As recently as June, it didn’t seem like we were going to get baseball period. So, despite a 19-41 finish by the Pittsburgh Pirates, it is nice to be able to hand out team awards considering that we almost didn’t have any baseball.
Labor negotiations, COVID-19 outbreaks and even drones brought upon delays, postponements and fear that the season would not be completed. However, as the playoffs began on Tuesday afternoon in a bubble, it finally feels like they’ll officially defy the odds and make it through.
However, I’m not here to discuss the rest of the league. I have decided to try to decipher through the rubble of a 19-win season and attempt to hand out team awards. The awards up for grabs: Best starting pitcher, best bullpen arm, team MVP and rookie of the year.
Derek Shelton enjoyed his first season as a Big League Manager. Ben Cherington now has a better feel for what his new organization needs heading forward. They are ushering in a new era of Pirates baseball.
Let’s begin handing out the awards.
Best Starting Pitcher: Steven Brault
There wasn’t much to like from the Pirates starting pitchers in 2020. Unfortunately, there was a lot more regression than there was steps taken forward. Outside of the final two weeks, when they inexplicably became the best rotation ever assembled, things were a crapshoot.
Brault was the lone sign of consistency, or at least the closest thing to what the Pirates definition of consistency should be.
Finishing the season with a 3.38 ERA, he led the entire pitching staff not named Mitch Keller. However, Keller missed too much time with injury to be considered. Brault made 11 appearances, starting in 10 of those. He tossed 42.2 innings and kept the baseball in the ballpark.
Limiting home runs was a big issue among the Pirates’ staff this season. He allowed only two. Considering Brault doesn’t have the velocity that most starters possess nowadays, his ability to locate and keep the ball in the ballpark is impressive. Brault’s BB/9 at 4.6 is the second highest on the team. But Brault often didn’t allow those free passes to haunt him.
Being the lone lefty in the Pirates’ rotation, Brault’s job seems relatively safe going into next year. He has been their best pitcher the past two seasons. I know that isn’t a sentence that will thrill many people but it is the truth.
Based on our awards criteria, Brault is the choice for best starter.
Steven Brault didn't allow a hit in his final 6 IP of his start last Thursday. Today, he didn't allow a hit in his first 4 IP.
We'll do the math for ya: That's 10 innings in a row without allowing a hit pic.twitter.com/EBpA68pbhS
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) September 23, 2020
Best Bullpen Arm: Richard Rodriguez
Things are trending up for Rodriguez after a rocky 2019.
Rodriguez burst onto the scene in 2018 after some time in Baltimore where he flamed out. Now 30-years-old, Rodriguez has found himself as the closer for the Pirates heading forward. After losing Felipe Vazquez to jail and Keone Kela seemingly never being happy in Pittsburgh, the closer job fell into Rodriguez’s lap.
He suffered some early season struggles but posted solid numbers over his last month and a half. He only recorded four saves. The Pirates only had six as a team. But it was Rodriguez who consistently got the ball in the late innings of games regardless of the score.
He finished with a 2.70 ERA which isn’t bad at all. What the Pirates really like about Rodriguez is his ability to strike batters out. He recorded 13.1 K/9 in 2020. Those are eye-popping numbers regardless of where your standing is on a team.
A healthy Nick Burdi or a seasoned Blake Cederlind could eventually wrangle the job off of Rodriguez. With a solid season next year, Rodriguez could be a solid trade chip to open up late innings for those guys. At the very least, the Pirates have their ninth inning guy locked down heading into what will hopefully be a normal 2021 season.
Rookie of the Year: Ke’Bryan Hayes
This one couldn’t be more obvious.
Hayes took to heart the fact he wasn’t called up last September. So the drive and determination to play in Pittsburgh and succeed in 2020 was evident in his play.
In just 25 games, Hayes slashed .376/.442/1.124. That’s beyond impressive. The Pirates have no choice now but to anoint him the Opening Day starter at third base in 2021 and start whatever future he has in Pittsburgh.
Hayes is everything the Pirates want to be. He is young, exuberant, fundamentally sound, talented and fun to watch. In a season where the Pirates won 19 games, he found a way to make the last month worth watching. Everyone wanted to see what he was going to do next.
Hayes was the only position player on the team that managed to be worth an entire win over the course of shortened season. He finished with 1.8 WAR. He was that close to being worth two wins in less than half of a season. The Pirates likely struggle to win 15 games without his arrival in Pittsburgh.
Heading into 2021, it is time to slowly hand him the keys to the franchise. Considering the Pirates’ lack of star power, maybe they should sign him to a long-term deal just to get him locked up officially, similar to what they did with Gregory Polanco.
Ke'Bryan Hayes went 5-for-5 last night.
The kid can hit. pic.twitter.com/zy7FvvN33s
— Pirates (@Pirates) September 27, 2020
Team MVP: Jacob Stallings
The unsung hero of the 2020 Pirates.
Stallings came into the season penciled in as the starter. He exits it likely to continue calling games for the Pirates heading into next season.
Look, Stallings’ offensive game isn’t flashy. He hits a lot of singles and pops the occasional home run. However, he makes up for it on the defensive side of the game. He is an elite pitch framer and has the utmost trust of the pitching staff. If the pitchers are leaving such high praise for his game calling, that should count for something.
Ultimately, the decision on how much he will play is up to the front office. They could elect to sign someone to compete with him next season. But if he is someone who makes your pitching staff better, namely young guys like Keller and a returning Jameson Taillon, why make a switch?
Stallings put together the third best OPS on the team and drove in 18 runs batting primarily in the bottom third of the order. Considering the team leaders, Adam Frazier and Colin Moran, posted 23 batting at the top half of the order, that is pretty solid.
On to next season
Hopefully by spring training next season, we can forget COVID happened. We’ll be back to a 162-game marathon and not a 60-game sprint. Maybe, we can even share a beer or two in PNC Park. Heck, social distancing already applies there anyway based on their attendance.
Will the Pirates be any better in 162 games? You’d like to think so. They’ll get a full season of Hayes, Taillon’s return to the rotation and maybe even a few more prospects/fringe free agent signings by Ben Cherington. And by fringe, I don’t mean Jarrod Dyson type signings. Get actual players. Even if they’re cheap, go get real MLB players and not John Ryan David Austin Michael Freeman Murphy.
Hopefully the awards next season will be a bit harder to choose from. At least with each passing day, we’re getting closer to Kumar Rocker officially becoming property of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
There are so many people to thank in my first year as a big league manager.
I am forever grateful for the support of my wife Ali and our family.
Thank you to the families of our players & staff as well as everyone who helped us navigate a very unique 2020 season. pic.twitter.com/vKfPLrenv6— Derek Shelton (@derekshelton) September 28, 2020
The post Flavell: Handing out the Pirates 2020 Team Awards appeared first on Pittsburgh Sports Castle.
