Preseason 2015 MLB Playoff predictions
NL Wild Card No. 1: Pittsburgh Pirates (90-72)
2014 finish: 2nd in NL Central (88-74), out in NL Wild Card playoff.
The Pittsburgh Pirates have finished second in the NL Central behind the St. Louis Cardinals the past two season and have also clinched a Wild Card spot. In 2014, they lost in the Wild Card game to the Giants. Pittsburgh was eighth in pitching and tenth in batting last season.
The Pirates were led by Edison Volquez (13-7, 3.04 ERA) and Francisco Liriano (3.38 ERA, 175 strikeouts) in pitching last season. Gerrit Cole is a young up and comer who had a great year pitching for the Pirates going 11-5 with a 3.65 ERA.
The leaders in the lineup were four-time All-Star CF Andrew McCutchen (.314/.410/.542 with 25 homers, 171 hits), up and comer, 3B Josh Harrison (.315/.347/.490) and another up and comer, OF Starling Marte (.291/.356/.453).
The Pirates had a solid offseason, but lost a couple of key parts.
Key additions: RHP A.J. Burnett,LHP Antonio Bastardo, C Francisco Cervelli, 1B/OF Corey Hart, UT Sean Rodriguez.
Key losses: C Russell Martin, SS Clint Barmes, 1B Ike Davis, 1B Gaby Sanchez, OF Travis Snider, RHP Edinson Volquez, LHP Justin Wilson.
The real wins for Pittsburgh were re-signing Francisco Liriano and signing A.J. Burnett. The Pirates didn’t have the money for Volquez or Russell Martin who scored a giant deal in Toronto. A.J. Burnett is a great signing after he left the Pirates to go to Philadelphia in 2014 where he struggled to an 8-18 record and a 4.59 ERA. Burnett spent 2012 and 2013 with the Pirates where he threw a 3.51 and 3.30 ERA and he took less money to come back this season.
Russell Martin is a tough loss but it shouldn’t plague the Pirates. Pittsburgh signed C Francisco Cervelli to replace Martin who batted .301/.370/.432 in 162 plate appearances with the New York Yankees last season. C Chris Stewart will likely split time with Cerevelli. He hit for .294 in 136 at bats last season.
With Harrison, McCutchen and Marte as Pittsburgh’s top stars, they’ll be in good hands. 1B Pedro Alvarez has been a great power hitter for Pittsburgh in recent years but hit just 18 home runs last year after 30 or more in the previous two years. 23-year-old Gregory Polanco in right field will be a key piece for Pittsburgh as well. Polanco played well in 89 games last season batting .235/.307/.343 and seven home runs in just 312 plate appearances.
The Pirates starting rotation is also very solid. Left handed Liriano, Burnett and Cole will be a solid first three. Don’t be surprised if Gerrit Cole has an ultimate breakout this season. They’re followed by left hander Vance Worley (8-4, 2.85 ERA in 2014) and another southpaw Jeff Locke (3.91 ERA in 2014). The problem with this rotation is that none of them besides Burnett made 30 starts in 2014. Can they last a long season and perform the whole year are concerns for their rotation.
2015 team batting MVP: CF Andrew McCutchen
2015 team pitching MVP: SP Gerrit Cole
2015 key under the radar player: RF Gregory Polanco
The Pirates have one of their best teams in years going into the 2015 season. They’ll nab two more wins than they did last year, but they will still come in second in the NL Central to the Cardinals. Don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh makes a big run in the playoffs and make a case for the World Series, but it’s going to be extremely hard to make it past the Washington Nationals in the NLDS.