Pittsburgh Pirates' Midseason Grades

Midseason Grade: F

Adam LaRoche, 1B

LaRoche got off to his usual first-quarter swoon, but has rebounded quite nicely, adding depth to an already formidable Pittsburgh offense. He is batting a mediocre, but respectable, .251 with 43 RBI. Those numbers could be better but, given his start, they could also be much, much worse.

Midseason Grade: C

Freddy Sanchez, 2B

Sanchez, only two years removed from winning the NL batting title, has simply been atrocious. Who knows how many more runs the Pirates would have scored if not for Sanchez’s automatic outs from the No. 2 spot in the batting order. At least John Russell has begun to bench Sanchez in recent weeks.

Midseason Grade: F

Jack Wilson, SS

Another “what if” for the Pirates, as Wilson’s early-season injury greatly weakened their infield's defense. Since coming back, Wilson has been his usually stellar self in the field, while also batting over .300. He has become the Pirates’ “second leadoff hitter", showing once again that he is the consummate professional by agreeing to bat ninth for the Bucs.

Midseason Grade: A

Jose Bautista, 3B

While he may not even be the starting third baseman, Bautista deserves credit for his solid play over the past few months. That he has raised his average to .257 and compiled 40 RBI amid questions about his job security and future with the club (the Pirates did, after all, just draft a third baseman who could be in the majors as early as 2009) is even more impressive.

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