Old Story; New Year

The Pittsburgh Pirates have a long storied tradition dating back to 1887 when they first joined the National League.  They possess a rich history with Hall-of-Famers like Honus Wagner, Roberto Clemente, Bill Mazeroski and five World Series Titles, their last one coming in 1979.  

However, for many young fans that follow the game today, the Pirates have been somewhat of a joke competitively for most of the past two decades.   

The last time the Pittsburgh Pirates saw playoff action was 19 postseasons ago in the fall of 1992 (no MLB postseason in ’94).  Now for the second straight year at the All-Star break, we are discussing the possibility of the Pirates holding on and ending their postseason drought. 

Pittsburgh sits atop the NL Central at 48-37 with a slight one game lead over a talented Cincinnati Reds club and only two-and-a-half games ahead of the defending World Series Champion, St. Louis Cardinals.

What makes this Pirates story different from last years is that they now have experience leading the division deep into the season.  Plus, they also have a solid crop of emerging talent.  Center fielder Andrew McCutchen is having an MVP caliber season.  He currently leads the NL in batting average at .362 and slugging at .625.  Pair that with 18 homers and an OPS of 1.039 and it’s safe to say that the Pirates have a player they can lean on going forward. 

They won’t have to lean on McCutchen too hard though.  They have a budding star starting pitcher, in right hander James McDonald whose record sits at 9-3 with the third best ERA (2.37) in the NL.  The Pirates also added veteran pitcher, A.J. Burnett from the New York Yankees and catcher Rod Barajas who spent last season with the LA Dodgers.  Don’t forget about their All-Star closer, Joel Hanrahan, who is riding the momentum he built up in 2011 and is now crushing it with 23 saves thus far.

The Pirates have the experience and talent to continue to compete and perhaps win their division.  It won’t be easy though. 

The Reds have strong bats in outfielder Jay Bruce (18 homers), first baseman Joey Votto (.348 batting average), and second baseman Brandon Phillips (48 RBI).  The Reds have a little deeper team all around and probably have the best shot at taking home the NL Central crown when its all said and done. 

Let’s not sleep on the Cardinals either.  St. Louis is coming off of an improbable World Series run and haven’t missed a beat in the absence of Albert Pujols (left for the LA Angels in the offseason).  The team as a whole sits 5th in the NL in slugging, 4th in runs scored and 2nd in both batting average and on base percentage.  The Pirates rank 21^st, 22^nd, 29^th and 15^th is those same categories respectively.  The Reds are 17^th, 20^th, 20^th and 11^th is those statistical categories.  St. Louis has the numbers, but they are coming up short in close games.  If they can find a way to close out in tight games then they could also be starring down yet another NL Central title. 

Probably safe to assume that at least two of these teams will be represented come playoff time.  Though most baseball fans that don’t have a rooting interest in the NL Central, would more than likely love to see the Pirates make it in the postseason as division winners.  The Pirates, who haven’t played October baseball in quite sometime, would probably be happy getting in anyway they can.