He ran the lead at the beginning of the season, but his momentum seems to have waned. Local media argued that if the Pittsburgh Pirates could not challenge the postseason, they should trade key resources.
Pittsburgh has been a blast this season. They continued to win consecutively and secured their place at the top of the leaderboard. With the spirit of young players, they knocked down their opponents. There seemed to be no team to stop Pittsburgh once the mood was on. However, the lack of experience was evident in a crisis situation. Players who died during the losing streak could not stand up again, and recorded a win rate of 0.456 with 41 wins and 49 losses. The first half ended in 4th place in the National League Central Division.안전놀이터
Pittsburgh, which recorded 100 losses last season, was able to take the lead thanks to the vitality of young players. O’Neill Cruz, the main player, and Choi Ji-man, who expected to play the central hitter, overcame the crisis by playing baseball despite the bad news of leaving due to injury. The atmosphere of the team, which was unlikely to lose, was the driving force behind the uptrend.
The younger the team, the more important the team atmosphere is. In an interview with Spotify News after moving to Pittsburgh, Choi Ji-man also said, “The Tampa Bay Race, which I played before, was dominated by young players. If Pittsburgh continues its momentum, he predicts that he will be able to look to the postseason in the future.
But Pittsburgh’s momentum was dampened. The chances of advancing to the postseason are gradually decreasing. On the 13th (Korean time), MLB.com, the official homepage of Major League Baseball, also evaluated Pittsburgh’s first half, saying, “Pittsburgh has taken a step forward, but there are still steps to take.”
At the same time, MLB.com said, “Pittsburgh looks to be able to achieve a better record than last year. Despite frequent injuries, he is maintaining his pace. However, because a large number of promising players have joined the entry, postseason competition seems difficult,” he predicted the second half of Pittsburgh.
If you can’t make a postseason challenge, you insisted on trading key players. The target is veteran players whose contracts are about to expire. MLB.com mentioned Rich Hill, Carlos Santana and Austin Hedges. As Andrew McCutchen expressed his intention to remain, he was excluded from the trade target.
MLB.com said, ‘Pittsburgh has become a buyer in the trade market for the first time in recent years. But considering how the team has been over the past two months, it may be best to use a familiar strategy,” he said. “We should choose a strategy to swap expiring veterans with prospects ahead of the trade deadline,” he insisted.
With half of the season still left, it is impossible to give up the postseason completely. If Pittsburgh gets back on track, it could lift the table. It remains to be seen what choices Pittsburgh will make.