Fansided

Best and worst case scenario for every MLB team in 2019

By Brad Weiss

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after scoring a run during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 3: Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees celebrates after scoring a run during the American League Wild Card game against the Oakland Athletics at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday, October 3, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Alex Trautwig/MLB Photos via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
26 of 31
Next
Starling Marte, Pirates, Dodgers
PITTSBURGH, PA – JULY 08: Starling Marte #6 of the Pittsburgh Pirates is seen with his Rawlings glove during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at PNC Park on July 8, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images) /

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates were actually surprisingly solid last season, as they won 82 games, and finished the year above .500. All of this was made possible by the play of a number of guys who stepped up big-time, including Corey Dickerson, who was the only member of the team to hit over .300 in 2018.

On the hill, Jameson Tailion and Trevor Williams spearheaded a pitching staff that was much better than advertised heading into the season. Tailion and Williams both had earned run averages under 3.25 across more than 30 starts, while Felipe Vasquez held it down in the closer role, notching 37 saves for the Pirates while striking out 89 batters in 70 innings of work.

Best case scenario

Starling Marte came back from suspension and had a great season in 2018, and the hope is that he can continue to be a leader for this ballclub. If the Pirates can get better numbers from Chris Archer in 2019, they will have a nice three-headed monster atop their rotation, and could find themselves landing as a Wild Card team in the postseason.

Worst case scenario

The pitching staff takes a step backwards, and the difference between them, and the final Wild Card spot is just too far once again. This is a team that could win at least 85 games this season, but 90 wins were needed to get into the playoffs in 2018, and they may not have enough talent to get to that number.

Home/MLB