Pittsburgh Pirates (@Pirates) April 23, 2023
They are playing good Baseball and are a much better-constructed team than the last few years. Even if they cool off and end up not reaching that 82-win mark, this team has already shown the progress that fans have been promised.
Yes, Bob Nutting needs to spend more, yes they need to do a better job of keeping their players, and yes they need to be more competitive consistently. It is okay to still feel that way but is also okay to support what this team is doing on the field right now. Right now, this team is playing winning Baseball and fans are excited again. Let's enjoy it.