The Pittsburgh Pirates are shaping up to be one of the deepest teams in all of Major League Baseball this year, with talent and upside spread all over the roster from 1 to 25. While we all know what Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte are capable of, there are other lesser-known commodities ready to make a huge impact this coming season. Here's 3 Pittsburgh Pirates Players Ready To Break Out In 2015.
RHP Gerrit Cole
This feels like the year where Cole finally ascends to the mountaintop and asserts himself as the young ace of the Pirates' starting rotation. He's already got two solid seasons from an advanced-statistics perspective under his belt, and the quality and depth of his pitch arsenal suggests that the surface hasn't yet been scratched for the 24-year-old. Get ready for Cole's star turn in 2015.
RHP Radhames Liz
The Pirates pulled Liz off the baseball scrap heap this offseason, and Liz has impressed enough this spring to earn an opportunity for his first regular-season MLB appearance since 2009 with the Baltimore Orioles. A converted starter, Liz is showing a renewed determination that could make a vital part of the team's middle relief corps this season.
OF Gregory Polanco
Don't let Polanco's scuffles during his rookie campaign in 2014 fool you -- this kid has MLB star written all over him. At just 23 years of age, Polanco's dealing with some growing pains in his first year-plus with the big league squad. However, once he finds his sea legs -- and he will -- he's going to make a scary deep outfield even deeper, partially thanks to the level-headed tutelage of fellow Dominican Republic native Starling Marte.
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