20. Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-4, second in the NL Central
The Pirates benefited from playing the Reds in six of their first nine games, coming away with five wins over the Reds. But Pittsburgh is another club struggling to find offensive consistency, with an average of 3.68 runs per game, and are trying to make up the losses of outfielders Corey Dickerson and Gregory Polanco while they are both on the 10-day IL.
The Pirates’ pitching has the potential to be very good, particular the rotation, featuring Jameson Taillon, Chris Archer and Trevor Williams. Pittsburgh’s starters are sporting a collective 1.98 ERA in 50 IP, with only the Rays having a better staff ERA, but their bullpen ERA is ranked 12th at 4.36 on the season. If the Pirates can shape up their bullpen, with the assumed boosts of Dickerson and Polanco on offense, the Pirate could find themselves higher on this list. But first, they’ll need to beat another team besides the Reds.
19. Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-6, third in the NL West
The Diamondbacks are finding a surprising amount of success with their offense, as 33-year-old Adam Jones has turned back the clock with four home runs and an OPS of 1.105 in his first season in Arizona. The team did lose OF Steven Souza Jr. for the season on a nasty play at home plate that saw Souza Jr. tear his ACL, LCL and PCL in his left knee, and 3B Jake Lamb has been dealing with a quad strain that has him missing at least six weeks.
That being said, the Diamondbacks’ rotation and bullpen could be sneaky-good this season, despite their offense relying so heavily on Jones and David Peralta to create runs. But, if the duo can prove to be sustainable on the offensive end, while players like Ketel Marte and Carson Kelly chip in like they are now, the Diamondbacks could contend in the NL West. It’s hard to completely believe in this offense at the moment, despite their solid upside in terms of pitching.