The Pittsburgh Pirates are at the halfway mark in their season. Where are they in the MLB power rankings?
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 32-50 through 82 games, marking the halfway point in their season.
The team is on pace for 100 losses, making them one of the worst squads in the league.
That’s evident in their placement in ESPN’s power rankings, where the Pirates clocked in at No. 26. Though the Pirates have been bad, Paul Skenes continues to be very good.
“Paul Skenes’ ERA rose to 2.12 on Wednesday after he gave up four runs in four innings, but that shouldn’t take away from his dominant first half after being named NL Rookie of the Year last season,” ESPN’s Jesse Rogers wrote.
“He continues to be about the only reason to watch the lowly Pirates these days as, once again, they find themselves far from the playoff race after having fired manager Derek Shelton last month. Skenes leads the majors in innings pitched and is one of just three qualified starters with a WHIP under 1.00. The Cy Young Award might be his next honor after a sure-thing All-Star appearance.”
The only teams that rank below the Pirates are the Miami Marlins, Athletics, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies.
The Pirates will have to claw and fight during the second half of the season, but it will only be more difficult after they make some moves at the trade deadline.
Regardless of what they do next month, they will still have Skenes pitching every fifth day, and that will have to be enough to keep Pirates fans entertained for the second half of the year.