Unlikely heroes emerge in Bucs’ up-and-down ’16

PITTSBURGH — Pirates general manager Neal Huntington may have inadvertently set the tone for this year in the final month of 2015, when he referred to the upcoming season as a “bridge.”

Huntington did not intend to say the Bucs anticipated taking a step back in 2016. He meant the Pirates were moving away from one core group and, beginning in ’16, pushing another set of players to the forefront. They still strived for success, ambitiously setting their sights on a division title.

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But looking back, both interpretations of the “bridge” year turned out to be accurate.

The Pirates took a giant step back in the standings, following up a 98-win campaign by going 78-83 and missing the postseason for the first time since 2012. After finishing two games behind the National League Central champion Cardinals in ’15, the Bucs ended this past season 25 games behind the eventual World Series champion Cubs.

“This year, sometimes the best lessons were learned through painful experiences,” manager Clint Hurdle said. “There’s an opportunity for great walk-aways from this group this year based on some of the challenges we’ve had this year.”

What happened? Look to the front cover of the Pirates’ 2016 media guide, splashed with images of their projected stars:

• Andrew McCutchen, who struggled through the worst season of his career.

• Francisco Liriano, who sharply declined before being traded.

• Starling Marte, arguably their best overall player (and an NL Gold Glove Award winner for the second straight year) despite hitting only nine homers and missing a fifth of the season with …

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