When you think Pittsburgh Pirates you probably don't think of a sturdy, young, and reliable rotation. What probably comes to mind is 16 straight years of losing, 17 if you want to count the strike-shortened 1994 year.
This year may not be any different, but if they extend the streak it will likely not be attributed to a poor starting staff. The Pirates have quietly built a talented and tough starting rotation. No name in their top four screams ace quite yet but strong rotations are built on consistency from the top to the bottom and the Pirates actually have that this year. Lets examine their top four starters and the two competing for the fifth spot.
Ross Ohlendorf
Ohlendorf had a strong 2009 starting 29 games and pitching 176 innings, netting a 3.92 ERA with 11 wins. Ohlendorf was fairly lucky if you look at the difference between his FIP and his ERA, but he is a contact pitcher and contact pitcher's FIP's are usually a bit higher than their ERAs. Ohlendorf was the most productive starter on the staff last year and although the Pirates have gotten worse defensively behind him, he should remain a solid starting option in 2010.
Paul Maholm
Maholm is another contact pitcher for the Pirates, and he is not the last one I will mention. This lefty has totaled 401 innings over the past two years in 62 starts. That averages out to 6.46 innings per start which should help in keeping the bullpen fresh. He has a 102 ERA+ over the past two seasons which is a bit above average compared to the rest of the league. He is a solid middle of the rotation starter.
Zach Duke
Duke is very similar to Maholm but Duke was a bit more successful last season. Duke has yet to have a season like Maholm had in 2008, but he did post a 101 ERA+ last season in 32 starts. Duke threw 213 innings last year and he had his lowest ERA of his career at 4.06. Again, Duke does not have ace type stuff but he is a very solid starter. Many teams would love to have solid and reliable lefties like Duke and Maholm in the middle of their rotation. Duke's biggest problem has been allowing too many home runs, as he allowed 23 last year. He'll need to reverse the trend of an annually increasing fly ball percentage if he would like to limit the homers.
Charlie Morton
Morton probably has the best overall stuff on the roster. He was the biggest piece acquired by the Pirates in the Nate McLouth deal made last summer and the Braves were upset to let a talented young starter like Morton go. Morton has yet to put it together at the major league level but he does feature a mid 90s fastball with a plus curveball. Morton has the ability to take over as the top pitcher on the staff if he is able to get comfortable at this level. Morton has shown glimpses of dominance as he closed the season off with a complete game shutout of the Cubs, allowing just seven base runners and striking out eight in the process.
Daniel McCutchen
McCutchen is battling for the fifth spot and at 27 it is his time to prove that he is worth a starting spot. McCutchen has had a solid minor league career posting a 3.12 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, and just 1.9 BB/9. McCutchen got his first opportunity in the majors last season starting six games and saw success in his final three starts. He finished the year with three straight quality starts allowing just six runs over the course of 18.1 innings.
Kevin Hart
Hart is a former Chicago Cubs minor league pitcher of the year. He has had trouble at the major league level but he has solid AAA numbers. Hart has struck out 159 batters in 166 innings in his AAA career. He claims that he tried too hard to impress his new team last year and he changed his motion in order to do so, which may have led to his poor results in his 10 starts as a Pirate. Even with the poor outings last year, manager John Russell has stated that Hart is very much in the race for the fifth spot in the rotation with Daniel McCutchen.
Every pitcher that I have mentioned will be either 27 or 28 next season, the expected start to the prime of a baseball player's career. Only Morton possess the stuff to be a front line ace on a staff, but the solid production from the entire rotation is what makes this staff underrated. There are few teams with solid rotations that have a good mix of right-handers and left-handers who have the ability to pitch deep into games as the Pirates have.
This may not be the year that the Pirates break the streak, but they have put themselves in position to have a strong starting staff which should help them compete in the open NL Central. The Pirates have the lowest payroll in baseball and they are relying on these starters to give them solid innings throughout the year, with the hope that they may be in the race with some flexibility at the trade deadline. I, for one, believe in this rotation and think that they can be one of the better rotations in the National League.
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