Like baseball fans the world over, I am excited that today is Opening Day of the 2019 season. Even as a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team whose ownership seems to try to crush your soul well before the first pitch of every new season, it is a time for excitement and hope.
How are the Bucs going to do in this new season? Well, I'll address that momentarily, but first, a word about center fielder Starling Marte, the most tenured Pirate on this current roster.
While out driving yesterday, Poni and Mullsey on The Fan were interviewing Pirates broadcaster and Chief Propaganda Minister Greg Brown and asking his thoughts on the season. Among other delicious bon mots that Brownie delivered was this one about Starling Marte. Marte, said Greg, was a player who was equal in talent to players like this past winter's big free agent signees Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
Really?
That prompted me to head to baseball-reference.com and do a little research.
Marte is now 30 years old, and has played seven seasons in the major leagues. He has accumulated exactly 3,400 plate appearances and 3,108 at bats. On a "per 162 game" basis, Mate has hit 17 home runs, driven in 67 runs, has a .286 batting average and a .783 OPS. He has made one all-star team, and has won two gold gloves. He has hit 20 home runs once in his career. One area where Marte truly has excelled is in stealing bases. He has stolen 42 bags per 162 games, and when he has played a full season, which he has done five times, he has never had fewer than 30 steals.
Something that baseball-reference cannot quantify, but if you watch the Pirates regularly you know it, is Marte's penchant to, shall we say, make lots of mental mistakes and at times just not appear to be fully present during the course of a ball game. And there is also that 80 game PED suspension on his resume.
Conclusion: A talented ball player, no doubt, but after seven seasons and over 3,000 at bats, what we have seen from Starling Marte is what we are going to get, and in fact, he could begin to decline now that he has crossed into his thirties.
And this note to Greg Brown. For all of Marte's skills and talents, he ain't no Bryce Harper or Manny Machado. In case you were wondering, each of the players has also played seven seasons, and here are their "per 162 games" stats:
Machado 31 HR, 90 RBI, .282 BA, .822 OPS
Harper 32 HR, 91 RBI. .279 BA, .900 OPS
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As for the '19 Pirates, I do believe that they could well be a better team than the one that won 82 games last year, but I fear that they could have a very difficult time obtaining that same victory level this season. The team played fairly well within the Central Division last year, but other teams in the Central did a lot to improve themselves, while the Pirates did very little. Example: The Cardinals new acquisitions were Paul Goldschmidt and Andrew Miller. The Pirates signed Lonnie Chisenhall and Jordan Lyles. See what I mean.
Quick random thoughts from this part of The Grandstand:
- The starting pitching will be the key to the team's success. Taillon, Williams, Archer, Musgrove. If these four guys click, it won't matter who they will use in that fifth spot.
- Jung Ho Kang sure has produced in the Grapefruit League. If he can do that in the regular season, his signing will have proved to be the most important one that the team made in this past off-season.
- Which Josh Bell? The guy who hit over twenty bombs and drove in over 90 runs in '17, or the guy with the reduced numbers in '17?
- I look forward to seeing this Erik Gonzalez kid play short. Maybe that Cleveland trade will prove to have been a steal for GMNH.
- I'll also be watching what Cole Tucker is doing at SS for Indy as the year progresses.
- How soon will Gregory Polanco get back on the field?
While in Las Vegas last January, I placed a small ($15) wager on the Pirates to win OVER 79.5 games this year. Logically, I don't think that they will, not necessarily because they are a bad team, but because they will have tough time winning that many games in a tough NL Central Division. However, I didn't want to place a bet that would put me in the position come the final week of the season of rooting for the Pirates to lose ballgames. I could never go that. I do think that that small bet will definitely put a lot of interest in those final weeks of the season as the Pirates strive for 80 wins and beyond.
Clint better be playing his A-team that week!
Enjoy the Opener. Enjoy the Season. And as always....LET"S GO BUCS!!!!!
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