So last place it is again, at least according to some of the more common and respected projection models in the baseball world.

Good morning to you.

Good.

Tuesday morning, I'm Dan Kovachovich of D.K. Pittsburgh Sports.

This is Daily Shot of Pirates, presented by our friends at the North Shore Tavern.

It comes your way bright and early every weekday.

If you're into football and or hockey, I also offer daily shots of Steelers and penguins in the same place

where you found this. The Zips model might be the one that's most commonly known and

discussed in the winter. This is now operated by fan graphs, easily, the most visited of the analytical sites.

And Zips gets into all kinds of projections, collective, individual, and it's based on a model that they continue tinkering with year after year after

year, that ends up being pretty accurate for the most part.

Nothing can be perfect.

The pirates are projected by Zips to finish dead last in the National League Central Division at 74 and 88.

Yes, that would be behind even the thoroughly rebuilding Cardinals.

In fact, three full games behind the Cardinals.

At the top of the division,

the Cubs, 87 wins,

Brewers at 86,

and even the Reds are expected to be up there.

And I should stress here that the Reds mark

was before they brought back Eugenio Suarez.

Fandul has the Pirates at 76.5 wins, which is pretty much the same.

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