MLB OFFSEASON REPORT FOR THE PITTSBURGH PIRATES

POWER BOOST COULD PUFF UP RECORD

AT A GLANCE

2018 RECORD: 82-79, fourth place, NL Central; missed playoffs 

CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Bob Nutting 

PRESIDENT: Frank Coonelly

EXECUTE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER: Neal Huntington 

MANAGER: Clint Hurdle, ninth season (666-628)

COACHES: Rick Eckstein (hitting); Ray Searage (pitching); Kimera Bartee (first base); Joey Cora (third base); Tom Prince (bench); Euclides Rojas (bullpen)

FAST FACT

The Pirates had one of the more reliable outfields in the majors last season. Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco and Corey Dickerson, all under 30 during the season, were the catalysts of an outfield unit that ranked seventh major league-wide in Fangraphs’ measurement of WAR.

TICKET INFORMATION

PLACE: PNC Park

ADDRESS: 115 Federal St.

CITY: Pittsburgh, PA 15212

CALL: 800-289-2827, 

VISIT ON THE WEB: Pirates.com

SPRING TRAINING

PLACE: LECOM Park

ADDRESS: 1611 9th St.

CITY: W Bradenton, FL 34205

CALL: 941-747-3031, 

VISIT ON THE WEB: Pirates.com/spring

OFFSEASON OUTLOOK

Coming off an 82-win season and with no major personnel losses, the Pirates could be one or two upgrades away from playoff contention. But the team has historically used its small-market status as a reason to avoid adding high-priced players.

FIVE ISSUES FACING THE PIRATES

Rebuilding or contending? Two years removed from their last playoff appearance, the Pirates appeared to go into full rebuilding mode last winter when they traded their best position player (Andrew McCutchen) and their best pitcher (Gerrit Cole). But despite playing in perhaps MLB’s toughest division, they were just three games out of the National League’s second wild-card spot at the July 31 trade deadline.

In a surprising move, the front office acquired two-time All-Star Chris Archer to bolster the starting rotation. Though it didn’t pay off in a postseason berth, the Pirates finished above .500. Bolstered by the players acquired in the McCutchen and Cole trades, Pittsburgh returns almost the entire 2018 roster intact.

The question now is which direction they plan to go. Free agent outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall and pitcher Jordan Lyles aren’t high-impact players. Another major acquisition could get the Pirates into playoff position. With a projected payroll more than $10 million below last season’s scaled-down roster, there could be room for a major addition.

Budding ace? A breakout season from Jameson Taillon greatly lessened the sting of losing a No. 1 starter like Cole. Outside of Cole’s sizable edge in strikeouts, Taillon’s overall numbers stack up extremely well against his former teammate, who finished fifth in the American League Cy Young voting.

But after the All-Star break, Taillon’s eight wins were second most in the majors and his 2.33 ERA was third lowest among starters. Taillon and Archer give the Pirates a nice 1-2 punch.

Injury impacts: Three important players are returning from offseason surgeries: Archer, right-hander Joe Musgrove and outfielder Gregory Polanco. Archer had hernia surgery in November that typically requires six weeks’ recovery. He should be back to 100 percent by the time pitchers and catchers report to camp next month in Bradenton, Florida.

Musgrove was shut down in September with an abdominal issue that turned out to be a stress reaction in his pelvic bone. He has been cleared to begin his throwing program and will likely slot as the team’s No. 4 starter this spring.

Polanco dislocated his shoulder on an awkward slide in September and needed surgery to repair the damage. Expected to be sidelined until June, he is optimis- tic he can beat his original timetable. Chisenhall is the likely starter in right field until Polanco returns.

Keystone’s state: The Pirates’ biggest question mark can be found in the middle infield. Jordy Mercer and Josh Harrison are no longer around, leaving versatile Adam Frazier as the front-runner at second base while Kevin Newman and ex-Cleveland Indian Erik Gonzalez compete at shortstop.

Frazier provides solid on-base skills and could end up hitting at the top of the order. Newman was a first-round pick in 2015 but had an uneventful MLB debut last season and could be supplanted by Gonzalez, 27. However, neither has shown much offensively.

Contact vs. power: With strikeouts at an all-time high and home runs just below 2017’s record level, the Pirates have shown a dramatically different approach at the plate than most teams. Pittsburgh batters struck out the fewest times in the National League last season (1,229). Meanwhile, they also hit the third-fewest home runs (157).

There’s a good chance those numbers are due in part to playing at PNC Park, one of the most pitcher-friendly stadiums in the majors. However, the Pirates will likely need significant improvements on offense to end their three-year playoff drought.

KEY NUMBER

36: Homers the Pirates’ Jung Ho Kang hit in 2015-16 before missing 1½ seasons due to legal and work visa issues. He could boost the power.

FREE AGENTS

SS JORDY MERCER, 2B JOSH HARRISON, 3B JUNG HO KANG

The Pirates chose to get younger up the middle by letting Mercer, 32, and Harrison, 31, leave. (Mercer has since signed with Detroit.) However, they chose to bring back Kang, 31, on a one-year, $3 million deal.

TOP 5 PROSPECTS

1. MITCH KELLER, RHP: Keller can pound the zone with a hard fastball that he commands well to both sides. His curveball is more of a hard slurve and can be nasty, but that and his changeup aren’t great feel pitches. The 22-year-old posted a 4.82 ERA in 52 1 ⁄ 3innings at Class AAA, where he’ll return to start 2019.

2. KE’BRYAN HAYES, 3B: Hayes has always had good bat-to-ball skills; now he’s starting to find his power as he uses his lower half more often. His defense at third base is plus and he could probably hold his own at shortstop. Hayes hit .293 with 12 steals and seven home runs in his age-21 season at Class AA.

3. ONEIL CRUZ, SS: At 6-6, Cruz has a chance to be one of the tallest regular shortstops ever. The bat is going to play somewhere, as he made strides with a .286 batting average and 14 home runs in Class A. With improving on-base skills and plus raw power, Cruz, 20, could be a major impact player.

4. TRAVIS SWAGGERTY, OF: The 10th overall pick of the 2018 draft, Swaggerty showed some pop but struggled to hit for average (.239) and command the zone in his pro debut. At 20, the stout lefty is a long way away and probably needs to return to low A to start the season.

5. KEVIN NEWMAN, SS: Newman, 25, hit .302 with 28 steals over 477 plate appearances at Class AAA in 2018. He’s a tough out and steady defender, but there isn’t enough power or speed to be an impact player. Newman should replace Jordy Mercer at shortstop and be a slightly better version.