The Pirates at the 24.69% Pole

The Pirates have now played 40 games, almost, but not exactly, one-quarter of the season. (I have gone for strict mathematical accuracy in the headline so as to save my pal Fred Shugars the bother of correcting me.)  Their record is now 23-16.  They are in a virtual tie for second place in the NL Central with the Cardinals, one-half game behind the first place Brewers.  They are on a pace that would win 94 games over the course of 162 games.

If you tell me that you saw that coming back in Spring Training, and your name is NOT Neal Huntington or Clint Hurdle, I simply do not believe you.

A couple of observations:

• The much reviled trade of Andrew McCutchen was and will perhaps always remain an emotional gut-kick to all Pirates fans.  From a baseball standpoint, though, it seems that the time to move McCutchen had indeed arrived.  He is being thoroughly out performed by the man who replaced him in the lineup, Cory Dickerson.  However, it should also be pointed out that the jury is still out on whether or not the players received from the Giants for Cutch, Kyle Crick and Brian Reynolds will prove to be sufficient value received over the long haul.
• The Pirates have certainly proved to be a winning, exciting, and thoroughly likable team to watch in 2018.  Dickerson has probably been the best position player on the team thus far, Colin Moran appears to be a solid, if unspectacular guy at third base, and Francisco Cervelli would be the NL's All-Star catcher if the game was being held today.
• On the down side, Josh Bell needs to bring his hitting up to the levels that it approached last year, and I have my doubts that Gregory Polanco will ever achieve the superstar status that many had hoped that he would obtain.
• The pitching concerns me.  Starters with ERA's over 4.00 cannot, it would seem, be sustainable over the course of a long season.  The bullpen has shown some signs of improvement in recent weeks, but you still have to worry about whomever comes in to bridge the gap between the starter and Felipe Vazquez.

The big message is that the Pirates have proven thus far that they have earned the right to be taken seriously.  They are exciting to watch, and with 24.69% of the schedule behind them, it is no longer "still early" in the season.  A summer that looked to be a moribund one, baseball-wise, back in March now shows promise of giving us some hope and excitement here in Pittsburgh.

Speaking of Andrew McCutchen, Marilyn and I did make our way to PNC Park on Friday night to see Cutch's first game back in Pittsburgh, and I managed to get these pictures of what I though was the emotional highlight - Jameson Taillon, Francisco Cervelli, and home plate umpire Chris Segal stalling for time during McCutchen's first plate appearance in order to let the ovation continue for a sustained length of time.  It was also cool that Taillon struck him out, and that the Pirates won the game 11-2.