These Pirates can hit, and it ain’t no fluke.
The Pirates are 5th in the NL in hits, 3rd in batting average, and 3rd in doubles. They don’t hit the ball out of the park as much as a lot of teams. They’re 13th in the NL in that category.
The Pirates are the antithesis of the rest of the league. We’re seeing an uptick in strikeouts and home runs, whereas the Pirates are the hardest team in the league to strikeout.
Here's why it's sustainable: Josh Bell is a high pedigree guy who was only drafted in the second round because teams thought he was going to go to college. He hit 26 dingers his first year. This power was always there and now he’s tapped in.
Bryan Reynolds was a second round pick, and he’s hit .300 at every professional level he’s been to. His numbers will even out a little bit, but even so, the guy can just flat hit.
Marte’s track record is that he will hit .280 with a little pop. Melky Cabrera has hit his whole career. Corey Dickerson was more of a power guy in Tampa, but he’s got a track record of success. Colin Moran was the 6th pick in the draft. He’s got 10 homers and is second on the team in RBI.
Kevin Newman is a first round pick who is living up to the potential they thought he had. He’s got a 15 game hitting streak and is hitting .333.
This was what the Pirates brass was banking on coming into the year. The hitting was a question mark because there were young players who were unproven. Well, they're reaching their potential.
I’m a huge believer in talent and pedigree. This team is seeing players who were drafted to be good hitters, actually hitting the ball well. I think that they'll keep it up.