MLB thoughts

It's no secret I'm a Pittsburgh Pirates fan. Seems that I can't help myself whenever Spring comes that I dedicate more time to following a sport that is rather maddening.

Pirates swept a 4 game series against division rival, Cincinnati Reds after previous series sweeping the Rockies. 

At 16-7, the Pirates have second best record in MLB and best record in the NL. 

As indicated, they have a 7 game winning streak. The Pirates have yet to play a legit team with a winning record, which makes the hot start seem luke warm, especially looking at their key statistics.

No one is hitting crazy. No one is pitching amazingly well.

Bednar is good. But look at whom he's facing. 

Carlos Santana has no business being in the league after what he's done the last few seasons, but he's a valuable piece to this team. He's been hitting doubles and scoring runs.

Jack Suwinski has been a strike out machine, but gets on base via walk and is hitting doubles and homers when they are needed.

Charlie Hays' son is a great fielder, but his hitting leadoff is puzzling. If he gets on base the Pirates have a 66% chance of winning.

Timely hitting is the premise of the record, along with their starting pitchers lasting through 6 innings for "quality starts." 

The starting pitchers aren't aces, but they're close to the plate enough for Austin Hedges to frame a ball into a strike consistently. Austin Hedges hits .160 and is the regular catcher. He's so bad at offense, he is asked to sacrifice bunt like he's a pitcher(Jay Bell wasn't a bad hitter, though he was SH machine. Jim Leyland was a questionable manager. He had Barry Bonds bat 5th during MVP seasons. Amazing to thing how many outs Bell was forced to make and at bats Bonds never got!)

Anyways, Rich Hill is Old! How long can he last before going injured list? 

Mitch Keller might have what it takes to be a solid #2 on a fair team.

Who knows if Oviedo or Contreras pan out, while Velasquez is a journeyman for a reason. 

Could Contreras be an Ace? Could Oviedo be a solid #3? 

The season is young, and the bullpen isn't getting abused. Weird. There's a lot to like, but nothing to think a contender is already established here. Too many holes and lack of depth make the odds slim.