While most projection systems had the NL Central as a largely jumbled mess, there was one thing that was consistent — the Pittsburgh Pirates in dead last.
The holders of the #1 overall pick in this summer’s draft seem like good bets to land that pick again next summer, at least based on the offseason projections. They are, largely, a bad team that didn’t try to get any better in the offseason, but they’re off to a 5-8 start after playing some competitive baseball over the last week, taking 2 of 3 from the Chicago Cubs and splitting a four-game set with playoff favorite San Diego.