Hardware coming Home

For most of the Pittsburgh southwestern Pennsylvania area, a true superstar to lean on in baseball has been missing since the early 90's when the infamous Barry Bonds roamed the outfield grounds of Three Rivers Stadium.  Now, with the unveiling of the 2013 NL MVP honors going to Pirates outfielder, Andrew McCutchen, that warm and cozy feeling of security in the Buccos lineup is back.  This is the third year in a row McCutchen has been in the MVP picture and the second straight where his performance has warranted serious consideration.  This year's performance by the Pirates as a whole, reaching he playoffs for the first time since 1992, is what put him over the top of the voting.  McCutchen won by a comfortable margin as he received 28 of the 30 first place votes. 

The Pirates manager, Clint Hurdle, also received a prestigious honor for his efforts in the 2013 baseball season.  Hurdle was named manager of the year, receiving first place votes on 25 of the 30 ballots.  He wins the award for the first time in his career, becoming the only Pirate manager to win the award beside Jim Leyland who won it twice ('90 and '92).

 

 

And last but certainly not least, Pirates starting pitcher, and another candidate in my opinion for MVP of the Pirates clubhouse at least, Francisco Liriano, won NL Comeback player of the Year award for his efforts in the 2013 season.  His 16-8 record and an ERA just over three (3.02) gave the Pirates the ace performance they have been so desperately seeking for over a decade.  Liriano is the first Pirate to ever win the award, which was first implemented into baseball before the 2005 season.