One of the heroes throughout the Pittsburgh Pirates’ postseason runs in 2013 and 2014 was catcher Russell Martin. Martin’s first season with the Pirates cemented himself as a fan favorite, and one of the leaders of the team. With the bat, Martin was so-so with a .226/.327/.377 line, 14 home runs, and 100 OPS+ in 506 plate appearances, but was worth 4.1 bWAR. He had the third highest bWAR on the entire team that year. Clearly, it was his glove where he provided almost all the value. But Martin was the way the Pittsburgh Pirates of 2013 created their own strikes.
How the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates Created Their Own Strikes
