It's time to look back at every team from around the MLB and what they showed us during the 60 game sprint! We are going to explore a few things for each team: Review in-season transactions, what we learned, what we loved, what we didn't love, the most significant need(s), and lastly, the biggest takeaways.
Let's jump over the AL with the Texas Rangers today. We talked about the Padres, A's, Marlins, Yankee's, Cardinals, White Sox, Cubs, Twins, Reds, BlueJays, Brewers, Indians, Giants, Phillies, Mariners, Rockies, Nationals, Mets, Royals, Angels, D-Backs, Red Sox, Tigers, and Rangers thus far; you can find all posts on the homepage https://www.theballboyblog.com/.
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What moves did the 2020 Pirates make?
Pittsburgh Pirates traded CF Jarrod Dyson to Chicago White Sox for Future Considerations.
Philadelphia Phillies traded LHP Austin Davis to Pittsburgh Pirates for Player To Be Named Later and cash. Joel Cesar sent to Phillies to complete the trade, 9/20/2020
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What did we love about the 2020 Pirates?
We loved the seasons from the following players Ke' Bryan Hayes only played in 24 games, but in that small sample size, he saw him slash .376/.442/.682 and have a 1.8WAR. Pitchers Richard Rodriguez(2.70ERA, .086WHIP, 34K-5BB), Mitch Keller also had a small sample size in his 21.2IP posting a 2.91ERA, 1.25WHIP and having 18BB-16K. That was about all there was to love in 2020 for the Pirates.
What did we not love about the 2020 Pirates?
The Pirates were the only team in the NL Central who didn't make the playoffs; one of the biggest things not to love was playing in one of the more contenders filled divisions. The pitching staff as a whole had a 4.68ERA, 1.36WHIP, 536K-249BB but were able to hold opposing batters to a .235BA. The pitching needed some help from the offense, and they couldn't do it as a unit, slashing .220/.284/.357 and having an OPS of .641. The offense showed a lot not to love in 2020 and came up well short of my 25-35 projected record I had.
What do I personally not love? I don't love that you aren't using the extra storage space you have in the garage, the shed, the attic, or basement. You could be making money off of it. You could buy 1 $20 storage rack at Lowes and then rent that space out. Do I need to say no more, great! My friends over at Stash-It Self Storage has you covered; use the promo code "YOUNG" when you're done posting to let them know I sent you.
What was the biggest takeaway from the 2020 Pirates?
When your offense hits for a worse BA than your pitchers gave up, that's when you only win 19 games. When Josh Bell(.226/.305/.364 59K), Adam Frazier(.230/.297/.364 48H), and the rest of the offense struggle the way they did in 2020, you aren't going to win a lot in an ultra-competitive NL Central.
What is next for the 2020 Pirates in 2021?
After an MLB worst 19-41 record, which would have been in a 51-111 record in a 162 game season. The Pirates have the 16th ranked farm system in the MLB and have pieces in Joe Musgrove, Chris Stratton, and Chad Kuhl, slugger Josh Bell and second baseman Adam Frazier draw interest right now, but Bell and Frazier could lose value during the 2021 season. They need to sell and go all-in on the rebuild and not make another trade like Chris Archer did.
Thanks for reading today, I am so grateful for your time reading, and I hope you enjoyed reviewing the winners as much as I have. I also want to thank my partners over at Repp Sports for RAZE Energy. Thanks to this clean and sufficient energy, I can have the intense focus to deliver content to you guys consistently. Click here to save 15% right now with the code "BALL BOY" at check out.
That's a wrap on 2020 reviews, Take a look back on all of them here.