Debate on who should start opening postseason game
PITTSBURGH — There has been much debate in recent weeks about who should be the starting pitcher in the Pirates’ first postseason game since 1992 — left-hander Francisco Liriano or right-hander A.J. Burnett.
Liriano is lined up to begin the playoffs, whether it’s National League Wild Card game on Oct. 1 or Game 1 of the National League Division Series on Oct. 3.
It is hard to argue with Liriano going first. He has been the Pirates’ best pitcher this season, carrying a 16-7 record and 2.92 ERA in 24 starts into Friday night’s game against the Cincinnati Reds at PNC Park.
There is also merit to choosing Burnett, though he is 8-11 with a 3.43 ERA in 28 games. Unlike Liriano, Burnett has pitched in postseason games before, including winning Game 2 of the 2009 World Series for the New York Yankees against the Philadelphia Phillies.
The best choice of all, though, would be rookie right-hander Gerrit Cole. Nobody in the Pirates’ rotation is pitching better at the moment as he has reeled off seven consecutive quality starts.
Arguments can certainly be made against Cole, including that he is just 23 years old, has but 18 major-league starts on his resume and might start feeling the effects of fatigue after already throwing a combined 179 1/3 innings between the Pirates and Class AAA Indianapolis this season.
However, talent trumps everything come playoff time and that is why the Pirates should make Cole their October ace.
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Neil Walker is universally loved because he is a Pittsburgh kid and a great guy.
However, that can no longer mask the fact the switch-hitting second baseman is not going to become the type of star player so many expected when the Pirates made their first-round draft pick in 2004 from Pine-Richland High School.
Walker went into Friday night’s game hitting .252 with 11 home runs and 48 RBIs in 125 games. Decent numbers, for sure, but those of a complementary player rather than a cornerstone player.
That is also why the Pirates no longer so interested in engaging Walker in long-term contact negotiations.
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When the Pirates used their first-round draft pick to select catcher Tony Sanchez from Boston College in 2009, the scouting report was that his defense was already close to major-league-caliber but he needed a lot of work on his hitting.
Sanchez has turned out to be a totally different player. He is an offensive catcher with defensive deficiencies, particularly with his throwing accuracy.
Regardless of how Sanchez’s career turns out, it will be a long time before any Pirates catcher makes a better defensive play than he did Thursday at PNC Park. His catch of a pop foul in a win over San Diego, holding on to the ball despite tumbling over the railing in front of the Padres’ dugout and landing on his back on the concrete floor was simply amazing.