With the regular season having come to a merciful end for the 2024 Pittsburgh Pirates, we present this postseason postmortem. After a 14-game improvement in 2023 that ended with an encouraging 35-32 finish, 2024 was supposed to be the year the Bucs finished above .500 and contended for a National League Wild Card. Instead, they ended the season with a 76-86 record, the same as 2023.
Pirates 2024 Season Postmortem and Report Cards
First, an autopsy report on the 2024 Pirates’ postseason hopes. Time of death: September 16, 2024, 9:20 PM. Manner of death: a 4-0 loss to the Cardinals in St. Louis. Causes of death: weak hitting, poor relief pitching, lack of fundamentals and urgency, and a 10-game losing streak that commenced on August 4, 2024. Suspects: Ben Cherington, Derek Shelton, Andy Haines, inter alios. Let’s issue our 2024 report cards now.
The Starting Pitchers
Paul Skenes has already been named the Baseball America Rookie of the Year and is a strong candidate for the NL version of the award as well. The big right-hander, who was the overall No. 1 draft pick in 2023, lived up to the hype. He was 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA, 0.947 WHIP, 2.45 FIP, and 170 strikeouts in 133 innings, which translates to 11.5 per nine innings. His record could have been more like 17-1 with any semblance of a decent offense and bullpen behind him.
Paul Skenes: Baseball America’s 2024 Rookie Of The Yearhttps://t.co/FZG3R9rzYm pic.twitter.com/HHjLjYWaCF
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) September 30, 2024
Excluding the occasional “opener,” Pirates starters not named Skenes had a collective 4.45 ERA and 1.326 WHIP. Mitch Keller, the Pirates’ $77 million man, was paid like an ace but didn’t produce like one. He was 11-12 with a 4.25 ERA and 1.303 WHIP. Fearless rookie Jared Jones started the year like gangbusters. However, returning from a long stint on the injured list on August 27, his ERA for the rest of the season was 5.87. Left-hander Bailey Falter was a useful back-of-the-rotation starter. A slew of fifth starters, including offseason free agent signee Martín Pérez, were tried and largely failed. Eventually, Luis Ortiz emerged to pitch well enough to anchor a rotation berth. Skenes, Keller, and Jones will be fixtures in the rotation for the foreseeable future. Falter and Ortiz will face challenges from the Pirates’ deep pitching prospects. Grade: C.
The Bullpen
Rowdy Tellez made three relief appearances in the 2024 season for the Pirates. That might be all that needs to be said about the relief corps. Free agent Aroldis Chapman was added to what was supposed to be a lockdown bullpen with returnees David Bednar, Colin Holderman, Carmen Mlodzinski, and Ryan Borucki. Due to injuries, however, the five relievers were never on the team at the same time until September 1. Even so, they were shockingly ineffective and responsible for several demoralizing losses. Bednar, an All-Star closer the previous two years, blew seven saves and was rocked for a 5.77 ERA. Holderman and Chapman blew five saves each. Chapman went through his annual string of wildness but bounced back in time to take the closer role from Bednar.
Among other relievers worth noting, June addition Dennis Santana had a streak of 21 games without an earned run. Young Kyle Nicolas, who enters 2025 with his rookie status still intact, had a nice streak of his own. In 30 games from June 12 to September 1, his ERA was 2.12. Trade acquisition Jalen Beeks pitched in 26 games in his two months with the Bucs. His 3.92 ERA and 1.790 WHIP weren’t as impressive as his willingness to take the ball. Grade: D.
The Catchers
The early season trade that brought Joey Bart to Pittsburgh may have been the catch of the 2024 season for the Pirates, no pun intended. In 80 games, he hit .265/.337/.462, 13 HR, 45 RBI, and 120 OPS+. He seized the starting catcher’s job when healthy and frequently hit third or fourth in the order. Henry Davis, the 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick, still couldn’t figure out major league pitching. All one needs to know about his season is that the Pirates bypassed him in May and recalled career minor leaguer Grant Koch in his stead. Veteran Yasmani Grandal hit just .228/.304/.400, 9 HR, and 27 RBI. He threw out a woeful eight percent of would-be base stealers.
If Bart hits as high in the order next year, the Pirates are in trouble again. But let’s not evaluate him in comparison to other third or fourth hitters in baseball. It’s not his fault the Pirates’ hitting was weak. Additionally, let’s give Grandal credit for hitting .311/.440/.554 over the season’s final two months. From August 4-14, when the Pirates lost 10 in a row and were dropping out of the Wild Card race, Grandal didn’t fold, going 5-for-18 with three walks and a sacrifice bunt. Grade: B.
The Infield
As a whole, the infield provided sub-major league-average offense. The Pirates’ star shortstop, Oneil Cruz, was the brightest spot on offense among the infielders. He hit .259/.324/.449, 21 HR, and 76 RBI while swiping 22 bags. However, it seems that besides being a generational talent, he’s also a slow learner. Cruz often rankled with his baserunning and fielding blunders. Finally, after committing 24 errors at shortstop, he became the Pirates center fielder on August 28.
After a miserable start to the season, Tellez caught fire in June and finished at .243/.299/.392, 13 HR, and 56 RBI. That’s still below replacement level for a first baseman, although the Pirates could have perhaps lived with that if he had a better right-handed platoon partner. Instead, Connor Joe was nearly invisible after April. Recurring back issues may have contributed to the .233/.283/.290, 4 HR, and 25 RBI season the Pirates got from Ke’Bryan Hayes in 2024. Jared Triolo broke camp with the second base job but ceded it to Nick Gonzales with his poor hitting. Versatile Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a trade deadline addition, hit .240/.265/.322, but plays hard and doesn’t fear big moments. Grade: D+.
The Outfield
As usual, left fielder Bryan Reynolds, a second-time All-Star in 2024, quietly pulled his weight and more. He hit .275/.344.447, 24 HR, 88 RBI, and 119 OPS+. Reynolds doesn’t get strong grades defensively, but those grades don’t pass the eye test. He made several highlight-reel catches and had 11 assists. Rumors around Pittsburgh that the Pirates are considering moving him to first base are silly. That seems appropriate only in the unlikely event they sign two slugging outfielders in the offseason.
Cruz has taken to center field reasonably well and is not afraid to take charge. Pirates outfielders not named Reynolds or Cruz hit a putrid .207/.277/.326 and struck out in 27.5 percent of their at-bats. They were most responsible for the Pirates finishing at or near the bottom in so many offensive categories. Only Reynolds is saving this group from a failing grade. Grade: D.
The Designated Hitter
The 37-year-old franchise icon Andrew McCutchen showed once again that he’s more than a figurehead. He was one of the Pirates’ better offensive performers, hitting .232/.328/.411, 20 HR, and 50 RBI. While his batting average could have been better, it should be noted that he was mostly employed as a leadoff hitter and had an OBP as high as .344 as late as June 18. It was also clear that he was playing in pain for much of the season until finally giving in and going on the IL on August 17. Grade: B-.
The Manager
The case against Shelton has already been made on these pages. Except for a puzzling reluctance to unleash the running game, it’s hard to take issue with his strategy when he didn’t have enough good players. However, too many players didn’t play hard. Fundamentals were bad, as baserunners ran into outs and outfielders threw to the wrong bases too frequently. Accountability seemed lacking, although it’s fair to point out that for all we know, Shelton might be stern with his players in private. Worse, however, despite the directive that the 2024 season would be the one where the Pirates contended, there never seemed to be a sense of urgency coming from the manager. Grade: F.
The Coaches
The Pirates had 14 coaches in 2024. I won’t bore the reader by discussing all 14. Hitting coach Andy Haines, bullpen coach Justin Meccage, and strength coach Adam Vish have already been dismissed. Pirates hitters performed poorly under Haines for the third consecutive year. Pitching coach Oscar Marin offered a mixed bag. Obviously, he didn’t hurt Skenes at all. It seems he unlocked something in Ortiz, Santana, Nicolas, and perhaps even late addition Joey Wentz. On the minus side, Keller, Bednar, Holderman, and Mlodzinski weren’t as good as they were last year. Base coaches Tarrik Brock and Mike Rabelo must bear some responsibility for the horrendous baserunning mistakes Pirates fans saw throughout the 2024 season. On the plus side, there were few passed balls by bullpen catchers Jordan Comadena and Raúl Hernández. Grade: F.
The General Manager
After being linked to names like Shota Imanaga and Josh Naylor in the offseason, Cherington’s offseason additions were rather underwhelming. Excluding McCutchen, who’s in a different category, Cherington’s major acquisitions (Chapman, Marco Gonzales, Grandal, Edward Olivares, Pérez, Michael A. Taylor, and Tellez) produced a collective 3.3 WAR. His trade deadline additions who played in the majors (Beeks, Billy Cook, Bryan De La Cruz, Kiner-Falefa, and Nick Yorke) didn’t fare as well. They had a collective WAR of -0.6.
Where Cherington blew it big-time, however, was failing to land Jazz Chisholm Jr. at the deadline. Baseball insiders felt that Chisholm would land with the Pirates. The New York Yankees stepped in and nabbed him for three prospects, the caliber of which the Pirates could have spared. All Chisholm did for the Yankees was hit .273/.325/.500, 11 HR, and 23 RBI while adding 18 steals in 46 games.
Tellez was a reasonable chance to take, given he was only a year removed from a 35-home run season. Ditto De La Cruz, who, while not being an impact player, at least hits with power. Without Chapman’s late-season performance, the Pirates would have finished worse in 2024 than in 2023. Cherington did well in getting Bart and Santana. The GM was also wise to keep his eye on the future, too. Cook and Yorke could develop into good players.
Two widely respected reporters had different information from their sources during the trade deadline. One said that owner Bob Nutting ordered that any deals had to be payroll-expense neutral. Another said that Nutting authorized the addition of an eight-figure amount in payroll. Regardless, Cherington’s marching orders were to add the right pieces to build a contender. He didn’t. Grade: F.
The Last Word
The team’s overall grade? This is yet another occasion where I show off my advanced degree from the Greater Pittsburgh Institute for Stating the Obvious. They finished last. What else could it be? Grade: F.
Photo Credit: © Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
