Pittsburgh Pirates - Lovable Losers No More

Marte & McCutchen - 2 of the Many Budding
Superstars that Play in Pittsburgh

This article has been a long time coming.  Well, 20 years to be completely honest.  I wear my fanhood on my sleeves, and when someone says "You are a Steelers fan?"  I respond with, "No, I'm a Pittsburgh Fan.  I like the Penguins, Pirates, and Steelers."  What follows is always the best..."Oh the Pirates...I feel bad for them.  I always pull for them to win because they are so bad!"  Makes me clench my fists just thinking about it! 

However, finally the "Lovable Losers" tag can be removed from the team that occupies PNC Park.  A lot of people have asked me "Whats the difference between this team and the last 20 years?"  The rise from worst to first has been very steep and one that has taken a lot of Pirates fans by surprise.  "Buc Nation" is taking the baseball world by storm.  From "Collapse" to "Contender"...sure is fun to watch that is for sure, but what IS the difference between the teams that collapsed and the other 18 years of horrendous baseball that Pirates fans had to endure.  Well lets analyze this...after all...analysis is what we do, right?

- Stability - The Pirates have NOT been known as a stable franchise, but if you look close you are starting to see some key components that equate to winning baseball.  First, the General Manager, Neil Huntington is finally making some smart baseball decisions.  Has he had the "Splash" effect like Ray Shero with the Penguins?  No, but he hasn't made many POOR baseball decisions in the last few years.  No GM is without mistakes (Ronny Cedano), but Neil is starting to make wise baseball decisions that are helping the ball club.  NOT making a move at the trade deadline this year was smart.  Some might disagree, but its smart for the long term health of the franchise.  Outside of the Scouting Department that is drafting well, the GM that isn't making bone headed decisions, is a coach that has actually lasted in Pittsburgh.  Clint Hurdle is a rock for these young players and has the pedigree of taking a team to a World Series that helps this young squad.  Stability and Pirates are never in the same sentence...until now.

- Draft 'em and Keep 'em - How many years did we see the Pirates not only make poor draft decisions (not selecting Weiters), but draft solid players and then see the shipped away to teams that were looking to fleece the flailing Pirates franchise.  This year the Pirates didn't send away their young talent, and as I said above...the future will be brighter because of it.  This team's farm system is among the best in MLB and the Pirates will get to see the benefits of their patience.  Hopefully the fans are as excited about the future of this team as they are about their current winning steak.

- Turn from Sellers to Buyers - There are two types of teams at the trade deadline and in the offseason.  Buyers and Sellers.  The Pirates were always typically sellers as they were trying to dump salary or avoiding a situation where a player was head to Free Agency,  but the Pirates are not sellers anymore.  No, they've gone to the other side of the baseball stock market and have become buyers.  The organization was trying to wheel and deal at the trade deadline, but nothing ever panned out.  That happens when two sides can't come to a "fair" agreement.  There aren't always winners and losers in certain deals, and the Pirates stayed away.  The simple fact that they were trying to buy some players at the trade deadline and offered some big trades makes me think this team is certainly trending in the correct direction for the near future.

- Coach that Matches Team - I am not about to list all of the managers that have graced Pittsburgh since Jim Leyland left and the horrid baseball began in the Steel City, but it seems that the Front Office finally got it right with the Cowboy Clint Hurdle.  This gum chewing, tropical tanning, fiery manager seems to be the perfect fit for this team.  Young enough to be able to manage the young team, old enough to have the wisdom of getting his team to the "next level".  The Pirates trusted Hurdle when a lot of people thought he should have been fired after Collapse #2 last season.  They stuck with their man, and its paying dividends this year. 

- Pitching, Pitching, and more Pitching - The biggest difference between the last 2 Collapse seasons and this year is pitching.  Starters, long relief, closers, set up men....you name it they are delivering in a big way.  The Pirates have won more games by scoring 2 or fewer runs than anyone in MLB, and that stat reflects the pitching staff as much as it does the poor offensive performance.  If this team is going to contend THIS year it is going to have to be on the arms of their gun slingers.  Starters will have to get deep into games and then let the Shark Tank do their thing.

- Budding Super Stars - Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Gerrit Cole, Jeff Locke, Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker...these are just a few of the budding YOUNG superstars the Pirates have.  These players, but some young studs in the minors have the Pirates set up for success down the road.  Imagine seeing Marte, McCutchen and Polanco roaming the PNC outfield in a few seasons...scary to think about.  These Pirates will be compared only to that 1992 team when the pitching staff and team was filled with all starts and powerful position players. 

All of these reasons, and some that I left out, are the reasons why this team isn't the "lovable losers" as they were in the past, and why "Collapse 3" is not going to be happening this season.  These Pirates are for real, and only time will tell how far these Buccos will go.  Buckle up...its a steep ascent to the top of the mountain!