The fifth division I will be breaking down is the National League Central. And to begin the NL Central Preview, I will starting with the basement and arguably the worst team in baseball, Pittsburgh Pirates. They are coming off a season where, not only did they finish last in the NL Central, but they also had the WORST record in the entire MLB. And, I will be honest here, that’s to be expected. They are once again, in the middle of a rebuild and this season that continues. I know while writing this series of blogs, I have tried my best to look at the positive side of things for each team, but with the Pirates there is no positive side. As a matter of fact this past offseason, they got worse not better, by trading away Jameson Taillon, Josh Bell and releasing Trevor Williams. Let’s see if there’s any bright spots in their rotation or lineup, I doubt it though.
Projected Starting Rotation
| 1 | Mitch Keller |
| 2 | Chad Kuhl |
| 3 | Steven Brault |
| 4 | Cody Ponce |
| 5 | Tyler Anderson |
I’m going to honest here, there’s nothing really to look forward to when it comes to the rotation. There’s really only one pitcher that I want to highlight because I either don’t know the other pitchers or don’t think they will be that important to the team. The guy I want to touch on is Mitch Keller. I feel bad for the dude. When he got drafted he was looking to join a rotation that had the likes of Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon. Now, the guy is getting his first real shot at the big leagues, and he immediately has to be the ace and neither Cole or Taillon are on the team anymore. Tough break for the guy. I do expect him to perform well, but his team stats, like wins, losses, and era will not look good as the team around him is not good.
Projected Line-Up
| 1 | 2B Adam Frazier | L |
| 2 | 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes | R |
| 3 | 1B Colin Moran | L |
| 4 | LF Bryan Reynolds | S |
| 5 | RF Gregory Polanco | L |
| 6 | CF Anthony Alford | R |
| 7 | SS Cole Tucker | S |
| 8 | C Jacob Stallings | R |
| 9 | P Pitcher | – |
The lineup has a few names to keep an eye out, but nothing that stands out. Actually, there is one name that stands out and that is Ke’Bryan Hayes. Hayes has been a top prospect in the organization for several years now, and last year he had his first cup of coffee. He had a great stint last year, and now this year he goes into the season being a key player for the team. He will be one of the few bright spots for the team. Other bright spots, in my opinion, can include Bryan Reynolds, Adam Frazier, and Cole Tucker. I am only going to talk about Tucker though. If the Pirates leave him alone, and let him be, he will be productive for the team. They have to stop moving Cole from position to position and let him make his home at one. Yes, he can play multiple positions, but that doesn’t mean he should. This year, they should let Cole be the everyday shortstop for the team and see how it goes. My prediction, he will be productive and be a bright spot for the team. (P.S. Cole is winning at life, dating Vanessa Hudgens).
2021 PECOTA NL Central Projections
I 100% agree with the PECOTA projections in regards to the Pittsburgh Pirates. I see them finishing in 5th place and once again having the worst record in the MLB. And that sucks because Pirate fans are great and enthusiastic and deserve better ownership. Truth be told, I don’t expect them to be competitive for another 5 years, that’s how behind they are.
