The Pirates lineup is deeper and more productive than you think

When casual baseball fans think of the Pittsburgh Pirates, the first and sometimes only name that comes to their mind is that of Andrew McCutchen. That’s not necessarily a slight on his teammates, either. It’s as much about the impact the 29-year-old outfielder has made during his eight-year career and the level of success he’s attained.

McCutchen truly is a superstar. He embodies that term in every possible way, from his on field play, to the way he connects with fans, to the way he conducts himself off the field. In turn, that’s made him the face of the Pirates organization, as well as an ambassador for Major League Baseball.

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(APi) We could go on all day about McCutchen’s baseball accolades; his MVP award in 2013, his five straight All-Star selections, not to mention his numerous kind acts on and off the field. But truth be told, he’s not a one-man show. The Pirates have put enough talent around him to earn three straight wild-card berths, and now they have an entire lineup that’s producing at a notable rate.

Coming into Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Reds — which will be featured as the Yahoo Sports’ Free MLB Game of the Day and can be streamed at Yahoo’s Sports Home, MLB index and video home — Pittsburgh is third in runs scored in MLB (123), first n team batting average (.293) and first in team on-base percentage (.377).

The only ingredient that’s gones missing at times is the home run ball. Through 24 games, the Pirates have only hit 22 this season. A decent numbers, but they’ve done most of their damage by constantly keeping pressure on opposing pitchers and making them throw stressful pitches. When that happens, mistakes will happen, and Pittsburgh is turning those mistakes into runs.

Again, McCutchen is the centerpiece. He’s the engine that makes Pittsburgh go. And that might be the scariest thing about this lineup in April. Because aside from a three-home run game in Colorado on Tuesday, he’s yet to really take off, hitting just .226. It’s the guys around him who have picked up the slack and perhaps shown us this lineup will be deeper than anticipated.

(Yahoo Sports) That definitely begins with McCutchen outfield mates Gregory Polanco (.302/.404/.500) and Starling Marte (.323/.374/.515). According to Hall of Fame writer Tracy Ringolsby, that trio makes up the best outfield in baseball. It’s difficult to argue against that. They’re all multiple tool players, and in the case of Polanco and even Marte to some degree, it still feels like there’s untapped potential.

Beyond them, returning veterans Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Francisco Cervelli and Sean Rodriguez are all hitting over .300. Then there are the new additions in David Freese, John Jaso and Matt Joyce, all of whom are holding their own and making lineup decisions the right kind of challenge for manager Clint Hurdle.

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It was tough to know what exactly to make of Pittsburgh’s offense when it traded away a stalwart in Neil Walker, when it let Pedro Alvarez simply walk away, and when Aramis Ramirez retired, but it seems they’ve found a mix that works for them. An offense that doesn’t rely on one big swing to get crooked numbers on the scoreboard. An offense that’s willing to grind out at-bats and wear down the opposition.

There’s a long way to go and many challenges that lie ahead. The main ones, of course, being the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals. But the toughness of this lineup shows that the Pirates won’t be afterthoughts.

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