ESPN Chalk's Joe Peta is sharing his season win total projections for every MLB team, including a reason for optimism and pessimism.
Plus, he recommends an over/under play, or a pass. This is the entry for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Reason for optimism: Fresh off two straight playoff appearances and an average of 91 wins each season, the Pirates still have the youngest lineup of any playoff team.
Reason for pessimism: Replacing Russell Martin is a challenge on both sides of the runs scored/runs allowed ledger.
The Pirates may have won only 88 games last season, but they played to a 91-win level, primarily due to their offense. Stripped of cluster luck (the Pirates were quite unlucky at turning their production into runs) and park effects, the Pirates had the second-best offense in the National League, just a hair behind the Dodgers. That's a far cry from the 2010-11 squads anchored by youngsters Andrew McCutchen, Jose Tabata, Pedro Alvarez and Neil Walker that struggled to scored 600 runs.