The Pirates are a mere 19 games into the 2023 season, but one of the team’s analysts sees comparisons to the group that started the turnaround of a decade ago.
On with the Cook and Joe Show, Pirates analyst Michael McKenry was asked by 93.7 The Fan’s Joe Starkey if he sees this team as being similar to the 2011 team that began to draw more and more interest back in a team that had lost for two decades prior.
“I would consider it to be more like the 2012 team,” McKenry replied. “More depth, more pitching and more established players. You have a lot of young guys who got to establish themselves last year, got to know the league, and I think are going to take a big step forward.
“The 2011 team, was a special group. But this team is ahead of that team. We were just getting started, but I think they’re a little bit past that.”
The big difference, according to McKenry, is the established veterans and the impact they’re having on the fresher faces.
“Andrew McCutchen, Carlos Santana, these guys are coming off okay years, but are playing some of their best baseball,” McKenry said.
“This team is so exciting. It’s probably the best culture — it’s real. The veterans they’ve brought in… they’re approachable. And the young guys are flocking to them.”
The 2012 Pirates didn’t get off to a start this strong, however. That team was 8-11 through 19 games.
They did, however, get hot in June and July, rising to first place I the NL Central and getting as high as 16 games over .500 before slipping off down the stretch.