One of the biggest surprises of the 2023 season is how well the Pittsburgh Pirates are doing so far. They are currently in first place in the NL Central and have the best record in the entire National League. They also have the second-best record in all of baseball trailing just the Tampa Bay Rays. Even more impressive about their start is that they’ve been able to still win despite losing their young star Oneil Cruz to injury. I believe the winds could be changing for the Bucs.
Heading into the 2023 season, expectations for the Bucs were very low. They concluded last season with a second straight 100-loss year and missed the playoffs for the seventh time in a row. With the Phillies snapping their 11-year playoff absence, Pittsburgh now has the National League’s longest active playoff drought. Given how owner Bob Nutting has run the team over the years, Pirates fans weren’t expecting much to change.
Andrew McCutchen Comes Home
This past offseason, the Pirates decided to bring back former MVP and fan favorite Andrew McCutchen. While McCutchen has been productive, he is no longer an MVP-caliber player. He was essentially signed to bring good publicity for the club and to put the butts in the seats. Since Nutting has owned the team, the PR has mostly been negative and the Pirates have struggled at the gate as well. It should be noted that they only averaged 15,524 fans a game last season and only the Rays, Marlins and Athletics drew less.
The signing of McCutchen has so far been more than just good PR but he’s also proven he can still be a good player. He’s currently off to his best start in a while hitting .272 with five home runs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of .877. His production and presence are one reason why the Pirates have gotten off to their best start in years.
Bob Nutting Actually Spent Money and the Players He Got Are Producing
Nutting also showed this offseason that he could break open the checkbook. In free agency, the Pirates signed Carlos Santana, Austin Hedges, Jarlin Garcia, Rich Hill, and Vince Velasquez. Pittsburgh also traded for longtime Ray Ji Man Choi and acquired Connor Joe from the Rockies. On paper, these moves hardly move the needle and don’t exactly make Pittsburgh a contender. After all, Pittsburgh is still at the bottom of the league when it comes to payroll. However, the Bucs have gotten a lot more out of these moves than initially bargained for this season.
Carlos Santana and Connor Joe have been able to provide a strong veteran presence to this lineup. Santana has been able to give the Bucs strong professional at-bats every night. He is currently sporting an OPS of .753. Meanwhile, Joe has been the biggest surprise as he currently has put up a scorching OPS of .972 so far this season.
The Pirates’ Biggest Surprise: The Pitching Staff
One of the bigger surprises for the Pirates this season has been their pitching staff. Heading into 2023, the rotation and bullpen were littered with question marks. While there was optimism surrounding starters Mitch Keller and Roansy Contreras, there was no other pitcher that could solidify the rotation. However, so far this season, the Pirates’ pitching staff has a combined ERA of 3.50. Only the Rays, Astros, Brewers, Braves, and Yankees have lower earned run averages. Johan Oviedo has also emerged as another strong pitching option to help complement both Keller and Contreras.
No Cruz No Problem
Nine games into the 2023 season, budding star shortstop Oneil Cruz went down with a fractured left ankle. The injury forces Cruz to miss at least four months with August being the earliest he could return. With Cruz now out, most people assumed the Pirates season would once again go down the drain.
Even though Cruz went down, the Bucs have had a bunch of younger players blossom. Cruz’s replacement Rodolfo Castro has been an excellent fill-in so far in the wake of his injury. Castro really started to take the next step during the last two months of the 2022 season. His positive development has carried into 2023 as Castro is currently hitting .279 with three home runs, 12 RBI, and an OPS of .853.
Jack Suwinski has also continued his positive development into 2023. Last season in just 106 games played, he hit 19 home runs. In 2023, he has already hit five home runs, 13 RBI, and an OPS of 1.001.
Pay Attention to the Pittsburgh Pirates This Season
Although it’s still early in the season, the Pittsburgh Pirates have so far asserted themselves as a surprise team. The moves that they’ve made in the offseason are paying dividends right away. Knowing that people aren’t counting on them to be a contender has worked to the Bucs’ advantage as well. Given how well April has gone for Pittsburgh, they have become a team to pay attention to as the season progresses.
For more on baseball, check out Belly Up Sports and follow Eric on Twitter.
