Don't Overlook The Pirates In 2020

• With a 60-game MLB season in 2020, every team has a chance to make some noise and no team should be overlooked, not even the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had a disastrous second half in 2019.

• In a shortened season, bullpens are going to play an important role, much like they do in the postseason. While the Pirates are short on proven names, they have an intriguing bullpen of young flamethrowers.

• The Pirates have an all-star caliber hitter in Josh Bell. There is optimism surrounding Gregory Polanco, whose 2019 campaign was ruined by injuries.

• Pittsburgh has a large contingent of young hitters who aren’t well known outside the organization, but could surprise a lot of people in 2020.

• The Pirates are -130 to hit the over and win more than 25.5 games. They're +10000 to win the World Series, per DraftKings.

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Flamethrowers In The Pen

There’s a lot of uncertainty about how a 60-game season will play out. With starting pitchers having only a few weeks to get ready for the season, bullpens figure to be vital for all 30 MLB teams. Of course, the Pittsburgh Pirates bullpen wasn’t the best last season, but they do have a reliable closer in Keone Kela.

They also have a lot of young pitchers who throw hard and have the stuff to be quality late-inning relievers. The likes of Michael Felix, Kyle Crick, and Richard Rodriguez all showed promise last season and could help to give the Pirates a strong bullpen to help make up for a starting rotation that’s full of question marks.

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Faces Of The Offense

If nothing else, the Pirates hope to have at least two players they can count on to be run producers in 2020. First baseman Josh Bell had a breakout campaign in 2019, slugging 37 home runs and producing an OPS of .936. The hope in Pittsburgh is that Gregory Polanco will be able to give Bell some support after missing a large chunk of the 2019 season with a shoulder injury. Polanco said in February that he’s healthy, which could allow him to get back on track in 2020. Two years ago, he totaled 23 home runs and 81 RBIs while posting an OPS of .839. The Pirates are going to need similar productivity out of him this season to have any success.

The Overlooked And Unfamiliar

Most of Pittsburgh’s roster in 2020 is one big X-factor. The Pirates have a nice collection of young position players, including shortstop Kevin Newman and outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Both made a positive impression last season and could give Pittsburgh’s lineup some much-needed depth behind Bell and Polanco. One thing that could work in Pittsburgh’s favor is that both players are young and the rest of the league is largely unfamiliar with them. If their young players can start the season strong and stay hot before the league has a chance to make adjustments, the Pirates will have a fighting chance in 2020.

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