BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Pirates don’t have anything close to matching baseball’s original “Core Four", at least when it comes to winning rings.
Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams helped the Yankees win four World Series titles in a five-year span from 1996-2000. The Pirates, conversely, haven’t been to the World Series since 1979.
However, the 2019 Pirates have what they consider their Core Four, and they aren’t shy in saying much of their hopes of contending this season ride on the arms of Jameson Taillon, Trevor Williams, Joe Musgrove and Chris Archer.
The Pirates have reason to be excited about all four talented right-handers. However, the big question is whether management has done enough to give the Core Four proper support.
Last season, the Pirates ranked 28th among the 30 major-league teams in defensive efficiency. That statistic counts the number of balls put in play, except for home runs, that are turned into outs.
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