2015 National League Central Preview: The Powerhouse, Second Fiddle, and New Gun

Pittsburgh PIrates

nERD: 0.40 | Projected Win-Loss: 87-75 | Division Odds: 40.6% | Playoffs Odds: 64.9%

In both 2013 and 2014, the Pirates finished in second place in the Central behind the Cardinals, and will look to dethrone the Redbirds and win their first NL Central division title since, well, ever.

The Pirates had a fairly quiet offseason in terms of additions, but they did lose catcher Russell Martin, who has been a huge part to the Bucs' success both offensively and behind the plate. Despite the loss, the Pirates did manage to retain Francisco Liriano, who has a 3.25 FIP in a Pirates uniform. They also brought back A.J. Burnett who, at 38, is coming off of a season in which is ERA was north of 4.50. But he did throw over for over 200 innings and had a solid eight strikeouts per nine innings pitched.

The team also went out and signed Korean infielder Jung-ho Kang, who could make an already-solid lineup even better depending on his Year 1 transition to the big leagues.

The success of this team really hinges on the health and production of Andrew McCutchen and Starling Marte.

McCutchen is coming off of arguably his best season, where he led the NL in OBP, OPS, and OPS+ and, had it not been for a rib injury, probably would have won his second consecutive MVP award. Marte is also coming off of a career year, and has the looks of an MVP-type guy if he can continue to develop and stay healthy. Outside of those two, there aren't a lot of holes. Neil Walker is a solid second baseman who hits for power, evidenced by a career high 23 homers in 2014.

And although he struggled in 2014, Pedro Alvarez also provides the Pirates with power when he's healthy, as he only played 122 games in 2014 but still clubbed 18 homers. Then there is the 22-year-old Gregory Polanco, who struggled mightily in his rookie campaign, but still has the makings of a solid Major Leaguer.

The Pirates' look isn't a lot different going into 2015, but the numberFire metrics have them just edging out the Cardinals in the Central by the narrowest of margins. In fact, our power rankings have Pittsburgh and St. Louis finishing with identical records in 2015. However, with a slight edge in nERD, a numberFire metric that determines the runs scored above or below league-average, the Pirates are the official NL Central favorites heading into the season.