Pirates Win Total Prediction
After missing out on the playoffs last season, will the Pittsburgh Pirates get back to being a contender in the competitive NL Central this season?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, the Pirates over/under for wins in 2017 has been set at 82.5. The over and under each have odds of -115. Their odds to win the 2017 World Series are listed at 65/1 currently, while their odds to win the NLCS are at 40/1.
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The Pirates are coming off a 78-83 record last season and finished 25 games out of the NL Central lead. The Pirates failed to reach the playoffs for the first time in four years and they had their fewest wins since 2011. Clint Hurdle returns as manager of the Pirates for his seventh season with the team. Pittsburgh is 509-462 in his time as manager.
The Pirates had some pop in their bats last season, but it wasn’t the pop they were accustomed to. Andrew McCutchen struggled greatly last year, batting just .256 with 24 home runs and 79 RBI. The Pirates will need him to step up and lead the team once again, giving them a nice combo along Gregory Polanco, who led the team last season with 86 RBI. Starling Marte gives the team a nice option on the bases, as he stole 47 bases in 2016 while hitting .311.
Consistency on the mound was hard to come by for the Pirates in 2016 due to injuries. No pitcher logged more than 127 innings for Pittsburgh last season. Jeff Locke logged the most innings, but was designated for assignment in the offseason. Juan Nicasio had the most wins at 10-7, but pitched just 118 innings and had a 4.50 ERA. Gerrit Cole had just a 3.88 ERA, but only pitched in 21 games. After a good outing with the team late in the season, Ivan Nova reached a 3-year deal with the team in the offseason. He went 5-2 with the Pirates with a 3.06 ERA in 64.2 innings of work. He also had just three walks to 52 strikeouts. Mark Melancon had 30 saves for the Pirates last season, but he is now with the Giants. Tony Watson had 15 saves in the closer role during parts of 2016 and could be the man again this season. He had a 3.06 ERA last year.
I would like to think the Pirates will rebound, but something tells me they won’t. McCutchen has declined in production for the last two seasons and that’s not a good sign as Pittsburgh continues to rely on him to be their main offensive player. If he continues to dip, the Pirates don’t have enough supporting talent to pick him up. While the injuries aren’t likely to continue on the mound, Pittsburgh still doesn’t have reliable enough arms to carry it through the NL Central.
2017 MLB SEASON WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH PIRATES UNDER 82.5