For Andrew McCutchen, it's that last year was a fluke. For Gerrit Cole, it's health. Up and down the roster, the Bucs can improve on a disappointing season. As a team, it's looking to show it is still a postseason contender in the National League, that a losing 2016 was a setback and not a full step back.
"When people count us out, we have our backs against the wall, that's when we play the best and we sneak up on people," shortstop Jordy Mercer said in December.