Congrats to the Pittsburgh Pirates
for their first winning series in 20 years, getting their 81st win
to clinch a winning series. To be fair, we saw that coming. It’s not like they
were going to lose every single game in September. But still, it’s an
accomplishment (I guess?).
Here’s how they did it. Andrew
McCutchen started it off with a homer, but the Brewers would respond with two
runs of their own. Marlon Byrd, the new acquisition for the Bucs, had two RBI’s,
one in the third to tie the game, and one to take the lead in the 8th.
Once again, the Brewers came back to tie it on a Jean Segura single, but Travis
Snider would homer in the top half of the 9th to win it. Jason
Grilli got the day off, so Mark Melancon got the save.
This win clinched a non-losing
season, the first time since 1992, when they went 96-66. More importantly, it
boosted the Pirates lead to two games over the St. Louis Cardinals. It was
their fourth straight win at Miller Park, the first time since 2002. From
2007-2012, the Pirates lost 44 of 51 games there. Ouch.
It’s fair to say that McCutchen is
the leader of this team, am I correct? He is so versatile and a great
all-around player. Last year, he was an all-star, a silver slugger, a gold
glover, and was in 3rd place in the NL MVP voting. He batted
.327/.400/.553 with 31 homers, 96 RBI’s, and a league leading 194 hits. This
year, his stats have gone down somewhat, batting .320/.399/.509 with 18 homers,
75 RBI’s, and 163 hits. However, he’s on track to strikeout less (he has 88 K’s
now, and struck out 132 times last year), have more walks (63 this year to 70
last), and already has 34 doubles (29 last year) and 27 steals (20 last year). 
He also is a better defender this
year. Yes, he won the Gold Glove last year, but he probably shouldn’t have.
Last year, although he had only one error, he had only three assists and a poor
arm, racking up a defensive WAR of -.2. Now, although he’s committed five
errors, has nine assists, three double plays, and a 1.1 dWAR. Much better
defensive stats this year than last. He leads the NL in WAR with 7.1.
This year, he could win
the MVP,
especially with the Pirates doing so well. I think Clayton Kershaw will
beat
him out, but I wouldn’t be mad if he beat Kershaw out.
Remember that
McCutchen
is only 26 years old, and hasn’t even hit his prime yet. Granted, he
could be
an early goer like Doc Gooden, then suck during his prime (using Gooden
is a
bad example though, I’ll admit. Gooden also dealt with alcohol issues,
but he's the first example that popped into my head), but I
don’t think that’ll be McCutchen. Like I said, Andrew is an all-around
player
that can hit for both contact and power, and also is very patient at the
plate.
It’s tough to get him to chase things because he knows his strike zone
very
well.
McCutchen is one of the main
reasons why this team is doing so well. Yes, their pitching is better than
hitting for sure. Their team batting average is .247, which is 23rd
in the MLB, while their team ERA is 3.17, which is the best in the Majors. But
without McCutchen, things could be much worse.
While they are the reasons for
their success this season, playoff time is coming soon, and the Pirates need to
hold onto their lead in the division. I think the organization did a terrific
job in acquiring first baseman Justin Morneau and OF Marlon Byrd. There were
talks of the Pirates getting Giancarlo Stanton at the trade deadline, which
would be much better than Byrd, but Marlon is still a good acquisition.
Morneau and Byrd are both veterans,
and both old, Justin being 32 and Marlon being 35. However, they bring more
leadership and a boost to this offense come playoff time. The organization is
looking more into this year and not the future, which normally I wouldn’t agree
with, but with a team like this, there’s a real good chance of winning a title.
If you didn’t know this, Justin
Morneau is actually a former MVP. That’s right, in 2006, Morneau won the MVP
award and the Silver Slugger, while not even being an all-star. He batted
.321/.373/.559 with 34 homers and 130 RBI’s. He might have not been the perfect
choice for the MVP that year, but still a reasonable one. Morneau went on to
four all-star appearances in a row after that year, but fell off the planet
after that.
In his next six years, Morneau batted .291/.357/.487 with 126
homers and 503 RBI’s, which isn’t bad, but injuries kept him sidelined for a
good proportion of the 2010 and 2011 season. This year, combined with his
performance on Pittsburgh and the Minnesota Twins, Morneau is only batting
.262/.321/.427 with 17 homers and 74 RBI’s, but was red hot in the month of
August. The Pirates needed a first baseman, and found a good fit.
The Pirates also needed a third
outfielder after McCutchen and future star Starling Marte (more on him another
day). Marlon Byrd is a pretty good choice. He’s a career .279/.336/.425 hitter,
but can be a little more expensive than what he’s worth. He’s been on seven
different teams, including four different ones since last year. He was also
suspended 50 games for the use of Performance-Enhancing Drugs last year. While
not a terrible acquisition for the Pirates, I wish they got Giancarlo Stanton.
Congrats to the Pirates, and watch
out with their new look on offense. Marte is injured right now, but will be
back soon. They will surely need him come playoff time. Also remember how good
their rotation and bullpen are, having some of the best guys out there.
Email me at statsbuddy42@gmail.com for any
questions/comments/concerns.
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