It's time to take the Pirates somewhat seriously again — and kudos to them on a perfectly executed tank job.
I mean that. If you're going to tank, you better hit bottom. The Pirates went way past that. They went so far below bottom that they discovered dinosaur bones from 160 million years ago.
This club lost 201 games over the past two years, and I'm guessing it would have lost 110 in 2020 if not for a shortened season. It has secured two No. 1 overall picks, including one this summer. It has stocked up on prospects. Manager Derek Shelton has the worst winning percentage (.370) of any non-expansion manager in 60 years.
So again, nice work!
It's really too bad the owner didn't mark the end of the tank job (it better be the end) by bumping the payroll toward $100 million this offseason. He missed by about $40 million. If those Forbes numbers identifying the Pirates as having the eighth-highest operating income in baseball last season were accurate, Bob Nutting should be mortified at trotting out another microscopic payroll (whether he is mortification-capable is another matter).
I thought USA Today's Bob Nightengale had an interesting tweet on that topic last week:
"This is why the players union and large-market owners get upset with teams who receive revenue-sharing money but don't spend it on their payroll. Oakland A's: $62.2 million (5th-most profitable MLB team in 2022, per Forbes). Pittsburgh Pirates: $51.5 million (8th-most profitable)."
Anyway, it is what it is — and that is the first time I have used that phrase in any form. It just seems to fit here. You can complain about the payroll and how the Pirates should be spending more, and I wouldn't blame you if you never showed up for a game again because of it. It's a joke. But we have a baseball season unfolding here, and the Pirates might field an actual team.
I'm here for it. I kind of look at this year's group like the 2011 club, Clint Hurdle's first. It was a mix of rising young players (Andrew McCutchen, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker) and veterans in varying degrees of decline (Lyle Over-paid, Ronny Cedeno, Kevin Correia).
This time around, McCutchen has moved into the latter group with the likes of Carlos Santana and Rich Hill. The younger group is headlined by unicorn shortstop Oneil Cruz, includes third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes — who needs to find his bat — and might soon feature prospects such as catcher Endy Rodriguez and Luis Ortiz, the latter of whom was positively electric for most of his late-season cameo in 2022.
The Pirates carried an 18-year losing streak into that 2011 campaign, but they started fast and captured the city's attention. By late June, people were flocking back to the ballpark — proof that a winner will bring 'em back no matter how bad it was before.
I was even commissioned by CNN, believe it or not, to do a story on the rising Bucs. Headline: "Amazin' Pirates baseball's story of the year."
This is how that story went:
"(Consider) Wednesday morning on Pittsburgh's 'Parkway,' one of the main thoroughfares leading to PNC Park. In the midst of a wicked heat spell, fans were honking horns and waving brooms out their car windows — and not because they wanted to sweep away the remnants of another lost season. Rather, it was because the Pirates had a chance to sweep the defending National League Central Division champion Cincinnati Reds in a three-game series and solidify their grip on first place. First place? Yes, the Pirates have spent time there this late in a season for the first time since 1997."
That team was 53-47 on July 25th and tied for first place in the NL Central before a 19-inning loss in Atlanta sent them careening toward a summer collapse (Jerry Meals ring a bell?). It finished 72-90 — and I'm guessing you'd sign up for that in a second, especially some early-season excitement.
The Pirates have been a popular bet to hit the over this season, especially when the number started way lower than the current figure of 67.5 wins. I'd go over, too, but I wouldn't get too crazy.
This is still more about young players taking big leaps than the win-loss record for me. And I would imagine the Pirates are still of a mind to trade veterans such as Hill if they are out of it by midseason.
But I also believe Cruz is going to become a star, Hayes will be better offensively and Bryan Reynolds will stick around and have a solid season. I'm intrigued by Rodolfo Castro's power and by a top of the rotation featuring Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras. I'm more than intrigued by what Rodriguez could do in the middle of this order. This team desperately needs more middle-of-the-order types.
I'm not saying the Pirates are going to threaten the Cardinals and Brewers or even chase a wild card, but this season won't be another archeological dig, either. This team is going to be interesting for a while.
It'll finish 74-88.
Joe Starkey: jstarkey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @joestarkey1. Joe Starkey can be heard on the "Cook and Joe" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
