Pittsburgh Pirates A. J. Burnett adds strength to rotation – MLB Feature
The Pittsburgh Pirates had some incredibly insurmountable challenges this past season. The club that has not won any World Series title for over three decades now had to send a strong message to the fans about its determination to write a new history.
That aspiration may not have seen the light of the day. But through a remarkable defensive and offensive combination, the Pirates manifested its intent to give a tough time to its rivals in the league.
While each player gave his best this season to attain that goal, the Pirates' starter A. J. Burnett provided the base on which an edifice was to be built. An edifice that pulls the attention to a potentially history-making site in the future.
The starter played a key role in solidifying the Pirates' defence this past year. Having made his debut in 1999, the veteran pitcher went on to make the Pirates’ rotation one of the challenging in the league.
Its practical demonstration could be seen in the team’s ability to have a seemingly unbreakable dominance in the first half of the season. With the performance getting better, it seemed the Pirates were all set to reverse the tide here, winning the NL Division title after years.
Although nothing of that sort eventually transpired, Burnett did his best to put the Pirates on a winning track. The end of the season might not have been particularly encouraging, the fact that they relentlessly competed this time round was a different sight for the Pirates fans.
Burnett appeared in 31 games this past season, having had 31 starts. With one complete game, the Pittsburgh Pirates' pitcher maintained an impressive 3.51 average, having had a wonderful 16-10 record.
At some point when the things seemed going very well for the Pirates, Burnett seemed super excited for the team’s advance.
He said, “It is driving me. It's driving me more now than ever. This is a great team. We've got great pitching. We've got a great bullpen. We've got great defense and we've got great hitters. So, we've got a great chance to do it -- and I'm going to do everything in my power to get us there.”
His 16 wins were the sixth best in the National League. Not that there did not come a period of potentially unsettling descent in the meanwhile. It did. However, Burnett managed to deliver the rotation whenever and wherever he could.
He might well be emotional, but that is something that he wants his team to keep up with.
Burnett said, “I have always been a very passionate player and person. I often wear my emotions on my sleeve, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse. I hope that my teammates always respect that of me, as I trust they know my commitment to winning.”
Be that as it may, in the coming season, the Pirates will certainly depend on this starter when it comes to a strong rotation. To be seen then is whether or not the veteran lives up to the team’s expectations.
In a year when the club showed how effectively it could turn things for their rivals, the rotation had an important role to play. It cannot be ruled out, obviously, that at times, they stumbled as well. However, overall, it was good enough.
Good enough to make the most of it in the next season.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are the writer's own and do not reflect the official editorial policy of Bettor.com.
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