aAs of Friday night, the Pittsburgh Pirates are at the season\u2019s midpoint. Thus, it\u2019s time for their midseason report card. It\u2019s a time-honored sportswriter tradition whereby we who couldn\u2019t hit a major league curveball to save our lives get to evaluate the top athletes in their profession for the sake of a few clicks until we think of something else.<\/p>\n
Before the season began, owner Bob Nutting and general manager Ben Cherington stated that the goal was to play in the postseason. The Pirates\u2019 record at the halfway point is disappointing. The fact that they remain in the National League wild card isn\u2019t. Let\u2019s see how they got to where they are and why they haven\u2019t done better.<\/p>\n
As the old saying goes, there\u2019s good news and bad news. Let\u2019s start with the good news. The Pirates’ top three starters \u2013 Mitch Keller<\/a>, Paul Skenes<\/a>, and Jared Jones<\/a> \u2013 are the envy of every team in baseball. As soon as Skenes was drafted, his college coach proclaimed him ready to get major league hitters out right away. He was a sage. Since being called up<\/a>, all Skenes has done is blow hitters away. The gutsy Jones was less hyped but has also dazzled<\/a> as a rookie despite a couple of recent hiccups. Meanwhile, Keller, the Pirates\u2019 $77 million man<\/a>, might be on his way to a second consecutive All-Star Game despite toiling in the shadow of the two flashy rookies.
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