The 2018 Pittsburgh Pirates finished fourth in the NL Central, but the team’s standing in the division was deceptively bad. They finished above .500, had the fourth-best team batting average in the NL, and finished in the top half for slugging and ERA in the NL. Unfortunately for Pittsburgh, they were in the most competitive division in baseball.
Although it missed the playoffs handily, Pittsburgh was a pain in the sides of their NL Central rivals. NL Central opponents went just 31-43 against the Pirates. Other NL opponents pummeled the Bucs 41-24. If the Pirates can improve on their performance against the rest of the National League, they could be players in the playoff picture.