Don’t look now but the Pittsburgh Pirates are in 1st place in the NL Central. It just doesn’t sound right coming off the tongue just yet, but it should start to very soon. Regardless, they are 11 games over .500 for the first time since 1992 and have the 4th best record in the majors going into the All-Star break.
As some of you may remember the Pirates were over .500 last year at this time and were also considered to be one of the feel good stories in baseball. You may also remember they only won 19 games after the All-Star break last year. That has made many fans a little worried about going all in with this team. However, there appears to be something different about this year’s Battlin’ Buccos. It feels like they expect to win every game which is different than last year’s team who seemed to be surprised they were doing well. This team has more talent on paper and has more veteran leaders than it has had in years prior. Here are a few who have had the biggest impacts on the 2012 Pirates.
Andrew McCutchen
When looking at the dramatic turn around the Pirates have had this season you need look no further than Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen, who was given a huge contract extension at March, has blossomed into a bona fide superstar that he is being paid to be. He leads the Pirates in every major offensive statistic, leads the entire league in batting average, and with 18 homers will be showcasing his power in the State Farm Home Run Derby. His power has been remarkable considering he hit his first home run on May 8th. What is most amazing about McCutchen is that he is dominating pitching and has relatively no protection behind him. He is hitting an amazing .446 against lefties. No that is not a typo he actually hitting lefties that well. He is without a doubt the on-field leader the the Pirates so desperately need him to be.
AJ Burnett
Acquiring AJ Burnett may have been the best trade that Pirates General Manager Neil Huntington has ever made. Burnett who was considered an enigma with the Yankees has been nothing short of spectacular in Pittsburgh. He has been the leader on the pitching staff posting a 10-2 record on the season. It is only the second time in the 35-year-old righty’s career that he has won 10 games before the All-Star break. He has won 9 straight decisions and the Pirates have been winners in the last 12 games he has started.
James McDonald
What may be even more remarkable about AJ Burnett’s record on the field has been his impact on the Pirates new ace pitcher James McDonald. The two have been attached at the hip since spring training. McDonald was a loose cannon in his career with the Pirates before this season. He never pitched too deep into games and at times looked as if he was afraid to pitch beyond the 6th inning. This year’s version of James McDonald appears to be more focused and much more effective. Although plagued with poor run support at the beginning of the season McDonald has posted a 9-3 record with a 2.37 ERA and an opponent batting average of .196 while pitching deep into every game(He had 9 wins all of last season!). In the first half he was charge with more than 3 earned runs once and that was a game in Philadelphia where he gave up 4 runs in a win. The breakout of the young pitcher has been a giant difference maker.
Clint Hurdle
The motto for the Pirates this year has been: Finish. Clint Hurdle instituted this motto at the beginning of spring training and his players have responded. One of the biggest problems in Pittsburgh has been that they have had some atrocious mangers lead their team like John Russell. Hurdle is outspoken and has no fear of sitting players when they don’t hustle or perform well; just ask Alex Presley, Pedro Alvarez, Andrew McCutchen and Jose Tabata. As tough as Hurdle is, he is equally as fair and players want to play hard for him. Lucky for him, he, unlike many of his predecessors, has a ton of talent at his disposal.
For as fun as this year has been for the city of Pittsburgh and it’s baseball fans, the Pirates have still only played half of a season. There is a ton of baseball left and it will be interesting to see if how the pitching will hold up and if the offense will continue to improve. If the Pirates keep doing what they’re doing they should be in great shape. After all, it’s been 19 years. The torture has to stop eventually, right?