The Pittsburgh Pirates didn't have a splashy offseason compared to some of their National League counterparts, but they didn't have to. This team is stacked from players #1-25, giving Buccos fans plenty of reasons to be thinking World Series in 2015.
Without further ado, here's our 3 Bold Predictions For The 2015 Pittsburgh Pirates.
3. Gerrit Cole Puts It Together In A Big Way
The curious case of Gerrit Cole over his first 41 MLB starts is a bit of a head-scratcher. Cole has looked like a mid-rotation piece more than an ace, posting a 3.45 ERA with solid peripheral stats. Cole has the nasty arsenal (complete with a #1's fastball) to make 2015 a breakout campaign. We're saying he dazzles in his first 200-inning plus, posting an ERA around 2.80 with a WHIP hovering near the 1.000 mark. He's that good.
2. Andrew McCutchen Gets His 2nd MVP Award
The American League has Mike Trout. The National League? That Andrew McCutchen's domain. Cutch is the most complete player in the entire Senior Circuit, putting his five tools to use in glorious fashion. We're projecting a .320/.411/.550 slash line with a return to 30 home run form for the Pirates superstar. Couple that with his defense and 20-25 steals, and he'll win the 2015 NL MVP Award going away.
1. The NL Central Will Belong To The Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates have played the St. Louis Cardinals extremely tough over the past two seasons, with the majority of their struggles against the Redbirds coming in close games at Busch Stadium. However, the Pirates could easily score 700+ runs in 2015, and with a starting rotation that is better than people think, the Pirates will overtake a due-for-regression St. Louis Cardinals team for the NL Central crown.
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