FanPost

"Don't Blame Duke"

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/dont-blame-duke/

Given the numerous debates that have taken place on whether or not Duke should be retained by the Pirates I thought this post on FanGraphs was relevant.

Take a look for yourself but in short the post states what we all know, that the Pirates defense and pitching has been terrible. The Pirates have the worst ERA but they also have the second worst defense per UZR (ironically the Indians are the worst) which is why the team xFIP is almost a full run lower than its ERA. That said, the team xFIP is still the lowest in the majors which means that the pitching stinks overall. But even though the pitching stinks, don't blame Zach Duke because he is the same pitcher he's always been and the author makes the case that Duke should be retained next season.

The biggest thing I took from the post was that PNC surpesses the typical HR/FB %. This is important because the rotation is loaded with groundball pitchers with low K totals backed by a poor defense (it also may explain the Pirates record at home vs the road). So if the Bucs don't improve the defense they should consider taking advantage of PNC and look for some flyball pitchers next year. If the Bucs cannot find pitching through free agency a case could be made to release Duke, trade Maholm and replace those two with a combination of Karstens, McCutchen, Burress and Lincoln who are all flyball pitchers. The money savings could be used to upgrade at other positions like SS, RF or 1B. I would like to see the Pirates acquire pitching but it will be interesting to see if Huntington looks to upgrade the defense or find players to take advantage of the home park.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of the managing editors or SB Nation. FanPosts are written by Bucs Dugout readers.