The Pittsburgh Pirates have some talent in the pitching staff.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are through with their first series of the season, where we saw some good, some bad and some ugly when it came to the pitching staff.
Considering the contrast of highs and lows, it makes sense to see the Pirates clock in at No. 14 in Bleacher Report writer Joel Reuter’s pitching staff power rankings.
The Pirates have as much long-term upside in the rotation as any team in baseball with Paul Skenes headlining a group of talented young starters that also includes 2024 rookie Jared Jones and prospects Bubba Chandler, Thomas Harrington and Braxton Ashcraft. However, it might still be a year or two before that rotation is fully assembled in the big leagues. Jones is dealing with an elbow issue and the bullpen could be a weakness if David Bednar does not return to All-Star form.
The teams that rank ahead of the Pirates are the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, Arizona Diamondbacks, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Pirates’ health will likely determine how successful the pitching staff is this season, but there’s a ton of talent across the board, and that should have the Buccos in the middle of the pack at the very least throughout the season.
BD community, what do you think of the pitching staff’s ranking? Chime off in the comments section below with your thoughts.