NEW YORK -- Here are the Pirates, at the conclusion of the 2024 season, sitting in the same position they were in at the end of 2023. With a season-ending 6-4 loss at the hands of the Yankees Sunday evening at Yankee Stadium, they concluded their fifth year under Ben Cherington and Derek Shelton as a 76-win team without much progress being made.
That’s despite Paul Skenes’ emergence as one of the best young pitchers in baseball, as well as commendable offensive contributions from the likes of Bryan Reynolds, Andrew McCutchen and a returning Oneil Cruz. That's despite there being higher expectations following a season in which the club experienced significant growth with a 14-win jump following two 100-loss seasons.
Still, none of what was done was enough to avoid yet another losing season and another year without a playoff appearance, a fifth straight season without productive results under the guidance of Cherington and Shelton.
"We have to get better," Shelton said. "The last two teams that we played in terms of the Brewers and the Yankees, they're doing what we expect to do, and what we need to do and want to do. So, I think that's the thing. We have to continue to find ways to get better."
In some ways, this year's Pirates team was actually statistically worse than last year, particularly on the offensive side of things. They set a franchise record with 1,506 strikeouts, the only season of its kind in 143 seasons of Pirates baseball. The franchise has only had three seasons where a team has finished with 1,400 strikeouts and they have now occurred over each of the last three seasons. The previous franchise record was set in 2022 when that year's team finished with 1,497 strikeouts.
The Pirates also scored less runs (665) than they did last year (692), produced a lower team batting average (.234) than last season (.239) and drew far less walks (485) compared to a year ago (556). They even stole less bases with 106 steals this year and 117 in 2023.
Shelton acknowledged there are areas that require improvement, but he also feels like there are ways in which individual position players have excelled and improved, using Reynolds' fifth-place finish in the National League in hits (171) and Cruz's recent turnaround against left-handed pitching as primary examples. To his credit, Cruz has been one of the best left-handed hitters in the National League against southpaws since the beginning of June. As of last week, he was hitting .329 against lefties over the span of three-plus months.
"I do think there has to be more consistency out of the offensive group in totality," Shelton said.
While the bullpen shared in the offense's inefficiencies with a dreadful 4.50 ERA and 27 blown saves, the starting rotation held its own as the team's most notable strength throughout the season. The group, headlined by Skenes, fellow rookie Jared Jones and Mitch Keller, made strides compared to last year, finishing top-10 amongst teams in Major League Baseball with 67 quality starts and sixth in the National League with a collective 3.95 ERA. That latter number sat at 4.88, the sixth-worst in baseball, at the end of last year. Guys like Jones, Keller and Bailey Falter seemed to fade a bit down the stretch during the second half of the season, but the Pirates were in most of their games due in large part to the consistent performances of those within the rotation.
There are plenty of ways in which the Pirates have to get better. There are question marks surrounding both the lack of offensive production and voids that will need filled within the bullpen. There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the future of the rotation, though. Whether one is referring to the current starting five, including Luis Ortiz, or guys like Johan Oviedo, Bubba Chandler and Thomas Harrington, there are a number of arms that could be tasked with contributing in 2025 and beyond.
"I think our starting pitching floor and ceiling is considerably higher than at any point," Shelton said.
Skenes alone should give fans a reason to at least have a slither of optimism. In the eyes of Isiah Kiner-Falefa, a veteran who has played for more than a few teams, that was on full display in Skenes' final start of his rookie season when he struck out three of the six batters he retired on Saturday afternoon.
"I think Paul yesterday put a little show on for our organization and showed the league what is to come. There were some really, really good players on the other side. I know it was only one time through, but he kinda showed the league what the Pirates have to offer," Kiner-Falefa said. "It's only the start. That's our youngest guy right there, going against the best guys in the league and coming out on top, for one time through. We'll see what happens next year. I'm really excited to see what our pitching staff does. Offensively, we're excited to create a new identity. An identity where we find different ways to push runs across. I'm looking forward to making a playoff run and getting those incentives next year."
As the Pirates embark on an offseason that could very well include a heavy dose of change, they did get a headstart on looking toward 2025 by making significant changes that could allow for them to be in a better position next season. Cruz's transition from shortstop to center field is an example, as well as the late-season promotions of Nick Yorke and Billy Cook, two trade-deadline acquisitions who could be in the mix for spots on the opening day roster in 2025. Those two received valuable playing time and played different positions, as did others, including Nick Gonzales with more reps at shortstop and Jared Triolo, who started more than a few games at first base.
“I think we saw that and that’s why, going back to the Oneil point, we needed to move Oneil to center field. We got IKF at short, we got Nick at short, we moved Tri around to first," Shelton said. "We were able to do different things over the last month and got a good look. We got Cook and Yorke in the big leagues, we got Peggy in the big leagues, we got (Joshua) Palacios back in the big leagues. Little things like that are important as we continue to make evaluations.”
In terms of other changes, Shelton -- as long as he remains manager, of course -- said he doesn't know if there will be changes within the staff. He said he will sit down with Cherington and discuss those details during the offseason, as they do at the end of every year. It's unclear whether there will also be some philosophy changes as well.
“I don’t think I can speak to that now. I think definitely a review process of what we do, how we do it, how we’ve done it. I think we will definitely, as we do every year, sit down and review what’s going on, how we’re going about it and definitely look at that because we need to make adjustments in certain areas," Shelton said. "We will definitely take a hard look at that.”
While one could certainly categorize the 2024 season as a disappointment with no true improvement, Kiner-Falefa believes the Pirates' window to win and experience true growth is just now opening. Now it's a matter of taking that next step, one that wasn't taken in amassing an identical 76-86 record when there was more to be desired from a season that once looked promising.
"We have to figure out a way to adjust and get over the hump," Kiner-Falefa said. "The talent is here. That's not a problem or issue. The work ethic is here. We just have to go about our business and see how the chips fall next year, but I like our chances."
