close

Pirates eye third straight postseason

By Bobby Fox for The Greene County Messenger 4 min read
article image -

With roughly five weeks left in the regular season, the Pittsburgh Pirates look poised for a third straight appearance in the postseason. Whether the Bucs will be playing in a third straight wild card game or hosting a divisional round series, thanks to a National League Central crown, remains to be seen.

Barring a monumental September collapse, the Black and Gold will make the MLB playoffs for a third straight year. While that accomplishment may not sound that impressive on the surface, it will likely become the second longest active streak in the majors behind St. Louis, which is all but assured to make a fifth straight postseason appearance. The Detroit Tigers are currently riding a four-year run of playoff baseball, but at 59-66 and in the basement of the American League Central, they are almost certain to be watching the World Series from the couch.

A 257-191 record over the past two-plus seasons has not only placed Pittsburgh among baseball’s elite franchises, but would seemingly make it a destination location for free agents. There are several other reasons to think that the Steel City could draw in the game’s elite talent.

Stability, starting at the top of the organization with ownership and management, and trickling all the way down to the minor leagues and scouting, has allowed the Pirates to patiently build the product that is currently being presented. That pre-existing talent provides a fantastic supporting cast for players looking to finally get a legitimate shot at a championship ring.

It’s common knowledge that Pittsburgh is blessed with what is quickly becoming an almost unanimous choice for the top baseball facility in America. After 14 years of existence, PNC Park continues to change and improve. Bigger, flashier facilities like Target Field in Minnesota and Marlins Park in Miami have been built, but have nowhere near the reputation of PNC Park. While selling a team’s facilities is more of a collegiate recruiting process than something practiced by pros, it still has to count for something.

How about the thousands of people who fill the seats at PNC on a nightly basis? They have shown that Pittsburgh can be and is a baseball town. Pessimists and baseball bashers cling to the fact that the fans didn’t start pouring in until the wins started piling up. While there is little that can be said to disprove that theory, it would be impossible for those same detractors to find a franchise outside of the NFL that consistently sells out while not piling up victories.

Even the supposedly bulletproof NFL isn’t immune to losing franchises struggling to fill the seats. The Jacksonville Jaguars have had games blacked out and had to block off seats because of low ticket sales.

In spite of these reasons, not to mention one of the top three or four most stylish uniforms in Major League Baseball, elite free agents and trade targets have yet to put Southwestern Pennsylvania at the top of their destination lists. What’s the biggest reason for this phenomenon? The Pirates themselves.

This organization is simply not interested in throwing big dollars around for players that are more interested in their own success, rather than one of the closest knit teams in sports. Other than the occasional pitching reclamation project, the Pirates just don’t seem interested in players already in their prime. Young prospects or veterans looking for a year or less with the team as a rental player can usually be found at the team’s wish list. While this practice sometimes draws the ire and frustration of the Pirate faithful, it’s hard for any baseball fan to question the practice.

So will the Pittsburgh faithful ever see the sort of big name additions that have become the norm for teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox or Rangers? Unlikely. However, as a life-long Bucco fan, it’s much more satisfying watching baseball in October than hearing about big names coming to town in the offseason.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today