{"id":80597,"date":"2024-07-20T07:00:33","date_gmt":"2024-07-20T11:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=80597"},"modified":"2024-07-19T21:40:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-20T01:40:15","slug":"pirates-eight-starting-pitchers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/07\/20\/pirates-eight-starting-pitchers\/","title":{"rendered":"Pirates Have a Nice Problem with 8 Starting Pitchers"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pittsburgh Pirates are a rare team with an abundance of riches when it comes to starting pitchers. Presently, the rotation consists of Mitch Keller<\/a>, Paul Skenes<\/a>, Luis Ortiz<\/a>, Mart\u00edn P\u00e9rez<\/a>, and Marco Gonzales<\/a>. Jared Jones<\/a> and Bailey Falter<\/a> are on the injured list. Lurking in the bullpen is Quinn Priester<\/a>. When Jones and Falter come off the IL, the Pirates will have a dilemma that should be the envy of every team in baseball. Let\u2019s speculate how it might be resolved.<\/p>\n

Pirates Have a Nice Problem with 8 Starting Pitchers<\/h2>\n

When the Pirates signed<\/a> Aroldis Chapman<\/a> for the 2024 season, it looked like they\u2019d created a lockdown bullpen to cover up weaknesses in their starting rotation. It was the opposite that happened. The starting pitching is a strength and the bullpen has been inconsistent. The Pirates entered the All-Star break with a team 3.86 ERA and 1.276 WHIP. Considering just the starters (and excluding starts by an \u201copener\u201d), Pirates starting pitchers have a 3.58 ERA and 1.233 WHIP. Now for a brief look at each starter.<\/p>\n

The $77 Million Man<\/h3>\n

Skenes gets the attention, but it\u2019s Keller, who signed a big contract extension<\/a> this spring, who\u2019s the staff leader. Keller is 10-5 with a 3.46 ERA and 1.251 WHIP. Arguably, Keller should have been at the All-Star Game with Skenes. His streak of 49 consecutive starts pitching at least five innings was the longest active streak in the majors. It was interrupted last Sunday by manager Derek Shelton<\/a>\u2019s plan to remove him after three innings so that Priester could get in some pre-break work. Since ironing out some issues in the bullpen in 2022, Keller has been one of the best starters in baseball. Only an injury could bump him from the rotation.<\/p>\n

The Rookie Sensations<\/h3>\n

If you don\u2019t know about Skenes, you may have been looking for a different site<\/a>. He started the All-Star Game<\/a> just one year after being drafted. Skenes has been the best of the Pirates starting pitchers, if not the best in baseball. He\u2019s 6-0 and has pitched well enough to be 11-0 in his 11 starts. His stats are mind-boggling: 1.90 ERA, 0.920 WHIP, 2.58 FIP, 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings, 6.85 strikeout-to-walk ratio, 34.9 percent strikeout rate, 5.1 percent walk rate. His ERA+ is 216, which I thought was impossible; it means he\u2019s 116 percent better than the MLB average. He and Livvy Dunne<\/a> have become to baseball what Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are to football. If Shelton removes him from the rotation, the protest at PNC Park will make the Boston Tea Party look like . . . well, a tea party.
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