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Joel Hanrahan is the only Pirates player who made the National League All-Star roster. Yet, it’s the number of Pirates players with All-Star résumés that speak volumes to Pittsburgh’s growth this year.

With Andrew McCutchen and Kevin Correia being dubbed “snubs,” many would agree the Pirates had three All-Star caliber players on their roster. With a record of 44-41, the Bucs are 1.5 games back of the NL lead, sitting the closest they’ve been to the divisional lead this late in the season since 1997.

As the All-Star break grows nearer, many people remain convinced the Pirates aren’t the real deal. I’m not sure I’m convinced, either.

Whether they do something with this historic start or not no one can predict, but here are three scenarios that could play out that would lead the Pirates down a tragic, inspirational or boring path.

If it wants to make a deadly bite, it would go after Hanrahan, McCutchen or Correia.

Hanrahan has been an anchor to just about every victory this season. He has converted all 24 of his save opportunities and 26 consecutive dating back to last season, the longest of any active pitchers. That kind of consistency has been a big reason why the Pirates are 38-0 when leading after the eighth inning.

When a team is closing like that, it is pretty unstoppable. But, if Hanrahan were to go down, the consistency would be lost in that spot — and the Pirates would be in serious danger. The other closers haven’t shown anywhere near the poise Hanrahan has.

McCutchen is next on my “please stay healthy” list, because he is the face of the franchise. With a near-infallible swagger to go with a hot bat, McCutchen is playing baseball as good as anyone in the majors right now, and the Pirates need him healthy in order to keep rolling.

Correia makes this list for one reason: He’s a winner. No other statistic needs to be talked about except for his 11 wins that tie the major league lead. The kid simply gets it done, and that’s all you need to know. If his arm stays intact, he’ll be the perfect late season ace.

If the injury bug were to take one of these players out of the formula for the Bucs, the season would take a turn for the worse.

Believe it or not, the Pirates could actually pull this off.

No matter what anyone says, or what has happened, Pittsburgh is 1.5 games back of the division lead. 1.5 measly games! They could have the lead by tomorrow night.

All it would take is a little bit more from the bats, the pitching to stay where it is, and some luck at avoiding injuries. Obviously, all of these things aren’t likely to happen, but they’re necessary if the Pirates want to keep climbing.

With the Central being the weakest division right now, a wildcard spot is unlikely, so the Pirates need to make a push to take the division. Milwaukee has seemed beatable all year, but the St. Louis Cardinals are the powerhouse and it’ll be tough to knock them off the divisional lead.

However, tough does not mean impossible, and I’m certainly not going to be the one to count a team out that is a game and a half back from the lead.

I’d rather see the Pirates crash and burn or go all the way then see them stay right where they are.

A game and a half back is an exciting margin at the end of the year, but if the Bucs slipped any further away from the lead and cruised to the end, I’d be bored silly.

On one hand, if they completely imploded, we’d have a chance to gripe about the franchise and the owner and the players for three more months until next spring.

If they won games, maybe took the pennant, it would reenergize a sleeping fan base that has been waiting for the return of some strong play on the diamond.

The worst thing, though, would be to see the Pirates finish the year a game under .500 and a long shot from the playoffs.

That kind of ending to this story could destroy hope forever, and a losing mentality can spread like cancer.