Pirates Season Glass Half Full

 The Pittsburgh Pirates were atop the National League Central in late July. It was the latest they had earned a winning record in a season since 1997. The Pirates set the city on fire with baseball fever. Every weekend game was a sell out for weeks. Even the national media covered this story relentlessly, as the perennial cellar dwelling Pirates were on the way to completing a miracle. Then the blown call incident happened, followed by the pitching blewing a tire (more like blowing the engine). The Pirates collapsed epically and historically. They are now fighting to stay in 4th place in the division. There is reason for optimism for next season. Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton showed great leaps in terms of their developments as shut down starting pitchers. Alex Pressley, Jose Tabata and Andrew McCutcheon showed just how dangerous and fast they can be whether its in the outfield or the batters box. McCutcheon's name was even swirling around MVP talks all the way until the All-Star break. Neil Walker has proved he is not just a flash in the pan and can be a consistent every day hitter, finishing in the top 3 in RBIs for a second baseman in the National League. Yes, the Pirates are still the Pirates, and the absolute studs they drafted are still all young, varying from ages 17-23 and not close to the majors. However, being in first place for half the year beats being in last for the whole year.