MLB: Key to success for all 30 teams heading into 2015
By Robby Sabo
Pittsburgh Pirates
- 2014 Finish: 88-74, 2nd in NL Central, Lost in Wild Card Game
- 2015 Key to Success: Ace stuff for Gerrit Cole
God bless the Pittsburgh Pirates, for the scene they created during the 2013 NL Wild Card game was one for the ages.
Now, after they’ve officially arrived, big-time questions linger.
The Pirates are a fearless group led by a fearless manager in Clint Hurdle. Hurdle seems to be equipped with that magic formula that allows his teams to overachieve in every sense of the word.
For 2015, the top key might come down to one of the Bucs starters stepping up into an ace position.
Gerrit Cole is the main suspect.
Cole, 24, was one of the more talked about arms in the farm a couple years ago. He’s a fastball/sinker guy who produces a ton of ground balls. Last year saw him sport a stat-line of 11-5, 3.65 ERA and 138 K in 138 IP.
He’ll need to do better than that if this team wants to take the next step into the NLCS, or dare I say, World Series.
Despite Andrew McCutchen remaining one of the top five players in the league, the lineup is not up to snuff to carry anything.
Next: St. Louis Cardinals