Pirates A 'Terrifying' Team To Face To Play In Playoffs
The Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to be one of the most dangerous teams in baseball with their starting rotation if they make the playoffs.
That won't matter much, though, unless Pittsburgh makes the necessary moves to improve the offense and bullpen this offseason. With those glaring needs, MLB.com's Will Leitch ranked the Pirates at No. 24 in its power rankings heading into the 2024 season.
"Their young rotation, led by likely NL Rookie of the Year favorite Paul Skenes, will make them a terrifying team to face in a short postseason series, if they can ever make one," Leitch writes. "But their lineup, without some additions, makes it unlikely they’ll get the chance."
The Pirates ranked last among teams in the National League Central.
Pittsburgh has the longest playoff drought in the National League after missing the postseason in nine consecutive seasons. One could argue with Paul Skenes atop a rotation that features Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, the Pirates are as well positioned as they have been in recent years to finally snap the streak.
Skenes has already emerged as one of the game's best pitchers after going 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in a historic rookie season and striking out a Pirates rookie record 170 batters over 133 innings pitched. Jones showed plenty of promise, going 5-6 with a 3.56 ERA and striking out 98 batters over 91 innings pitched before the All-Star break, though, he struggled to maintain the same level of success in the second half largely due to a strained right lat that cost him almost two months.
Keller is the most tenured of the trio and could become one of the game's more underrated pitchers if he can find a way to carry his success from the first half into the second half of the season. The veteran right-hander was 10-5 with a 3.46 ERA before the All-Star break but went 1-7 with a 5.65 ERA afterward.
All of this will be a moot point for the Pirates if they don't improve an offense and bullpen that ranked among the league's worst last season. If they can make improvements in those areas, whether it be through trades or free agent signings, Pittsburgh could indeed be among the teams few would want to face in the playoffs.
