Last season, the Pirates pulled off an unusual feat: they rewarded optimism in the Forster family win predictions.
Having failed to post the result at season's end and give Charlie his props, I shall do so now. The Pirates won 76 games in 2023, and Charlie, the family baseball optimist, predicted 78. That prediction was closer than anyone else in the family (ranging from predictions of 57-70 wins).
This year's optimism order holds steady, and we have another rarity: two family members predicting the same number of wins. We shall see what a team with improving young players but really no starting pitching staff can do.
