BRADENTON, Fla. — Both pitchers and position players inside the Pirates' clubhouse at LECOM Park have said they can't replace Andrew McCutchen. The former National League MVP meant as much to the team off the field as he did on it. He symbolized the franchise's renaissance and was at the forefront of three consecutive playoff appearances.
On the field, he remained their best player for much of last season, too. His 28 home runs led an offense that was among the worst in the league, and he was traded for two players who won't help replace that production.
However, his former teammates, as well as the one player who will join Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in the outfield, have expressed confidence they can win without him. And they plan to do so with the same scrappy, relentless approach in the batter's box that McCutchen put on display in each of his nine years with the franchise.
"You cannot replace him," Ivan Nova told DKPittsburghSports.com of McCutchen. "He meant so much to this team. But we have the talent here. We have the talent. Even though on paper you don't have the big names, we traded 28, 30 homers, we added 28, 30 homers. We're right there. It's not the big names on paper that win the games. It's who goes out and wins."
There's reason to doubt their ability to replace McCutchen through the aggregate. After all, he batted .279/.363/.486, finishing second on the team with 88 RBIs and recording a team-high 3.7 fWAR. Despite his production, the Pirates' offense was among the worst in Major League Baseball, ranking near the bottom of the league in batting average (27th), runs (28th), home runs (29th) and OPS (28th).
Additionally, neither player acquired from the Giants for McCutchen — relief pitcher Kyle Crick and outfielder Bryan Reynolds — will be on the opening day roster. The lineup Clint Hurdle will utilize on opening day — the club's first without McCutchen in nine years — will still feature Josh Harrison, Josh Bell, Polanco and Marte. Those are players who have shown either great promise or were key pieces in the Pirates' 98-win season in 2015.
But questions remain about the latter two. Marte was suspended last season for 80 games and batted .282 upon his return. He finished the season strong, impressed in the Dominican Winter League and has batted .400 against right-handed pitchers this spring.
Polanco, still oozing with untapped potential, was limited to 108 games because of a recurring hamstring injury. He arrived at Pirate City for spring training last month leaner and has appeared more athletic both on the bases and in the batters box. That long, smooth swing that produced 22 home runs and 86 RBIs in 2015 is back. Both he and Marte have spoken in great detail of needing to help replace all that was lost.
"We talked about this season, we have to try to play every day," Polanco said. "We know we have talent. We just have to put it together and be consistent. That’s our goal, to be consistent this season. Play, be healthy. If we can, this team can be special."
Both appear to be the most likely candidates to bat in front of Bell, who is determined to surpass his production from last season. The 25-year-old hit 26 home runs and a team-high 90 RBIs. He found comfort in hitting behind McCutchen in the order, but expressed excitement about the players around him now.
That includes Corey Dickerson. An All-Star with the Rays last season, Dickerson batted .282/.325/.490 with 27 home runs and 84 RBIs. Most of that production came in the first half before fatigue set in following the All-Star break. He's still just 28 years old and recorded a 2.6 fWAR last season. Dickerson was acquired last month and will start in left field, with Marte now in center and Polanco in right.
Baseball Prospectus' PECOTA projections have Dickerson hitting .278 with 20 home runs and 65 RBIs for a WAR of 2.7, which would rank second on the team behind Marte. To compare, the same projection model has McCutchen registering a 2.3 WAR with a .271/.361/.445 slash line. Additionally, it has the Pirates scoring 705 runs, which would be an improvement of 37 runs.
That would fall short of internal expectations, considering the model projects a full season from both Marte and Polanco. But Dickerson explained how this group can exceed those projections.
"Seeing all that we’ve got, what might fit where, there’s a lot of talent on the team," Dickerson said. "There’s a lot of speed. That causes chaos on the bases. That always plays for a team like this. Not relying on power, home runs. Being able to have guys who can control the bat and run a little bit. It's going to be fun. It's a well-rounded team."
Jameson Taillon offered a similar thought, saying "We’re really good at wearing down other pitchers. We take pitches, we work counts. If we’re going to beat you, it’s usually not going to come off an infield hit, double down the line and a three-run homer. It’s usually going to come from a walk, hit and run, stolen base. Creating chaos. This year, I feel like we’re really deep. It’s a really complete and thorough lineup. There’s no breaks in it."
In addition to the pillars of the offense, Hurdle told reporters Francisco Cervelli has looked more athletic this spring than any point since the club acquired him in November 2014. Colin Moran, the third baseman acquired from the Astros in the Gerrit Cole trade, has yet to hit a home run this spring, but he's showed signs of being an advanced hitter with an ability to drive the ball to the gaps. Moran, 25, was coveted by the Pirates because of his breakout season of 18 home runs in 79 games at Triple-A last season, although he has just 16 games of major-league experience.
He'll start at third base and will be expected to provide pop near the bottom of the order, but as Dickerson stated, this group is focused on far more than hitting home runs.
As in years past, Hurdle has emphasized baserunning this spring, but there is a heightened sense of urgency after the club's shortcomings in that regard the past two seasons. The Pirates were among the worst baserunning teams in MLB, ranking 22nd in stolen bases, as well as 21st and 23rd in 2016 and 2017, respectively, in Baseball Prospectus’ “baserunning runs” metric. They were among the best baserunning teams in baseball during their three consecutive playoff appearances, including two top-10 finishes in that statistic during 2014 and 2015.
For the Pirates to maximize their potential, they must succeed in areas beyond home runs.
"You have to depend on all the basic elements of baseball to find ways to win games," Sean Rodriguez said. "I think we're just going to try to push the envelope in those areas."
By no means does this group see itself as less talented than its competition. Although Hurdle has remained mum on his lineup, it will likely look like this against the Tigers on opening day:
1. Josh Harrison, 2B
2. Gregory Polanco, RF
3. Starling Marte, CF
4. Josh Bell, 1B
5. Corey Dickerson, LF
6. Francisco Cervelli, C
7. Colin Moran, 3B
8. David Freese, DH
9. Jordy Mercer, SS
Or, Hurdle could opt to keep Freese on the bench, instead using Frazier as the designated hitter and leadoff batter. The bench will also include Rodriguez and Elias Diaz.
"Things can happen with this group, man," Harrison said.
Much will depend on health, exceeding projections and perhaps some luck. But the new-look lineup is heading north with a plan to try to prove it can bring playoff baseball back to Pittsburgh without the former face of the franchise.
"One through nine, through the bench, I’m willing to bet that if you look at our team and any other team, based on sheer baseball ability, I feel like we can take it to anybody," Rodriguez said. "Look at the lineup and look at the bench. ... We love where it’s at right now. I don’t think I’ve spoken to anybody who doesn’t genuinely like where we’re at."