First Pitch: This Pirates Rotation Needs More Than Just Prospects

Juan Nicasio would be a good candidate to move to the bullpen. Photo Credit: David HagueAfter tonight’s gem, Jeff Locke has the second best ERA in the Pirates’ rotation at 4.33.

The advanced metrics don’t really back this up. He ranks third with a 4.98 FIP, and that’s hardly a good number. He ranks last in xFIP at 4.90, with most of the rest of the rotation really benefiting here from their HR/FB rates being neutralized at 10%.

The numbers tell us two things. The first is that the Pirates rotation has been bad this year. And I’m talking the type of bad that means prospects will help them, but they’ll need more than help from the farm system to turn things around. The second thing is that…