Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates. (Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
We are through one month of the baseball regular season. Here are some early takeaways from what has been a surprising first 30 days.
The first month of the regular season has provided surprises, and disappointments, perhaps no bigger surprise than the Pittsburgh Pirates.
But there have been a fair share of disappointments, with the St. Louis Cardinals’ struggles forcing the team to ask – and answer – tough questions. They are hopeful it will eventually turn around, but just how much can it turnaround with the pitching staff as is?
Here are three surprises and two disappointments from the first month of the regular season.
MLB Surprise: Pittsburgh Pirates
If you had the Pittsburgh Pirates starting the season 18-8 and leading the league in vibes, raise your hand. Now put it down. Because no one could have envisioned this coming.
People inside and outside of the Pirates organization rave about the job that manager Derek Shelton has done maximizing the talent on the roster, prompting the team to sign him to a contract extension. But it’s been the offensive platoons, contributions from veterans Andrew McCutchen and Bryan Reynolds, as well as the pitching staff exceeding expectations, that has fueled their fast start.
The arrow continues to point up for the Pirates, especially after signing Reynolds to a franchise-record breaking $106.75 million contract extension. It would not be a surprise if they had more conversations with players on the roster about extensions (Oneil Cruz?) in the near future, too.
But the Pirates’ fast start is the talk of baseball, and rightfully so. It’s been ages since the Pirates were a playoff team. Now, they look like a real threat to win the National League Central, and have the best record in the NL through the first month of the season.