It takes a team effort to consistently win baseball games.

Such was illustrated during the unexpected rise and steep fall of the 2012 Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Bucs climbed to 16 games above .500 last season largely due to stud center fielder Andrew McCutchen and ace pitcher A.J. Burnett.

Pittsburgh's eventual collapse showed the team didn't only lean on McCutchen and Burnett, it depended on them.

Rising once again in 2013, it's much easier to believe these Pirates can sustain the success.

Pittsburgh sat at 63-47 on Aug. 8, 2012. McCutchen solidified himself as a legitimate MVP candidate by hitting .370 with 23 homers and 69 RBIs. Meanwhile, Burnett boasted some of the top numbers among NL pitchers. The right-hander owned a 14-3 record — the Bucs won 17 of 20 games he started — to go with a 3.19 ERA.

However, McCutchen and Burnett faded down the stretch and the Buccos spiraled to their 20th consecutive losing season.

McCutchen hit .240 the rest of the way, while Burnett's ERA bloated by a run and the Bucs won just two of his final nine starts.

Pittsburgh is an impressive 24-17 so far in 2013 and unlike last year, the Pirates haven't relied on McCutchen or Burnett. Instead, the supporting cast has led the way.

McCutchen is hitting .260 and doesn't lead the team in any major batting categories. Burnett has pitched well and sports a 2.73 ERA, but the Pirates are just 4-5 in his nine games started.

Starling Marte's evolution has helped make up for McCutchen's less-than-typical level of production, but general manager Neal Huntington deserves plenty of credit.

The Pirates are reaping rewards from his subtle moves.

• Russell Martin has proven to be a strong upgrade at catcher on both sides of the ball.

• Wandy Rodriguez is 4-2 with a 3.25 ERA and has allowed more than three runs just once this season.

• Gabby Sanchez has recently supplied numerous clutch hits and owns a .433 on-base percentage with four homers and 14 RBIs over his past 60 plate appearances.

• Travis Snider is hitting .275 with eight doubles and blasted his first homer of the year to help the Bucs beat the pesky Brewers on Thursday.

• Francisco Liriano has picked up a pair of wins while giving up only two earned runs and striking out 16 over 11 innings of work.

• Jason Grilli, re-signed over the offseason and given the closer role after the trade of Joel Hanrahan, has converted all 16 of his save opportunities.

• Mark Melancon, whose ERA sits at 0.43, has given the Pirates a reliable bridge to the ninth inning.

• McCutchen and Burnett are still Pittsburgh's most trustworthy players.

However, the work of Huntington to build a supporting cast has given the Pirates a more trustworthy team.

Jason Orfao is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.