Pittsburgh Pirates: A short season could lead to a surprising year

A short season can lead to a lot of craziness. Depending on how the 2020 season shakes out, the Pittsburgh Pirates could be a surprise team this year.

Shortened seasons can lead to a lot of interesting results. The 1994 season, which was cut short by the player’s strike, had the potential to result in a team with a losing record winning the AL West. The Texas Rangers technically “won” the pennant by a game over the Oakland A’s, but they also finished the year with a 52-62 record, ten games under .500. In the split 1981 season, the Kansas City Royals reached the postseason after winning the “second half” title, but posted an overall record of 50-53. But hey, it still counts!

If baseball does come back in 2020, it will not look the same as in past years. Due to the pandemic, the season will be shortened, potentially being anywhere from 80 to 100 games in total. That shorter season could lead to some surprising teams, particularly a team such as the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last season, the Pirates struggled to a 69-93 record, finishing a distant fifth in the NL Central. Despite the additions made at the 2018 trade deadline, Pittsburgh was unable to get anything going last year, leading to an overhaul of the coaching staff and the front office.

The Pirates are not a team devoid of talent. Josh Bell has established himself as one of the top young first basemen in the game. Kevin Newman appears to have taken over at short, and could be a long term solution. Bryan Reynolds was a surprise in 2019, finishing in the top ten in the NL in batting average and doubles. Gregory Polanco has shown flashes of being a five tool talent, but has yet to put everything together over a full season.

The same can be said for the pitching staff. It was not long ago that Chris Archer was considered one of the better starters in the game, although he struggled since coming to Pittsburgh. The changes on the coaching staff could make a major difference. Mitch Keller was considered one of the top pitching prospects in the game, and Trevor Williams is just a year removed from his breakout 2018 campaign. Keone Kela, Nick Burdi, and Michael Feliz could be a solid trio in the bullpen. The talent is potentially there.

Pittsburgh could also get a break from the schedule makers. One of the proposed options, when the season begins, is to combine the geographic divisions. In this case, the Pirates would see the AL Central added to their slate. This would add contests against the lowly Tigers and Royals, in addition to the rebuilding Indians.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are not likely to contend for a playoff berth in 2020. But they could still end up hovering around .500, a surprising development for a team that cratered last season.