R.I.P., 2014 Pittsburgh Pirates season
The Pirates are done for 2014, and now it's time to say goodbye.
After Wednesday night's loss to the Giants in the NL wild card game, the Pirates' 2014 season is done. Let us now eulogize the season their noble efforts ...
What went right
The Pirates made the postseason for a second straight year. Considering their limited budget and their grim pre-2013 recent history, that's indeed a praiseworthy achievement.
Reigning NL MVP Andrew McCutchen authored another exceptional season (.314/.410/.542, 25 homers), Neil Walker soldiered on as one of the steadiest plus performers around, Josh Harrison broke out in a big way and provided a great deal of stability down the stretch. Russell Martin put up an OBP of .402 and remained one of the best defensive catchers and leaders in baseball. Starling Marte continued his rise toward stardom.
On the pitching side, Edinson Volquez proved to be a quality reclamation project. Gerrit Cole looked at times like a future ace. Vance Worley was surprisingly strong, and the bullpen was among the NL's best (Mark Melancon, Tony Watson and Jared Hughes each posted a sub-2.00 ERA).
What went wrong
The rotation struggled for much of the first half. Wandy Rodriguez was hurt and very bad when not hurt. Throwing problems and then injury derailed Pedro Alvarez's season. Top prospect Gregory Polanco batted just .235/.307/.343 in 312 plate appearances. Charlie Morton wound up undergoing major hip surgery late in the season. The bullpen, while mostly excellent, could've used additional depth from the left side.
More broadly, the Pirates had a losing record on the road, and a 9-16 mark in April likely cost them the division title.
Oh, and Volquez turned back into a pumpkin just a little too soon for the Pirates' tastes.
MVP: McCutchen. He hit like an All-Star first baseman while running the bases well and providing plus defense in center field. The guess here is that he finishes second to Clayton Kershaw in the NL MVP balloting. What a ballplayer.
LVP: Clint Hurdle's handling of the staff in the wild card game. Yes, we're getting this specific. Hurdle's a darn good manager, but he didn't manage the wild card game against the Giants as though his season depended on it, which it did. An aggressively quick hook is called for, especially when a "skin of his teeth" pitcher like Volquez is on the mound. After Volquez gave up back-to-back singles to start the fourth, Hurdle should've summoned Tony Watson to face the three straight lefty batters due up. Instead, he left Volquez in, Brandon Crawford hit a grand slam, and the Buccos were all but done. As sprawling as the season is, sometimes it comes down to an instant like that.
Free agents to be: INF Clint Barmes, LHP Francisco Liriano, C Russell Martin, RHP Edinson Volquez
Gameplan heading into the offseason
Obviously, there's a point at which a potential deal wouldn't make sense for a team like the Pirates, but they should greatly endeavor to bring back Russell Martin. He's a tremendously valuable part of this team, to say the least. Elsewhere, add some low-cost rotation depth and hold it down until Jameson Taillon, Tyler Glasnow and Nick Kingham are ready. Elsewhere, steady as she goes.
Ridiculously premature prediction for 2015
Contention once again. Provided Martin returns or a suitable proxy is in place, the Pirates will once again contend for the division title. If Marte, Polanco and Cole continue to develop, then they'll win said division title.
