The horrific start that the Pirates had in 2020 prompted some observers to ask if this is the worst lineup the Pirates have ever fielded. It’s understandable, given the pathetic numbers most of the key players had put up in the first third of the season.
The thing about baseball, though, is that you’re never as bad as you look when things are going horribly, and you’re never as good as you look when things are going great. In other words, short stretches – or relatively short stretches – rarely tell the whole story.
But when those short stretches come at the start of a season, they get magnified, and they take on more significance than they should.