Vaughn Dalzell shares why he sees value in the Pittsburgh Pirates to make the National League postseason.
To Make the National League Postseason: Pittsburgh Pirates (+530)
The Pittsburgh Pirates are 50-49 after one series to start the second half of the season and with the St. Louis Cardinals (52-47) and Arizona Diamondbacks (51-49) on deck, the Buccos have an opportunity to gain major ground in the Wild Card race.
Speaking of opportunities, Pittsburgh has 39 games against teams in the NL playoff hunt remaining (Cardinals, DBacks, Padres, Reds, Cubs, Nationals, and Brewers) and there are currently nine teams within 5.5 games of the final two Wild Card spots (Cardinals, Pirates, Padres, Mets, DBacks, Giants, Cubs, Reds, Nationals), so this race is wide open.
The Pirates have the pitching staff to make a playoff run as they are 0.5 games back. The rotation is headlined by rookie sensations Paul Skenes and Jared Jones, the preseason ace Mitch Keller, and three free agent acquisitions in Martin Perez, Bailey Falter, and Marco Gonzales.
The six-man pitching rotation isn’t completely healthy right now (Jones and Falter on IL-15), but guys like Luis Ortiz have done a solid enough job to keep the Buccos alive, while Josh Fleming and Quinn Priester have pitched in here and there.
The hitting is headlined by Bryan Reynolds (.288 BA, 18 HRs, 61 RBIs) and the occasional hot stretch from Oneil Cruz or Andrew McCutchen, but the Buccos calling card to the playoffs will be pitching and defense. The pitching staff is ranked 6th in the NL for ERA (3.85), the 3rd-fewest homers allowed (97), along with the 6th-most strikeouts (848), and the 7th-fewest walks (299).
I like the value of the Pirates and the pitching edge, which I believe gives them an edge over NL Central opponents like the Reds, Cubs, and Cardinals down the stretch. I played the Buccos to make the postseason at +530 odds and would go down to +300.
Pick: Pirates to make the Postseason (Risk 1u)
MLB Futures in my pocket
3u: Aaron Judge to win AL MVP (+110)
2u: Aaron Judge to win AL MVP (-200)
2u: Luis Gil to win AL ROY (+140)
2u: Hunter Greene Over 183.5 Strikeouts (-106)
2u: Jesus Luzardo Over 189.5 Strikeouts (-110)
2u: Shohei Ohtani to lead MLB in homer runs (+325)
2u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (-140)
1u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (+360)
1u: Pirates to make the NL Postseason (+530)
1u: Rangers to make the AL Postseason (+550)
1u: Paul Skenes to win NL CY Young (+1100)
1u: Shohei Ohtani to win NL MVP (+370)
1u: Tyler Glasnow to win NL CY Young (+600)
1u: Tyler Glasnow to win NL CY Young (+350)
1u: Corbin Burnes to win AL CY Young (+400)
1u: Corbin Burnes to win AL CY Young (+350)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to win NL MVP (+1500)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in triples (+750)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in stolen bases (+700)
1u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in stolen bases (+200)
1u: Ronald Acuna Jr. to win NL MVP (+500)
1u: Julio Rodriguez to win AL MVP (+1000)
1u: Jesus Luzardo to lead MLB in strikeouts (+3000)
1u: Hunter Greene to lead MLB in Strikeouts (+1700)
1u: Rockies to have the worst record in MLB (+220)
0.5u: Paul Skenes to win NL ROY (+2300)
0.5u: Paul Skenes to win NL ROY (+1700)
0.25u: Elly De La Cruz to lead MLB in HRs (+6500)
0.25u: Skenes/Judge/Ohtani/Burnes Parlay (+1350)
0.25u: Skenes/Judge/Glasnow/Burnes Parlay (+3708)
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