Pittsburgh Pirates look to 2013 for a stronger show – MLB Featured
When the first half of the 2012 Major League Baseball season was in full swing, it was the National League Central’s Pittsburgh Pirates which seemed poised to make their way into the postseason games. However, much to the chagrin of the club, and the increasingly
frustrated fans, that did not eventually materialize.
The Pirates had an impressive 62-46 record in the first half, outshining virtually all the rivals in the division. Such was their ascendancy that the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals seemed out of the race as both had unimpressive record.
But things altered drastically as the All-Star break ended. The Pirates in the second half had an astounding slump, having 17-37 record. That was morale-lowering and dispiriting for the team as a whole, resulting in the team’s elimination from the Wild Card
race.
With the highly strong pitching lineup along with the impressive batters at their disposal, the Pirates were outdone. From A. J. Burnett who did his bit in the rotation, and Andrew McCutchen, the prospects were high for the Pirates, but all came to naught
eventually.
"You have to try and take some positives from it," said McCutchen, who succeed in hitting .327 in 2012 to finish second behind San Francisco Giants’ Buster Posey for the NL batting title. "Every year is hard to take when you don't end up where you want to
be. Every year is tough."
In 157 games that he played, McCutchen was the talk of the town, and commanding enormous attention. He had 31 home runs to his credit, hitting 96 RBIs with 194 hits to his credit, having had .553 slugging percentage in the season.
Much as McCutchen remained a central figure in the team’s offence, it was A. J. Burnett who did his part in the rotation, adding to the team’s strength.
In 31 games that he pitched, maintained 3.51 ERA with 16-10 record, having had 180 strikeouts. He remained sixth in the National League with 16 wins; however, it was the Pirates who could not make most use of it at the end.
"I thought he had an exceptional season," Hurdle said of Burnett. "He took ownership of the trade, the career, the opportunity to re-ignite himself."
Despite the results, Burnett had a positive note to strike.
"I felt we were better than 79 wins. Our goal was to win more games. We need to do better," said Hurdle, whose confidence assures him the players can do it. "We've got players in place who are going to be here when we do win a division title, and when we
do play a playoff game."
Whatever the end result at the end, even though it dampened many a spirits, the Pirates seemed positive, hoping and resolving to have a stronger season in the coming year. With the lineup available to them, and a experienced manager to oversee the club,
the Pirates have a better prospect.
The season did not end well for the Milwaukee Brewers either. However, the little commonality between the two was that the Brewers had a stronger second half of the season, and the Pirates and equally weaker show in it.
It will, therefore, be interesting to see how the Pirates edge past this phase, learn from the mistakes they committed this year. It remains beyond any doubt that they can be the winner on any given day against any rival in the league.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: