Young Bucs Growing Up in Front of our Eyes

If you would have told me that the Pirates would split this past series against the Braves (who have baseball’s best record), I would have laughed. If you had told me that they could have easily won all four games, I would have requested you to be drug tested. 

But they unlocked their grit and competed with Atlanta. Pirates’ fans should be proud of the product they saw on the diamond, and you should ask yourself this question: “Can the Pirates be a legitimate contender for a playoff push in the years to come?” The Pirates impressed; although, the answer is likely no. But they, and especially the young Bucs, made a strong case for why they should be taken seriously in the future. 

The biggest question mark on this team is consistency. They showed that they can compete at the highest level. Ke’Bryan Hayes said in his post-game interview that “They treated this series like a playoff series”, and they need to treat every series like one. If they can find that level of consistency, then the wins will pile up and then maybe they can compete for a division title next year. If the team decides to keep Derek Shelton for next season, then he needs to be better with his game management. Especially when it comes to pitching. One can make the argument that if Shelton had better bullpen management, the Bucs would have won three out of four games. 

The Pirates showed a lot of heart against the Braves. You can see that they’re close, but there are still plenty of things to fix. But the young Bucs are catching momentum, and that is what these last couple of months should be about. Keep developing the young players and see how far they can take you. Let Endy Rodriguez play more than Jason Delay, and when Endy is not catching, put Henry Davis behind the dish. Keep improving in the batter’s box.



When the Pirates figure it out, they will be a fun team to watch. Fans must keep it in perspective and remember that Oneil Cruz still hasn’t seen the diamond since early April. The time is coming, yinz, so be ready because the Pirates should be playing in October sooner rather than later.