Pittsburgh Pirates
2024 record: 76-86
Fifth place, NL Central
Team ERA: 4.15 (20th in MLB)
Team OPS: .672 (27th in MLB)
What Went Right
Pittsburgh had a promising first half of the season. The Pirates were 48-48 before the All-Star break, but crumbled in the second half with a 28-38 record. The most promising on-field development for the Pirates were that multiple young starting pitchers established themselves as rotation options. Jared Jones, 23, had a 3.56 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 98 strikeouts in 91 innings over 16 starts in the first half of the season before struggling in the second half. Luis Ortiz, 25, had a 3.22 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 67 strikeouts in 86 2/ 3 innings in 15 starts. Of course, Paul Skenes, 22, went 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings over 23 starts. While the Pirates offense left much to be desired, Pittsburgh heads into the offseason with the guts of a good, young rotation already in house, not to mention Mitch Keller, 28, and Bailey Falter, 27. Dennis Santana was a revelation in the bullpen after the Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Yankees in June. Santana, 28, had a 2.44 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 50 strikeouts in 39 appearances with the Pirates. Plus, they still have Bryan Reynolds, who’s had at least a 109 wRC+ in five of six seasons in his career.
What Went Wrong
The Pirates’ offense was one of the worst in the league. Pittsburgh had only four hitters with at least a 100 wRC+ (min. 200 plate appearances) in Joey Bart (121), Reynolds (118), Oneil Cruz (110) and Andrew McCutchen (105). Ke’Bryan Hayes hurt his back and had the worst year of his career. After hitting 15 home runs with a .182 ISO in 2023, Hayes’ power evaporated as he hit four home runs with an .058 ISO in 396 plate appearances this year. Former No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft Henry Davis was a complete flop after an encouraging spring training. Davis hit .144 with one home run, an .067 ISO and 36.9 percent strikeout percentage in 122 plate appearances. Jack Suwinski was also a major bust. After hitting 26 home runs with a .230 ISO, 74 RBI and 112 wRC+ in 2023, he hit nine home runs with a .142 ISO, 26 RBI and 62 wRC+ this year. In the bullpen, former All-Star closer David Bednar fell apart. After making the All-Star team in 2022 and 2023, Bednar collapsed with a 5.77 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and seven blown saves in 30 opportunities. By the end of the season, Bednar had been removed from the closer role, Suwinski was in the minors while…