After a very disappointing 2016, the Pittsburgh Pirates are hoping to return to playoff contention with bounce-back seasons from Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit Cole.
Coming off three straight years of postseason play, the Pittsburgh Pirates had a very disappointing 2016 season, as they dropped below .500 for the first time since 2012. Their biggest issue was starting pitching, which went from a 3.53 ERA and 16.9 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs WAR), good for 6th in baseball, to a 4.67 ERA and 7.1 fWAR, 24th in baseball.
The rotation in 2015 was led by the big three of Gerrit Cole, Francisco Liriano and A.J. Burnett. In 2016, Cole was injured and less effective than usual, Liriano was terrible, and Burnett was retired. They also missed J.A. Happ, who had been brilliant in 11 starts for the Pirates in 2015, but took his brilliance to Toronto as a free agent, where he was a 20-game winner.
A bounce back from Cole would give the Pirates the top-of-the-rotation starter they had in 2015, when he was 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA. Last year, he had three stints on the disabled list with elbow issues that limited him to 21 starts and 116 innings. His strikeout rate dropped and his walk rate went up, leaving him with the highest ERA of his four-year career. The good news was that his average fastball velocity still topped 95 mph, so the stuff is there.
The team’s position players also took a step back, dropping from 11th to 17th in fWAR, with Andrew McCutchen being the biggest disappointment. He went from hitting .292/.401/.488 in 2015 to .256/.336/.430 last year and his defense in center field graded out much worse in 2016. He dropped from 5.8 fWAR to 0.7.
There were rumors all winter long that McCutchen might be traded, but the Pirates didn’t trade him. Instead, they moved him to right field, with Starling Marte moving from left to center and Gregory Polanco moving from right to left. An optimistic fan would note that McCutchen hit .289/.374/.495 in his last 50 games of 2016. If he comes back with that kind of production this year and adjusts well to his new position in right field, he’ll be nearly as valuable as the McCutchen of old that Pirates fans have grown to love.
The bullpen will miss Mark Melancon. He was one of the best in the business during his time with the Pirates, but was traded during the season last year. He’ll be a tough guy to replace.
So, how do the Pirates look for 2017? What were their important additions and subtractions? What are the expectations for 2017? Read on to find out.