Pirates Suddenly Viewed as Top-10 Team in Baseball Amid Impressive Start

(Benny Sieu-Imagn Images)

If there's one team that has to feel confident in what they were able to do throughout the early stages of the season, it's the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Pirates have been viewed as one of the more interesting teams in baseball over the past few months, as there were a lot of expectations for this organization in the offseason.

However, that was also met with some questions, as the Pirates haven't proven in a very long time that they can be a competent team in this league, and that's the unfortunate reality of the situation.

Regardless, that isn't the case any longer, and for an organization that was once viewed as the worst team in baseball, that simply isn't the case anymore. The Pirates are 16-13, and ESPN even has them as the ninth-best team in the league in its latest Power Rankings.

“So, are the Pirates for real? They think so -- even claiming that past good starts have been "fluky" compared to this season. You can look at the glass as half full: Paul Skenes hasn't been dominant and yet the team is over .500. Or, you can see regression coming at the plate: Are players such as Oneil Cruz, Brandon Lowe and Ryan O'Hearn going to keep their OPS around .900 all season long?

"Probably not. Cruz might be the key, even if Lowe and O'Hearn show that regression. Cruz has the skill set to dominate at the plate and on the bases. As he goes, so could the Pirates. Where this team goes this year will be fun to watch,” Jesse Rogers of ESPN wrote.

It's not unfair to say that the Pirates are a top-10 team in baseball, but we might have to see a little bit more offensively before we can suggest so.

This pitching staff is among the best in the game, and that's been evident early on. If the Pirates can continue swinging the bat, which they somewhat have, there's reason to believe that things could just be getting started in this exciting time.