Will the Pirates contend against in 2016?
The Pittsburgh Pirates could be flying under the radar heading into the 2016 MLB Season. Will Pittsburgh put up another big win total this year?
The opening list of wins for the MLB teams came out recently and the Pirates were listed with 87 wins, which is tied for the fifth-most of any team listed. The Giants have the highest total of 90.
The Pirates went 98-64 in the 2015 season and they finished 2 games behind the Cardinals for the NL Central title, but earned themselves a Wild Card bid in the NL Playoffs. In the Wild Card game, the Pirates suffered a 4-0 loss to the Cubs behind a shutout from Jake Arrieta.
The team will continue to be led by Andrew McCutchen, one of the top players in all of baseball. He had 23 home runs with 96 RBI last season while also scoring 91 runs and tallying 36 doubles. He was the leading hitter on a team that failed to produce a 100-RBI player. The Pirates had a solid pitching staff last season as well, led by Gerrit Cole, who went 19-8 with a 2.60 ERA and 202 strikeouts. The staff loses A.J. Burnett, the veteran pitcher that went 9-7 last season with a 3.18 ERA.
The Pirates have a talented roster, but they didn’t make an effort to really add to their team this offseason, while others around them – mainly the Chicago Cubs, did just that. The Pirates could find themselves getting lost in the shuffle by the other contenders in the NL. Pittsburgh managed its record last season despite having a losing record to every other team in its division. That can’t happen again if the Pirates hope to make the playoffs. While Pittsburgh has hit at least 88 wins in three straight seasons, the writing seems to be on the wall that the team will take a step back in 2015.
2016 MLB WIN TOTALS PREDICTION: PITTSBURGH PIRATES UNDER 87 WINS
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