End of the Road 2015: Pittsburgh Pirates

After losing Wednesday’s NL wild-card game to the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, have been eliminated from the MLB postseason. That means they’ve effectively come to the end of the road in their 2015 season. As we’ll do with each eliminated team this season, let’s give them a send-off that would make Boyz II Men proud.

We’ll look at the highs and lows of their season, what bright spots their future might hold and what questions need answering as they prepare for 2016.

[Elsewhere: Yahoo Sports predictions to the 2015 MLB Postseason]

HIGH POINT: The Pirates were on a high all season, reaching the playoffs for the third straight year after going 20 seasons without a winning season. They notched 98 victories in 2015, the second highest total in MLB and their highest win total since 1991. They did so by being remarkably consistent. The Pirates did not have a losing month this season, and had three winning streaks of at least seven games.

LOW POINT: Unfortunately, 98 wins was only good enough for second place in the NL Central, which meant Pittsburgh was back in the wild-card game for the third straight season. Like 2014 when they ran into Madison Bumgarner, Pittsburgh squared off against the game’s hottest pitcher in Chicago’s Jake Arrieta. The results were unfortunately the same, as they were shutout and sent home early. We can’t imagine a lower low after such a great season.

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BEST HIGHLIGHT: The Pirates provided several memorable moments for their fans this season. Andrew McCutchen did his thing, as usual, but we think Starling Marte provided the best moment(s) during an Aug. 22 win against San Francisco. Marte was involved in the game’s two biggest plays, robbing Brandon Crawford of a home run in the second inning and hitting a two-out, walk-off home run in the ninth. Marte Partay time!

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE: With an outfield that includes McCutchen, Marte and Gregory Polanco. With Jung Ho Kang adjusting to MLB quickly and perhaps better than most expected. With Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano heading the rotation, they still have the foundation in place to compete for a fourth straight playoff appearance.

QUESTION THAT NEEDS ANSWERING: Will they have enough financial flexibility to keep up? The Cardinals and Cubs aren’t going anywhere, so the pressure will be on. With 12 key players arbitration eligible and all due for pay raises, they’ll have tough decisions to make. They’ll also have to fill the void of retiring starter A.J. Burnett, while ideally finding an upgrade at first base. It won’t be easy.

Previously in this series: Phillies, Braves, Reds, Rockies, Marlins, Brewers, Padres, Diamondbacks,
Athletics, White Sox, Tigers, Nationals, Rays, Mariners, Red Sox, Orioles, Indians, Giants, Twins, Angels and Yankees.