The Pirates have had a wild season, playing one or two memorable games a week, en route to a 44-50 mark at the All-Star break. The elusive .500 mark is still within reach.
This year’s Pittsburgh team is almost the opposite of last year’s, as is it is suddenly the offense leading the way and the rotation that is dragging the team down.
There have been plenty of bright spots, as well as plenty of disappointments, but one thing is clear: This Pirates team has more of a core now than it has in a very long time.
Below, I will evaluate every player’s performance from the first half of the season.
Ryan Doumit, C
Doumit has been one of the most productive hitters, not only for the Pirates, but in the entire National League. His emergence as a consistent, middle-of-the-order presence has been critical to the Pirates’ offensive resurgence, and it is no surprise that he was recently promoted to the No. 3 spot in the batting order, given his lofty .943 OPS.
If only he had been healthy all season, the Bucs could be a few games closer to that .500 mark.
Midseason Grade: A
Raul Chavez, C
Chavez was promoted from AAA after Doumit’s first injury, and has since remained with the club due to his defense and his game-calling abilities. He even gets a hit once in a while.
Midseason Grade: B
Ronny Paulino, C
This was, in many ways, a make-or-break season for Paulino, who entered the year competing with Doumit for the starting catcher job. His bat never got hot, questions about his work ethic once again surfaced, and he was demoted a few months ago.
3 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Ben Weixlmann 11 months ago
Good work man! I agree with most all of the grades.
Edit Comment Cancel
Brett Lissenden 11 months ago
great article, but they certainly have not been good enough overall to earn an A-. They may now have some decent offensive players but are still a pretty bad team.
Edit Comment Cancel
Nino Colla 11 months ago
If only that pitching was there.. Snell and Gorzo have put up some real lousy numbers. I can't imagine what this team's record would look if they were pitching like they did in the past. It's amazing to see how well their lineup is hitting from top to bottom. If LaRoche continues that "second half" player thing he likes to do they are going to score some runs.
Great job all around. I've seen Osoria pitch and man are you right. He is awwwwwwful.
Edit Comment Cancel
Leave a Comment
You must register to post a comment.