The Pittsburgh Pirates have been getting some favorable ratings in Buster Olney’s rankings of all the MLB teams this week. So far, Olney has rated the top rotations, top bullpens and today he released the top lineups around the game. It hasn’t been covered yet, but the Pirates would also have to rank high among the top benches in the game once Jung-Ho Kang is officially signed.
The articles are for ESPN Insiders, so there is a subscription required. I’ll go over the three groups briefly. For the top rotation, the Pirates were just outside the top ten, getting the first nod in the honorable mentions. The only thing that kept them out according to Olney is that Gerrit Cole missed time last year. He believes they could be a top ten rotation with a full season from him.
Pittsburgh ranked eighth among the top bullpens in the game. Olney gives even more praise to the group of Mark Melancon, Jared Hughes and Tony Watson, calling them a trio that is “as good as there is in the NL”. If Antonio Bastardo can replace Justin Wilson and John Holdzkom can pitch well over a full season, they may even be better than the eighth best in baseball according to Olney. Only the Padres and Giants ranked higher among NL teams.
The lineup also ranked eighth in the game. Olney mentions how well the lineup did without Pedro Alvarez contributing much and he also notes the expected growth Gregory Polanco will have in his first full season. An interesting note is that only the Rockies and Nationals made the top ten among National League teams, putting the Pirates among the top three NL teams in two different categories. When you throw in the bench strength, they will be one of the best all-around teams in baseball and near the top of the National League.
