Pittsburgh Pirates: Is No. 1 Possible In MLB Power Rankings?
By Larry Snyder
After their weekend series opener with the Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Pedro Alvarez is tied with Chicago Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro for the second most errors committed in the National League with 15 apiece. Just for comparison, Alvarez has accomplished it in 11 fewer games, 75 to 86. He leads all first basemen in the majors at miscues in the field.
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Alvarez has contributed 12 home runs so far this season. For every one of those blasts, you could say he is giving a scoring opportunity back to the other team. The 6-foot-3, 250-pound infielder known as “El Toro” led all of Major League Baseball last season with 25 errors primarily from the third base side. It may be time for general manager Neal Huntington to seek help for the right side of the infield.
The keyboard is warmed up so let’s take a look at some of the recent reports on the Pirates from the four corners of the internet.
With the MLB Trade Deadline looming at the end of July – Rumbunter‘s Tyler White asks the question, “If the Pittsburgh Pirates were sellers, who would they trade away?”
The writers at Bucs Dugout, part of SB Nation, take a serious look at the upcoming Rule 5 Draft and the number of Pirates’ propsects that could be eligible for other teams to plunder in September.
Pat Lackey at the Where Have You Gone Andy Van Slyke blog reviews Andrew McCutchen’s performance before the All-Star break, and the possible next “Next Level.”
Over at the Pittsburgh Sporting News, Andrew Hodgson believes that Gregory Polanco could hold the key to the Pirates success in the second half of the season.
The guys at the Forbes To Federal blog has some fun with some of Pittsburgh broadcaster Greg Brown’s calls from the St. Louis Cardinals series before the All-Star break.
Let’s stop in and take another look at the internet experts, and see where they have the Pirates in their MLB Power Rankings.
Bleacher Report – This Week #1 / Last Week #2 – Joel Reuter likes Jung-Ho Kang as his first-half Rookie of the Year for the Pirates.
Pittsburgh Pirates
CBS Sports – This Week #1 / Last Week #2 – Matt Snyder joins the chorus of moving Pittsburgh up to the top spot.
Empire Writes Back – This Week #2 / Last Week #2 – On this FanSided page, Kenneth Teape likes how the crew of the Jolly Roger won five straight series before the All-Star break.
ESPN – This week #2 / Last Week #3 – David Schoenfield was impressed by the Pirates efforts against the Cardinals before the All-Star break.
FOX Sports – This Week #4 / Last Week #5 – Craig Goldstein thinks the Pirates will be buyers at the trade deadline.
Rant Sports – This Week #2 / Last Week #2 – Jacob Kornhauser is starting to wonder if the Pirates can catch the Cardinals.
SI.com – This Week #2 / Last Week #2 – The staff at Sports Illustrated is holding steady on the Bucs. They split their vote with the Cardinals just barely holding onto the top spot.
USA Today – This Week #2 / Last Week #2 – The writers at USA Today are among those keeping the Pirates in the No. 2 slot behind the Redbirds.
Can the Pirates maintain their current pace, and stay in the Top Five week after week? Let your fellow fans know in the comments section below.
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