Pittsburgh Pirates
This list of MLB teams already in trouble in 2021 ends with a team likely to finish as the league’s worst team by season end. The Pittsburgh Pirates are the only team from our projections for the worst teams in 2021 to carry over to this new list.
Pittsburgh is understandably beginning a full team rebuild and it’s showing with their on-field performance. By the statistical metrics of runs per game for offense and team ERA for pitching, Pittsburgh ranks dead last in both categories. The Pirates score a dreadful 2.71 runs per game while the pitching staff owns a 6.83 ERA.
This team even won on Opening Day but has suffered six-straight losses and sits five games back of the NL Central division-leading Reds. It should be noted that Pittsburgh also finished with the worst record in the MLB last season after winning just 19 of their 60-game shortened season. Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections had the Pirates losing 101 games this season, a mark feared by franchises around the league.
Early injuries haven’t helped the Pirates’ start in 2021. Rookie third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, the lone bright spot for this rebuilding franchise, has already been placed on the 10-day IL. It’s going to be a long, long year in Pittsburgh.