We have our second NL Central team on this list of bad MLB teams coming in next: the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates are coming off of a 62-100 record in the 2022 season where they tied the Reds for the worst team in the Central. That record was also the second-worst record in the NL. The Pirates have some players that are going to make a huge impact on the MLB for years, and they made some moves this offseason that could make their horrible 2022 season a thing of the past.
Projected Starting Lineup/Pitching Rotation:
Oneil Cruz – SS
Bryan Reynolds – OF
Andrew McCutchen – OF
Carlos Santana – DH
Ji-Man Choi – 1B
Ke’Bryan Hayes – 3B
Jack Suwinksi – OF
Rodolfo Castro – 2B
Austin Hedges – C
ROTATION:
Why look forward to this lineup?
The two guys at the top of this lineup alone give Pirates fans something to think about: Oneil Cruz and Bryan Reynolds. Let’s begin with Cruz. Cruz came into the league last season by storm. The 6’7”, 220-pound shortstop looks like a man amongst boys on the diamond. In 2022, he played in 87 games, hit .233, and blasted 17 home runs in 331 ABs. Cruz has thrown the hardest ball ever recorded by an infielder, at 97.8 mph. He also has also hit the hardest ball ever recorded at 122.4 mph. The man’s power and flash are plenty to get Pirates fans ready to go this season.
We then move on to switch-hitter Bryan Reynolds. Reynolds came into the league with the Pirates in 2019 when he hit .314 in 134 games played. Last season, Reynolds batted .262 in 145 games played and hit 27 home runs, and also had a .807 OPS. Reynolds is currently on a two-year 13.5 million dollar contract. He will become a free agent in the 2026 off-season. Reynolds looks to be playing in Pittsburgh for the next few years of his career, which should get people excited.
One final point I want to make about this lineup is the fact that they brought Andrew McCutchen back to Pittsburgh. Cutch is nearing the end of his career, but it is good to see the Pirates bringing him back home to the Pirates. McCutchen started his MLB career in 2009 with the Pirates, before a short stint with the Yankees. After that, he was sent to the Phillies for 2.5 seasons, and then played last season with the NL Central rivals, Milwaukee Brewers.
Prospects in Pirates’ Organization:
Henry Davis – C
- Henry Davis had a 1.179 OPS for Louisville in the 2020 season of college baseball, which goes to show his power and ability to get on base. Davis slashed .370/.483/.663 with the Louisville Cardinals his senior year and blasted 15 home runs. He was then taken first overall by the Pirates in the 2021 draft. One can definitely see the 23-year-old getting some big-league time behind the plate in the next few seasons.
Termarr Johnson – 2B
- Johnson was the fourth overall pick by the Pirates in 2022 and was given a 7.2 million dollar signing bonus. He is listed as a 5’10” second baseman, but that height of 5’10” is said to be somewhat “generous.” Some sites list him as 5’7”. He is projected to begin the season with the A Bradenton Marauders, and a middle infield of Oneil Cruz and Termarr Johnson might just be a promising future for Pittsburgh.
Quinn Priester – RHP
- Priester, the 19th overall pick in the 2019 draft, is set to begin the season with the AAA Indianapolis Indians. Priester suffered from an oblique injury in Spring Training of 2022, which kept him off the field for a month or so. Before that, he led the High-A East in ERA in 2020 and was invited to play in the Futures Game during All-Star Weekend that year. The 6’3” 210 pound starting pitcher is the only pitcher in the organization’s top five prospects, so expect to see him get some big-league time sooner rather than later.
Outlook for Organization:
The moves that the front office has made, along with the young, star talent that is already within the organization, shows that the Pirates might just be on the come up. Even as being listed as a bottom-five team in the MLB this year, I think that there is a good chance that the Pirates make a decent run in the NL Central this season. It is going to be tough for them to have a worse record than the Reds, they should be neck and neck with the Cubs, and that leaves the Brewers and the Cardinals, who are capable of losing games as well.
In my honest opinion, the Pirates are a few years from having a very good squad. However, the only thing that will hurt them this year is that the new MLB schedule allows every team to play every other team, which just means fewer games played in the NL Central for them. Honestly, if their pitching is able to hold up throughout the season, I don’t see any reason they can’t take third in the Central.
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