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Three Pirates Who Are Exceeding Expectations Thus Far
Let's take a look at three Pirates who are exceeding expectation so far this season.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have now played almost a month of regular-season baseball. In that time frame, many players have been surprises to the team, whether that is a positive or negative surprise. Let's take a look at three Pirates who have exceeded expectations so far this season.
Pirates Left Handed Pitcher : Bailey Falter
Bailey Falter was acquired at the 2023 trade deadline from the Phillies in exchange for Rodolfo Castro. After joining the team, Falter was given a rotation spot and struggled. With the Pirates in 2023, Falter posted an earned run average of 5.58 in 40.1 innings pitched and struck out 32 batters. He also had a 1.39 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .275.
Falter also struggled in this years Spring Training, but he still was given a spot on the team. He started the year off with a rough start against Miami. He gave up five runs to the first five batters of the game, but settled in after that.
Since that start in Miami, Falter has posted a 2-1 record with an earned run average of 1.57 in 23 innings pitched and has struck out 16 batters. He also has a 0.70 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .150. This is pure dominance from Falter and he has been a top arm in the Pirates rotation.
Pirates Infielder : Alika Williams
Alika Williams was acquired in 2023 after the Pirates sent Robert Stephenson to the Rays. Williams was a great hitter for the Indianapolis Indians, but once he was called up, he did not hit very well. In 101 at-bats, Williams posted a .198 batting average with five doubles and six runs batted in. He also had an OPS of .518, which included an on-base percentage of .270 and a slugging percentage of .248. Meanwhile, Stephenson pitched fabulous for the Tampa Bay Rays and it looked like another swindle move by the AL East team. Stephenson cashed in with the Angels this past offseason but has not pitched essentially and will now miss the rest of the year with Tommy John Surgery.
Williams is known for having a plus glove, but for him to get his bat going as well would be big for the Pirates. Through 27 at bats, Williams has a .333 batting average with a double and two triples. He also has an OPS of .898, which includes an on-base percentage of .379 and a slugging percentage of .519. Alika being able to hit consistently would be very huge for this team. Williams made some mechanical changes that he mentioned slipped away from him last season after being traded. Again, a weird testament against the Pirates who struggle to develop hitters.
Pirates Catcher : Joey Bart
The Pirates traded for Joey Bart at the beginning of the month after finding out that Jason Delay needed surgery on his knee.
The former second-overall pick has struggled in his career with the Giants, but the Pirates believed that he could turn it around in Pittsburgh. The team gave up a college arm from their 2023 Draft Class by the name of Austin Strickland. Strickland had yet to make his professional debut within the Pirates Organization. So to see them moving a player they drafted and never got to actually see was a bit of a surprise.
Bart has been solid for the Pirates since joining the team. He hasn't played in many games with Pittsburgh, but when he has gotten in, he has done great. Through 19 at-bats, Bart has a .316 batting average with two home runs and five runs batted in. He also has an OPS of 1.119, which includes an on-base percentage of .435 and a slugging percentage of .684.
With Henry Davis struggling and Yasmani Grandal on a rehab assignment, Bart being solid is very big for the Pirates. It will be interesting to see what happens when Grandal's rehab assignment is over. Davis needs to be getting consistent at-bats at the Big League level. But the team cannot really carry three catchers with Andrew McCutchen being solely a designated hitter.