The Pittsburgh Pirates have spent the last few seasons trying to find an offensive identity, and heading into this year, there’s a noticeable difference in what this team can become. Not that a few games will change a lot of what the Pirates have been in the past, but there’s reason to believe that they’ve finally gotten better on tat front.
The reason for it is due to guys like Ryan O'Hearn, who understands that while he hasn’t been here, the Pirates weren’t a great offensive team. However, he believes it’s a much different group and is ready to forget about what happened and turn to the future.
“I know the offense wasn't great last year, but this is a completely new team with a completely new lineup,” O’Hearn said. “Forget about whatever happened the last few years. I don't care about that. This team is a good team. I'm excited to show up to work every day and go to battle with these guys.”
That kind of comment is good to hear but also has to be proven for it to make sense. Early on, the Pirates have shown that they can really swing it, and that’s where the roster changes come into play.
Oneil Cruz also had comments to make about the offense being much different. He named guys like O’Hearn and Brandon Lowe, among others, as the reason why.
“The offense is a lot different this year,” Cruz said. “Having [Brandon] Lowe, O’Hearn and Ozuna, when he gets going, then you have [Bryan] Reynolds and other guys who can help ... whenever we’re on a roll, I think we’re going to be even more dangerous. It feels really good to be around those guys.”
“It feels good, but I have people behind me [other teams] don’t want to pitch to,” Cruz said. “I think I’m seeing better pitches. I’m trying to be myself and more calm at the plate as well.”
The Pirates still have to prove that they can perform consistently over a full season. However, from a pure roster standpoint, things are much different in a good way.