At best, the Pittsburgh Pirates were expected to compete not to finish last in the NL Central in 2023.
They finished with a horrible 62-100 record in 2022, so it’s hard to blame people for expecting more mediocrity this year.
Shockingly – but refreshingly – the Pirates have been one of the best teams in baseball in the current campaign, with a 16-7 record as of Monday afternoon.
Their seven-game winning streak is nothing short of amazing.
MLB insider Jeff Passan highlighted some facts and stats from this surprising Pirates’ start.
“The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-7. They have won seven consecutive games with a run differential of 45-15.Yes, those games were against Colorado and Cincinnati. They are still victories. And while this may not be sustainable, they have the third-best record in baseball right now,” he tweeted.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 16-7. They have won seven consecutive games with a run differential of 45-15.
Yes, those games were against Colorado and Cincinnati. They are still victories. And while this may not be sustainable, they have the third-best record in baseball right now.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) April 23, 2023
The Pirates having the third-best record in MLB with almost a month of the regular season in the books has to be one of the most shocking developments in professional sports this year.
They haven’t had a season with a positive record since 2018, and haven’t made the playoffs since 2015.
There were reasons to be skeptical.
However, the team has managed to navigate Oneil Cruz’s injury and Bryan Reynolds has cooled off significantly after his hot start.
They have done it with unexpectedly good performances from pitchers such as Johan Oviedo (2.22 ERA in 24.1 innings), Mitch Keller (3.64 ERA in 29.2 frames), Roansy Contreras (4.57 ERA) and Vince Velazquez (3.76 ERA).
David Bednar (0.82 ERA) has been his usual excellent self as the closer.
On offense, they have enjoyed breakout performances from Jack Suwinski, Connor Joe, Rodolfo Castro, and others; not to mention a rejuvenated Andrew McCutchen (.275/.381/.507, four homers, three steals).
They are expected to cool off at some point, but what if they don’t? What if the Pirates are finally here, ready to fight for a postseason spot?
We will know in a few months.
NEXT: MLB Highlights Just How Hot The Pirates Are