After 20 straight years of losing seasons, the Pirates have had two straight winning seasons resulting in the opportunity to host the last two NL wildcard games. During these last two seasons, the Pirates have had solid starting pitching, one of the best bullpens in all baseball, the Sharktank, and an emerging offense led by Andrew McCuthchen. The one glaring weakness has been the depth on the bench, which hasn't inspired a whole lot of confidence, especially in key situations. Gone are Gaby Sanchez, Pedro Ciriaco, Brent Morel and Mike Rodriguez, replaced with Sean Rodriguez, Cory Hart, Jung Ho Kang and Steve Lombardozzi. In what might be the best offseason performance, on paper, by Neil Huntington, he has added players to the bench that have pop in their bats and who can help the Pirates win if they are needed to step in and play for extended periods of time. Not only is this beneficial to the major league roster, but it allows the organization to keep those who might be called up to wallow on the bench, to stay in the minors and get meaningful playing time to further their development.
In addition to the power that these players can provide, they all offer position flexibility that in itself can help lengthen the bench. Cory Hart can play right field and first base, Sean Rodriguez can play just about anywhere but pitcher and catcher and Steve Lombardozzi can play just about anywhere in the infield. The most intriguing of the new bench additions is easily, Jung Ho Kang. This 27 year old power hitting shortstop from the Nexen Heros of the KBO, batted .356 and hit 40 homeruns with an OPS of 1.198. While those numbers are impressive, he did it in an offensive oriented league that is the equivalent of playing AA ball, but it may be fair to say that his power numbers in the KBO may translate to 18-23 homeruns on the major league level if playing on a full time basis. With the return of AJ Burnett and resigning Francisco Liriano, the best bench in recent memory could be the missing piece to the Pirates capturing the NL Central and becoming a serious World Series contender. Starting next week we will find out as the road to Buctober begins with the opening of spring training.
Originally Posted by Steelreign
This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. ://">://" onclick="kh99_iqts_show('346814_1'); return false;">Show Quote After 20 straight years of losing seasons, the Pirates have had two straight winning seasons resulting in the opportunity to host the last two NL wildcard games. During these last two seasons, the Pirates have had solid starting pitching, one of the best bullpens in all baseball, the Sharktank, and an emerging offense led by Andrew McCuthchen. The one glaring weakness has been the depth on the bench, which hasn't inspired a whole lot of confidence, especially in key situations. Gone are Gaby Sanchez, Pedro Ciriaco, Brent Morel and Mike Rodriguez, replaced with Sean Rodriguez, Cory Hart, Jung Ho Kang and Steve Lombardozzi. In what might be the best offseason performance, on paper, by Neil Huntington, he has added players to the bench that have pop in their bats and who can help the Pirates win if they are needed to step in and play for extended periods of time. Not only is this beneficial to the major league roster, but it allows the organization to keep those who might be called up to wallow on the bench, to stay in the minors and get meaningful playing time to further their development.
In addition to the power that these players can provide, they all offer position flexibility that in itself can help lengthen the bench. Cory Hart can play right field and first base, Sean Rodriguez can play just about anywhere but pitcher and catcher and Steve Lombardozzi can play just about anywhere in the infield. The most intriguing of the new bench additions is easily, Jung Ho Kang. This 27 year old power hitting shortstop from the Nexen Heros of the KBO, batted .356 and hit 40 homeruns with an OPS of 1.198. While those numbers are impressive, he did it in an offensive oriented league that is the equivalent of playing AA ball, but it may be fair to say that his power numbers in the KBO may translate to 18-23 homeruns on the major league level if playing on a full time basis. With the return of AJ Burnett and resigning Francisco Liriano, the best bench in recent memory could be the missing piece to the Pirates capturing the NL Central and becoming a serious World Series contender. Starting next week we will find out as the road to Buctober begins with the opening of spring training. I certainly hope so. They seem to have definitely improved the bench and it may be needed more than just a luxury. Will the loss of Martin be as bad as I fear? Will Josh Harrison continue his monster play? Will Polanco figure it out? Will a guy named Pedro even show up? This will turn out to be the toughest division in the majors and we're gonna need 'em all to play.
