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The Pittsburgh Pirates entered the offseason knowing they needed to add a few sluggers to help out the pitching staff. And that's exactly what they did.
They signed Ryan O'Hearn, Marcell Ozuna, and acquired Brandon Lowe in a three-team trade with the Houston Astros and Tampa Bay Rays. And while Ozuna is struggling this year, O'Hearn and Lowe have helped the Pirates find success.
Through 44 games so far, O'Hearn is hitting .289/.368/.459 with seven home runs and 29 runs batted in. Unfortunately, he landed on the 10-day IL after pulling himself out of a May 16th game against the Philadelphia Phillies with a right quad muscle strain. He is looking to return sometime in the middle of June.
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For Lowe, he has been on an absolute tear this year. Across 49 games, he's hitting .270/.356/.550 with 13 home runs and 33 runs batted in. He has been a handful for opposing pitchers and quite successful batting in the two-hole.
He's a big reason why Pittsburgh is still in the thick of things in the toughest division in MLB right now. And Lowe is who Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer tags as the team's MVP.
"The Bucs are the most improved offensive team in MLB, and a lot of that braces back to having acquired Lowe over the winter. Oneil Cruz has one more RBI, but Lowe otherwise leads the team in home runs, OBP, slugging and OPS."
On the other hand, Rymer places the least valuable player tag on Ozuna, who is struggling with the bat in his hands, hitting .185 with just five home runs. If he can figure it out, the Pirates may be able to make a climb in the NL Central.
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